NPR News: 05-15-2026 5PM EDT

Summary

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NPR News Now: 05-15-2026 5PM EDT

Main Theme:
A concise roundup of national news covering President Trump’s return from China, ongoing redistricting battles, housing affordability trends, legal scrutiny of the NFL’s Rooney Rule, and a Texas Supreme Court ruling on legislative dissent.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. President Trump Wraps Up China Visit

• Segment Starts: 00:00
• President Trump returns to the U.S. after a state visit to China, touting business agreements but offering few specifics.
  • Praise for Chinese President:

    “This has been an incredible visit. I think a lot of good has come of it. We've made some fantastic trade deals, great for both countries.”
    —Donald Trump (00:23)

  • Announced deals include a Chinese order for 200 Boeing planes and agreements to buy more U.S. soybeans—though NPR notes similar past promises have not materialized.
  • Trump and President Xi also discussed the war with Iran, agreeing on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
  • Context provided by Tamara Keith:
    “He’s hailing business deals for American companies and farmers, though few details have been released.” (00:00)

2. Redistricting and Supreme Court Decision

• Segment Starts: 00:59
• Ongoing “redistricting war” largely benefits Republicans, with new political maps favoring GOP control.
  • Louisiana Republicans eliminate one of two districts held by Black Democratic lawmakers.
  • Georgia lawmakers signal intentions to change maps after midterms, potentially targeting Democratic districts for 2028.
  • Experts express concern these political maneuvers increase public cynicism and might suppress voter turnout.
  • Notable Quote:

    “Voters are just—are they going to show up? Are they just sickened by the whole situation?”
    —Karen Brinson Bell, former NC elections chief (01:42)

  • Midterm turnout already lags behind presidential elections.

3. Multi-Generational Housing Trends

• Segment Starts: 01:56
• A rise in multi-generational households, driven by economic pressures and housing affordability challenges.
  • Sharing childcare and mortgages cited as primary benefits.
  • Personal Perspective:

    “My parents, for all intents and purposes, like, kind of acted as his second parents.”
    —Andrea Wolverton, homeowner (02:19)

  • Expert Analysis:

    “Home prices continue to be out of reach for many households, so people are looking for more creative ways to afford buying a home.”
    —Hannah Jones, realtor.com (02:29)

  • States like California with high housing costs are leading this trend.

4. Florida Subpoenas NFL Over Rooney Rule

• Segment Starts: 02:52
• Florida’s Attorney General is challenging the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which requires diverse candidate interviews for top jobs.
  • Attorney General James Uthmeyer:

    “Hiring decisions cannot be based on race. That’s discrimination.” (03:25)

  • The NFL defends the rule as expanding applicant pools, not mandating hires.
  • NPR notes a broader backlash against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, citing the Trump administration’s warnings about legal risks of considering race or sex in hiring.

5. Texas Supreme Court Rules on Lawmaker Walkouts

• Segment Starts: 04:02
• The Texas Supreme Court refuses to penalize Democratic legislators who walked out in 2025 to block redistricting legislation.
  • Governor Abbott and Republicans sought to declare their seats vacated, but the court found further action unnecessary as lawmakers had returned and fines were assessed.
  • Democrats framed the walkout as exercising their right to dissent.

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Donald Trump:

  “We’ve made some fantastic trade deals, great for both countries.” (00:23)

• Karen Brinson Bell (on voter fatigue):

  “Voters are just—are they going to show up? Are they just sickened by the whole situation?” (01:42)

• Andrea Wolverton (on shared childcare):

  “My parents, for all intents and purposes, like, kind of acted as his second parents.” (02:19)

• Hannah Jones (on housing affordability):

  “Home prices continue to be out of reach for many households...” (02:29)

• AG James Uthmeyer (on hiring and discrimination):

  “Hiring decisions cannot be based on race. That’s discrimination.” (03:25)

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Additional Segment Markers

• Market Update: Dow down 537 points, Nasdaq down 410 (02:52)

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Tone:
Factual and succinct, with direct attribution and a focus on delivering clear updates on complex national issues.

