NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-15-2025 12PM EDT

Episode Date: May 15, 2025

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Know that fizzy feeling you get when you read something really good, watch the movie everyone's been talking about, or catch the show that the internet can't get over? At the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, we chase that feeling four times a week. We'll serve you recommendations and commentary on the buzziest movies, TV, music, and more. From lowbrow to highbrow to the stuff in between, catch the Pop culture happy hour podcast from NPR. Lyle from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The Supreme Court is weighing President Trump's challenge to birthright citizenship, the constitutional provision that guarantees citizenship to babies born in the United States. The case could determine how much power federal courts have to block President Trump's agenda

to further restrict immigrant rights. Isn't that a hypothetical? This is happening out there, right? Every court has ruled against you. We've only had snap judgments on the merits. Obviously, we're fully briefing the merits in the courts of appeals and our arguments are compelling. Today, Justice Selena Kagan questioned Solicitor General John Sowers' defense of the Trump administration's case. NPR's Susan Davis reports on how this case factors into the president's broader agenda.

I mean, President Trump also, I think it's been a clear directive of his presidency that part of what he's doing is trying to expand the boundaries of presidential power. And it's hard not to see this executive order within that scope of getting to rewrite the constitution. not to see this executive order within that scope of getting to rewrite the Constitution. That's NPR's Susan Davis reporting. President Trump has spoken to U.S. troops stationed at a major airbase in Qatar. NPR's Franco Ordonia reports Trump made the stop before he traveled on to the United Arab Emirates. The Al-Udeid airbase just southwest of Doha is the largest US military facility in the Middle East, housing thousands of US troops. No visit in the Gulf would be complete without stopping to salute the people who keep America

safe, strong and free. Trump regaled the troops with a campaign-style speech with lots of stories from his time in office, including his efforts to end diversity programs. The president is on a four-day tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, mixing some business deals with diplomacy as the administration works with the region to try and end conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. Franco, Ordonez, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The Federal Aviation Administration says a hotline between the Pentagon and the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has not worked since 2022. NPR's Joe Hernandez reports the revelation came after a mid-air collision near the airport

killed 67 people recently. An FAA official confirmed that the hotline between the Pentagon and the airport doesn't work, but that the FAA wasn't aware of that before the January collision. The official said the FAA was insisting it be brought back online before the military resumed flights out of the Pentagon, which were paused after another Blackhawk helicopter got too close to two commercial planes. The FAA says a direct access line was out due to the construction of a new tower at the Pentagon but that the two facilities coordinate by phone. Joe Hernandez, NPR News.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 136 points. This is NPR News. High housing costs along with high mortgage rates are keeping homeownership out of reach for many middle-income families. NPR's Scott Horsley reports on the latest findings from the National Association of Realtors. A typical family with income of about $75,000 a year can only afford about one out of five homes on the market. That's about $75,000 a year, can only afford about one out of five homes on the market. That's actually a slight improvement from a year ago, but it's still a much tougher housing market than before the pandemic, when the same family would have been able to afford

nearly half the homes for sale. Although the number of for-sale signs has been growing, there's still a significant housing shortage, keeping prices high, and with mortgage rates hovering around 6-3-quarters percent, the typical monthly payment remains a budget buster for many would-be buyers. Scott Horsley in Pear News, Washington. Paraminopause. Doctors say it's getting a lot more attention these days in part because it has a long list of symptoms and is difficult to diagnose. More from NPR's Katie Riddle. Some clinicians caution women who are in their late 30s

through early 50s, don't assume all maladies are related to paramenopause. There's a lot of other health conditions that can show up in midlife. Nanette Santoro is a gynecologist in Colorado. Maybe it isn't your hormones. Let's try these other things first. And that's a little tricky. So sometimes that involves judgment on the part of the clinician.

It also involves some possibly a need for the doctor or the patient to be more assertive. Centaur says testing for hormone levels can be inconclusive and is not always that helpful. Katie Riddle, NPR News. The Dow is up 158 points. The S&P has climbed 16. The NASDAQ is down 9 points. It's NPR News.