NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-30-2025 1PM EDT

Episode Date: April 30, 2025

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Do you remember when discovering a new artist felt like finding buried treasure? At All Songs Considered, NPR's music recommendation podcast, we put that kind of magic back into discovering new tracks. We're here to make the hunt for new music easy, delivering you the cream of the crop from every genre. We'll help you make music feel fun again, only on All Songs Considered from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump is seeking to distance himself from data

that show the U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter, telling his cabinet today... That's Biden. That's not Trump because we came in on January, this is quarterly numbers, and we came in and I was very against everything that Biden was doing in terms of the economy destroying our country. As Trump blames his predecessor for the three-tenths of a percent decline, NPR's Scott Horsley reports a data point to Trump's tariffs.

That drop was largely driven by a surge of imports as businesses and consumers raced to stock up before the president's tariffs took effect. Imports are a negative for GDP. Personal spending, which is the biggest driver of economic activity, grew less than half as fast as during the previous quarter. Other economic scorecards are also flashing warning signs. The S&P 500 index is down sharply since Inauguration Day, and consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level since the start of the pandemic. Scott Horsley in Pear News, Washington.

Columbia University student Mohsen Madhawi, who was arrested and detained by mass immigration agents in Vermont earlier this month, has been released from detention in New Orleans while his case is pending. Here's NPR's Sergio Martinez Beltran. Madhawi was one of the leaders of the protests at Columbia University against the war in Gaza. He has been accused by the Trump administration of undermining its effort to combat anti-Semitism, and was arrested earlier this month by immigration agents after finalizing his naturalization

interview in Vermont. Federal Judge Jeffrey Crawford said Monday Madhavi's two-week detention, quote, so far demonstrates great harm to a person who has been charged with no crime. So he ordered his immediate release. Madhawi said his release sends a message that, quote, we the people will hold the Constitution accountable for the principles and values that we believe in. And he told the Trump administration he's not afraid of them because fear is replaced by love.

Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR News. The U.S. and Ukraine are set to sign a comprehensive deal to jointly invest in Ukraine's mineral, raw materials and natural resources wealth in exchange for future U.S. aid. More from NPR's Joannika Kissis. Ukrainian Prime Minister Dnysh Mikhailov says the country's lead negotiator for the deal, economy minister Yulia Svideenko, is on her way to Washington for the signing. The investment fund would be a 50-50 partnership with the U.S. and would assist in Ukraine's reconstruction.

Shmeyhal said the American side can count new, and I repeat new, military aid to Ukraine as a contribution to this fund. The Trump administration had initially pushed a deal that would have given Ukraine very little while trying to recoup money for military aid the U.S. has already given Ukraine. Joanna Kekesis, NPR News, Kiev. U.S. stocks still trading lower with the Dow down more than 200 points. This is NPR News. Election results show Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal Party has fallen short of a clear majority in Parliament. The Liberals will need help from another party to pass legislation.

Monday, a majority of voters opted to keep Carney in power. The outcome was widely seen as a response to President Trump's tariff and sovereignty threats against Canada. A Grammy-winning rapper has her first Top Ten album, NPR's Stephen Thompson on the milestone hit by Doji. It's harder than ever for up-and-coming artists to crash the top of the charts. Streaming algorithms tend to serve people music they've already heard, so existing stars fill out the lion's share of the charts each week.

So it's noteworthy that Dochi's Alligator Bites Never Heal, which won the Grammy for Best Rap Album earlier this year, has cracked the top ten for the first time. Anxiety keeps on trying me That song, Anxiety, became Dochi's first Top Ten single in March. Now, thanks in part to the availability of new vinyl and CD editions, the rapper and singer has a Top Ten album to match. Stephen Thompson, NPR News. U.S. stocks trading lower this hour. Stephen Thompson, NPR News. Listen to this podcast, sponsor free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast This is NPR News.