NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-16-2025 3PM EDT

Episode Date: May 16, 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. stuff in between, catch the pop culture happy hour podcast from NPR. Lyle from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump's big, beautiful bill, as he calls it, is stalled. Republicans on the House Budget Committee were unable to come together to advance Trump's

domestic priorities. The legislation proposes more than $800 billion in spending cuts, including the Medicaid to help pay for tax cuts. A group of fiscal hawks argues the cuts are not deep enough. Republican Congressman Ryan Zinke, who was Secretary of the Interior in Trump's first administration, is protective of federal public lands. A lawmaker from Montana spoke to NPR's Hear and Now about his opposition to reconciliation bill amendments that would

allow the sale of 460,000 acres of public lands in Nevada and Utah. You could sell the whole West and it's not going to cover even close to the $36 trillion debt. I think all of us should be stewards of what I think is America's best idea and America's best idea is still great. Thank you on NPR's Here and Now. Representatives from Ukraine and Russia held talks in Istanbul today for the first time since the early days of Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion. NPR's Joanne Kikis's reports from Kyiv that the two sides agreed to amass prisoner exchange but not on a ceasefire.

Russia's delegation made up of mid-level technocrats said they were satisfied with the talks. Ukraine's delegation led by Defense Minister Rusta Mumerov was less effusive. He said a ceasefire was discussed but only the exchange of a thousand prisoners of war was agreed upon. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke from Albania. He said if the talks did not result in an immediate ceasefire, Ukraine says peace negotiations cannot begin unless a ceasefire is in place. Joanna Kekesis, NPR News. Qayyib. The Trump administration is launching an investigation into Harvard's admissions practices.

From member station GBH in Boston, Kirk Karapesza has more. Back in 2023, the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, telling Harvard and other selective schools they can't explicitly consider race when deciding who gets in. The Department of Justice announced its new investigation in a letter Thursday. It wants to know whether Harvard is abiding by the Supreme Court ruling or ignoring it. A Harvard spokesperson says the school is committed to following the law and argues the investigation is quote, yet another abusive and retaliatory

action. Harvard has clashed with the Trump administration in recent months over its hiring and admissions policies as well as its tax-exempt status, with the administration freezing billions in federal funding. For NPR News, I'm Kirk Carrapezza in Boston. The Dow is up 316 points or roughly three-quarters of a percent. It's NPR News. The man who attacked and severely wounded novelist Salman Rushdie in 2022 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. NPR's Scott Newman has details.

Hadi Mattar was found guilty of attempted murder in February. Three years ago, Salman Rushdie was about to give a lecture in upstate New York when Matar leapt on stage. He stabbed the author multiple times, leaving his victim partially blinded. Matar was also sentenced to seven years for wounding another man who tried to defend Rushdie. He will serve that, and his 25-year sentence, concurrently. Rushdie's 1988 book, The Satanic Verses, angered many Muslims and prompted a religious fatwa calling for the author's death. Although Matar never

said the fatwa inspired his attack, he did say that he disliked Rushdie. Scott Newman, NPR News. The 77-year-old Rushdie was not at the sentencing, but Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmitz says Rushdie describes still having nightmares about the attack. The statement was not made public. New Orleans authorities are investigating a major jailbreak. They say 11 inmates broke out of the Orleans Parish Justice Center. Exactly how remains unclear.

They say guards were doing a routine head count this morning when they discovered inmates were missing. The facility was placed on lockdown. The public's been warned not to engage with the escapees. Authorities say they should be considered armed and dangerous. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.