NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-12-2025 3PM EDT

Episode Date: May 12, 2025

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When Malcolm Gladwell presented NPR's Throughline podcast with a Peabody Award, he praised it for its historical and moral clarity. On Throughline, we take you back in time to the origins of what's in the news, like presidential power, aging, and evangelicalism. Time travel with us every week on the Throughline podcast from NPR. Live from NPR. Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The Trump administration is welcoming dozens of white South Africans who've been granted refugee status

in the United States. They arrived in the Washington DC area today. The State Department has issued a statement in which it says the Afrikaner refugees have fled discrimination. It goes on to say that the U.S. is sending a message that America will protect victims of racial discrimination. Meanwhile, critics note Afrikaners, a white ethnic minority, ruled South Africa during

apartheid. Kate Bartlett has reaction from Johannesburg. The group of Afrikaners, the descendants of mainly Dutch colonists, touched down at Dulles Airport. They were given refugee status after President Trump signed an executive order, saying the minority group faced persecution at home. Trump doubled down on his unfounded claims today, saying they faced, quote, genocide at home. The South African government firmly denies that, and President Sir Aramaphosa says the Trump administration has been taken in by disinformation. For NPR News, I'm Kate Butler in Johannesburg.

Edan Alexander's family celebrating in Tel Aviv, waiting to see him for the first time since Hamas abducted him 19 months ago in their attack on southern Israel. The U.S. made a deal with Hamas to secure the 19 months ago in their attack on southern Israel, the U.S. made a deal with Hamas to secure the American's release. We have more from NPR's Danielle Estrin. Hamas militants in Gaza handed Edan Alexander to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is then handing him over to the Israeli military to reunite with his family. Alexander is a 21-year-old dual U dual US-Israeli national who was serving in

the Israeli military when Hamas captured him in the October 7 attacks in 2023. He was the last living US citizen held captive in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with President Trump and thanked him for helping secure Alexander's release. Israel is sending negotiators to Qatar to hold talks for a Gaza ceasefire and further hostage releases. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Well, the U.S. Senate may take up a vote tied to President Trump's plans to accept a luxury jet from Qatar. NPR's Claudia Grisales reports Democrats say they'll force the floor action this week. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrats say they'll force a vote on whether public officials can use foreign gifts for personal gain.

Ahead of his trip to the Middle East, President Trump on Monday defended plans to accept a luxury jet from Qatar. Trump plans to use the plane as a new Air Force One, a legally and ethically fraud effort that would mark one of the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the US government. Then Trump says the plane would be decommissioned to go to his presidential library after his term. He argued it would be quote stupid not to accept the gift and that the current planes used as Air Force One are quote old. Claudia Grisales, NPR News. It's NPR. Rizal Fahey, NPR News. It's NPR.

The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing a reduction in the heavy volume of flights in and out of Newark Airport and a new ground delay order. The FAA is responding to a recent series of problems that threaten the safety of air passengers and crew. The Philadelphia radar facility that guides planes at Newark has experienced radar and telecom outages since late last month. Yesterday, the FAA announced another problem that forced the agency to briefly slow flights at Newark. The obesity drug ZepBound appears to help people lose more weight than Wigovie, that's according to new research. NPR's

Rob Stein with more. Researchers studied 751 obese volunteers who got weekly injections of either ZepBound or Wigovie. In results published in the New England Journal of Medicine and reported at the European Congress on Obesity in Spain, the researchers found that those who got Zet-bound lost more weight over the next 18 months than those who got Wigovie. The volunteers who got Zet-bound lost an average of about 20% of their body weight. Those taking Wigovie lost an average of about 14%. The study was funded by Eli Lilly, which makes ZetBound. Novo Nordis makes Wigovie. Rob Stein in PR News. US stocks are trading higher.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average up more than 1,100 points, or 2.7% at 42,372. The Nasdaq's up more than 4%. S&P's climbed 3%. It's NPR. Hey, we here. that's Nufasa. You've probably seen clips from the Jennifer Hudson show Spirit Tunnel on TikTok or Instagram,

the ones where celebrities danced on the hallway to a clever song. These videos can reveal a lot. Do they have rhythm? And how famous are they really? We're breaking down the inescapable internet trend. Listen to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR.