NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-16-2025 11AM EDT

Episode Date: April 16, 2025

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This is out of her glass. In Lily's family, there's a story everybody knows by heart. If this story had never happened, All of us wouldn't be here right now. Sammy wouldn't be here. Nina wouldn't be here. Wally wouldn't be here. Anyone that we know wouldn't be here. So what happens when Lily's mom tells her this story is not true?

This American Life, surprising stories every week. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. The Justice Department is suing the state of Maine. That's over Maine's refusal to ban transgender athletes from participating in women's and girls sports. President Trump is signed an executive order barring trans athletes from doing so. Maine Governor Janet Mills has refused to comply. She says she has a duty to follow state law.

The U.S. Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, says Maine is breaking federal rules. Maine continues to willfully violate Title IX and to strip the civil rights of female athletes in the state. The Trump administration has tried to force Maine to comply by halting federal funding for children's meals. But last week, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration has tried to force Maine to comply by halting federal funding for children's meals. But last week, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore money for

children's school lunch programs in Maine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is heading to Paris today for talks with European officials. These are on how to end Russia's war in Ukraine. The trip was arranged after a deadly Russian strike on a Ukrainian city on Palm Sunday, as NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports. Secretary Rubio described the Russian missile attack on Sumi as horrifying and said it was another reminder of why the administration is putting time and effort into trying to end the war.

The State Department says he will be traveling to Paris to meet his European counterparts. The statement did not give further details. He'll be joined by Steve Witkoff. He's President Trump's Middle East envoy, who has taken on several big diplomatic tasks, including direct dealings with Iran and with Russia. Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin just days before the Palm Sunday attack. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department. The Commerce Department says consumer spending saw the biggest jump in more than two years

during March. And Pierce Alina Seljuk reports that's as more people rushed to buy cars ahead of President Trump's new tariffs. Retail sales grew 1.4 percent in March compared to February. It's the biggest jump since early 2023, and the driver is cars. Spending on automobiles and auto parts rose more than 5% over last month. Lots of shoppers have rushed to buy cars, worried about prices going up as a result of new tariffs starting to apply to imported vehicles and parts. Compared to a year ago, spending overall at stores, car dealerships and restaurants increased 4.6%.

That's a notable jump. It comes as people increasingly report feeling down about the economy in the Consumer Sentiment Survey, anxious about the impact of tariffs on prices. But March data still has people spending on clothes, gardening supplies and going out to eat. Alina Seluk, NPR News. President Trump has ordered a national security review of imports of critical minerals. These are widely used in defense and technology. Trump will decide whether to put tariffs on them. China leads the world in its production of rare earth minerals, and Beijing has slapped export restrictions on these minerals.

You're listening to NPR. Officials in Hong Kong say they're going to stop mailing out or accepting small parcels to and from the U.S. That comes after President Trump said he would charge tariffs on packages with low value that come from Hong Kong. That tariff is 120 percent. Hong Kong says the U.S. is behaving like a bully. The city will accept mail that only includes documents.

A new report shows that the overall number of abortions in the U.S. remains steady in 2024, compared to the prior year. But the number of abortions that were arranged through telehealth has grown. From member station WWNO, Rosemary Westwood explains. The report comes from the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. It counted the number of abortions provided in consultation with a medical provider, whether that's through the mail or in a clinic setting, in states where abortion is legal. The report found there were about 1,038,000 abortions in 2024, an increase of less than

one percent from the year before. But the picture varied state by state. The number of abortions fell dramatically in Florida, which enacted a six-week ban last year. And the number of abortions rose in other states, including Arizona. Telehealth abortions continue to grow. Those were up to 14%.

Other research has previously shown that people in states with total bans are also obtaining abortion medication through the mail. For NPR News, I'm Rosemary Westwood in New Orleans. The iconic game show host Wink Martindale has died at his California home at the age of 91, according to his publicist. Martindale famously hosted shows including Gambit and was an early interviewer of Elvis Presley. This is NPR.