NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-28-2025 7PM 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 says he's considering pardons for the men convicted of conspiring to kidnap

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. As NPR's Franco Ordonez reports, Trump said he's been watching the men's trial. President Trump said the case against the two men appears to be somewhat of a quote railroad job. I'll be honest with you it looked to me like some people said some stupid things you know they were drinking and I think they said stupid things but I'll take a look at that. Barry Croft jr was sentenced to nearly 20 years while Adam Fox was sentenced to 16 years after being convicted of leading a violent scheme to kidnap Governor Whitmer during the final stretch of the 2020 presidential election. Defense lawyers have claimed the men were victims of entrapment and that government informants egged them on. But last month,

the federal appeals court upheld their convictions. Franco Ordonez, NPR News, The White House. President Trump continues to say he believes that, quote, we are very close to a solution in terms of discussion with Iran about its disputed nuclear program. And speaking at The White House today, Trump told reporters he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities would, quote, be inappropriate to do right now,

given the pace of negotiations. Trump's comments come as the head of the UN's Atomic Watchdog group says the jury is still out in terms of negotiations between the US and Tehran on the country's rapidly advancing nuclear capabilities. The Trump administration is temporarily halting visa interviews for students. NPR's Windsor Johnston reports the order is leaving international students in limbo and threatening the bottom line for U.S. universities. International students at public universities typically pay out-of-state tuition, more than

double the rate for in-state students. Miriam Feldblum is the CEO of the President's Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. She says the pause doesn't just impact enrollment, it also sends a broader message. That will damage our reputation, our standing, and the actual contributions that we'll see on our campuses, in our communities, in our regional economies, in our national economies. Thelbaum says many international students bring not only tuition dollars, but also top talent in science and technology. And without clear policy signals, some may choose to take their skills to other countries. Windsor-Johnston, NPR News, Washington.

Officials of the Federal Reserve pretty much signaled earlier this month their intention to hold off on any moves on short-term interest rate targets while they evaluate effects of the Trump administration's economic policy. That includes the effects of the administration's on-again-off-again tariffs and whether they'll result in inflationary pressures or job loss. According to the minutes of the May meeting released today, almost all the 19 officials that participated say the tariffs do pose some inflation risk. On Wall Street, the Dow dropped 244 points today.

You're listening to NPR. In Texas, home insurance companies are using aerial photos and artificial intelligence to decide if they want to keep insuring homes there. Member station KUT Audrey McGlinchey reports that homeowners are increasingly upset. Since 2023, the state of Texas has investigated at least a dozen complaints over the use of aerial photos. One resident, Elena Callahan, got a letter saying the insurance policy on her home near Houston would not be renewed unless she got a new roof. But Callahan says her roof is five years old and in good condition. Callahan worries her insurer was looking at the wrong house. She asked but

never got copies of the aerial images. Where's the images? What images are they using? The use of aerial photos is one tool that insurers are using as more companies are choosing not to renew policies amid worsening storms. Federal data show that between 2020 and 2023, the non-renewal rate in Texas nearly doubled. For NPR News, I'm Audra McGlinchey in Austin. Proving there is more than one way to take flight. A pair of wayward pigeons boarded a Delta Airlines passenger jet this last weekend. In route from Minneapolis to Madison, Wisconsin, a passenger aboard the flight says the plane was forced to return

to the gate not once but twice because of the birds on board. First pigeon was captured by a ground crew. The second bird was apparently nabbed by a passenger. Delta says the result was nearly hour-long delay in the flight. It's not entirely clear why the birds were on the plane. Critical futures prices moved higher today after OPEC and its allies opted for at least for now to leave output policy unchanged to oil up 95 cents a barrel to settle at 61.84 a barrel. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.