NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-24-2025 12PM EDT

Episode Date: April 24, 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 Lakshmi Singh. Ukraine's air defenses overkept last night against the latest wave of Russian strikes. President Trump, who has sought to mediate an end to Russia's more than three-year-old war with Ukraine, has expressed frustration with the leaders of both countries, presidents Putin of Russia and Zelensky of Ukraine.

NPR's Charles Means has more on the peace plan the White House has touted. The White House has yet to publicly offer specifics on this peace plan, but it's clearly heavily favors Russia on paper. J.D. Vance said this deal would lock in the current front lines or something close to it. But the latest dust up with Ukraine involves Zelensky's refusal to acknowledge the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia took from Ukraine in 2014, as now formally part of Russia. This is apparently a component of this US

peace deal and a non-starter for Ukraine. As to Russia's reaction, the Kremlin only said it welcomed American negotiation efforts. NPR's Charles Maynes reporting. The Vatican says more than 50,000 people visited the body of the late Pope Francis on the first day of public viewing in St. Peter's Basilica. NPR's Jason DeRose reports from Rome that the viewing continues until Friday evening. After three days of public viewing, Francis' coffin will be sealed Friday at 8 p.m. local time. The following morning, the funeral rite takes place in St. Peter's Square.

Later that day, Pope Francis' body will be interred in the Basilica of St. Mary Major across town. Saturday marks the beginning of something called the Novemdialis, an ancient tradition of nine days of mourning and masses for the repose of the late Pope's soul. After that period, the conclave begins, at which cardinals will elect the next leader of the world's 1.4 billion Roman Catholics. Jason DeRose, NPR News, Rome. In the United States, home sales slowed sharply last month. NPR's Scott Horsley reports on the latest numbers from the National Association of Realtors.

Spring is ordinarily a busy time for buying and selling houses, but not with mortgage rates near 7 percent. The combination of high borrowing costs and high prices is keeping homes out of reach for many would-be buyers. The Realtors Association says sales of existing homes were down almost 6 percent last month. The average selling price continues to climb, however. Last month it was just under $404,000. A flurry of new orders for airplanes caused a spike in durable goods orders last month. The Commerce Department says orders for long-lasting manufactured

goods jumped a whopping 9.2% in March. Stripping out airplanes and other transportation equipment, durable goods orders were flat. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. U.S. stocks trading higher this hour. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 255 points or more than half a percent at 39,862. The S&P has climbed 1.3 percent. The Nasdaq is up 1.8 percent. It's NPR News. An Illinois court has sentenced the gunman in the 2022 mass shooting at a Fourth of July

parade to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Robert Cremo III admitted to the attack in Highland Park that killed seven people and injured dozens more. Today, American Airlines joined Delta and Southwest in pulling back their full-year financial outlook in the wake of the uncertainty from a U.S. trade war. The three major carriers have reported lower demand for tickets. Yesterday, Southwest Airlines said it planned to scale back its flight schedule as a result. The NFL Draft begins tonight.

The winner of last year's Heisman Trophy, a genuine two-way player unlike any one professional football has seen in decades, could be one of the first to be selected. NPR's Becky Sullivan has more on Travis Hunter. Becky Sullivan Hunter was one of the best wide receivers in college football last year. He got 96 passes for more than 1,200 yards, and that alone might be enough to get him drafted early. But he's also a great defender, a cornerback with four interceptions last season.

In total, he played more than 80% of all offensive and defensive snaps for Colorado. That unique versatility has most experts rating him the best player available in the draft, though he might not go first overall. Quarterbacks are king in the NFL, and the Tennessee Titans, with a top overall pick, need one. They're expected to take Cam Ward from Miami. Other top picks could include the Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter and the Heisman Trophy runner-up running back Ashton Gentry from Boise State. Becky Sullivan, NPR News.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.