NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-28-2025 6AM EDT

Episode Date: May 28, 2025

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When Malcolm Gladwell presented NPR's Throughline podcast with a Peabody Award, he praised it for its historical and moral clarity. On Throughline, we take you back in time to the origins of what's in the news, like presidential power, aging, and evangelicalism. Time travel with us every week on the Throughline podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korava Coleman. The State Department is planning a more thorough screening of social media posts by foreign students who are applying for U.S. visas.

NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports it could make it tough for students to get an appointment with a U.S. consulate in the near future. Consulates should not add any additional student visa appointments until they get further guidance on how the new social media screening will work. That's according to a diplomatic cable seen by NPR that calls for quote extra vigilance in the student visa process. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce would not comment on the leaked cable. We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that's coming here whether they are students or otherwise.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he's canceled thousands of student visas including for students who took part in protests against Israel's war in Gaza. Michelle Kellerman and PR News, the State Department. A well-known right-wing political action group, the Conservative Political Action Conference, has held its first meeting today in Poland. This comes just five days before Poland holds its own presidential election, and the contest is considered close. The liberal candidate is the mayor of Poland's capital, Rafał Trafowski.

His opponent is conservative historian, Karel Noworowski. One of CPAC's featured speakers this week is Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. She told her audience that the conservative Noworowski is the right choice for Polish voters. That is what we need Poland to do now. We need you to elect the right leader. She says if they elect Noworowski, Pol polls can be sure their president will work with President Trump to fight off enemies that don't share their values.

The CPAC conference comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Germany today for talks. Zelensky is claiming that Russia is massing some 50,000 troops near a northern Ukrainian region. The private company SpaceX launched its ninth test flight of its Starship rocket yesterday. As NPR's Jeff Brumfield reports, it did not go well. Starship lifted off from the coast of Texas to loud cheers from SpaceX employees.

It shot out over the Caribbean, separated from its giant booster rocket, and powered its way to the edge of space. What a moment. Incredible. Alright, I mean that's… That was better than the last two flights, which exploded shortly after launch. But all was not well aboard Starship. About a half hour into the flight, it began to tumble out of control.

At this point, we are kind of in a spin. The Starship is presumed to have broken apart somewhere high above the Indian Ocean. Jeff Brumfield, NPR News. On Wall Street in Primarket, trading Dow futures are down by about 85 points. NASDAQ futures are down about 30 points. This is NPR. Police in Philadelphia have not arrested anyone in the Memorial Day shooting that left two people dead and nine others wounded.

Philadelphia Mayor Sherrell Parker says there are believed to be three shooters involved. The city's police commissioner said earlier authorities think one of the semi-automatic guns used may have been modified with a switch that would allow it to fire like an automatic firearm. The federal sex trafficking trial of music mogul Sean Diddy Combs has continued. A high-ranking former employee of Combs took the witness stand yesterday. She testified Combs repeatedly threatened and once kidnapped her at gunpoint. And Piers Anastasia Tsoukoulos reports. Capricorn Clark, a former marketing executive, testified that Combs kidnapped her as part

of a chaotic incident in which Combs attempted to confront rapper Scott Mascotti, also known as Kid Cudi. Combs had learned that Cudi and his on-and-off girlfriend, the singer Cassie Ventura, were dating, and that Clark knew about the relationship but did not tell him. Clark also testified that Combs and his associates had repeatedly threatened to kill her. Clark quit repeatedly during the 14 years she worked for him but said she was unable to secure another job in the music industry. Anastasia Tsoukis, NPR News, New York. This year's professional women's hockey league champions are a repeat winner.

The Minnesota Frost, led by Captain Kendall Coyne-Scofield, defeated the Ottawa Charge this week. Minnesota took the Walter Cups' best of five series three games to one. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News.