NPR News: 05-31-2026 3AM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman.
What are the recent court decisions affecting President Trump's anti-weaponization fund?
Congressional Democrats are praising federal court decisions to block President Trump's nearly $2 billion anti-weaponization fund. As NPR's Kerry Johnson reports, two different judges are casting doubt about whether that fund is legal.
Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin says the court actions are, quote, magnificent for the rule of law. A federal judge in Virginia is temporarily blocking the Trump administration from taking any steps to dole out taxpayer money to people who claim to be victimized by the justice system. Critics worry Capitol rioters who attacked police on January 6th and other MAGA allies could be in line to collect from that anti-weaponization fund. A different federal judge in Florida is asking President Trump for answers about the settlement, which was announced hours after he agreed to drop a lawsuit against the IRS. The judge wants to know if the deal amounted to collusion and a fraud on the court. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.
President Trump says a deal may soon be reached to extend the ceasefire with Iran, and he says any long-term deal must include an end to Iran's nuclear ambitions. But former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Dalter says the U.S. attacks on Iran have made it tougher for Tehran to agree to those terms.
I think the fact that the United States has now launched two wars, one in June and again now this time, against Iran increases the incentive for the Iranians to maintain the capacity, if not the actual building, a nuclear weapon. And I think that's the legacy of this war. Rather than eliminating the nuclear threat, it is more likely to aggravate it over the long run.
The U.S. military, meanwhile, says it stopped another commercial vessel from breaking through the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. In a statement Saturday, officials said the Gambia-flagged bulk carrier Lianstar ignored multiple warnings to stop, so its engine room was hit by a rocket. The ship is now adrift in the Gulf of Oman. The blockade began on April 17 after Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz. The medical charity MSF is warning that Ebola is spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo at a deeply alarming rate. The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is there to oversee efforts to contain the virus. The BBC's Barbara Plett Usher reports.
One of the things he said all along is that he wants to show solidarity and support the morale of people who are on the ground, the people who are victims of the outbreak and who could become victims of the outbreak, but also the health response there. So that is one of the reasons he has gone. But from a practical point of view, he has gone to see what the conditions actually are. So he is there to coordinate and reinforce the efforts underway and also to send a message to the people of that province, the epicenter of the outbreak, that they are not alone.
That's the BBC's Barbara Plett-Usher with our report, and you're listening to NPR News. The restaurant industry is facing pressure from rising inflation, worker shortages, and the war in Iran. As NPR's Joe Hernandez reports, that's prompted one restaurant in Austin, Texas, to let diners pay whatever they want, one night a week.
Since December, Tuesdays at Locodoro in Austin have been pay-what-you-will, something the restaurant's owners hoped would entice back customers wary of spending too much money. One customer, Zayed Alhamid, said his family can't always afford a nice meal out. But I figured... This is an opportunity to actually experience something a little better without having to, I don't know, shell out $150 for the four of us. A YouGov report from October found that 37% of U.S. diners said they were dining out less often than they had a year earlier, while only 8% said they were going out more. The top reasons for staying home were rising menu prices and a desire to save money. Joe Hernandez, NPR News.
A hearing will take place Monday in Texas on the eligibility of Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby.
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