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

Episode Date: April 22, 2025

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On this week's Wild Card podcast, Brett Goldstein says even though his shows Ted Lasso and Shrinking get emotional, he doesn't. I'm a crybaby. I guess I thought you might be like a closet crier. No. I mean, I write all this stuff because then I don't have to live it. Whoa. She's like, I got him.

I'm Rachel Martin. Brett Goldstein is on Wild Card, the show where cards control the conversation. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Stocks are trading higher today after a big sell-off on Monday. NPR's Scott Horsley reports that's despite a gloomy forecast of slower economic growth in the U.S. and around the globe. The International Monetary Fund predicts the combination of Trump's tariffs and economic uncertainty will cut into global growth this year.

The IMF has downgraded its growth forecast for the United States by nearly a full percentage point. Economists say the trade war will lead to lower productivity and higher prices in the U.S. Trump wants the Federal Reserve to cushion the slowdown by lowering interest rates, but so far the central bank's been cautious for fear of rekindling inflation. Trump's attacks on Fed Chairman Jerome Powell have rattled financial markets, contributing to Monday's sharp drop in the stock market. Scott Horsley in PR News, Washington. Danielle Pletka The Vatican says the body of Pope Francis will be moved to St. Peter's Basilica

tomorrow and his funeral will be held on Saturday. NPR's Jason DeRose reports many younger Catholics embrace Francis as a pontiff who echoed their concerns about the poor, the environment, and peace. Danielle Pletka At St. Monica's Catholic Church in Santa Monica, California, 29-year-old Daniel Trin is an active member. After falling away from the church, Trin became interested again because of Francis' emphasis on serving the most vulnerable. Trinh Just the fact that he picked Francis as his Pope name, St. Francis, he was born very rich, but he gave up everything so that he could help those who were in need.

Danielle Pletka Trinh says Pope Francis led him to think about the kind of person he wanted to be, a person who lives out his faith in loving service to others. Jason DeRose, NPR News, Santa Monica. Po Francis died Easter Monday at the age of 88. The Supreme Court is considering arguments in a case that could affect public schools nationwide. At issue is whether parents can keep their children out of classes where the discussion may involve books with LGBTQ characters. Here's NPR's Nina Totenberg. The parents are invoking their rights to determine and guide their children's values. They contend that by using these books in the general curriculum, the

school board is violating their rights to the free exercise of religion. The school board counters that an opt-out is not required for mere exposure to ideas and that if such opt-outs were required, the schools would likely face opt-out is not required for mere exposure to ideas, and that if such opt-outs were required, the schools would likely face opt-out demands for science classes where evolution is taught, or history classes where the role of women in the workplace is discussed, all of which, the school board says,

would disrupt classes and lead to the balkanization of education. Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington. Health officials in Texas, which is contending with the country's largest measles outbreak, are reporting another increase. The state's health services website today shows 624 cases now confirmed since late January, reflecting an increase of 27 since the weekend. You're listening to NPR News. Church bells toll today in Barcelona, Spain as hundreds of mourners gathered to remember

a family of five who died earlier this month in a helicopter crash in New York City. Prominent executives Agustín Escobar and Merce Campubi Montal, as well as their three children, have been laid to rest. On April 11, the Spanish family was on a birthday excursion when the tour helicopter broke apart and crashed into the Hudson River. U.S. authorities are investigating the cause. Many people in the United States are celebrating Earth Day today.

NPR's Alina Hartounian spoke with two online networks about their sustainable solutions to combat climate change. Co-founder Lizelle Clark says the Buy Nothing project started with the question, how do you curb plastic waste? Of the three R's, there's reduce, reuse, recycle. Okay, how about refuse? The group's millions of members share everything from bread tags to sofas. This circular economy stops people from buying new goods and keeps old stuff out of landfills. Arizona-based GardenExchangeStands.org is a network of neighborhood plant stands.

People can pick up and drop off plants, seeds, and other garden-related items. Founder DeFayne Weaver says that promotes both sustainability and community. It's nice to just be able to bike down to your neighborhood stand, get your books, get your plants and seeds, and then share what you have. As the group's website says, it's a lifestyle. Alina Hartunian, NPR News. The Dow is up 989 points or more than two and a half percent at 39,157. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.