NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-16-2025 5AM EDT

Episode Date: May 16, 2025

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These days, there's a lot of news. It can be hard to keep up with what it means for you, your family, and your community. Consider This from NPR is a podcast that helps you make sense of the news. Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a story and provide the context, backstory, and analysis you need to understand our rapidly changing world. Listen to the Consider This podcast from NPR. Listen to the Consider This Podcast from NPR. Dave Maddingley Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Maddingley. Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are slated to get underway today in Turkey without

Russian President Vladimir Putin. He did not make the trip. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky did travel to Turkey and says the absence of Putin for direct talks shows Moscow is not serious about ending the war. NPR's Charles Maynes has more. The negotiations marked the first between Moscow and Kiev since the early months of the Russian invasion more than three years ago.

The planned meeting was derailed by new Russian president Vladimir Putin would skip the event, instead dispatching mid-level technocrats to negotiate. The move clearly angered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who had traveled to Turkey and challenged Putin to do the same. Instead Zelensky said a lower-level Ukrainian delegation would engage with the Russian team. Meanwhile, President Trump, who had indicated he might attend if it brought the two sides closer, now says diplomatic progress to end the war remains unlikely until he and Putin meet face to face.

Charles Mainz in PR News, Moscow. President Trump is wrapping up his trip to the Middle East. He heads back to Washington later today after securing hundreds of billions of dollars worth of contracts from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates with companies in the U.S. They include Qatar agreeing to buy up to 210 planes from Boeing, the company's largest wide-body jet order on record. The top U.S. diplomat in Israel says there will soon be a new

process for delivering aid to Gaza. As NPR's Hadil Al-Shalchi reports from Tel Aviv, it's been two months since Israel blocked all aid from entering the territory in a bid to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called on non-profits and countries to join a US-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. Hadeel Alshalchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Maryland's Attorney General says an audit of autopsies carried out by the

state's medical examiners shows at least 36 deaths that occurred while in police custody should have been classified as homicides. The review identifies racial and pro-police bias and autopsies done under the direction of the state's former medical examiner, Dr. David Fowler. The review looked at 87 in-custody deaths. This is NPR News from Washington. In Southern California, the Sheriff's Department in Los Angeles County says it's opening a criminal investigation into sexual assault allegations made against Motown singer and songwriter Smokey Robinson. Steve Futterman has more from Los Angeles. The announcement of a criminal probe comes a week after a civil suit was filed by four women, all former housekeepers, accusing Smokey Robinson of a series of sexual crimes dating

back to 2014. Attorney John Harris represents the women he outlined the allegations. JOHN HARRIS, Attorney, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of

Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, House of Representatives, Smoky Robinson, Smoky imprisonment, gender violence, and creating a hostile work environment. An attorney for Robinson calls the allegations manufactured and says Robinson, who is 85, did nothing wrong. The four women say they did not come forward earlier because of their immigration status. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles. A transit strike began this morning in New Jersey affecting

rail and bus service. About 450 union workers at New Jersey Transit walked off the job over pay. Officials say the strike could affect about 350,000 commuters and other riders who rely on the system. Chris Kalori is president and CEO of New Jersey Transit. He says riders will still have options. Amtrak will continue to run, Path will continue to run, our buses will continue to run, our access link will continue to run, light rail systems will continue to run, and the ferries will continue to run. This is the first strike there since 1983. I'm Dave Mattingly in Washington.

Conductor Robert Fron says a good melody captures our attention. And then it moves you through time. Music is architecture in time. If you engage in the moment with what you're listening to, you do lose a sense of the time around you. How we experience time. That's on the TED Radio Hour from NPR.