NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-30-2025 4PM EDT

Episode Date: May 30, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Well today is billionaire Elon Musk's official last day as a special government employee, although President Trump says his advisor and Doge architect isn't really leaving. Both men met today with a select group of reporters in the Oval Office. NPR's Stephen Fowler has more. This marks the end of a 130-day tenure that also saw Musk face rising unfavorability numbers, financial stress on his business empire, and talk of a rift between the world's richest man

and its most powerful political leader. Trump, appearing to largely read notes from a binder, offered praise for Musk's work as, quote, one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced. He stepped forward to put his very great talents into the service of our nation and we appreciate it. Musk and Trump both say the money Doge will save the government will continue to grow, though many of those claims have been inaccurate and overstated so far.

Stephen Fowler, NPR News. The Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to revoke, for now, a Biden-era program that gave migrants from unstable countries temporary legal status in the U.S. As NPR's Adrienne Floodido tells us, the decision means roughly half a million people could now face deportation. The court's order was brief and unsigned, but its ramifications were clear. The government can, for the time being, move forward with expelling about 500,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, and Nicaragua who benefited from the program known as humanitarian parole. The Biden administration had temporarily

allowed them into the U.S. as long as they had a private sponsor. President Trump tried to revoke their status on his first day in office, but lower courts blocked him. The program's ultimate fate is still being litigated, but for now the justices have said deportations can proceed. Justices Katanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor dissented, citing, quote, the devastating consequences of allowing the government to precipitously upend the lives of close to half a million people. Adrienne Ploetivo, NPR News. Taylor Swift may be one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, but for most of her career she has not owned the masters for her

first six albums. NPR's Hazel Sills reports that's changed. It's common for singer-songwriters. Taylor Swift writes her songs, like one of her biggest hits, 2008's Love Story, and she sang it, but she didn't own it. It's a love story, baby, just say yes. But now, Swift has announced she finally owns her masters, nearly six years after music executive Scooter Braun first acquired them in 2019. That initial sale was the inspiration behind Swift

releasing re-recordings of albums she didn't own the masters for, including her hit, Red. Swift did not disclose what she paid for the rights to her music. Hazel Sills, NPR News. With no movement as yet on a U.S. proposed ceasefire, hospital officials in the Gaza Strip are reporting at least 27 more deaths from Israeli airstrikes today. And aid groups say they're still seeing only a trickle of humanitarian aid reaching the masses. American companies that have been paying higher tariffs are now wondering if they might start getting their money back. Two federal court rulings this week found the White House overstepped its legal authority on sweeping worldwide tariffs, but those rulings are on hold pending appeals

bringing more uncertainty. More from NPR's Aliyah Seljuk. Many American small business owners have been on a roller coaster of tariff related feelings, worry, confusion, anxiety. Now there are new emotions. I feel a lot of relief and hope. Sarah Wells from Virginia sells breast bump backpacks and other maternity accessories. We still have some work going on in the court system in terms of the appeal, so I'm very cautiously optimistic at this point. She had a shipment from China that was already in route when the tariffs started escalating, costing her an unexpected $15,000 at customs. She has now cancelled all her orders from

China and set up some operations in Cambodia. Alina Seluk, NPR News. Smoke from wildfires in Canada is drifting into the United States and could affect the air quality for populations across the upper Midwest and the impact could be felt for days. U.S. stocks in the day mix. The Dow closed up 54 points to settle at 42,270. The NASDAQ was down 62 points and the S&P was down slightly. This is NPR.