NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-17-2025 2PM EDT

Episode Date: May 17, 2025

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Shortwave thinks of science as an invisible force, showing up in your everyday life, powering the food you eat, the medicine you use, the tech in your pocket. Science is approachable because it's already part of your life. Come explore these connections on the Shortwave podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dwahle Saikow-Tow. Fatalities and extensive damage are being reported in southern Kentucky following last night's storms that brought heavy winds, rain and possible tornadoes. Karen Zarr with Member Station WUKY reports. A short walk past Fire Station 2 in London, Kentucky, everything seems normal.

Families sit on their porches. Kids jump on a trampoline. A dog runs across the yard. But about a half mile down the road, a swath of destruction cuts across the landscape, and a flies above surveying the scene. Next to a home that is unscathed, another is reduced to sticks, a car crushed beneath it all. Debris is scattered everywhere. The coroner's van is parked nearby and police say the scene remains active. Governor Andy Beshear is in London and will hold a press briefing later today, along with emergency management officials and first responders.

For NPR News, I'm Karen Zarr in London. Images coming out of London, Kentucky and published by The Courier-Journal show widespread devastation to homes and businesses, as well as dangerous downed power lines. A British surgeon working at a hospital in southern Gaza has told the BBC that food shortages due to the Israeli blockade are causing Palestinian children to lose their teeth and hair. Dr. Victoria Rose says that child patients are basically skeletal. A lot of the kids have really poor dentition, but all quite sort of cacchetic, really thin, some really poor dentition, but all quite sort of cachectic, really thin, the sort of pictures that we saw in the Ethiopian disaster in the 80s, that sort of thing is happening here now. It is really an issue for us because obviously without nutrition, we can't really operate because the wounds won't heal. And then on top of that, there's a huge risk of

secondary infection. Israeli officials have denied that the blockade imposed more than 10 weeks ago is causing malnutrition in Gaza. The Supreme Court will keep in place a temporary block that prevents the Trump administration from deporting migrants that it accuses of being members of a Venezuelan gang. NPR's Adrienne Florido reports the court says migrants targeted under the 18th century wartime law must get due process. The case was brought by two Venezuelan men at a northern Texas detention center

who were set to be deported last month under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The ACLU filed an emergency lawsuit and blocked the deportations. The Supreme Court has rejected the government's request to be allowed to deport the migrants The ACLU filed an emergency lawsuit and blocked the deportations. The Supreme Court has rejected the government's request to be allowed to deport the migrants or any others in northern Texas, saying they must get more time to challenge their deportations. The 7-2 majority wrote that giving them about 24 hours to do that, quote, surely that... This is NPR. The eyes of the horse racing world turn to Baltimore today for the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes, the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.

Wanboy Kamau of member station WYPR says organizers are pulling out all the stops for the milestone anniversary. Wyclef Jean will perform trackside before the thoroughbreds thunder down the stretch. Journalism is the favorite, chasing a $2 million purse. But this year's race comes with a twist. It's the last one before Pimlico Racecourse is torn down and rebuilt into a year-round venue.

Residents of the Park Heights neighborhood, home to the track, say it's a chance to bring jobs and much-needed investment. And in the infield, a cultural event called AfroPREQ is drawing new fans. In a city that's majority black, co-founder Derek Chase says the goal is to make more people feel at home. We've created a bridge for something that historically people didn't see themselves as a part of, and now they feel welcome. After the race, T-Pain closes it out. For NPR News, I'm one boy Kamau in Baltimore. President Trump says he'll speak to leaders of both Russia and Ukraine on Monday.

On his Truth Social Media platform, he said, Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war, a war that should have never happened, will end." His comments come a day after the first direct talks between Moscow and Kiev since 2022. The meeting held in Istanbul led to a 1,000 strong prisoner swap. I'm Dwahilis Ikaotel, NPR News in New York. Know that fizzy feeling you get when you read something really good, watch the movie everyone's NPR News in New York.