NPR News: 04-23-2025 12PM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now: April 23, 2025, 12 PM EDT

Host: Lakshmi Singh
Source: NPR
Duration: Approximately 5 minutes

US-China Trade Relations on the Mend

Lakshmi Singh opens the episode by highlighting positive movements in the markets, crediting signals from the US administration about de-escalating the ongoing trade war with China. Speaking at the White House, President Donald Trump asserted the administration's commitment to fairness in trade negotiations.

• Donald Trump (00:32): "Fair deal with China. It's going to be fair."

  Shortly after, Trump emphasized the active engagement with stakeholders:

• Donald Trump (00:37): "Actively. Everything's active. Everybody wants to be a part of what we're doing."

Scott Horsley, correspondent for NPR, elaborates on the impact of Trump's triple-digit tariffs on Chinese imports, describing the resultant stagnation between the world's two largest economies. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant addressed investors, acknowledging the unsustainable nature of the current trade tensions and hinted at potential de-escalation measures. In related economic news, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, announced plans to dedicate more time to his company rather than political engagements, a move that has positively influenced Tesla's stock after the company experienced significant drops in sales and profits earlier in the year.

Attorney General Launches Task Force Against Anti-Christian Bias

Lakshmi Singh reports on Attorney General Pam Bondi initiating a task force aimed at eliminating reported biases against Christians. Ryan Lucas, NPR’s correspondent, provides details on the bipartisan nature of the task force, noting the involvement of prominent Trump administration officials:

• Ryan Lucas (01:26): "Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and FBI Director Kash Patel were among the Trump administration officials who joined Bondi for the first meeting."

This initiative follows an executive order from President Trump in February, directing the Justice Department to address what the administration perceives as anti-Christian bias. Bondi highlighted recent actions such as the dismissal of three cases against anti-abortion activists, signaling a broader intent to curb future prosecutions related to religious biases.

Passing of Pope Francis and the Search for His Successor

The episode covers the solemn procession in St. Peter's Basilica receiving Pope Francis' casket following his death on Easter Monday at the age of 88. The public has been granted three days to pay their respects before the funeral scheduled for Saturday. Willem Marx, NPR’s reporter, discusses the global gathering of Catholic cardinals in Rome as they deliberate on selecting the next pontiff.

• Willem Marx (2:27): "Francis was the first pope from Latin America elected to the church's highest office, leading some to speculate that the cardinals could choose someone from Africa or Asia, regions where Catholicism is still gaining new devotees."

Potential candidates include Luis Antonio Tagle, a Filipino leader involved in the Vatican's global charity and evangelization efforts, and Fridolin Mbongo Bazungu, the conservative Archbishop of Kinshasa from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Italian and other European contenders such as Pietro Parolin from France, along with figures from Portugal and Hungary, are also in the running.

Financial Markets and Notable Trials

The Dow Jones Industrial Average saw an increase of 566 points, reflecting the day's positive market sentiments.

In legal news, Harvey Weinstein faces retrial in New York on charges of rape and sexual assault. Lakshmi Singh outlines Weinstein's legal journey:

• Convicted five years prior and sentenced to 23 years in prison, Weinstein's conviction was overturned by New York's top court due to concerns over the fairness of the original trial.
• In the retrial, Weinstein faces an additional allegation from an unnamed woman alleging assault in 2006.
• Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty, continuing to challenge the legal proceedings.

Trump Administration's Move to Phase Out Synthetic Food Dyes

The administration is promoting a voluntary approach to eliminate synthetic food dyes, a decision met with mixed reactions. Yuki Noguchi, NPR’s correspondent, explains the FDA's stance and the scientific community's response:

• The FDA plans to revoke approval for two specific dyes and urges food manufacturers to phase out six others.

• Thomas Galligan, a scientist with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, criticizes the voluntary measure:

  • Thomas Galligan (4:30): "It's worth pointing out that many food companies historically have made promises like this before. They claim they're going to get rid of these food dyes or other additives within a certain time frame, and then they have consistently reneged on those promises."

In response to the FDA's actions, natural dye alternatives will be authorized to replace synthetic options, aiming to mitigate concerns linked to behavioral and cognitive issues associated with artificial dyes.

