NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-30-2025 5AM EDT

Episode Date: April 30, 2025

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On the Sunday story from Up First, a whistleblower inside the federal government says Doge employees may have taken sensitive data from government systems and covered their tracks. There's really no way to tell what or where that data is now. Listen now to the Sunday story on the Up First podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Matiglay. The Wisconsin Supreme Court is suspending a judge accused of helping a man to evade federal immigration authorities. Hannah Dugan is facing two counts. She's accused of concealing an individual to prevent his arrest and obstructing or impeding a proceeding.

In the two-page order, the state's highest court says it was acting in the public interest. Lawyers for Dugan say they're disappointed in the court's decision. The judge was arrested by the FBI five days ago at the courthouse. President Trump was in Michigan last night for a rally to mark the first 100 days of his second term in the White House. As Alex McClennan with member station WDET reports, the president promoted the work he's done to accomplish his priorities.

In a roughly hour and a half long campaign-style speech, Trump told the crowd he's making good on promises, including on tariffs and immigration. He also took aim at ongoing court battles against his administration, saying the U.S. cannot allow radical judges to obstruct the enforcement of our laws and assume the duties that belong solely to the president of the United States. The Trump administration is facing a number of legal challenges over its handling of deportations and funding cuts.

A federal judge ordered the White House to restore $12 million in funding to radio-free Europe. For NPR News, I'm Alex McClennan in Detroit. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting says it's suing President Trump for trying to remove three of its five board members. The CPB argues the president lacks the authority to take such action. Government data show President Trump's efforts to downsize the federal government are taking an especially heavy toll on black employees. As NPR's Hansi Lilwang reports, black people

make up a greater share of the federal civilian workforce compared to the population as a whole. The government's latest public data from September show Black people made up about a third or more of the staff at many federal agencies, including the Departments of Education, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development. Krish Marsh, a sociologist and demographer at the University of Maryland, says the data showed the Trump administration's cuts are likely to hurt the Washington, D.C., suburbs in Maryland that federal work has helped turn into the country's two wealthiest majority

Black counties. If you're now deciding to shrink the jobs in the federal government, you do understand that one of the consequences is going to be that you're going to be probably shrinking the black middle class. Is that by design or is that just like a happenstance of what's happening right now? The White House did not respond to MPR's requests for comment. Hansi Luong, MPR News, Washington. Consumer confidence in the U.S. is at its lowest level since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. That's according to the latest index from the conference board. It shows consumers are pessimistic about their financial future. Consumer confidence has now fallen for five consecutive months. This is NPR News.

This is NPR News. In Southern California, thousands of union employees of Los Angeles County are expected to continue their strike today. Members of the Service Employees International Union are walking out for 48 hours to bring attention to the collapse of contract talks, as Steve Futterman reports from Los Angeles. On day two, numerous county services will again be impacted, including libraries, parks, and non-urgent health clinics. With so many workers out, many county offices are at a standstill.

On Tuesday, thousands took to the streets to march and take part in a rally. One of those speaking was Eloy Alvarez. Are we not gonna take it anymore? Fiendish! Are we going to stand up and fight? Fiendish! One of those speaking was Eloy Alvarez. The union wants higher wages. The county says the union demands are not sustainable. This is just a two-day walkout, but the union warns there could be similar and lengthier

actions if substantive progress isn't made. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles. China's space agency says three of its astronauts landed back on Earth today after spending six months on the country's space station. Their return was delayed by one day because of unfavorable weather, including strong winds. The crew's landing module touched down in China's northern Inner Mongolia region near the Gobi Desert. China recently sent a new crew to its space station to relieve the three astronauts. Stocks in Asia closed higher today following a positive day on Wall Street.

The Dow added 300 points yesterday for a gain of three-quarters of a percent. I'm Dave Mattingly in Washington.