NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-06-2025 9PM EDT

Episode Date: June 7, 2025

NPR News: 06-06-2025 9PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

World news is important, but it can feel far away. Not on the State of the World podcast. With journalists around the world, you'll hear firsthand the effects of U.S. trade actions in Canada and China, and meet a Mexican street sweeper who became a pop star. We don't go around the world. We're already there. Listen to the State of the World podcast from NPR every weekday. Janine Hurst Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst. Five leaders of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group convicted of felony offenses

in connection with the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol are suing the Justice Department. The men, all of whom were granted clemency by President Trump, claimed they were victims of a corrupt and politically motivated prosecution. And here's Ryan Lucas has more. Ryan Lucas In their lawsuit filed in the Middle District of Florida, the five Proud Boys leaders say that their constitutional rights were violated by the Justice Department and the FBI during the investigation into the January 6th attack. They allege that they were victims of systemic abuse to punish and oppress political allies of President Trump.

They are seeking $100 million in punitive damages in their lawsuit. Four of the men, including the group's leader, Enrique Tarrio, were convicted at trial of seditious conspiracy and other crimes in connection with the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021. The fifth was found guilty of multiple other offenses. Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of all of them on his first day back in office. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington.

The explosive internet feud between President Trump and Elon Musk over his signature policy bill has appeared to calm down for now. And pure Stephen Fowler has more. After Thursday's dramatic meltdown of the billionaire bromance, the vibe now is more like new phone, who this? President Trump made the rounds calling reporters at prominent mainstream media outlets to say he's moved on from Musk and won't speak to him. Musk has been uncharacteristically quiet online, making just a few posts about his companies. The blowup stems in part from Trump's so-called big beautiful bill chock-full of Trump's

agenda items including tax cuts but that experts say would increase the federal deficit by trillions over the next several years. Stephen Fowler, NPR News. The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to step in and allow it to continue dismantling the Department of Education. NPR's Corey Turner has more. The administration needs the Supreme Court's help after a federal judge in Massachusetts told the administration to reinstate the nearly 1,400 employees it has already put on leave

on the way to firing them. The judge's concern was that the department, at roughly half its former size, was failing to perform important duties. In its request for the Supreme Court to intervene, the Trump administration argued, The Constitution vests the executive branch, not district courts, with the authority to make judgments about how many employees are needed to carry out an agency's statutory functions. It's not clear how quickly the court will move or what it will decide. Corey Turner, NPR News. Wall Street higher by the closing bell, all three major indices up around 1%.

You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Hundreds of veterans gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. today for the Unite the Veterans Rally, protesting the Trump administration's cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Chris Purdy is one of the rally's organizers. One-third of federal workers are veterans. So when we see cuts to the federal government, the workforce, that's going to disproportionately affect the veteran community. Thousands of VA employees in health and benefits opted to retire early instead of being laid off. Taylor Texas made history in 2021 when it hosted the area's first in-person Pride

celebration. But this year, Taylor's new mayor refused to issue a proclamation recognizing the annual event, surprising the city's LGBTQ plus community. Kaylee Hunt of member station KUT has more. Taylor Pride will hold its fifth annual music and arts festival on June 28th, despite Mayor Duane Arriola's decision not to recognize it. Past proclamations have not only recognized the nonprofit's annual festival, but also its contributions to the city's LGBTQ plus community. TaylorPride board member Denise Rogers says the organization is determined not to let the mayor's decision affect its celebration.

Our community is resilient. We've never needed anyone to officially tell us that we exist or that we can celebrate career joy. And so we're gonna proclaim Pride Month in our own way. Arreola did not respond to KUT's request for comment. I'm Kaylee Hunt in Austin. And I'm Janine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington. I'm Jane Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.