NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-13-2025 10PM EDT

Episode Date: May 14, 2025

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Am I a propagandist? A truth teller? An influencer? There's probably no more contested profession in the world today than mine, journalism. I'm Brian Reed, and on my show, Question Everything, we dive head first into the conflicts we're all facing over truth and who gets to tell it. Listen now to Question Everything, part of the NPR Podcast Network. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. President Trump says he's taking steps to normalize ties with Syria and will ease sanctions. He announced the news on his trip to Saudi Arabia. Back home members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee of both parties welcome the news as we hear from NPR's

Michelle Kellerman. President Trump says he's ordering the cessation of sanctions to give Syria a, quote, chance for greatness. While details are murky, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jean Shaheen, says she and her Republican counterpart have been calling for this to build on opportunities in Syria and in Lebanon. And it's important for us to provide the opportunity to keep those countries moving in a way that continues to keep out Iran and Russia. Iran and Russia backed Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted last year by Islamist insurgents now running Syria. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News,

the State Department. A federal grand jury is indicted a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities. Her case has escalated a clash between President Trump's administration and local authorities over his sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration. Mayan Silver from WWM reports. The grand jury found the prosecution has probable cause to move forward in its charges against Judge Hannah Dugan. She's accused of concealing an individual to prevent arrest and obstructing a proceeding for allegedly directing a Mexican citizen defendant out of her courtroom as U.S. Immigration

and Customs Enforcement agents tried to arrest him. One of Dugan's lawyers issued a statement on her behalf that she, quote, asserts her innocence and looks forward to being vindicated in court. Dugan will have a preliminary hearing and arraignment Thursday amid growing tensions between President Trump and the judiciary. For NPR News, I'm Ayaan Silver in Milwaukee. The incoming Justice Department pardon attorney says he plans to review the pardons President Biden granted at the end of his term in office.

Ed Martin was tapped with the Post last week after his bid to win confirmation as U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C. fell through. Here's NPR's Ryan Lucas. Ed Martin has been serving as interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., but Trump pulled his nomination after it became clear Martin couldn't win Senate confirmation. At a news conference, Martin said that in his new role as pardon attorney, he plans to review pardons that President Biden granted at the end of his term.

And I do think that the Biden pardons need some scrutiny. And they need scrutiny because we want pardons to matter and to be accepted and to be something that's used correctly. It's unclear what, if anything, Martin can do to challenge a president's pardon power. In his last months in office, Biden pardoned his son and preemptively pardoned other members of his own family as well as members of Congress who investigated the January 6th Capitol riot. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington.

On Wall Street, the Dow was down 269 points. This is NPR. Pupilio XIV and Ukraine's President Zelensky have spoken by phone, according to the Vatican. Ukrainian President said he invited the new pope to visit Ukraine, and the two men agreed to stay in contact and plan an in-person meeting in the future. The phone call followed the pope's appeal for peace in Ukraine. During a address from St. Peter's Basilica Sunday, Zelensky posted on X about his first conversation with Pope Leo XIV, saying he thanked the Pontiff for his support of Ukraine. Federal scientists

are saying last month was the second warmest April on record. That continues a trend of near record temperatures as we hear from NPR's Lauren Sommer. Lauren Sommer April was 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than average globally compared to records going back to 1850. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, that puts it second to April of last year, which remains the hottest ever recorded. Snow cover in the northern hemisphere was also the smallest recorded, tying with last year. As humans emit greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, the planet is steadily heating up. The hottest 10 years in modern record-keeping

have all been in the last 10 years. But no, it doesn't expect 2025 to come in as the hottest. That's because a shift away from the natural climate pattern of El Nino has a slight cooling effect on the planet. Lauren Summer, NPR News. Testifying to trial in Paris for a group of men who tied her up at gunpoint and stole more than six million dollars in jewelry. Kim Kardashian said she feared she would be sexually assaulted or killed. Kardashian for the first time confronted the men accused of robbing her in a hotel suite in 2016. The alleged robbers, if convicted, could face life in Washington.