NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-25-2025 2AM EDT

Episode Date: April 25, 2025

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You want to follow what's happening in Washington, D.C., but you don't want to be scrolling your phone all day. I'm Scott Detrow, and NPR has a podcast that can help. It's called Trump's Terms, stories about big changes the 47th president is pursuing on his own terms. They're short, they're focused episodes that tell you calmly, factually what is happening and what isn't. Listen to Trump's Term terms from NPR.

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shae Stevens. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says Russia poses a long-term threat to members of the alliance. He was in Washington Thursday for talks on peace in Ukraine. After meeting with President Trump, Rutte told reporters he doesn't see the U.S. walking away from the peace process, but cannot predict how Vladimir Putin will respond. I worked with him for four years between 2010 and 2014. I stopped trying to read his mind.

We'll see, but there is something on the table now, I think, where the Ukrainians are really playing ball. And I think the ball is clearly in the Russian court now. Ukraine's president has rejected a U.S. proposal that would require it to give up land already seized by Russia and to stay out of NATO. The Justice Department has cut hundreds of grants to community-based non-profit groups, including some that aid crime victims. The cuts were worked out in collaboration with a unit known as the Department of Government Efficiency or DOJ.

More from NPR's Ryan Lucas. Attorney General Pam Bondi says the department has begun cutting what she says are millions of dollars in wasteful grants. More than 350 grants have been targeted so far, including three with the nonpartisan National Center for Victims of Crime. That includes a grant that funds its Victim Connect hotline, which offers support services for victims of human trafficking, domestic violence and other crimes. Renee Williams is the center's CEO.

So many victims come to us and say, you were there when nobody else was and I had nowhere else to turn. And so the decision to cut this is completely baffling. Each affected organization has 30 days to appeal the cuts, but Williams says the impact is immediate. The Victim Connect hotline, for instance, will shut down Friday. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. The Trump administration is restoring funding for a women's health study.

The money was cut because the National Institutes of Health, which funds the study, had not met an executive order to reduce spending. The ACLU is asking a federal court to prevent the government from cutting off legal aid to families separated at the southern border during the first Trump administration. Mark Bentoncourt with the California Newsroom has more. A 2023 settlement agreement with the Biden administration promised protections to separated families, including legal guidance to help them apply for asylum, work permits, and the like.

But the Justice Department has told the group that provides those legal services that it won't renew its contract, which expires at the end of the month. Lawyer Marien Belis Alquede of Al Otro Lado says they've helped 140 people under the settlement and more are waiting. A lot of them have parole that are ending now, so they are really desperate to receive services. The DOJ did not respond to a request for comment. According to the ACLU's court filing, the government says it does not intend to let

legal services lapse, but hasn't specified how. For NPR News, I'm Mark Buttencourt. This is NPR. A federal judge in Washington is blocking two parts of President Trump's executive order on voting and elections. The order instructed the Independent Election Assistance Commission to require proof of citizenship before a person can register to vote. A second order required government agencies to verify citizenship before giving voter

registration forms to people seeking public assistance. The NFL could have its first true two-way player in decades. Travis Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner who played on both offense and defense for his college team, was picked second in the first round of the NFL draft. Details from NPR's Becky Sullivan. It wasn't a surprise that Travis Hunter was picked second overall. Colorado standout is a first round caliber player, both a wide receiver and a cornerback. The surprise is who picked him.

The Cleveland Browns originally had that second pick, but they traded with the Jacksonville Jaguars who couldn't pass up on the potentially generational player who says he wants to play on both sides of the ball in the NFL. The Tennessee Titans had the very first pick and selected Miami quarterback Cam Ward as expected, while Colorado quarterback Shadour Sanders, the son of former NFL great Deion Sanders, fell out of the first round entirely. The draft continues Friday night with rounds two and three, and the final four rounds will be held Saturday. Becky Sullivan in Pure News.

After so many people lined up to see Pope Francis lying in state at St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican kept the doors open overnight. The lines of mourners waiting to pay their last respects have continued to file past this coffin. The Vatican estimates more than 90,000 people have paid their respects. This is NP. You have your job, but you also have a life. And you're not just one thing. Neither is the Here and Now Anytime podcast. Every weekday,

we break down the biggest story of the day and something else like a new trend everyone's talking about. It's Here and Now Anytime, a daily podcast from NPR and WBUR.