NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-29-2025 2AM EDT

Episode Date: May 29, 2025

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On the Planet Money podcast, you've seen them, those labels that say made in China or made in France. But what do they really mean? The reaction was it can't possibly work like that. That can't possibly be right. We dig into the delightfully convoluted rules behind country of origin, what makes, say, a Chinese product Chinese, and how companies facing tariffs are getting creative from Planet Money on NPR, wherever you get your podcasts. getting creative from Planet Money on NPR, wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shae Stevens. President Trump says he is considering pardons for the men convicted of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. NPR's Franco Ordonez reports.

President Trump said the case against the two men appears to be somewhat of a, quote, railroad job. I'll be honest with you, it looked to me like some people said some stupid things, you know They were drinking and I think they said stupid things But I'll take a look at that Barry Croft Jr. Was sentenced to nearly 20 years while Adam Fox was sentenced to 16 years after being convicted of Leading a violent scheme to kidnap governor Whitmer during the final stretch of the 2020 presidential election. Defense lawyers have claimed the men were victims of entrapment and that government informants egged them on. But last month, the federal

appeals court upheld their convictions. Franco Ordonez, NPR News, The White House. President Trump issued more pardons Wednesday to include a rapper, a former New York congressman, and a rally at reality TV couple. The Department of Homeland Health and Human Services has canceled the only federal contract to develop a vaccine designed to protect people against the bird flu virus. As NPR's Rob Stein reports, some experts fear a possible bird flu pandemic. Federal officials are canceling a contract with Moderna to develop an mRNA vaccine to protect people against flu strains that could cause pandemics.

That includes the H5N1 bird flu virus that's been spreading among dairy cows in the U.S. The cancellation comes even though the company says a study involving 300 healthy adults has produced positive results. An HHS spokesman says the contract was canceled because of concerns about the safety of mRNA vaccines. Rob Stein, NPR News. Vice President J.D. Vance has told a conference in Las Vegas that the Trump administration is friendly to cryptocurrency investors.

Details from NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben. Cryptocurrency is often expensive and risky, but Vance talked about it not only as an investment or store of value, but as a part of a populist political fight against elites. It's a hedge against a private sector that's increasingly willing to discriminate against consumers on the basis of their basic beliefs,

including their politics. The Trump administration has embraced cryptocurrency, consumers on the basis of their basic beliefs, including their politics. The Trump administration has embraced cryptocurrency and Vance promised a friendlier regulatory environment than that under President Joe Biden. He also encouraged the crowd to get further involved in politics in the coming years. The Trump family has financial interests in cryptocurrency and Trump media this week announced it was raising $2.5 billion to invest in Bitcoin. Danielle Kirtzleib in NPR News.

Millionaire Trump aide Elon Musk, as he's stepping away from his special White House role of directing cuts to government agencies, Musk has also lowered his target for cutting spending to $150 billion, down from $1 to $2 trillion that he promised. This is NPR. Israel's prime minister says the suspected leader of Hamas's armed wing, Mohammed Sinwar, was killed in a recent airstrike on Gaza. The death has not been confirmed by Hamas. Sinwar is the younger brother of a slain Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli forces in October.

The elder Sinwar was considered one of the masterminds of the October, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. A French court has sentenced a retired surgeon to 20 years in prison for his admitted abuse of hundreds of patients over more than two decades. NPR's Eleanor Beersley reports that the two-month-long trial has shocked France.

Joelle Le Squarnak is already in prison after being sentenced in 2020 to 15 years for raping and sexually assaulting four children. In the current trial, which began in February, the 74-year-old admitted to sexually assaulting or raping 299 patients. Most of them were under the age of 15. Many were abused while they were under anesthesia after operations. Victims and child rights advocates say the case highlights systemic shortcomings that allowed the highly respected surgeon to repeatedly commit sexual crimes.

Lescuanek documented his crimes, noting his victims' names, ages, addresses, and the nature of the abuse. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris. Salesforce is acquiring AI-powered cloud data management firm Informatica for roughly $8 billion. The purchase will give Salesforce access to the company's data management capabilities. The deal has been approved by the boards of both companies and is expected to close in early 2027. This is NPR News. This message comes from WISE, the app for doing things and other currencies.

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