NPR News: 05-19-2025 10AM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now: May 19, 2025, 10 AM EDT – Detailed Summary

Host: Korva Coleman

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1. President Joe Biden's Cancer Diagnosis

Timestamp: [00:17]

NPR’s Korva Coleman reported that President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has metastasized to his bones. However, his office has indicated that the cancer is hormone-sensitive, presenting viable treatment options.

Expert Insight: Dr. Ben Davies, Professor of Urology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, outlined Biden’s potential treatment pathways:

• Hormonal Injections: “It could include hormonal injections, which should kind of calm it down and take away some of the testosterone levels in his body so the disease stops growing quite as fast and can kind of almost melt away from the bones.” [00:40]
• Chemotherapy: Dr. Davies mentioned recent studies suggesting chemotherapy could extend Biden’s life if he qualifies.
• Radiation Therapy: Also remains a viable option for managing the disease.

President Biden’s Statement: In a message shared online, Biden expressed, “Cancer touches us all. He thanked well wishers for their love and support.” [01:02]

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2. President Trump's Diplomatic Efforts Amid Ukraine Conflict

Timestamp: [01:02]

President Donald Trump announced plans to engage in diplomatic discussions to address the ongoing war in Ukraine. He is scheduled to speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin this hour and will later converse with Ukraine's President and leaders of NATO.

Pope Leo XIV’s Involvement: Pope Leo XIV has met with Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a significant diplomatic engagement. According to NPR’s Ruth Sherlock:

• The Vatican has proposed to host peace talks aimed at negotiating a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
• The meeting emphasized an “exchange of views and calls for respect for humanitarian law and international law in areas of conflict and for a negotiated solution between the parties involved.” [01:39]

This initiative comes as the U.S. leads efforts to broker peace in the region, with the Vatican playing a mediating role.

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3. Moody’s Downgrades U.S. Credit Rating

Timestamp: [02:19]

Moody’s has downgraded the U.S. federal government’s credit rating from AAA, marking a significant shift in the nation’s financial standing. This decision has led to a decline in the stock market, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping approximately 40 points during early trading [02:19].

Scott Horsley explained:

• Moody’s became the last of the major credit rating agencies to lower the U.S. government's creditworthiness.
• The downgrade stems from concerns that “US Policymakers have failed to address a rising tide of government debt.”
• Congressional Republicans are contemplating extending the 2017 tax cuts, which could result in “trillions of dollars in additional red ink over the next decade,” partially offset by GOP spending cuts.
• Additionally, Walmart’s stock opened lower following President Trump’s criticism on social media, where he stated the retailer should “eat the cost of his new tariffs” instead of raising prices. Walmart had previously indicated that some price hikes were inevitable due to the magnitude of import taxes imposed by the president. [02:31]

As of the latest update, the Dow is down 28 points. [03:12]

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4. National Transportation Safety Board to Address Brooklyn Bridge Ship Crash

Timestamp: [03:12]

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is set to hold a press conference regarding the recent crash of a Mexican naval ship into New York's Brooklyn Bridge over the weekend. The incident resulted in two fatalities and injured more than a dozen individuals.

Incident Details:

• New York City officials reported that the ship lost power and mechanical functioning, causing it to be driven by the river’s current into the bridge.

The NTSB’s forthcoming briefing aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the crash’s causes and safety implications.

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5. Rising Food Prices Impacting Americans’ Diet Choices

Timestamp: [03:49]

NPR’s Amy Held reported on a concerning trend where increasing food prices are making healthy eating more challenging for many Americans. A recent Pew survey highlighted that:

• 70% of respondents believe that higher prices have made it harder to maintain a healthy diet. [03:49]

Consumer Insights: Peyton Shafer, a consumer from Washington, D.C., shared her struggles:

• “Some items are definitely getting worse. Expensive.” [03:59]
• She elaborated on her shopping habits, stating, “There’s days where I'll go and I'm like, maybe I should skip those, like more specialty items.” [04:08]

Market Trends:

• While inflation in food prices is showing signs of cooling, with egg prices decreasing by about a dollar per dozen from the March peak of $6.23, they remain historically high.
• Overall, food prices have surged nearly 30% since the pre-pandemic period, creating significant financial strain for consumers. [04:14]

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6. Scotty Scheffler’s Triumph at the PGA Championship

Timestamp: [04:30]

In sports news, Pro golfer Scotty Scheffler clinched the PGA Championship yesterday, marking his third major title. He successfully outperformed John Rahm in the final round, securing victory by five strokes.

