NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-14-2025 10PM EDT

Episode Date: May 15, 2025

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This is Ira Glass, the host of This American Life. So much is changing so rapidly right now, with President Trump in office. It feels good to pause for a moment sometimes and look around at what's what. To try and do that, we've been finding these incredible stories about right now that are funny and have feeling and you get to see people everywhere making sense of this new America that we find ourselves in. This American Life, wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. President Trump continues his Middle East tour today,

saying he wants to make a deal with Iran for the country to wind down its disputed nuclear program. Whatever Trump went on to say in order for there to be any such deal, Tehran needs to agree to end its support of proxy groups throughout the Mideast. I want to make a deal with Iran. I want to agree to end its support of proxy groups throughout the Mideast. I want to make a deal with Iran. I want to do something if it's possible. But for that to happen, it must stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars, and permanently

and verifiably cease its pursuit of nuclear weapons. They cannot have a nuclear weapon. Trump is in Qatar and today discussed Iran's nuclear program with the Qatar's Amir. Trump is in the midst of a three-country visit to the region. California Governor Gavin Newsom proposed rolling back state health insurance benefits for adult immigrants without legal status today. CAP radio's Laura Fitzgerald reports the shift comes that the state faces a $12 billion budget deficit.

In 2024, California began allowing adult immigrants without legal status to enroll in Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program. But more people signed up for benefits than expected, and with the state facing a budget shortfall, Newsom is now proposing the state-free's Medi-Cal enrollment for adults without legal status. I don't want to be in this position, but we are in this position. And instead of rolling back the program, meaning cutting people off for basic care, we have to adjust the comprehensive nature of the care. The proposal would still allow children without legal status to have access to Medi-Cal. Democrats in the state legislature are expected to push back on Newsom's proposal during the

final month of budget negotiations. A final budget will be adopted in mid-June. For NPR News, I'm Laura Fitzgerald in Sacramento. The Supreme Court hears arguments tomorrow on the Trump administration's push to end birthright citizenship as Joel Rose reports a new NPR Ipsos poll finds a majority of Americans oppose the idea. The NPR Ipsos poll finds that fewer than a third of Americans want to end birthright citizenship, the long-standing principle that any child born on US.S. soil

is automatically a citizen. But the poll also finds that other parts of the White House's immigration crackdown do have broader support. For example, President Trump's push to quickly deport alleged gang members without giving them a chance to contest those allegations, under an 18th century wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act. Almost half of poll respondents say they're in favor of that. Forty percent of Americans support President Trump's push for mass deportation.

Of everyone in the country without legal status, a slight drop from 44 percent support three months ago. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. It may be a bit early to declare a sustainable trend, but the number of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. is coming down. Senators for Disease Control and Prevention says there were 30,000 fewer overdose deaths in the U.S. last year compared to the year before. Experts credit factors including the availability of overdose reversing drugs and a decline

in fentanyl seizures, possibly due to less of the drug coming into the country. Stocks drifted today with the Dow down 89 points. This is NPR. A new ruling by a federal appeals court has made it harder to enforce protections against racial discrimination in elections in seven states. As NPR's Hansi LeWong explains, the ruling could set up a Supreme Court battle that weakens the Federal Voting Rights Act across the country. For decades, private individuals and groups have brought most of the lawsuits for enforcing

the Voting Rights Act Section 2, which has protections against inequalities and opportunities voters of color may have to elect their preferred candidates in districts where voting is racially polarized. But a panel of the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a part of the federal code known as Section 1983 does not allow private individuals and groups to bring this kind of voting rights lawsuit, because those private individuals and groups to bring this kind of voting rights lawsuit because those private individuals and groups are not explicitly named in the words of the Voting Rights Act. The panel's ruling applies to seven mainly Midwestern states, including Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

At the U.S. Supreme Court, justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas have single interests in taking up a case based on this novel argument. Anzila Wong, NPR News. In a preview of what could be viewed by future astronauts on Mars, NASA's Perseverance Rover for the first time has seen a Mars aurora that is visible to the human eye. European and US scientists reported today the green aurora in the Martian sky was generated by a solar storm. Researchers say they had a heads up on the event, indicating some level of forecasting when it comes to Mars is also possible. Critical futures prices eased a bit today afternoon. Government data showed inventories rising unexpectedly last week. Oil fell 52 cents a barrel to $63.15 a barrel on the New

York Mercantile Exchange. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.