NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-16-2025 8PM EDT

Episode Date: April 17, 2025

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Do you remember when discovering a new artist felt like finding buried treasure? At All Songs Considered, NPR's music recommendation podcast, we put that kind of magic back into discovering new tracks. We're here to make the hunt for new music easy, delivering you the cream of the crop from every genre. We'll help you make music feel fun again, only on All Songs Considered from NPR. 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 impures Adrian Florida says US District Judge James Boasberg is warning of potential prosecutions, though whether today's order changes, it is unclear. Well, 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. Police in Pennsylvania say the man who allegedly set fire to the state governor's home may have been politically motivated. For Member Station WITF, Rachel McDevitt reports a search warrant shows the man was angry about Israel's war in Gaza. Call records show Cody Balmer called 911 about an hour after he threw Molotov cocktails into

Governor Josh Shapiro's residence early Sunday morning. Balmer reportedly told the dispatcher that Shapiro needs to know that Balmer, quote, "...will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people, unquote. Shapiro, who is Jewish, said Wednesday he'll leave the question of motive to investigators, but... — Nothing he could do would deter me from proudly and openly practicing my faith. — Shapiro has been critical of some pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Pennsylvania. He has said he supports a two-state solution.

For NPR News, I'm Rachel McDevitt in Harrisburg. Elon Musk's doge cost-cutting team says it's come up with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of what it's calling fraudulent unemployment claims. Wherever the fraud the group says it's come up with does not appear to be anything new. Labor Department's own inspector general found major problems during the pandemic with filing abuses. When Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell speaks the financial markets listen and investors

appear to have not liked what they heard today. Speaking to members of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Fed chairman had this response when asked whether the central bank might be ready to take action as a result of current market turmoil over President Trump's tariffs. As that great Chicagoan, Ferris Bueller, once noted, life moves pretty fast. For the time being, we are well positioned to wait for greater clarity before considering any adjustments to our policy stance. Powell did warn of a challenging scenario posed by the tariffs though and did note there could be difficult trade-offs ahead

as tariffs push up consumer prices while weakening economic activity. Stocks, meanwhile, took a major tumble following the Fed chair's remarks. The Dow fell nearly 700 points today. You're listening to NPR. Students in Department of Defense- run schools are suing the administration for allegedly removing books and changing curricula based on President Donald Trump's executive order to remove gender ideology and divisive concepts. Kentucky Public Radio's Sylvia Goodman has more.

Jessica Henninger has three children in a school run by the Department of Defense education activity in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. She says books and curriculum have been removed and a project celebrating Black History Month canceled. My husband fights for our constitutional rights and our freedoms in this country and to see those rights being taken away from my children was just absolutely something that I could not abide. The curriculum list marked Do Not Use includes a fourth grade reading called A Nation of Immigrants. Other DOD-led academies have also cut books, including nearly 400 from the U.S. Naval Academy. A spokesperson for DODEA told NPR he cannot comment on active litigation, but the military

schools are committed to providing an excellent educational experience. For NPR News, I'm Sylvia Goodman in Louisville, Kentucky. California Governor Gavin Newsom says he intends to challenge the Trump administration's tariffs and excellent educational experience. For NPR News, I'm Sylvia Goodman in Louisville, Kentucky. California Governor Gavin Newsom says he intends to challenge the Trump administration's tariffs. Newsom's saying today the administration lacks the authority to put in place a sweeping 10 percent tariff on all imports coming into the U.S. It says he's filed a lawsuit seeking to block the tariffs, which he says will drive up prices and cost California billions.

California is a major point of entry for imported goods coming into the U.S. Newsom argues agricultural exports are also being affected. White House continues to defend the tariffs. Mounting global tensions also boosted oil prices today, oil up $1.14 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. This message comes from NYU Langone. The NYU Langone Health app gives you access to your I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.