NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-01-2025 5AM EDT

Episode Date: June 1, 2025

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Do you ever look at political headlines and go, huh? Well, that's exactly why the NPR politics podcast exists. We're experts not just on politics, but in making politics make sense. Every episode, we decode everything that happened in Washington and help you figure out what it all means. Give politics a chance with the NPR politics podcast available wherever you get your podcasts. NPR Politics podcast available wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. Two bridges have collapsed in separate incidents in Russia and the Bryansk and Kursk regions, both bordering Ukraine. In Bryansk, the local governor told the Interfax agency there was an explosion as a train was passing. The BBC's

Ian McWilliam has this report. In Bryansk a road bridge collapsed late on Saturday, sending heavy trucks crashing onto a moving passenger train. The regional governor said at least seven people were killed and more than 60 injured. Then on Sunday morning the acting governor of neighbouring Kursk reported that a railway bridge had collapsed while a freight train was passing over it. He said part of the train crashed onto a roadway and one of the drivers was injured. The BBC's Ian McWilliam reporting Russian authorities are linking the two collapses

together saying the bridges were blown up. Ukraine has not commented. The collapses happened a day before scheduled talks in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine on ending the war. Ukraine, however, has not committed to them, saying it wants to see Russian proposals first. The Israeli military says a reported Israeli attack near a humanitarian aid distribution site in Gaza is under review, but that it is currently unaware of any injuries caused by Israeli fire. The military issued a statement after officials at a field hospital run by the Red Cross said

at least 21 Palestinians were killed and scores wounded today as they were on their way to get food from a site operated by an Israeli foundation. President Trump says he is withdrawing his nominee to lead NASA. Trump named tech billionaire Jared Isaacman in December. He was due for a Senate confirmation vote this week, but in a social media post last night, Trump said he will announce a new candidate soon. It's not clear what led to the decision. Isaacman is an ally of Elon Musk who officially left his government role as the head of Trump's controversial cost-cutting organization known as Doge this week.

The Trump administration has published a new plan that it says will make the federal hiring process more efficient and merit-based. NPR's Andrea Hsu reports the plan was released even as a hiring freeze remains largely in place through July. The plan emphasizes recruiting candidates the administration sees as patriotic. It includes a questionnaire for most job applicants that asks about their commitment to the Constitution, how they would improve government efficiency, and how they'd help advance President Trump's executive orders. The plan also takes aim at efforts by previous administrations to diversify the workforce. It calls on agencies to stop using statistics on race, sex, ethnicity, or the concept of

underrepresentation in any personnel decisions, and to stop disseminating such data. The government says it will focus recruiting efforts at state universities, religious colleges, community colleges, and homeschooling groups, among other places. Andrea Hsu, NPR News. This is NPR. China's denouncing remarks made this weekend by Defense Secretary Pete Hegsath, China's foreign ministry, accusing Hegsath of promoting a Cold War mentality after he told the annual Shangri-La Security Conference in Singapore that the threat posed by China is real and imminent. China says Hegsath's comments were

intended to sow division. Voters in Poland casting ballots today in a pivotal runoff election for president. The results could set the course for Poland's relationship with the European Union. The contest pits the pro-EU mayor of Warsaw against a conservative backed by the nationalist law and justice party.

The Polish president's veto powers could impact whether Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government can fulfill its centrist agenda. A pop star from the 1960s has gone viral. MPR's Neda Ulubi reports on a Connie Francis song recorded more than six decades ago that recently hit the top of the TikTok music charts. The song was not even a hit back in 1961, but its fan club now includes the likes of Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner. Those celebrities are among the more than 600,000 people who've posted TikToks featuring the song.

Connie Francis told People magazine she did not even remember recording it. The 87-year-old singer just set up her own TikTok account to ride the wave of her social media renaissance. It's just one more career milestone for Frances, the first woman to top the Billboard Hot 100 and who sold more than 40 million records before she turned 25. Nettie Ulubi, NPR News. And I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News.