NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-03-2025 11AM EDT

Episode Date: May 3, 2025

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Noor Rahm Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm. This week saw mixed news on the U.S. economy. It shrank in the first three months of the year, and consumer confidence has fallen to the lowest level since the beginning of the pandemic. But there was encouraging news, unemployment. NPR's Scott Horsley has more. Scott Horsley Employers added 177,000 jobs in April, not quite

as many as the month before, but more than forecasters had expected. And the unemployment rate held steady at a low 4.2%. That suggests that even with all the tariff chaos of the recent weeks, employers are still hiring. Wages are also still going up. So with more people working and paychecks getting bigger, that should provide some juice to keep the economy moving forward. NPR's Scott Horsley. Investor Warren Buffett brought up tariffs today at the start of the annual shareholder meeting of his company Berkshire Hathaway. He said the U.S. shouldn't use trade as a weapon, but should be looking to trade with the rest of the world. Buffett

said in his view it's a big mistake when 7.5 billion people don't like you very well. The Justice Department is suing a handful of states over their efforts to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for damages from climate change. NPR's Michael Copley reports the government's lawsuits follow unsuccessful efforts by oil companies and Republican attorneys general to block climate litigation. The Justice Department is suing New York and Vermont over laws that are aimed at holding fossil fuel companies responsible for damages from more extreme storms and heat waves. The Department is also suing Hawaii and Michigan to stop them from suing fossil fuel companies for allegedly misleading the public about the dangers of burning fossil fuels. The Justice Department says climate pollution is a national and global issue and that states are exceeding their authority.

An environmental coalition called Make Polluters Pay says the Justice Department lawsuits are politically motivated. The Supreme Court has already refused to halt climate lawsuits filed against the fossil fuel industry by various states and localities. Michael Copley, NPR News. Elon Musk has wanted to create his own city in Texas for years. Today, he could get his wish. The Texas newsroom's Lauren McGoughie has more.

Residents who live in and around SpaceX's rocket testing and launch facility near Brownsville will vote today on whether to incorporate the area as the new city of Starbase. According to a Texas newsroom analysis of the voter rolls, most of the 283 eligible voters work for SpaceX. Musk himself is also on the list. Incorporating the city will give SpaceX more control over the development of this area in an unincorporated part of South Texas sandwiched between the border with Mexico and the Gulf. It could also mean more scrutiny and transparency for the company. If the vote passes, Musk also wants lawmakers to give him more control to close the public beach near the rocket launch site. I'm Lauren

McGahey at Starbase, Texas. This is NPR News. Russia launched a major drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv last night. The mayor said at least 46 people were injured when drones hit 12 locations in the city, including apartment buildings. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the strikes and urged Ukraine's allies to help it strengthen its air defenses. Kharkiv is located about 19 miles from the Russian border. The Kentucky Derby is this weekend.

In the field of 19, many of their jockeys were born outside the U.S. NPR's Jimenebisio reports. Junior Alvarado has won over 2,000 races in his career as a jockey. But since growing up in Venezuela, he had his sights on winning the Kentucky Derby. My only chance is so I can win that race, I have to go to the United States and have to make it there on Saturday. He'll compete in the Derby for the sixth time. Alvarado entered the country on an athlete's visa called the P one visa. He's now a U. S. Citizen, and he's one of many jockeys who see their athletes journey and immigration journey intertwined.

The athletes hail from all over, primarily from Central and South America. Jockeys from Italy and France will also race. Ximena Bustillo and PR News' Louisville. Music fans are gathering at Coba Cabana Beach in Brazil for a free concert by Lady Gaga tonight. Rio de Janeiro hosted the 2016 Olympics and has been holding large-scale free events to boost the local economy that has been struggling in recent years. Last year, Madonna's performance on the beach attracted 1.6 million people.

I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington.