NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-19-2025 8AM EDT

Episode Date: May 19, 2025

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These days, there's a lot of news. It can be hard to keep up with what it means for you, your family, and your community. Consider this from NPR as a podcast that helps you make sense of the news. Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a story and provide the context, backstory, and analysis you need to understand our rapidly changing world. Listen to the Consider This Podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. Israel's prime minister is allowing some aid into Gaza after he said allies pressured him to avoid images of hunger coming from the territory.

Israel launched an extensive ground offensive in Gaza yesterday in an effort to force Hamas to surrender and release Israeli hostages still held there. And Piers Kerry Kahn reports. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will allow a quote, basic quantity of food into Gaza and control all aid distribution there. He also said Israel will hold on to territory seized by ground forces and what he says will be a plan to quote, taking control of all of Gaza. Intense shelling and airstrikes in northern Gaza has forced Palestinians to flee like 50-year-old Wael Al-Kilani who walked for hours with his wife and seven children. He says the bombing was intense with planes

striking artillery, fire and tanks. Hamas and Israel are currently holding indirect talks in Doha. Israel demands Hamas laid down its arms. Hamas wants international guarantees for a negotiated end to the war. direct talks in Doha. Israel demands Hamas laid down its arms. Hamas wants international guarantees for a negotiated end to the war. Carrie Cahn, NPR News, Tel Aviv. House Republicans have voted to advance a multi-trillion dollar spending package out of a key committee and to the full House for a vote. Democrats oppose the bill. They say it will deeply cut social programs that Americans need. The CEO of Walmart has warned that the Trump administration's tariffs will soon force price increases at the nation's largest retailer.

Over the weekend, President Trump told Walmart to eat the tariffs and to avoid passing on price increases to customers. And Piers Luke Garrett reports the White House is in contact with Walmart's CEO. 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. 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. Train engineers for New Jersey Transit have reached a tentative contract agreement to end their strike. That started last Friday morning, disrupting commutes for many. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy says rail transit service is going to resume. Starting Tuesday, May 20th, NJ Transit will once again provide rail service to the more than 100,000 riders who depend on it every single day. The Engineers Union says they had not had pay increases in six years. The deal includes raises. It's NPR. Former President Joe Biden has an aggressive form of prostate cancer, according to his office.

In a statement, Biden's office says the cancer has spread to the bone, but the report says it is sensitive to hormones. That indicates there are options for effective disease management. Exit polls are in from yesterday's first round of presidential elections in Poland. These say the frontrunners are the liberal mayor of the capital Warsaw and a conservative historian. MPs Rob Schmitz reports they're on track to face off in two weeks for a second round of voting. Exit polls show Warsaw mayor Rafał Czapskowski barely edging out Karol Nowrowski, a member of the right-wing Law and Justice Party, by around two percentage points, suggesting a June 1st runoff could be closely contested.

Trotskovsky is a center-left politician aligned with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who speaks foreign languages and holds pro-European Union views. Nowrodzki, who has positioned himself as a defender of conservative values and national sovereignty, was welcomed by President Donald Trump at the White House earlier this month in what was seen as an endorsement. Noworodzki has also embraced anti-Ukrainian rhetoric in his campaign. Rob Schmitz and Peer News, Berlin. There were other elections in Europe this weekend. In Romania, the centrist Mayor of the capital Bucharest defeated a right-wing rival in that country's presidential runoff election. Romanian President-elect Nicușor Dan is promising continued support for Ukraine.

In Portugal, far-right candidates gained more votes in that country's snap parliamentary election held this weekend.