NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-21-2025 1PM EDT

Episode Date: April 21, 2025

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Climatic change is drying up some water supplies and making others undrinkable. That's why Here and Now Anytime is covering the hunt for fresh water. From a pipeline in the Great Lakes to the science of desalination to extreme recycling that turns sewage into clean drinking water. That's Here and Now Anytime, a podcast from NPR and WBUR. Winzer Johnston Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Winzer Johnston. NPR has learned that the White House has begun the process of looking for a new Secretary of Defense. That's according to an official who was not authorized to speak publicly. This comes as Secretary Pete Hegseth continues to find himself surrounded in controversy. Hegseth apparently shared details with his wife

and brother just minutes after being updated on the Yemen strikes by a senior US military official. That was in a second signal chat on his personal phone ahead of strikes in Yemen last month. The Eiffel Tower will go dark in Paris tonight as the people of France remember Pope Francis, who died today at the age of 88. As NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports, tributes are pouring in from across the country. As Easter tourists crowded the cathedral's plaza, Notre Dame toned the death knell for Pope Francis 88 times Monday morning. French President Emmanuel Macron said Pope Francis was at the side of the most vulnerable and fragile. He wanted the church to bring joy and hope to

the poorest, said Macron. France is often referred to as the eldest daughter of the Catholic Church. King Clovis of the Franks was the first European monarch to convert to Catholicism in the year 496. Eleanor Beardsley in PR News, Paris. Crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City today, shortly after hearing of the Pope's passing. In PR, Sylvia Poggioli reports, Francis spent his final days in service of the church. The reason I say it's stunning because in the last few days, Pope Francis had surprised

many people by coming out, even though he was convalescing, but he made several appearances, surprise appearances, many of them. And just yesterday, just before the Easter Mass was celebrated in St. Peter's Square, he said just a few words, but the message to the city and the world, as it's known on Easter day, was read out. And it was an extremely forceful one. That's NPR's Sovio Poggioli reporting from Rome. Markets are down sharply today on Wall Street, as investors brace for some big tech earnings

reports this week. NPR's Scott Horsley reports on the potential fallout for financial markets. Tesla is due to report earnings tomorrow. The electric car maker has already announced a 13 percent drop in first quarter auto sales. Google's parent company is set to report earnings on Thursday. The search engine giant was hit last week with a second adverse court ruling when a judge found it built an illegal monopoly in its web advertising business. With President Trump's trade war sowing doubts about the U.S. economy, some investors are

putting their bets on Europe and Asia. Billions of dollars flowed out of U.S. stock funds last week, while funds in Europe and Asia were attracting new money. Scott Horsley in Pernews, Washington. On Wall Street, the Dow was down 1,100 points. This is NPR. More than 200 former diplomats and top State Department officials are warning of what they call an assault on American democracy by the Trump administration. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports they've signed an open

letter. The retired diplomats who have served in both Republican and Democratic administrations say they've worked in countries where democratically elected leaders follow a path to autocracy and they say they know this requires a united front so they've issued a call to action urging former president secretaries of state and defense to publicly challenge the Trump administration's quote dangerous policies they say law firms business leaders universities and the media should respond to policies that affect them. Waiting for the next election to fight back, they warn, gives the administration quote running room to

impose its authoritarian stamp on all of us. Michelle Kelliman, NPR News, the State Department. Health officials in Pakistan are launching a second nationwide vaccination campaign against polio. The country's health minister is urging parents to cooperate with medical staff who visit door-to-door to vaccinate kids. According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only two countries where the virus hasn't been stopped.

Pakistan has reported only six polio cases since January. Last year, the country reported 74 cases. Stocks continued to trade sharply lower on Wall Street at the sour. The Dow was down 1153 points. The Nasdaq composite down 550. This is NPR News in Washington.