NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-18-2025 2AM EDT

Episode Date: May 18, 2025

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When the Star Wars prequels came out, they were polarizing. Many fans of the original trilogy hated the phantom menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith, though many younger fans loved them then and love them still. So we're re-watching them with fresh eyes 20 years later. From Jar Jar Binks to the climactic nooooo that broke the internet in half, listen on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. The FBI is investigating an explosion at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California early Saturday morning.

At least one person was killed and four other people are in critical condition following the blast. This was an intentional act of terrorism. As our investigation will unfold, we will determine if it's an international terrorism or domestic terrorism. No matter which one, the Joint Terrorism Task Force is the lead on this and we will find that out. Akil Davis is with the FBI office in Los Angeles.

He says they have a person of interest in connection with the explosion, but they will not say who it is. But he did say they're no longer looking for a suspect. The clinic suffered major damage from the explosion. At least 27 people are dead after severe storms devastated parts of the Midwest this weekend. George Hale from member station WFIU reports on damage in Indiana. 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. In Kentucky, meanwhile, there were 18 weather-related deaths and 10 other people are in hospitals in critical condition.

The World Health Organization has declared a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea. As Rachel Bonjorno reports, the government there is now 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 USAID funding are also affecting efforts to eradicate the disease. For NPR News, I'm Rachel Bonjorno in Melbourne. Israel has launched a major military operation in Gaza this weekend. Officials say the latest offensive is aimed at pressuring Hamas to release the remaining hostages that are being held in Gaza.

The operation began just one day after President Trump ended his trip to the Middle East without a stop in Israel. Gaza, meanwhile, is in the third month of a total blockade of food and other supplies. You're listening to NPR News. The Sunday Times of London is out with its annual list of the richest Britons and Britain's sovereign barely makes the cut. Vicki Barker has a report from London. King Charles III only ranks 238th among the 350 richest individuals or families in the UK, although his $850 million fortune is

double that of his late mother's. Other high-profile Brits to make the list this year, Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, David and Victoria Beckham, and Elton John. At 29, Dua Lipa is the youngest person on a sub-list of the 40 richest Britons under 40, with an wealth of 153 million. Overall, though, this year's list has seen its biggest ever drop of billionaires due largely, its compilers say, to President Trump's tariffs. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London. President Trump blasted Walmart on Saturday. In a social media post, he said the retailer should eat the additional cost that Trump's tariffs are creating for that company and he warned that

customers will be watching them closely. On Thursday Walmart announced that everything from bananas to children's car seats could increase in price because of those tariffs. With one round remaining, Scotty Scheffler has the lead at the PGA Championship now underway in North Carolina this weekend. He shot five under par over the last five holes on Saturday and finished three strokes ahead of Alex Noren. At one point during the day, nine players held at least a share of the lead. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.

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