NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-22-2025 8AM EDT

Episode Date: April 22, 2025

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Want to know what's happening in the world? Listen to the State of the World podcast. Every weekday we bring you important stories from around the globe. In just a few minutes you might hear how democracy is holding up in South Korea. Or meet Indian monkeys that have turned to crime. We don't go around the world, we're already there. Listen to the State of the World podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Coleman. The Vatican says the body of Pope Francis will be moved to St. Peter's Basilica tomorrow. Francis died yesterday of a stroke and cardiac ailments.

The Holy See says Roman Catholic cardinals have set the Pontus funeral for this Saturday. Tributes are pouring in from around the world. NPR's Jason DeRose reports many younger Catholics embraced Francis as a pope who echoed their concerns about the poor, the environment, and peace. 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. 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. Trin 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. Roman Catholic cardinals will meet within 20 days to select the next pope. This meeting is called a conclave. It will be conducted in the Vatican's historic Sistine Chapel. Harvard University is suing the Trump administration, seeking to block the administration's freeze

of billions of dollars in federal funding. The administration is demanding the right to audit hiring and academics at the university. It wants Harvard to stop recognizing student groups accused of anti-Semitism. From member station GBH, Kurt Carapesza says Harvard refused the demands. Harvard says the funding freeze is retaliatory and baseless. Its lawsuit argues there's no rational link between real anti-Semitism concerns on campus and life-saving research funding. In a message addressed to the Harvard community, President Garber said the government's actions

will be, quote, severe and long-lasting. Kirk Carapazza reporting. Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have rejected the request of a former Columbia University graduate student for a temporary release from detention. Mahmoud Khalil missed the birth of his first child yesterday in New York. NPR's Adrienne Florido reports President Trump is seeking to deport Khalil over his pro-Palestinian activism. Since ICE agents arrested him in New York last month, they've held Khalil at a remote detention center in Louisiana. His lawyers have been trying to free him while his federal

lawsuit challenging his arrest as unconstitutional moves forward. On Sunday, his wife went into labor. Khalil's lawyers asked the director of ICE's Louisiana office to temporarily release him so he could attend the birth. The request was quickly denied. Mark Vanderhoo is one of Khalil's lawyers. He had certainly hoped and expected that the government would show some humanity, but they did not. His baby was born the next day. Khalil listened on the phone. Adrienne Flaherido, NPR News. You're listening to NPR. Financial leaders are in Washington to attend the spring meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

One main issue they're expected to talk about is President Trump's tariffs. The IMF will release its latest economic forecast today. The tariffs are expected to play a large role. Meanwhile, global shipping company DHL says it is going to stop shipping packages to the U.S. that are worth more than $800. DHL is pointing to the 10 percent global tariffs imposed by Trump this month. The carrier says this is slowing down deliveries. This decision affects DHL delivered packages sent from any foreign country to anybody in the United States. Many people in the U.S. 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 Hartounian, NPR News. And I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News, from Washington.

Do you remember when discovering a new artist felt like finding buried treasure? At all NPR News from Washington.