NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-22-2025 12AM EDT

Episode Date: April 22, 2025

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You have your job, but you also have a life. And you're not just one thing. Neither is the Here and Now Anytime podcast. Every weekday, we break down the biggest story of the day and something else, like a new trend everyone's talking about. It's Here and Now Anytime, a daily podcast from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. Pope Francis is being remembered by the faithful around the world. The Vatican says the Pope died after a stroke that put him into a coma and led to heart

failure. He was 88 years old. Francis is being remembered for his compassion, especially towards the poor, the sick, and most vulnerable. The Pontiff also called for peace and steps to address climate change. Former Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly got to know Pope Francis as President Biden's ambassador to the Holy See. Jeff Parrott of member station WVPE spoke with Donnelly in wake of the Pontus death. Donnelly served as ambassador to the Holy See

from 2022 until last summer. He just couldn't have been kinder, couldn't have shown more love toward America and made the job very easy for me. Donnelly says he developed a close relationship with Francis, who he described as extraordinary. He was up at six o'clock in the morning, went to bed at eight o'clock in the morning,

went to bed at eight o'clock at night, and was just extraordinary in every way. A wonderful, caring, holy father. Donnelly said Pope Francis leaves a legacy of compassion for the poor and disadvantaged. For NPR News, I'm Jeff Parrott in South Bend, Indiana. The US Supreme Court is weighing arguments on whether schools must allow kids to opt

out of classrooms when their parents have religious objections to what's being taught. NPR's Nina Totenberg explains. At the center of today's case is the school system in Montgomery County, Maryland, the most religiously diverse county in the United States with 160,000 students of almost all faiths. On one side are parents who want to opt their elementary school children out of classes that include storybooks with LGBTQ characters. They say the books used in the general curriculum violate their constitutional right to the free exercise of their religion because they expose their children to ideas that are offensive

to the parents' religious views. On the other side is the school board and other parents who want a curriculum that includes lessons, teaching tolerance and respect for LGBTQ students and parents. Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington. President Trump's tariffs have upended decades of assurances that the United States is among the safest places in the world to invest. As NPR's Rafael Nam reports, the tariffs are also raising questions about confidence among

foreign investors who own more than $8 billion trillion worth of U.S. government bonds. Typically, when you see the major markets in a country all fall at once, it's a sign that foreign investors are heading to the exits. The Asian financial crisis back in the late 1990s is an example. Now it's too soon to say we are in a crisis, but there are genuine concerns that at the very least trust in the U.S. has been shaken. Raphael Naam reporting. This is NPR. Millions of Americans could soon see their wages, tax refunds, and other benefits garnished, starting May 5, when the Education Department says it plans to begin collecting on defaulted student loans.

An estimated 5.3 million student loan borrowers are said to be in arrears. Federal regulators are suing Uber over that company's handling of subscriptions to its Uber One service. The Trump administration alleges the rideshare company overstated the savings and makes the subscriptions difficult to cancel. NPR's Elina Seljuk has more. The Federal Trade Commission accuses Uber of misleading customers about its Uber One subscription service, which offers discounts on ride bookings and deliveries.

The agency says Uber, quote, promises people savings of $25 a month without accounting for the monthly cost of the subscription itself. The complaint also accuses Uber of billing consumers before the promised date and making cancellations convoluted. Uber in a statement argues its subscription processes are clear, simple, and lawful, and cancellations take most people 20 seconds or less. This is the first FTC action against a major tech company in the new Trump administration. The agency has continued to pursue cases launched under President Biden as well, including against

Amazon. Alina Seluk, NPR News. Walgreens has agreed to pay up to $350 million to settle an opioid case. The Justice Department accuses Walgreens of illegally filling prescriptions for controlled substances over a 10-year period. DOJ also says Walgreens pharmacists were pressured into filling prescriptions hastily and filing false claims for federal reimbursement. Walgreens admits no liability. This is NPR News.