NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-19-2025 4AM EDT

Episode Date: May 19, 2025

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Conductor Robert Franz says a good melody captures our attention. And then it moves you through time. Music is architecture in time. If you engage in the moment with what you're listening to, you do lose a sense of the time around you. How we experience time. That's on the TED Radio Hour from NPR. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The announcement comes four months after the 82-year-old left office.

NPR's Luke Garrett has this update. Last week, former President Biden went to the doctors and was evaluated for a small nodule found in his prostate. The 82-year-old had also been, quote, experiencing increasing urinary symptoms, end quote, according to a statement. It goes on to say that Biden was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Friday, and that the cancer received a Gleason score of nine.

This means it's a more aggressive case. The statement ends by saying that the cancer, quote, appears to be hormone sensitive, which allows for effective management, end quote, and that the Bidens are reviewing treatment options. That's NPR's Luke Garrett. In Palm Springs, California, authorities say they're investigating a deadly vehicle bombing on Saturday near a fertility clinic as a terrorist attack.

Steve Futterman has the latest details in the investigation. Officials identify the man they believe is responsible for the attack as 25-year-old Guy Edward Barkas, and law enforcement believes he is the person who was killed, although more forensic tests are being done. Assistant Director in Charge for the FBI's Los Angeles office, Akil Davis, says the suspect had views suggesting that life has no value. The subject had nihilistic ideations, and this was a targeted attack against the IDF facility. Davis acknowledged that authorities have

what could be audio statements from the suspect. We are looking through that. We are tracking a possible manifesto out there, and it's part of our ongoing investigation. The FBI refused to release any details about what either could contain. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles. A New Jersey rail strike that began just after midnight Friday morning has come to an end.

But as Bruce Convisa reports from New York, commuters will have to endure one more day without service. New Jersey Transit and its striking train engineers reached agreement Sunday on a new contract. The details are being withheld until union members have been informed. But New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy applauded the deal, saying it gives the engineers a reasonable raise without busting the state budget. Wages had been the key sticking point.

The two sides reached an agreement in March, only to have the union reject the deal in April. The latest deal will likewise need to be ratified by the Union and the New Jersey Transit Board. Despite the deal, rail service won't begin until Tuesday. Officials say a day is needed to inspect equipment and restart the network. So ends New Jersey's first rail strike in more than 40 years. For NPR News, I'm Bruce Convice, in New York. Asian shares opened lower on Monday morning after Moody's downgraded the sovereign credit rating for the US. You're listening to NPR News. Wall Street is bracing for a bumpy start to the week after the credit ratings agency Moody's

downgraded the U.S. as NPR's Maria Aspin reports Dow futures are trading down. Moody says that the United States government is taking on too much debt and facing rising interest costs. The ratings agency blames both past and current US administrations and Congress for not doing enough to reverse this trend. And it's not optimistic that any of lawmakers' current budget proposals will help. Moody's was the last of the three major ratings agencies

to downgrade the United States. Its warning comes at a time when Wall Street and much of the country are already worried about the United States standing in the global economy. President Trump's sweeping tariffs have sent jitters through the markets, driven up prices for consumers, and raised concerns about increased risk of a recession. Maria Aspin, NPR News, New York. Pro-European Union candidate Nick Assured Dan has won Romania's presidential runoff election.

He defeated hard-right nationalist candidate George Simien. Officials say a huge turnout in Sunday's election played a key role in the tense election, which was viewed by many people as a political choice between the East and the West. The Florida Panthers are moving into the NHL Eastern Conference Final after beating the Toronto Maple Leaf Sunday night 6-1. It was Game 7 of their series. The defending champion Panthers scored three goals in the second period. They will now be playing the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday in Game 1 of those finals.

I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.