NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-18-2025 1PM EDT

Episode Date: May 18, 2025

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Look, we get it. When it comes to new music, there is a lot of it, and it all comes really fast. But on All Songs Considered, NPR's music recommendation podcast, we'll handpick what we think is the greatest music happening right now and give you your next great listen. So kick back, settle in, get those eardrums wide open, and get your dose of new music from All Songs Considered, only from NPR. dose of new music from all songs considered, only from NPR. Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dua-Helisa Icautau. President Trump's proposal, the one big beautiful bill was stopped in its tracks last week. Five House Republicans joined

Democrats to vote against Trump's domestic policy bill in committee, which is set to meet again late Sunday. And Piers Luke Garrett reports. Fiscal hawks on the House Budget Committee voted the bill down because of its price tag. South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman called the bill smoke and mirrors. At issue is work requirements for Medicaid, the federal health care program for poor, elderly, and disabled Americans. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Fox News Sunday that he largely agrees with the rebelling

lawmakers. Work requirements is a no-brainer. It's like a 90 percent issue on Poland. Able-bodied adults who can work should work. But this group of Republicans believes the bill doesn't go far enough. They want more cuts to Medicaid. Johnson said he is negotiating with them and that they'll fall in line. We're going to deliver on this and we'll get everybody in line to do it.

The House Budget Committee is meeting again late Sunday. Luke Garrett and PR News Washington. The FBI says a car explosion that killed at least one person and injured four others outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California was an act of terrorism. Madison Aument from member station KVCR in San Bernardino says photos on Facebook showed a huge hole in the building and debris spilling out on the sidewalk. And she adds, the FBI said they have a person of interest and that they are not actively searching for anyone. Yesterday, they wouldn't say if the person who died is the suspect. The FBI did

mention that the person was near a car. They did not elaborate. However, the lead doctor said on Facebook it was in fact a car that exploded near his clinic. Madison Aument from member station KVCR in San Bernardino, the FBI and its partners are planning to brief the public this hour. Arab heads of state meeting in Baghdad have renewed calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and created a reconstruction fund for war-torn Arab countries. And Piers Jane Araf has more. The annual Arab League Summit concluded Saturday with calls for an immediate ceasefire. Iraq

was among several countries accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians. Gaza health officials say more than 53,000 people have been killed in the war, many of them women and children. Iraq pledged the first $40 million of a new fund to help reconstruct Lebanon and eventually Gaza. The meeting marked Syria's return to the Arab League after the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime. Iran-backed groups in Iraq, though, strongly opposed the attendance of Syrian

President Ahmad Ashara because of his Sunni militant past. Ashara and several other key Sunni Arab countries sent lower-level representatives. Jane Araf, NPR News, Amman. Polls are voting in a presidential election today. This is NPR. The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to launch an investigation after a tall, masted ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge last night. Two people were killed and at least 19 others were injured. Bridget Bergen of Member Station WNYC reports on what happened. The boat hit the bridge shortly before 8.30 p.m. according to police.

All lanes on the bridge were briefly closed to traffic and the Coast Guard says commercial activity in the area has been suspended. Videos posted on social media show the boat's masts striking the bridge and toppling over. The ship then nearly careens into the waterfront at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Officials say the ship, which had 277 crew members, is a Mexican Navy vessel that arrived in New York last week as part of a training cruise. The Coast Guard said all personnel had been accounted for. For NPR News, I'm Brigid Bergen in New York. And in New Jersey, talks aimed at getting the commuter train engineers back on the job

are resuming today. The engineers walked out Friday, leaving hundreds of thousands of commuters scrambling to find alternative transportation. New Jersey Transit President Chris Colery says he wants to make sure the striking engineers get a fair wage, but he said he can't break the bank doing it. All we're basically saying is, let's work out a deal that gets to a solution that they want, but that taxpayers can afford. This isn't rocket science. Kalori says agencies are using buses to help commuters.

You're listening to NPR News. I'm Dwahli Saikow-Tow. Is America sliding towards authoritarianism? Hundreds of academics say yes. It is certainly reversible, but we are no longer living in a liberal democracy. Where is American democracy heading? Listen now to the Sunday story on the Up First podcast from NPR.