NPR News: 05-15-2026 3PM EDT

Summary

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NPR News Now — May 15, 2026, 3PM EDT

Host: Lakshmi Singh
Duration: ~5 minutes
Theme: Top U.S. and international news stories — trade, conflict, public health, economics, and population trends

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Overview

This episode covers a range of pressing news stories: President Trump's trade talks with China and American farmers’ reactions, a targeted drone attack on a U.N. vehicle in Ukraine, updates on a hantavirus outbreak, leadership changes at the Federal Reserve, and new U.S. Census data showing shifting urban growth trends.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. U.S.-China Trade Talks and Farmer Frustration

[00:01 – 01:08]

• President Trump returns from meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The talks did not result in concrete progress for American soybean farmers regarding tariffs or agricultural exports.
• Reporter: Windsor Johnston highlights the disappointment among U.S. farmers, especially as China increasingly sources soybeans from Brazil.
• Soybean farmer Caleb Ragland (Kentucky):
  • Expresses concern: “Once they make that investment and they leave, it's going to be hard for us to get them back as a farmer. That's concerning to me.” [00:34]
  • Calls for action, not just promises: “We don't just need commitments that are made with lips and put down on paper. We need to see beans floating across the ocean and going to China.” [00:46]
• President Trump claims farmers will benefit from his trade deals but offers no details on actual new Chinese purchases.

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2. Drone Attack on U.N. Vehicle in Ukraine

[01:08 – 02:03]

• Ukraine’s president and the U.N. allege Russia deliberately targeted a U.N. humanitarian vehicle with attack drones in southern Ukraine.
• Reporter: Joanna Kakissis (Kyiv) details the attack in Kherson; no injuries reported, but the incident is part of a pattern of Russian drone strikes on civilians.
• Tom Fletcher, U.N. Emergency Relief Corps:
  • Expresses outrage: “People were very, very lucky to escape with their lives in what looks like a targeted attack. And we are furious about that and we will demand accountability and full investigations.” [01:37]
• Context: Ukrainians refer to searches for people on foot or in vehicles by Russian troops as the "human safari."

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3. Hantavirus Outbreak Update

[02:03 – 02:43]

• No new deaths from the rare rodent-borne hantavirus have been reported to the WHO in two weeks, though contact tracing continues globally.
• WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus:
  • Provides update: “The operation to transfer the ship's passengers from Tenerife has been successfully completed, with more than 120 people now being carried or in their home countries or quarantined in host countries en route to their final destination.” [02:28]
• The CDC is monitoring at least 41 people across the U.S. for symptoms, 16 of whom were on a flight to Johannesburg with an infected individual.

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4. Leadership Transition at the Federal Reserve

[02:43 – 03:51]

• Jerome Powell steps down after eight years as Federal Reserve Chair, succeeded by Kevin Warsh (Senate-confirmed).
• Powell will stay on as part of the governing board to “help safeguard the central bank’s independence,” especially as President Trump had repeatedly pressured the Fed to lower interest rates.
• The Fed has recently kept interest rates unchanged, despite inflation remaining above the 2% target.

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5. New U.S. Census Data: Small Cities on the Rise

[03:51 – 04:35]

• Reporter: Amy Held explains how smaller U.S. cities are now growing faster than major urban centers, largely due to new housing.
• Salina, TX (Dallas suburb): Fastest-growing U.S. city, with a 25% population surge; Mayor Ryan Tubbs comments:
  • “We have a whole lot of single family housing growth, but our commercial growth is catching up to that.” [04:07]
• In contrast, big cities’ growth rates have halved; New York City’s population fell by over 12,000.
• Government projections: By 2030, births may drop below deaths, meaning U.S. population could shrink without more immigration.

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Notable Quotes

• Caleb Ragland (Soybean Farmer):

  • “Once they make that investment and they leave, it's going to be hard for us to get them back… that's concerning to me.” [00:34]
  • “We don't just need commitments that are made with lips and put down on paper. We need to see beans floating across the ocean and going to China.” [00:46]

• Tom Fletcher (U.N. Emergency Relief):

  • "…people were very, very lucky to escape with their lives in what looks like a targeted attack. And we are furious about that and we will demand accountability and full investigations." [01:37]

• Ryan Tubbs (Mayor, Salina):

  • "We have a whole lot of single family housing growth, but our commercial growth is catching up to that." [04:07]

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Key Timestamps

• [00:01] — Episode begins; U.S.-China trade talks overview
• [00:34] — Farmer Caleb Ragland on export concerns
• [01:08] — Ukrainian & U.N. outrage over drone strike
• [01:37] — U.N. official condemns attack
• [02:28] — WHO update on hantavirus/cruise ship repatriations
• [03:51] — Census shows small-city population surges
• [04:07] — Mayor Ryan Tubbs on Salina's growth

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This concise yet comprehensive news round-up highlights continued international tensions, domestic economic uncertainty, demographic shifts, and ongoing global public health vigilance.

