NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-16-2025 1AM EDT

Episode Date: May 16, 2025

NPR News: 05-16-2025 1AM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Tariffs, recessions, how Colombian drug cartels gave us blueberries all year long. That's the kind of thing the Planet Money podcast explains. I'm Sarah Gonzalez and on Planet Money, we help you understand the economy and how things all around you came to be the way they are. Para que sepas. So you know. Listen to the Planet Money Podcast from NPR. Shea Stevens. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. The U.S. Supreme Court is considering arguments over lower court injunctions against President Trump's restrictions on citizenship for some U.S.-born children of immigrants. At issue is whether lower courts can restrict Trump's effort to reinterpret the 14th Amendment

Clause on birthright citizenship. Law professor and author Amanda Frost says the justices are concerned about a single judge issuing nationwide injunctions. The nationwide injunction question is vital not just to the birthright citizenship litigation, but to a large number of this president and previous president's executive branch policies. There's now 40 nationwide injunctions in place against President Trump's executive branch policies, and of course he's issued 150 executive orders. Frost says the justices realize the potential for chaos if the case is decided years from

now and then remains in effect for only a few years. She says the outcome will determine if parents of roughly 3.6 million children born in the U.S. each year will be forced to prove citizenship. Walmart is warning of sharply higher prices because of President Trump's tariffs. The discount retailer says everything from toys to home goods and produce could be affected. More from NPR's Scott Horsley. Walmart says it's working to keep prices down, but the retail giant says some increases are inevitable, given the magnitude of President Trump's tariffs. Even after this week's rollback, the White House has imposed the highest import taxes

since the Great Depression. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says the world may be entering a period of more frequent supply shocks, which could lead to more volatile inflation. Powell spoke at a conference where the Fed is considering its long-term approach to setting interest rates. Retail sales rose only slightly in April after a big jump the month before. Shoppers spent less money at gas stations and grocery stores, thanks to lower prices. But spending was up at restaurants, home and garden centers, and online stores.

Scott Horsley in Peer News, Washington. The top U.S. diplomat in Israel says there will be a new process for delivering aid in Gaza. It's been two months since Israel blocked all aid from entering the territory to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages. NPR's Hadil Al-Shalchi reports. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called on nonprofits and countries to join a U.S.-backed proposal for the distribution

of aid in Gaza, but admitted it was not going to be easy. It will not be perfect, especially in the early days. It's a logistical challenge to make this work and to make it work well. Huckabee said the details of the plan would be announced soon, but that Israel would not be involved in distributing the aid and that private contractors would provide security. He said Israel's military would secure perimeters from afar. International aid groups, including the United Nations, have rejected a plan proposed by Israel to distribute aid in Gaza, saying it will displace people and put them in danger.

Hadil Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv. This is NPR. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has snubbed an opportunity to hold direct talks with his Ukrainian counterpart. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Ankara Wednesday for meetings with Turkey's leader and Putin on Thursday. Meanwhile, observers say hopes for a breakthrough in talks to end Russia's war in Ukraine appear to be more elusive. Dick's Sporting Goods is buying rival athletic retailer Footlocker in a deal said to be worth $2.4 billion. Details from NPR's Alina Seljuk. Dick's Sporting Goods is the largest sports retailer in the U.S. and it's been on strong financial footing but it does not have reach outside the country. Footlocker has struggled

as a mall-based chain but it has a massive footprint of stores, about 2,400 across 20 countries. Dix also says Footlocker has a broader range of shoppers that it would bring to the chain. Think sneaker culture. Footlocker's biggest brand, by far, is Nike. Together, they will have to wade the choppy waters of new tariffs on imports, including footwear, and they'll face the growing challenge of big brands trying to sell more shoes directly to shoppers themselves. Dick's Sporting Goods plans to keep Footlocker as its own chain under its own name.

Alina Seluk, NPR News. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says it is launching an investigation of sexual assault allegations against Motown legend Smokey Robinson. Four ex-housekeepers are seeking at least $50 million in damages, claiming that they were attacked between 2007 and last year. An attorney for Robinson says the accusers are trying to extract money from an 85-year-old icon. This is NPR News.

This message comes from WISE, the app for doing things and other currencies. This is NPR News.