NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-05-2025 3AM EDT

Episode Date: April 5, 2025

NPR News: 04-05-2025 3AM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This message comes from Mint Mobile. Mint Mobile took what's wrong with wireless and made it right. They offer premium wireless plans for less and all plans include high-speed data, unlimited talk and text, and nationwide coverage. See for yourself at mintmobile.com slash switch. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. The Internal Revenue Service is cutting more jobs ahead of the April 15th tax filing deadline NPR's Shannon Bond reports The IRS notified employees by email on Friday that mass reductions are coming across offices and job categories The goal it said is to quote increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the IRS The cuts come during the agency's busiest time of year with the tax deadline looming and will roll out in phases

during the agency's busiest time of year, with the tax deadline looming, and will roll out in phases. The IRS's Office of Civil Rights and Compliance is the first affected, the email said. The agency is cutting 75% of jobs in that office and says it will transfer remaining staff to another department. The IRS didn't say how many jobs it plans to eliminate in total.

It already cut more than 6,000 positions in February. Shannon Bond, NPR News. The US Supreme Court Friday sided with the Trump administration, at least for now, in a dispute over the Department of Education's freeze on what it deems DEI-related grants. The vote was 5 to 4. NPR's Nina Totenberg has more. At issue are grants totaling $65 million for teacher training and professional development. A federal district judge issued a 14-day temporary restraining order to consider the question. And while such 14-day orders are rarely appealable, the Supreme Court majority viewed this case differently and granted the administration's request to block the lower court order.

Chief Justice Roberts noted his disagreement. The other three dissenters were more pointed. They noted that not only was the TRO about to expire anyway, but that the court wasn't making a mistake by making significant changes in the law with bare bones, briefing, no argument, and scarce time for reflection. Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington. Secretary of State Mark Rubio has told NATO allies the U.S. is not abandoning them, but they must pay more for their defense.

Terry Schultz reports that Rubio also suggested the Trump administration is losing patience with Russia's delay in accepting a plan to end the war in Ukraine. NATO countries are displeased about U.S US tariffs of 20 percent being leveled on European Union goods at the same time as President Trump demands governments boost their defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. Some argue that a hit to their economy will make it more difficult to allocate more money for the military. Meanwhile, Rubio said Moscow needs to decide whether it wants to end the war.

We will know soon enough in a matter of weeks, not months, whether Russia is serious about peace or not. He said Congress is preparing more sanctions against Russia, which the administration may soon be unable to stop. For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz in Brussels. Opponents of President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk will be rallying across the U.S. later today. They're protesting the administration's actions on government downsizing the economy, human rights, and many other issues. The

rallies are called hands-off. There are more than 1,200 planned by more than 150 groups. You're listening to NPR News. Seismologists in California are learning more about the hazards posed by the San Andreas Fault in the aftermath of the large earthquake in Myanmar. From member station KQED, Danielle Vinton has more. Danielle Vinton Experts say the recent earthquake in Myanmar was caused by a long crack between two tectonic plates known as the Saigang Fault. Pressure had built along it for almost 200 years. Ray Weldon, professor at the University of Oregon, says it's a close analogy for the San Andreas Fault running along

California which hasn't had a large earthquake since 1906. The earthquakes that we know about on the San Andreas and the earthquakes that have occurred on the Saigang fault are very very similar in terms of their length and their depths and their magnitudes and displacement. Weldon says he's drawing lessons from last week's disaster that may improve the accuracy of West Coast earthquake hazard maps. For NPR News, I'm Danielle Vinton. A three-year-old girl in Mexico's western Durango state has been confirmed as having

the country's first case of bird flu. She's in serious condition at a local hospital. Type A H5N1 influenza is mostly spread through animals but has also been transmitted through some people in the US where there have been 70 cases in the past year. It's not known how the girl contracted the virus. Alex Ovechkin scored his 894th goal Friday night as the Washington Capitals played the Chicago Blackhawks. That means he is now tied with Wayne Gretzky's National Hockey League

all-time career scoring record. Gretzky set that mark in 1999 during his time with the New York Rangers. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News. Cell phones, cars, coffee. How do these goods make their way to us from overseas and what will President Trump's tariffs mean for their price tags?

Join the 1A podcast as we explore supply chains and costs associated with some of your favorite products. It's our series, How Did This Get Here, every Wednesday. Listen to the 1A Podcast from NPR and WAMU.