NPR News: 05-13-2026 6PM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now – 6PM EDT, May 13, 2026

Host: Ryland Barton
Duration: ~5 minutes

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Episode Overview

This tightly-packed NPR News Now update covers major world and national events from President Trump's visit to Beijing amid heightened US-Iran tensions, ripple effects in global shipping, a revealing report on the long-term decline in US student achievement, and urgent security/technology issues. Listeners also hear about a historic wildlife milestone in Chicago and conflict within the Catholic Church.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. US-China Relations Amid Iran Conflict

[00:00–00:51]

• President Trump arrived in Beijing after previously postponing the state visit due to the ongoing US military action against Iran.
• China’s Alignment: China’s close alliance and trade partnership with Iran puts added weight on the visit.
• US Blockade: The US maintains a blockade on all Iran-connected ships following weeks of bombings.
• Diplomatic Tensions:
  • Concerns swirl over whether China is assisting Iran, but “Trump has mostly downplayed those concerns” (Atamara Keith, 00:18).
  • Ostensibly, Trump claims he does “not need anything from China,” yet he had “previously taken to social media to ask China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz” (Atamara Keith, 00:41).

Notable Quote

• “Trump insisted he didn't need anything from China. When it comes to Iran, though that may just be posturing because Trump had previously taken to social media to ask China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.” — Atamara Keith, [00:36]

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2. War’s Impact on Global Shipping & the Panama Canal Boom

[00:51–01:55]

• Strait of Hormuz Closure: Led to increased maritime traffic via the Panama Canal.
• Traffic Up, Costs Soar:
  • Daily transits at the canal rose by over 10% in two months.
  • Oil and LNG tanker traffic jumped by 29%.
  • Passage fees spiked, averaging $380,000 in April; some vessels paid over $1 million.
• Reliability Amid Crisis: The Panama Canal Authority emphasized, “the canal remains an open and reliable option for vessels” (Jackie Northam, 01:50).

Notable Quote

• “Fees averaged $380,000, nearly six times higher than before the start of the Iran war. The Panama Canal Authority says some vessels are paying more than a million dollars to cross.” — Jackie Northam, [01:25]

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3. US Student Learning Decline Began Before COVID-19

[01:55–02:52]

• New Education Report:
  • The Education Scorecard from Stanford, Harvard, and Dartmouth reviews decades of test data.
  • Key Finding: Student achievement in math and reading has been in “a steady kind of decline” since around 2013.
  • COVID-19 Not the Main Cause:
    • “You wouldn't really know there was a pandemic effect if you just looked at the last 10 or 12 years of test scores,” said Stanford’s Sean Reardon.
• Theories for the Decline:
  1. Major federal education law abandoned circa 2013, reducing accountability pressures.
  2. Surge in social media use among youth began around the same time.

Notable Quote

• “You wouldn't really know there was a pandemic effect if you just looked at the last 10 or 12 years of test scores. There's been just a steady kind of decline.” — Sean Reardon, [02:25]

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4. Federal Reserve Leadership Change

[02:52–03:03]

• Kevin Warsh confirmed as next Federal Reserve chair, replacing Jerome Powell.

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5. Vatican Warns Traditionalist Catholic Group

[03:03–03:35]

• Society of St. Pius X faces excommunication if it consecrates bishops without papal consent.
• Vatican frames this as “the gravest challenge to Pope Leo's authority to date.”
• Pope Leo works to reconcile traditionalist factions, tensions originating under Pope Francis.

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6. Canvas Ransomware Incident

[03:35–04:14]

• Canvas (Instructure) hacked: Ransomware took the educational platform offline during finals.
• Hackers demanded payment for restoration and non-release of student data.
• Instructure reached an undisclosed agreement for the “return of the data, destruction of data and promises for no extortion.”
• “The statement did not say whether payment was involved in the deal.” (Sequoia Carrillo, 04:07)

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7. Bald Eagle Hatchlings in Chicago: A First in a Century

[04:14–04:40]

• Two bald eagle chicks hatched in a Chicago park — the first successful breeding documented in over 100 years.
• Chicago Park District: Eagles were seen before, but no prior successful fledglings.

