NPR News: 05-20-2025 9PM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now: May 21, 2025, 9 PM EDT

Live from Washington, this comprehensive summary captures the key discussions and insights from the latest NPR News Now episode aired on May 20, 2025.

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1. Senate Republicans Address House Spending Plan

Host: Jack Spear
Timestamp: [00:13 - 01:22]

Senate Republicans are signaling that the substantial House spending plan requires further deliberation before it can achieve final passage. Following a meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune emphasized the gravity of fiscal responsibility. Thune stated, “[The recent US credit rating downgrade] is a warning shot for ongoing talks shaping a new sweeping partisan spending plan” (00:34). Kristi Noem, a prominent Senate GOP leader, echoed the need for significant reductions in spending: “In order for a bill to get through the House and the Senate and on the president's desk, it has to make a meaningful dent in the out of control spending we've seen over the past several years” (00:45).

Despite these assurances, the path forward remains complex. President Trump continues to advocate for his “big beautiful bill,” which faces numerous competing demands from various factions within the GOP. Claudio Grosales reported from the Capitol that while Speaker Johnson has reassured Senate Republicans that the proposed tax cuts and spending package will not increase the deficit or debt, the negotiations are far from settled (01:22).

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2. Misinterpretation of Habeas Corpus in Senate Hearing

Host: Jack Spear
Timestamp: [01:22 - 03:09]

A contentious moment unfolded during a Senate hearing on Capitol Hill when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem misdefined the legal term habeas corpus. When questioned by New Hampshire Democrat Maggie Hassan, Noem inaccurately described it as a presidential power to remove individuals and suspend their rights, prompting immediate correction: “Excuse me, that's incorrect” (01:57).

Hassan highlighted the fundamental importance of habeas corpus, stating, “It's the foundational right that separates free societies like America from police states like North Korea” (01:39). The White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller, previously discussed potential suspensions of habeas corpus to broaden the administration’s authority to deport migrants, adding another layer of controversy to the hearing.

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3. National Weather Service Faces Operational Challenges Due to Staff Cuts

Reporters: Hannah Mersbach and Tom Fahey
Timestamp: [02:23 - 03:09]

Severe weather events this spring have strained the National Weather Service (NWS), leading to the suspension of 24-hour shifts in several offices across Alaska, California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, and Wyoming. Hannah Mersbach reported that these shutdowns are a direct result of federal budget cuts, which have reduced staffing levels by up to 60% in some locations (02:51).

Tom Fahey of the weather service union likened the current situation to “triage” or “battlefield medicine,” indicating that the agency is prioritizing critical operations despite the workforce reductions. Although the Trump administration approved 155 temporary employees, the NWS has lost approximately 600 workers in recent months. Despite these challenges, the agency asserts that it continues to fulfill its core mission (02:43).

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4. Wall Street Sees Declines Amid Economic Uncertainty

Host: Jack Spear
Timestamp: [03:09 - 03:22]

In today's market update, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 114 points, while the Nasdaq decreased by 72 points. These declines reflect broader economic uncertainties impacting investor confidence (03:09).

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5. Israel’s Offensive in Gaza Continues Amid International Criticism

Host: Jack Spear
Timestamp: [03:22 - 03:56]

Israel persists with its latest offensive in Gaza despite growing international disapproval. The Israeli military conducted airstrikes resulting in the deaths of at least 85 Palestinians, according to local health officials. Concurrently, Israeli authorities reported permitting the passage of additional aid trucks into Gaza. However, there remains significant uncertainty regarding the actual delivery of these supplies to the two million residents trapped under an Israeli blockade for nearly three months. The situation remains volatile, with ongoing debates about the humanitarian impact and the strategic objectives of the offensive (03:09 - 03:56).

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6. "Heart Lamp" Wins International Booker Prize

Reporter: Andrew Limbong
Timestamp: [03:56 - 04:38]

The International Booker Prize has been awarded to Batu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasti for their exceptional short story collection, Heart Lamp. This marks the first time a short story collection has received this honor. Originally written in Kannada, the book spans stories composed between 1990 and 2023, many inspired by real-life incidents relayed by women seeking Mushtaq’s legal and advocacy assistance.

Andrew Limbong highlighted the judges' praise, describing the collection as “beautiful, busy, and life-affirming.” The award comes with a prize of £50,000 (approximately $66,000), split between the author and translator (03:56).

