NPR News: 05-21-2025 1PM EDT

Summary

NPR News: May 21, 2025 – 1 PM EDT

US and South Africa Relations: Refugee Status Debate

Host Lakshmi Singh opens the episode by discussing President Trump's meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. A contentious issue arose during a Q&A session when reporters questioned Trump about his decision to grant refugee status to a group of white South Africans, juxtaposed with the revocation of protected statuses for Afghans, Venezuelans, and others.

Elon Musk, Trump's closest adviser present at the meeting, addressed the concerns by stating, “We have many people that feel they're being persecuted and they're coming to the United States. So we take from many, many locations if we feel there's persecution or genocide going on” (00:36). However, President Ramaphosa and other South African officials have firmly denied that Afrikaners are being targeted, challenging the legitimacy of the refugee claims made by the immigrants recently arrived in the US.

GOP Budget Bill and Tax Cuts

Deirdre Walsh reports on the ongoing struggles within the GOP leadership to secure enough votes for the passage of Trump’s budget bill, which notably includes significant tax cuts. She highlights that, “The tax cuts are really the central plague in the bill” (01:23), emphasizing that the legislation not only extends the 2017 tax cuts, set to expire in December, but also introduces new tax breaks such as exempting tips on overtime and eliminating taxes on tips. These benefits, however, are slated to expire four years after Trump's presidency ends.

Challenges in the Retail Sector

Scott Horsley provides an update on the retail landscape, noting that Target has reported disappointing sales and earnings for the latest quarter, subsequently lowering its full-year forecast. Target has become a focal point in the culture wars, facing boycotts from both sides, while also contending with rising tariffs. In contrast, Lowe's delivered slightly better news for investors, with profits exceeding expectations despite a drop in sales, which was less severe than anticipated (01:54).

EU Reviews Agreement with Israel Amid Gaza Crisis

The European Union has announced a review of its 25-year-old political and economic agreement with Israel in response to the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. Kaya Kallis, the EU's top diplomat, stated, “The aid Israel has allowed into Gaza is welcomed, but she called it a drop in the ocean” (02:30). Kallis urged Israel to facilitate more substantial and unhindered aid to address the needs of Gaza’s population, especially with the UN warning of imminent mass starvation affecting 14,000 babies.

Justice Department Shifts Stance on Police Accountability

In a significant policy reversal, the Justice Department (DOJ) is stepping back from cases against police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky, abandoning the use of consent decrees intended to enforce accountability within law enforcement agencies. This decision comes just days before the fifth anniversary of George Floyd's murder. Additionally, the DOJ will close investigations into police departments in six other jurisdictions, including Phoenix, Trenton, and Memphis, Tennessee (03:11).

Surge in AI-Powered Sports Betting Raises Concerns

A notable increase in sports betting activities, driven by artificial intelligence tools, has raised alarms among tech experts and addiction counselors. Windsor Johnson reports that platforms leveraging AI for sports predictions have seen a dramatic surge, with Google Trends showing a 4,000% increase in related searches (04:04). Robert P. Shoemaker, a computer science expert, warns about the dangers of misleading marketing and exaggerated claims made by influencers promoting untested AI systems. Scott Horsley adds that such practices “can further erode critical thinking and encourage risky behavior” (04:27). Mental health experts are particularly concerned that younger users might develop a false sense of confidence in AI-assisted betting, potentially leading to increased gambling addiction (04:38).

Market Update

The episode concludes with a brief financial update, noting that the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down by 343 points (04:49).

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Timestamps:

• 00:36: Elon Musk’s statement on refugee acceptance
• 01:23: Deirdre Walsh on GOP tax cuts
• 01:54: Scott Horsley on Target and Lowe’s performance
• 02:30: Kaya Kallis on EU-Israel agreement review
• 03:11: DOJ’s reversal on police accountability
• 04:04: Windsor Johnson on AI sports betting surge
• 04:27: Scott Horsley on misleading AI marketing
• 04:38: Mental health concerns related to AI betting
• 04:49: Dow Jones update

This comprehensive summary captures the key discussions and insights from the NPR News Now episode, providing a clear overview for those who haven't listened to the broadcast.