Transcript

[Lakshmi Singh]

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump is heading back to Washington, D.C. after meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in China. Some American soybean farmers say they're disappointed the talks did not produce more specific discussion about tariffs and agricultural exports. Here's NPR's Windsor Johnston.

[Windsor Johnston]

Caleb Ragland is a soybean farmer in Kentucky who voted for Trump. He says growers are struggling to compete while China increased increasingly turns to countries like Brazil for soybeans.

[Caleb Ragland]

Once they make that investment and they leave, it's going to be hard for us to get them back as a farmer. That's concerning to me.

[Windsor Johnston]

Ragland says farmers want more than promises from trade talks. They want action.

[Caleb Ragland]

We don't just need commitments that are made with lips and put down on paper. We need to see beans floating across the ocean and going to China.

[Windsor Johnston]

Trump says farmers will be happy with his trade deals and predicts China will buy billions of dollars worth of soybeans, though he didn't provide detail about any new purchases. Windsor Johnston, NPR News, Washington.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Ukraine's president and a top United nations official say Russia deliberately targeted a U.N. vehicle in southern Ukraine with attack drones. NPR's Joanna Kakisis has more from Kyiv.

[Joanna Kakissis]

A vehicle carrying staff from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs was hit twice by small first person view drones. No one was injured. Tom Fletcher, the UN's Emergency Relief Corps coordinator, told a briefing he was awoken in the middle of the night to news of the drone strike, where our

[Tom Fletcher]

people were very, very lucky to escape with their lives in what looks like a targeted attack. And we are furious about that and we will demand accountability and full investigations.

[Joanna Kakissis]

The attack took place in Ukraine's southern Kherson region, where Russian troops use drones to hunt civilians on foot and in vehicles. Ukrainians call this practice the human safari. Joanna Kakissis, NPR News, Kyiv.

[Lakshmi Singh]

There have been no new hantavirus deaths reported to the World Health Organization in nearly two weeks. However, contact tracing continues around the globe for the rare rodent borne virus that could take anywhere from days to weeks to present symptoms. Today. WHO Director General Tedros Adenom Ghebreyesos said the global health body knows of 10 cases, including three deaths stemming from the outbreak on a cruise ship last month.

[Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus]

The operation to transfer the ship's passengers from Tenerife has been successfully completed, with more than 120 people now being carried or in their home countries or quarantined in host countries en route to their

[Lakshmi Singh]

final destination in the U.S. the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is now monitoring at least 41 people across the country for symptoms. CDC says 16 of them were on a flight to Johannesburg exposed to someone known to be infected. It's NPR News. After eight tumultuous years as chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell is stepping down. He hands the reins now to Kevin Warsh, who was confirmed by the U.S. senate this week. Powell says he will continue serving on the governing board to help safeguard the central bank's independence. That had been a major point of contention between him and President Trump, who often sought to pressure the Fed to aggressively reduce interest rates and publicly scolded Powell over it. Of late, the Fed has kept rates unchanged as inflation remains above the central bank's 2% target. As immigration and birth rates decline, the US population is not growing the way it used to. However, new census data show smaller cities are bucking that trend. And NPR's Amy Held has details.

[Amy Held]

Growth in many smaller cities is outpacing big urban centers. Census statisticians say that's in part because of new housing. The Dallas suburb of Salina is the fastest growing city in the nation. Its population surged by about a quarter last year. Ryan Tubbs is mayor.

[Ryan Tubbs]

We have a whole lot of single family housing growth, but our commercial growth is catching up to that.

[Amy Held]

A different story is playing out in big cities across the U.S. their average growth rates fell by at least half. New York City's population last year, shrank by more than 12,000 people. By 2030, the government estimates there will be fewer babies born in the country than there are deaths. Absent immigration, that means the US Population would shrink. Amy Held, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, in Washington.

[Ryan Tubbs]

Want to hear this podcast without sponsor breaks? Amazon prime members can listen to NPR News now sponsor free through Amazon Music. Or you can also support NPR's vital journalism and get [e-mail] that's plus.npr.org.