NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-03-2025 7PM EDT

Episode Date: May 3, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Hurst. President Trump is reiterating his threat to revoke Harvard University's tax-exempt status. Trump re-upped the threat and is this week in a post on his social media site. From Member Station GBH in Boston, Kirk Haripeza has more. In his post, Trump says stripping Harvard's tax exempt status is quote what they deserve. Economist Robert Kelchin says the move would carry major consequences for Harvard and higher ed in general. When an institution loses tax preferred status they have to pay income taxes on any income or endowment growth

that they have and also donors have to pay tax on any gifts because they're suddenly not charitable contributions. If Harvard were to lose its tax exempt status, it could also be vulnerable to local property taxes, a big chunk of change given its vast real estate holdings. For NPR News, I'm Kurt Carrapezza in Boston. Harvard says there's no legal basis to rescind the school's tax-exempt status, which supports its educational mission. Australia's ruling Labor Party won the general election, delivering a second term to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Scott Maimon has more. Scott Maimon 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 Maimon in Canberra, Australia. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says it's unacceptable that two commercial airplanes had to abort their landings this week at Reagan Washington National Airport. Empire's Greg Allen reports the incident happened after an Army Black Hawk helicopter violated airspace restrictions.

Greg Allen In an email reported by Politico, a Federal Aviation Administration official said the Army helicopter, quote, took a scenic route around the Pentagon, a route that violated safety standards and required air traffic controllers to order two commercial jetliners to abort their landings and return on another approach. Restrictions were placed on helicopter flights near the Washington, D.C. area airport after 67 people were killed in a mid-air collision between an Army Blackhawk helicopter and a passenger jet in January.

The FAA and the NTSB are both investigating the incident, which happened Thursday. Duffy said on social media he'll also be talking about it with officials at the Defense Department. Greg Allen, NPR News. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Lawmakers in Hawaii have passed legislation calling for a tax on tourists to increase the state's climate change resiliency. Hawaii Public Radio's Ashley Mizzou has more. Hawaii's new green fee would increase the accommodations tax charged by hotels, vacation rentals, and cruise ships by three-quarters of a percentage point to 11 percent. The bill directs the governor to use the new revenue for specific climate resiliency measures that would be included in a proposed

budget subject to approval by the legislature. The levy is expected to generate about a hundred million dollars for climate initiatives like conservation efforts and improving infrastructure to withstand natural disasters. Hawaii Governor Josh Green says he intends to sign the bill. For NPR News, I'm Ashley Mizuo in Honolulu. President Trump is proposing to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, two agencies that provide grants for arts, museums, libraries, universities, and public media. This comes even after the NEH cut its workforce and the NEA canceled grants to comply with Trump's

directives to shrink the federal workforce and shut down DEI programs. This is part of Trump's 2026 fiscal year proposal, known as the skinny budget, that if passed would cut some $163 billion in domestic programs while increasing the country's military budget. This budget still has to be approved though by Congress. I'm Janene Herbst and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.