NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-24-2025 4PM EDT

Episode Date: May 24, 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 in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. President Trump delivered the first military commencement address of his second term today.

He told the cadets at West Point, they'll soon become the graduates of the most elite and storied military academy in human history. I just want to say hello, cadets, and on behalf of our entire nation let me begin by saying congratulations to the West Point class of 2025. You are winners every single one of you. Thank you.

Wearing a red make America great cap, Trump took credit for US military might. He said he's clearing the military of transgender ideas, critical race theory, and trainings he called divisive and political. Trump accused previous leaders of subjecting the military to social projects and political causes. The National Weather Service is down some 600 employees as Doge drastically downsizes the federal government, leaving some weather offices critically understaffed. NPR's Amy Hald reports it comes as an above-average Atlantic hurricane season is forecast, which starts June 1st. The National Weather Service is around 30 percent below full staffing. Tom Fahey, with

the Union National Weather Service Employees Organization, says some weather offices are now closed overnight, including in Wyoming. So for those hours, Denver or Boulder, those offices would monitor the weather activity going on inside of Cheyenne. Workers, in this case in neighboring Colorado, being asked to do more with less. The resiliency of the National Weather Service is indeed being stretched. In other cases, Fahey says workers are being asked to transfer to understaffed offices. This as forecasters call for above-average hurricanes and fire potential in the coming

months part of a pattern of worsening natural disasters as the globe heats up. Amy Held, NPR News. Russia launched a combined ballistic missile and drone attack on Ukraine's capital overnight. NPR's Hanna Palmarenko reports from Kyiv. Officials say at least 15 people were wounded. In Kyiv, emergency services worked to clear rubble and extinguish fires. According to the Kyiv city administration, it was one of the largest attacks on the capital. Yuri Ignat is a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force. The main means of air attack was directed at the capital from different directions, he said.

Ignat added that the Russians have modernized their ballistic missiles, making them harder to intercept. Hanna Palomarenko, NPR News, Kyiv. Russia and Ukraine held a second day of a prisoner exchange today, each releasing 307 of their service personnel. This follows the release of hundreds of combatants and civilians yesterday. A third swap is expected tomorrow. This is NPR News. Police in southeastern France suspect arson may have caused a major power outage this

morning as the Cannes Film Festival was preparing its closing ceremony. Electricity was restored this afternoon and the show went on. The most prestigious prize, the Pomme d'Or, was given to Iranian dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi for his revenge thriller It Was Just an Accident. Tick season is reaching its peak. Some 31 million people get tick bites in the U.S. every year. NPR's Ping Huang reports.

PING HUANG If you find a tick on you, take it off your body right away. Then, don't throw it out, because it helps to know what kind of tick it is and how long it's been feeding on you. In the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and upper Midwest, Lyme disease is common. Allison Hinckley, an epidemiologist with CDC, says if you're there and you find an engorged, black-legged tick on you, you might consider going to the doctor within three days. The only time you would get an antibiotic after a tick bite and before any symptoms

it would be to prevent Lyme disease and in that case we recommend just a single dose. Otherwise monitor yourself for symptoms. In the days and weeks after, if you start developing aches and pains, a fever or rash, go see a doctor as soon as you can. Ping Huang, NPR News. Vigils are being held in Uvalde, Texas today to remember the mass shooting at an elementary school three years ago.

19 students and two teachers were killed. It took police 77 minutes before they entered the school and shot and killed the gunman. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington. World news is important, but it can feel far away. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington.