NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-22-2025 7PM EDT

Episode Date: April 22, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The Vatican is reporting Pope Francis was thankful he was able to greet the throngs of faithful in St. Peter's Square on Easter. Francis died just a day later. Francis, who was recovering after being hospitalized for five weeks with pneumonia, died yesterday at the age of 88. Imperial Law and Fair reports from St. Peter's Square where the funeral mass will be held. There are big video screens being set up in the square in front of me for that.

The Pope's body is lying in state in an area of the Vatican where he lived. Tomorrow it'll be moved in a procession here to St. Peter's where he'll lie in state for three days and the public can pay their respects. The funeral will be here as well, but in a break with tradition, the Pope will not be buried here in St. Peter's.

He's going to be buried outside the Vatican in an immigrant area of the city that he requested in another basilica where there are past popes buried, but not for 350 years or so. President Trump has said he will attend the pope's funeral. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is announcing details of how he intends to overhaul the State Department. Rubio is saying plans call for a drastic reorganization,

which would consolidate more than 100 bureaus worldwide and reduce U.S.-based staff by roughly 15 percent. Rubio posted some details of the plan on social media, in which he referred to the department as, quote, bloated, bureaucratic, and unable to perform its essential diplomatic mission. One of the most dramatic changes would be eliminating the role of the office of the undersecretary

for civilian security, democracy, and human rights. More than a dozen Senate Democrats have signed onto a letter demanding a status update from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth regarding transgender service members. CNPR's Elena Moore reports the letter calls for Hegseth to explain how members. As Alaina Moore reports, the letter calls for Hegseth to explain how the Pentagon is complying with federal court rulings blocking President Trump's

efforts to ban transgender troops from serving in the military. The letter was drafted by Illinois Democratic Senator and veteran Tammy Duckworth. In it, she criticizes Trump's executive order and says that any effort to deny military service, based on ideological grounds is inherently un-American. She also asks whether any transgender troops had been

prematurely dismissed due to the attempted ban and what steps have been taken to bring them back. It's unclear whether Secretary Hegseth will reply. In a statement to NPR, a defense official said the agency's policy is to communicate directly with elected officials regarding official correspondence. Elena Moore, NPR News, Washington. Vice President, J.D. Vance is calling for greater collaboration and closer ties between the U.S. and India, including areas like defense, energy and technology. Both countries have made incremental progress on negotiations ahead of a scheduled bilateral trade deal this fall.

Vance is currently on a four-day tour of India. He met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Stock soared on Wall Street today. The Dow is up more than a thousand points. The NASDAQ rose 429 points. This is NPR. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says next year's Oscars ceremony will take place March 15th. Embiors' Mandalito Barco reports the organization has a few new rules. To be eligible to vote on the finalists at next year's Oscars, Academy members will be required to watch every film in the nominating categories.

Until now, they've only been encouraged to do so. The Academy will monitor which films voters see on its online screening platform or ask them to specify if they watch them elsewhere. According to the new rules, the Academy will also take into account how much generative artificial intelligence and other digital tools were used to make films that are competing. Filmmakers with refugee or asylum status will be eligible to compete in the international feature film category and for the first time, casting directors will get their own Academy Awards.

Mandelita Del Barco, NPR News, Los Angeles. Conservative commentator Steve Hilton says he will join the 2026 California governor's race. Hilton announcing his candidacy today. The Fox News host will run as a Republican to replace Democrat Gavin Newsom, who's prevented by law from seeking a third term. Hilton attacks state Democrats for high taxes soaring home prices and what he called the destruction of the California dream. Hilton joins the field already crowded with Democrats, which could be further shaken up should former Vice President Kamala Harris decide to run.

Critical futures prices followed stocks higher today. Oil up sharply as the U.S. imposed new sanctions against Iran and a stock market rally helped the sector recover. Oil rose $1.23 a barrel to $64.32 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.