NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-15-2025 3PM EDT

Episode Date: April 15, 2025

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Having news at your fingertips is great, but sometimes you need an escape. And that's where Shortwave comes in. We're a joy-filled science podcast driven by wonder and curiosity that will get you out of your head and in touch with the world around you. Listen now to Shortwave, the science podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. The Trump administration continues to hit back at Harvard University after freezing more than $2 billion in federal funding to the school. White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt says President Trump has made his position

clear to the university. Follow federal law. No longer break Title VI, which was passed by Congress to ensure no student can be discriminated against on the basis of race. And you will receive federal funding. Unfortunately, Harvard has not taken the president or the administration's demands seriously.

All the president is asking, don't break federal law, and then you can have your federal funding. Harvard has refused to comply with a list of demands from the White House. They include dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs, banning certain student groups and changing the university's admissions policies. Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is testifying for the second day in a federal antitrust trial in Washington. NPR's Bobby Allen reports the case brought by the Trump administration is threatening to break up Meta's $1.3 billion business empire. Zuckerberg faced a barrage of questions from a Federal Trade Commission lawyer.

The focus was what motivated the executive to purchase Instagram and WhatsApp. Zuckerberg said when it came to Instagram, the company then known as Facebook was considering building its own camera, but Instagram already had a better service. So quote, I thought it was better to buy them. This statement goes to the heart of the FTC's case that Metta used a buy or bury strategy to cement its status as a social media monopoly. The FTC wants Metta to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp as separate companies. But Zuckerberg says the deals were already approved a decade ago and that Metta now faces plenty of competition from other social media apps like TikTok.

Bobbi Allen, NPR News. Today is tax day and the IRS is marking an anniversary. NPR's Scott Horsley reports it's been 70 years since April 15th was set as the deadline for Americans to file their income taxes. The tax filing deadline used to fall on the Ides of March. It was pushed back a month to April 15th in 1955 to give both taxpayers and the tax collection agency more time to get ready. That time is now running out for most taxpayers, whose returns are due by midnight tonight.

You can ask for a six-month extension to file your return, but any taxes you owe are still due today. At last count, 11 days ago, more than a hundred million people had already filed their taxes. Slightly over half used a professional tax preparer, while most of the rest were do-it-yourselfers. More than two-thirds of filers get money back from the government, with the average refund topping $3,100. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. At this hour on Wall Street, the Dow was down 91 points, the Nasdaq down 20. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. More than 40 million people across parts of the Central and eastern U.S. are in the path

of severe storms today. Forecasters have issued alerts from central Texas to southern South Dakota, including Oklahoma City and Kansas City. Some of the most severe storms are expected across central Kansas to South Dakota, where damaging winds are likely. Paige Beckers is the top pick in this year's WNBA draft. Just over a week ago, she helped win the college national championship with the UConn Huskies. NPR's Becky Sullivan reports now she's heading to the Dallas wings to start her professional

career. The number one pick this year was no surprise. The Dallas wings select Paige Beckers, University of Connecticut. The 23-year-old Beckers has been a top talent since she was a high schooler. At UConn, she lived up to expectations when she wasn't sidelined by injuries. She won National Player of the Year awards in 2021, reached four Final Fours, and finally cut down the nets with the national title earlier this month. Even as she was expected to go number

one, she felt grateful afterwards, she said. I mean, you don't ever want to assume anything in life. Nothing is guaranteed sort of for this moment to be here. It's nerve wracking. You just have a level of excitement. The WNBA season gets underway in mid-May. Becky Sullivan, NPR News. Stocks continue to trade lower on Wall Street at this hour. The Dow Jones Industrial Average now down 80 points. The Nasdaq Composite also trading lower down 10. The S&P down three points.

I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News in Washington. Do you remember when discovering a new artist felt like finding buried treasure? in Washington.