5/10 to 5/17, 2025

Welcome to This Week, Basically. I’m your host, Robyn Davies. I started this podcast because the world moves fast, and we all deserve to know what’s going on – without having to scroll for an hour. Every week, I’ll give you a roundup of the biggest stories, from politics to pop stars, in under 10 minutes. Just a debrief of this week – basically. 

Let’s get into it.

President Trump returned this weekend from a four-day trip through the Middle East. He made clear to regional leaders that the U.S. won’t be intervening in nation-building, but remains economically invested in the Gulf. In Iran, Trump said a nuclear deal is, quote, “getting close.” And in Syria, his promise to lift sanctions has sparked plans from business owners—many of whom fled during the war—to return.

That wasn’t the only major headline from the trip. On Friday, Russian and Ukrainian delegations met with President Trump in Turkey for the first peace talks since 2022. The meeting lasted just over an hour and a half, and ended with an agreement to swap 1,000 prisoners “soon.” But progress may end there. Russia is demanding that Ukraine withdraw from all four eastern regions annexed by Moscow in 2022. Ukrainian President Zelensky called the demand unrealistic and is now pushing for renewed sanctions against Russian banks and energy exports until more serious diplomacy begins.

Then, just hours after the talks, a Russian drone strike hit a civilian shuttle bus in Ukraine, killing nine people. Zelensky called it a “deliberate attack on civilians.” Russia has yet to respond.

Also on Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration could not use wartime law to deport a group of Venezuelan detainees. Let’s walk that back. The Alien Enemies Act is a wartime law that gives the president power to detain or deport citizens of an enemy nation—but only under certain conditions. The Trump administration had invoked it to rapidly deport Venezuelans accused of gang activity. But the Court blocked those deportations, pointing out that giving just 24 hours’ notice and no chance to challenge the decision violated their right to due process. Lower courts also argued the law only applies when the U.S. is under invasion—because, again, it’s a wartime law. 

Meanwhile, severe storms and tornadoes have ripped through Missouri and Kentucky, killing at least 21 and causing power outages up to Michigan. More storms are expected this weekend through Northern Texas. Now every time there’s a tornado outbreak or a massive flood, we hear the same headlines: homes destroyed, dozens dead, power outages across states. And then we move on. This week’s storms were devastating, but coverage was minimal, and national conversation barely flinched. It raises a hard question: have we become too desensitized to climate disasters? With their increasing frequency, its easy to tune them out. But if we only pay attention when it’s a once-in-a-century event, we’re ignoring the fact that “once-in-a-century” is becoming a constant.

Further south in Mexico, authorities are threatening legal action against YouTuber MrBeast in response to one of his latest videos, “I Explored 2,000-Year-Old Ancient Temples,” posted last Saturday. While Mexico welcomes visitors to explore the ruins of the Mayan Empire, strict regulations prohibit climbing the pyramids and remaining on-site after dark. MrBeast’s video, however, appears to show him violating both rules by climbing a pyramid at night. Additionally, Mexico’s cultural secretary has raised concerns that the production company lacked proper authorization to film and use footage of the Mayan ruins for commercial purposes. The incident has sparked a broader conversation about the responsibilities of content creators when engaging with protected cultural heritage sites.

In other news, Hozier released a new version of his song Like Real People Do in collaboration with the United Nations Sounds Right Project, which allows artists to credit Nature itself as a contributor to artists’ work. Hozier’s new release credits bird song, cricket song, rainfall, and thunder Wicklow, Ireland as contributing artists, thereby giving 50% of the royalties to environmental conservation efforts. 

The first task of a newly elected Pope is to choose a new name, typically one that reflects their vision for leading the Catholic Church. That’s exactly what Robert Prevost (PREE-VOHST) did on May 8th, adopting the name Pope Leo XIV. He explained that he chose the name in honor of Pope Leo XIII, who addressed the social challenges of the first Industrial Revolution. Today, he said, the Church faces a similar responsibility: to provide moral guidance in response to a new industrial revolution driven by artificial intelligence.

Looking to the future, the Eurovision grand finale is TONIGHT and we can expect a winner in the next 24 hours. Fan favorites have come down to a musical comedy about how Finnish people sweat away their worries in the Sauna, which is ironically enough representing Sweden, an erotic rock track representing Finland, and a devastating song about motherhood representing France. It’s easy to write Eurovision off as a glittery fever dream: songs about saunas, sequins, pyrotechnics, and all. But underneath the dazzle, Eurovision gives small nations and emerging artists a literal global stage. Who will take home the trophy? Find out later tonight. 

That’s it for this week’s episode. Thanks for listening, hope to see you back next week. Until then, I’m Robyn Davies and This Week, Basically.