Loading summary
Lakshmi Singh
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh.
NPR News Reporter
President Trump arrives back in the US in the coming hours from a state visit to China.
Lakshmi Singh
It's not clear if he secured any firm agreements on matters of trade, the war in Iran or Taiwan, a self governed island China claims as its own but is closely allied with the United States.
NPR News Reporter
On Air Force One, Trump said he would think about whether to advance an
Lakshmi Singh
$11 billion military arms package now for Taiwan.
Political Analyst
I think the last thing we need now is a war that's 9,500 miles away.
NPR News Reporter
Ukraine and Russia carried out a prisoner of war exchange as the first phase
Lakshmi Singh
of an agreement on a larger exchange.
NPR News Reporter
NPR's Hanna Palamarenko reports from Kyiv that
Lakshmi Singh
205 Ukrainians have returned home.
Ukrainian Ombudsman
Ukrainian ombudsmanets emphasized that this exchange is unique in that 95% of those returned today were captured in 2022. He posted a video showing the defenders wiping away tears and calling their families. 1,494 days in captivity and tomorrow is my mom's birthday. I'm incredibly happy, says one of them. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian ombudsman expressed their gratitude to the United States and the United Arab Emirates for their mediation and assistance. Zelensky said in a statement that this is the first stage of a much larger exchange involving 1,000 Ukrainians and 1,000 Russians. Anna Plomarenko, NPR News, Kyiv.
Lakshmi Singh
Harvey Weinstein's latest sex crimes trial ended this afternoon with a hung jury. It was the second time in a year a New York jury was unable to reach a verdict on the same charge. The mistrial came on the third day of deliberations. NPR's Chloe Weiner has details.
Chloe Weiner
For a third time, a New York jury was asked to decide whether the former Hollywood mogul raped former aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. Weinstein was first convicted of raping Mann in 2020, but that verdict was later overturned. Then a second trial last year ended in a mistrial. This retrial began in April, but on the third day of deliberations, jurors said they were unable to reach a unanimous decision. Weinstein, now 74, has been in jail or prison since 2020. He awaits sentencing for a separate charge in New York and was also convicted of rape and sexual assault in California in 2022. He's appealing that conviction. Chloe Weiner, NPR News, New York.
Lakshmi Singh
Today caps an end of an era at the Federal Reserve. This was Jerome Powell's last day as Fed chair after eight years in the post. He succeeded by Kevin Warsh, who was confirmed this week by the Senate. Powell says he will continue serving on the governing board to help safeguard the central bank's independence. From Washington, this is NPR News.
NPR News Reporter
Hundreds of thousands of New York City
Lakshmi Singh
area commuters may face weekday scrambles to find alternative modes of transportation if there's a strike on the Long Island Railroad that is the busiest commuter railroad in the country. Local media report negotiators are still talking.
NPR News Reporter
Union officials representing locomotive engineers, signalmen and
Lakshmi Singh
other train workers face a 12o18 Saturday deadline to reach a labor contract agreement with transit officials. If not, unionized workers could strike or be locked out.
NPR News Reporter
President Trump has announced his planned massive sculpture garden will be located along the
Lakshmi Singh
Potomac river in Washington, D.C. nPR's Mandalit Albarco reports. A waterfront area still needs approval in 2020.
Mandalit Albarco
During his first term in office, Trump signed an executive order to create what he called the National Garden of American
Political Analyst
Heroes, a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans to ever live.
Mandalit Albarco
That includes life size statues ranging from George Washington to Whitney Houston to Kobe Bryant. Trump had hoped to complete the garden by this July 4th to mark the country's 250th birthday. President Biden later scrapped the plans, but Trump reinstated them when he returned to office last summer. Congress committed $40 million to it, though critics say it will cost much more than that. The president has now posted on social media that the garden be located in West Potomac Park, a national park between the river and the National Mall. Mandalit del Barco, NPR News.
Lakshmi Singh
The Dow's closed down 537 points. It's NPR News.
NPR Announcer
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 NPR plus@plus.NPR.org that's plus.NPR.org.
Host: Lakshmi Singh
Date: May 15, 2026
Duration: 5 minutes
This episode of NPR News Now delivers a concise update on major national and international stories shaping the late afternoon headlines, including President Trump’s return from China, developments in Ukraine, the latest on Harvey Weinstein’s trial, leadership change at the Federal Reserve, the threat of a major rail strike in New York, and news about the National Garden of American Heroes.
On international conflict:
On reunion after captivity:
On the sculpture garden: