NPR News: 05-19-2026 1PM EDT

Summary

---

NPR News Now – May 19, 2026, 1PM EDT

Host: Lakshmi Singh
Duration: 5 minutes

---

Episode Overview

This NPR News Now episode delivers a concise roundup of key national and international stories. Major topics include President Trump’s endorsement in a Texas Senate primary, important Senate primaries in Georgia and Alabama, Vladimir Putin's visit to China, a devastating wildfire in New Mexico, the end of the LIRR strike, groundbreaking biotech developments regarding extinct birds, and rising gas prices.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. U.S. Political Headlines

• Trump Endorses Texas Attorney General in Senate Primary

  • President Trump endorses Ken Paxton over incumbent Senator John Cornyn in Texas’s Republican Senate primary runoff.
  • Trump publicly states:
    • “Cornyn's a good man but did not support him when times were tough.” (Lakshmi Singh, 00:30)
  • The winner faces Democratic State Rep. James Talarico, known for his advocacy and use of scripture on social media.

• Primary Elections in Six States; Focus on Georgia and Alabama

  • NPR’s Domenico Montanaro highlights competitive Republican Senate primaries:
    • “Georgia is gonna be particularly important to watch because it's a really important Senate race with Democrat Jon Ossoff as the incumbent. Republicans would really love to flip that seat, but the Republican primary electorate in Georgia is… very different than the general election one, which has become much more purple.” (Domenico Montanaro, 01:11–01:36)

2. International Affairs

• Putin’s Visit to China
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin begins a two-day state visit to Beijing.
  • NPR’s Jennifer Pak analyzes:
    • “Putin calls President Xi an old friend... [and] praises the truly boundless potential of Russia China relations.” (Jennifer Pak, 01:52–02:33)
  • China has deepened trade with Russia since the Ukraine invasion but denies aiding Russia’s war effort.

3. Crisis Update: Wildfire in New Mexico

• Medical Flight Crash Sparks Major Wildfire
  • Fire in southeast New Mexico started by a medical flight crash, now burning nearly 25 square miles.
  • All four crew members perished; the area remains difficult to access due to terrain and weather.
  • Authorities have evacuated the sparsely populated region.
    • “Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. The crash sparked a small fire that quickly grew; dry, windy conditions helped the fire double in size between Sunday and Monday.” (Jeff Brady, 02:50–03:25)

4. Labor & Transit

• Long Island Rail Road Service Resumes After Strike
  • Strike ends with a tentative labor agreement between union workers and MTA; full service expected by evening rush hour.
    • “Service suspension on the busiest commuter rail system in the country affected more than a quarter million daily commuters in the New York City area.” (Lakshmi Singh, 03:25–03:50)

5. Science & Technology

• Advances in De-Extinction: Artificial Eggs for Extinct Birds
  • Texas-based Colossal Biosciences reveals successful development of fully functional artificial eggs.
  • Artificial eggs have hatched chicken chicks, paving the way towards potentially resurrecting the dodo and giant moa.
    • “Colossal says the advance demonstrates that the company's 3D printed plastic artificial eggs work… Scientists are still years away from recreating the extinct birds, but the company's also working on resurrecting other animals, including the woolly mammoth.” (Rob Stein, 04:07–04:57)
  • Critics question the ethics and feasibility of these de-extinction projects.

6. Economy

• Rising Gas Prices Linked to the War in Iran
  • Average price of regular gasoline in the U.S. increases to $4.53/gallon, connected to conflict in Iran.
    • “AAA says the price of a gallon of regular gasoline is now up to $4.53.” (Lakshmi Singh, 04:57)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Trump's Measured Endorsement:

  • “Cornyn's a good man but did not support him when times were tough.”
    (Lakshmi Singh recounting Trump’s statement, 00:30)

• Sharp Observation on Georgia’s Shifting Electorate:

  • “The Republican primary electorate in Georgia is very and very different than the general election one, which has become much more purple.”
    (Domenico Montanaro, 01:24)

• Putin's Diplomatic Flattery:

  • “Putin calls President Xi an old friend in a video… praises what he calls truly boundless potential of Russia China relations.”
    (Jennifer Pak, 01:52)

• On De-Extinction's Ethical Dilemmas:

  • “Critics question whether it would be safe, ethical or even possible to reawaken extinct creatures.”
    (Rob Stein, 04:57)

---

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Texas Senate Primary & Trump Endorsement: 00:30–01:11
• Senate Primaries in Georgia & Alabama: 01:11–01:36
• Putin Visits China: 01:36–02:33
• New Mexico Wildfire: 02:33–03:25
• LIRR Strike Resolution: 03:25–03:50
• De-Extinction Breakthrough: 04:07–04:57
• Gas Prices Rise Due to Iran War: 04:57–05:08

---

This brisk news episode delivers critical updates across politics, international relations, environment, labor, science, and economics with the factual, measured tone NPR is known for. Clips are tightly packed and informative, providing listeners a clear snapshot of the day’s top stories.

