NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-01-2025 4PM EDT

Episode Date: June 1, 2025

NPR News: 06-01-2025 4PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Noor Rahm Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm. Congress comes back from a Memorial Day recess tomorrow. The Senate is to consider a huge tax cut and spending bill passed by the House along party lines last month. NPR's Tamara Keith reports senators will be under considerable pressure to approve it. Tamara Keith The big questions are how hard it will be for Senate Republicans to pass this and how many changes they'll make to the House version. There's a lot of pressure on Senate Republicans because this basically contains Trump's entire domestic agenda, all in one bill, tax cuts,

immigration spending, cuts to Medicaid and other programs. NPR's Tamara Keith, the family and supporters of Chicago gang boss Larry Hoover, are asking Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker for a commutation after a federal commutation from President Trump. For Member Station WBEZ, Mabu Iqbal reports. The 74-year-old Hoover helped form the notorious Gangster Disciples in Chicago during the 1960s. President Trump commuted Hoover's federal prison sentence Wednesday, but Hoover still faces time in prison for a

state sentence. His wife Wendy Jenkins says she hasn't hugged her husband in over 50 years. We just want him to come home so he can have his final days with the love and compassion and respect that we all have for each other within our family. Hoover's family says their optimistic Pritzker will commute his sentence. His spokesperson wouldn't say what Pritzker thinks of releasing Hoover but says the governor takes the clemency process quote very seriously. For NPR News, I'm Mawa Iqbal in Springfield, Illinois. Health officials in Gaza say Israeli forces fired on Palestinians today who are on their way to food distribution sites, killing at least 32 people and wounding more than 200.

The Israeli military called the report false. It said troops had fired warning shots towards suspects who were moving toward soldiers about a thousand yards from a food distribution site. Mexicans vote today in the first election to choose the entire judiciary by direct vote, the first country to do so. The government says direct election of all 7,000 judges from magistrates to Supreme Court justices is needed to tackle deep-rooted corruption. Critics say it will politicize the judiciary and place even more power in the hands of the governing party.

NPR's Ada Peralta reports. Voters did line up since very early this morning, but they have a very tough task. They have to pick nearly 3,000 judges from 8,000 candidates. But aside from voting, there are protests here in Mexico City, here at the Angel of Independence. Many here are calling this Black Sunday. They say they will not vote because this election is intended to weaken the judiciary

and put it under control of the presidency. Ada Peralta, NPR News in downtown Mexico City. This is NPR News in Washington. Voters in Poland cast ballots today in a runoff presidential election. The two candidates are the liberal mayor of Warsaw, who is aligned with the European Union, and a conservative historian who is skeptical of the EU and is aligned with American conservatives, including President Trump.

Results are expected to be announced tomorrow. Twenty-five years ago, a road construction project near Gray, Tennessee led to the discovery of ancient bones. Chad Barrett with member station WETS reports this became an important paleontological site in eastern North America. The Gray fossil site was discovered in the year 2000 when cutting through a hill close to State Route 75. Director Blaine Schubert says the road crew...

He started to discover this clay and it was actually the fact that the clay wasn't good to build a road on that first stopped them and then they realized there were bones in it. Schubert says the gray fossil site is a really rare and unique snapshot into the past about five million years they have. Everything from red pandas and rhinos to tapirs that were all living around this sinkhole pond. Over 100 species of ancient animals have been found so far at the gray fossil site, including the recent discovery of a giant flying swirl. For NPR News, I'm Chad Barrett in Johnson City, Tennessee.

President Trump says he's withdrawing the nomination of tech billionaire Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator and will announce a new nominee soon. Trump posted on social media that he made the decision after a thorough review of prior associations he didn't elaborate. Isaacman is a close ally of Elon Musk. I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News in Washington.