NPR News: 04-22-2025 6AM EDT

Summary

Vatican Announces Pope Francis' Funeral Plans

In the early hours of April 22, 2025, NPR News Now reported significant developments concerning the passing of Pope Francis. Korva Coleman opened the segment by informing listeners that the Roman Catholic Church has scheduled Pope Francis' funeral for Saturday, following his death from a stroke and heart failure the previous day (00:15). Lauren Frayer provided an in-depth report from Rome, detailing the preparations for the pontiff’s funeral. She explained that until a new pope is elected, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, a Dublin-born U.S. citizen, will act as the head of the Vatican. Frayer highlighted a notable departure from tradition, stating, “Pope Francis stipulated his burial will not be in St. Peter's Basilica, but instead in the Basilica of St. Mary Major” (00:36). This decision reflects Pope Francis' personal devotion, as he frequently prayed at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, a modest church in a lower-income immigrant area of Rome, before and after his international missions.

Congressional Democrats Visit El Salvador Over Deportation Case

The episode also covered a pressing issue involving U.S. immigration policy. Korva Coleman reported that four Democratic House Representatives, including Maxwell Frost of Florida, traveled to El Salvador to advocate for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland migrant who was deported illegally last month (01:23). Maxwell Frost emphasized the importance of their mission, stating, “We want to see him, know he's alive and know that he's well, but also we want to make sure that this story doesn't go away” (01:47). Frost revealed that their visit was unauthorized as an official congressional delegation, which prevented them from meeting directly with Abrego Garcia. Despite a Supreme Court order to facilitate his return, the Trump administration has resisted compliance. The Justice Department has confirmed that Abrego Garcia has been relocated from a notorious megaprison to a different facility in El Salvador, raising further concerns about his welfare and the administration's handling of immigration enforcement (01:54).

Wall Street's Volatility Amid President Trump's Remarks

Financial markets experienced significant turbulence during the episode. Korva Coleman highlighted that the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged nearly a third, while the NASDAQ sank over 2%, before rebounding sharply later in the morning (02:18). The volatility was largely attributed to President Trump's persistent criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, which has unnerved investors. Rafael Nam of NPR provided analysis, noting, “Typically, when you see the major markets in a country all fall at once, it's a sign that foreign investors are heading to the exits” (02:50). Nam drew parallels to the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s, suggesting that although it’s too soon to declare a full-blown crisis, the shaken trust among foreign investors poses a genuine threat to the stability of U.S. markets.

Potential Changes in Defense Department Leadership and FTC Sues Uber

The podcast also addressed significant political and legal developments. Korva Coleman reported that the White House might be searching for a new Defense Secretary following Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth's misuse of the encrypted messaging app Signal to share sensitive information about U.S. strikes in Yemen with his family (03:11). This incident marks the second time Hegseth has used Signal for such purposes, raising concerns about national security and operational protocols. Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has initiated a lawsuit against Uber, alleging deceptive practices related to its subscription service, Uber 1. Bobby Allen explained that the FTC claims Uber “automatically signed people up for a premium service known as Uber 1” without obtaining explicit consent, failed to deliver promised savings, and made it excessively difficult for users to cancel the service (03:56). Uber has contested these claims, asserting that the cancellation process is straightforward and complies with legal standards. This lawsuit arrives amidst broader regulatory pressures, as both Meta and Google are currently facing federal lawsuits that could potentially lead to the breakup of these tech giants.

Harvard University Sues Trump Administration Over Funding Freeze

In the realm of higher education, Korva Coleman reported that Harvard University is taking legal action against the Trump administration to prevent the freezing of billions of dollars in federal funding (04:35). Harvard has rejected the administration’s demands, arguing that the freeze is an attempt to exert undue control over academic decision-making processes. The university contends that such actions threaten academic independence and the integrity of educational institutions. This lawsuit underscores the broader tensions between federal authorities and academic institutions regarding autonomy and funding.

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Timestamps

• 00:15
• 00:36
• 01:23
• 01:47
• 01:54
• 02:18
• 02:50
• 03:11
• 03:56
• 04:35

Note: Timestamps correspond to the moments in the transcript where each section begins.