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Transcript

[Jeanine Herbst]

Live from NPR News. In Washington, I'm Jeanine Herbst. President Trump is flying back to the U.S. after wrapping up his state visit to China. NPR's Tamara Keith reports. He's hailing business deals for American companies and farmers, though few details have been released.

[Tamara Keith]

As Trump's trip to China was winding down, he again offered praise for Chinese President Xi Jinping.

[Donald Trump]

This has been an incredible visit. I think a lot of good has come of it. We've made some fantastic trade deals, great for both countries.

[Tamara Keith]

In an earlier interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News, Trump said China has agreed to order 200 Boeing airplanes and will be buying a lot of soybeans from American farmers, though similar previous commitments have failed to materialize. Trump also said he and Xi discussed the war with Iran and agreed that the strike Hormuz needs to be reopened. Tamara Keith, NPR News, Beijing.

[Jeanine Herbst]

The redistricting war President Trump kicked off last year seems to finally be coming to a close and Republicans have largely come out on top. But as NPR's Miles Parks reports, states are already making plans for after this year's midterms.

[Miles Parks]

This week, numerous state houses responded to a recent Supreme Court decision that weakened protections in the Voting Rights Act. Louisiana Republicans passed a new map that eliminated one of two districts currently held by black Democratic lawmakers in Mississippi. In Georgia, however, lawmakers there said they don't plan to redistrict before the midterms, but they may try to eliminate Democratic held districts ahead of 2028. In the bigger picture, experts worry that all this political maneuvering is fueling a cynicism in the American public. Karen Brinson Bell used to oversee elections in North Carolina.

[Karen Brinson Bell]

Voters are just are they going to show up? Are they just sickened by the whole situation?

[Miles Parks]

She also noted midterms already lag presidential years in terms of turnout. Miles Parks, NPR News, Washington.

[Jeanine Herbst]

More Americans are living in households with at least three generations. That's according to new data from realtor.com NPR's Stephen Basaha reports. Living with more family members is helping homeowners with affordability.

[Stephen Basaha]

One of the biggest benefits of sharing a home is sharing childcare. Andrea Wolverton and her then 3 year old son moved in with their parents in 2023.

[Karen Brinson Bell]

My parents, for all intents and purposes, like, kind of acted as his second parents.

[Stephen Basaha]

Another benefit is sharing the mortgage. Hannah Jones is with realtor.com Home prices

[Hannah Jones]

continue to be out of reach for many households, so people are looking for more creative ways to afford buying a home.

[Stephen Basaha]

About 4 million owner occupied homes had at least a parent, a kid and a grandparent under one roof in 2024. These multi generational households are most common in states with the highest housing costs like California. Steven Besaha, NPR News, Wall street, lower

[Jeanine Herbst]

by the closing bell. The Dow down 537 points. The Nasdaq down 410. This is NPR News. Florida's attorney general has issued a subpoena to the NFL over the league's use of the rooney rule. That 2003 rule requires NFL teams to interview people of color or women for top jobs. NPR's Andrea Hsu has more.

[Andrea Hsu]

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeyer launched his battle against the Rooney Rule back in March, posting a video to x Florida law is clear.

[James Uthmeyer]

Hiring decisions cannot be based on race. That's discrimination.

[Andrea Hsu]

The NFL has maintained that the Rooney Rule is not a hiring mandate, but rather a way for the league to expand the pool of applicants and help teams find the best talent. Corporate policies modeled on the Rooney Rule proliferated after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, so such hiring practices were widely considered legal. But more recently, companies have backed away from their DEI related efforts. The Trump administration has warned that any consideration of race and sex in the hiring process could be unlawful and reissue. NPR News.

[Jeanine Herbst]

The Texas Supreme Court today refused to declare that the Democratic lawmakers who briefly left the state in 2025 to block a vote on new congressional maps pushed by President Trump had had vacated their offices. Governor Greg Abbott and state Republicans wanted the Democrats punished for allegedly abandoning those offices. Democrats say they were exercising their right to dissent. The state's high court says Abbott and other Republicans had already handled the matter through fines and noted the Democrats returned on their own in a few weeks. I'm Jeanine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.

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