NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-22-2025 5AM EDT

Episode Date: April 22, 2025

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When Malcolm Gladwell presented NPR's Throughline podcast with a Peabody Award, he praised it for its historical and moral clarity. On Throughline, we take you back in time to the origins of what's in the news like presidential power, aging, and evangelicalism. Time travel with us every week on the Throughline podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly. The Vatican says the death of Pope Francis was caused by heart failure following a stroke that put him in a coma.

Francis died yesterday at the age of 88, one day after greeting worshippers at St. Peter's Square on Easter Sunday. The pope had recently spent more than a month in a hospital in Rome for treatment of double pneumonia. NPR's Sarah Ventry says Jewish and Muslim leaders are among those remembering Francis for his legacy of interfaith cooperation and social justice. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism, said in a statement, we especially appreciated Pope Francis' consistent calls for dialogue and mutual respect

between Israelis and Palestinians, emphasizing the necessity of a two-state solution. Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement, Many Muslims around the world appreciated Pope Francis's emphasis on the compassionate treatment of migrants and others facing crisis, and his consistent condemnation of war crimes around the world, including in Gaza. Francis was noted for his ability to strengthen relations between Catholics and Muslims, as well as Jews. Sarah Ventry, NPR News. Cardinals meeting at the Vatican today say public viewing of the body of Pope Francis

will begin tomorrow morning at St. Peter's Basilica. His funeral will be held on Saturday. NPR has learned the White House has begun looking for a new Secretary of Defense. That's according to a U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly. This follows confirmation that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in March, shared classified details about U.S. airstrikes in Yemen in a signal group chat that included his wife and brother using his personal

cell phone. That's in addition to a second signal chat that accidentally included a journalist from the Atlantic. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt denies the president is looking to replace Hegseth. The wife of former Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey has been convicted in a bribery scheme that resulted in her husband receiving a prison sentence of more than a decade. Here's NPR's Charles Snyder. Nadine Menendez is to be sentenced on June 12th, roughly a week after her husband is

expected to report to prison on many of the same charges. A jury in Manhattan convicted Nadine Menendez on all 15 counts in a bribery scheme that involved three New Jersey businessmen and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars and a luxury Mercedes Benz. Prosecutors accused the two of being partners in crime. They were initially to be tried together, but Nadine Menendez's trial was pushed back a year after a breast cancer diagnosis. Bob Menendez was convicted last July and sentenced earlier this year to 11 years in prison. He was once the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This is NPR News. The Justice Department says the retail pharmacy chain Walgreens has agreed to pay up to $350

million as part of a settlement over opioid medications. The DOJ had accused Walgreens of illegally filling millions of prescriptions. The gunman who killed 23 people and injured dozens more at a Walmart store in Texas, has pleaded guilty to capital murder. The attack took place six years ago in El Paso. Aaron Montes with Member Station KTEP reports. Victims and families filled the courtroom. Some wiped tears while listening to prosecutors recite facts from the day Patrick Crucius

drove to El Paso and opened fire on shoppers in the parking lot and inside the store. According to police, the gunman wanted to kill Mexicans and prevent the Hispanic invasion of Texas. District Court Judge Sam Medrano told the gunman he failed in his mission to terrorize the community. Your name and your hate will be forgotten. Crucius will serve life in prison and waived his right to seek parole

and appeal the case as part of a plea agreement with the El Paso County District Attorney's Office. I'm Aaron Montes in El Paso. Wall Street is coming off a day of sharp losses triggered by President Trump's latest criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The Dow, the S&P, and the NASDAQ each closed down more than 2% yesterday after Trump accused Powell

and the Fed of being too slow to lower interest rates. Last week, Powell warned the president's sweeping tariffs would likely push inflation in the U.S. economy higher, at least temporarily. I'm Dave Mattingly in Washington. These days, there is a lot of news. It can be hard to keep up with what it means for you, your family, and your community. Consider This from NPR is a podcast that helps you make sense of the news. Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a story and provide

the context, backstory, and analysis you need to understand our rapidly changing world. Listen to the Consider This podcast from NPR.