NPR News: 05-12-2026 8PM EDT

Summary

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NPR News Now – May 12, 2026, 8PM EDT

Host: Ryland Barton
Length: ~5 minutes

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Episode Overview

This concise episode delivers a roundup of major global and U.S. news stories, spotlighting the ongoing impact of U.S.-China tariffs, a pivotal Missouri redistricting decision, the rise of the "clipping economy," political turmoil in the UK Labour Party, Eurovision tension, and a notable Atlanta music theft. Each story is reported with NPR’s trademark balance, incorporating voices from those directly affected.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. U.S.–China Tariffs and Consumer Sentiment

[00:16–01:14]

• President Trump travels to Beijing for talks with Xi Jinping amid public concern over U.S.-China trade policy.
• An NPR Chicago Council Ipsos poll indicates most Americans feel tariffs harm both U.S. and Chinese economies and raise prices for consumers.
• Voices from the Public:
  • Alisa Kajiwar, a physical therapist, recounts, “When she bought a Chinese made board game, she noticed tariffs added up to $20 to the price.” [00:35]
  • She comments,

    "I think the tariffs are bad. Making a worse deal for a country's trade does not mean we'll get more stuff out of it."
    (Alisa Kajiwar, 00:44)

  • Counterpoint:
    • David Morgan, a North Carolina businessman who lost his furniture company due to Chinese competition, supports tariffs:

      "Business dried up. We didn’t have the orders. We filed chapter 11 and sold off a lot of our stuff."
      (David Morgan, 00:59)

• Potential compromise: Most respondents favor cutting tariffs if China increases U.S. agricultural imports.
• Reporting by Frank Langfit.

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2. Missouri Redistricting & National Voting Rights

[01:14–02:16]

• The Missouri Supreme Court upholds a legislative map favoring Republicans—even as voters challenged it.
• New map likely converts Representative Emanuel Cleaver's Kansas City district to GOP-leaning.
• Lawsuit delay means the map stays in effect “until Missouri's secretary of state verifies it has enough signatures,” possibly too late for election changes.
• Context: The decision mirrors moves in other Southern states eliminating majority-minority districts after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act:

  "The court's decision comes as states like Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee are eliminating heavily Democratic majority-minority seats..."
  (Jason Rosenbaum, 01:58)

• Reporting by Jason Rosenbaum.

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3. The “Clipping Economy” – Viral Video Micro-Jobs

[02:16–03:13]

• Rise of short-form video clipping: Editors cut long content into shorts for social media “clip for cash” campaigns; pay is often about $0.50 per thousand views.
• Career shift: Some “clippers” have “quit their day jobs to clip full time.”
• Industry expert:

  "The movie trailer gets a lot more views than a movie, so it's not a new phenomenon. But... in the attention deficit economy that we now live in, if you can't say it shorter, people aren't going to see it."
  (Lou Pascala, ad executive, 02:52)

• Most clippers are age 16–24, according to industry leaders.
• Reporting by Bobby Allen.

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4. UK Politics: Labour Party Turmoil

[03:13–03:49]

• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces internal party calls to resign after Labour’s local election setbacks.
• Several junior ministers have quit in protest.
• Ongoing speculation about Labour’s viability in future national elections.
• Brief coverage by Ryland Barton.

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5. Eurovision Contest Clouded by Geopolitics

[03:49–04:30]

• Eurovision Song Contest kicks off Vienna amid controversy over Israel’s participation.
• Israel’s entry, sung in three languages, prompts withdrawals by five countries (Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain) after organizers allowed Israel to compete.
• Recent years have seen pro-Palestinian protests and claims of voting manipulation by Israel.
• Organizers expect both anti- and pro-Israel demonstrations before Saturday’s finals.
• Reporting by Chloe Veltman.

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6. Atlanta Music Theft – Unreleased Beyoncé Material Stolen

[04:30–04:56]

• Kelvin Evans pleads guilty in Atlanta to breaking into a car and stealing hard drives with unreleased Beyoncé music, video footage, and setlists.
• Theft occurred from a vehicle rented by one of Beyoncé's choreographers/dancers.
• Stolen material remains unrecovered by police.
• Brief coverage by Ryland Barton.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Alisa Kajiwar on tariffs:

  "Making a worse deal for a country's trade does not mean we'll get more stuff out of it." (00:44)

• David Morgan on lost business:

  "Business dried up. We didn’t have the orders. We filed chapter 11 and sold off a lot of our stuff." (00:59)

• Lou Pascala on viral video culture:

  "If you can't say it shorter, people aren't going to see it." (02:52)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------|--------------| | U.S.–China Tariffs & Consumer Sentiment | 00:16–01:14 | | Missouri Redistricting Court Decision | 01:14–02:16 | | The Economy of Video Clipping | 02:16–03:13 | | UK Labour Party Leadership Turmoil | 03:13–03:49 | | Eurovision & Geopolitical Protests | 03:49–04:30 | | Beyoncé Unreleased Music Theft | 04:30–04:56 |

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This episode delivers a rapid, informed sweep through global headlines, providing context and personal perspectives on the pressing stories of the day.

