NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-07-2025 11AM EDT

Episode Date: May 7, 2025

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Does the idea of listening to political news freak you out? Well, don't sweat it. The NPR Politics Podcast makes politics a breeze. Every episode will break down the day's headlines into totally normal language and make sure that you walk away understanding what the day's news might mean for you. Take a deep breath and give politics another chance with the NPR Politics Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman.

Members of the Roman Catholic College of Cardinals have processed into the historic Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. They sang as they walked. The Cardinals are beginning their conclave, the meeting to choose a new pope. They started this morning by celebrating mass. It's the only public event they will hold during this process. India has carried out several airstrikes on sites in Pakistan. It's a retaliation for a militant attack two weeks ago on a group of tourists in Indian-controlled

Kashmir province. Twenty-six people were killed. India claimed Pakistan was involved, but Pakistan rejected the claim. Vyamoka Singh is an Indian Air Force wing commander. She says India will take further steps if needed. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in its response. However, it must be said that the Indian Armed Forces are fully prepared to respond to Pakistani misadventures, if any. That will escalate the situation. Pakistan claims that it has shot down several Indian warplanes, but that has not been confirmed. Both India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons and have been on unfriendly terms.

U.S. colleges and universities could lose access to the federal student loan program if too many of their former students go into default. NPR's Cory Turner has details on the warning issued by the Department of Education. In a letter, the department warns schools they should reach out to former students and remind them of their obligation to repay their federal student loans. The letter made clear the stakes for colleges could be high. Technically, schools with too many former students in default can lose access to federal student aid, which would be a death sentence for many colleges. More than five million borrowers are currently in default,

with several million more headed in that direction. The Education Department even pledged later this month to calculate every school's rate of student loan non-repayment and publish it. A move clearly intended to push schools into helping the department recoup some of its debts. Corey Turner, NPR News. President Trump's tariffs are affecting small businesses in Seattle. The owner of a local ice cream shop is facing additional costs. Emile Moffitt reports. Molly Moon Nitesell operates Molly Moon's ice cream shops in Seattle. The shops use mostly northwest

ingredients, but sugar and chocolate they import and those costs are going up. And she says new tariffs on the compostable spoon she imports from China threatened to wipe out her profits for the year. It feels very shaky right now and we just didn't need this giant slam in our faces from all of these tariffs. She says she raised prices during the pandemic to boost pay for her employees and she doesn't want to do it again. For NPR News, I'm Emile Moffat in Seattle. This is NPR. Officials in Gaza say Israeli attacks have killed at least 100 people in the Palestinian enclave in the past 24 hours. That includes an Israeli strike on a school where thousands of people are sheltering. Gaza's health ministry says more than 30 people there were killed.

Former President Joe Biden has given his first interview since leaving the White House. Speaking to the BBC, Biden says he does not think the timing of his decision to drop out of the presidential race last year had any effect on the outcome. MPR's Lauren Freyer reports from London that Biden spoke in Delaware and criticized President Trump. About President Trump's efforts to acquire Greenland and to make Canada the 51st state, Biden told the BBC. What president ever talks like that? That's not who we are. Biden also responded to questions from the BBC

about Trump's efforts to get Ukraine to cede some territory to Russia as part of a peace deal. Think it's not common sense? It's perhaps modern day appeasement. It is modern day appeasement. That's a reference to how Britain sought to appease Adolf Hitler in the 1930s, which didn't work and failed to prevent World War II. Biden also said a breakdown of U.S.-European relations under Trump and Vice President Vance

would, quote, change the modern history of the world. Lauren Freyer, NPR News, London. Policymakers for the Federal Reserve are expected to keep interest rates where they are when they release their decision on interest rates this afternoon. But the Fed officials are closely tracking the effects of President Trump's worldwide tariffs. They're concerned these could boost inflation in the United States. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.