NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-25-2025 3AM EDT

Episode Date: May 25, 2025

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This is Ira Glass, the host of This American Life. So much is changing so rapidly right now with President Trump in office. It feels good to pause for a moment sometimes and look around at what's what. To try and do that, we've been finding these incredible stories about right now that are funny and have feeling and you get to see people everywhere making sense of this new America that we find ourselves in. This American Life, wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump delivered the commencement address

for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Saturday. During his speech, the president congratulated the cadets for joining what he calls the most elite and storied military academy in human history. I've been here many times going to high school, not so far away, a good place, also a military academy. Not quite of this distinction, but it was a lot of fun for me. And 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. Katie Grant Trump also criticized past administrations for involving the military in nation-building crusades and for implementing diversity, equity equity and inclusion programs. New Hampshire Senator Jean Shaheen says she came away from a trip to Canada feeling that relations could turn in a more positive direction.

NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports she led a bipartisan visit to meet Canada's new prime minister amid President Trump's tariff war. For Senator Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, relations with Canada are key. Canada is an important market for New Hampshire businesses. We're important consumers of Canadian products as well. And so we want to see this relationship right itself. Her delegation included a Republican from North Dakota, Kevin Kramer, and she says it was helpful because he could respond to questions

about what the Trump administration might be thinking and also hear concerns about Trump's tariffs from Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney. Michelle Kelliman, NPR News, the State Department. Republican lawmakers in Texas are on the verge of passing a law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms. Houston Public Media's Andrew Schneider reports the measure is expected to be challenged in court. The bill would require Texas public school classrooms to display the King James Bible version of the Ten Commandments. During debate over the measure, Democratic Representative John Bryant argued the bill discriminates against the nearly one-third of Texans who are neither Christian nor Jewish.

It's not fair and it's not American and this bill is not fair and it's not American and it's not Christian and it's not Jewish. The bill is scheduled for a final vote Sunday. It's expected to pass and be signed by Governor Greg Abbott. A similar law passed by Louisiana last year is on hold pending a review by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. For NPR News, I'm Andrew Schneider in Houston. This is NPR News in Washington. An Iranian filmmaker has won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival for his thriller,

It Was Just an Accident. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports the annual French event drew to a close on Saturday after a dramatic opening. Jafar Panahi received a standing evasion after the jury, led by the French actress Juliette Pinoche, announced he had won Cannes' top prize for his movie, a strong critique of oppression in his home country. Panahi has been arrested and imprisoned in Iran

for speaking out against the regime. In a brief speech in Persian, the director said he dedicates the film to all the artists deported from Iran. The awards ceremony came just hours after a regional power outage threatened the festival's final day. French authorities said the temporary outage, likely the result of deliberate sabotage, disrupted morning screenings and caused local businesses to shutter. An investigation is underway. Chloe Veltman, NPR News. A federal judge in Boston is ordering the Trump administration to facilitate the return

of a gay Guatemalan man that the U.S. deported to Mexico. Attorneys for the man argue that he wasn't given due process. The Justice Department admitted an error had been made. The man fled Guatemala last year after getting death threats over his sexuality. Mexico has since returned him to Guatemala, where he is now in hiding. Earlier this year, a judge ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego-Garcia, who was wrongly deported to El Salvador. This is NPR.

This message comes from the Kresge Foundation. to El Salvador. This is NPR.