NPR News: 05-22-2026 11PM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now — May 22, 2026, 11PM EDT

Host: Dan Ronan
Duration: 5 minutes
Main Theme: A concise roundup of major US and global news events, with reporting from NPR correspondents on politics, science, public health, and business.

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Key News Highlights

Tulsi Gabbard Resigns as Director of National Intelligence

• Topic: Tulsi Gabbard steps down from her post in the Trump administration to support her husband in battling a rare bone cancer.
• Details:
  • Gabbard thanked President Trump for the opportunity but stated she "cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time consuming position." [Franco Ordonez, 00:32]
  • She joins a recent wave of high-level departures, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
  • President Trump praised her, saying she did an "incredible" job and announcing Aaron Lucas as acting DNI.
  • Quote:

    “I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time consuming position.” — Tulsi Gabbard’s resignation letter (as reported by Franco Ordonez, 00:32)

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SpaceX’s Mixed Starship Rocket Test Ahead of Public Offering

• Topic: SpaceX’s 12th Starship test produced mixed results shortly before the company plans to go public.
• Details:
  • The rocket launched from South Texas; the booster detached but failed to return to Earth, ending in the Gulf.
  • Despite engine trouble, the main Starship released test satellites and landed in the southern Indian Ocean. [Jeff Brumfiel, 01:26]
  • Starship is critical to SpaceX’s future ambitions.
  • Quote:

    “The rocket’s massive booster separated, but its engines failed to steer it back to Earth and it was lost before it could return as planned.” — Jeff Brumfiel (01:35)
    “And it looks like the booster ended its mission there in the Gulf. But we’ve got a ship still flying.” — Scott Horsley (01:42)

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End of an Era: CBS Radio Signs Off After 99 Years

• Topic: CBS Radio, a historic voice in broadcast journalism, ceases operations.
• Details:
  • Sign-off marks the end of nearly a century, as audience habits shift and the parent company transitions under Skydance Media. [Scott Horsley, 02:18]
  • Its “World News Roundup” remains the longest-running newscast in the US.
  • Christopher Cruz anchored the final broadcast, reflecting on CBS’s storied role and honoring its legacy.
  • Quote:

    “From Edward R. Murrow's eyewitness accounts of wartime London to Charles Osgood's wry, sometimes rhyming commentaries, CBS was a pioneer in broadcast news.” — Scott Horsley (02:18)

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Charges Dropped Against Mistakenly Deported Man

• Topic: Human smuggling charges dismissed against Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
• Details:
  • Garcia was mistakenly deported to El Salvador and endured time in a maximum-security prison.
  • No further details were provided in this brief report. [Dan Ronan, 03:01]

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DRC Ebola Outbreak Grows, No New Cases in Uganda

• Topic: Rapid spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; 800+ cases and 177 deaths so far.
• Details:
  • Declared only a week earlier, it is the third-largest Ebola outbreak ever. [Jonathan Lambert, 03:31]
  • WHO describes cross-border risk as low, but local risk as high; Uganda saw no new cases after last weekend’s spike.
  • No approved vaccines for this Ebola species; containment relies on contact tracing.
  • Quote:

    “There are no approved vaccines or treatments for this particular species of Ebola, so basic public health measures like contact tracing are key.” — Jonathan Lambert (03:31)

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Kevin Warsh Sworn In as Federal Reserve Chairman

• Topic: Kevin Warsh becomes Fed chair, pledging independence amid pressure from President Trump for interest rate cuts.
• Details:
  • Swearing-in marks the first such ceremony at the White House in nearly four decades. [Dan Ronan, 04:14]
  • Trump continues to criticize former Chair Jerome Powell’s rate policies for allegedly slowing the economy.
  • All major stock indexes closed higher:
    • Dow: +294 points (record 50,579)
    • S&P: +27 points
    • Nasdaq: +50 points

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time consuming position.”
  — Tulsi Gabbard’s resignation letter (Franco Ordonez, 00:32)

• “And it looks like the booster ended its mission there in the Gulf. But we've got a ship still flying.”
  — Scott Horsley, describing the SpaceX test (01:42)

• “From Edward R. Murrow's eyewitness accounts of wartime London to Charles Osgood's wry, sometimes rhyming commentaries, CBS was a pioneer in broadcast news.”
  — Scott Horsley (02:18)

• “There are no approved vaccines or treatments for this particular species of Ebola, so basic public health measures like contact tracing are key.”
  — Jonathan Lambert (03:31)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:13: Tulsi Gabbard’s resignation as DNI
• 01:17: SpaceX Starship test analysis
• 02:07: CBS Radio’s sign-off after 99 years
• 03:01: Charges dropped for deported man
• 03:31: DRC Ebola outbreak update
• 04:14: Kevin Warsh sworn in as Fed chair

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This episode of NPR News Now delivered a succinct but thorough briefing on significant political, scientific, and media events, maintaining NPR’s clear and authoritative news voice.

