NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-05-2025 2PM EDT

Episode Date: June 5, 2025

NPR News: 06-05-2025 2PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Tech billionaire Elon Musk is once again slamming President Trump. In a post on social media, Musk said Trump wouldn't have won the election if it wasn't for him. Earlier, in the Oval Office, the president was clearly taken aback by Musk's bitter criticism of the massive tax cut and spending package that's supposed to deliver on Trump's domestic agenda. People's taxes will go way down, but it's the biggest tax cut in history.

We are doing things in that bill that are unbelievable. The independent Congressional Budget Office estimates the spending bill would add roughly 2.4 trillion dollars to the deficit over the next 10 years and leave nearly 11 million Americans without health insurance President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke by phone today NPR's Mara Eliason reports the call comes amid an escalating trade war between the two nations Trump told reporters the call which lasted an hour and a half, went very well. He also posted on social media that the call resulted in a quote, very positive conclusion for both countries.

That conclusion appears to be an agreement to resume in-person talks between Chinese officials and the US Treasury Secretary, Commerce Secretary, and Trade Representative. Last month, the two countries had agreed to temporarily lower their mutual tariffs, but then the Trump administration accused China of violating that agreement by holding back imports of rare earth minerals, which are critical to the U.S. auto industry. And China accused the U.S. of preventing it from buying computer chips for artificial intelligence and of revoking the visas without cause for Chinese citizens studying in the U.S. Mara Liason, NPR News.

A unanimous Supreme Court ruled that Catholic charities can opt out of participating in Wisconsin's unemployment compensation program. Wisconsin Public Radio's Danielle Kating reports the justices found the state was wrong to deny the group a religious tax exemption. Kating, writing for the majority, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the state violated the First Amendment's guarantee of religious freedom by requiring a Catholic Charities Bureau to pay unemployment tax, a tax it's been paying for more than 50 years. Wisconsin law exempts nonprofit groups that run primarily for religious purposes,

but the state's highest court had found that its daily work was primarily charitable and not religious. An attorney for Catholic charities argued that it's absurd to claim that the group wasn't religious on grounds that it helps non-Catholics too. The ruling could radically expand exemptions for hospitals and other groups with religious ties in Wisconsin and states nationwide. For NPR News, I'm Danielle Kading. Stocks are trading mixed on Wall Street at this hour. The Dow Jones Industrial averages up 33 points, the Nasdaq down 34. This is NPR News in Washington.

The NBA Finals tip off tonight between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. For either city, a win in the best of seven series would be their first NBA title. NPR's Becky Sullivan has this preview. The Thunder have been a force all season long. Good drafts and patient player development have now led to a juggernaut. Oklahoma City won 68 games in the regular season, the most in the league. And their star player, Shea Gilgis Alexander, was named the NBA's MVP last month. They'll meet the Indiana Pacers, an up-tempo and energetic squad led by the charismatic

point guard Tyrese Halliburton and his ESPN analyst Doris Burke says the Pacers have been on a tear of their own. Indiana, from the turn of January 1st, has been the second best team by a wide margin to the Oklahoma City Thunder. So these are two hot teams, two fast paced teams with young stars. The winner will be the NBA's seventh different champion in seven years. Becky Sullivan in PR News. Nintendo officially launched the highly anticipated Switch 2 console today.

Retailers across the nation are reporting a spike in sales, with many locations selling out within hours. The new device features enhanced graphics, improved battery life, and a massive lineup of launch titles. The new system signals a strong start for Nintendo's next-generation gaming platform. Stocks continue to trade mixed on Wall Street. The Dow is now up 12 points, the Nasdaq Composite trading lower down 41, the S&P down 9 points. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News in Washington.