NPR News: 04-18-2025 9AM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now: April 18, 2025 – Comprehensive Episode Summary

Host: Korva Coleman
Producer: NPR
Release Date: April 18, 2025
Duration: 5 minutes

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1. Federal Appeals Court Ruling on Deportation Case

At 00:16, Korva Coleman reports on a significant legal development involving the Trump administration's immigration policies. A federal appeals court has delivered a ruling against the administration's approach to deporting immigrants to El Salvador. The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals criticized the Trump administration, stating they are "asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process." This case had previously been heard by the U.S. Supreme Court and may return if the Trump administration decides to appeal the ruling.

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2. Supreme Court to Hear Birthright Citizenship Case

Moving to 00:16, Coleman highlights that the Supreme Court plans to hear expedited arguments next month regarding birthright citizenship. The case centers on the interpretation of the 14th Amendment, which clearly states that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States are American citizens." Despite this constitutional provision being settled law for over a century, former President Trump has challenged its validity.

Nina Totenberg provides further insight at 01:08, explaining Trump's stance: “There is no such thing as automatic citizenship, at least not for babies born in the United States if their parents were not born here.” Totenberg notes that on his first day in office, Trump issued an executive order banning birthright citizenship, which has since faced numerous legal challenges from various states.

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3. Trump Administration's Changes to Human Rights Reports

At 01:25, NPR’s Graham Smith discusses significant alterations made by the Trump administration to the annual human rights reports released by the U.S. State Department. Internal documents revealed that the administration is omitting multiple categories of human rights abuses, including the "freedom to privacy," "right to free and fair elections," and "right to peacefully assemble." Over 20 types of violations have been excluded to align with recent executive orders from the White House.

Smith emphasizes the concerns voiced by human rights defenders: “They’re concerned the US is abandoning its post as a supporter of personal freedoms and that this will send the wrong message to authoritarian governments.”

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4. Florida State University Mass Shooting

At 02:28, Korva Coleman reports on a tragic mass shooting at Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee. A vigil is being held on campus in memory of the victims from the incident that occurred the previous day. Greg Allen provides details, stating that the 20-year-old suspect, Phoenix Eichner, a sheriff's deputy’s son, used his mother's handgun to fire eight shots, resulting in two fatalities.

Eichner, who had been involved with the department's youth advisory board and received extensive training, did not surrender when confronted by police. Instead, he was shot and wounded before being arrested. In response to the tragedy, FSU has canceled classes and home athletic events through the weekend.

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5. Power Restoration in Puerto Rico

At 03:13, Korva Coleman covers the restoration of power in Puerto Rico following a widespread blackout that affected the entire island on Wednesday. Officials have successfully restored power to nearly 99% of customers. Initial assessments indicate that heavy vegetation obstructing a major transmission line contributed to the outage. With summer approaching and the increased use of air conditioning anticipated, there is growing concern about the power grid's capacity to handle the heightened demand.

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6. US Tariffs Impact on Chinese Exports

Moving to 03:28, NPR’s John Ruich reports on the escalating trade tensions between the United States and China. At the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, a major trade event, exporters are experiencing a significant slowdown in shipments to the U.S. due to President Trump's substantial tariffs. Monica Liang, a sales manager at a company producing juicers and blenders, remarks, “Everyone is in wait and see mode. Customers from the US have halted orders, and products are piling up in warehouses.”

Liang notes that while there is some optimism for a potential deal to ease tensions, many companies are proactively seeking new markets to mitigate the impact of reduced trade with the U.S.

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7. US Attack on Port in Yemen

At 04:33, Korva Coleman reports that the U.S. Defense Department has conducted an attack on a port in Yemen. The U.S. Central Command stated that the target was fuel imports used by Houthi rebels rather than Yemeni civilians. However, the Houthis claim that the strike resulted in the deaths of at least 58 people and injured over 100 others. The discrepancy between the Defense Department’s intentions and the Houthis’ reports raises ongoing concerns about the humanitarian impact of military actions in the region.

