NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-14-2025 11PM EDT

Episode Date: May 15, 2025

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Hey, Sam Sanders here with KCRW personally inviting you to check out my new podcast It's an entertainment show that tries to figure out what makes the culture tick and tell the stories behind creators. We love New episodes are out every Friday wherever you get your podcasts Listen to the Sam Sanders show part of the NPR podcast network Live from NPR news in Washington, I'm Shae Stevens. Russian President Vladimir Putin is not on the Kremlin's list of officials who are heading to Turkey for talks Thursday on ending the war in Ukraine. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports that the Trump administration had been hoping to facilitate high-level talks.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is already in Turkey for a NATO meeting in Antalya and is planning to travel Thursday to Istanbul, where there had been hopes for a high-level meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders. But President Putin is avoiding a face-to-face meeting with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, sending instead a low-level delegation headed by a former culture minister named Vladimir Medinsky. The ranking Democrat on this end at Foreign Relations Committee, Gene Shaheen, had predicted Putin would be a no-show and says it's time for the US to put more

pressure on him to end Russia's aggression in Ukraine. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Washington. A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has issued a second decision pausing an executive order to end collective bargaining rights for most federal employees. NPR's Andrea Hsu has more on a case brought by a union representing State Department workers.

The American Foreign Service Association had sued President Trump, charging he did not have the authority to end collective bargaining rights for foreign service members of the State Department and USAID. The union argued that Trump's executive order was a retaliatory move aimed at unions that have resisted his administration's actions. The White House has said that Trump does have the authority, citing the country's national

security interests. The same federal judge issued a nearly identical ruling in a similar case brought by a different union. The government has appealed that decision and is expected to appeal this one too. Andrea Hsu, NPR News. The Trump administration is delaying limits on the levels of forever chemicals in drinking water. As NPR's Ping Wong reports, the Environmental Protection Agency is reconsidering its rules on PFAS limits. PFS are a class of chemicals that have been used for decades to waterproof and stain-proof

products. They've been linked to certain cancers and damage the liver and immune system. Last April, the Biden administration set limits on the amount of PFAS chemicals allowed in drinking water, requiring community water systems to start installing filters to remove them. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the agency is delaying the compliance timeline for some chemicals and reconsidering the allowable levels for others. But that doesn't mean that it gets weaker. The number might end up getting lower, not higher. Healthylea Holt Health advocates worry that the move will delay the removal of these chemicals from drinking water and that more people will be exposed

to chemicals that can contribute to chronic health problems. Ping Huang, NPR News. NPR News On Wall Street, Stoxxville is mostly higher, but the Dow Jones Industrial has lost 89 points. The NASDAQ rose 136. This is NPR. Georgetown University scholar Bato Khan Suri has been released from ICE detention in compliance with the federal judge's order. U.S. District Judge Patricia Tollefer-Giles says the Trump administration did not deport Suri without due process. Suri was arrested at his home in Alexandria, Virginia last month on charges of spreading

Hamas propaganda, and he was sent to a detention facility in Louisiana. His attorney says that Surrey is an Indian national with no close ties to any known or suspected terrorists. Spring is baby animal season, which occasionally involves rescuing wildlife that does not need to be saved. From Northwest Public Broadcasting, Lauren Patterson has more. Marcy Logsdon is a wildlife veterinarian at Washington State University. This time of year she's already taken care of a bunch of baby animal rescues. Logsdon says this is just the beginning of the busy season. Fawns are a big one that we see people unintentionally

kidnapping and taking away from the parents even if they're fine. She says mama deer leave their baby fawns curled up in a ball for most of the day while they forage for food and rabbit moms only visit their babies twice a day. If you see blood on an animal, if it's laying on its side and panting or covered in fleas and ticks, that's when it's best to rescue. When in doubt, call your local wildlife rehabilitator. For NPR News, I'm Lauren Patterson in Pullman, Washington. US futures are lower in after hours trading on Wall Street. On Asia Pacific market shares are mixed down 1% in Tokyo and down a fraction in Shanghai. This is NPR News.

Does the idea of listening to political news freak you out? Well, don't sweat it. The in Shanghai. This is NPR News.