NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-20-2025 11PM EDT

Episode Date: April 21, 2025

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The scary new movie Sinners from the director of Black Panther finds Michael B. Jordan playing twin brothers. It's got vampires, it's got great music, and it's a fun one to see with a big crowd. This is the most excited I've been about a movie in a very long time. We'll tell you why you should see Sinners on the biggest screen you can. Listen to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. The Israeli military has released its investigation into the deaths of 15 Palestinian medics last month.

They were killed by Israeli forces who said they were not using their emergency vehicle lights to identify them as noncombatants. A video released later showed those lights were on. And Percedillo-Shalchi says the investigation led to few consequences. First the military said that the field commander who started the shooting was going to be fired from his position. The commander of the brigade will receive a reprimand for making the decisions that happened after the shooting, including the burial of the medics. And then we press the spokespeople. What if anything is going to change after this incident?

They just insisted that this event was a, quote, operational misunderstanding. They said, we trust in the good intentions of our soldiers, that they already have mechanisms in place to keep this from happening. But then we also know that Palestinians in Gaza and human rights organizations have repeatedly accused the Israeli military of mishandling its own investigations. One deputy commander was fired because of that incident. A Republican senator is now criticizing the Trump administration's handling of Kilmar Abrego-Garcia's deportation to El Salvador.

John Kennedy of Louisiana also says he'll watch President Trump's response to court orders. St. Pierre's Luke Garrett has more. Senator Kennedy told NBC News Abrego-Ggo Garcia never should have been sent to El Salvador. Look, this was a screw up, in my opinion. The administration won't admit it. Kennedy also said Abrego Garcia should have received a hearing before his wrongful deportation to a Salvadorian prison. But when asked whether he believes Trump is in defiance

of a court order to facilitate the man's return, Kennedy said, I don't believe that President Trump will defy a federal judge's order. If he does, I'll call him out on it. And Kennedy called Trump's proposal of sending Americans to El Salvador not, quote, appropriate or moral. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. Businesses and investors are trying to get ahead of President Trump's tariffs

and their effects on the economy. NPR's Mira Aspin reports that some of the country's biggest companies, including electric vehicle maker Tesla, will talk about their strategies later this week. It's the height of corporate earnings season when big publicly traded companies report their most recent quarterly results and talk about the future. But so far this spring, President Trump's tariffs are clouding the outlook. Investors are waiting to hear from Tesla, the carmaker run by billionaire Elon Musk, who is also one of Trump's closest and most powerful advisors.

But Musk has criticized the new tariffs, which are likely to damage his car company. Tesla's sales are already falling, as consumers protest Musk's role in cutting government agencies, programs, and workers. Other big companies reporting results this week include Google and Pepsi, which has operations around the world. Maria Aspen, NPR News, New York. And you're listening to NPR News. The National Science Foundation is freezing its grant-making process at the direction of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOJ. As NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports, the agency has stopped issuing new grants for basic research.

The National Science Foundation issues billions of dollars' worth of research grants to scientists and institutions each year on a rolling basis. On Wednesday, that process came to a halt after DOGE gained access to internal systems, sources told NPR. All proposals that had been approved for funding were sent back to NSF staff for further review, though it's unclear why. Earlier this year, NSF reviewed all its grants, flagging many for diversity, equity, and inclusion-related terms.

An NSF spokesperson told NPR the agency continues to issue new awards. Publicly available data reflect a stoppage that started Wednesday. Jonathan Lambert, NPR News. Gullfer Jay Siegel has died. He was widely viewed as America's best amateur golfer since Bobby Jones. Siegel died on Saturday of pancreatic cancer. He was 81 years old. Segal joined the Tour of Champions when he turned 50 and won that event eight times. The Oklahoma Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies 131-80 Sunday in Game 1 of the first round Western Conference Playoff Series.

It was the fifth biggest margin of victory in postseason history. The Boston Celtics rallied in the second half to beat the Orlando Magic 103-86. Peyton Pritchard added 19 points off the bench in that win. The Boston Celtics routed in the second half to beat the Orlando Magic 103 to 86. Peyton Pritchard added 19 points off the bench in that win. And the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 121 to 100. The game between the Warriors and the Rockets, meanwhile, is still underway. I'm Dale Willman, and you're listening to NPR News. You have your job, but you also have a life. And you're not just one thing. our news.