NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-13-2025 1AM EDT

Episode Date: May 13, 2025

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On this week's Wild Card podcast, Wanda Sykes says she can have a hard time understanding God. What is the plan, man? What is the lesson here? Yeah, it's like, oh boy, you are in a pickle right now, God. What you gonna do about this? I'm Rachel Martin. Wanda Sykes is on Wild Card, the show where cards control the conversation. Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. The financial markets in Asia are following Wall Street higher,

advancing in Tuesday trading after China and the U.S. announced a 90-day truce in their trade war. But there is still a cloud of uncertainty over what happens next, and NPR's Scott Horsley says the damage could already be done. Forecasters at the Yale budget lab say even with the temporary reduction in tariffs the US is still looking at higher inflation and slower economic growth than it was before the trade war began. Ironically though the lower tariff actually brings in more money for the government that's because more businesses will grit their teeth and pay this tax whereas the higher levy just brought commerce to a standstill.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei up 1.7% in the midday break after the Dow rose more than 1,100 points. The Nasdaq rallied 4.3% and the S&P 500 added 3.3%. President Trump preparing to open his four-day trip to the Middle East. His first stop is in Saudi Arabia, where he is expected to meet Tuesday with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State went to Dulles Airport Monday to greet a group of Afrikaners from South Africa, the Trump administration welcoming them as refugees, even as it has paused all refugee arrivals from war zones around the world,

as MPH's Michelle Kelliman reports. At an airport hangar, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau met with families of white South Africans, mostly farmers, who the Trump administration claims have faced racial discrimination. We are excited to welcome you here to our country where we think you will bloom. The ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jean Shaheen calls it baffling that the Trump administration is admitting Afrikaners for resettlement while blocking thousands of quote legitimate asylum seekers. She wants the administration to explain why it is prioritizing white South Africans over

refugees from Afghanistan, Sudan and Myanmar. Michelle Kelliman, NPR News, the State Department. Harvard pushing back on the Trump administration, saying federal intervention on campus issues may be doing more harm than good. Here's NPR's Windsor Johnston. Harvard University President Alan Garber says the school shares some goals with the Trump administration like fighting anti-Semitism and encouraging diverse viewpoints. But in a letter to the Department of Education, Garber warns that heavy-handed federal involvement

is actually hurting those efforts. Garber says the university is committed to addressing hate and protecting free expression, but he says it must be allowed to do so independently. Harvard has been under increasing pressure since pro-Palestinian demonstrations erupted on campus following the start of the war in Gaza. The White House has accused the university of failing to protect Jewish students and allowing anti-Semitism to spread. Windsor-Johnston, NPR News, Washington.

This is NPR. The release of the last living American hostage being held by Hamas has not stopped the fighting in Gaza. Israel briefly paused military operations to allow for Monday's release of Edan Alexander. And what Hamas said was a goodwill gesture to the Trump administration. He's been reunited with his family. Israel says it still plans to escalate its offensive and Palestinian health officials reported Israeli tank fire and an air attack after the handover was completed. Local media in Minnesota are reporting on a wildfire burning near the community of Brimson. The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office is being quoted as saying that the Camp

House fire has destroyed at least 40 structures and that residents of the The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office is being quoted as saying that the Camp House Fire has destroyed at least 40 structures and that residents of the area are being asked to evacuate. The Camp House Fire is one of three wildfires burning in the region. New York State lowering the minimum hiring age for prison guards from 21 to 18. Chongyun Han of Member Station WXXI reports. The state will still place some restrictions on younger guards. They can't, for example, use firearms and have to be supervised during certain tasks. State lawmakers greenlit Governor Kathy Hochul's proposal, saying it's a way to boost guard

staffing levels in New York's prison system after the state fired 2,000 corrections officers in March for being on strike for nearly a month. But critics say 18 is too young to work as a corrections officer. The New York State Legislature will hold a hearing on Wednesday on the strike, as well as recent inmate deaths and beatings at the hands of prison guards. For NPR News, I'm Jeongyeon Han in Albany. Does the idea of listening to political news freak you out? prison guards. For NPR News, I'm Jeongyeon Han in Albany.