NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-02-2025 4AM EDT

Episode Date: June 2, 2025

NPR News: 06-02-2025 4AM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman.

Police in Boulder, Colorado, say six people were injured after a man directed a homemade flame thrower at a crowd walking along a pedestrian mall on Sunday. Some of those hurt are in serious condition. From member station KUNC, Emma Vanda, 90, says the FBI is investigating the incident as an act of terrorism. Local FBI officials identified the male suspect as 45 year old Mohammed Sabri Solomon. He yelled free Palestine during a march in support of releasing Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Boulder Police Chief Steven Redfern says he's urging the community to come together. A lot of people are upset and

questioning how this happened and why. All I know is Boulder has recovered before from acts of violence and we will again recover. Officials say the victims range from 67 to 88 years old to where airlifted to a burn unit in Denver for NPR News. I'm Emma Vanden Heide in Denver.

The Senate returns to Washington later today to deal with demands from President Trump that they support his massive spending bill. The House has already passed the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but some GOP senators say the current bill won't pass the upper body. And Pierce Luke Garrett has more. A handful of Republican spending hawks in the Senate are casting doubt on a bill that would enact President Trump's domestic agenda of cutting taxes, increasing border spending, and scaling back safety net programs. Senator

Ron Johnson of Wisconsin told Fox News he supports Trump, but this bill fails to rein in U.S. spending. My loyalty is to the American people, to my kids and grandkids. We cannot continue to mortgage their future. And Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky told CBS News the bill is too expensive to pass. I think there are four of us at this point and I would be very surprised if the bill at least is not modified in a good direction. If the Senate makes changes, the bill would have to pass the House again before reaching

Trump's desk. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. Mexicans voted Sunday on that country's first ever election to choose the entire judiciary by direct vote. The government says direct election of all 7,000 judges is needed to tackle deep-rooted corruption but government critics say it'll politicize the judiciary and place even more power in the hands of the governing party. MPR's Ada Peralta was in Mexico City as voting began. 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. Eder Peralta, NPR News in downtown Mexico City. Asian stocks have fallen while oil prices jumped on Monday.

Traders were concerned about ongoing trade tensions. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 1.4 percent. You're listening to NPR News. Karel Narakki has won Poland's presidential runoff election. The conservative beat his liberal challenger by less than 2% of the vote's cast. Narakki campaigned on a nationalist platform and is considered a close ally to US President Trump. South Korea will be holding a snap presidential election on Tuesday to succeed Yoon Suk-yul,

who was ousted over his imposition of martial law. Polling indicates that the liberal candidate is favored to win the vote. The winner will be sworn in on Wednesday rather than wait for a two-month transition period, which is typical there. Disposable vapes are now banned in the United Kingdom. NPR's Laura Freyer reports from London. This ban is part of an effort to curb youth vaping and cut down on electronic waste.

Data show a quarter of 11-15 year olds in the UK have tried vaping and one in ten vape often. But some reusable vapes are almost identical to disposable ones. And so Hazel Cheeseman, head of an anti-tobacco charity, tells the BBC that this ban might just encourage youth to switch types of vapes rather than quit. Teenagers weren't drawn to these products because you could throw them away after. We see that this ban might just encourage youth to switch types of vapes rather than quit. Teenagers weren't drawn to these products because you could throw them away after. They were drawn to them because they were brightly colored and they were really, really

available. And she says those things are still true for reusable vapes, which remain legal. The UK government is separately weighing legislation to phase out cigarettes altogether and extend smoking bans to more outdoor settings. Lauren Freyer, NPR News, London. Maya Stark won her first major golf championship on Sunday, shooting an even par-72 to take the top spot at the U.S. Women's Open in Wisconsin. The 25-year-old from Sweden finished two strokes ahead of top-ranked Nelly Korda. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.