NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-15-2025 2PM EDT

Episode Date: May 15, 2025

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Does the idea of listening to political news freak you out? Well, don't sweat it. The NPR Politics podcast makes politics a breeze. Every episode will break down the day's headlines into totally normal language and make sure that you walk away understanding what the day's news might mean for you. Take a deep breath and give politics another chance with the NPR Politics podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts. Lakhshmi Singh Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakhshmi Singh. The U.S. Supreme Court is wrestling with whether to uphold or end birthright citizenship. Today, the conservative majority court heard arguments over President Trump's challenge

of a constitutional provision that guarantees automatic citizenship to all babies born on U.S. soil. And Piers Nina Totenberg reports on the case the solicitor general presented. Piers Nina Totenberg, Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D. It was interesting to me that John Sauer, in his opening remarks and his closing remarks, made the big pitch for the fact that he thinks that birthright citizenship as interpreted by the courts for some 200 years now and specifically for 127 years, but that those rulings were wrong and that the 14th Amendment doesn't mean what the court has always said it means. Danielle Pletka NPR's Nina Totenberg reporting. NPR has confirmed that the Department of Homeland

Security is requesting about 20,000 National Guard members to help with immigration enforcement. National Guard involvement of this nature would be unprecedented. Since midnight, a series of Israeli airstrikes across Gaza have killed at least 94 people, according to hospital and morgue officials there. And Piers-Kerry Kahn has more. Israeli airstrikes hit multiple sites throughout Gaza, including several medical facilities, one clinic, and Kahn Eunice sustained significant damage, forcing it to halt operations, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

Israeli military officials did not comment specifically on any of the strikes but did say it was targeting terrorists and that numerous steps are taken to mitigate civilian harm. Among the dead are dozens of children. The stepped-up air assaults continue as President Trump is in the region. There had been hope that his visit could move long-stalled ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel. Trump says he wants the U.S. to be involved in Gaza and turn it into a quote freedom zone. Kari Kahn, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Kari Kahn, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Walmart says higher prices from tariffs are coming as soon as this month. Retailers says

two thirds of what it sells in the U.S. is made, grown or assembled here, but the sweeping tariffs on all imports, especially from China, are too high for the company to simply absorb. Here's NPR's Alina Seljuk. Walmart CEO Doug McMillan says the company will focus on protecting food prices as much as possible, and he hopes the Trump administration lifts tariffs on foods like bananas and avocados that don't grow in large numbers in the U.S. McMillan also thanked the Trump administration for striking a deal with China that eased tariffs for a few months

to 30 percent rather than 145 percent. But he was also pretty direct speaking to investors. Even at the reduced levels, the higher tariffs will result in higher prices. Walmart's finance chief says price increases will become noticeable later this month and into the summer. That's NPR's Alina Selyuk. This is NPR News. As the Food and Drug Administration urges food and beverage companies to stop using

artificial dyes, federal regulators have approved three natural alternatives. NPR's Yukinoguchi has the latest. Natural food dyes tend to be less bright and harder to source than chemical synthetic ones, but in an effort to promote that transition, the FDA approved two forms of natural blue extract from an algae called Galdaria sulfuraria and Butterfly pea flowers. It also approved calcium phosphate for use in making foods like cooked chicken and candy coating look white. The administration cites studies showing some petroleum-based food dyes are linked to behavioral

problems like hyperactivity in children. Officials also say synthetic dyes are often used to make unhealthy, highly processed foods look more appetizing to young people. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News. Well, for the first time, a NASA rover has observed an aurora on Mars in visible light. Scientists tracking the Perseverance craft say the aurora occurred over a year ago, March 15, 2024. Others on Mars have been observed by satellites from orbit in ultraviolet wavelengths, but not in visible light. In the latest observation, scientists report a green glow

in the red planet's sky. The Dow is up 152 points. The S&P climbed 17. The NASDAQ was down 11. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.