NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-03-2025 2PM EDT

Episode Date: May 3, 2025

NPR News: 05-03-2025 2PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Noor Rahm Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm. The White House has released President Trump's budget proposals for 2026, his view of how Congress should draft spending bills. He wants to raise defense spending by 13 percent to a trillion dollars a year while cutting non-defense programs substantially. NPR's Daniel Kurtzleben has more. He proposes cuts of more than 50% at the Environmental Protection Agency and the

National Science Foundation. He also proposes cuts at the Internal Revenue Service, at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA. I mean really if it's an agency that doesn't do immigration or defense there's a good chance that Trump wants to cut it. He also proposes some cuts to education, although the administration did take care to specify that they don't propose cutting head start funding. NPR's Danielle Kurtz-Lehmann stalks rally this week after some mixed news on the US economy. NPR's Scott Horsley reports a better than expected jobs report

helped ease the sting of an economic contraction in the early months of the year. Investors shrugged off a disappointing GDP report, which showed the economy shrinking in the first quarter. Much of that drop was due to a surge of imports as businesses and consumers stocked up in an effort to postpone the pain of looming tariffs. The trade war has rattled consumer confidence, but so far it hasn't done much to dent the job market. U.S. employers added 177,000 jobs in April and the unemployment rate held steady at a

low 4.2%. Both the Dow and the S&P 500 index gained about 3% during the week while the Nasdaq jumped 3.4%. The S&P and the Nasdaq have now regained all the ground they lost after President Trump launched his worldwide tariffs. The Dow is still down a little more than 2 percent. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. Investor Warren Buffett brought up tariffs today at the annual shareholder meeting of his company Berkshire Hathaway. He said the U.S. shouldn't use trade as a weapon. Press freedoms are sinking to unprecedented lows.

A media watchdog group, Reporters Without Borders, finds journalism conditions are now difficult in more than half of countries. NPR's Amy Held reports. Amy Held, NPR News Anchor 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. 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. This is NPR News in Washington. Australia held parliamentary elections today. The ruling Labor Party will remain in power.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is claiming a second term. Major issues in the campaign have been high prices and the U.S. president. The opposition party had been accused of copying Donald Trump and his efforts to reduce the size and scope of government. The Kentucky Derby is this weekend. In the field of 19, many of their j The Kentucky Derby is this weekend. In the field of 19, many of their jockeys were born outside the U.S. As NPR's Jimena Bestio reports, each has their own immigration story.

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 Copacabana Beach in Brazil for a free concert by Lady Gaza tonight. Rio de Janeiro hosted the 2016 Olympics and has been holding large-scale free events to boost the local economy that's 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.