NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-05-2025 11PM EDT

Episode Date: May 6, 2025

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On this week's Wild Card podcast, Weird Al Yankovic says there's something funny about being professionally weird. I think people realize, you know, Weird Al is almost ironic because I'm like one of the more normal people in showbiz, I think. I'm Rachel Martin. Weird Al is on Wild Card, the show where cards control the conversation. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shae Stevens. An executive order signed by President Trump today will restrict federal funding for research that Trump calls dangerous.

Details from NPR's Rob Stein. The so-called gain-of-function research involves studying how viruses and other pathogens could cause a pandemic by spreading more easily or causing more serious illness. This research has long been controversial, but the controversy intensified because of accusations that the COVID-19 pandemic was caused by a virus that was created during gain of function research in China. Many other scientists dispute that and fear a moratorium on funding will block research that could help prevent or respond to the next pandemic.

Rob Stein, NPR News. A spokesperson for Harvard says the school will continue to defend itself against government outreach. The statement came after a senior education department official said the agency will be cutting more funding to Harvard. As NPR's Janaki Mehta reports, the cuts target future research grants. Janaki Mehta, NPR The Education Department has already frozen

$2.2 billion in federal funding for Harvard in an ongoing battle between the administration and the world's wealthiest university. Now it has announced that Harvard will no longer be eligible for future research grants from the federal government until it can, quote, demonstrate responsible management of federal dollars. The Trump administration has repeatedly alleged that Harvard promotes anti-Semitism, and in a call with reporters, a department spokesperson said Harvard has, quote, spent years ignoring completely a total coordinated effort to drive Jewish life underground.

Janaki Mehta, NPR News. Israel plans to limit the way food and supplies are distributed in Gaza as part of a plan to expand its military offensive in the territory. The United Nations and main aid groups in Gaza are refusing to take part. NPR's Anas Babah contributed to this report from NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv. Israel's cabinet approved a new plan to isolate Hamas from the aid system by sending Palestinians to an Israeli-controlled zone in southern Gaza to get food and supplies. In northern Gaza, resident Bassem Shanaora criticized the plan.

It's absolutely crazy how we would be going 30 or 40 kilometers to take food parcels. And they told us it's like dry food, not fresh food, which made us feel like animals, actually. The UN says the plan violates humanitarian principles by using aid for military aims. Israel has imposed a more than two-month aid ban on Gaza, fueling hunger. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv, with Anas Baba in Gaza City. The popemobile used by Pope Francis will be transformed into a health clinic. The Vatican says that one of Francis' final wishes was that the vehicle be used to help injured children in Gaza. This is NPR.

The Israeli military says it's conducted airstrikes on Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, province of Hodeidah, hitting a crucial port and a cement factory. The Iran-backed Houthis say the strikes claimed at least one life and left dozens others wounded. The attacks came a day after the Houthis launched a missile that struck near Israel's main airport, causing several injuries and halting flights and commuter traffic briefly. An annual meteor shower will light up the predawn sky across the U.S. Tuesday morning. NPR's Jaclyn Diaz has details on how to spot the so-called Eta Aquaridon. It's time to roll out your picnic blanket and unfold those lawn chairs.

Prepare for an early morning show. The Eta Aquaridate's meteor shower will streak across the pre-dawn sky of May 6th. And according to the U.S. space agency NASA, there will be a lot of opportunities to spot the meteors, as around 50 meteors per hour are expected at the peak of this shower. The best time to see everything is around 3 a.m. That's when the moon will set and the sky will be at its darkest. And the Etta Aquarets meteor shower will be easiest to spot, as long as you are a good distance away from city and street lights.

Jacqueline Diaz, NPR News. On Wall Street, stocks closed lower as investors digest Fed Reserve policy. The Dow Jones industrials lost 98 points. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell to 133 points, and the S&P 500 edged 36 points lower. US futures are flat in after hours trading. This is NPR News. The scary new movie Sinners from the director of Black Panther finds Michael B. Jordan playing This is NPR News.