NPR News: 05-29-2026 5PM EDT
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What was the outcome of Pam Bondi's congressional hearing regarding Epstein files?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to answer questions on President Trump's involvement in the release of the Epstein files during a closed-door congressional hearing today. According to Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, Bondi defended the administration's release of the files and said lawmakers need to bring in others to testify.
What she told us is that Todd Blanch was really managing the whole thing, so we need to ask Todd Blanch questions. She also told us, surprisingly, that the FBI scrubbed a lot of the documents or held a lot of the documents before they got to the Justice Department. That means that we need to ask Kash Patel, why were those documents redacted or what documents were missing?
The congressman was speaking to CNN. Several survivors of sexual abuse and alleged trafficking by the disgraced former financier gathered outside the Capitol office where lawmakers interviewed Bondi. A federal judge has ordered President Trump's name to be removed from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. According to the ruling, Congress named the center the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as a memorial and, quote, the center may not be officially named for anyone else except by an act of Congress.
How is the Israeli military's actions affecting Lebanon amidst ongoing conflicts?
The judge also temporarily halted Trump's planned two-year closure of the center. The Israeli military has pushed farther into Lebanon while launching airstrikes. NPR's Jane Araf reports.
Israel launched its most intense airstrikes in weeks despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to crush Hezbollah and said Israeli forces were capturing and controlling areas in Lebanon. Lebanese health authorities said the dead included two children and three women in attacks on a village in southern Lebanon. Iran-backed Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli forces and tanks advancing in the south. Iran has insisted on an end to the war in Lebanon as part of any peace agreement with the U.S. Jane Araf, NPR News, Beirut.
Major stock indexes closed higher today.
What recent developments have occurred in the U.S. stock market despite global tensions?
The Dow added nearly three quarters of a percent, as NPR's Rafael Nam reports. May has been great for Wall Street, but despite the war with Iran.
Despite the economic concerns created by the war with Iran, stock indexes have been hitting records this month, with the Nasdaq up 8% in May. That's because investors believe the war will end sooner rather than later. Oil prices, for example, have fallen sharply this month. But it's also that company earnings have been decent and consumer spending has held up better than expected, despite the high gas prices, in part because of tax refunds. The issue here, though, is that even if the war ends, gas prices will take a while to return to levels from before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. So the inflation risks to the U.S. economy are far from over.
What caused the recent record-breaking temperatures across Europe?
Rafael Nam, NPR News.
The S&P 500 and NASDAQ both added less than a quarter of a percent. This is NPR News. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is assessing damage after a rocket exploded during a test firing yesterday. The company was trying to briefly ignite the engines of its new Glenn rocket ahead of a satellite launch next week, but the 321-foot rocket blew up, taking part of the pad with it. A very hot May has obliterated many temperature records across Europe. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports scientists say Europe is warming twice as fast as any other continent.
Typically, heat records are broken by fractions of a degree, but this week they've been demolished by whole numbers. A new record has been set in England at 35.1 degrees centigrade or 95 degrees Fahrenheit, which was recorded at London Kew Gardens. The previous May record was from 1922 and a full five degrees lower.
What is Manhattan Henge and when can it be observed?
Multiple cities in France registered 100 degrees Fahrenheit and above. Portugal was the first European country to reach 40 degrees centigrade in May. That's 104 degrees Fahrenheit. And more than 200 weather stations broke May records across Spain. Europe is warming faster due to melting glaciers and changes in atmospheric currents around the continent, like the Gulf Stream, which is increasing heat waves and severe weather patterns.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What was the outcome of Pam Bondi's congressional hearing regarding Epstein files?
0:00–1:14
2
How is the Israeli military's actions affecting Lebanon amidst ongoing conflicts?
1:14–2:04
3
What recent developments have occurred in the U.S. stock market despite global tensions?
2:04–2:52
4
What caused the recent record-breaking temperatures across Europe?
2:52–3:49
5
What is Manhattan Henge and when can it be observed?
3:49–4:38
6
How can listeners benefit from the Life Kit podcast for personal growth?
4:38–5:02