NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-17-2025 7AM EDT

Episode Date: May 17, 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. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. In St. Louis, searchers have been going building to building looking for people who've been trapped or hurt following severe storms that included at least one tornado.

The storms that hit during the afternoon rush hour yesterday led to the deaths of at least five people in St. Louis. Derek Perkins is a pastor there. He told ABC News that one of those killed was a member of his church. We're just saying, our hearts open about all of this, the neighbors, the homes, the residents, the members of the church. The storms killed multiple people in Kentucky. I'm Karen Zarr for Member Station WUKY in Lexington, Kentucky.

High winds, torrential rain, golf ball-sized hail, and tornadoes thrashed parts of the state overnight. The mayor confirmed fatalities in London, Kentucky, although the number of dead hasn't been confirmed by authorities. Confirmed tornado warnings were issued in In Somerset, Sean Likens and his son Garrett captured what appeared to be a funnel cloud illuminated in the darkness by flashes of lightning. It's right there. It's right there. It's a rope. It's a rope. It's right there. Less than a minute and a half later, Garrett pleaded for his father to come inside.

Dad, we gotta go. Thousands of Kentuckians are without power and flooding is now a concern. For NPR News, I'm Karen Zarr in Lexington. This week, a federal judge in New Mexico dismissed trespassing charges for dozens of migrants caught in a newly created military buffer zone along the southern border. The dismissals are the latest development in the Trump administration's expansion of immigration enforcement in the state. Johnny Coker of member station KRWG reports. Federal Magistrate Judge Gregory B. Wormuth ruled that the original criminal complaint

failed to establish probable cause. New Mexico Democratic Congressman Gabe Vazquez said the ruling highlights the lack of clarity. The Trump administration imposed this military zone without transparency and to this day we still don't know where it begins or where it ends. It's not clear to the public, not to local officials, and certainly it's not clear to the people who are being arrested. The arrested migrants are still being detained and face deportation. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico did not immediately respond

to requests for comment. For NPR News, I'm Johnny Coker in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The U.S. Supreme Court has kept in place a temporary block preventing the Trump administration from using the 18th century wartime Alien Enemies Act to deport a group of migrants in Texas said it accuses of being in a Venezuelan gang. The courts is faulting the White House for seeking to remove them without adequate due process. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarice Thomas dissented. And you're listening to NPR News. The first week of the closely watched Sean Combs trial wrapped up in New York City yesterday,

the hip hop mogul accused of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Several witnesses have testified as NPR's Isabella Gomez-Sarmiento reports, and this note that this report includes a mention of sexual activity and physical violence. The star witness in the government's case against Sean Combs finished her testimony today. Cassie Ventura spent four days answering questions from the prosecution and Combs' defense about their relationship. Ventura testified that she loved Combs, but he was often violent and forced her to have

sex with male escorts. After Ventura's cross-exam examination, prosecutors called an agent from Homeland Security Investigations to the stand to lay some of the groundwork for the sex trafficking charges. At the end of the day, singer Dawn Rashard began her testimony. She said she saw Holmes hit Ventura more than once. Rashard will continue testifying on Monday. Isabella Gomez-Ramiento, NPR News. Israel says it conducted extensive strikes and it's mobilizing for an expanded operation in the Gaza Strip.

Israel says the operation is aimed at defeating Hamas and freeing remaining hostages. Health officials in Gaza say Israeli attacks have killed around 250 people since Thursday. A Russian drone strike in Ukraine's northeastern Sumi region is being blamed for killing nine people, injuring four others. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the dead are civilians, and police have posted photos of a nearly destroyed passenger van. The attack came after Moscow and Kiev failed to agree to a ceasefire during talks in Istanbul. I'm Jai Hill Snyder, NPR News.

On Fridays, the 1A podcast is all about helping you cut through the info fog and get to what's I'm Giles Snyder, NPR News.