NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-03-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: May 3, 2025

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JANENE HIRST Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Hurst. A 25 percent tariff on imported auto parts is now in effect. President Trump offered automakers a partial reprieve, but as NPR's Kamila Domenosky reports, the tariffs are still expected to have a major impact on the auto industry. This week, President Trump announced that automakers importing foreign parts for U.S.-built cars could get reimbursed for some tariffs, temporarily, in recognition of the fact that it's not possible to build a car with exclusively U.S. parts right now. The industry welcomed the changes, but the tariffs are still expected to cut profits

and drive up prices. The reprieve doesn't extend to anyone buying parts for repairs. So the tariff will make it more costly to maintain existing cars, as well as sending insurance prices, which have been rising for several years, up even higher. Camila Dominochki, NPR News. President Trump released his first budget of his second term. It's a policy wish list of sorts called a skinny budget that lays out how the government would spend money if he had his way. It's up to Congress to make the actual spending

decisions. This comes after Trump already used executive orders and his doge cost-cutting effort to try to make big changes to the federal government. MPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reports it would make big cuts to non-defense spending, including education, transportation, and scientific research. 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. Danielle Pletka And here's Danielle Kurtz-Levin. It would also increase defense spending by 13%. DOP officials in the Trump administration are criticizing a German government agency charged with protecting its constitution for designating the Alternative for Germany party a right-wing extremist entity paving the way for monitoring the party. And here's Rob Schmitz has more.

Vice President JD Vance called the decision by Germany's federal office for the protection of the constitution akin to rebuilding the Berlin Wall. Trump adviser Elon Musk warned Germany's government about the possibility of banning the alternative for Germany party, known as AFD, in Germany and labeled the party centrist, despite prominent AFD members routinely using Nazi-era slogans and speeches. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the decision is, quote, not democracy, it's tyranny in disguise. That post spurred Germany's foreign ministry to reply, quote, we have learned from our history that right-wing extremism needs to be stopped,

adding, this is democracy. Rob Schmitz, NPR News, Berlin. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The 151st running of the Kentucky Derby gets underway in about an hour at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. 19 horses are vying for the win of the first leg of the Triple Crown. At the Vatican, preparations are underway for the conclave scheduled to begin on Wednesday. And Pierce Jason DeRose reports from Rome that one of the most recognizable signs of the papal election is now visible from St. Peter's Square.

The Vatican Fire Brigade has installed the famous chimney atop the Sistine Chapel. After Cardinals vote for the next pontiff, their ballots are burned. If the smoke from the chimney is black, it means no one reached the required two-thirds majority to be named pope. If the smoke is white, it means they've elected the next leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. This Wednesday, the cardinal electors will begin their day with a morning mass in St. Peter's Basilica. They'll then process to the Sistine Chapel. Once there, a master of ceremonies commands extra omnis, sending out everyone except the voting cardinals. Jason DeRose, NPR News, Rome.

Warren Buffett says he will step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of the year. The 94-year-old made the announcement at the annual shareholders meeting in Omaha today, recommending longtime executive Greg Abel take his spot. Buffett, the world's fifth richest person, also criticized tariffs and defended global trade, warning that President Trump's trade war will hurt the U.S., saying trade shouldn't be used as a weapon. Buffett plans to keep a large stake in the company and be an informal presence there. I'm Janene Herbst, NPR News in Washington.