This win represents a notable comeback for Scheffler, especially after last year's PGA Championship was marred by his arrest ahead of the second round on charges that were later dismissed due to non-compliance with police instructions.

Korva Coleman highlighted the significance of Scheffler’s performance and its positive impact on his career trajectory. [04:30]

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Note: Advertisements and non-content segments from Hometap and Carvana were excluded from this summary as per the guidelines.

Transcript

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[Korva Coleman]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. Former President Joe Biden has an aggressive form of prostate cancer. His office says it has spread to his bones, but the office also says it appears to be hormone sensitive and that means there are options for effective disease management. Dr. Ben Davies is a professor of urology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He explains some of Biden's options.

[Dr. Ben Davies]

It could include hormonal injections, which should kind of calm it down and take away some of the testosterone levels in his body so the disease stops growing quite as fast and can kind of almost melt away from the bones. He also can get chemotherapy, which is a great study that happened just a few years ago, which could extend his life if he qualifies for it. And radiation therapy, too, is definitely in play.

[Korva Coleman]

He spoke to NPR's Morning Addition. Writing online, Biden said that cancer touches us all. He thanked well wishers for their love and support. President Trump says that this hour he'll speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has been trying to bring an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. Trump also says he'll speak later with Ukraine's president and leaders of NATO. Pope Leo XIV has met with Vice President J.D. vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. NPR's Ruth Sherlock reports. The conversation comes ahead of U. S led diplomatic efforts to make progress on a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

[Ruth Sherlock]

Vance, a Catholic convert, was among the last political leaders to meet with Pope Francis before he passed away. Pope Francis and the Trump administration had starkly different views, particularly on the topic of migration. Pope Leo has already spoken out in support of migrants. And in a readout of the meeting with Vance, the Vatican described, quote, an exchange of views and calls for, quote, respect for humanitarian law and international law in areas of conflict and for a negotiated solution between the parties involved. The Vatican has offered to host peace talks to try to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. Ruth Sherlock, NPR News, Rome.

[Korva Coleman]

Stocks opened lower this morning after Moody's stripped the federal government of its AAA bond rating. NPR Scott Horsley reports. The Dow Jones industrial average fell about 40 points in early trading.

[Scott Horsley]

Moody's was the last of the big three credit rating agencies to lower its estimate of the US Government's creditworthiness. The company warned that US Policymakers have failed to address a rising tide of government debt. The move comes as congressional Republicans are weighing an extension of the 2017 tax cut, which is expected to add trillions of dollars in additional red ink over the next decade. That additional borrowing is only partially offset by GOP spending cuts. Stock in Walmart opened lower after President Trump took to social media to say the retail giant should eat the cost of his new tariffs, rather raising prices. Walmart warned last week that some price increases are inevitable given the magnitude of the president's import taxes. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

[Korva Coleman]

On Wall street, the Dow is now down 28 points. This is NPR. The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a press conference today about the crash of a Mexican naval ship into New York's Brooklyn Bridge this weekend. The crash of the tall ship killed two people and injured more than a dozen others. New York City officials say the ship lost power and mechanical functioning. It was pushed by the river's current into the bridge. A barrier is standing in the way of some people's aim to eat food prices. NPR's Amy Held reports. A new survey finds healthy foods may be increasingly out of reach for some Americans.

[Amy Held]

While Americans say taste is the top driver behind how they fill their carts, a recent Pew survey finds 70% say higher prices have made it harder to eat healthy.

[Peyton Shafer]

Some items are definitely getting worse. Expensive.

[Amy Held]

Peyton Shafer was grocery shopping in Washington, D.C. and says she looks out for healthy items like tofu and yogurt.

[Peyton Shafer]

There's days where I'll go and I'm like, maybe I should skip those, like more specialty items.

[Amy Held]

Inflation is cooling. Egg costs cracking down about a dollar a dozen from the record 623 in March. But egg costs remain historically high. Overall, food prices are still up almost 30% from before the pandemic. Amy Held, NPR News.

[Korva Coleman]

Pro golfer Scotty Scheffler won the PGA yesterday. It's his third major title. He held off John Rahm in the final round to take home the victory by five strokes. Scheffler fared much better this year than last year's PGA Championship. That's when the golfer was arrested ahead of the second round for charges that were later dropped that he wasn't following instructions from police. This is npr.

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