NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-10-2025 4AM EDT

Episode Date: May 10, 2025

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The scary new movie Sinners from the director of Black Panther finds Michael B. Jordan playing twin brothers. It's got vampires, it's got great music, and it's a fun one to see with a big crowd. This is the most excited I've been about a movie in a very long time. We'll tell you why you should see Sinners on the biggest screen you can. Listen to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. The Pakistani military says it's launched an operation it's calling Iron Wall. As Betsy Joles reports from Lahore, it comes after India targeted three Pakistani army bases overnight, including near the capital of Islamabad. Pakistan's army

spokesman says India targeting its air bases could not be ignored. The operation's name, Iron Wall, is one translation of a phrase from the Muslim holy book, the Quran. The Pakistan army claims it attacked military bases, an Indian air defense system, and missile storage facility. India says it intercepted most of the projectiles. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that he called Pakistan's army chief, Asimem Muneer, to urge him to deescalate. And he also offered assistance in starting, quote, constructive talks. For NPR News, I'm Betsy Joles in Lahore.

Last February, President Trump signed an executive order that allowed white Afrikaans, South Africans, to apply for refugee status in the US. He said the country was very dangerous, despite the South African government saying that group remains one of the most privileged in that country. The first wave of people being admitted to the U.S. arrives this coming week. Kate Bartlett has more from Johannesburg.

Three of the record sources have told me that about 54 Afrikaners have been interviewed and granted refugee status in the U.S. These three government sources don't wish to be named because they're not authorized to speak to the media. What we know at the moment is that a group of South Africans will be arriving on Monday at Dulles Airport. There they will be greeted with fanfare by senior government officials and a press conference is scheduled to be held. And after that, they'll be sent to their final destinations for a settlement. That's Kate Bartlett reporting. The leaders of four European countries are now in Kiev, where they're expected to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky. They arrive in Kiev by train.

Their visit comes as calls are intensifying for Russia to agree to a month-long ceasefire in the war to allow for peace talks on ending the conflict. The White House has fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. It's part of a wave of firings of government officials. NPR's Danielle Kurtz-Slayman reports that the administration has linked the firing to what they characterize as diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, or DEI. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt addressed Carla Hayden's firing. There were quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI and putting inappropriate books in the library for children. And we don't believe that she was serving the interests of the American taxpayer well.

Though it's unclear what Levitt was referring to, Hayden had, for example, denounced pushes to ban books about sexual identity. Hayden was serving a 10-year term as Librarian of Congress that would have ended next year. She was the first woman and the first black person to hold the post. This week, the president also fired top officials at FEMA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News, The White House. And you're listening to NPR News. A federal judge has placed a two-week block on efforts by the Trump administration to

overhaul the federal government. The San Francisco judge agreed with plaintiffs, saying the Supreme Court has made clear that the president must work with Congress in such efforts. A hearing for a preliminary injunction has been scheduled for May 22. The U.S. has urged both sides to enter peace talks in South Sudan as the country teeters on the brink of another civil war. America spent billions of dollars on the world's youngest nation and was key in brokering a 2018 peace deal that ended years of conflict there.

Emanuel Ligunza has more from Kenya. The U.S. State Department has urged the warring parties in South Sudan to end fresh fighting that erupted in February and so far displaced tens of thousands of people. Conflict flared up between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and his first Vice President Riek Machar threatening a 2018 peace deal. The US has urged for the release of the Vice President who is under house arrest. It also said it will not fund election preparations which were scheduled for 2023 but have now been postponed until next year. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but descended into a civil war two

years later. For NPR News, I'm Emmanuel Gunza in Nairobi, Kenya. Stocks drifted to a mixed close on Wall Street on Friday. The Dow closed down 0.29% for the day finishing out at 41,249. The S&P 500 was down 0.07% and the NASDAQ was up a fraction of a point to finish the day and the week at 17,928. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News. Does the idea of listening to political news freak you out? Well, don't sweat it. The NPR News.