NPR News: 05-09-2026 11PM EDT

This NPR News Now broadcast from May 9, 2026, rounds up developments including a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship prompting international evacuations, Tennessee's redrawn congressional districts, the U.S. Postal Service's persistent financial woes, protests disrupting the Venice Biennale, and the death of baseball manager Bobby Cox.

Hantavirus Cruise Ship Evacuation in Spain

A cruise ship carrying passengers infected with hantavirus is set to arrive Sunday in Spain's Canary Islands, where evacuations will begin. The World Health Organization's chief, Dr. Tedros Gabries, is on Tenerife to oversee the process for remaining passengers from the M.V. Tedros. He praised Spain's "act of solidarity and moral duty" in allowing the docking and emphasized that every precaution has been taken to prevent spread, stating, "It's only when we support each other that we can respond more effectively to virus or to outbreak like this." Three people have died, and several who already left the ship are infected, but no one still aboard has tested positive. Countries including Belgium, Germany, and France, plus the European Union, are sending planes to transport their citizens after disembarkation. NPR's Terry Schultz reported from Brussels on the coordinated response.