NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-23-2025 5AM EDT

Episode Date: April 23, 2025

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At NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, we sort through a lot of television, and we've found some recent TV comedies we really like that you don't want to miss. And we'll tell you where to watch them in one handy guide. Listen to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly. The body of Pope Francis has been moved to St. Peter's Basilica for three days of public viewing ahead of the Pope's funeral. Bells rang out as the Pope's casket was transferred earlier today. Francis' funeral will take place Saturday in St. Peter's Square with a number of world

leaders planning to attend the service. Pope Francis died of heart failure on Monday at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke that left him in a coma. The White House says President Trump will travel to the Middle East next month. NPR's Deepa Shivram says the president's trip will include stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The trip will last a few days in mid-May. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt says the president The trip will last a few days in mid-May. White House press secretary Caroline Levitt says the president's trip will be an effort to strengthen ties between the U.S. and those countries in the Middle East, and he'll take part in bilateral meetings.

Saudi Arabia has been a key player in negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Last month, delegations from the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia all met in Riyadh to discuss steps toward reaching a ceasefire. Saudi Arabia was the first foreign country Trump visited in his first term. It was meant to be Trump's first foreign trip of this term, but now the president will head to Vatican City this weekend to attend Pope Francis' funeral. Deepa Sivaram, NPR News, The White House. President Trump says he has no plans to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The president's comments in the Oval Office yesterday followed Trump's remarks on social

media a day earlier, critical of Powell and the Fed that triggered Monday's sell-off on Wall Street. Trump argues the Fed has been too slow to lower interest rates. Powell has warned the president's sweeping tariffs threaten to add to inflation in the U.S. economy, and now is not the time for the central bank to cut rates. Powell's term as Fed chair ends in May of next year. Tesla CEO Elon Musk says he remains optimistic about the company's future despite a sharp drop in earnings. NPR's Kamila Domenoski says Musk spoke to investors and analysts yesterday as he continues

to oversee the president's downsizing of the federal government. Musk says Tesla's future profits rely on robo-taxis and humanoid robots, not anything as mundane as selling cars. And after a 71% drop in profits, he said the company's recovered from worse. Investors say they want Musk to focus more on Tesla, and he did announce he'd step back from the government, partially. I think I'll continue to spend a day or two per week on government matters for as long as the president would like me to do so.

He also said that protests against Tesla were paid for, which protest organizers deny, and that demand for Tesla vehicles remains strong despite a sharp drop in sales. Kamila Domenoski, NPR News. This is NPR News from Washington. The head of the American Association of Colleges and Universities says higher education institutions in the U.S. are looking to engage with the Trump administration on reforms that don't undermine their mission and purpose. More than 170 college presidents have signed a letter calling for constructive engagement. It follows the administration's push to exert control over Columbia, Harvard, and other universities. Harvard is suing the Trump administration

over the freezing of more than $2 billion in federal grants. Later today in New York, opening statements are expected in the sex crimes trial of former Hollywood film executive Harvey Weinstein. Ilya Meretz has more. Weinstein was tried once before and convicted in 2020. Last year year an appeals court overturned the conviction on procedural grounds. The trial starting

now will include testimony from two witnesses who gave evidence at the last trial and a new accuser whose identity has not yet been revealed. The charges are one count of rape in the third degree and two counts of criminal sexual act in the third degree. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty. For NPR News, Amelia Meretz in New York. Weinstein is appealing his conviction in California on three counts related to rape and sexual assault. Crews in New Jersey continue battling a wildfire that's forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes. That fire has burned more than 13 square miles north of Atlantic City.

Stock markets in Asia were higher today following the president's remarks indicating he won't move to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell. I'm Dave Mattingly in Washington. Aviv Regev is the co-founder of the Human Cell Atlas. It's a huge leap in understanding how human cells work. She says it's like upgrading from a 15th century map of the world to Google Maps. If I want to develop a medicine that would only go to the place where something is broken, I need to know how to get there. The new wave of biotechnology that's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR.