NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-09-2025 1AM EDT

Episode Date: May 9, 2025

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Does the idea of listening to political news freak you out? Well, don't sweat it. The NPR Politics podcast makes politics a breeze. Every episode will break down the day's headlines into totally normal language and make sure that you walk away understanding what the day's news might mean for you. Take a deep breath and give politics another chance with the NPR Politics podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea

Stevens. Catholics around the world are celebrating the election of a new pope. He is Cardinal Robert Prevost, a missionary from Chicago who spent decades in Peru. Prevost has chosen the name Pope Leo XIV. NPR's Jason DeRose explains how his beliefs compare to those of the late Pope Francis. I think he resembles Francis in his commitment to the poor and to migrants, though he has been criticized for not doing enough to address clergy sexual abuse at the local level. And I think that's true of many in church leadership around the world. He told the Vatican news agency that a bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom, but rather a church leader who's called to authentically be humble, to

be close to the people he serves. NPR's Jason DeRose in Rome. Some immigration experts are raising red flags over the Trump administration's latest deportation push. NPR's Windsor Johnston reports that the president's plan to deport migrants to Libya could face a number of logistical hurdles. The Trump administration wants to use wartime-era powers to deport certain migrants more quickly, but opponents say the legal and logistical barriers are steep. Kathleen Bush Joseph is with the Migration Policy Institute.

She says fast-tracking deportations strips away due process protections. We're really talking here about the bare minimum of process, of handing people a piece of paper, letting their attorneys know where the government is planning on sending them and then giving people time. The Trump administration argues that swift removals are necessary to maintain national security and to deter unlawful entry. Windsor-Johnston, NPR News, Washington. Many states are passing laws to make it harder for voters to get issues on the ballot.

NPR's Jace Ashley Lopez reports that Republicans across the nation are leading the effort, they say, to reduce fraud. Kelly Hall is with the Fairness Project, a group that uses ballot measures to pass economic and social justice policies. She says laws limiting citizen-led ballot initiatives are not new, but her group is seeing more of them this year than ever before. That is in no small measure, I think a response to the high profile nature of reproductive rights ballot measures. Republican led governments in Arkansas and Florida have already passed such laws, which

they say prevents groups misleading voters and fraud. Both states had citizen led efforts last year aimed at getting abortion rights protections passed through ballot measures. The new restrictions in both states are also being challenged in court. Ashley Lopez, NPR News. The White House has fired the Librarian of Congress. Dr. Carla Hyde says she was notified Thursday via email. This is NPR. A detained University of Alabama student has decided to self-deport to his native country, Iran. His attorney says Al-Reza Daruti is no longer facing the charge that precipitated his arrest but did not want to spend any more time in

jail fighting his deportation on a second count.Ruti's visa was revoked in June 2023, but the reason is unclear. He was being detained at a facility in Louisiana over 300 miles away from home in Alabama. More food kitchens have closed in Gaza since Israel began its total blockade of aid into the territory two months ago. As NPR's Gary Kahn reports, health officials in Gaza say humanitarian conditions there are deteriorating amid daily Israeli airstrikes. Two Israeli airstrikes this weekend and around Gaza City were particularly deadly. One at a UN school housing, thousands of displaced Palestinians killed at least 33 people, say

Gaza health officials. Another targeted a popular cafe used as an internet hotspot. More than 30 people were killed there, according to Gaza's health ministry. When asked about the suspected target at each site, Israel's military did not respond. It did say this week it killed a Hamas militant in Gaza city who participated in the abduction of an Israeli on October 7th of 2023.

Meanwhile, more kitchens that provide meals closed in Gaza, the U.S.-based World Central Kitchen says it has no more food to distribute due to Israel's aid blockade. Keri Kahn, NPR News, Tel Aviv. U.S. futures are flat and after hours trading on Wall Street. On Asian markets, shares are mixed down a fraction in Shanghai. This is NPR News. You may have heard that President Trump has issued an executive order seeking to block all federal funding

to NPR. This is the latest in a series of threats to media organizations across the country. NPR remains committed to serving the public. And in this pivotal moment, we need your support. Donate today at donate.npr.org. Thank you.