NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-20-2025 12AM EDT

Episode Date: April 20, 2025

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Hey, it's Amartinez. Even as the host of a news show, it can be hard to keep up with the headlines. That is why we make the Up First Podcast. Every morning in under 15 minutes, we cover three major stories with context and analysis from reporters around the world so you can catch up on lo que está pasando while getting ready, making desayuno, or going to work. So listen to the Up First Podcast from NPR. going to work. So listen to the Up First podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. The U.S. and Iran have finished a first round of talks in Rome over Tehran's quickly advancing nuclear program. And as NPR's Jackie Northam reports, the two sides have agreed to meet again in a week's time. The four-hour talks were led by President Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Wittkopf and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arachi, who described the discussions as good and held in a

constructive manner. President Trump says he wants to prevent Iran from ever having a nuclear weapon and has indicated he's willing to give negotiations a bit of time but has not ruled out a military option if no deal can be reached. Iran's leadership says it will not give up what it sees as its right to enrich uranium for civilian use. Wyckoff and Arachi are expected to meet again next weekend in Oman, which has been mediating the talks. Jackie Northam, NPR News. Thousands of people gathered once again in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Saturday to protest Donald Trump and his administration actions.

It was one of hundreds of such rallies nationwide. For Member Station, WHYY Emily Neal has more. Protesters chanted, No Kings, and referenced Philadelphia's revolutionary history as they marched in front of the building where the U.S. Constitution was signed in 1787. Kim Jordan says the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the detention of international students who have participated in campus protests is at the top of her concerns. From graduate students who are having their visas pulled away to people who have

immigrated and who are legally here to have the government say, whoops, we made a mistake and we can't get them back. That's preposterous. It is terrifying. Speakers also touched on cuts to federal agencies and programs, inaction on climate change and protection of social security. For NPR News, I'm Emily Neal in Philadelphia. The Trump administration has halted construction of a multi-billion dollar offshore wind project near Long Island. NPR's Julia Simon says that legal experts see implications from the action reaching far beyond the wind industry.

In Secretary Doug Burgum's memo to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management about halting the Empire Wind 1 project, he wrote that the approval was rushed. Matthew Isensen at Columbia University says there's no evidence of that. And the environmental review? That's over 3,000 pages long and it's very thorough. You know, this rationale is very suspect. After the memo from Burgum, Equinar, the energy company that operates the project, halted construction. The project was supposed to supply electricity to half a million homes. Environmental groups say this should raise alarm bells beyond wind energy. They say any industry requiring federal permits should wonder, will the federal

government keep its word? Julia Simon, NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News. The Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen say the U.S. military launched a series of airstrikes Saturday on the Yemeni capital Sana'a, as well as a rebel-held coastal city. Officials say 13 airstrikes hit an airport and a coastal port on the Red Sea, and a number of other strikes hit the capital. They've not offered reports of any casualties. The strikes, if the reports are accurate, come less than two days after other U.S. attacks on the country killed more than 70 people. On Sunday, a small town in Tennessee will celebrate their 200th

annual egg fight competition. For Member Station WETS, Chad Barrett says the fight started as a competition between two farming families. The Peters Hollow egg fight in Elizabethan began in the early 1800s. Event organizer Jamie Peters told me it all started when residents of nearby hollers got in a debate on whose chickens laid the hardest eggs. Egg Fight contestants sit in a circle and tap eggs top and bottom with the person beside them until the winner remains with an unbroken egg. Only hen eggs are allowed, but longtime host Norman Peters says people have gotten crafty

over the years. We've had a couple of questionable eggs, like guinea eggs. Because of their hard shells, Peters says you couldn't break a guinea egg with a rock. For NPR News, I'm Chad Barrett in Johnson City. See Wilkim was almost perfect in the third round of the Heritage Golf Classic underway this weekend on Hilton Head Island. Despite his only bogey on the final hole, he finished the day with a 66 and the lead. He holds a one-stroke lead over Justin Thomas and Andrew Novak.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is four shots off the pace. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.