NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-03-2025 1PM EDT

Episode Date: May 3, 2025

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Imagine, if you will, a show from NPR that's not like NPR, a show that focuses not on the important but the stupid, which features stories about people smuggling animals in their pants and competent criminals in ridiculous science studies, and call it Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me because the good names were taken. Listen to NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Yes, that is what it is called wherever you Get Your Podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. 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, but 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 our session?

Look, yeah, 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. This week, President Trump removed Mike Walz as his national security adviser. He said he plans to nominate him to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

In the meantime, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been tapped to fill in as national security adviser temporarily while continuing his duties at state. NPR's Greg Myrie reports this might be hard to do. Greg Myrie, NPR Secretary of State, NPR The Secretary of State is in constant motion, traveling from one foreign capital to the next. In contrast, the national security advisor is usually quite close to the president. His natural habitat is the White House and the Situation Room in particular. His job is to work with

various agencies, the Pentagon, the CIA, the State Department, and help the president sort through policy options. So it's not a natural fit to do both jobs simultaneously. NPR's Greg Myrie reporting. United Airlines has announced it's canceling 35 round-trip flights a day out of New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport beginning this weekend NPR's Ava Pukash reports the airline is citing as a reason problems with air traffic control Staffing United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says long simmering federal aviation administration challenges boiled over this week he says 20 percent of air traffic controllers have walked off the job, and technology problems have caused hundreds of delayed and cancelled

flights. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, speaking in Philadelphia Friday, says he'll soon announce plans for a new air traffic control system. The system that we're using in air traffic control, it's incredibly old. This system is 25, 30 years old. We use floppy disks. We use copper, copper wires. Newark is one of United Airlines' seven hubs and is a key gateway for international travel. Ava Pukac, NPR News. You're listening to NPR News in Washington. Top Trump administration officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are criticizing Germany for classifying the Alternative for Germany

party as a right-wing extremist, paving the way for state surveillance. NPR's Rob Schmitz reports on Germany's decision. The new classification announced by Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is a step up in severity from its former classification of the Alternative for Germany, or AFD, party as a suspected right-wing extremist party. And it's one that gives domestic intelligence permission to observe AFD meetings, tap party members' telephones, and recruit informants to gather information about the party on the national level.

The party's associations in three German states, all located in the East, had previously been assessed with this category. This new categorization of the AFD comes in the final days of the administration of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and it may spur a debate about banning the AFD party altogether, a debate that will be presided over by incoming conservative chancellor, Friedrich Mounce. Rob Schmitz, NPR News, Berlin. President Trump announced Thursday he'll rename Veterans Day Victory Day for World War I. This was not well received by some veterans, including Paul Reichhoff with the Independent

Veterans of America. Ridiculous and ignorant idea. Veterans Day is widely celebrated as a day to bring together veterans who are living of all generations, not just from one conflict. The White House said yesterday Trump will not rename it, but he will add another proclamation on that day. I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News in Washington.