NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-20-2025 10PM EDT

Episode Date: May 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. A judge has ruled the Trump administration has deported at least one migrant to South Sudan as a third country. That means a country they were not originally from. NPR's Amanda Bastillo has more. Massachusetts federal judge Brian Murphy held an emergency hearing on Tuesday night over these third country deportations, this time to South Sudan. Immigration lawyers say at least one Vietnamese man was sent to South Sudan in Africa despite political instability there.

Murphy said if that were true, then this would violate his April order, which barred deportations to these countries where migrants aren't originally from, unless people get sufficient time to contest their deportations and a notice in their native language. The federal judge ordered the Department of Homeland Security to keep in its custody any migrants deported to South Sudan until he ensures they receive sufficient due process before their removals. The next hearing in the case is scheduled on Wednesday. Ximena Bustillo, NPR News, Washington. President Donald Trump traveled to Capitol Hill today

to lobby on behalf of his so-called big, beautiful bill, Trump imploring House Republican lawmakers to put aside their internal differences over his tax cut and spending plan. Trump was upbeat even as it remains unclear whether the multi-trillion dollar measure has the support ahead of a planned vote this week. The plan includes sweeping tax breaks and cuts to Medicaid,

food stamps and green energy programs. Democrats universally oppose it. The Food and Drug Administration today announced plans that could limit access to COVID-19 vaccines. NPR's Rob Stein has more on the changes in the works. The FDA says that it plans to impose new requirements on COVID vaccines to focus on immunizing people at highest risk for serious complications from COVID. That would include people who are age 65 and older and younger people with other health problems. For children and younger healthy adults, the FDA wants vaccine companies to conduct additional

research to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines. and younger healthy adults, the FDA wants vaccine companies to conduct additional research to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines. The FDA says the moves are necessary to restore trust in the vaccines. Critics say the moves are unnecessary because the vaccines are very safe and effective and they would limit the ability of younger healthy people to get vaccinated. Rob Stein in Pure News. Search engine giant Google is releasing yet another version of its artificial intelligence technology as the company looks to change the way people get information, including

cutting back on the flow of internet traffic to websites. Google officials speaking at the company's annual development conference said plans call for the company to release its new AI mode option in the US, a feature designed to make interacting with Google's search engine more like having a conversation with a topic expert. Stocks moved mostly lower today as some of Wall Street's recent momentum fizzled, the Dow dropped 114 points, the Nasdaq fell 72 points today. You're listening to NPR. 72 points today. You're listening to NPR. A summer reading list that included made-up book titles by some famous authors has appeared in major newspapers. As NPR's Elizabeth Blair reports, the list was generated by AI

and was a piece of fiction in its own right. Percival Everett never wrote a book called The Rainmakers, and Isabel Allende never wrote a book called Tidewater Dreams, but both of those fake titles and descriptions of them appeared on a summer reading list published in the Chicago Sun-Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer. The list of mostly fake books set off a wave of angry comments on social media. "'This is the future of book recommendations when libraries are defunded and dismantled,' lamented author and editor Kelly Jensen. The list didn't have a byline and came from content licensed from King Features,

a unit of Hearst Newspapers. But writer Marco Buscaglia has claimed responsibility for it. Huge mistake on my part, he tells NPR in an email. The fake list got published two months after about 20% of staff at the Chicago Sun-Times took buyouts. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News. Actor George Wendt, best known for playing Norm on the NBC sitcom Cheers, has died. In a statement sent by his publicist, Wendt's family confirmed his death, saying he died at home in his sleep. George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all those lucky enough

to have known him, the family said. He'll be missed. Wendt appeared in hundreds of episodes of Cheers, for which he earned six Emmy nominations. George Wendt was 76 years old. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. This message comes from Wwise, the app for doing things and other currencies. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.