NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-18-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: May 18, 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. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Hurst. Former President Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. As NPR's Tamara Keith reports, at 82, Biden was America's oldest president to serve. According to a statement from Biden's personal office, the cancer has metastasized to bone and is a more aggressive form of prostate cancer.

But it appears to be hormone sensitive, which means there are options for effective management. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in elderly men. For Biden, the diagnosis came after experiencing urinary symptoms. The statement goes on to say that the former president and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians. This comes as media attention has been focused on Biden's decline while in office as documented in a forthcoming book. Tamara Keith, NPR News. President Trump will be working the phones tomorrow as he tries to negotiate

an end to the war in Ukraine now in its fourth year. As NPR's Charles Maynes reports, Trump plans to speak with leaders from Russia, Ukraine and NATO. The phone calls come in the wake of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul, Turkey on Friday, their first direct negotiation since the early days of the war. That led to an agreement for a mass prisoner swap, but fell short of Western demands Russia join Ukraine in signing on to an immediate 30-day ceasefire. Instead, Russia has kept up the military pressure, launching mass drone attacks over the weekend. Russian President Vladimir Putin is also signaling that may not change. In an interview on state television, he insisted

Russia maintain the means to meet its military objectives and see the war through to what he called its logical conclusion. Charles Maines, NPR News, Moscow. In California, authorities in Palm Springs say they've identified a suspect in the bombing outside of a fertility clinic yesterday. One person died, four others were injured. The FBI says 25-year-old Guy Barkas is the primary person of interest behind the bombing outside the American Fertility Center Clinic. The clinic says staff, the IVF lab and the stored embryos are okay.

The FBI also says they think Barkas was the sole fatality. Akil Davis is assistant FBI director of the Los Angeles office. The subject had nihilistic ideations and this was a targeted attack against the IDF facility. Make no mistake, we are treating this, as I said yesterday, as an intentional act of terrorism. He also says they think Barkus was trying to live stream the bombing that last damaged several buildings and left debris strewn several blocks away. Israel says it's launched extensive new ground operations in Gaza and hospitals and medics say airstrikes in Israel's new offensive killed at least

103 people this weekend, including dozens of children. This has ceasefire talks continue. Israel's prime minister office says it will now allow food aid into Gaza after blocking all of it for 11 weeks. You're listening to NPR News. Pope Leo, the first American pope, celebrated his inaugural mass in front of tens of thousands of people and foreign delegations from around the world, including Vice President Vance. Leo promised to try to address the challenges of the modern age while safeguarding traditional teachings of the Catholic Church. From Vatican City, and Piers Ruth Sherlock has more. Soaring choir music rang across St. Peter's Square as Pope Leo XIV processed up the Isle of the Basilica. He was given the gold fisherman's signet ring and the white woolen pallium liturgical

dress. In his homily, Pope Leo said he desires a united church. He criticised the global economic system that he said exploits the earth's resources and marginalises the poorest. And he called for a changed, better, peaceful world. Ruth Sherlock, NPR News, Vatican City. LESLIE KENDRICK, NPR NEWS AN INVESTIGATION IS UNDERWAY AFTER A MEXICAN NAVY TALL SHIP STRUCK THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE LAST NIGHT, LEAVING AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE DEAD, NEARLY TWO DOZEN INJURED. OFFICIALS SAY THE SHIP LOST POWER BEFORE STRIKING THE 142-YEAR-OLD SUSPENSION BRIDGE AS TRAFFIC FLOWED NEARBY. THE SHIP'S THREE MASTS SNAPPED OFF. THE COAST GUARD SAYS power before striking the 142-year-old suspension bridge as traffic flowed nearby. The ship's

three masts snapped off. The Coast Guard says commercial water traffic in the area was briefly suspended and the ship has been towed away. New York Mayor Eric Adams, though, says the bridge wasn't damaged. I'm Janene Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington. And you're listening to NPR News from Washington.