NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-14-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: May 14, 2025

NPR News: 05-14-2025 6PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Imagine, if you will, a show from NPR that's not like NPR, a show that focuses not on the important but the stupid, which features stories about people smuggling animals in their pants and competent criminals in ridiculous science studies, and call it Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me because the good names were taken. Listen to NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Yes, that is what it is called wherever you get your podcastsar Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. A federal judge has released Badar Kansuri from immigration detention.

The Indian postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University is now returning to Virginia from Texas while his challenge to his detention plays out in court. Imperial Sarhiyo Martinez Beltran is more. Badar Khan Suri had been in immigration detention for eight weeks following his arrest in Virginia in March. The Department of Homeland Security has accused Suri of, quote, actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting anti-Semitism on social media. According to DHS, his father-in-law is a senior advisor to Hamas. Multiple news outlets describe the father-in-law is a senior advisor to Hamas. Multiple news outlets describe the father-in-law

as a former advisor. The federal government revoked Suri's visa, but he has not been charged with a crime. He has denied the accusations against him. Suri is the latest scholar to be released by a federal judge following a crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists. Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR News, Washington. A striking, though, brief image from President Trump's midi's visit is likely to be Trump shaking hands with the new president of Syria. Making it all the more striking is at one point, Syria's new head, Ahmed al-Sharah, was an al-Qaeda fighter in Iraq and was detained by the US military.

As the head of a US designated terror group, he once had a $10 million bounty on his head. But following today's meeting, Trump described Al-Sharah as quote, a young, attractive guy, albeit one with a very strong past. Trump this week announced the lifting of US sanctions against Syria in his hopes to establish relations with the new government. A series of Israeli airstrikes has killed at least 64 Palestinians in Gaza, that's according to Gaza hospital officials. Sen. Daniel Estrin reports from Tel Aviv.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will hold talks for a ceasefire, but will not end the war. In a meeting this week with a group of Israeli soldiers, Netanyahu said Israel would, quote, complete the course in Gaza and would pause the war if Hamas releases around 10 of the 20 hostages believed to be alive. We'd take the hostages and afterwards we'd enter back in, Netanyahu said. There's no way we will stop the war.

Israeli officials are in Qatar holding a second day of talks about a Gaza ceasefire. Israel said it would only negotiate under fire, and airstrikes continue. only negotiate under fire, and airstrikes continue. Nesha Trump! In a Gaza morgue, Israa Mekbil mourned her brothers, who were killed along with their children in a strike on their home. She blamed President Trump, crying, why Trump? Why are you doing this to us? Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv, with NPR's Anas Baba in Gaza.

As many as 350,000 commuters in New York and New Jersey who use New Jersey Transit to get where they're going could soon need to find another option. That's because of a threatened strike by engineers. If the nation's third largest transit system, engineers said they could walk off the job Friday morning if no deals reached. On Wall Street, the Dow is down 89 points today. You're listening to NPR. A Biden-era rule that would have put limits on the number of computer chips for AI

that could be exported was due to take effect tomorrow. However, in part due to pushback from the tech sector, it now appears the rules being rescinded. Companies like Nvidia and advanced micro devices had pushed back against the AI chip limits during they would push some countries to turn to China instead of the US for AI technology. Some San Franciscans went in search of a chest containing around $10,000 worth of buried treasure yesterday.

Imperial's Chloe Veltman reports the hunt occurred after an anonymous post appeared on Reddit sharing cryptic clues about the location. The clues led a lot of people on Reddit to Sutro Baths, a historic swimming pool complex by the Pacific Ocean. Eamon McLaughlin went there with his friends. He read out the clues.

Eamon McLaughlin, Director, Sutro Bards, Pacific Ocean, 18 Bold letters preserved in a clearing cite a dark room's view of brave surfers reeling from dry ruins gate to solar storm house. His group didn't find the treasure, but another group did. Austin Terrio, TJ Lee and Eric Bari say they located the chest after just over an hour of searching. It contained a big gold nugget in a corked bottle with sand in it, a Panama Pacific Exposition bronze coin and three collectible Barry Bonds baseball cards

among other finds. All of it buried under a bush near a hiking trail intersection more than five miles away from Sutro Baths. Chloe Valtman, 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. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News.