NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-19-2025 9AM 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 Korava Coleman. President Trump is expected to hold a phone call next hour with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump says he's still hoping to end Russia's war in Ukraine.

NPR's Charles Maines reports Trump will also speak with leaders from 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. Charles Maynes, NR News, Moscow. Powerful storms that raked the central U.S. over the weekend have killed at least 28 people.

At least 19 victims are in Kentucky. From member station W.E.K.U. Stan Engold reports, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to start assessing Kentucky damage today. Over the weekend, Governor Andy Beshear said he had put in a request for a federal disaster declaration, a process that he noted has become familiar. I've now been governor for at least 14 federally declared disasters, 13 of them weather, and this is one of the worst.

It's one of the worst in terms of the loss of human life. It's one of the worst in terms of the loss of human life. It's one of the worst in terms of damage and it's tough." This is the third major natural disaster to hit Kentucky this year, with two rounds of heavy flooding happening in April and in February. For NPR News, I'm Stan Engold in Richmond, Kentucky. The storms also killed several people in Missouri. On Friday, a tornado left eight miles of damage outside St. Louis. Officials say thousands of buildings were damaged, causing at least one billion dollars in damage. Last night, tornado warnings were issued in Kansas, where there are now reports of extensive damage to several buildings in the western part of the state.

The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is set to join the S&P 500 when trading opens later this hour. And Biers Rafael Nam reports it's the first crypto company to become part of this major stock index. Just over two years ago, crypto exchange FTX collapsed. Today, a different exchange, Coinbase, is set to join the ranks of 500 of the biggest public companies in the US. Here's Faryar Shurzad, Coinbase chief policy officer.

I think it's a historic moment for the industry and it's a really special moment for Coinbase. And that's in part because things have changed under President Trump. His administration is taking a far friendlier approach to the crypto industry. Trump himself has a financial stake in the crypto sector, raising major concerns about conflicts of interest. All of this is alarming consumer advocates who warn this is a nascent industry rife with potential for fraud and shady characters. NPR's Raphael Naum. This is NPR. Republicans have voted to advance a multi-trillion dollar budget package out of committee and to the full House for a vote. Democrats vehemently oppose it.

They say the package will deeply cut social services Americans need and instead fund tax cuts for wealthy people. Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to his office. The cancer has spread to the bone. Biden's office says he was checked after developing symptoms, and it says the cancer appears to be hormone sensitive. This means there are options for effective disease management. Many consumers look to purchase homes during the spring, and this season there are new rules around how agents are paid. It follows a settlement last year with the National Association of Realtors and Piers

Laurel Walmsley has more on flat fee payments. For a long time, buying and selling a home was pretty straightforward. The seller paid a commission to both the buyers and seller's agent, totaling 5 to 6% of the sales price. For Jim Schow, a homebuyer in Georgia, it was just too much money percent of the sales price. For Jim Hsiao, a home buyer in Georgia, it was just too much money going to the realtors. When you try to negotiate, you basically just told, no, that's our rate.

But following the realtor's settlement, agents must now tell their prospective clients that their rates are fully negotiable. So Hsiao found an agent who agreed to a flat fee to help him buy a new home, and he got $14,000 back to put toward the closing. Despite the new rules, commissions for buyer's agents overall have barely budged.

Shau says consumers just need the confidence to ask for options beyond the status quo. Laurel Wamsley, NPR News. And I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News from Washington. On NPR's through line. News from Washington.