NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-24-2025 3PM EDT

Episode Date: April 24, 2025

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Climate change is drying up some water supplies and making others undrinkable. That's why Here and Now, Anytime is covering the hunt for fresh water. From a pipeline in the Great Lakes to the science of desalination to extreme recycling that turns sewage into clean drinking water. That's Here and Now, Anytime, a podcast from NPR and WBUR. Live from NPR and WBUR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump's truth social post reads, Vladimir, stop. His reaction to Russian President Putin's decision to greenlight another round of missile strikes on the capital of Ukraine overnight. Today, Trump told reporters that he wasn't happy about it in the midst of talking peace.

Asked whether the U.S. was putting enough pressure on Russia, Trump said, You have no idea what pressure I'm putting on Russia. We're putting a lot of pressure. We're putting a lot of pressure on Russia. And Russia knows that and some people that are close to it know or he wouldn't be talking right now. Yesterday, Trump accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of prolonging the conflict by refusing to accept Russian control of Crimea.

Zelensky says he wants a peace deal, but the loss of Crimea cannot be part of it. Tariffs also topped the agenda as Trump welcomed the Prime Minister of Norway to the White House today. And during the Oval Office meeting, Trump said talks with China were underway. The administration is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow its ban on transgender people serving in the military to go into effect while the court considers legal challenges. Here's NPR's Qua Lawrence. The Trump administration has argued that trans people are dishonest, which contradicts military

values. An executive order in January banned them from service. Several transgender troops sued, claiming the ban is insulting and discriminatory, and would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations. In March, a district court judge in Washington state agreed and blocked the order, noting that the Trump administration showed no evidence that transgender troops serving has harmed the military. Now, the White House says that the ban must be allowed to take effect while the Supreme Court deliberates because delay would be, quote, contrary to military readiness and the nation's interests. Less than 1% of the military identifies as

trans. Quill Lawrence, NPR News. For a second day, tens of thousands of people are paying their final respects to the late Pope Francis. His body lies in state at St. Peter's Basilica. The Roman Catholic College of Cardinals is also gathering at the Vatican, and PRS Bill Chappell reports eligible cardinals will soon be sequestered to begin the process of selecting the pope's successor. Bill Chappell Not every cardinal can vote in the conclave that selects a new pope. To participate, they have to be under 80 years old. Pope Francis appointed 108 of the 135 cardinal electors

who can join the conclave, creating a body that more closely resembles the global church. Greg Gassman is editor of the Pontifex podcast. This will actually be with the current composition of the college, the least European conclave in history. Europe accounts for roughly 40% of the cardinals who vote on the next pope, about twice its proportion of the world's Catholic community. The Vatican says more than 70 countries have elector cardinals, that includes 10 from the U.S.

Bill Chappell, NPR News. At last check on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up more than 400 points. This is NPR News. The major legal settlement that would have allowed colleges and universities to pay their athletes directly is on hold for now. The case known as House versus NCAA was expected to secure federal court approval this month but as NPR's Becky Sullivan reports that is now delayed. The settlement was huge. Almost $3 billion in damages to former athletes and a new system for paying players in the future. But the judge's order hinged on just one small detail,

roster limits. Traditionally, schools were limited in how many scholarships they could give out, but teams could have any number of players. That would have changed under the settlement. Schools would have been allowed to hand out as many scholarships as they wanted, but every team would be limited in size. That was going to result in thousands of current student athletes losing their spots. Some schools had already cut athletes in anticipation of the settlement. In her order, the judge wrote, quote, that outcome is not fair to them. And she delayed her final approval until the issue is addressed. Becky Sullivan in PR News. As higher education is in a policy and funding standoff with the Trump administration in the US, the new government in Namibia is announcing higher education at state university and technical

colleges will be free. President Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwa said during her State of the Nation speech to Parliament that she plans to introduce free higher ed beginning next year, 100% subsidized by the government, she says. Ndaitwa was sworn in last month, becoming the first woman to serve as president of Namibia. I'm Lakshmi Singh in PR News in Washington. On this week's Wild Card Podcast, Brett Goldstein says even though his shows Ted Lasso and Shrinking I'm Lakshmi Singh in PR News in Washington.