NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-23-2025 12AM EDT

Episode Date: April 23, 2025

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You have your job, but you also have a life. And you're not just one thing. Neither is the Here and Now Anytime podcast. Every weekday, we break down the biggest story of the day and something else, like a new trend everyone's talking about. It's Here and Now Anytime, a daily podcast from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. Elon Musk says he will limit his time with the White House's cost-cutting efforts starting next month.

As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, the move comes as Musk's company, Tesla, posted worse than expected numbers for the quarter. On a Tesla earnings call, Musk said establishing Doge within the federal government is mostly done and that he expects to soon work just a day or two per week on White House matters. Musk, the executive of Tesla, has been operating as a special government employee, allowing him to work for 130 days in government. But his future in the White House beyond that has always been unclear. President Trump has supported the efforts of Musk, but his hard charging approach defying

norms and procedures has frustrated others in the administration. Still, Musk said he plans to be involved in government in some fashion for as long as Trump allows. Musk's announcement came as Tesla reported that its quarterly profits have dropped 71 percent. Bobby Allen in NPR News. A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from dismantling Voice of America and other government-funded networks that deliver news overseas, at least temporarily. NPR's Alina Hartounian has that report. VOA offices in Washington have been padlocked shut and its employees on paid leave since a March executive order from President Trump.

The federal judge called the administration's decision to dismantle the agency arbitrary and capricious. He's directing the Trump administration to return VOA employees and contractors to their status before the president shut them down. Voice of America delivers information to countries around the world that lack a robust or free press.

The court's preliminary injunction will remain in effect while the case plays out in court. Alina Hurtunian, NPR News. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced plans to cut 15 percent of his U.S. staff. Rubio's proposed reorganization also includes closing and consolidating 132 State Department bureaus around the world. President Trump says he has no plans to fire Fed Chairman Jerome Powell. That comment coming days after Trump said he would like to fire Powell for not immediately lowering the Fed's key interest rate.

Powell says policymakers want to see inflation lowered around 10-2 percent and say U.S. tariffs on imports will likely push prices higher. CBS's 60 Minutes is losing its top producer. As NPR's Giles Snyder reports, the resignation comes amid a battle with the administration. Bill Owens did not explicitly cite President Trump for his decision to step down as 60 Minutes executive producer. In a note to staff, he said he is losing the freedom to run the show independently. Owens resigned amid President Trump's $20 billion lawsuit over an interview with then-democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, and as CBS parent Paramount Global seeks FCC approval of a more than $8 billion merger deal with Skydance Media.

Giles Snyder reporting. This is NPR. The Supreme Court's conservative justices have indicated a willingness to side with parents in a dispute with the school system in Montgomery County, Maryland. At issue is whether or not students may opt out of classes that teach material that goes against their parents' religion. A group of parents sued to remove their children from elementary school classes that use storybooks with LGBTQ characters. Montgomery County school officials say the books were introduced as part of an effort

to represent the district's diversity. Twice a year, Record Store Day encourages fans to hit their local stores in search of exclusive titles and rare reissues. As NPR's Stephen Thompson reports, the event has made its presence felt on the Billboard charts. Independent record stores around the world took part in the most recent Record Store Day, held April 12th. Now a dozen Record Store Day titles have cracked the Billboard 200 albums chart. Some titles hitting the chart, like a picture disc vinyl edition of a Fleetwood Mac album from 1975, contained no new music. But others packaged live performances or added b-sides. One album, Post Malone's

Tribute to Nirvana, put a streamed performance on vinyl for the first time. Tribute to Nirvana enters this week's Billboard albums chart at number 106. Stephen Thompson, NPR News. U.S. futures are higher in after-hours trading on Wall Street. This is NPR News.