NPR News: 05-12-2025 12PM EDT

Summary

NPR News: May 12, 2025 – 12 PM EDT

Released May 12, 2025

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Release of U.S. Hostage Edan Alexander by Hamas

[00:24] Lakshmi Singh opens the episode with breaking news:

"Hamas has released U.S. Israeli hostage Edan Alexander," Singh reports, citing statements from both Hamas and an Israeli official.

[00:43] Hadil Al Shalchi provides further details:

Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli soldier raised in New Jersey, was captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and held in Gaza. His release is part of what Hamas describes as a step toward a ceasefire agreement with Israel. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office clarified that Alexander's return was achieved "without anything in return," attributing it to "President Trump's diplomacy."

[01:25] President Trump's Response:

In Washington, President Trump welcomed Alexander's release, emphasizing the successful diplomatic efforts that led to the hostage's return.

[01:27] Vincent Mguena adds, "It ends the only American citizen captured and held hostage by Hamas since October 7, 2023, and he's coming home to his parents."

U.S.-China Trade Relations: Temporary Tariff Relief

[01:42] Lakshmi Singh transitions to economic news:

President Trump is embarking on his first major overseas trip, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Concurrently, the U.S. and China have reached a temporary agreement to halt triple-digit tariffs.

[01:59] Scott Horsley elaborates:

"The U.S. is slashing tariffs on imports from China from 145% to 30% for the next 90 days," Horsley explains. In exchange, China will reduce its tariffs on U.S. imports to just 10%. This move provides relief for businesses dependent on Chinese goods, which had been severely impacted by the previous high tariffs that nearly halted cargo traffic between the two nations. Despite this temporary relief, remaining tariffs are still substantially higher than pre-tariff levels, and uncertainty persists regarding the long-term trade landscape once the 90-day period concludes.

Afrikaners’ Resettlement in the United States

[02:39] Lakshmi Singh reports on an immigration development:

Dozens of white South Africans, specifically Afrikaners descended from Dutch colonists, have arrived in the U.S. via a government-chartered flight.

[02:45] Kay Bartlett provides context from Johannesburg:

The group was granted refugee status following an executive order signed by President Trump, who stated that Afrikaners face persecution in South Africa. However, [03:03] Vincent Mguena, a spokesperson for the South African presidency, disputes this claim:

"There are no legal or any factual basis for the executive order sanctioning this action. None of the provisions of international law on the definition of refugees are applicable in this case," Mguena asserts.

Pope Leo XIV Advocates for Press Freedom

[03:19] Lakshmi Singh covers a significant statement from the Vatican:

Pope Leo XIV has called for the release of imprisoned journalists during a large gathering of reporters in Rome. The newly elected pontiff encouraged journalists to continue their critical work in documenting history, despite facing increasing threats and criticism globally. This message comes at a time when various governments, including the Trump administration, have labeled certain media outlets as "fake media."

Land Subsidence in U.S. Cities Due to Groundwater Extraction

[04:10] Rebecca Hersher reports on environmental research:

A study by Columbia University and Virginia Tech, published in Nature Cities, reveals that approximately 20% of the land area in the 28 most populous U.S. cities has experienced sinking between 2015 and 2021. This subsidence affects over 30 million people, with Houston identified as the fastest-sinking major city. The primary cause is groundwater extraction for agriculture, drinking, and manufacturing purposes. Consequences of land sinking include increased flooding risks, especially in coastal urban areas already vulnerable to rising sea levels from climate change.

Market Update

[04:54] Lakshmi Singh provides a brief economic update:

Major U.S. market indices are up between 2.5% and 3.5%, reflecting positive investor sentiment amidst ongoing economic developments.

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the NPR News Now episode released on May 12, 2025, offering a comprehensive overview for those who have not tuned into the broadcast.

Transcript

[Sarah Gonzalez]

Tariffs, recessions, how Colombian drug cartels gave us blueberries all year long. That's the kind of thing the Planet Money podcast explains. I'm Sarah Gonzalez. And on Planet Money we help you understand the economy and how things all around you came to be the way they are. Para que sepas. So you know, listen to the Planet Money podcast from npr.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Hamas has released U. S. Israeli hostage Idan Alexander according to a statement by Hamas and an Israeli official who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly. NPR's Hadil Al Shalqi has details.

[Hadil Al Shalchi]

Israeli American hostage Edan Alexander was released as part of what Hamas said was a step toward reaching a ceasefire agreement with Israel. Alexander is a 21 year old Israeli soldier raised in New Jersey and believed to be the last remaining U.S. citizen captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023 and held in Gaza. Hamas said the release would come as part of a ceasefire effort to open Gaza's border crossings and bring aid to Gaza. Israel said it had not agreed to a ceasefire. A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that Alexander's return, quote without anything in return is thanks to President Trump's diplomacy. Hadil Al Shalchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

[Lakshmi Singh]

In Washington, President Trump welcomed Alexander's release.

[Vincent Mguena]

It ends the only American citizen was captured and held hostage by Hamas since October 7, 2023, and he's coming home to his parents.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Trump is en route to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on his first major overseas trip since he took office. The US And China have agreed to a temporary break from triple digit tariffs and U.S. stocks are trading higher. Here's NPR's Scott Horsley.

[Scott Horsley]

The U.S. is slash tariffs on imports from China from 145% to 30% for the next 90 days. In exchange, China is temporarily cutting its tax on imports from the US to just 10%. The move is a relief for many businesses that rely on Chinese imports. The earlier triple digit tax had brought much of the cargo traffic between the two countries to a standstill. The remaining tariffs are still significantly higher than Americans were used to paying, however. And because the tariff relief has an expiration date while negotiations continue, they're still considerable uncertainty over what the trade landscape will look like in three months. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Dozens of white South Africans have landed in the U.S. kay Bartlett has more from Johannesburg.

[Kay Bartlett]

The group of Afrikaners, the descendants of mainly Dutch colonists, left Johannesburg on a US Government charter flight on Sunday night. They were given refugee status after President Trump signed an executive order saying the minority group faced persecution at home. The South African government firmly denies that.

[Vincent Mguena]

There are no legal or any factual basis for the executive order sanctioning this action. None of the provisions of international law on the definition of refugees are applicable in this case.

[Kay Bartlett]

That was Vincent Mguena, spokesman for the presidency.

[Lakshmi Singh]

This is NPR News. Pope Leo XIV is calling for the release of imprisoned journalists. Today. He addressed an audience of thousands of reporters in Rome, many of whom have been covering him since the conclave to elect the late Pope Francis successor began today. The newly elected pontiff continue to encourage journalists to continue their work reporting the history of the day. This as the media faced threats and criticism from many governments around the world, the Trump administration has often referred to reporters as fake media. A new study finds the land in many cities across the US Is sinking. The study says that's mostly because of groundwater extraction. NPR's Rebecca Hirsch reports. Tens of millions of people are affected.

[Rebecca Hersher]

Researchers at Columbia University and Virginia Tech measured the height of the land in the 28 most populous US cities. They found that about 20% of the land area sank between 2015 and 2021. More than 30 million people live in areas affected by sinking land, and Houston is the fastest sinking major city in the country, they found. The study was published in the journal Nature Cities. Land sinks for many reasons, some of them natural, but extracting groundwater for agriculture, drinking and manufacturing is the main driver. Sinking land can lead to more flooding in urban areas, particularly in coastal neighborhoods where sea levels are also rising because of climate change. Rebecca Hersher, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Major market indices up 2.5% to 3.5%. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.

[NPR News]

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