Transcript

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[Dan Ronan]

[e-mail] Live from NPR News, I'm Dan Ronan. Tulsi Gabbard is resigning as President Trump's director of national intelligence. She says she's leaving to support her husband, who's battling a rare bone cancer. NPR's Franco Adornes.

[Franco Ordonez]

In a letter to President Trump, Gabbard thanked the president for the opportunity to leave the office of the director of National Intelligence. But she said she needed to be there for her husband. She wrote, I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in his demanding and time consuming position. Gabbard is the latest in a series of Cabinet officials to leave the Trump administration. Other departures include Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Trump commended Gabbard for doing a, quote, incredible and said he will miss her. He added that principal Deputy director of national Intelligence Aaron Lucas will serve as acting director of national intelligence. Franco Ordonez, NPR News, the White House.

[Dan Ronan]

SpaceX conducted the 12th test of its massive new Starship rocket. NPR's Jeff Brunfield reports. The test was partially successful.

[Jeff Brumfiel]

The huge starship rocket shot into space from its launch pad in South Texas.

[Scott Horsley]

Four, three, ignition.

[Jeff Brumfiel]

The rocket's massive booster separated, but its engines failed to steer it back to Earth and it was lost before it could return as planned.

[Scott Horsley]

And it looks like the booster ended its mission there in the Gulf. But we've got a ship still flying.

[Jeff Brumfiel]

Starship also had some engine trouble, but it made it to space, where it released some test satellites. Then it landed in the southern Indian Ocean. The mixed outcome of the test comes just a few weeks before SpaceX plans to go public. Starship is a critical part of its future. Jeff Brumfiel, NPR News.

[Dan Ronan]

At this hour, the radio dial is losing one of Its signature voices. NPR's Scott Horsley reports. After 99 years on the air, CBS Radio is signing off for the last time.

[Scott Horsley]

From Edward R. Murrow's eyewitness accounts of wartime London to Charles Osgood's wry, sometimes rhyming commentaries, CBS was a pioneer in broadcast news. Its morning drive flagship, the World News Roundup, is the longest running newscast in the country. But the audience for radio in general has been shrinking as technology and listening habits change. CBS's parent company was sold to David Ellison's Skydance Media last year and the new owners announced in March the radio network would go dark this weekend. Christopher Cruz was tapped to anchor the network's final broadcast. Cruise told NPR's Morning Edition he'd be thinking of all the radio voices who'd gone before and what they built. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

[Dan Ronan]

A federal judge has dismissed human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He's the man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador last year and served time in a maximum security prison. This is NPR News. The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading rapidly. NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports. There are now more than 800 suspected and confirmed cases and at least 177 deaths.

[Jonathan Lambert]

Despite being declared only one week ago, this Ebola outbreak has already become the third largest on record. The WHO says the risk outside of the region is low but high. In Central Africa, there is some good news. On Friday, WHO officials said that there have been no new cases reported in neighboring Uganda after the two that popped up last weekend. As the virus spreads in northeastern DRC response teams are scrambling to contain the outbreak. And there are no approved vaccines or treatments for this particular species of Ebola, so basic public health measures like contact tracing are key. WHO officials say that over 1400 contacts of suspected cases have been notified and are being tracked for any signs of illness. Jonathan Lambert, NPR News.

[Dan Ronan]

Kevin Warsh is now the new chairman of the Federal Reserve. He was sworn in Friday at the White House, pledging to remain independent. President Trump has said numerous times he wants the Fed to cut interest rates and that former Chairman Jerome Powell kept rates too high, which he claims slowed the economy. The swearing in ceremony was for the first time in nearly 40 years, held at the White House instead of the Federal Reserve. All three stock indexes closed up on Friday. The Dow added 294 points, closing at a record 50,579. The S&P added 27 points. The Nasdaq also was positive, adding 50. This is NPR News. I'm Dan Ronan.

[Jonathan Lambert]

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