NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-12-2025 12PM EDT

Episode Date: May 12, 2025

NPR News: 05-12-2025 12PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Hamas has released US Israeli hostage, Edan Alexander, according to a statement by Hamas and an Israeli official who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly. NPR's Hadil Al-Shalchi

has details. Israeli American hostage Idan Alexander was released as part of what Hamas said was a step toward reaching a ceasefire agreement with Israel. Alexander is a 21-year-old Israeli soldier raised in New Jersey and believed to be the last remaining U.S. citizen captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023 and held in Gaza. Hamas said the release would come as part of a ceasefire effort to open Gaza's border crossings and bring aid to Gaza. Israel said it had not agreed to a ceasefire. A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office

said that Alexander's return, quote, without anything in return is thanks to President Trump's diplomacy. Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv. In Washington, President Trump welcomed Alexander's release. It ends the only American citizen, it's captured, and held hostage by Hamas since October 7, 2023, and he's coming home to his parents. Trump is en route to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates on his first major overseas trip since he took

office. The U.S. and China have agreed to a temporary break from triple-digit tariffs and U.S. stocks are trading higher. Here's NPR's Scott Horsley. The U.S. is slashing tariffs on imports from China from 145% to 30% for the next 90 days. In exchange, China is temporarily cutting its tax on imports from the US to just 10%. The move is a relief for many businesses that rely on Chinese imports. The earlier triple-digit tax had brought much of the cargo traffic between the two countries to a standstill. The remaining tariffs are still significantly higher than Americans were used to paying, however. And because the tariff relief has an expiration date while negotiations continue,

there's still considerable uncertainty over what the trade landscape will look like in three months. Scott Horsley in PR News, Washington. Danielle Pletka Dozens of white South Africans have landed in the U.S. Kate Bartlett has more from Johannesburg. Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington.

Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington.

Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York Times, Washington. Danielle Pletka, The New York face persecution at home. The South African government firmly denies that. There are no legal or any factual basis for the executive order sanctioning this action.

None of the provisions of international law on the definition of refugees are applicable in this case. That was Vincent Maguena, spokesman for the presidency. This is NPR News. presidency. This is N. P. Yarnes. Pope Leo XIV is calling for the release of imprisoned journalists today. He addressed an audience of thousands of reporters in Rome, many of whom have been covering him since the conclave to elect the late Pope Francis' successor began. Today the newly elected pontiff continued to encourage journalists to continue their work reporting the history of the day.

This as media face threats and criticism from many governments around the world. The Trump administration has often referred to reporters as fake media. A new study finds the land in many cities across the US is sinking. The study says that's mostly because of groundwater extraction. NPR's Rebecca Hirsch reports tens of millions of people are affected. Researchers at Columbia University and Virginia Tech measured the height of the land in the 28 most populous U.S. cities. They found that about 20 percent of the land area sank between 2015 and 2021. More than 30 million people live in areas

affected by sinking land, and Houston is the fastest-sinking major city in the country, they found. The study was published in the journal Nature Cities. Land sinks for many reasons, some of them natural, but extracting groundwater for agriculture, drinking, and manufacturing is the main driver. Sinking land can lead to more flooding in urban areas, particularly in coastal neighborhoods where sea levels are also rising because of climate change. Rebecca Herscher, NPR News. Major market indices up two and a half percent to three and a half percent.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.