NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-06-2025 9PM EDT

Episode Date: May 7, 2025

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These days, with all the information coming at you, it can be hard to know what's accurate, what's not, and what's worth your time. Here to help you navigate it all is 1A. Five days a week, the 1A podcast provides a forum for curious minds to explore different angles on the biggest headlines and give you a more balanced take on what's happening. Listen to the 1A podcast from NPR and WAMU. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. As President Donald Trump's trade war continues, the U.S. and China have not been talking.

However, the Treasury Department now confirms top U.S. officials are expected to meet with the Chinese delegation this weekend in Switzerland. Trade Secretary Scott Besson and US Trade Representative Jameson Greer will sit down with their Chinese counterparts. Besson in an interview with Fox News said the US and China need to de-escalate before they can move ahead. We have shared interest that this isn't sustainable, as I said before, especially on the Chinese side, and you know, 145 percent, 125% is the equivalent of an embargo. We don't want to decouple what we want is fair trade.

Treasury Secretary Scott Besson, while numerous economists have said U.S. tariffs are a drag on economic growth, Besson told lawmakers on Capitol Hill today the measures will ultimately lead to other countries lowering their trade barriers. Republicans are considering plans to sell off some federal public lands to build housing and also to pay for President Trump's domestic agenda. NPR's Kirk Siegel reports that's reigniting a decades-old controversy in the West.

Environmentalists have seized on proposed plans spelled out in leaked federal documents. Tracy Stone Manning, who ran the Federal Bureau of Land Management under President Biden, says it's a blueprint for a larger push to transfer the land to states or private industry. Congress is considering selling off our public lands to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. Casey Hammond was acting director of the BLM during the first Trump administration.

Well, I'd love to see this blueprint that they're always talking about because they've been alleging wholesale transfer of public lands for decades now. Hammond says it's only a push for transferring small amounts of land, part of a shift away from what he says was a disastrous conservation-only strategy under Biden. Kirk Sigler, NPR News, Boise. Elon Musk's company SpaceX may soon be launching more rockets from its base in South Texas. As NPR's Jeff Bromfield explains, the company was just given a major environmental approval by the Federal Aviation Administration.

SpaceX is developing a massive rocket in Texas. It's called Starship. It's the largest spacecraft ever built, and Musk hopes it will someday carry people to Mars. But before it can, the company needs to complete a lot of test launches. It had been limited to just five launches a year, but a new ruling from the FAA would allow that number to jump to 25 launches. Local environmental groups had been concerned about the impact those extra launches would

have on surrounding wetlands, but the FAA concluded they would not cause significant harm. The additional launches won't be coming soon. Starship exploded during its last two test flights, scattering debris across the Caribbean. SpaceX is still working to fix the root cause of those failures. Jeff Brumfield, NPR News. On Wall Street, the Dow was down 389 points. The NASDAQ fell 154 points.

This is NPR. A federal judge in Rhode Island has issued a preliminary injunction blocking President Trump's attempts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services. NPR's Andrew Limbong explains that's the agency that offers federal funding to museums and libraries across the country. In March, President Trump issued an executive order stating the IMLS and six other government entities be, quote, eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law. In response, 21 states sued the Trump administration, and now district court judge John J. McConnell has given the states a legal win in the form of a preliminary injunction.

His order states that the EO, quote, disregards the fundamental constitutional role of each of the branches of our federal government. The IMLS is the main source of federal funding for libraries. Its budget last year was about 250 million, which helps libraries pay for staff, inter-library loan services, and even basic needs like internet access. Andrew Limbaugh, NPR News. The US Supreme Court says it's allowing

the Trump administration to enforce its ban on transgender people in the military while legal challenges in the case play out. The court acting today in the dispute over a policy that disqualifies transgender individuals from serving in the military. Since beginning its term in January, Trump has sought to aggressively roll back transgender rights. Trump in an executive order claimed the sexual identity of transgender troops conflicts with the values of the military and is harmful to readiness. Crude oil futures prices rose today amid signs of higher demand from Europe and China, crude up nearly 3.5% to settle at $59.09 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. This message comes from WISE, the app for doing things and other currencies. With WISE, I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.