Biden’s Cancer Diagnosis, and Why Ukraine is Seeing a Surge of Violence

Summary

The Headlines – Episode Summary: "Biden’s Cancer Diagnosis, and Why Ukraine is Seeing a Surge of Violence"

Release Date: May 19, 2025
Host: Tracie Mumford
Source: The New York Times

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1. Former President Joe Biden's Cancer Diagnosis

In a significant development, former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. According to a statement released by his office yesterday (00:02), Biden's cancer rates a 9 out of 10 on the aggressiveness scale and has metastasized to his bones. Prostate cancer experts have indicated that this stage of cancer is currently incurable. However, advancements in medical treatments over the past decade have dramatically improved survival rates, almost tripling them. A leading oncologist told The New York Times that with appropriate treatment, Biden, who is 82 years old, may still live for five to ten more years.

Key Treatment Approaches:

• Hormone Therapy: Eliminates testosterone, which feeds prostate cancer.
• Chemotherapy and Radiation: Often employed alongside hormone treatments to manage the disease.

Biden's office confirmed that he and his family are actively reviewing various treatment options in consultation with his medical team.

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2. Surge of Violence in Ukraine Amid Diplomatic Efforts

Reporter: Mark Santora in Kyiv
Timestamp: 02:03

Amid ongoing diplomatic activities aimed at resolving the war in Ukraine, violence on the ground has been escalating. Mark Santora, reporting from Kyiv, highlights a troubling pattern where Russia intensifies military actions to undermine diplomatic negotiations. This week witnessed the largest drone strike in the conflict’s history, involving over 270 long-range explosive drones targeted at Ukraine. Additionally, Russian forces have increased assaults on the front lines, signaling a potential large-scale offensive this summer.

Santora notes, “With each round of intense diplomatic activity in this war, there's been a corresponding rise in violence” (02:09). The conflict has reached a harrowing toll, with last year proving deadlier than the first two years combined, and the initial three months of this year surpassing any previous three-month period in terms of casualties.

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3. Russia’s Military Buildup Along the Finnish Border

Tracie Mumford reports that satellite imagery analyzed by The New York Times reveals significant Russian military enhancements along its 800-mile border with Finland—the longest NATO-Russia contact line. The installations include rows of tents, new warehouses, and renovated hangars for fighter jets. While NATO and Finnish officials do not consider this buildup an immediate threat, it underscores Russia’s intention to strengthen its military presence in the increasingly contested Arctic region.

Finnish defense officials have expressed expectations that Russia will substantially increase troop numbers in the region over the next few years. Should the conflict in Ukraine de-escalate, it is anticipated that thousands of Russian troops could be redeployed to the Finnish border.

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4. U.S. Political Landscape: Progress on the Budget Mega Bill

Updates from Washington, D.C.
Timestamp: 04:13

In Washington, D.C., hardline House Republicans have reached a consensus to advance the budget mega bill, a cornerstone of President Trump's agenda, despite prior resistance. As Tracie Mumford reports, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced intentions to bring the bill to a full House vote this week, aiming to pass the promised tax and spending cuts. However, the bill's future remains uncertain as GOP holdouts continue to demand further reductions in health and environmental programs, necessitating additional support from Speaker Johnson to secure passage.

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5. Devastating Storms and Weather Service Challenges in the U.S.

A series of severe storms and tornadoes have wreaked havoc across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, resulting in at least 28 fatalities and numerous injuries, predominantly in Kentucky and Missouri. The mayor of St. Louis described the recent storms as "one of the worst in the city's history," with approximately 5,000 buildings damaged.

Complicating the response efforts, the National Weather Service (NWS) is facing significant staffing shortages due to budget cuts mandated by the Department of Government Efficiency. Tracie Mumford highlights that several NWS offices, including the eastern Kentucky weather office, no longer maintain permanent overnight forecasters, undermining the agency's ability to provide timely and accurate weather updates. A union representative lamented, “For most of the last half century, NWS has been a 24/7 operation. Not anymore” (05:12).

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6. Terrorist Attack in Palm Springs: Fertility Clinic Bombing

In a shocking act of violence, a bombing was carried out at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs over the weekend. The attack was perpetrated by a 25-year-old man who perished in the blast, resulting in four additional injuries. Authorities have classified the incident as an act of terrorism, citing the suspect's "nihilistic ideations."

Investigators are probing potential connections between the bombing and a fringe movement that opposes the creation of new life and promotes death. Prior to the attack, an audio recording surfaced on a related website where an individual declared intentions to bomb an in vitro fertilization clinic out of personal anger towards his own existence. Sources indicate that the investigation is ongoing to determine whether the recorded message was indeed produced by the bomber.

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7. The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in U.S. Education

Reporter: Natasha Singer
Timestamp: 07:23

Schools across the United States are grappling with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into educational settings. Concerns have arisen regarding academic integrity, the spread of misinformation by chatbots, and the potential for teachers to rely on AI to develop curricula. The rapid advancement and adoption of AI technologies have left many educators uncertain about the future landscape of education.

Natasha Singer's visit to Miami Dade County Public Schools, the third-largest school district in the U.S., reveals a proactive approach to AI implementation. Initially resistant, the district reversed its stance as AI’s prevalence became undeniable. In an English class example, students utilized a Google chatbot to receive preliminary feedback on their writing assignments before submitting them to their teacher. This method aims to enhance students' writing skills efficiently.

Daniel Mateo, the assistant superintendent overseeing the AI rollout, emphasized the strategic use of AI as a tool rather than a transformative entity. He stated, “We are looking at AI as if it is a tool, not some kind of magical, transformative, world-changing platform” (08:08). The district is focused on establishing safeguards and educating both teachers and students on effectively leveraging AI tools within the educational framework.

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Conclusion

This episode of The Headlines delves into critical global and national issues, from the personal health struggles of a prominent political figure to the intensifying conflict in Ukraine and its broader geopolitical ramifications. Additionally, it highlights significant domestic challenges, including severe weather events exacerbated by governmental resource constraints, acts of terrorism, and the transformative yet contentious role of artificial intelligence in education. Through in-depth reporting and expert insights, The New York Times provides listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the pressing matters shaping today's world.

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For more detailed coverage and analysis, listen to the full episode on the New York Times Audio app or your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

[Tracie Mumford]

From the New York Times, it's the Headlines. I'm Tracie Mumford. Today's Monday, May 19th. Here's what we're covering. Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, according to his office. In a statement released yesterday, the office said that on a scale measuring how aggressive prostate cancers are, Biden's is a 9 out of 10. The cancer has also spread to his bones. Prostate cancer experts told the Times that means it cannot be cured. But there have been significant medical developments in recent years that have improved the prognosis for people with Biden's condition. Experts say that in the past decade, survival rates have almost tripled. One doctor told the Times that with treatment, Biden, who's 82 years old, could still live for five to 10 more years. Because prostate cancer is fed by testosterone, treatment typically includes both injections and pills to eliminate the hormone from the body. Some men also go on to have chemotherapy or radiation. In the statement, Biden's office said he and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians. This morning in Washington, President Trump is expected to have a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine. Trump said that after he talks to Putin, he'll also speak with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. And he posted on social media that he hoped it would be a, quote, productive day that would lead to a ceasefire. Trump came into office promising to quickly stop the fighting in Ukraine, where over a million Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have been killed or injured. But so far, the White House has been unable to negotiate a wide scale truce, even as there's been a flurry of discussions, including the first in person talks between Ukrainian and Russian diplomats that took place on Friday.

[Mark Santora]

All of this diplomatic activity is happening against a backdrop of escalating violence.

[Tracie Mumford]

My colleague Mark Santora is in Kyiv and has been reporting on the war since it started more than three years ago.

[Mark Santora]

With each round of intense diplomatic activity in this war, there's been a corresponding rise in violence. Ukrainian and Western officials see a pattern where Russia tries to use the violence as a means to intimidate both Ukraine and its allies at critical diplomatic moments. This week, we saw the largest drone strike aimed at Ukraine of the entire war. More than 270 basically long range exploding drones packed with, you know, really powerful explosives. And then on the front line, you have stepped up assaults by the Russians ahead of what many Ukrainian and Western officials believe will be a large scale offensive effort this summer. So you see this continuing trend line over the last three years, where last year was deadlier than the first two years combined, and then the first three months of this year are deadlier than any other three month period in terms of casualties with soldiers.

[Tracie Mumford]

Meanwhile, a Times analysis of satellite imagery shows that Russia has been beefing up military bases along its border with Finland. The images show recently installed rows of tents, new warehouses and renovations to hangars for fighter jets. The 800 mile border is the longest line of contact between Russia and the NATO alliance. And while officials from NATO and Finland say they don't see the buildup of infrastructure as an immediate threat, it does suggest that Russia intends to boost its military presence in the Arctic region, which has become increasingly contested. Finnish defense officials told the Times they expect to see Russia significantly boost the number of troops there in the next few years and that if the war in Ukraine does wind down, thousands of Russian troops from that conflict will likely be redeployed to the Finnish border. Now, a few quick updates from around the US this weekend.

[Natasha Singer]

The ayes have it.

[Tracie Mumford]

The motion's agreed to the One Big.

[Natasha Singer]

Beautiful Bill act is ordered reported favorably.

[Tracie Mumford]

To the House late last night in Washington, D.C. the group of hardline House Republicans who had been holding up the budget mega bill that's key to President Trump's agenda agreed to let it move out of committee despite their ongoing critique that it doesn't do enough to rein in the country's growing deficit. House Speaker Mike Johnson says he now wants the full House to vote on it this week to push through the tax cuts and spending cuts the president's promised. But the legislation's path forward still looks rocky. The GOP holdouts have indicated they'll continue to push for more reductions in health and environmental programs, and Johnson will need their votes to move the plan forward. Also, in the Midwest and mid Atlantic.

[Mark Santora]

The roof flew off the whole building and the walls came crashing in. It's bad. We need help.

[Tracie Mumford]

A series of deadly storms and tornadoes killed at least 28 and injured dozens more. Most of those killed were in Kentucky and Missouri. The mayor of St. Louis called it one of the worst storms in the city's history, estimating that 5,000 buildings there were damaged. The storms came as the National Weather Service has been struggling to keep some of its offices staffed. The union that represents federal meteorologists said the weather office in eastern Kentucky no longer has a permanent overnight forecaster and had to scramble on Friday. It's one of several offices that's lost staff in the wake of cuts ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency. One Union official said, quote, for most of the last half century, NWS has been a 247 operation. Not anymore. And in Palm Springs, what I can say is this is probably the largest bombing scene that we've had in Southern California. Investigators say a bombing attack on a fertility clinic this Saturday was carried out by a 25 year old man who died in the blast. Authorities called the attack, which injured four others, an act of terrorism, saying the suspect had, quote, nihilistic ideations. They're investigating a link between the bombing and an obscure movement that discourages the creation of new life and promotes death. Ahead of the bombing, audio was posted to a website related to the movement featuring a man who said he was going to bomb an in vitro fertilization clinic because he was angry at his own existence. Sources tell the Times investigators are trying to verify whether the recording was made by the bomber. And finally, across the country, schools are wrestling with how to handle the rise of artificial intelligence. There's been concerns about cheating, about chatbots spewing false information, even about teachers letting chatbots write their syllabus. Given how quickly the technology is developing and spreading, no one's sure what next school year could bring. But Times reporter Natasha Singer recently went to Florida to see what it looks like when a district goes all in on AI.

[Natasha Singer]

Miami Dade County Public Schools, the third largest US School district, is in the middle of this staggering effort to roll out AI chatbots for all teachers and also for more than 100,000 high school students.

[Tracie Mumford]

Natasha says Miami Dade, like a lot of other districts, initially banned chatbots. But as it became clear how omnipresent AI Will be, the district made a U turn.

[Natasha Singer]

I went into an English class where the students were reading Oedipus Rex, the Sophocles play. And that's about free will. Do you believe people have control over their own destinies? And their teacher, Mr. Reno, had asked the students to write a paragraph about free will versus fate.

[Tracie Mumford]

Take a clear position and support your claim.

[Natasha Singer]

And once they had written this paragraph, they then pasted it into the Google chatbot, along with a grading rubric that the English teacher had written that basically said, you know, give students one point if they wrote a good thesis sentence and give students two points if they used really good examples to back up their claim. And so the English teacher was asking students to get feedback first from a chatbot before they got feedback from her, and then they handed them in to her. So it's not like she is delegating the actual final grading to a bot, but it was an interim thing that could be done quickly in class and helps some students sharpen their writing. I think we're really at a critical moment with these new artificial intelligence tools in schools, and there's a lot of hope that they could be very, very helpful. On the other hand, Daniel Mateo, the assistant superintendent of Miami Dade Schools who is in charge of this AI rollout, said to me, like, we are looking at AI as if it is a tool, not some kind of magical, transformative, world changing platform. And so we're treating it like just another tool in the arsenal of education. We have to have guardrails in place. We have to vet it, but we also have to show teachers and students how to use these tools that are going to be part of their lives.

[Tracie Mumford]

Those are the headlines today on the Daily how Donald Trump and his MAGA movement took up the cause of white farmers in South Africa. That's next in the New York Times audio app. Or you can listen wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.