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On US learning decline:
  “There’s been just a steady kind of decline.” — Sean Reardon, Stanford, [02:25]
• On Panama traffic surge:
  “Some vessels are paying more than a million dollars to cross.” — Jackie Northam, [01:32]
• On Canvas hack resolution:
  “An agreement was met with the bad actors in exchange for return of the data, destruction of data and promises for no extortion...” — Sequoia Carrillo, [03:56]

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:00–00:51 – Trump in Beijing & China-Iran-US dynamic
• 00:51–01:55 – War impact on Panama Canal & shipping costs
• 01:55–02:52 – US student learning decline, pre-dating COVID
• 02:52–03:03 – Federal Reserve chair confirmation
• 03:03–03:35 – Vatican-Traditionalist Catholic showdown
• 03:35–04:14 – Canvas ransomware incident resolved
• 04:14–04:40 – Chicago bald eagle hatchlings

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Summary

This episode delivers a swift, authoritative roundup of global conflict’s ripple effects, surprising revelations on US education, shifting financial leadership, deepening rifts in the Catholic Church, urgent cybersecurity news, and urban wildlife hope. Each topic is reported with the signature clarity and brevity of NPR, giving listeners a pulse on developments that matter — from White House diplomacy to the classroom and the streets of Chicago.

Transcript

[Ryland Barton]

Live from NPR News. In Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. President Trump arrived in Beijing today. China is closely aligned with Iran and the state visit was initially delayed by the U.S. war with the Islamic Republic. NPR's Atamara Keith has more about how the conflict will factor in. In talks with President Xi Jinping.

[Atamara Keith]

China and Iran are close allies and trading partners, and the US has just spent weeks bombing Iran and is now blockading all ships connected to the country. Meanwhile, there are questions about whether China has assist Iran. Trump has mostly downplayed those concerns. As he was leaving Washington, Trump insisted he didn't need anything from China. When it comes to Iran, though that may just be posturing because Trump had previously taken to social media to ask China to help reopen the strait of Hormuz.

[Ryland Barton]

NPR's Tamara Keith reporting. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has meant more business at the Panama Canal. More ships are using the canal and at higher prices since the war broke out in Iran. NPR's Jackie Northam has this report.

[Jackie Northam]

The Panama Canal Authority says daily transits have increased more than 10% over the past two months, but the biggest change has been the types of vessels using the canal. The number of container ships has dipped slightly, while the number of tankers carrying oil and liquefied natural gas has jumped 29%. As they search for other options beyond the Strait of Hormuz, they are last minute reservations and have to use an auction system. In April, fees averaged $380,000, nearly six times higher than before the start of the Iran war. The Panama Canal Authority says some vessels are paying more than a million dollars to cross. In a press release, the canal authority said amid all the geopolitical complexities, the canal remains an open and reliable option for vessels. Jackie Northam, NPR News.

[Ryland Barton]

A new report offers details on math and reading scores for students in the U.S. as NPR's Cory Turner reports, the researchers say big losses in learning didn't begin with the coronavirus pandemic some six years ago, but earlier.

[Cory Turner]

The annual report is called the Education Scorecard, and it comes from researchers at Stanford, Harvard and Dartmouth pouring over decades of math and reading scores. The researchers say America's students hit a learning recession not during COVID 19, but around 2013. Stanford researcher Sean Reardon in fact, you

[Sean Reardon]

wouldn't really know there was a pandemic effect if you just looked at the last 10 or 12 years of test scores. There's been just a steady kind of decline.

[Cory Turner]

As for why learning got so derailed, the researchers have two theories. One, a big federal education law was essentially abandoned around 2013, meaning school leaders started feeling less pressure to improve. And two, social media use among US Youth started to skyrocket. Cory Turner, NPR News.

[Ryland Barton]

Kevin Warsh was confirmed in a Senate vote this afternoon as the next Federal Reserve chair, succeeding Jerome Powell. This is NPR News. The Vatican has issued a final warning to a breakaway group of traditionalist Catholics. It says The Society of St. Pius X will be excommunicated if they go ahead with their plan to consecrate bishops without the pope's consent. It amounts to the gravest challenge to Pope Leo's authority to date. He's been seeking to heal divisions within the traditionalist Catholics that worsened under Pope Francis. The parent company of classroom management platform Canvas has struck a deal with hackers that took the software offline and threatened to Leak student data. NPR's Sequoia Carrillo reports. The terms of that deal were not disclosed.

[Sequoia Carrillo]

When students and teachers logged onto Canvas last week in the middle of final season, many were met with a black screen with a note from a ransomware group demanding money in exchange for control back of the platform. The platform came back online a short while later, but the state of the stolen data remained a question for a few days. Now Instructure, the parent company of the software, has released a statement saying an agreement was met with the bad actors in exchange for return of the data, destruction of data and promises for no extortion of any Instructure customers. The statement did not say whether payment was involved in the deal. Sequoia Carrillo, NPR News.

[Ryland Barton]

Two bald eagle hatchlings have been spotted in a Chicago park in what experts believe is a first for the Windy City in more than a century. Chicago Park District officials say the two eaglets hatched in a nest on the city's southeast side. Eagles are not uncommon in Chicago area parks, but the city wasn't aware of any successful breeding until now. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

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