Market Updates and Ongoing Coverage

Lakshmi Singh concludes with a recap of the market uptick and ongoing significant legal cases, ensuring listeners are informed of the latest developments as the episode wraps up.

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This summary omits sponsor messages and non-content sections to focus solely on the newsworthy topics discussed during the NPR News Now episode.

Transcript

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[Lakshmi Singh]

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Markets remain in positive territory today as the administration signals a coming de escalation in the US Trade war with China. President Trump moments ago at the White House, we are going to have a.

[Donald Trump]

Fair deal with China. It's going to be fair.

[Sponsor Message]

Are you talking to them actively now?

[Donald Trump]

Actively. Everything's active. Everybody wants to be a part of what we're doing.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Trump addressing reporters a short time ago. We have more from NPR's Scott Horsley.

[Scott Horsley]

President Trump's triple digit tariffs on imports from China have brought a lot of trade between the world's two biggest economies to a standstill. Trump Treasury Secretary Scott Besant told a gathering of investors that situation is unsustainable and suggested a de escalation may be in store. Stock in Tesla's up after CEO Elon Musk said he plans to spend more time running the electric car company and less time in Washington. The move comes after Tesla saw a sharp drop in sales and profits in the first few months of the year. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Attorney General Pam Bondi has launched a task force to eradicate reported bias against Christians. Here's an NPR's Ryan Lucas, Secretary of.

[Ryan Lucas]

State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. And FBI Director Kash Patel were among the Trump administration officials who joined Bondi for the first meeting. This comes in response to an executive order President Trump signed in February directing the attorney general to set up the task force to eliminate what the White House says is anti Christian bias. Bondi noted that the Justice Department, for example, already has dropped three cases against anti abortion activists and move to limit such future prosecutions. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington.

[Lakshmi Singh]

A historic procession in St Peter's Basilica which received Pope Francis casket this morning. The pontiff, who died Easter Monday at the age of 88, now lies in state in the basilica. The public has been given three days to pay their final respects before his funeral on Saturday. Catholic cardinals from around the world have begun to gather in Rome and they're holding conversations about who will be the next pontiff.

[Willem Marx]

More from willemarx Francis was the first pope from Latin America elected to the church's highest office, leading some to speculate that the cardinals could choose someone from Africa or Asia, regions where Catholicism is still gaining new devotees. A Filipino ally of Francis called Luis Antonio Tagle may be a frontrunner. He's led the Vatican's global charity arm and more recently its evangelization efforts, particularly in the developing world. The conservative leaning archbishop of Kinshasa, Fridolin Mbongo Bazungu, is a top African candidate with a massive flock in his native Democratic Republic of Congo. There are several Italian contenders, too, including France's chief deputy, Pietro Parolin, as well as other Europeans from France, Portugal and Hungary. For NPR News, I'm Willem Marx.

[Lakshmi Singh]

The Dow Jones industrial Average is up 566points. This is NPR News. Ex mega movie producer Harvey Weinstein is being retried for rape and sexual assault in New York. Opening statements are today. Five years ago, the Miramax Studio co founder was convicted and sentenced to 23 years in prison for violence against two women in the entertainment industry. It was a pivotal moment in the MeToo era that exposed sexual misconduct by powerful figures. But last year, New York's top court threw out Weinstein's conviction on the grounds that he did not receive a fair trial. Unlike the original trial, this time around, Weinstein faces an additional sex crimes allegation by an unnamed woman who says she was assaulted in 2006, and Weinstein has pleaded not guilty. The Trump administration is touting a largely voluntary measure to phase out use of synthetic food dyes. More from NPR's Yuki Noguchi.

[Yuki Noguchi]

Some studies have linked synthetic food dyes to various behavioral and cognitive problems. The FDA will revoke approval for two dyes while urging food companies to phase out use of six other dyes. Thomas Galligan is a scientist with watchdog group center for Science in the Public Interest. He supports eliminating dyes, but says the voluntary measure falls short.

[Thomas Galligan]

It's worth pointing out that many food companies historically have made promises like this before. They claim they're going to get rid of these food dyes or other additives within a certain time frame, and then they have consistently reneged on those promises.

[Yuki Noguchi]

The FDA says it will authorize natural dye alternatives. Yukiniguchi, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, in Washington.

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