NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-26-2025 7AM EDT

Episode Date: May 26, 2025

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A lot has changed in higher education since President Trump took office. Everything that's been going on has kind of changed my life plans. Students have come to me and just, they feel really scared. On the Sunday Story, how members of the Class of 2025 are feeling about the state of higher ed and their own futures. Listen now to the Sunday Story on the Up First podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. The head of a new U.S.-backed aid program for Gaza has resigned, saying the initiative

does not adhere to humanitarian principles. NPR's Daniel Estrin reports the director's resignation puts into question the future of assistance in the region. Jake Wood, a U.S. Army veteran, says he's resigning from leading the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. In a statement, he said it's not possible to implement the plan while also strictly adhering to principles of humanity and neutrality. The plan, backed by the U.S., is supposed to replace how food is delivered in Gaza amid

rampant hunger. It's come under criticism from the U.N. and aid to replace how food is delivered in Gaza amid rampant hunger. It's come under criticism from the U.N. and aid groups, who say the program would limit civilians' access to aid, and serve Israeli military goals. Israel says the program will keep aid away from Hamas, concentrating aid mostly in southern Gaza with Israeli soldiers guarding nearby. The U.S.-backed aid group says it will maintain humanitarian principles and will begin delivering aid in Gaza Monday.

Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. President Trump will mark this Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery. NPR's Ava Pukac reports the president will take part in a wreath-laying ceremony to honor the nation's fallen service members. The third U.S. infantry regiment, also known as the Old Guard, placed American flags at more than 260,000 headstones, and on Sunday visitors placed flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and at grave sites throughout the more than 600-acre cemetery. The first Decoration Day, now known as Memorial Day, was held at Arlington National Cemetery

in 1868. Service members from every major American war dating back to the Revolutionary War are interred at the cemetery. Recent presidents have typically participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Memorial Day, honoring fallen service members and commemorating their sacrifices. Eva Pukanch, NPR News. Eva Pukanch As the summer travel season kicks into high gear, airports across the nation are once again being pushed to their limits. NPR's

Joel Rose reports staffing shortages and outdated technology at Newark Liberty International Airport are adding to the uncertainty. The FAA has now capped the number of flights in and out at Newark at a level that the agency says is more in line with what air traffic control can handle. The FAA says it's working to install new fiber optic lines and adding new backup systems to help with the technical problems in Newark. The FAA says it's also trying to speed up hiring and training of new air traffic controllers but you know the reality is that it takes years to train them to work in complex and congested airspace. That's NPR's

Joel Rose reporting. Wall Street is closed today in observance of Memorial Day, stocks resume trading on Tuesday. This is NPR News. Boeing has reached a tentative agreement with the Justice Department to resolve criminal charges stemming from the two fatal crashes of 737 MAX jets. The deal requires the plane maker to pay more than 1.1 billion dollars, including more than 440 million to a victims fund. The crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019. The European Space Agency will transmit a classic piece of music into space later this week. NPR's Rebecca Hirscher reports the blue Danube Waltz is associated with space travel and

pop culture. Johann Strauss' Waltz, titled by the beautiful Blue Danube, was featured in the classic 1968 film 2001 A Space Odyssey, and it's evoked space ever since. On May 31, the European Space Agency plans to transmit a live performance of the piece into deep space, using a transmitter in Spain that usually works on missions to Mars and the Sun. The event commemorates the founding of the European Space Agency 50 years ago and the birth of the composer Strauss 200 years ago, and the birth of the composer, Strauss, 200 years ago. Rebecca Herscher, NPR News.

Winzer Johnston. Stocks across Asia traded mixed today, shares in Japan closed higher while markets in Hong Kong and China posted losses. I'm Winzer Johnston, NPR News in Washington.