NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-25-2025 9PM EDT

Episode Date: April 26, 2025

NPR News: 04-25-2025 9PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Am I a propagandist? A truth teller? An influencer? There's probably no more contested profession in the world today than mine, journalism. I'm Brian Reed, and on my show, Question Everything, we dive head first into the conflicts we're all facing over truth and who gets to tell it. Listen now to Question Everything, part of the NPR Podcast Network. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. President Trump is calling for Ukraine and Russia to meet on ending the war. NPR's Franco Ordonez reports Trump says they're close to reaching a deal. President Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, traveled to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to broker an end to the war in Ukraine.

After the meeting, Trump took to social media, where he announced that most of the major points had been agreed to. He wrote, quote, They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet at very high levels to finish it off. Trump went on to say that it was time to stop the bloodshed and that the US will be wherever it's needed to help facilitate the end of this quote cruel and senseless war. The Trump administration has suggested that Ukraine would be expected to give up large portions of land, including the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, an idea that

Ukraine has so far rejected. Franco Ordonez, NPR News. In a major reversal, the federal government says it's restoring the legal status of more than a thousand international students whose visas it had moved to cancel in recent weeks. That's according to a lawyer representing plaintiffs in one of the cases. Multiple judges have already issued temporary orders directing the government to restore the students' records in a federal database that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, uses to monitor student visa holders while they're in the U.S. A government lawyer says DHS will develop a new process for terminating international student visas.

After three days, officials at the Vatican say the public viewing of the late Pope Francis is over. Francis died Monday at the age of 88. NBR's Jason DeRose reports from Rome on the Pontiff's upcoming funeral. Pope Francis' Requiem Mass begins Saturday morning in St. Peter's Square. World leaders, including President Donald Trump, are scheduled to attend, as is former U.S. President Joe Biden, who's a practicing Catholic. Francis' coffin will then be taken to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where he'll be buried.

Among those participating in the burial is former Los Angeles Archbishop Cardinal Roger Mahoney, who's been barred from public ministry in Los Angeles due to his role in the clergy sex abuse coverup. Saturday begins a nine day period of official mourning, leading up to the conclave, at which Cardinals will elect the next head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Jason DeRose, NPR News, Rome. While the Trump administration has backed off some of its global tariffs, the American public still appears nervous, at least based on the latest read on consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan. Poll taken this month shows consumer sentiment dropping 8 percent from March to its fourth lowest level on records, the date back to 1952. Surveys director says consumer sentiment fell across a wide swath of income levels. Stocks closed higher to end the week.

The Dow was up 20 points. The Nasdaq gained 216 points. You're listening to NPR. Disgraced former U.S. Representative George Santos has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for crimes that got him kicked out of Congress. Santos asked the judge for mercy, then sobbed as his 87-month sentence was delivered. The New York Republican pleaded guilty last summer to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Santos admitted to deceiving donors and stealing the identities of nearly a dozen people to fund his congressional campaign. Santos is due to report to prison in July. Moose are on the move in Sweden. The mammals have begun their annual migration across the northern part of the country and millions have tuned in to watch the slow TV. And here's Iana Archie as more. Each spring, hundreds of moose journey from their winter hangout spot to their summer one, which is in the mountains near the Sweden-Norway border. They're looking for new food sources, as well as a nice place to raise their calves. Since 2019, Swedish public broadcaster SVT has live streamed the trip. More than nine million people watched around the world last year,

and viewership is expected to be even higher this year. That's according to an executive producer of the livestream. The program is an indication of how popular the slow TV genre has become. Slow TV includes live, unedited, and hours or even months long coverage of some routine event, usually with a theme or journey in mind. Ayanna Archie in PR News. Punk rock legend Billy Idol, whose sneering visage was in 80s MTV music industry mainstay is out with his first new record in 11 years. English singer says the new album entitled Dream Into It includes duets with artists including Joan Jett, Avril Lavigne and The Kills Allison Mosshard. I'm Jack Spear in PR News in Washington. This message comes

from WISE, the app for doing things and other currencies. With WISE you can send, NPR News in Washington.