NPR News: 04-26-2025 9AM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now: April 26, 2025, 9 AM EDT

NPR's "NPR News Now" delivered a comprehensive update on the latest global and national events in its April 26, 2025, 9 AM EDT episode. Hosted by Gael Snyder, the five-minute broadcast covered a range of topics from international diplomacy and education policies to public health developments and the arts. Below is a detailed summary of the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the episode.

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Global Diplomacy: Trump and Zelensky Meet in Vatican City

[00:50] Deepa Shivaram reported on the significant meeting between former President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Vatican City. This encounter marked their first meeting since February, where prior discussions had ended contentiously with criticisms directed at Zelensky. Trump, leveraging his social media platform Truth Social, emphasized the importance of high-level negotiations to conclude the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He stated, “The two sides should meet at high levels and finish off a deal,” highlighting his role in facilitating potential peace talks.

Additionally, President Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, recently engaged in discussions with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and is currently in Oman to negotiate Iran’s nuclear program, indicating ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to address complex international issues.

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U.S. Education and Immigration: Restoration of International Student Records

[01:15] Adrian Florido addressed recent changes in the Trump administration's policies affecting international students. The administration had previously deleted records for hundreds, potentially thousands, of international students from the SEVIS database—a critical system for tracking student visa holders. These deletions posed significant risks to the students' legal status in the U.S., potentially forcing many to leave the country.

In a positive development, [01:39] the Justice Department announced plans to restore these records pending the creation of a formal policy on record removals. Florido quoted a student’s lawyer, who described the restoration as “a sigh of relief,” although legal battles to safeguard international students from deportation are expected to persist.

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Tax Season Amid IRS Job Cuts

[02:17] Scott Horsley provided an update on the IRS's handling of the current tax filing season amidst large-scale job cuts within the agency. Contrary to concerns, the IRS has processed slightly more tax returns compared to the previous year. As of the week of the April 15 deadline, over [02:32] 140 million returns were filed, with approximately 98% already processed, surpassing last year's processing pace.

Refunds are being issued on schedule, with more than 60% of filers receiving an average refund of over $2,900. Although around one in six taxpayers filed in the final week, this does not appear to have caused significant backlogs. However, ongoing and additional job cuts within the IRS could hinder future efforts to address tax evasion among wealthier individuals.

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Public Health: Ending the Ebola Outbreak in Uganda

[03:12] Emmanuel Ogunza reported from Nairobi on Uganda's declaration that its latest Ebola outbreak has concluded after 42 days without new cases, in line with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The outbreak, which resulted in at least two deaths, including a four-year-old child, marks the ninth Ebola incident in Kampala since 2000. Ogunza noted the WHO has placed neighboring countries under strict surveillance due to the virus's highly infectious and often fatal nature. Importantly, this strain lacks an approved vaccine, underscoring the challenges in controlling its spread.

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Judicial Affairs: Wisconsin Governor Accuses Trump Administration

[04:11] In domestic news, Gael Snyder relayed that Wisconsin's Democratic Governor Tony Evers has accused the Trump administration of attempting to undermine the judiciary. Evers made these remarks following the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan, a Wisconsin judge accused of facilitating the evasion of federal immigration authorities. Judge Dugan was released pending charges, which include concealing an individual to prevent their discovery and arrest.

Attorney General Pam Bondi responded by asserting that the arrest sends a “strong message” that lawmakers involved in such activities will be prosecuted. This development highlights ongoing tensions between state officials and the federal administration regarding judicial integrity and immigration enforcement.

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Arts and Culture: AFI Lifetime Achievement Award to Francis Ford Coppola

Concluding the episode, Gael Snyder announced that the American Film Institute (AFI) will honor director Francis Ford Coppola with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Coppola, celebrated for his contributions to cinema, will become the 50th recipient of this prestigious honor during a ceremony at the Dolby Theater. This recognition underscores Coppola’s enduring impact on the film industry and his legacy as a visionary director.

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This episode of NPR News Now provided listeners with succinct yet comprehensive coverage of pivotal events shaping both national and international landscapes. From high-stakes diplomatic meetings and shifts in immigration policies to public health triumphs and celebratory acknowledgments in the arts, the broadcast offered valuable insights into the current affairs of April 2025.

Transcript

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[Gael Snyder]

Live from NPR News. In Washington, I'm Gael Snyder. In Rome today, Pope Francis casket greeted by a chorus at the basilica where he is being laid. Tens of thousands lined the streets to see Francis casket driven there. And in St. Peter's Square, the Vatican says some 250,000 gathered for his funeral service. Dozens of foreign leaders were there, including President Trump, who met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Here's NPR's Deepa Shivaram.

[Deepa Shivaram]

TRUMP and Zelenskyy's meeting today in Vatican City comes as negotiations to end the Russia Ukraine war are potentially closing. Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social that the two sides should meet at high levels and finish off a deal. It was the first time Trump and Zelensky have met since their February meeting in the Oval Office that ended with Trump and Vice President J.D. vance criticizing the Ukrainian president who abruptly left the White House.

[Gael Snyder]

President Trump's Middle east envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin yesterday. He's now in Oman for more talks on Iran's nuclear program. Trump administration restoring the status of hundreds, possibly thousands, of international students whose records it had eliminated from a crucial government database. NPR's Adrian Florido reports that those deleted likely would have had to leave the country soon.

[Adrian Florido]

The Sevis database is how immigration agents track student visa holders while they're in the country to ensure they're complying with requirements. If you're not in the database, it's harder to keep your legal status. Immigration in recent weeks, the government deleted records for thousands of students, many of them sued, saying it was over minor infractions like arrests that resulted in no charges. But now the Justice Department has announced the government will restore those students records, at least until it devises a formal policy for removing them. A lawyer for one student called it a sigh of relief, though legal fights to protect international students from deportation will continue. Adrian Florido, NPR News.

[Gael Snyder]

Talking TAXES now. Large scale job cuts at the IRS do not appear to have affected this year's tax filing season. NPR Scott Horsley reports. A tax collector has processed slightly more returns so far than at this time last year.

[Scott Horsley]

More than 140 million people filed tax returns by the week of the April 15 deadline, and so far about 98% of those returns have been processed. That's slightly ahead of last year's pace. Even after the IRS laid off thousands of workers this spring. Refunds also appear to be going out on schedule. More than 60% of tax filers get money back from the government. The average refund this year is more than $2,900. About one in six taxpayers waited until the last week to file, but that's not unusual and doesn't appear to have caused any backlog. Many more job cuts are looming at the irs, though that's likely to inhibit the agency's ability to go after wealthy tax cheats. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

[Gael Snyder]

And you're listening to NPR News. Now to East Africa, where the Ugandan government says its latest Ebola outbreak has come to an end. At least two people died in the outbreak, including a four year old child. Emmanuel Ogunza reports from Nairobi.

[Emmanuel Ogunza]

Ugandan authorities announced the end of this latest outbreak of Ebola after 42 days of no new reported cases in line with the World Health Organization WHO guidelines. The last patients were discharged in March. This is the ninth Ebola outbreak in Kampala since 2000. Uganda neighbours the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has had dozens of outbreaks, including one several years ago that killed nearly 2,300 people. The WHO has placed neighboring countries under strict surveillance for the virus, which is highly infectious and often fatal. The strain in the latest Uganda outbreak has no approved vaccine. For MPN news, I'm Emmanuelli Gunza in Nairobi, Kenya.

[Gael Snyder]

Wisconsin's Democratic governor is accusing the Trump administration of attempting to undermine the judiciary. Governor Tony Evers remarks follow yesterday's arrest of a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man to evade federal immigration authorities. Judge Hannah Dugan was released but is facing charges including concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest. Attorney General Pam Bondi says her arrest sends a strong message that lawmakers will be prosecuted. Los Angeles Tonight, the American Film Institute is to hand its top award to director Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola will be the 50th recipient of AFI's Lifetime Achievement Award during a ceremony at the Dolby Theater. I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News from Washington.

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