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Episode Date: May 26, 2025

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Shortwave thinks of science as an invisible force, showing up in your everyday life, powering the food you eat, the medicine you use, the tech in your pocket. Science is approachable because it's already part of your life. Come explore these connections on the Shortwave podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. A group of senators has begun to meet to talk about the budget bill that President Trump helped push through the House last week. NPR's Amy Held reports it's now the Senate's turn to reckon with competing concerns from

moderate and conservative Republicans. The bill includes $3.8 trillion in tax cuts that skew to the wealthy and will add trillions to the deficit. That's a problem for fiscal hawks. We have to reduce the deficit. Senator Ron Johnson, Republican from Wisconsin, spoke to CNN. We need to focus on spending, spending, spending. The bill calls for about $1.5 trillion in spending cuts, largely on social safety net

programs. House Speaker Mike Johnson tells CNN now is not the time for the Senate to meddle much with the bill. Because remembering that we've got to pass it one more time to ratify their changes in the House, and I have a very delicate balance here. Senate Majority Leader John Thune says they will put their stamp on the legislation. Amy Held and PR News. Limited food Israel is allowing into Gaza is sparking looting and chaotic crowds at

bakeries. The UN Food Program, WFP, says all of Gaza bakeries are closed because of security concerns. NPR's Daniel Estrin reports from Tel Aviv. Under international pressure, Israel is allowing some food into Gaza after a nearly three-month ban. WFP says it helped reopen four bakeries in Gaza, but they quickly closed because of quote severe security threats. And it says hungry crowds overwhelmed bakeries and looters stole supplies from trucks.

It says it can't work safely while Israel limits where people can get food. Israel says it will concentrate food delivery to southern Gaza to compel Palestinians to move there and to block aid to Hamas. In north Gaza resident Juma El-Dardouna says he'll refuse to move. That's expulsion and suffocation of Gaza's people, he says. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv with NPR's Anas Baba in Gaza City. In southern Kentucky, where a deadly tornado touched down last week, several churches that were damaged held services on Sunday. WUKY's Karen Zahr reports.

Seventeen of the nineteen confirmed deaths were in London, Kentucky, and the neighborhood of Sunshine Hills was the hardest hit. Sunshine Hills Baptist Church was nearly reduced to rubble. Members of the congregation came together to pray as debris removal continued. Millie Floyd has been a member of the church for decades. Even though all of this has happened, the church is still, you know, the gospel is still reaching people. Churches across the city open their doors to others to hold services and have become staging areas to gather supplies and offer assistance. For NPR News, I'm Karen

Zarr in London, Kentucky. Driver Alex Palu becomes the first Spaniard to win the Indy 500 from Washington. This is NPR News. President Trump said the U.S. will delay for six weeks until July the 9th, the new 50% tariff on goods from the EU. He said to allow for more time for negotiations. His announcement followed a Sunday phone call from the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who reportedly told the president the EU wants to get serious negotiations,

and she vowed to rapidly get together to see if we can work something out. Just last week, the president indicated the new tariffs would take effect in the first of June. Hollywood is setting records this weekend for once they don't come with an asterisk. NPR's Bob Mandelo reports. The film industry has gotten used to adding the words since the start of the pandemic, whenever new records are cited. Not this weekend. Yee-haw!

Ancient Cobra Bubbles. We have a blue dog to catch. Lilo and Stitch is expected to earn a four-day total of $180 million in North America, easily the most ever taken in over a Memorial Day weekend. Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning will earn close to $80 million, the best opening ever for a Mission Impossible movie. Together they'll power a weekend total for all movies in North America of more than $320 million, the highest Memorial Day total ever.

And combined with international totals, the phenomenon that I'm probably alone in calling Stitchin' Impossililo will approach a four-day total worldwide of half a billion dollars. Bob Mandelo, NPR News. Wall Street will have the day off Monday as the nation observes Memorial Day. All three indexes, the Dow, the NASDAQ, and the S&P, finished down on Friday because of investor concerns over the possible European nation tariffs. From Washington, this is NPR News. Support free.

A lot of short daily news podcasts focus on just one story. But right now, you probably need more. From Washington, this is NPR News.