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7. World Bee Day Highlights Decline in Bee Populations

Host: Jack Spear and Claudio Grosales
Timestamp: [04:38 - 04:56]

Today marks the 8th annual World Bee Day, underscoring the critical role bees play in pollinating crops essential to human consumption. However, experts warn of a continued decline in bee populations due to factors such as pesticide use, parasites, and diseases. Claudio Grosales emphasized the irreplaceable nature of bees, noting, “Bees are hugely important to humans since they pollinate a significant number of crops that humans eat” (04:47).

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Note: Advertisements and non-content segments have been omitted from this summary to focus solely on the informative aspects of the podcast episode.

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For more detailed coverage and updates, listeners are encouraged to access the full episode of NPR News Now.

Transcript

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[Jack Spear]

Support [e-mail] Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Senate Republicans say a massive House spending plan still has a long way to go before final passage.

[Claudio Grosales]

And NPR's Claudio Grosales reports.

[Jack Spear]

The Senate's GOP leaders made the remarks after meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson.

[John Thune]

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said a recent US Credit rating downgrade is a warning shot for ongoing talks shaping a new sweeping partisan spending plan.

[Kristi Noem]

And that's why I think a lot of our colleagues have made it very clear that in order for a bill to get through the House and the Senate and on the president's desk, it has to make a meaningful dent in the out of control spending we've seen over the past several years.

[John Thune]

Thune said House Speaker Mike Johnson reassured Senate Republicans that the tax cuts and spending package cannot raise the deficit or debt. The group met after President Trump pushed House Republicans to approve what he calls his big beautiful bill, one that still faces a long list of competing demands from various GOP factions. Claudio de Sales, NPR News, the Capitol.

[Jack Spear]

Habeas corpus is a legal term for the constitutional provision giving people the right to challenge their attention by the government. Government. But Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, during a Senate hearing on Capitol Hill today, clearly thought it meant something else. Here's New Hampshire Democrat Maggie Haysen questioning Noem.

[Kristi Noem]

Secretary Noem, what is habeas corpus? Well, habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country, suspend their rights. Let me stop, ma' am. Habeas corpus. Excuse me, that's, that's incorrect. President. Habeas corpus. Excuse me.

[Jack Spear]

Hasson called habeas corpus the foundational right that separates free societies like America from police states like North Korea. Meanwhile, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Millers talked about suspending it in order to expand the administration's ability to deport migrants. As tornadoes and severe weather hit the country this spring, some National Weather Service offices are halting round the clock shifts because of lack of staff. Mountain West News Bureau's Hannah Burrs Bach reports.

[Hannah Mersbach]

Offices in Alaska, California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and Wyoming are shutting down from 11 at night to 6 in the morning. That's because staff is down by up to 60% in those offices due to federal cuts. The weather service union's Tom Fahey says nearby offices could help pick up the slack.

[Tom Fahey]

The weather service at this particular time is simply doing triage. It's like battlefield medicine. You have a pop up hospital that comes in, takes care of people.

[Hannah Mersbach]

Fahey says the Trump administration has approved 155 temporary employees, but the weather service has lost about 600 workers in recent months. The agency said it continues to meet its core mission. For NPR News, I'm Hannah Mersbach in Jackson, Wyoming.

[Jack Spear]

On Wall street, the dow is down 114 points. The Nasdaq fell 72 points. This is NPR. Israel, in the face of mounting international criticism, is continuing to move ahead with its latest offensive in Gaza. The Israeli military launching airstrikes today that health officials in Gaza say killed at least 85 Palestinians. Israeli officials, at the same time they were carrying out the strikes, said they did allow dozens more aid trucks to enter Gaza, though it's not clear whether the supplies are reaching any of the 2 million people there who've been under an Israeli blockade for nearly three months. A book about Muslim women and girls in southern India has won this year's International Booker Prize. It is called heart lamp. As NPR's Andrew Limbong explains, it is the first short story collection to win the award.

[Andrew Limbong]

The International Booker Prize goes to the best fiction translated into English. And this year, the author Batu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasti won for the book Heart Lamp. It's a collection of stories Mushtaq wrote between 1990 and 2023, originally in the Kannada language, which is used mostly in Southern. Mushtaq is a lawyer and a women's rights advocate, and many of the stories in the book are inspired by incidents she'd hear from the woman coming to her looking for help. The judges called the book beautiful, busy and life affirming. The International Booker Award comes with a prize of 50,000 British pounds, about US$66,000, split between the author and translator, Angela Mbang, NPR News.

[Jack Spear]

Today is the 8th annual World Bee Day. Experts say the insect's numbers continue to fall as a combination of factors ranging from insecticides to parasite sites to disease.

[Claudio Grosales]

Less than their numbers. Bees are hugely important to humans since.

[Jack Spear]

They pollinate a significant number of crops that humans eat. This is npr.

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