Transcript

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[Ryland Barton]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. As President Trump heads to Beijing today to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a new NPR Chicago Council Ipsos poll finds Most Americans think U.S. tariffs have been bad for both economies and driven up consumer costs. Here, NPR's Frank Langfit reports.

[Frank Langfit]

Alisa Kajiwar is a physical therapist in Greater Chicago. When she bought a Chinese made board game, she noticed tariffs added up to $20 to the price.

[Alisa Kajiwar]

I think the tariffs are bad. Making a worse deal for a country's trade does not mean we'll get more stuff out of it.

[Frank Langfit]

David Morgan lives in North Carolina and supports tariffs. Low wage competition from China sank his furniture company.

[David Morgan]

Business dried up. We didn't have the orders. We filed chapter 11 and sold off a lot of our stuff.

[Frank Langfit]

The poll shows most Americans see a potential solution cut tariffs on China in exchange for China buying more US Agricultural goods. Frank Langford, NPR News, Washington.

[Ryland Barton]

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that a map aimed at netting another seat for Republicans is in effect. As St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum reports, the decision is yet another blow for Democrats in a mid decade redistricting scramble set off by President Trump.

[Jason Rosenbaum]

Missouri lawmakers passed a map last year that seeks to convert Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver's Kansas City based district into a GOP leaning seat. But two voters sued, contending that the submission of referendum signatures prevented that map from going into effect. But the Missouri Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the new map is in effect until Missouri's secretary of state verifies it has enough signatures. That might not happen until a few days before the state's primary and and that may be too late into the election process to switch to a map that's more favorable to Cleaver. The court's decision comes as states like Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee are eliminating heavily Democratic majority minority seats thanks to the U.S. supreme Court's decision weakening the Voting Rights Act. For NPR News, I'm Jason Rosenbaum in Jefferson City.

[Ryland Barton]

The clipping economy is booming. NPR's Bobby Allen reports on the video editors who turn long content into short videos to make money for clip for cash campaigns.

[Bobby Allen]

Behind the flurry of short video clips flooding Instagram, TikTok and X are people who edit down hundreds of videos a day into viral snippets in response to bounties put up by companies and influencers typically paying around 50 cents per thousand views. Several clippers told NPR they quit their day jobs to clip full time. An agency founder said clipping is the new TV commercial or billboard. In the age of scrolling, ad executive Lou Pascala says this shadow economy is a race to the bottom.

[Lou Pascala]

The movie trailer gets a lot more views than a movie, so it's not a new phenomenon. But I think the reality is that in the attention deficit economy that we now live in, if you can't say it shorter, people aren't going to see it.

[Bobby Allen]

A leading clipping agency executive said most clippers are between the ages of 16 and 24. Bobby Allen, NPR News.

[Ryland Barton]

This is NPR UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he has no intention of resigning, despite growing calls within his Labour Party for him to step down. Several junior ministers quit in protest last week. Labor suffered significant losses in local elections, raising concerns about its future in national elections. The Eurovision Song Contest launched today in Vienna, Austria. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports. Geopolitical rifts are casting a shadow over the annual international singing extravaganza, now in its 70th year.

[Chloe Veltman]

The 2026 Eurovision entry from Israel, performed by Noam Betan, is sung in three languages, English, Hebrew and French to both reflect the artist's multilingual background and potentially increase the song's international appeal. But five countries Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain pulled out after organizers decided to allow Israel to compete. Pro Palestinian protests at the last two contests called for Israel to be disbarred over the war in Gaza, as well as allegations it attempted to manipulate voting to favour its entry. The organizers are expecting both anti and pro Israel demonstrations in the run up to the finals on Saturday. Chloe Veltman, NPR News.

[Ryland Barton]

A man has pleaded guilty to an auto break in last year in Atlanta that police say resulted in the theft of unreleased music by Beyonce. News outlets say Kelvin Evans broke into a parked Jeep Wagoneer rented by a choreographer and dancer for Beyonce. Stolen items included hard drives containing the unreleased music footage, plans and concert set lists. Atlanta police have not recovered the Items. This is NPR.

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