NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-02-2025 1PM EDT

Episode Date: June 2, 2025

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Before talking to computational social scientist Sandra Matz, I asked her to spy on me. I did some snooping around your online life yesterday night, which was extremely fun to do. Our lack of digital privacy, especially in the age of AI, and what we can do about it. I'm Manusha Zomorodi. That's on the TED Radio Hour Podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. The Senate is taking up a massive tax cut and spending package that narrowly passed the House last month. NPR's Tamara Keith reports the legislation has divided congressional Republicans and is facing significant revisions in the upper chamber.

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.

That's NPR's Tamara Keith reporting. Delegations from Russia and Ukraine have wrapped up their latest round of peace talks in Istanbul, but the meeting, lasting just over two hours, ended without significant progress toward ending the war. NPR's Rebecca Rossman reports the two sides did agree to another prisoner exchange. Russian and Ukrainian delegates say both sides have agreed to exchange all seriously wounded or ill prisoners of war, as well as captured fighters under the age of 25. They also agreed to exchange the remains of 6,000 soldiers.

Russia offered a two- to three-day ceasefire while short of the 30-day proposal Ukraine made last month. Expectations were low for this second round of talks, which wrapped up after less than two hours. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hoped to bring together Zelensky, Putin, and possibly President Trump for a third round of talks later this month.

Rebecca Rosman, NPR News, Istanbul. Groundwater reserves in the Western U.S. are rapidly drying up. Alex Hager from Member Station KUNC reports scientists use NASA satellites to gather data for a new study. The numbers they found are grim. Over the past two decades, the Colorado River basin lost nearly 28 million acre feet of groundwater. That's roughly the amount stored in Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir. Kathleen Ferris is a groundwater expert at Arizona State University.

She wasn't involved in the study, but says groundwater pumping needs better regulation. Kathleen Ferris, University of Arizona State University We need to do far more than we're doing. And I am very pessimistic that the political will to make something happen is not there. Faris said stricter rules are needed soon because of the shrinking Colorado River. More cities, businesses and farms are pumping groundwater as the amount on the surface gets smaller. For NPR News, I'm Alex Hager in Fort Collins, Colorado.

President Trump's decision to double tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 50% is ramping up trade tensions with China. Beijing has criticized the decision accusing the US of violating a recent trade agreement. The move has also rattled global markets. On Wall Street, the Dow was down to 160 points. This is NPR. The U.S. Supreme Court is leaving in place state bans on some semi-automatic weapons

and high-capacity magazines. The High Court declined to hear a challenge to a law in Maryland that bans assault-style weapons. The law was passed more than a decade ago after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Other states have similar measures. The court's majority did not offer a reason why it wouldn't hear the case, but three justices said they disagreed. As interest in women's sports booms, softball is entering the major leagues. NPR's Amy Held reports major League Baseball is investing in a first

of its kind partnership with a professional women's softball league. Women's sports are taking off financially and culturally about a third of adults now watching according to an AP poll and Major League Baseball wants in. Partnering with the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, providing financial muscle it says will boost exposure and engagement. This is a huge huge step for the world of softball. A USL commissioner Kim Ang told the MLB network kids will be inspired for all the little ones now to be able to see professional players. Now there is this pipeline for the pro sports ESPN set to broadcast select games 24 this season

played by four teams, the league says will be assigned to cities next year. Opening day is Saturday with games in Wichita and outside Chicago. Amy Held, NPR News. On Wall Street, the Dow is down 160 points, the NASDAQ up 55. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News in Washington.