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

Episode Date: May 17, 2025

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When Malcolm Gladwell presented NPR's Throughline podcast with a Peabody Award, he praised it for its historical and moral clarity. On Throughline, we take you back in time to the origins of what's in the news, like presidential power, aging, and evangelicalism. Time travel with us every week on the Throughline podcast from NPR. Janine Herbst Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. In California, authorities are investigating a vehicle explosion near a fertility clinic in Palm Springs today that damaged several buildings and left a trail of debris. Palm Springs police say one person died, but it's not clear if they had anything to do with the blast. Police also say it appears to have been an intentional act.

The head of the clinic tells the Associated Press that the building was damaged, but that the IVF lab and stored embryos are okay. There's no word on a motive, and the FBI and the ATF are also investigating. Cleanup is underway in St. Louis after severe storms barreled through the city yesterday afternoon, leaving at least seven people dead in the state. The Midwest newsroom's Holly Edgel has more. Holly Edgel, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times,

New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York

Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, At one intersection, business owners and volunteers swept up glass and pieces of slate roofing. Crews removed branches from streets, sidewalks and parking lots. Rulissa Lekine cleaned up an area near a bus shelter. I was affected by the storm, but luckily for me, my house is still standing. Just one street over, nearly every house appears affected by the storm, as neighbors work to

clean up as best they can. For NPR News, I'm Holly Engel in St. Louis. And the severe storms will also left at least 18 people dead in Ukraine. President Trump says he will speak with Russian President Putin on Monday morning and then with Ukrainian President Zelensky. In an all-cap post-post on social media, he also said after the calls with the two leaders, he will speak with Zelensky and NATO member states, trying to reach the goal of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Yesterday,

the two sides held talks for the first time since the early days of Russia's invasion three years ago. Meanwhile, hours after yesterday's talks ended, a Russian drone struck a passenger bus in northeastern Ukraine, killing at least nine people. The U.S. Census Bureau is hiring again for temporary workers to carry out government surveys after a months-long pause. And Pierce Hansi-Lawong reports the bureau was granted an exemption from President Trump's hiring freeze on federal workers. Most parts of the federal government are banned from hiring workers through mid-July, but the Census Bureau has new job postings for temporary field representatives to conduct

interviews for government surveys. Recruiting and retaining enough interviewers has been a major challenge for the Bureau. A recent report by the Commerce Department Inspector General's office found that could hurt the reliability of the statistics the government produces, including the monthly jobs report. Still, like other federal agencies, the Bureau the government produces, including the monthly jobs report. Still, like other federal agencies, the bureau has been under pressure from the Trump administration to shrink its workforce. It's raised concerns about the bureau's ability to produce accurate 2030 census results.

They're said to be used to redraw voting maps and determine how U.S. presidents and members of Congress are elected in the next decade. On Zila Wong, NPR News, Washington. This is NPR News. The Trump administration says it will allow the sale of forced reset triggers, which make a semi-automatic weapon, fire more rapidly. The Justice Department says it reached a settlement that ends the ban as part of a deal that also requires it to return seized devices.

The settlement resolves a series of cases over the aftermarket trigger the government had previously argued qualified as machine guns under federal law. Gun control advocates though say the settlement will only worsen gun violence. The World Health Organization has declared a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea. Rachel Bongiorno reports the PNG government is rushing to vaccinate young children who are particularly vulnerable to the disease. Papua New Guinea has been polio-free since 2000, except for an outbreak in 2018 that it managed to contain within the same year. This new outbreak was identified in wastewater testing, but the WHO have now recorded cases

of community transmission. Three doses of the polio vaccine have a 99% efficacy rate but PNG's current vaccination rate sits just below 50%. Since 2020 the virus has almost been eradicated worldwide but last year small outbreaks were recorded in Pakistan and Afghanistan and in Gaza amid the recent violence there. The WHO's Director General told NPR that the sudden cuts to US aid funding are also affecting efforts to eradicate the disease. For NPR News, I'm Rachel Buongiorno in Melbourne.

And I'm Janine Herbst. And you're listening to NPR News from Washington. Are you one of the half of Americans who say money management is part of their self-care NPR News from Washington.