NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-20-2025 1PM EDT

Episode Date: April 20, 2025

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Noor Ramen, NPR News. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Ram. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, is defending his trip to El Salvador, where he visited a man illegally deported by the Trump administration. He says he must be returned. Last week, the Trump administration posted court filings and police reports on social media claiming Kilmar Abrego-Garcia is a violent criminal. But Senator Van Hollen says these posts have no legal bearing.

Donald Trump and his administration need to put up or shut up in court. They keep putting stuff out on social media. A federal judge says there's been no court evidence tying Abrego-Garcia to MS-13 or terrorist activities. The Supreme Court has ordered the Trump administration to, quote, facilitate, end quote, the man's return to the U.S. But the White House has so far refused. Van Hollen says the Supreme Court should hold President Trump in contempt.

Trump called Van Hollen a, quote, fool, end quote, for visiting Abrego Garcia. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. In recent days, President Trump has stepped up his criticism of Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, because he has not lowered interest rates. NPR's Domenica Montanaro reports Trump may disregard the central bank's tradition of political independence. Trump has done a lot of other things to try and get people out.

He puts a lot of pressure on people, publicly browbeat them, hoping they'll just quit. We've certainly seen that happen. I mean, think about someone like Christopher Wray, former FBI director. He was not at the end of his term, but decided to step down rather than go to toe to toe to with Trump. On the other hand, people like James Comey, previous FBI director, was only four years into a 10 year term. Trump fired him. Powell, for his part, says he's not only not going to resign, that he needs to be fired for cause. NPR's Domenica Montanaro, two online retailers known for their bargains

shipped to the US directly from China, are warning about rising prices. They say they're being forced to adapt the way they do business because of US changes in trade policies. NPR's Alina Seljuk reports. Jian and Temu built their US businesses around a tax loophole which allowed them to send clothes and home goods to American shoppers totally duty free. That's unlike most retailers who tend to ship in bulk from overseas to a US warehouse and pay import taxes. She and Temu ship straight from China to your door and they get an exemption meant for small packages.

No import tax. Many groups and companies and bipartisan politicians have long called for this loophole to close. President Biden began that. President Trump is ending it. And that means Sheehan and Temü will soon have to pay tariffs up to 145 percent. And the companies say their prices will start going up after April 25th. Alina Seluk, NPR News. The shipping company DHL Express says starting tomorrow it won't deliver packages to individuals in the U.S. worth more than $800. It says the U.S. now requires formal customs clearance for higher value packages, and that

increases the workload. This is NPR News in Washington. Pope Francis emerged from his convalescence today to deliver Easter blessings to a crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square. He did not celebrate Mass as he recovers from pneumonia. At some of the holiest sites in Jerusalem, Christians are celebrating Easter under another year of tight restrictions. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports. Bells rang out in many Christian sites in Israel, including the annual Holy Fire Ceremony

at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem's Old City. The Greek Orthodox Ceremony has been held for hundreds of years at the church, where tradition holds Jesus was crucified and resurrected. This year, like last Easter, the second since the war between Israel and Hamas began, the number of pilgrims and worshipers was limited. Palestinian Christians living in the occupied West Bank must possess permits to travel into Jerusalem's old city. Israel says the restrictions are critical for security. More than 50,000 Christians live in West Bank cities. The government says it issued 6,000 permits.

Kari Kahn, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Renowned mountain guide Kami Rita plans to break his own record and scale Mount Everest for the 31st time. Before leaving Kathmandu today, the Sherpa told the Associated Press he is mentally, emotionally, and physically prepared to climb the world's highest peak. Kami Rita is to lead a group of climbers during the spring climbing season. He first climbed Everest in 1994 and has been making the trip nearly every year since then. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington.