Monday morning news: April 21, 2025

U.S.-Iran nuclear talks » Negotiators from the U.S. and Iran plan to gather again on Saturday for a third round of nuclear talks. That, after a second round over the weekend was “constructive,” according to both sides.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the goal is clear:

RUBIO:  It has to be something that, that, uh, that actually not just prevents Iran from having a nuclear weapon now, but in per, you know, in the future as well, not just for 10 years with some sort of sunset provision or the like.

U.S. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reportedly spoke face to face in Rome this past Saturday. Iranian officials, though, described the talks as indirect.

Before they meet again in Oman next weekend, Araghchi said the two sides agreed that experts will hold technical-level talks in the coming days to discuss details of a possible deal.

Republican Congressman Buddy Carter tells Fox News:

CARTER:  It will be in Iran's best interest if they deal with President Trump. President Trump is offering them an opportunity here that they need to seize upon.

The president has made clear that he wants to solve the matter peacefully, but if diplomacy fails, the U.S. will take military action to prevent a nuclear Iran.

Court ruling on Alien Enemies Act stay » The Supreme Court has sided — at least for now — with the American Civil Liberties Union on blocking deportations of some illegal immigrants.

The high court granted the liberal activist group’s request for an administrative stay temporarily blocking deportations of suspected Venezuelan gang members.

The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that the Trump administration could deport under the Alien Enemies Act as long as the migrants had a chance to challenge their removal in court.

The administration says it did give advance notice — and at the very least, the Court should narrow the stay.

Garcia case » Meantime, debate continues over the deportation of a Salvadoran national.

Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland traveled to El Salvador to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

VAN HOLLEN:  Bring Kilmar home so he can be afforded his rights under the Constitution.

But Republican Congressman Mark Harris says Garcia, who is now detained in El Salvador, is home. He says Democrats are trying to spin a narrative:

HARRIS:  That this is a Maryland man, that this is a Maryland dad, a Maryland husband, when in reality he's not a Maryland man. He is actually a national of El Salvador, who is a gang member of MS-13.

Attorneys representing Garcia deny that he’s a member of MS-13 while the Department of Homeland Security asserts that the evidence of his gang affiliation is undeniable.

Garcia entered the country illegally in 2019 but had been shielded from deportation by an immigration judge, before federal authorities mistakenly deported him earlier this month.

GOP reconciliation bill » On Capitol Hill, work continues on a bill that would extend President Trump’s first term tax cuts, among other things.

And GOP Congressman Brandon Gill says the president and Republicans are determined to balance the budget. 

GILL:  We're going to be cutting spending in this reconciliation bill. We've got a lot of work to do. We've got billions of dollars of green new deal tax subsidies that we need to be rolling back.

Democrats call the Trump tax cuts a giveaway to the wealthy.

And House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries charges that Republican plans will make things worse. 

JEFFRIES:  The cost of living in the United States of America is too high. Donald Trump and Republicans promise to lower the cost of living. In fact, on day one, costs aren't going down. They are going up.

Republicans argue that reigning in overspending in Washington will bring down inflation and consumer prices.

Secret Service Director on future of USSS » Secret Service Director Sean Curran is speaking out about efforts to strengthen the agency in the wake of two assassination attempts against President Trump before last year’s election.

CURRAN:  We're not gonna lower our standards. We're, we're looking for the best and the brightest. And I'll tell you, having the support of the president and the secretary, uh, secretary Noem, she's been very supportive as well.

The Secret Service ran a recruiting ad during Super Bowl LIX in February.

Curran's comments come as the Trump administration works to make cuts at the Department of Homeland Security, which controls the Secret Service. But officials say they’re cutting bloat and waste, not critical or necessary resources.

I’m Mark Mellinger.

Straight ahead: Legal Docket, the Monday Moneybeat with David Bahnsen, and the WORLD History Book.

This is The World and Everything in It.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.