NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-01-2025 12AM EDT

Episode Date: May 1, 2025

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Ukraine has agreed to give the United States access to some of its rare minerals as a condition for continued U.S. support for that nation's war with Russia. In a nearly two-hour long cabinet meeting, President Trump did not offer details of the minerals deal, but said that up to now the U.S. had provided Ukraine with unsecured aid. We feel foolish. The Europeans are putting up money that's totally secure. They get the money back. We're putting up much more money. We have absolutely nothing.

And I didn't want to make a complicated deal. I didn't want to make a deal that couldn't be made because Ukraine doesn't have very much money. They're going through a very bad period of time. It's been brutal. Ukraine's deputy prime minister was in Washington Wednesday to finalize the agreement, which comes nearly a week after Russia carried out deadly airstrikes on Ukraine's capital. President Trump has dramatically upended US immigration policy

through executive orders, lawsuits, and aggressive detention operations. NPR's Sergio Martinez Bertran has more. Trump's policies have resulted in a plunge in illegal crossings in the US-Mexico border, and his administration has detained thousands of people, but has stopped short of actually deporting the number of migrants it had promised during the presidential campaign. And his administration has detained thousands of people, but has stopped short of actually deporting the number of migrants it had promised during the presidential campaign. Now Trump is facing some pushback from the public. A new NPR-PBS News Marist poll shows that 52% of Americans disapprove Trump's handling of immigration.

And courts have ruled against Trump in immigration-related cases, such as the detention of a student activist, and the decision to send alleged Venezuelan gang members to a prison in El Salvador without due process. Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR News. Hospitals and clinics in Gaza are reporting high levels of children suffering from hunger and malnutrition. Doctors say they're seeing the most severe cases they've ever encountered during the more than 18-month-long war with Israel.

NPR's Anas Baba reports from Gaza City. Inside the patient's friend's hospital, the cries of hungry children echo through the corridors. It's the only hospital in northern Gaza still treating severe malnutrition, and it's running out of supplies. Mothers arrive carrying babies with sunken cheeks and frail bodies.

Some infants weigh half of what they should. Half of Gaza's residents now rely entirely on local charity kitchens for single daily meal, but many have closed and the remaining say they have just days before food runs out. Israel has blocked all aid into Gaza for the past two months. Israel says Hamas steals it, but the UN says it keeps control and warns that the risk of famine is imminent.

Anas Baba, NPR News, Gaza. US futures are higher in after-hours trading on Wall Street. This is NPR. The anti-poverty charity Global Citizen says it is taking its flagship summit to new regions around the world. Speaking at the group's spring summit in New York, CEO Hugh Evans said the organization plans to visit five continents over the next 18 months with hopes of mobilizing 50 million people by 2029.

Global Citizen plans to hold summits in Michigan, Portugal, Spain, and South Africa. It is also using a recent partnership with FIFA to raise $100 million for education. Nominations for the 69th Annual Drama Desk Awards have been announced. The awards are given out a week before the Tony's and do not distinguish between work on or off Broadway

As Jeff London reports some New York theater insiders think they can sometimes predict the winners The nominators showed love to musicals about robots and cartoon characters Maybe happy ending the robot love story received nine nominations while bo, a show about the famous black and white cartoon character come to life received 11. Revivals of Gypsy and Sunset Boulevard got seven a piece. Two Tony Award favorites, Dead Outlaw and Buena Vista Social Club didn't make this year's ballots because they were nominated for their off-Broadway runs last year. The former was named Outstanding Musical. The Drama Desk Awards will be presented

on June 1st. For NPR News, I'm Jeff London in New York. On Asia-Pacific markets, shares are mixed down a fraction in Shanghai. This is NPR News. This is Ira Glass, the host of This American Life. So much is changing so rapidly right now with President Trump in office. It feels good to pause for a moment sometimes and look around at what's what. Just try and do that.

We've been finding these incredible stories about right now that are funny and have feeling and you get to see people everywhere making sense of this new America that we find ourselves in. This American Life, wherever you get your podcasts.