NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-03-2025 10AM EDT

Episode Date: May 3, 2025

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These days, there's a lot of news. It can be hard to keep up with what it means for you, your family, and your community. Consider This from NPR is a podcast that helps you make sense of the news. Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a story and provide the context, backstory, and analysis you need to understand our rapidly changing world. Listen to the Consider This podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. A federal judge has struck down President Trump's executive order targeting the prominent

law firm of Perkins-Cooey. The ruling deals a blow to Trump's campaign to punish law firms he views as political eminies. Here's NPR's Ryan Lewis. Ryan Lewis In her ruling, US District Judge Barrel Howell says that no American president has ever issued an executive order like the one against Perkins Cooey. But Howell says in purpose and effect, it draws from a playbook that dates back to Shakespeare

in his famous phrase of, quote, the first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers. Howell's ruling framed Trump's executive order as an attack on the independence of the legal profession and the broader judicial system and their foundational principles. She said punishing lawyers for representing clients or causes the president doesn't like is unconstitutional. Three other firms have sued to challenge Trump's orders targeting them. Perkins case is the first to be permanently blocked by a court. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. Many within the legal industry have condemned Trump's targeting of law firms, but nine have reached deals with the Trump administration.

Press freedoms are seeking to unprecedented lows, that's according to a new report by media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders, its annual World Press Freedom Index, finding journalism conditions are now difficult in more than half of countries. Here's NPR's Amy Held. Violations of press freedoms can look obvious. In Russia and North Korea, among the worst ranked countries for journalism, regimes hold an iron grip on information. And in Gaza, journalists have been killed and newsrooms destroyed in the ongoing war with Israel. But Reporters Without Borders also finds a less visible, still insidious problem, economic pressure. Now at its worst level in recorded history, it can look like ownership concentration and advertiser influence,

a race to prioritize clicks over reporting leading to disinformation and propaganda. The survey finds press freedoms dropping in the U.S. largely led by the decline of local journalism. The U.S. now ranks 57th out of some 200 countries. Amy Held, NPR News. To Australia now, where the ruling Labor Party has won the general election, delivering a second term to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, as Scott Maimon reports from Canberra. A clear win for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. His Labor Party has won a second term in office. We take up this task with new hope, new confidence. Together we are turning the corner and together we will make our way forward with no one held

back and no one left behind. For the opposition, it's a massive loss for the coalition. Conservative leader Peter Dutton had been campaigning with President Trump's style policies. We'll rebuild from here because we know our values. But after Dutton was voted out, his party is leaderless for now. For NPR News, I'm Scott Mayman in Canberra, Australia. And from Washington, you're listening to NPR News.

Veterans groups are objecting to President Trump's proposal to rename Veterans Day on November 11th to Victory Day for World War I. Paul Ryckhoff is the founder and CEO of Independent Veterans of America. It's a really unifying, empowering, motivating day for veterans of all generations across the country. And I think this drives a very weird, historically ignorant divide in the middle of all of it. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt has told ABC News that Veterans Day is not being renamed, that it will just be an additional proclamation that goes out on that day.

India has banned all imports from Pakistan as tensions mount between the nuclear armed neighbors following last month's deadly attack in Indian Minister Kashmir. Shortly after the ban was announced, Pakistan carried out what it called a missile training launch. Here's BBC's Jacob Evans reporting. Jacob Evans, BBC News, BBC News. Videos posted on social media appear to show a successful launch of Pakistan's Abdali weapon system.

Pakistan says the surface-to-surface missile has a range of 450 kilometers, more than enough to reach deep into India. The test took place shortly after India issued an immediate ban on all imports from Pakistan. Delhi accuses Islamabad of involvement in last month's attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 men, mainly tourists, were shot dead. Pakistan denies the allegation. Since the attack, there have been repeated exchanges of fire between the two sides, along Kashmir's line of control.

Today is Derby Day. The 151st Kentucky Derby is being run later today at Churchill Downs. It's the first leg in horse racing's Triple Crown. 19 thoroughbreds are in the field. I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News from Washington. Does the idea of listening to political news freak you out? Well, don't sweat it. This is NPR News from Washington.