NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-15-2025 2PM EDT

Episode Date: April 15, 2025

NPR News: 04-15-2025 2PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When Malcolm Gladwell presented NPR's Throughline podcast with a Peabody Award, he praised it for its historical and moral clarity. On Throughline, we take you back in time to the origins of what's in the news, like presidential power, aging, and evangelicalism. Time travel with us every week on the Throughline podcast from NPR. Winzer Johnston Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Winzer Johnston. Justice Department attorneys are back in federal court today. The Trump administration argues that it cannot bring back a migrant from Maryland who was wrongly deported to El Salvador last month. Attorney Benjamin Osorio represents the man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Nobody's asking the Trump administration to forcibly extract Mr. Abrego from El Salvador. What we're

asking is exactly what the Supreme Court told him. Let's facilitate his return. And we do this all the time. I personally have worked with DHS before to facilitate the return of several other clients who were deported. The Supreme Court has directed the White House to take steps to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return, but both countries say they have no plans to bring him back to the U.S. President Trump says he wants to provide aid to U.S. farmers hurt by his current trade war with China. High Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods are threatening farmers who rely on buyers there. NPR's Danielle Kurtz-Leibin reports Trump also bailed out farmers during his first term in office.

In a social media post, Trump wrote about how the government spent 28 billion to buoy farmers hurt by a trade war with China in his first term. He finished by declaring, the USA will protect our farmers. his first term. He finished by declaring, the USA will protect our farmers. Trump has imposed 145% tariffs on Chinese goods. In turn, China is tariffing US goods at 125%. Both of those levels are much higher than during Trump's first term. That makes US goods more expensive in China, hurting sales of ag exports, especially soybeans, by far the biggest agricultural export to China. U.S. soybean exports to China still have not recovered from Trump's first-term trade war. Danielle Kurzleben, NPR News.

Danielle Pletka The number of Israeli reservists calling for an end to the war in Gaza and a return of the hostages is growing. Israel says military pressure is needed to strike a better deal with Hamas for their release. NPR's Hadil Al-Shalchi reports from Tel Aviv. It's very rare that Israeli soldiers speak out against the military and especially to criticize the government. But hundreds of Israeli paratroopers, Navy SEALs, military students and retired Air Force officers are increasingly signing letters critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza. In a letter published this week, hundreds of Navy

SEALs demanded the return of the hostages even at the cost of quote an immediate halt to the fighting. Last week, the Israeli military said it would fire any active Air Force reservists who signed their open letter which said that the war is serving Netanyahu's political interests instead of prioritizing bringing back the hostages. Hadil Alshalchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Stocks are trading lower on Wall Street at the Sauer. The Dow is down 95 points. The Nasdaq down 37. The S&P down 9. This is NPR News in Washington. About 9,000 U.S. troops are deploying alongside soldiers from the Philippines this week in a joint training drill. NPR's Emily Fang reports the exercises are in response to growing tensions in the South

China Sea. The drills come as China and the Philippines trade rhetorical barbs this week. They have accused each other of dangerous maneuvers near disputed islands in the South China Sea. That's where the Philippines has big territorial claims upheld by an international tribunal, but where China has nonetheless established and expanded military outposts. AMT – That's NPR's Emily Fang reporting. Leslie Odom Jr., who won a Tony playing Aaron Burr in Hamilton, is returning to the Broadway production nine years after he took his final bow.

Jeff London has more. Shortly after Hamilton celebrates its 10th anniversary on Broadway in August, Leslie Odom Jr. will once again step into the role of Aaron Burr, the man who desperately wanted to be in the room where it happened and who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Bodum was involved in the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical through its developmental workshops and off-Broadway production and played Burr for a year on Broadway. Since leaving, he's been active in film and television and has written a memoir. He also produced and starred in Pearly Victorious on Broadway

last season. For NPR News, I'm Jeff London in New York. On Wall Street, the Dow was down 87 points. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News in Washington.