NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-07-2025 6AM EDT

Episode Date: May 7, 2025

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On the next Thru Line from NPR. For the presidency, I'm indebted to Almighty God. I'm in charge of the country, and I need to serve all the American people and not just the political machine. The origins of the modern civil service. Listen to Thru Line wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Coleman. There's been a sharp escalation of violence between India and Pakistan.

India says it has attacked multiple sites in Pakistan. India says that's in retaliation for a militant attack in late April in the Indian controlled part of Kashmir province. More than two dozen civilians were killed at that time. Pakistan has now retaliated, claiming it fired on Indian military jets. NPR's Amkar Kandekar reports the violence is between two nuclear armed powers that have long been hostile toward each other. India blames Pakistan for the attack that killed 26 people, saying the gunmen were a

proxy for the Pakistani military. Pakistan denies the claims. In a press briefing, Indian military officers aired grainy videos of projectiles striking several locations, which the army claimed were training camps for quote terror groups. Pakistani authorities said India largely struck mosques. Pakistan also claims it took down five Indian military aircraft. Indian authorities haven't commented on this. But a senior Kashmiri legislator has accused Pakistan's military of firing at Indian civilians in border areas.

Omkara Khandekar, NPR News, Mumbai. The Roman Catholic papal conclave has officially begun. The College of Cardinals started the day with a mass at St. Peter's Basilica. The Cardinals have now walked from the Basilica to the Sistine Chapel to begin their historic meeting. NPR's Jason DeRose reports from Rome that as they walked, the Cardinals chanted the litany of saints, followed by... The hymn Veni creatur spiritus, to invoke the Holy Spirit, then an oath while touching the Gospels, the call extra omni, sending out all those not directly involved in the election, a final sermon, and then the voting begins. NPR's Jason DeRose reporting from Rome.

The Trump administration has stripped the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS of millions of dollars for educational programming for children. NPR's David Falkenfleck reports the ready to learn program has helped fund shows such as Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow. The Education Department informed CPB of its decision to terminate the program on Friday, hours after President Trump said he'd bar any federal money from going to NPR or PBS. CPB and PBS and NPR say he doesn't have the power to do that. The Education Department says the grants were funding, quote, divisive ideologies and woke propaganda.

The CPB and PBS have won these rolling five-year education grants since they were first offered thirty years ago. According to the CPB, the content funded by the program in the current fiscal year generated more than 1.8 billion video streams and 10 million television viewers. CPB Chair Patricia Harrison says she'll work with lawmakers and with the Trump administration to rebuild support for the program. David Folkenflick, NPR News. You're listening to NPR News.

Treasury Secretary Scott Besson and Trade Representative Jameson Greer will meet Chinese economic officials this weekend in Switzerland. Trade will be the main issue. Besson says they'll focus on de-escalating trade tensions after President Trump sharply boosted tariffs on China and China retaliated. Today's the day the Transportation Security Administration starts asking passengers to show a real ID. NPR's Martin Costey reports these are the picture IDs that meet federal standards set by Congress 20 years ago.

From now on the only state IDs valid for air travel are those marked with a star or a US flag indicating tougher vetting of a person's ID. It also means the person is in the country legally. Brian Zimmer is a former congressional researcher who wrote the Real ID law, which allows states to also issue plane driver's licenses to people who don't have legal immigration status. It's legal and federally to do that, but it's not legal for someone bearing one of those IDs to fly on an airplane. And that's the big deal of the deadline.

19 states issue these plane IDs, but last month the Trump administration sent a letter criticizing states that have, quote, issued driver's licenses to individuals present in the United States in violation of federal immigration law. Martin Costi, NPR News. Officials in Texas say the measles outbreak is growing.

There have now been more than 700 cases reported in that state since late January. Most of them are in unvaccinated people. Federal health officials say there have been 935 confirmed measles cases in the U.S. this year. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News from Washington. Does the idea of listening to political news freak you out? Well, don't sweat it. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News from Washington.