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Note: This summary excludes all advertisements, introductory remarks, and non-content segments to focus solely on the substantive news reported in the episode.

Transcript

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[Korva Coleman]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. A federal appeals court has issued the latest ruling against the Trump administration's handling of an immigrant illegally deported to el Salvador. The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals says the Trump administration is, quote, asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process. This case has already been to the US Supreme Court, but it could return if the Trump administration appeals. The Supreme Court says it will hear expedited arguments next month on the issue of birthright citizenship. The 14th Amendment to the U.S. constitution says that all persons born or naturalized in the US Are American citizens. The matter has been settled law for more than a century, but NPR's Nina Totenberg says President Trump disagrees.

[Nina Totenberg]

Trump, however, has long argued that there is no such thing as automatic citizenship, at least not for babies born in the United States if their parents were not born here. So on his first day in office, he issued an executive order banning birthright citizenship, which was promptly challenged in court by a Bunch of States.

[Korva Coleman]

NPR's Nina Totenberg reporting. Every year, the U.S. state Department releases human rights reports on every country around the world. NPR's Graham Smith tells us that this year there are major changes coming in these reports.

[Graham Smith]

Internal State Department documents reviewed by NPR show the Trump administration is dropping multiple categories of human rights abuses from its annual country reports. No LONGER Will the U.S. call out governments for violations against the freedom to privacy, the right to free and fair elections, or the right to peacefully assemble. More than 20 kinds of violations are being stripped out, according to these documents, to comply with recently issued executive orders from the White House, among them violence against minorities and disabled people and serious government corruption. Human rights defenders tell NPR they're concerned the US Is abandoning its post as a supporter of personal freedoms and that this will send the wrong message to authoritarian governments. Graham Smith, NPR News.

[Korva Coleman]

A vigil will be held today on the Florida State University campus in Tallahassee for the victims of Yesterday's mass shooting. NPR's Greg Allen reports. The 20 year old suspect arrested by police is the son of a sheriff's deputy.

[Greg Allen]

Police say Phoenix Eichner used his mother's handgun to shoot eight people, killing two. Leon county sheriff said he'd been a member of the department's youth advisory board and had gone through extensive training with the department. The shootings occurred near Florida State University Student Union Building. Students locked themselves in basements and bathrooms while they heard gunshots being fired outside. Eichner didn't surrender when confronted by police and was shot and wounded before being arrested. Classes at FSU are canceled today, as are home athletic events through the weekend. Greg Allen, NPR News.

[Korva Coleman]

This is npr. Officials in Puerto Rico say they've restored power to nearly 99% of their customers. The entire island lost power Wednesday. Initial reports suggest part of the problem was heavy vegetation blocking a major transmission line. Puerto Ricans are worried. As summer approaches, more people use air conditioning, putting heavy demand on the power grid. Chinese goods may soon become harder to find in the United States. NPR's John Ruich reports. Exporters at a massive trade fair in China say shipments to the US Are grinding to a halt in response to President Trump's sky high tariffs.

[John Ruich]

At the Canton fair in southern China, tens of thousands of Chinese companies display products, and customers from around the world come to wheel and deal. But if you ask about trade with the US it's grim. Monica Liang is a sales manager at a company that makes juicers and blenders. She says everyone is in wait and see mode. Customers from the US have halted orders, she says, and products are piling up in warehouses. Some here expressed optimism that China and the US Would strike a deal and avert disaster. But until then, few seem to be selling goods across the Pacific, and many say they're looking for new markets altogether. John Ruich, NPR News, Guangzhou, China.

[Korva Coleman]

The Defense Department says that the U.S. attacked a port in Yemen. U.S. central Command says the U.S. targeted fuel imports that are used to support Houthi rebels instead of Yemeni citizens. The Houthis say the U.S. attack has killed at least 58 people and wounded more than 100 others. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News.

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