NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-16-2025 10PM EDT

Episode Date: April 17, 2025

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Am I a propagandist? A truth teller? An influencer? There's probably no more contested profession in the world today than mine, journalism. I'm Brian Reed, and on my show, Question Everything, we dive head first into the conflicts we're all facing over truth and who gets to tell it. Listen now to Question Everything, part of the NPR Podcast Network. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. A federal judge in Washington now says he has found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt. The ruling today in connection with the violation of his orders last month that planes carrying

Venezuelan deportees to a prison in El Salvador turn around. Emperor Adrian Florido says U.S. District Judge James Boesborg is warning of potential prosecutions, so whether today's order changes, that's unclear. Members of the Trump administration have said they're not going to let courts get in their way of carrying out the president's priorities. And today is the first time a judge has clearly said they will be punished for not obeying courts.

If they still refuse, that is where legal experts say that we will have a full-blown constitutional crisis where the balance of powers between the executive and judicial branches may not hold. Trump administration, meanwhile, said today it will appeal. The administration is telling federal land managers to reverse a Biden-era rule that would have allowed public lands to be leased for conservation instead of drilling. NPR's Kirk Siegler reports the reversal of the public lands rule was widely expected. The Federal Bureau of Land Management's public lands rule put in place last year could have cleared the way to protecting millions of acres of public lands in the West and

Alaska. Essentially the idea was that during the BLM's required quarterly lease auctions, conservationists or private citizens could join energy companies and make bids for available pieces of public land. Now the Trump administration says it's reviewing it and has marked the funding for possible rescission. The president has ordered his Interior Secretary to open up even more land to energy development in the West. Kirk Ziegler, NPR News, Boise.

The federal judges ruled that Catholic employers are exempt from certain provisions of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. NPR's Jason DeRose reports the ruling affects more than 9,000 church-related employees. The Catholic Benefits Association, along with the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota, sued the EEOC, saying rules the commission put in place contradicted church teaching. The religious organizations argued the specific protections for employees seeking abortions and fertility treatments were opposed to the Catholic faith. They also contended regulations regarding gender transition were problematic. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act took effect in 2023 and requires employers to make reasonable

accommodations for workers related to pregnancy and childbirth. The ruling makes permanent and earlier temporary injunction, which allowed Catholic employers to not abide by the law. Jason DeRose, NPR News. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said today the central bank can afford to wait in terms of seeing how tariffs and other Trump administration policies play out for taking any action on short-term interest rates. Fed Chairman Mickey's remarks for the Economic Club of Chicago, Powell said its understandable

huge shifts in trade policy by the administration will affect the markets though. And in fact, stocks took a major hit today, the Dow is down nearly 700 points. This is NPR. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. says children in the US are being diagnosed with autism at what he termed an alarming rate. The Secretary directly contradicting researchers by saying autism is preventable and promising extensive studies

to try to determine whether any environmental factors may be contributing to developmental disorder. Kennedy's announcement comes on the heels of a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that estimates one in 31 U.S. children may have autism, an increase from the last survey. Autism is not considered a disease, but a complex disorder that affects the brain. More than 190 countries have agreed on the world's first pandemic treaty. As NPR's Gabriella Emanuel reports.

The idea for the international agreement is to correct failures during the COVID-19 pandemic. After three and a half years of debating the wording, member stations of the World Health Organization have agreed on the treaty language. With many sleepless nights, a remarkable feat. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyeses is the Director General of the WHO. The treaty lays out how countries will share information and resources in the event of another global health crisis. The US had played a major role in forging the agreement, but the Trump administration

withdrew from negotiations on inauguration night. The pandemic treaty must be formally adopted at the World Health Assembly next month. Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR News. The new global trade tensions boosted oil prices today. Oil rose $1.14 a barrel to settle at $6,247 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. This message comes from WISE, the app for doing things and other currencies. With WISE, you can send, spin, or receive money across NPR News in Washington.