NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-01-2025 3PM EDT

Episode Date: May 1, 2025

NPR News: 05-01-2025 3PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When Malcolm Gladwell presented NPR's Through Line podcast with a Peabody Award, he praised it for its historical and moral clarity. On Through Line, we take you back in time to the origins of what's in the news, like presidential power, aging, and evangelicalism. Time travel with us every week on the Through Line podcast from NPR. Lyle from NPR News in Washington. I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump says on social media that he is nominating his national security advisor, Mike Waltz, to be his ambassador to the United Nations. Trump had polled Congresswoman Elise Stefanik's nomination to help preserve the GOP's narrow majority in the House. Trump's moving waltz following a period of heavy scrutiny over his advisors

handling of highly sensitive information. In March, waltz inadvertently invited the Atlantic magazine's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg into a senior-level signal group chat about military operations in Yemen. President Trump has tapped Secretary of State Marco Rubio to be his national security adviser in the interim. May Day protests across the U.S. are expected to draw thousands of demonstrators, and Piers Windsor-Johnston reports protesters in Washington, D.C. have been using the day to draw attention to social justice and Trump's policies affecting federal workers and immigrants. Many of the protesters who have come out today are speaking out against what they call the

anti-labor and anti-immigrant agenda of the Trump administration. They're marching through the streets waving flags that represent their home countries. Some are holding up signs that read, stop Trump's war on workers, and immigrants built this country. Some of the people I spoke to say they're angry over the administration's rollback of labor protections and the way the White House is handling its crackdown on non-citizens, especially those who are working or studying in the US

on a legal basis. NPR's Windsor Johnston reporting. Jobless claims hit a two-month high last week of 18,000 to 241,000. The Labor Department released its latest weekly snapshot on the eve of the big jobs report for the month of April. General Motors anticipates tariffs could cost the company $5 billion, even after the partial relief President Trump offered automakers this week. We have more on this from NPR's Kamila Domenoski.

GM execs say they're using no-regret strategies to cope with tariffs, a reference to the fact that some strategies could backfire if the tariffs change yet again. Company CEO Mary Barra expects to offset more than 30% of tariff impacts, which still leaves a big hit. The company has not yet indicated any plans to raise prices. Auto companies generally had a good first quarter, and as numbers come in for April, those sales are looking strong too. But analysts believe a lot of that is from people racing to buy cars before tariffs hit, which could mean lower sales later. Camila Dominovski, NPR News.

US stocks are trading higher this hour. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 250 points, more than half a percent, at 40,923. The Nasdaq has risen more than 2 percent. The S&P is up more than 1 percent. It's NPR News. About 20 former federal judges are publicly defending the independence of the courts as members of the judiciary face unprecedented threats. Here's NPR's Carrie Johnson. The nonpartisan group of former judges were appointed by presidents from both political

parties dating back to the era of President Ronald Reagan. They want to educate people about how the federal courts work and why they matter and respond to attacks on judges because of how they rule in particular cases. President Trump and his allies have harshly criticized judges who have ruled against some of his sweeping executive orders and immigration actions. And some GOP lawmakers have even proposed impeaching judges. The group of retired judges working with the non the nonprofit Keep Our Republic says the system of checks and balances represents, quote, a beacon of light at home and abroad. Kari Johnson, NPR News, Washington. The Georgia chapter of the NAACP is condemning Kennesaw State University for deactivating its

Black Studies program. Here's W.A.B.E.'s Lily Oppenheimer. KSU officials said in a statement that the Black Studies program, as well as philosophy and tech communications, have consistently fallen short in enrollment and degree output. KSU says they have a two-year plan so current students can complete those degrees. NAACP officials called that decision a step backward in the ongoing pursuit of equity and justice in higher education. The cuts come as universities and institutions across the nation are uncertain about how their federal funding may be impacted as President Donald Trump's administration targets diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

That's Lily Oppenheimer of WABE reporting from Atlanta. I'm Lakshmi Singh in PR News in Washington. Do you think you have ADHD? You're not alone. Akshmi Singh in PR News in Washington.