NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-12-2025 9AM EDT

Episode Date: May 12, 2025

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Look, we get it. When it comes to new music, there is a lot of it, and it all comes really fast. But on All Songs Considered, NPR's music recommendation podcast, we'll handpick what we think is the greatest music happening right now and give you your next great listen. So kick back, settle in, get those eardrums wide open, and get your dose of new music from All Songs Considered, only from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'morova Coleman, Russia launched dozens of drone attacks across Ukraine overnight, killing at least one person and injuring nearly two dozen more. The attacks effectively mark Russia's rejection of calls by Kiev and its European allies for

an immediate ceasefire ahead of possible peace talks later this week. From Moscow, NPR's Charles Maines has more. According to Ukrainian officials, Russia launched more than 100 drones across multiple regions of Ukraine beginning late Sunday. Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks but said its forces struck a range of military targets including Ukrainian Army air bases and arms depots. Ukraine, with backing from the U.S. and Europe, had been demanding Monday mark the start of a month-long ceasefire, threatening massive new sanctions should Russia refuse. Instead, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for direct talks with Ukraine and Istanbul,

Turkey later this week in an apparent attempt to seize the diplomatic initiative. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has since agreed to the talks but challenged Putin to meet in person. Charles Mainz in PR News, Moscow. President Volodymyr Zelensky has since agreed to the talks but challenged Putin to meet in person. Charles Mainz in PR News, Moscow. House Republicans have released an initial proposal for parts of their budget and it includes general ideas about Medicaid. And Piers Elena Moore says the GOP is looking to slash federal spending.

GOP members have to come up with $1.5 trillion in proposed savings or cuts to offset the cost of things like making Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent. That's about a quarter of annual federal spending and some conservative Republicans say one way of getting there is restructuring some programs like Medicaid. But moderate Republicans who face competitive re-election races next year are very much against massive changes to the program. And Piers Elena Moore reporting. President Trump says he'll sign an executive order today that he claims will cut prescription drug prices between 30 and 80 percent. He hasn't

explained how. Trump tried to do this in his first administration but was blocked by federal courts. The program was later ended by then President Biden. Dozens of white South Africans are en route to the U.S. after being given refugee status by the Trump administration. As Kate Barlett reports from Johannesburg, the South African government is dismissing their claims. The group of Afrikaners, the descendants of mainly Dutch colonists, left Johannesburg on a US government charter flight on Sunday night. They were given refugee status after President Trump signed an executive order saying the minority group faced 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. For NPR News, I'm Kate Butler in Johannesburg. On Wall Street and pre-market trading, the Dow futures are up a thousand points. It's NPR. The U.S. and China have mutually

agreed to lower their steep tariffs on each other's products for 90 days. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson has been meeting Chinese officials in Switzerland. The U.S. will lower its tariffs on Chinese goods from about 145 percent to 30 percent. China will lower its tariffs on U.S. goods from about 125 percent to 10 percent. For many, the perennial sound of spring or summer is on its way back. That is the sound of cicadas. A rare brood of cicadas that comes like clockwork every 17 years has begun to emerge in the eastern half of the U.S. And Piers Amy Held explains. For the first time since 2008, brood 14 is back. Some have been sighted in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Ohio.

They're expected to emerge from Georgia to Massachusetts. Considered the second biggest of the dozen or so known periodical broods, they develop underground, then come out by the billions and buzz. That's on top of annual cicadas that emerge every year. Experts say far from being bugged by them, the insects give big benefits, improving water filtration, providing birds an important food source,

and with their above-ground stay typically lasting just a few weeks, their decomposing bodies provide nutrition to the soil. But not until they've ensured the next generation to be heard from in 2042. Amy Held, NPR News. This month's full moon is peaking tonight. Full moons have nicknames. This one is called the Flower Moon. The website EarthSky says to look for the Flower Moon just after sunset in the southeast.

This is NPR. 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.

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