NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-29-2025 7AM EDT

Episode Date: May 29, 2025

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Shortwave thinks of science as an invisible force, showing up in your everyday life, powering the food you eat, the medicine you use, the tech in your pocket. Science is approachable because it's already part of your life. Come explore these connections on the Shortwave podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. Nearly all of President Trump's worldwide tariffs have been blocked. The little-known U.S. Court of International Trade says Trump cannot use an emergency law to impose these.

The three-judge panel ruled only Congress has the exclusive authority to regulate trade and impose tariffs. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. will aggressively revoke visas from many Chinese students and Pierce Emily Fang reports. The State Department said in a cable this week it was pausing interview signups for new student visa applicants in order to adequately screen their social media profiles. And now Rubio says the U.S. will enhance visa application scrutiny for students coming from China and Hong Kong, and terminate the visas for students with quote, connections to China's ruling Communist Party and those

who study in what he called critical fields. Depending on how broadly the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security define those criteria, this could affect many of the some 280,000 Chinese students at all levels in the U.S. China is the second biggest source of international students in the U.S. having recently been eclipsed by India. Emily Fang and Pure News Washington. President Trump says he'll know soon if Russian President Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump says he may change his responses to Putin if there's no progress toward peace. Israel is accusing the UN of pressing aid groups not to take part in an aid distribution program in Gaza backed by Israel in the US. And Piers Michelle Kellerman reports the UN says the program does not meet basic humanitarian principles. Israeli Ambassador Danny Danone says the UN is acting like the mafia, telling non-governmental groups not to take part in the Gaza humanitarian foundation. It's a shakedown by U.N. mobsters. How can they do that?

U.N. envoy Sigrid Kog says she's worried about the, quote, privatization and weaponization of aid in Gaza. And she said much more is needed as Palestinians are on the brink of famine. Instead of saying goodbye, see you tomorrow, Palestinians now say, see you in heaven. The U.S. argues the war would end if Hamas would agree to a ceasefire and release all hostages. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department. Billionaire Elon Musk is leaving the Trump administration. He has overseen President Trump's cost-cutting entity Doge.

NPR's Bobby Allen says the Doge work will continue without Musk. Musk is at the end of his time as a special government employee, but the billionaire has clashed with members of the Trump administration over issues like tariff policy and Republicans' big, beautiful bill, which Musk says only adds to the federal deficit. Musk is also under pressure to refocus on SpaceX and Tesla. Musk wants SpaceX to send unmanned capsules to Mars next year and for Tesla to launch a robo taxi service next month.

NPR's Bobbi Allen prepared that report. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The Trump administration says food security is national security, yet concerns remain the administration's efforts to downsize the federal workforce could put U.S. agriculture at risk. NPR's Andrea Hsu has more. American agriculture has been relatively free of pests and diseases that have afflicted other parts of the world.

That's thanks in part to the federal workers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture who work to protect the nation's plants and animals. Kevin Shea worked there for 45 years before retiring in January. That gives us a trade advantage with the rest of the world and it also creates an abundant and comparatively the cheapest food supply around the world. But now Shea fears the departures of hundreds of key staff could leave farmers and ranchers vulnerable. In a statement, USDA said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is working to make the department

more efficient while not compromising its critical work. Andrea Hsu, NPR News. South Korean officials say a Navy patrol plane has crashed near an eastern Korean city. At least two of four people aboard were killed. The celebrated dissident and author from Kenya Ngugi Watyango has died at the age of 87. He wrote plays, novels, and memoirs about the devastating effects of colonialism in Kenya, as well as problems with elites. His 1964 debut novel, Weep Not Child, discussed brothers who must confront the Kenyan rebellion against British rule.

Googie was often discussed as a potential Nobel laureate, but he was never awarded the literature prize. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News. Are you one of the half of Americans who say money management is part of their self-care Kourava Coleman, NPR News.