NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-02-2025 11PM EDT

Episode Date: May 3, 2025

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Does the idea of listening to political news freak you out? Well, don't sweat it. The NPR politics podcast makes politics a breeze. Every episode will break down the day's headlines into totally normal language and make sure that you walk away understanding what the day's news might mean for you. Take a deep breath and give politics another chance with the NPR politics podcast available wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman.

President Trump is downplaying concerns about an economic slowdown. In an interview for NBC's Meet the Press, Trump says he isn't worried about a recession. As NPR's Tamara Keith reports, he also acknowledged there could be short-term pain for the country. NBC's Kristen Welker asked Trump about concerns being voiced by some on Wall Street that the U.S. could be headed for a recession. The economy had negative growth in the first quarter of this year, and that was before Trump launched his global trade war.

Trump insisted there are others on Wall Street who say, quote, this will be the greatest windfall to ever happen. Is it okay in the short term to have a recession? Look, uh, yeah, it's everything's okay. What we are, I said, this is a transition period. I think we're going to do fantastically. Trump administration officials say they expect to strike trade deals soon, but so far none have materialized.

Tamara Keith, NPR News. President Trump signed an executive order this week to end federal funding But so far, none have materialized. Tamara Keith, NPR News. President Trump signed an executive order this week to end federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for NPR and PBS. The order also calls for ending indirect funding to the two news organizations. NPR's David Falkenfleck has more. In his executive order, he accused NPR and PBS of ideological bias and social media postings. Peter Bilyeu, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The

New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times,

The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, The New York Times, Thet Murdoch, to do lawsuits privately as an individual citizen, really try to upend credibility, legal standing, the finances, you name it. NPR's David Falkenflich. NPR receives about 1% of its funding directly from the government, and more indirectly, most CPB funding goes to local stations. A new

survey shows a growing number of recent Gen Z college graduates are struggling to keep their footing in the workforce. As NPR's Windsor Johnston reports, the study surveyed nearly 1,000 employers. A poll conducted by Intelligent.com shows 60% of US companies say they've already fired at least one Gen Z college graduate hired in 2024. It's not clear how that compares to previous years. Jason Dorsey is the president of the Center for Generational Kinetics. He says the Gen Z mindset is shaped not by entitlement, but by skepticism, long-term stability, and the future of work itself.

If you're 27 and you truly believe you're going to work for the next 70 years, would you work extra? What we also see is Gen Z doesn't believe they're going to have social security. They don't think Medicare is going to exist for them. Dorsey says the pandemic also played a role. Many Gen Zers are stepping into a workforce that expects normalcy from a generation that's barely known it. Windsor-Johnston NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News. Windsor-Johnston, NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News. A research team has developed a new approach they say could one day lead to a universal anti-venom against venomous snakes. NPR's Ari Daniel has more.

Many snake species produce venoms that can be harmful or deadly to humans, but they don't all work the same way. Jacob Glanville, the CEO of the company Sentevex, wondered about producing a universal antivenom by finding a person who'd been exposed to lots of different venoms. He eventually found someone who'd been bitten some 200 times. If anybody has broken through the problem of getting the immune system to focus, it's this guy. Glanville scoured this man's blood for antibodies that neutralized multiple venoms. And when he and his team combined two of the best ones, along with another molecule, the

result offered mice complete protection against multiple species of venomous snakes from all over the world. Soon, the researchers plan to expand their coverage to include vipers. R.E. Daniel, NPR News. Lawmakers in Hawaii have passed legislation that increases that state's lodging tax. They say the increase will raise money that will be used for environmental protection and to strengthen the state's defenses against

natural disasters fueled by climate change. The measure was passed on Friday. It adds a levy of three-quarters of a percent to the state's existing tax on hotel rooms, time shares, and other short-term accommodations. Stocks finished higher on Wall Street to end the week. The Dow was up 564 points. The tech-heavy NASDAQ added 266 points, while the S&P 500 gained 82 points. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.

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