Up First from NPR
Deadly Kentucky Storms, Supreme Court Ruling, European Presidential Elections
Sat, 17 May 2025
Deadly storms and tornadoes tore through several states overnight. In Kentucky, a local mayor says more than 20 people were killed. Also, the Supreme Court says the Trump administration cannot deport a group of Venezuelans while their cases are being litigated in the courts. Plus, it's a big weekend for elections in Europe with voters in both Poland and Romania going to the polls.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What are the impacts of the deadly storms in Kentucky?
Deadly storms and tornadoes tear through several states, leaving devastation.
In Kentucky, more than 20 people are reported to have been killed. I'm Ayesha Roscoe.
And I'm Scott Simon, and this is Up First from NPR News.
The Supreme Court says the Trump administration cannot deport a group of Venezuelans while their cases are being litigated in the courts.
President Trump is trying to use a wartime law to deport the detainees who are accused of being gang members.
And it's a big weekend for elections in Europe.
Voters in both Poland and Romania head to the polls to elect new presidents, but what's at stake for the region?
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Chapter 2: How many casualties were reported from the storms?
So stay with us. We have the news you need to start your weekend. Severe storms and tornadoes swept through Kentucky, causing widespread devastation. Rescue crews are now searching for survivors after homes and buildings were torn apart.
One of the worst affected areas was the city of London, Kentucky, where there are reports of multiple casualties. We're joined now by Karen Tzar from member station WUKY. Karen, thanks for being with us.
Thank you for having me.
What areas of your state seem to be hit worse?
Well, we are in Lexington, which is the central part of Kentucky, and it seems like south of us sustained the most damage. Now, those reports were in the overnight, and as the sun comes up, officials in several counties say that they're going to have a better assessment of the scope of the damage.
And as the storm was passing over the WUKY studios here in Lexington last night, we were under tornado watches, and you could see the rotations on the radar that And then as the storm moved south, those watches quickly turned to warnings and weather spotters captured what appeared to be funnel clouds and several local meteorologists confirmed tornadic activity.
We, of course, are waiting on confirmation from the National Weather Service.
And the death toll went up throughout the night. Laurel County, where most fatalities are reported?
Yes, I spoke with London Mayor Randall Weddle. He said at least 23 people have died. in the county, and some are still unaccounted for.
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Chapter 3: What did the Supreme Court rule about Venezuelan deportations?
Right now, we are worried with human life, and we are trying to ensure that there is no one in this debris that needs help. The roads are pretty much open and cleared, but right now our main focus, rather than any tree laying on the road, our main focus is to make sure that no one is laying in this debris. Karen, what kind of damage have you seen?
Several videos came in, one in particular where a father and son in Somerset filming the storm, and it was pitch black, but as the lightning would flash, you could see what appeared to be a funnel cloud touching down, and they, of course, quickly went inside. Mayor Weddle has sent photos, and there are areas where... There used to be a neighborhood and there's nothing left but sticks.
It is completely flat. He says the damage is devastating and it looks similar to what we saw in western Kentucky several years ago.
For some of the areas that were hit by flooding just last month, also affected by last night's storms.
We are still gathering reports, and again, in areas where the destruction wasn't as severe or widespread. Officials say we won't know the extent of the damage until they're able to do surveys by the light of day. And as you mentioned, dozens of Kentucky counties were affected by storms in April, but we also saw storms in February. So FEMA has been on the ground in Kentucky for several months.
That is going to be an incredible asset for us because currently... We have recovery centers open across the state helping people who were affected by those storms so that they can apply for individual assistance. Ironically, just a week ago, 24 more counties were added to the list approved for individual assistance.
WKY's Karen Tzar, thanks so much.
Thank you.
President Trump is taking a sweeping approach when it comes to immigration policy. He wants to speed up arrests and deportations.
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Chapter 5: What are the implications of the European presidential elections?
The justices point out that once detainees are placed into custody of another government, officials tell the court that the courts can't provide any relief if there are errors.
Justices also heard arguments related to questions about birthright citizenship. How did these play out?
On his first day in office, you might remember Trump issued an executive order to reinterpret the 14th Amendment, stating that being born in the U.S. does not guarantee automatic citizenship if your parents do not have legal status or are here on a temporary basis.
Most of the Supreme Court arguments focused on whether judges should be allowed to issue universal injunctions and broadly stop a president's policies. But the bigger stakes of Trump's immigration plans are not lost on the court.
During oral arguments, conservative Brett Kavanaugh really questioned DOJ attorneys over exactly how the government was supposed to manage and oversee babies born without citizenship in the U.S., and government lawyers said they didn't know.
Elsewhere, Jimena, the White House is putting off complying with the orders of two federal judges on big immigration cases. One of those judges again took the administration to task yesterday. Please tell us.
Well, Maryland federal Judge Palazzini increasingly is growing exasperated by the government's efforts to not provide information on whether it is facilitating the release and return of Kilmar Abrego-Garcia. Abrego-Garcia is a man who lived in Maryland and was deported to El Salvador by error. And the administration has said that this was an administrative error.
Ziniz has asked the government to explain exactly what steps it has taken. But she says that the government continues to stonewall in, quote, bad faith. And it's been more than a month since even the Supreme Court agreed with Ziniz that the government needs to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return.
In a hearing also on Friday, a Justice Department lawyer tried invoking a state secret's privilege to withhold information on these steps. But Judge Ziniz is skeptical of that argument, saying she simply just hasn't been given enough information to determine whether the government's efforts to free Abrego Garcia from El Salvador should be covered by national security concerns.
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