NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-18-2025 10AM EDT

Episode Date: April 18, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Coleman. A day after European and American officials reported progress in a new effort to end the war in Ukraine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has tamped down expectations. Rubio spoke as he left Paris. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports these were the highest level U.S.-European talks on the conflict since February. After making zero progress in its go-it-alone approach with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Trump administration seemed ready to try to work with the Europeans.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House envoys Steve Whitcoff and Keith Kellogg sat down with German, British and Ukrainian diplomats Thursday. The Europeans pushed the Americans to take a tougher line with Russia, but Rubio made it clear that President Trump might not even stick around. We need to figure out here now within a matter of days whether this is doable because if it's not, we're so far apart that this is not going to happen. Then I think the president's probably at a point where he's going to say well, we're done. European leaders say they will never abandon Ukraine as its survival is also key to European security. Eleanor Beardsley in Pierre

News, Paris. A federal appeals court has excoriated the Trump administration for its handling of an immigrant illegally deported to El Salvador. The U.S. Supreme Court has already told the Trump administration to facilitate his return, but so far the administration has not complied. The Trump administration admits it was wrong in sending Hilda Abrego Garcia to a Salvadoran prison. Federal appellate Judge J. Harvey Wilkinson says, given that, why shouldn't the Trump administration make this situation right?

And Piers Ryland Barton says the appeals court went further. Judge Wilkinson said this is a very slippery slope. In his order, he imagined a future in which there would be no assurances that the executive branch would not deport American citizens or train its powers on political enemies. He said, we're in a moment where the executive and judicial branches are close to grinding irrevocably against one another in a conflict that promises to diminish both. And here is Raul and Barton reporting.

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador and met with Abrego Garcia last night. The stock market is closed today in observance of Good Friday. NPR's Scott Horsley has more. All the major stock indexes are in the red for the week. Over the last four days, both the Dow and the NASDAQ fell about 2.6 percent. The S&P 500 index lost 1.5 percent. Asian stocks were mostly higher overnight. The new U.S. ambassador to Japan arrived in

Tokyo and said he's optimistic that a trade deal between the two countries can be reached. For now, imports from Japan, like those from most other countries, face a 10 percent tax in the U.S. Gasoline prices continue to fall heading into the Easter weekend. AAA says the average price of regular gas is about $3.16 a gallon. That's about a nickel less than a week ago, but eight cents higher than this time last month. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

A federal grand jury in New York has indicted the man accused of killing UnitedHealthCare's CEO Brian Thompson last December. One of the four counts could make Luigi Mangione eligible for the federal death penalty if he is convicted. Mangione already faces murder and terrorism charges in New York State. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has put its Washington, D.C. headquarters up for sale. And Pierre's Jennifer Ludden reports, this is part of a wider push to save money by downsizing federal real estate. The housing agency HUD says its

1968 building faces more than $500 million in deferred maintenance and that current staff only occupy half the space even as its workforce shrinks. HUD Secretary Scott Turner says rightsizing will be more efficient and less costly for taxpayers. He's also called the massive, brutalist-style building ugly. It could be tricky to sell. It's on the National Register of Historic Places. HUD says staying in the DC area is a priority, but this week President Trump made it easier for agencies to move outside large cities, saying they need to be where the people are. Jennifer Lutten, NPR News, Washington.

The playoffs start tomorrow for the National Hockey League. The team with the best record this year is from a small market, the Winnipeg Jets. The Washington Capitals have the best record in the Eastern Conference and cap star Alexander Ovechkin just set the NHL record for the most goals. That's at 897 scored. I'm Korva Kuhlman, NPR News in Washington.