NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-24-2025 12PM EDT

Episode Date: May 24, 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 is 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 Noor Rahm. A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's attempt to revoke Harvard's ability to enroll

international students. 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. Now, the temporary restraining order lets Harvard keep sponsoring nearly 7,000 international students. Carl Tobias teaches law at the University of Richmond. He says Harvard has a strong case. Carl Tobias, Harvard Law School, Jr. It looks pretty obvious that the administration's just targeted the university. 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 such as Harvard could hurt higher education in the U.S. for decades. Shira Perlmutter, the fired head of the U.S. Copyright Office, is suing the Trump administration, saying the ouster was illegal. NPR's Andrew Limbong reports the firing came shortly after the Copyright Office published its much-anticipated report on generative A.I. The U.S. Copyright Office exists within the Library of Congress.

And shortly after the Trump administration fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden earlier this month, Perlmutter was also fired via email. In the lawsuit filed Thursday, Perlmutter argued that neither the president nor his appointee as Acting Librarian of Congress, Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, have the authority to remove Perlmutter as head of the Copyright Office. The office advises Congress on matters of copyright, and earlier this month the office published the third part of its report on generative AI, which stated that while some

uses of copyrighted materials to train AI fall under fair use, other uses would require licensing. Andrew Limbong, NPR News. Well Strait had another rocky week amid worries over tariffs and the national deficit. NPR's Maria Aspin reports the Dow fell about two and a half percent. The United States is the world's economic superpower. Its government debt undergirds the global financial system. And those bonds are supposed to be safe and stable investments. But now, investors are questioning all of that.

Days after Moody's downgraded the United States' creditworthiness, the European Central Bank warned that President Trump's chaotic tariffs are threatening financial stability. Yet Trump ended the week threatening more new taxes on European imports and on iPhones. All the major U.S. stock indices fell this week. Yield on long-term government debt also spiked above 5 percent. And when bond yields rise, so do the prices that consumers pay for mortgages, credit cards, and other loans. Maria Aspin, NPR News, New York. This is NPR News in Washington. Ukraine and Russia exchanged more prisoners of war today, each releasing 307 more soldiers. Hundreds of combatants and civilians were brought home yesterday.

Ukrainian President Zelensky said in his Telegram channel that another swap is scheduled for tomorrow. Meanwhile, the war continues. Russia launched a drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv overnight. Officials say at least 15 people were injured. With outdoor activities more attractive during the warmer months, NPR's Pin Wong reports there are early signs this could be an especially bad year for ticks. A lot of people have been seeking emergency care for tick bites. That's according to

data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reports the highest rates in more than five years. Alison Hinckley, an epidemiologist at CDC, says May and June are prime time for tick bites. Taking showers within two hours of coming outside really has shown to be a good way to prevent tick-borne diseases. That's because it can wash off ticks that are crawling on you and let you search for ticks that have latched. The key thing, she says, is to get the tick off your body as soon as you can. Ticks can transmit pathogens that cause things like Lyme disease, Heartland virus, and Rocky

Mountain spotted fever, but it usually takes at least several hours of them feeding on your blood before the pathogen gets transmitted. Ping Huang, NPR News. It's Memorial Day weekend. AAA estimates 45 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home this year, a record. Gas Buddy says drivers will find gas prices at their lowest levels in four years. I'm Noura Rahm, NPR News in Washington.