NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-23-2025 4PM EDT

Episode Date: May 23, 2025

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Look, we get it. When it comes to new music, there is a lot of it, and it all comes really fast. But on All Songs Considered, NPR's music recommendation podcast, we'll handpick what we think is the greatest music happening right now and give you your next great listen. So kick back, settle in, get those eardrums wide open, and get your dose of new music from All Songs Considered, only from NPR. Live from NPR News. I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump is further complicating expectations about what his tariff policy toward the European Union will be. In the Oval Office this afternoon, reporters asked him about his social media posts threatening higher levies on the EU. And as NPR's Danielle Kurtz-Levin tells us, Trump repeated 50%.

Trump said he's not inclined to negotiate that 50% tariff downward. I'm not looking for a deal. I mean, we've set the deal. It's at 50%. But again, there is no tariff if they build their plant here. However, when asked if there is anything the EU can do to avoid those 50% tariffs,

Trump said that he didn't know and would see what happens. Currently, the U.S. tariff on goods from the EU is 10 percent. Trump said he would want the 50 percent tariff to start on June 1st. Trump imposed an array of tariffs on countries worldwide in early April, then paused them for 90 days. That means many tariff rates could ratchet upwards this summer. Danielle Kertzleib in NPR News, the White House. A federal judge has blocked the administration's attempt to revoke Harvard's ability to enroll international students. For Member Station GBH in Boston, Kirk Karapes reports. Harvard filed a complaint after the Department of Homeland Security told the university it can't enroll foreign students because it failed to provide disciplinary records.

Harvard called the move unlawful and retaliatory. The judge's temporary restraining order means the university can keep sponsoring international students for now. Carl Tobias teaches law at the University of Richmond. He says Harvard has a strong case. This eviscerates the international aspect of what Harvard does so well, bringing in the best people from the world. Despite the injunction, experts warn the administration's attacks on selective schools like Harvard could hurt U.S. higher ed for decades.

For NPR News, I'm Kurt Carrapezza in Boston. An airstrike overnight in Gaza killed 50 people sheltering in one home. Israel says its new military offensive is aimed at eradicating Hamas. NPR's Ayah Batraoui brings us reporting by NPR's Anas Baba from the scene of the attack. Fifty people from the Al-Dardouna family were killed when an Israeli fighter jet bombed their five-story home as they slept. Around 20 bodies have been pulled out, several of them children. Relatives say another 30 are still missing and can't be reached. But this wasn't the only home bombed in this part of Jabalia, which is just outside an area

Israel has ordered evacuated. While NPR's producer Anas Baba was documenting the rescue effort, another Israeli airstrike hit another home. Eymann Radwan, a resident of Jabalia, is among an estimated 10,000 people displaced across Gaza in the past 24 hours. He tells NPR he's leaving the north because there's no life here anymore. His shirt was stained with the blood of his aunt from an airstrike only hours earlier. Ayah Batraoui, NPR News, Dubai. It's NPR. A French court's found eight people guilty of robbing reality TV star and businesswoman Kim Kardashian nine years ago.

Two people were acquitted today. But no one's facing prison time in light of time served in pre-trial detention. Kardashian had testified that during Paris Fashion Week in 2016 robbers dressed as police broke into a Paris hotel room, tied her up at gunpoint and made off with jewelry worth millions. The iconic musician Billy Joel is canceling all his scheduled concerts because of a medical

diagnosis. Here's NPR's Jennifer Vanasco. A statement on Billy Joel's website says that he has a brain condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus. Excess fluid collects in the brain, leading to problems with hearing, vision, and balance. Joel is undergoing physical therapy and his doctor has advised him to stop performing while he recovers, the statement said. He had been scheduled to perform concerts across the country with other artists including Rod Stewart, Stevie Nicks, and Sting. Joel has been

performing steadily since the 1970s. However, until recently, he hadn't released new pop music in decades. That drought ended early last year with his new single called, "'Turn the Lights Back On'," which he performed live at the Grammy Awards. Jennifer Vanasco, NPR News, New York.

If the Indy 500 Sunday today was Weenie, Storm, drop, and drive! First ever Weenie 500, a fleet of Oscar Mayer hot dog on wheels, facing, or racing on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the top dog was Slaw Dog. The dial closes down 256 points. It's NPR. Know that fizzy feeling you get when you read something really good, watch the movie closes down 256 points, it's NPR.