NPR News: 05-16-2026 2AM EDT

This episode of NPR News Now reports on a series of separate developments involving U.S. counterterrorism claims, diplomatic exchanges with China, Middle East security talks, a labor dispute affecting public transit, a new Ebola outbreak, an Israeli military strike, and the status of a golf tournament. The items are presented without a single connecting theme, each standing on its own facts as described by officials and reporters.

U.S. Actions Against ISIS and Summit With China

President Trump stated that the number two leader of ISIS, Abu Bilal Al-Manukki, was killed in a joint U.S.-Nigeria operation in Africa. The announcement came in a social media post and described the effort as complex, though no further operational details were released. Separately, Trump returned from a two-day meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He characterized the discussions as productive yet acknowledged that few concrete agreements resulted. One topic covered in detail was a delayed $14 billion U.S. weapons sale to Taiwan. On the Iran-related conflict, the two sides reached an understanding that the Strait of Hormuz should be reopened to ease the blockade. These points reflect continued U.S. focus on targeted killings of militant leaders alongside high-level but largely inconclusive engagement with Beijing on regional security issues.