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Episode Date: May 20, 2025

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Tariffs, recessions, how Colombian drug cartels gave us blueberries all year long. That's the kind of thing the Planet Money podcast explains. I'm Sarah Gonzalez, and on Planet Money, we help you understand the economy and how things all around you came to be the way they are. Para que sepas. So you know. Listen to the Planet Money Podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. President Trump says he had a constructive phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Monday. Putin wants concessions from Ukraine before agreeing to a permanent ceasefire, while Trump

has said he wants immediate negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. President says getting the two sides on the same page will not be easy. Big ego's involved, I tell you. Big ego's involved. But I think something's going to happen. And if it doesn't, I'd just back away and they're going to have to keep going. Trump had threatened to impose new sanctions if Russia failed to agree to a ceasefire deal, but downplayed that threat during Monday's call.

Authorities in Southern California are seeking a motive for the weekend car bombing agreed to a ceasefire deal but downplayed that threat during Monday's call. Authorities in Southern California are seeking a motive for the weekend car bombing that damaged a fertility clinic and injured four people in Palm Springs. More from NPR's Jason DeRose. After more than 48 hours of strict road closures in a large area around the blast site, police in Palm Springs are allowing traffic to move more freely. A car bomb late Saturday morning nearly destroyed the American Reproductive Center's clinic here.

The explosion sent debris flying and blew out windows in buildings for blocks around. Meanwhile, about an hour northeast of Palm Springs in the town of 29 Palms, law enforcement is beginning to allow residents evacuated there to return home. The primary suspect in the bombing, Guy Edward Bartkis, died in the blast. He's associated with a home in 29 Palms that legal records show may belong to his mother. Jason DeRose, NPR News, Palm Springs, California. A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace, describing the actions by Doge as quote,

null and void. Employees of the independent think tank are welcoming the news, as NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports. Michael Phelan says his phone exploded with messages about the rolling. Oh my gosh, read it, here it is, it was available very quickly.

There's a lot to interpret from it, but for the time being today is a day of celebration for the Institute and its staff." He and about 20 others who had been fired by Doge in March gathered outside the Institute to celebrate. Nicoletta Barbera, an expert on Africa, hopes to get back to work. If Americans believe in peace and security, they should believe in the United States Institute of Peace. The Institute was created by Congress but is not part of the executive branch so the judge ruled that the Trump administration could not fire its board. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News,

the State Department. The US Supreme Court has granted the Justice Department's request to end special legal protections for Venezuelan migrants. The justices approved DOJ's request to lift a lower court injunction that blocked plans to end temporary protective status for Venezuelan migrants. The move allows the administration to deport hundreds of thousands of people who've been accused of being members of a gang. You're listening to NPR. The Trump administration has repatriated 68 Colombian and Honduran migrants who agreed

to self-deport. The group was equipped with a $1,000 stipend and given a charter flight out of the U.S. with an offer to apply for legal entry in the future. Some of the Trump administration's cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development are being felt in an unexpected place. High school science fairs. That story from Henry Larson in Boulder, Colorado. In February, sophomore Max Kurtz presented a project at Boulder Valley School District's

annual science fair. It measured microbial activity in soil, which could help farmers get better crop yields. Kurtz won an award. And then, days later, the prize was walked back. That's because his award was sponsored by USAID. In February, the agency cut its contract with the organization that coordinated Max's Fair and hundreds of others around the world. Also on the chopping block, prize money for an international competition later this year. In an emailed statement, a State Department spokesperson said supporting science fair

awards didn't fit within the Department's standards for U.S. foreign assistance. For NPR News, I'm Henry Larson in Boulder. Five trucks carrying baby food and other supplies arrived in Gaza Monday as Israeli troops expanded their ground offensive against Hamas. The UN humanitarian chief is calling it a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed. Israel is facing growing pressure from Western allies to allow more than just minimal aid into Gaza in order to avoid a worsening humanitarian crisis. This is NPR News.

This is NPR News.