NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-14-2025 9PM 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. Russia has announced its delegation to talks in Turkey

on ending the war in Ukraine, and Vladimir Putin is not on the list. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports 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 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Gene Shaheen, had predicted Putin would be a no-show and says it's time for the U.S. to put more pressure on him to

end Russia's aggression in Ukraine. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Washington. A federal judge is temporarily blocking the Justice Department's cancellation of certain grants to the American Bar Association. The ABA has argued the department's action amounted to unlawful retaliation for criticizing the administration. More from NPR's Ryan Lucas. The American Bar Association filed the lawsuit in April after the Justice Department canceled

a series of grants with the ABA that funded services to victims of domestic and sexual violence. The grant termination came after the ABA publicly criticized the Trump administration over various actions. In its lawsuit, the ABA alleges that DOJ's canceling of the grants amounts to unlawful retaliation against it for exercising its First Amendment rights. Now U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper has granted the ABA's request for a preliminary injunction to stop the government from canceling the grants as the lawsuit moves forward.

Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. President Trump's plans to replace Air Force One with a luxury Boeing 747 jet from Qatar is drawing pushback from Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill. More from NPR's Elena Moore. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley said the move shows Qatar wants to build a closer relationship to the U.S., but gifting Trump a jumbo jet.

I prefer a big, beautiful plane built in the United States, made in America, bought in America. He says if Qatar wants to help the U.S., they could reevaluate their ties to multiple groups in the region that the U.S. is critical of. Notably, the country has a long relationship with Hamas. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul also cast doubt on the plan, telling Fox News on Monday that he wonders whether the U.S.'s ability to judge Qatar's human rights record would be, quote,

clouded by this gift. Elena Moore, NPR News, The Capitol. The EPA says it's rolling back some of its limits on several types of water dubbed forever chemicals in drinking water, one of the ages he says for two of the most common varieties, PFAS and PFOS. Limits will remain in place. Environmental groups accuse the administration of abandoning common sense water rules. The Dow is down 89 points today.

This is NPR. For the first time in more than three decades, federal health officials are reviewing the nutritional content of infant formula. NPR's Maria Godoy reports the FDA and other agencies say they want to ensure the safety of baby formulas. The FDA is seeking public input to help determine whether existing nutrient requirements for infant formula should be revised or expanded based on the latest scientific data. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

more than half of all babies receive formula at some point in their first three months of life. A recent study found many formulas contained high amounts of added sugar, and an investigation from Consumer Reports found some formulas contain concerning levels of arsenic and lead. The FDA says it will also increase testing for contaminants in formula as part of Operation Stork Speed. Maria Godoy, NPR News.

Federal Judge in Virginia has released Georgetown researcher Bhattar Khan Suri from immigration detention in Texas along the the Indian Post-doctoral Fellow at Georgetown University to return to Virginia while his challenge to his detention continues. Suri was held in Texas for eight weeks following his arrest in Virginia in March. The Department of Homeland Security accused Suri of actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting anti-Semitism on social media. Revoked his visa, though he's not been charged, Suri has denied the allegations against him.

Critical futures prices eased a bit today after new government numbers showing inventories rising at unexpected rate last week. Oil fell 52 cents a barrel to settle at 63.15 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. This message comes from NYU Langone. York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.