NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-04-2025 5AM EDT

Episode Date: May 4, 2025

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Hey, it's Aisha Harris from Pop Culture Happy Hour. If you love NPR podcasts, you'll want the new NPR Plus podcast bundle. Enjoy an all-you-can-eat selection of NPR Plus podcasts with sponsor-free listening and bonus episodes. Plus, you'll be supporting public radio. Check it out at plus.npr.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. After six decades running Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett is planning to step down as

CEO. NPR's Maria Aspin reports from Omaha, where Buffett announced his retirement this weekend. Maria Aspin At age 94, Buffett is one of the most powerful investors on Wall Street and beyond. The billionaire bought Berkshire Hathaway 60 years ago when it was a struggling textile mill. He's turned it into one of the largest companies in the world. Now, the Oracle of Omaha says he's about ready to step back. Buffett spent four and a half hours answering shareholder questions on Saturday during his company's annual investor meeting.

But he saved his big news for the very end as broadcast by CNBC. The time has arrived where Greg should become the chief executive officer of the company at year end. Buffett designated Greg Abel as his successor years ago. Maria Aspin, NPR News, Omaha. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made his first public appearance today following his Labor Party's victory in this weekend's elections.

He was greeted by well-wishers at a cafe in Sydney where he said the Australian people voted for unity rather than division. The result is shaping out to be a crushing defeat for Australia's opposition party whose leader lost the parliament seat he's held for 24 years. Romanians are getting a do-over today. They're voting in a presidential election after a vote some six months ago was voided because of allegations of Russian interference. Voters are choosing between 11 candidates, including the hard-right nationalist George

Simeon. Simeon appears to be the front-runner, but polls show he will likely fall short to the 50 percent of the vote he needs to avoid a runoff in two weeks. The Trump administration has started canceling national endowment for the arts grants. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports that cultural groups began receiving emails announcing the cuts after President Trump proposed eliminating the agency entirely from the federal budget. Hundreds of arts groups received emails either withdrawing or terminating their grants. Among

those affected are the Berkeley Repertory Theatre and the Chicago Arts Education non-profit Open Studio Project. The email says the agency is updating its priorities to focus on projects that quote, reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity is prioritized by the president. Julie Baker is the CEO of the arts advocacy group California for the Arts. It just means that we've got to continue to mobilize and activate and try and convince the leadership to reverse these types of cuts. The NEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Chloe Valtman, NPR News. South Texas has a new city. A small group of voters formally decided to organize a city of star base this weekend. It's home to Elon Musk SpaceX. Most of those who live there are SpaceX employees. This is NPR News.

Last night's Kentucky Derby, Sovereignty crossed the finish line first to capture the first leg of horse racing's Triple Crown. Sovereignty beat heavy favorite journalism down the final straight and sloppy conditions due to rain. Bill Mott is sovereignty's trainer. He stayed tucked in behind journalism around the turn and

when he he tipped out, you know, and said OK races on baby, you know. and said, OK, race is on, baby. You know. Sovereignty beat journalism by one and a half lengths. The attention of the horse racing world now turns to the preakness. The Triple Crown's second jewel, the race in Baltimore, is set to be run in two weeks. And then it's off to the Belmont Stakes in New York next month. A new study finds that more Americans have been receiving outpatient talk

therapy in recent years, while fewer are relying only on psychiatric medications, in Pierre's Ritu Chatterjee reports. From 2018 to 2021, the number of Americans receiving psychotherapy or talk therapy grew from about 16 million to 22 million. Dr. Mark Olson is a psychiatrist and epidemiologist at Columbia University. This increase represents a period where psychotherapy is assuming a more important role in outpatient mental health care.

While a majority of people in therapy also used antidepressants or other psychiatric medications, the number of people using only medication declined during this time, especially among people getting treatment for trauma and stress-related disorders. The findings are published in the American Journal, there was a push to get meat onto Americans' plates at every meal. So you would have breakfast with maybe perhaps sausage offered. You'd have lunch where it would be deli meat sandwiches.

And you'd have dinner that would center over a large cut of meat. The hidden forces behind our everyday decisions. That's on the TED Radio Hour from NPR.