NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-17-2025 9PM EDT

Episode Date: May 18, 2025

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Am I a propagandist? A truth teller? An influencer? There's probably no more contested profession in the world today than mine, journalism. I'm Brian Reed, and on my show, Question Everything, we dive headfirst into the conflicts we're all facing over truth and who gets to tell it. Listen now to Question Everything, part of the NPR Podcast Network. 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.

One person died and authorities are working to identify them. The FBI's Akhil Davis tells the AP the clinic was deliberately targeted. The head of the clinic says the IVF lab and stored embryos are okay. The building was damaged. After Walmart warned it would have to raise prices because of President Trump's tariffs, Trump lit into the retail giant today saying on social media it should eat the tariffs instead of passing the duties on to customers. And here's Michael Levitt has more. In a post to his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said Walmart made billions of dollars last year and that the retailer should quote, not charge valued customers anything. The post comes after Walmart execs said the retailer could see increasingly

high prices on their shelves in the coming months. The result, they say, of the president's trade policies. The president's rebuke of Walmart comes as he continues to make the case that his tariffs will yield long-term benefits for the economy, including a revitalized American manufacturing sector. However, stock markets have stayed volatile despite the president's assurances and economic experts remain worried of the possibility of a recession. Michael Levitt in PR News, Washington. More than two dozen people are dead after severe storms devastated parts of the Midwest. George Hale from member station WFIU reports parts of Indiana suffered major damage. A tornado

touched down Friday evening near Bloomington in central Indiana where it leveled a post office and damaged dozens of homes. Local officials say several were injured including an elderly man who was hospitalized with a head injury. National Weather Service investigators were in the area Saturday conducting field visits to determine the size and power of the tornadoes says meteorologist Matthew Eckhoff. They're still out there touring the damage area and seeing what kind of damage occurred. Officials say campers at a nearby state park also sustained injuries. More were stranded until roadways could be cleared.

For NPR News, I'm George Hale in Bloomington, Indiana. Russia hit a shuttle bus with a drone in Ukraine, killing at least nine people. And Piers Polina Latvinova has more. The attack happened near the town of Pylopilya, close to the Russian border. It's an area of active hostilities. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media that an entire family of three are among those dead. He added that, quote, without stronger sanctions, without stronger pressure on Russia, it will

not seek real diplomacy. The attack came a day after the first direct talks in three years between Russia and Ukraine. While the two sides didn't agree to a ceasefire, they did agree to a massive prisoner exchange. Polina Litvinova, NPR News, Kyiv. And you're listening to NPR News from Washington. Talks are taking place this weekend to end a strike between train engineers and transit officials on New Jersey's big commuter railroad. New Jersey Transit head Chris Kaluri says he's hopeful the two sides can reach an agreement.

The strike started yesterday, affecting the rail system's 350,000 riders who traveled to New York City. Kaluri says they're preparing buses in case the strike continues into next week, but he urged people to work from home if they could. The biggest sticking point? Pay. It's the first transit strike in more than 40 years in New Jersey. Austria has won the 69th Eurovision Song Contest.

And here's Chloe Veltman reports. Wasted Love by JJ beat out 25 other songs for the top prize at the finals held in Switzerland today. Wasted Love is in some way similar to last year's winner, Nemo's The Code, in that it includes soaring operatic vocals. But while the 2024 victor was more club anthem than aria, wasted love is the opposite. Banging beats only appear in the final part of the song. This is the third time Austria has won the international singing competition.

Udo Jürgens claimed the top prize in 1965 and Conchita Wurst in 2014. Israel took second place and Estonia came in third this year. As is customary the 70th Eurovision Song Contest will be held next year in this year's winning country. Chloe Valtman, NPR News. And I'm Janene Herbst and you're listening to NPR News from Washington. This message comes from WISE, the app for doing things and other currencies. With WISE you can send, spend from Washington.