NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-25-2025 4AM EDT

Episode Date: April 25, 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 Shea Stevens. President Trump is expressing frustration over the pace of efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Trump is also criticizing Russia over the airstrikes that killed 12 people and wounded

dozens more in Kiev on Thursday. During an Oval Office appearance with his Norwegian counterpart, Trump was asked what concessions Russia is willing to make. Stopping the war, stopping taking the whole country, pretty big concession. Trump's remarks came a day after he accused Ukraine's president of prolonging the war. Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the framework for a U.S. proposal that calls for Ukraine to give up territory

already seized by Russia. The director of the National Science Foundation is stepping down. NSF is a major source of government funding for research into basic science and math, as well as engineering and technology. And as NPR's Nell Greenfield-Boyce reports, the director's departure comes as the independent agency faces more cuts to its budget and staff. Setharaman Panchinathan is a computer scientist who took charge of the agency during President Trump's first term. In a statement posted on NSF's website on Thursday afternoon, he

said that, quote, I believe I have done all I can to advance the critical mission of the agency and feel it is time for me to pass the baton to new leadership. He made no mention of the administration's plans for this agency. Reportedly, its staff and budget could potentially be cut in half. Already, late last week, NSF said it was ending grants aimed at increasing diversity in the sciences as well as research on misinformation. Nell Greenfield, Voice, NPR News. President Trump is asking the Supreme Court to lift an injunction blocking his ban on transgender service members.

In February, the Defense Department ordered military officials to dismiss all transgender service members to lower courts have blocked the policy pending the outcome of lawsuits. The Democratic National Committee has announced a new agreement to boost funding for state-level parties. NPR's Stephen Fowler has more on the organization's change in strategy. After losing the White House and control of the Senate last November, the National Democratic Party elected a new leader who promised to invest more at the local level. Now, DNC Chair Ken Martin has announced a new program to send more than a million dollars each month to state and territory party officials to help boost year-round organizing efforts

and other infrastructure changes. The news is part of a longer-term strategy to overhaul the Democratic Party's focus ahead of several competitive gubernatorial races in the next year and a half and the 2026 midterms, where the party hopes to retake at least one chamber of Congress. Stephen Fowler, NPR News. US futures are higher in after hours trading on Wall Street. On Asia Pacific market shares are mixed. This is NPR.

An Illinois man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing seven people and wounding dozens more at an Independence Day parade near Chicago in 2022. Robert Cremo III was not present at his sentencing, where survivors of the shooting and grieving relatives expressed their emotions. Cremo received a life sentence for each of the victims who died in the shooting, plus 50 years for the dozens of attempted murder charges. Some conservative American Catholics are expressing their hopes for a new pope. They're also criticizing Pope Francis, saying he abandoned important aspects of Catholic tradition, as Aleja Hertzler-McCain of Religion News Service reports. Conservatives are revisiting Francis' policies that they disagreed with.

Those include his suppression of certain land masses, allowing the blessing of same-sex couples, and his advocacy for the environment and thawing of relations with China. New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan told the Today Show he's looking for the next pope to have a blend of the heart of Francis, but also some qualities he liked in Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI. More clarity in teaching, more refinement of the church's tradition, more digging in the treasures of the past. According to a poll taken in February, most Republican-leaning Catholics in the U.S. supported Pope Francis, and Vatican watchers warn against trying to reduce any pope into US political terms.

Aleha Hertzler-McCain, NPR News. Again, US futures are higher in after hours trading. This is NPR News. Having news at your fingertips is great, but sometimes you need an escape. And that's where Shortwave comes in. We're a joy-filled science podcast driven by wonder and curiosity that will get you out of your head and in touch with the world around you. Listen now to Shortwave, the science podcast from NPR.