NPR News: 04-24-2026 1PM EDT
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Libby Casey. The Justice Department is dropping its investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. The decision likely paves the way for the Senate to confirm President Trump's nominee to head the central bank, Kevin Warsh. NPR's Ryan Lucas reports.
The U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro, says in a statement on X that her office is closing its investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell over cost overruns in the renovations of the Fed's headquarters. Pirro says instead, the Federal Reserve's inspector general has been asked to examine the cost issues. The Justice Department's investigation into Powell generated major blowback for the Trump administration when the probe's existence became public earlier this year. It prompted North Carolina Republican Senator Tom Tillis to threaten to block President Trump's pick to replace Powell at the Fed, Kevin Warsh, unless the DOJ dropped its investigation. Now the decision to do exactly that appears to clear the way for the Senate to move forward on Warsh's nomination.
Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington.
President Trump has announced a three-week extension to pause the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. But as NPR's Kat Lonsdorf reports from Beirut, both sides have continued to acknowledge attacks despite the agreement.
Hezbollah says it fired rockets into northern Israel Thursday night. The Israeli military says all were intercepted. That's after an Israeli airstrike killed prominent Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil while she was reporting in the south, the eighth journalist killed by Israel in Lebanon in the past two months. The Israeli military responded to Hezbollah's attack by carrying out several more airstrikes in the south on what it says were military structures. All of this occurred as the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors were in Washington to discuss the extension of the ceasefire. Iran-backed Hezbollah has been opposed to direct talks, while Iran insisted on a ceasefire in Lebanon to continue peace talks with the U.S.
Kat Lonsdorff, NPR News, Beirut.
The tech company Meta has announced it is laying off about 10 percent of its staff. The parent company of Facebook and Instagram is now investing heavily on developing AI. This year, Meta forecasts record capital expenditures of up to $135 billion, almost double what it spent last year. NPR's John Ruich reports the layoffs will take place May 20.
Meta's chief people officer Janelle Gayle says the layoffs are part of a continued effort to run the company more efficiently. The cuts will also allow it to offset other investments the company's making. Meta and other big players in AI have been spending vast amounts of money to build data centers and try to win the AI race. Gayle says while it's unwelcome news that puts employees in an uneasy state, the company feels it's the best path forward given the circumstances.
Metta is a financial supporter of NPR. Officials are ordering more evacuations in Georgia for residents near a large wildfire that has destroyed scores of homes in the state's rural southeast. This is NPR News live in Washington. The cannabis industry is applauding the Trump administration's move this week to ease restrictions on medical marijuana. The order will also make it easier to do research into the effects and uses of the drug. NPR's Will Stone has more.
The move does not apply to all cannabis. The memo from the acting attorney general says it's for FDA-approved drugs and marijuana products that qualify under state medical marijuana programs. Instead of Schedule 1, on par with heroin, these medical products will now be considered Schedule 3, a less restrictive category. Doug Berman is a law professor at The Ohio State University.
I think it's a very big deal. Fundamentally, the very big deal is the politics more than the law.
The most immediate impact will be for cannabis businesses, which will now be able to get tax deductions for business expenses. A hearing is scheduled for late June to discuss rescheduling marijuana more broadly, not just for medical purposes.
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