NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-17-2025 5PM EDT

Episode Date: May 17, 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. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Hurst. President Trump says he will talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday morning to be followed by a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, this days after Putin skipped peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey.

And here's Danielle Kurtzleben has more. In a social media post, Trump said that he will talk to Putin by phone at 10 a.m. Monday, then talk to Zelensky and quote, various members of NATO. This past week, Ukrainian and Russian officials met in Turkey for their first direct peace talks since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Zelensky had called for Putin to attend, but the Russian president did not go. On the campaign trail last year, Trump repeatedly said he would broker a peace deal between the two countries within 24 hours of taking office. Fighting has continued instead, and

Trump has talked about wanting peace. After Russia sent missiles and drones to Ukraine in April, Trump posted on social media, Vladimir, stop. Danielle Kurtzleman and PR News. More than two dozen people are dead and damage is extensive. After severe storms and tornadoes hit Missouri and Kentucky last night, Karen Czar with member station WUKY has more. 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 helicopter 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. For NPR News, I'm Karen Zarr in London. This spring's home buying season, there are some new rules about how agents are paid following a settlement with the National Association of Realtors last year. In Piers, Laura Wamsley reports some buyers and sellers have embraced a new way to pay their Realtor with a flat fee.

For a long time, buying and selling a home was pretty straightforward. The seller paid a commission to both the buyers and sellers' agent, totaling 5 to 6 percent of the sales price. For Jim Schow, a a home buyer in Georgia, it was just too much money going to the realtors. When you try to negotiate, you basically just told, no, that's our rate. But following the realtor's settlement,

agents must now tell their prospective clients that their rates are fully negotiable. So Hsiao found an agent who agreed to a flat fee to help him buy a new home, and he got $14,000 back to put toward the closing. Despite the new rules, commissions for buyer's agents overall have barely budged. Shau says consumers just need the confidence to ask for options beyond the status quo. Laurel Wamsley, NPR News.

You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The eyes of the horse racing world are turned 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 this milestone anniversary. Wyclef Jean will perform trackside before the thoroughbreds thunder down the stretch. Journalism is the favorite chasing a two million dollar 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. Cable Giants Charter and Cox, both struggling with competition from streaming services, say they're planning to merge. The approximately $34.5 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest cable companies in the country. Charter says it will acquire Cox's commercial fiber and managed IT and cloud businesses, and Cox will contribute its residential cable business.

The deal requires regulatory and shareholder approval. I'm Janene Herbst, NPR News.