NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-18-2025 7PM 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 NPRbst Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. Walmart CEO Doug McMillan recently warned tariffs will soon increase prices for customers at the retail giant.

NPR's Luke Garrett reports now McMillan is on the phone with the White House after President Trump told Walmart to eat some of the cost of the tariffs. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson is in direct talks with the Walmart CEO. He tells CNN consumers could see price hikes. Walmart will be absorbing some of the tariffs. Some may get passed on to consumers. The Treasury Secretary also defended the whiplash of the on-again and off-again reciprocal tariffs. Besson called it strategic uncertainty.

He also threatened that the Trump administration will bring back high reciprocal tariffs if certain countries don't come to the table. President Trump has put them on notice that if you do not negotiate in good faith that you will ratchet back up to your April 2nd level. Besson said this goes for 18 important trading partners, but he did not say which ones or

how quickly these tariffs would return. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. Former President Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, according to a statement from his office. And Pierce-Tamber Keith has more. The prostate cancer has metastasized to the former president's bone, which means it is a more aggressive form of the disease. But according to a statement from his office, the cancer appears to be hormone sensitive,

which allows for effective management. The statement goes on to say that the president and his family are reviewing treatment options. Biden was the oldest person to ever serve as president of the United States. Prostate cancer is a common cancer among older men. And here's Tamara Keith reporting. Biden is 82 years old. In California, authorities have identified the primary suspect in the bombing of a fertility clinic in Palm Springs yesterday morning. The FBI says they believe the suspect was the person killed in the explosion that injured four others. For Member Station KVCR, Madison Aument has more. FBI officials say they are fairly

confident the primary suspect is 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkiss from 29 Palms, some 50 miles northeast of Palm Springs. FBI investigators and local law have converged on a house where they believe Bartkis lived and evacuated neighbors Saturday, including Thomas Bickel. All of a sudden, it wasn't just a knock that the sheriffs were pounding on my door, so I opened the door. There was about I think like five sheriffs there and they told me I needed to evacuate. Bickel had not been allowed back home as of Sunday morning. Authorities have asked the public to help them piece together Barkus' whereabouts before the explosion.

For NPR News, I'm Madison Aumann in 29 Palms. U.S. futures contracts are trading lower at this hour. Dow futures are down nearly seven tenths of a percent. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Cleanup continues in several Midwestern states today, where severe storms and tornadoes Friday left more than two dozen people dead. Kentucky was hardest hit with at least 19 people killed. Karen Zarr with member station WUKY has more. At First Baptist Church in London, Kentucky, congregation members celebrated their faith less than 48 hours after some of them lost everything. Pastor Jesse Armstrong's message to them?

God was and he is and he will continue to be all over this community. The church has become a hub to collect supplies for storm survivors. There were so many people that came up here to help and I didn't call a single one up. Within hours, they were out of room, so Armstrong recruited the church down the street to become a second donation center.

For NPR News, I'm Karen Zarr in London. Music mogul Sean Diddy-bs' sex trafficking trial continues in New York City tomorrow for the second week. Expected back on the stand, singer Don Richard, a member of the group, Danity Kane, which Combs helped to put together. The group was signed to Combs' record label for years. Last year, Richard filed a civil suit against Combs alleging a toxic and abusive working environment. Richard testified Friday she witnessed him violently assaulting his then-girlfriend singer Cassie Ventura

more than once. The 55 year old Combs has pled not guilty to the charges. I'm Janene Herbst and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.