Transcript

[A]

This message comes from NPR's sponsor, Shopify. No idea where to sell? Shopify puts you in control of every sales channel. It is the commerce platform revolutionizing millions of businesses worldwide. Whether you're a garage entrepreneur or IPO ready, Shopify is the only tool you need to start, run and grow your business without the struggle. Once you've reached your audience, Shopify has the Internet's best converting checkout to help you turn them from browsers to buyers. Go to Shopify.com NPR to take your business to the next level today.

[B]

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump is weighing in on the Republican primary race for Senate in Texas one week before the runoff election. Trump is endorsing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Senator John Cornyn. The president says Cornyn's a good man but did not support him when times were tough. The winner in next Tuesday's election will face Democratic state Representative James Talarico, a former educator often viewed on social media, invoking scripture and in challenging GOP backed policies that he has viewed as marginalizing of vulnerable populations. NPR's Domenico Montanaro is following primary elections today in six states.

[C]

Tonight we're gonna see results from Senate primaries in Alabama and Georgia where the Republicans, they're all trying to out maga each other. Georgia is gonna be particularly important to watch because it's a really important Senate race with Democrat Jon Ossoff as the incumbent. Republicans would really love to flip that seat, but the Republican primary electorate in Georgia is very and very different than the general election one, which has become much more purple.

[B]

NPR's Domenico Montanaro reporting. Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Beijing to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Two day visit. Putin's trip comes days after China touted more stable relations with President Trump. Here's NPR's Jennifer Paak.

[D]

Russia's President Putin calls President Xi an old friend in a video he sent to the Chinese people ahead of his visit. In it, he praises what he calls truly boundless potential of Russia China relations. China has become Russia's lifeline, increasing trade between the two since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Though the Chinese deny supporting Russia's war effort. In addition to deals, a Kremlin spokesperson says Putin hopes to hear firsthand information about Xi's recent meeting with President Trump. While for China, Russia's energy resources are important as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed.

[B]

China.

[D]

Jennifer Pack, NPR News, Shanghai.

[B]

A wildfire in rural southeast New Mexico that started when a medical flight crashed has burned nearly 25 square miles. NPR's Jeff Brady reports. About 700 people are battling the fire north of the Capitan Mountains in the Lincoln National Forest.

[E]

A small medical plane crashed in the rural area 75 miles west of Roswell last Thursday. Four people were aboard the flight crew and medical personnel all died in the crash. Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. The crash sparked a small fire that quickly grew dry. Windy conditions helped the fire double in size between Sunday and Monday. The steep, rugged terrain has made it difficult to fight the forest fire. Authorities evacuated the sparsely populated area. Jeff Brady, NPR News.

[B]

You're listening to npr. Train service is resuming on the Long Island Railroad after unionized workers and the Metropolitan Transit Authority reached a tentative labor deal to end a days long strike. Service suspension on the busiest commuter rail system in the country affected more than a quarter million daily commuters in the New York City area. Currently limited service is expected to fully resume by evening rush hour. A Texas biotech company says it has taken an important step toward bringing the dodo and another bird back from extinction. NPR's Rob Stein with a story.

[F]

Colossal Biosciences in Dallas says the company has created fully functional artificial eggs that can gestate bird embryos. So far, the company has used the eggs to hatch healthy chicken chicks. But Colossal says the advance demonstrates that the company's 3D printed plastic artificial eggs work. The company is now working on larger artificial eggs that could gestate the dodo and another flightless bird that disappeared hundreds of years ago, called the giant moa. Colossal says scientists are still years away from recreating the extinct birds, but the company's also working on resurrecting other animals, including the woolly mammoth. Critics question whether it would be safe, ethical or even possible to reawaken extinct creatures. Rob Stein, NPR News.

[B]

Tracing gas prices linked to the war in Iran, AAA says the price of a gallon of regular gasoline is now up to $4.53. It's NPR.

[G]

This message comes from Amazon. Free your team from time consuming procurement tasks. Discover smart business buying, where unmatched selection meets AI driven tools to simplify complex processes. Learn [e-mail].