Transcript

[Sponsor Voice]

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[Lakshmi Singh]

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump is hosting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. A short time ago, when remarks turned to a Q and A with reporters at the White House, Trump was asked why he granted refugee status to a group of white South Africans while the US Revoked the protected status of Afghans, Venezuelans and others.

[Kaya Kallis]

We have many people that feel they're being persecuted and they're coming to the United States. So we take from many, many locations if we feel there's persecution or genocide going on.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Trump's closest adviser, Elon Musk, who is in the room, has also been outspoken about alleged violence against white South African landowners. Musk is a South African native. However, South Africa's Ramaphosa and others have flatly denied Afrikaners are being targeted. He said that the group that arrived in the US Last week does not fit the definition of a refugee. Members of the Freedom Caucus who've been demanding deeper spending cuts in Trump's budget bill are expected at the White House today. NPR's Deirdre Walsh reports. The GOP leadership struggled to garner enough votes to get the legislation passed, including Trump's tax cuts.

[Deirdre Walsh]

The tax cuts are really the central plague in the bill. The bill permanently extends the 2017 tax cuts that are going to expire at the end of December. It adds new tax breaks like no tips on overtime, no tax on tips, things that Trump campaigned on. Those tax breaks expire in four years after Trump leaves office.

[Lakshmi Singh]

NPR's Deirdre Walsh. It's a challenging time for the nation's big retailers. Meanwhile, NPR, Scott Horsley reporting on the differing fortunes of two big chains.

[Scott Horsley]

Discount retailer Target reported disappointing sales and earnings for the most recent quarter and lowered its forecast for the full year. The the chain's become a target for both sides in the culture wars, prompting boycotts. Like other retailers, Target's also wrestling with the rising cost of tariffs. The home improvement chain Lowe's had slightly better news for investors with profits that outpaced low expectations. Lowe's sales dropped during the quarter, but not as much as had been feared. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

[Lakshmi Singh]

The EU says it will review its political and economic agreement with Israel over what it calls a catastrophic situation in Gaza. Here's NPR's Rob Schmitz.

[Kaya Kallis]

The EU's top diplomat, Kaya Kallis, said the aid Israel has allowed into Gaza is welcomed, but she called it a drop in the ocean. She says Israel must allow more aid to immediately enter Gaza without obstruction and at a level that is needed for more than 11 weeks. Israel has blocked aid from entering the Gaza Strip before allowing a small amount in the past few days. The UN warned this week of imminent mass starvation, saying 14,000 babies in Gaza are at risk of dying in the next two days. Kalis says because of this, the EU will review the 25 year old EU Israel Association Agreement, which oversees both political dialogue and the free exchange of goods.

[Lakshmi Singh]

It's NPR News. The Justice Department is backing away from cases against police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky, reversing course on the use of consent decrees to help ensure accountability for law enforcement agencies. This only days before the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota nearly five years ago. The DOJ says it'll also close investigations of police in six other jurisdictions, including in Phoenix, Trenton and Memphis, Tennessee. There has been a surge in sports betting recently that's powered by artificial intelligence. Tech experts and addiction counselors concerned about this, major online platforms have not spelled out clear rules on AI gambling. NPR's Windsor Johnson reports. Experts are calling for discussion around online betting and its risks.

[Sponsor Voice]

Google Trends data Show searches for AI sports predictions have jumped more than 4,000% in recent weeks as TikTok creators share videos of themselves using tools like ChatGPT to pick game winners. Some say they've made thousands of dollars that way, but researchers say those claims are potentially dangerous. Robert P. Shoemaker is a computer science expert at the University of Texas at Tyler.

[Scott Horsley]

The rise of misleading marketing, such as influencers promoting untested or exaggerated AI systems.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Can further erode critical thinking and encourage risky behavior.

[Sponsor Voice]

With younger users increasingly trusting influencer content, mental health experts warn that AI could give sports bettors a false sense of confidence. Windsor Johnston, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

The dow is down 343 points. It's NPR.

[Sponsor Voice]

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[Kaya Kallis]

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[Kaya Kallis]

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