NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-15-2025 8PM EDT

Episode Date: May 16, 2025

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Look, we get it. When it comes to new music, there is a lot of it and it all comes really fast. But on All Songs Considered, NPR's music recommendation podcast, we'll handpick what we think is the greatest music happening right now and give you your next great listen. So kick back, settle in, get those eardrums wide open and get your dose of new music from All Songs Considered, only from NPR. of new music from all songs considered, only from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Representatives from Russia and Ukraine are still slated to hold their first direct peace talks in three years, though hopes for any major breakthrough have dimmed after Russian President Vladimir Putin

spurned an offer by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a face-to-face meeting in Turkey. Speaking aboard Air Force One on his way to the United Arab Emirates, US President Donald Trump said he had planned to possibly go to Turkey as well but said that won't be happening now. Look, nothing's going to happen until Putin and I get together, okay? And obviously he wasn't going to go. He was going to go, but he thought I was going to go. He wasn't going if I wasn't there.

And I don't believe anything's going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he thought I was going to go. He wasn't going if I wasn't there and I don't believe anything's going to happen with you like it or not until he and I get together but we're going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying. The fact Putin was in no show was not a surprise to many observers. Zelensky has sent a team to Istanbul despite the fact that in his words Moscow's side quote doesn't include anyone who actually makes decisions. As the Supreme Court weighs a challenged birthright citizenship, legal experts say America's approach is more the exception than the rule, NPR's Windsor Johnston reports. It's a concept known as right of the soil. But globally, that right is far from universal.

Fewer than 40 countries grant unconditional birthright citizenship. The United States and Canada are the only G7 nations that still do. Most European and Asian countries follow a different model, where citizenship is based on bloodline, not birthplace. Ireland amended its constitution to end birthright citizenship in 2004. Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom rolled theirs back even earlier. Proponents of the change in the U.S. argue it would bring immigration policy in line with global norms. Opponents say it would undermine a core principle of the constitution in the U.S. argue it would bring immigration policy in line with global norms. Opponents say it would undermine a core principle of the Constitution, that citizenship, like freedom, is a right at birth.

Windsor-Johnston, NPR News, Washington. Fluoride, a mineral that helps prevent tooth decay, will soon be banned in Florida public water systems. Douglas Soll, with member station WUSF, reports. Governor Ron DeSantis signed that into law today. Governor DeSantis says the restriction allows Floridians to choose whether they use fluoride. Yes, use fluoride for your teeth, that's fine, but forcing it in the water supply is basically forced medication. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has concerns that ingesting fluoride can cause health problems, but dental groups are adamant that low levels of the mineral only have health positives,

preventing cavities, especially for those without regular access to care. Florida's ban begins on July 1st. A similar law in Utah, the first state to target fluoride, took effect earlier this month. For NPR News, I'm Douglas Sol in Tallahassee. Wholesale inflation, the cost of goods before they head down the pipeline to consumers, posted an unexpected decline last month. The government's producer price index fell 0.5% in April. Stocks again drifted to something of a mixed close. The Dow was up 271 points.

The NASDAQ closed down 34 points today. You're listening to NPR. As the fallout continues from the imposition of tariffs by the current administration, perhaps not surprising side effect was a drop in business travel as companies and workers dealt with the economic uncertainties generated by the taxes on imported goods. New numbers from the National Travel and Tourism Office out today show business travel to the U.S. falling by 9%. The Middle East was the only region out today show business travel to the U.S., falling by 9%. The Middle East was the only region that saw higher business travel last month compared to a year ago.

It remains unclear whether business travel will continue to be affected by economic uncertainties in the months ahead. Snow totals in the mountain ranges that supply water to the Colorado River are far lower than normal for this time of year. Remember station KUNC, Alex Hager reports that reality might be getting lost amid disarray at the federal offices that manage water for 40 million people across the West. Look at maps of snow totals across the Rockies right now and you'll see a whole lot of red. Eric Balkin is with the nonprofit Glen Canyon Institute. I think some of that chaos within the agencies, the broader negotiations happening on the Colorado River, all of these other factors I think are sort of drowning out the severity

of the drought situation right now. Low snow totals now could spell catastrophe for Lake Powell as soon as next year. The nation's second largest reservoir could lose the ability to generate hydropower or even send water downstream to the millions of people who depend on it. For NPR News, I'm Alex Hager in Fort Collins, Colorado. Critical futures prices lost ground today. Mid-talk of progress toward a US-Iran nuclear deal that could result in an easing of sanctions and more oil on the market. Oil fell $1.50, 3 cents a barrel to $61.62 a barrel. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.