NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-02-2025 12PM EDT

Episode Date: August 2, 2025

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Noor Aram, NPR News. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Aram. Democrats and economists have condemned President Trump's decision to remove the head of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, hours after it reported that jobs growth had slowed to a near halt. Trump accused Erica McEntarfer of altering the figures to make him look bad. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says the president hates the truth. Donald Trump sometimes admires dictators.

He admires them. Well, he sometimes acts just like them. It's classic Donald Trump. When he gets the news he doesn't like, he shoots the messenger. Former heads of the agency said the firing had no merit and undermines trust in government data. President Trump says he's ordering two nuclear submarines to be moved toward Russia. NPR's Franco Ordoñez reports. President Trump announced he was taking cautionary steps because of quote, provocative statements from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Earlier this week Medvedev warned Trump was playing an ultimatum game with Russia after Trump shortened a 50-day deadline to 10 days for Russia to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine or face new tariffs. Medvedev said each new ultimatum is a step toward war. Trump posted on social media that the submarines were being moved, quote, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Trump added that words are very important and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances. Franco, Ordonez, NPR News, The White House.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which has helped pay for public radio and television for nearly six decades, announced yesterday it's shutting down. NPR's Frank Langford reports. The decision to close marks a watershed in American media. President Lyndon Johnson and Congress created the corporation, known as the CPB, in 1967 to support public service broadcasting, including NPR and PBS. But President Trump pressed Congress last month to defund the corporation, arguing that

NPR and PBS were biased, which their executives deny. With no federal funding, the CPB said it has to close its doors. Many local stations rely on federal funding, and some have already announced layoffs. The cuts have led to a surge in public donations, but some station managers say they are not enough to make up for the lost federal dollars. Nor is it clear how long that public generosity will last. Frank Langford, NPR News, Washington. A federal appeals court ruled last night the Trump administration may not make immigration-related

arrests in Los Angeles without probable cause. The three-judge panel upheld a lower court ruling that agents were basing their stops on factors such as race, appearance, or occupation in violation of the Constitution. This is NPR News in Washington. A manhunt is underway in western Montana. Police say a gunman opened fire in a bar near the small town of Anaconda yesterday, killing four people. Authorities have identified the suspect as a 45-year-old military veteran. Granite County under Sheriff Rico Barkel says

he should be considered armed and dangerous. Anytime you got, you know, an active shooter still on the loose, it's going to be dangerous. So I know Dear Lodge County and Anaconda are taking every kind of precaution they can to make sure their citizens are safe. Authorities are urging residents to stay at home and on high alert. Anaconda is in a mountainous area about 25 miles northwest of Butte. The Southeast Asian country of Cambodia is set to nominate President Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize.

The decision comes after recent border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand were reportedly resolved in part due to an intervention by President Trump. Jan Kamnensie Brumby has more. The border clashes between the two Southeast Asian nations killed more than 40 people and displaced more than 300,000. The five-day dispute was ended in part thanks to a phone call by President Trump that helped to break the deadlock in ceasefire negotiations. Cambodia has thanked Trump for bringing peace to the region. Trump has done much to quote advance fellowship between nations, Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chantol said. Chantol added quote we acknowledge his great efforts for peace. Thailand has since returned two wounded Cambodian soldiers,

but is reportedly holding on to 18 more. For NPR News, I'm Jan Kamzumbrumbi in Taipei. And I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington.