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

Episode Date: May 28, 2025

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Imagine, if you will, a show from NPR that's not like NPR, a show that focuses not on the important but the stupid, which features stories about people smuggling animals in their pants and competent criminals in ridiculous science studies, and call it Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me because the good names were taken. Listen to NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Yes, that is what it is called wherever You Get Your Podcast. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. President Trump is nominating his former personal attorney, Emil Bové, for a lifetime appointment

as a federal appeals court judge. Bové currently serves as a top Justice Department official. More from NPR's Ryan Lucas. In a post on social media, Trump describes Amal Bové as smart and tough and says that he is nominating him to serve as a judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which is based in Philadelphia. Trump says Bové will end the purported weaponization of justice, restore the rule of law, and quote, do anything else that is necessary to make America great again.

Bové is a former federal prosecutor who later served as one of Trump's personal attorneys during his criminal prosecutions after Trump's first term. Since Trump's return to office, Boves has served in a top Justice Department post, emerging as an enforcer and hardline figure in the new department leadership. Brian Lucas, NPR News, Washington. Elon Musk is publicly criticizing some of the key elements of President Donald Trump's so-called Big Beautiful bill. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO saying he is quote, disappointed the measure would actually add

to the deficit. Trump has largely emphasized the tax cutting aspects of the package, but has less to say about the fact it's expected to increase the deficit by another $2.7 trillion through 2034. Backers of the bill, however, continue to argue that will be offset through new revenue. The bill, which cuts spending on Medicaid, food aid, and higher education, cleared the House last week and has now gone to the Senate. Israel is accusing the UN of pressing aid groups not to take part in a U.S. and Israeli-backed program in Gaza. And Bures Michelle Kellen reports the UN says the aid plan does not meet basic humanitarian principles.

Israeli Ambassador Danny Danone says the UN is acting like the mafia, telling non-governmental groups not to take part in the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. It's a shakedown by U.N. mobsters. How can they do that? U.N. envoy Sigrid Kog says she's worried about the, quote, privatization and weaponization of aid in Gaza. And she said much more is needed as Palestinians are on the brink of famine. Instead of saying goodbye, see you tomorrow, Palestinians now say, see you in heaven.

The U.S. argues the war would end if Hamas would agree to a ceasefire and release all hostages. Michelle Kelliman, NPR News, the State Department. Department store chain Macy's says both sales and earnings slipped during the first quarter. The company blames more cautious consumers and the effects of the Trump administration's ongoing tariff fight. New York retailer also trimmed its overall profit forecast this year. Ramesi says it still beat many analysts estimates and it expects sales will mostly remain on track. Stocks lost ground on Wall Street today. The Dow failed 244 points. The Nasdaq dropped 98 points today. You're listening to NPR. Country star Morgan Wallen is all over this

week's Billboard charts and even set a new all-time record in the process. NPR's Stephen Thompson has this report. Morgan Wallen's new supersized album, I'm the Problem, enters this week's Billboard Albums chart at number one. Wallen has a long track record of chart dominance, and with 37 songs the album was bound to put up monster streaming numbers. Wallen also has the number one song in the country with What I Want. It's a duet with the Canadian pop star Tate McCray. I said baby you should know that's what I want, that's what I want

Wallen set a new all-time record this week. He's got 37 songs on this week's Hot 100. That surpasses the record of 36, set roughly two and a half years ago by none other than Morgan Wallen. Stephen Thompson, NPR News. Astronomers are still puzzling over the discovery of a new object in our Milky Way. They say it's emitting X-rays. Around the same time, it's also shooting out radio waves.

Located some 15,000 light-years away, scientists say they're not sure if the object is a star, a pair of stars, or something else entirely. NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory spotted the emission by chance last year while focusing on the remains of an exploded star. They say the hyperactive phase of the object lasted about a month. The findings were published in the journal Nature. Critical futures prices moved higher today after OPEC and its allies opted at least for not to leave output policy unchanged. Oil rose 95 cents a barrel in New York.

I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.