NPR News: 09-04-2025 4PM EDT

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NPR News Now 4 min 6 speakers 6 chapters transcribed 28 days ago
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What sparked the bipartisan clash over COVID‑19 vaccine policy?

Lakshmi Singh 0:01
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. encountered bipartisan pushback from the Senate Finance Committee this afternoon over his vaccine skepticism and availability of COVID vaccines. One of the most combative exchanges was between him and Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Elizabeth Warren 0:21
You just changed the classification of the COVID vaccine. I'm not taking them away from people, Senator. It takes it away if you can't get it from your pharmacy.

How did Senators Warren and Cassidy challenge Health Secretary Kennedy’s statements?

Elizabeth Warren 0:31
Well, most Americans are going
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 0:32
to be able to get it from their pharmacy for free. Most Americans will be able to get it from their pharmacy for free. The
Elizabeth Warren 0:39
question is, everyone who wants it, that was your promise. I'm mistaken.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 0:44
I never promised that I was gonna recommend products with which there is no indication.
Lakshmi Singh 0:50
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who was crucial in Kennedy's confirmation, also challenged Kennedy over His decision to cancel contracts related to COVID vaccines and high profile departures from the CDC. Two former top officials at the National Institutes of Health have filed a whistleblower complaint, charging the Trump administration retaliated against them for resisting attempts to undermine vaccines and other scientific research.

What are the whistleblower allegations against the Trump administration regarding NIH research?

Lakshmi Singh 1:15
Here's NPR's Rob Stein.
Angela Perryman 1:16
The former director of the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Gene Mrazo, filed the complaint along with the former director of the NIH's Fogerty International Center, Dr. Kathleen New Zeal. In the filing with the Independent Office of Special Counsel, the pair charged the Trump administration illegally retaliated against them for pushing back against the cancellation of critical research. research, politicizing scientific studies and taking hostile moves against vaccines. In a statement, HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon defended the administration's actions. Rob Stein, NPR News.

Why is President Trump hosting a private dinner with top tech CEOs and what does it mean for business policy?

Lakshmi Singh 1:56
President Trump will host dozens of business leaders for dinner tonight, include top tech CEOs. This coming as the president uses his power to affect private business decisions. More from NPR's Daniel Kurtz Laban.
Danielle Kurtzleben 2:10
Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are among the leaders who will attend, according to reporting first posted by the Hill. A White House official not authorized to speak on record about the private event confirmed attendees to NPR and also confirmed that Elon Musk is not on that list. Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, was a senior advisor to Trump earlier this year and led the Department of Government efficiency before leaving the administration amid a public falling out with Trump. Throughout this term, Trump has publicly criticized businesses and leaders, attempting to get top corporations to change policies or even get rid of leaders he dislikes. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News, The White House.

Will releasing Jeffrey Epstein’s files lead to new investigations and how are survivors reacting?

Lakshmi Singh 2:50
US stocks close a day higher with the Dow up three hundred fifty points. From Washington, this is NPR News. It's still uncertain if enough Republicans in the House will back a bipartisan effort to force a vote on releasing all files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender. Some who accuse Epstein of abusing them say they're discussing compiling a confidential list of names of Epstein's associates who they say took part in the crimes recovered for him. But one accuser, Liz Stein, says releasing names would be detrimental to survivors. But
Unknown 3:26
I think that we're willing to sit down, um, hear each other's stories, and look for any commonalities between us um that that could help this investigation.
Lakshmi Singh 3:36
Liz Stein on NPR's Here and Now. New research suggests that the psychedelic drug LSD

Can LSD effectively treat generalized anxiety disorder according to the latest clinical study?

Lakshmi Singh 3:44
Can relieve a common form of anxiety. NPR's John Hamilton has more on a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Carrington Clark 3:52
The study involved one hundred and ninety eight people with generalized anxiety disorder, which affects about ten percent of adults in a given year. Dr. David Fife of Kadema Neuropsychiatry Institute in San Diego says LSD clearly helped participants who got one of the two higher doses.

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