NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-10-2025 2PM EDT

Episode Date: May 10, 2025

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Tariffs, recessions, how Colombian drug cartels gave us blueberries all year long. That's the kind of thing the Planet Money podcast explains. I'm Sarah Gonzalez and on Planet Money, we help you understand the economy and how things all around you came to be the way they are. Para que sepas. So you know. Listen to the Planet Money podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm. A federal judge in San Francisco last night ordered a 14-day pause in the Trump administration's efforts to shrink the scope and size of the federal government.

The order applies to about 20 federal agencies, including the Treasury Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency. NPR's Andrea Hsu has more. This case was brought by several labor unions, a bunch of nonprofits, and some local governments, including the cities of Baltimore, Chicago, and San Francisco. And they argued that the mass layoffs that Trump has called for, you know, the shuttering of entire agencies in some cases, can't happen without this authorization from Congress. And U.S. District Judge Susan Ilston agreed.

She said a temporary restraining order was necessary to protect the power of the legislative branch. NPR's Andrea Hsu reporting. NPR has learned the Trump administration is tightening its control of the agency responsible for regulating the country's nuclear reactors. NPR's Jeff Brumfield reports that has sparked worries about safety. Two U.S. officials told NPR that the White House is now reviewing all new regulations for nuclear reactors.

That's a big departure for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the famously tough and independent agency that's overseen nuclear safety in the U.S. since the 1970s. Former NRC chair Alison McFarland says she's worried the changes could affect safety. It's absolutely essential that the nuclear regulator be independent. There may be more changes coming. NPR has seen a draft executive order that, if signed, would call on the NRC to rewrite nuclear safety rules and possibly loosen radiation standards for nuclear workers and the public.

Jeff Brumfield, NPR News. Pakistan's prime minister thanked President Donald Trump for helping broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan today, after the most severe escalation between the two sides in decades. But as Betsy Joles reports, even as the prime minister posted that statement, it appeared the ceasefire might be facing challenges. In a post on X, the Pakistani Prime Minister Shabash Sharif acknowledged the United States' role in the peace process and said it marked a new beginning. That was after Trump announced an immediate ceasefire between India and Pakistan.

They'd been exchanging blows since Wednesday, when India struck Pakistan, saying it was in retaliation for a militant attack that killed 26 people in late April. But even as Sharif posted his thanks, nearly simultaneously, residents in Indian-held Kashmir reported hearing explosions and gunfire. For NPR News, I'm Betsy Joles in Lahore. US and Chinese officials began talks in Geneva today in an effort to de-escalate their trade dispute. Tariffs on each other's imports have soared above 100 percent. This is NPR News. An earthquake struck near Knoxville, Tennessee this morning.

The U.S. Geological Survey put its preliminary magnitude at 4.1. Social media posts said the quake was felt about 160 miles away in Atlanta. Georgia officials say it was the first quake felt there in years. The final steps of jury selection for the Sean Combs trial have been pushed to Monday. There are fears that selected jurors may back out of serving on the highly publicized case. NPR's Isabella Gomez-Semiento reports. On Monday, the prosecution and defense in the Shawn Combs trial will select the 12 jurors who will serve on the trial plus six alternates.

Opening statements are expected to begin that same day. A judge finished questioning jurors earlier this week, but further winnowing of the pool was pushed twice to avoid having jurors drop out in the days leading up to the trial. Prosecutors protested the delay, saying they're working against the clock. Combs lead defense attorney Mark Agnif, told the judge that finalizing jury selection should not take long on Monday. He said the trial timeline should ultimately stay on track. The hip-hop mogul faces charges that include sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.

Isabella Gomez-Sarmiento, NPR News. A half-ton spacecraft returned to Earth today, more than a half-century after it was sent into space. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1972 on a mission to Venus, but a rocket failure kept it in low Earth orbit and it's been slowly sinking since then. Russian space officials say it came down today in the Indian Ocean, west of Jakarta. I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News in Washington.