NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-17-2025 12AM EDT

Episode Date: May 17, 2025

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This is Ira Glass, the host of This American Life. So much is changing so rapidly right now with President Trump in office. It feels good to pause for a moment sometimes and look around at what's what. To try and do that, we've been finding these incredible stories about right now that are funny and have feeling and you get to see people everywhere making sense of this new America that we find ourselves in. This American Life, wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. President Trump's funding bill aimed at cutting spending

and offering tax breaks hit a roadblock Friday in the House Budget Committee. NPR's Tamara Keith has reaction from the White House. Fiscal conservatives on this key committee are balking at the bill, but this isn't the end of the story. Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said the White House will continue to have conversations over the weekend to strongly urge House Republicans to

support the bill, describing it as a generational opportunity. Levitt added that the White House expects all Republicans to vote for this bill. This bill is the main legislative vehicle for President Trump's agenda, including big tax cuts and cuts to spending on programs including Medicaid and food assistance for the poor. In an earlier social media post, Trump demanded unity and said, quote, We don't need grandstanders in the Republican Party. Tamara Keith, NPR News. Delegations from Ukraine and Russia held direct peace talks in Istanbul on Friday. The talks lasted less than two hours and observers say little has come from the meeting other than a prisoner swap.

NPR's Charles Maynes meanwhile says European leaders are so far not impressed by what they see. The question is whether Putin has inflicted damage elsewhere. The Europeans are clearly incensed that what they see is Putin feigning diplomacy while he maximizes leverage on the battlefield. They say they'll now move forward with more sanctions and tariffs against key Russian exports. But the bigger issue is how Trump reacts. The U.S. had threatened to join the Europeans if it didn't see a ceasefire. What does Trump do now and who does he blame really remains elusive.

Is it Russia, Ukraine or both? That's NPR's Charles Mains reporting. President Trump has lashed out at the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, after he said that most iPhones sold in the U.S. will come from India. That may complicate India's hopes of replacing China as a global base for iPhone manufacturing, as NPR's Diya Hadid reports. President Trump said this during his whistle-stop tour of the Gulf. I said, Tim, look, we've treated you really good. We put up with all the plants that you built in

China for years. Now you got to build us. We're not interested in you building in India. It came after CNBC quoted Tim Cook as saying that he expected most iPhones to be built in India. India has long sought to siphon more iPhone manufacturing from China. It already makes nearly 15% of all iPhones. India is also negotiating a trade deal with the United States, which it hopes will curb 26% tariffs that Trump has vowed to slap on the country. It's so far unclear if these tensions over where iPhones should be built will hinder that deal.

Dhiya Hadid, NPR News, Mumbai The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a Trump administration appeal to resume deportations of Venezuelans under an 18th century wartime law. Stocks finished up on Friday and you're listening to NPR News. Israel launched dozens of airstrikes across Gaza. On Friday, local health officials say at least 108 people were killed. Most of them were women and children. Israel says the attacks are a prelude to a larger campaign to pressure Hamas to release

the remaining hostages. Israel also hit two ports in Yemen. It says the ports are used by Houthi militants to transfer weapons. The man who attacked and severely wounded novelist Salman Rushdie in 2022 has now been sentenced to 25 years in prison. And Piers, Scott Newman has more. 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. Train engineers with New Jersey Transit are on strike. The commuter rail system carries 350,000 passengers a day across the state and into New York City. It's also a major route for those traveling to Newark's International Airport.

Passengers ended up using buses, cars, taxis, and even boats during Friday morning's rush hour. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.