Transcript

[Nature Conservancy Representative]

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[Korva Coleman]

News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. The Vatican says that Roman Catholic cardinals have decided to hold the funeral for Pope Francis this Saturday. Francis died yesterday after suffering a stroke and heart failure. His body will be moved tomorrow morning to St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican for the ceremony. NPR's Lauren Freyr reports from Rome on the preparations for the pontiff's funeral.

[Lauren Frayer]

Until a new pope is named, the acting head of the Vatican is the Camarlengo, in this case, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, a Dublin born US Citizen. He's in charge of sealing off the pope's apartment and destroying his fisherman's ring historically to prevent misuse or forgery. In a break from tradition, Pope Francis will stipulates his burial will not be in St. Peter's Basilica, but instead in the Basilica of St. Mary Major. It's a small church in a lower income immigrant part of Rome. After every foreign trip, Francis would go to that basilica to pray before a Byzantine style painting of the Virgin Mary. He was last there about 10 days ago. There are other past popes buried there, but not in more than 350 years. Lauren Frayer, NPR News, Rome.

[Korva Coleman]

Four congressional Democrats are in El Salvador on behalf of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He is the migrant illegally deported from Maryland last month. NPR's Joel Rose reports. The lawmakers are calling on the Trump administration to return Abrego Garcia to the United States.

[Maxwell Frost]

Four Democrats from the House of Representatives, including Maxwell Frost of Florida, traveled to El Salvador to show their support for Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

We want to see him, know he's alive and know that he's well, but also we want to make sure that this story doesn't go away.

Frost says they were not allowed to meet with Abrego Garcia because their trip was not sanctioned as an official congressional delegation. The Trump administration is refusing to bring Abrego Garcia back back to the U.S. despite a Supreme Court order to, quote, facilitate his return. In court filings, the Justice Department confirmed that Abrego Garcia has been moved out of a notorious megaprison to a different penitentiary in El Salvador. Joel Rose, NPR News.

[Korva Coleman]

Stock markets on Wall street continue to see saw. President Trump continues to bash Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, unnerving investors. The Dow Jones industrial average plunged nearly a third. The NASDAQ Sank well over 2% both indices are up sharply this morning. Investors are also concerned about the effects of Trump's global tariffs. NPR's Rafael Nam says the market drops suggest that some foreign investors are also abandoning US Markets.

[Rafael Nam]

Typically, when you see the major markets in a country all fall at once, it's a sign that foreign investors are heading to the exits. The Asian financial crisis back in the late 1990s is an examp now. It's too soon to say we are in a crisis, but there are genuine concerns that at the very least, trust in the U.S. has been shaken.

[Korva Coleman]

NPR's Rafael Nam. It's NPR. NPR has learned the White House may be looking for a new defense secretary. That's after Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth used the messaging app Signal to share sensitive information about US Strikes on Yemen, this time with his family. This was the second time Hegseth used the Signal chat to do this, and it was on a personal cell phone. The White House has re this reporting as fake news. A note. NPR CEO Katherine Marr is also the chair of the board of the Signal foundation, which supports the app. The Federal Trade Commission is suing ride sharing company Uber. The FTC claims Uber deceived customers about a subscription service known as Uber 1. NPR's Bobby Allen reports.

[Bobby Allen]

The FTC says Uber automatically signed people up for a premium service known as Uber 1. The lawsuit claims Uber never received some customers consent, failed to deliver promised savings and made it difficult for people to cancel. For instance, FTC says Uber requires 12 different actions in the app to cancel and that it was impossible to opt out within 48 hours of a billing date. Regulators say such a process violates federal consumer protection laws. An Uber spokesman says canceling is clear, simple and follows the spirit of the law. The FTC action comes as both Meta and Google are in federal court facing government lawsuits that could force the breakup of the companies. Bobby Allen, NPR News.

[Korva Coleman]

Harvard University is suing the Trump administration to stop the White House from freezing billions of dollars in federal funding. Harvard rejected administration demands. It claims the administration is trying to control academic decision making. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News.

[Nature Conservancy Representative]

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