NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-14-2025 3AM EDT

Episode Date: May 14, 2025

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These days, there's a lot of news. It can be hard to keep up with what it means for you, your family, and your community. Consider This from NPR is a podcast that helps you make sense of the news. Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a story and provide the context, backstory, and analysis you need to understand our rapidly changing world. Listen to the Consider This podcast from NPR. Listen to the Consider This Podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shae Stevens. President Trump says he'll ease U.S. sanctions on Syria, calling the restrictions brutal and crippling,

but says that they had served an important function. Trump says that purpose is no longer necessary. There is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace. That's what we want to see in Syria. They've had their share of travesty, war, killing many years. Trump speaking in Saudi Arabia Tuesday, he plans to meet with Syria's new leader there briefly today. It is the first stop of Trump's four-day trip to the Gulf region and the first overseas trip of his second term in office. Thousands of demonstrators gathered at hospitals across California Tuesday to denounce a House

Republican plan to cut Medicaid's budget by at least $600 billion. For Member Station KBPR, Joshua Yeager reports that one of those hospitals is in Bakersfield, which has the highest Medicaid enrollment in the nation. Save Medicaid now! Nurses and doctors join a large crowd of protesters outside Kern Medical in California's Central Valley. Staff at the safety net hospitals say some 90 percent of their patients rely on Medicaid for life-saving care. Ulysses Hernandez is one of their patients rely on Medicaid for life-saving care.

Ulysses Hernandez is one of those patients. If these cuts were to come into effect, we would have to make a choice. Do we need a roof for our head or do we need medical insurance? Republicans in Congress argue their legislation is targeting waste, fraud, and abuse. But the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says more than 7 million Americans would go without health insurance under the GOP's Medicaid bill. For NPR News, I'm Joshua Yeager in Bakersfield. Headings continue at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, which has been plagued

by technical problems and ongoing construction. As NPR's Joanne Endes reports, the radar facility that serves the airport had only three air traffic controllers on duty Monday. Joe Enandez The FAA confirmed that at least three controllers were scheduled each hour at the Philadelphia radar facility that directs traffic in New York's airspace. The New York Times said an agreement between the FAA and the Air Traffic Controllers Union dictates that 14 controllers

should have been working during most of that time. Neither the FAA nor the union responded to questions about that agreement. Delays and cancellations have plagued Newark's airport in recent weeks due to staffing shortages, technical problems, and runway construction. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a plan last week in weeks due to staffing shortages, technical problems, and runway construction. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a plan last week to overhaul the National Air Traffic Control System, which some estimates say could cost billions. Joe Hernandez, NPR News. Joe Hernandez, NPR News.

Joe Hernandez, NPR News. U.S. futures are flat in after hours trading on Wall Street. This is NPR. Microsoft has begun sending out notices to roughly 6,000 employees facing layoffs. Microsoft says its largest job cuts in over two years will be made across the board, with an aim toward reducing the size of the company's managerial staff. The 78th Cannes Film Festival is underway. In the south of France, actor Robert De Niro received a top honorary award, as NPR's Mandeleid Del Barco reports. To thunderous applause, actor Leonardo DiCaprio presented his hero, Robert De Niro, with a

prestigious Pomme d'Or. The two-time Academy Award winner was honored for his iconic roles in such films as The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver, and Raging Bull. Merci infiniment to the Festival du Cannes for creating a community, a home if you will, for those of us who love the art of telling stories on screen. During his acceptance speech, De Niro slammed President Trump, who he called an enemy of the arts. acceptance speech, De Niro slammed President Trump, who he called an enemy of the arts. This year's festival goers faced an updated dress code, no nudity on the red carpet in other events, and no voluminous outfits, such as gowns with large trains that hinder traffic

and complicate seating. Mandelit Del Barco, NPR News. Major League Baseball has removed its lifetime bans on Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson. The legacies of the late-starp sluggers had been tarnished by gambling scandals. MLB's reinstatement makes them eligible for induction into the league's Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds plan to honor Pete Rose today for most career hits. This is NPR News. These days, with all the information coming at you, it can be hard to know what's accurate, most career hits. This is NPR News.