Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What recent legal developments involve President Trump and the IRS?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. A federal judge has reopened President Trump's lawsuit against the IRS over a 2019 leak of his tax returns. The president last week dropped that suit in favor of a settlement that, among other things, created a fund to compensate individuals he argues were wrongly targeted by a weaponized judicial system. NPR's Elena Moore reports.
Trump sued the IRS for $10 billion back in February. Then, earlier this month, after the federal judge overseeing the case questioned its merits, he dropped it.
Instead, the administration announced a settlement in which the Justice Department would start a, quote, anti-weaponization fund of nearly $1.8 billion, sparking concerns from Democratic lawmakers and others that payments could be awarded to January 6th defendants. The terms drew scrutiny from a bipartisan group of 35 former judges.
And now, in a major setback for Trump, the federal judge has reopened the case, giving Trump's attorneys until June 12th to file a written response to claims that the dismissal was, quote, premised on deception. Elena Moore, NPR News.
Chapter 2: How is consumer debt affecting lower-income families?
Consumer debt reached its highest level on record in March, about $18.2 trillion, according to Equifax. NPR's Stephen Basaja reports that credit card debt is being held by lower-income families.
There is a K-shaped divide in this growing debt. That's a reference to how it graphs out when the rich are getting richer and the poor, if not getting poorer, certainly aren't doing as well. Emmeline Aleph is an advisor leader with Equifax and says while many families are coasting by, lower income families are increasingly relying on credit cards.
Not just for discretionary spending, but sometimes even as a lifeline to cover some of the basic expenses.
Overall, credit card debt jumped almost 4 percent in March from a year earlier, faster than the overall inflation rate of 3.3 percent. Most of the consumer debt comes from mortgages. The real estate data company Cotality recently reported that mortgage delinquencies were up year over year in March 3%. Stephen Basaja, NPR News.
Chapter 3: What changes are happening with gasoline prices across the U.S.?
AAA says the nationwide average price of gasoline dropped 3 cents to $4.30 on Friday. Diesel is now at $5.52. This is NPR. Louisiana Friday enacted new congressional districts that could give Republicans one more seat in the House. The new map eliminates one of the seats in a black-majority district represented by Democrats.
Louisiana State Senator Royce Duplissis says the map will face additional legal challenges going forward.
We know we're going to end up right back in court because this map is a racially gerrymandered map. No matter how they try to spin it, it's clearly racially gerrymandered. And again, it's a race to the bottom. We're building a house on quicksand.
Chapter 4: How are new congressional districts impacting representation in Louisiana?
And we're doing a huge disservice to our state, both financially and morally.
No timetable has been set on filing a lawsuit. You're listening to NPR. The Centers for Disease Control says cigarette smoking, the rate among U.S. American adults, has dropped to an all-time low. The government survey says now about one in every 11 adults said they are currently smoking. In the 1960s, 42 percent of adults said they smoked. The rate has been gradually dropping.
The new rate is now 9 percent. The CDC said cigarette smoking is a risk factor for heart disease, strokes, and a wide variety of cancers and is considered the leading cause of preventable death.
Chapter 5: What is the current state of cigarette smoking rates in the U.S.?
President Trump Friday issued an executive order aimed once again at trying to revamp the number of routine childhood vaccinations. NPR's Rob Stein reports.
The U.S. recommends more vaccines than other peer nations. The order comes after a federal judge blocked the administration's last attempt to reduce the number of federally recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to 11. That change was condemned by major medical groups and many leading infectious disease and public health experts. Rob Stein, NPR News.
The NTSB is taking the lead on the investigation into Friday morning's deadly bus crash on Interstate 95 near Washington, D.C. Five people died. At least 34 others were injured.
Chapter 6: What actions is the CDC taking regarding childhood vaccinations?
This is NPR.
Support for NPR. New shows, new music, new movies. Keeping up with pop culture sometimes feels like a full-time job. Thankfully, over at Pop Culture Happy Hour, it's literally our job. We break down what's actually worth watching, listening to, and pretending you already knew about. So the next time someone says, did you see that? You can say, yeah, obviously.
Follow NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour wherever you get your podcasts.