NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-23-2025 12PM EDT

Episode Date: April 23, 2025

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On Trump's terms, we have followed the first hundred days of this administration. Tariffs very strongly work. Trade war. Get ready. Elon Musk and Doge. We will make mistakes. Deportations. Litigation.

I don't know who the judge is. He's radical left. Those first hundred days are coming to a close, but the pace of the news will likely continue. Follow NPR's coverage of President Trump trying to do things no other president has on Trump's terms from NPR. Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Markets remain in positive territory today as the administration signals a coming de-escalation in the U.S. trade war with China. President Trump moments ago at the White House.

We are going to have a fair deal with China. It's going to be fair. Are you talking to them actively now? Actively. Everything's active. Everybody wants to be a part of what we're doing. Trump addressing reporters a short time ago. We have more from NPR's Scott Horseling. President Trump's triple-digit tariffs on imports from China have brought a lot of trade between the world's two biggest economies to a standstill.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a gathering of investors that situation is unsustainable and suggested a de-escalation may be in store. Stock in Tesla's up after CEO Elon Musk said he plans to spend more time running the electric car company and less time in Washington. The move comes after Tesla saw a sharp drop in sales and profits in the first few months of the year. Scott Horsley in MPR News, Washington. Attorney General Pam Bondi has launched a task force to eradicate purported bias against Christians. Here's NPR's Ryan Lucas.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hagseth, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FBI Director Cash Patel were among the Trump administration officials who joined Bondi for the first meeting. This comes in response to an executive order President Trump signed in February directing the Attorney General to set up the task force to eliminate what the White House says is anti-Christian bias. Bondi noted that the Justice Department, for example, already has dropped three cases against anti-abortion activists and moved to limit such future prosecutions.

Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. A historic procession in St. Peter's Basilica which received Pope Francis' casket this morning. The pontiff who died Easter Monday at the age of 88 now lies in state in the Basilica. The public has been given three days to pay their final respects before his funeral on Saturday. Catholic cardinals from around the world have begun to gather in Rome and they're holding conversations about who will be the next pontiff. More from Villa Marx.

Francis was the first pope from Latin America elected to the Church's highest office, leading some to speculate that the cardinals could choose someone from Africa or Asia, regions where Catholicism is still gaining new devotees. A Filipino ally of Francis, called Luis Antonio Tagle, may be a front-runner. He's led the Vatican's global charity arm and more recently its evangelization efforts, particularly in the developing world. The conservative-leaning Archbishop of Kinshasa, Fridolin Ambongo Bezungu, is a top African candidate with a massive flock in his native Democratic Republic of Congo. There are several Italian contenders too

including France's chief deputy Pietro Parolin as well as other Europeans from France, Portugal and Hungary. For NPR News, I'm Willem Margs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 566 points. This is NPR News. Ex-Mega Movie producer Harvey Weinstein is being retried for rape and sexual assault in New York. Opening statements are today. Five years ago, the Miramax studio co-founder was convicted and sentenced to 23 years in prison for violence against two women in the entertainment industry. It was a pivotal moment in the MeToo era that exposed sexual misconduct by powerful figures. But last year, New York's top court threw out Weinstein's conviction on the grounds that he did not receive a fair trial. Unlike

the original trial, this time around, Weinstein faces an additional sex crimes allegation by an unnamed woman who says she was assaulted in 2006 and Weinstein has pleaded not guilty. The Trump administration is touting a largely voluntary measure to phase out use of synthetic food dyes. More from NPR's Yuki Noguchi. Some studies have linked synthetic food dyes to various behavioral and cognitive problems. The FDA will revoke approval for two dyes while urging food companies to phase out use of six other dyes.

Thomas Galligan is a scientist with Watchdog Group Center for Science in the public interest. He supports eliminating dyes but says the voluntary measure falls short. It's worth pointing out that many food companies historically have made promises like this before. They claim they're

going to get rid of these food dyes or other additives within a certain timeframe, and then they have consistently reneged on those promises. The FDA says it will authorize natural dye alternatives. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.