NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-25-2025 1PM EDT

Episode Date: May 25, 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 Ahram. Congress is in recess for the Memorial Day holiday.

When lawmakers return, the Senate is to take up a huge tax cut and spending bill. NPR's Mar Eliason reports it cleared the House last week along party lines. Mar Eliason It was a big win for Trump. It showed his rock solid hold on the Republican Party. Now this bill goes on to the Senate, which will want to make changes. But it's certain that this tax cut bill is going to become Exhibit A in the midterm elections. It does skew to the wealthy with cuts to Medicaid. And both Democrats and Republicans think the politics of this bill is going to work for

them in the midterms. NPR's Mara Liason. Republicans think the politics of this bill is going to work for them in the midterms. NPR's Mara Liason. In Kentucky, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened two disaster recovery centers following last weekend's deadly tornadoes. For Member Station WUKY, Karen Zahr reports. Storm victims are flowing into the FEMA's Center in London, Kentucky, where they can talk directly to agents about individual assistance. If approved, they'll get funds to cover things like property loss, damage to their homes and temporary housing.

FEMA Public Information Officer Daniel Bernardi says the center was up and running within hours of President Trump granting Governor Andy Beshear's request for federal aid. We will get those wheels rolling ahead of time. And there's a major disaster so that we can be ready to respond quickly. FEMA was already in Kentucky helping with major weather disasters that hit the state in February and April. For NPR News, I'm Karen Zarr in London, Kentucky. Dozens of Jewish organizations are calling on the federal government to do more

to prevent anti-Semitic violence. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports this comes after last week's killing of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington. In a joint statement, the groups say tragedies like the one in D.C. are a direct result of rising levels of anti-Jewish incitement In a joint statement, the groups say tragedies like the one in D.C. are a direct result of rising levels of anti-Jewish incitement in city council meetings, schools and social

media. And they say it's not right that the institutions being targeted should bear the increasing cost of this threat. Eric Finger-Huthead's The Jewish Federation of America. It is the cost of the security guards and the off-duty police, all of whom we need more of. We have to protect our perimeters. We have to have more events covered, more hours covered. The groups say they'll push for more federal funding to local police and the FBI and for

a crackdown on anti-Semitic hate in online platforms. Jennifer Lutton, NPR News, Washington. Ukraine and Russia ended a three-day prisoner exchange today. In all, a thousand combatants and civilians were freed by each side. Overnight, Ukrainian officials say Russia launched the largest aerial attack of the war against Ukrainian cities, including Kiev. They say at least 12 people were killed and dozens more were wounded. This is NPR News. In Poland, tens of thousands of people are in the capital of Warsaw today to attend one

of two marches, depending on their choice in the upcoming presidential election. One is the Liberal Mayor of Warsaw, the other wants to align Poland more closely with U.S. President Trump's policies. Neither candidate won enough votes last Sunday to avoid a runoff. Britain's King Charles begins a two-day trip to Canada tomorrow in what many observers are calling an unspoken rebuke to President Trump. Vicki Barker reports from London. In Ottawa on Tuesday Charles will become the first British monarch in seven decades to officially open Canada's Parliament. A gesture that insiders on both sides of the Atlantic are calling a vote of support for

Canada's independence. This even though Canadians have long been split on whether the British monarch should remain their titular head of state. But Charles will be walking a delicate line. On the one hand, affirming Canada's right not to become the 51st U.S. state. On the other, not endangering British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's ongoing campaign to spare the U.K. from the worst of the Trump tariffs. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London. It's the day before Memorial Day, time for the Indianapolis 500.

This is the 109th running of the famed auto race. Seats in the grandstands are sold out for the first time since 2016. There are 33 drivers competing this year, mostly veterans, but a rookie, Robert Schwartzman, won the pole position. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington. This is Fresh Air contributor Anne-Marie Baldonado. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington.