NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-22-2025 9PM EDT

Episode Date: May 23, 2025

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Shortwave thinks of science as an invisible force, showing up in your everyday life, powering the food you eat, the medicine you use, the tech in your pocket. Science is approachable because it's already part of your life. Come explore these connections on the Shortwave podcast from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. An independent federal watchdog agency ruled today the Trump administration has violated the law by improperly freezing funds for an electric vehicle program. As NPR's Chris Arnold reports, it issues the Empowerment Control Act that stops a president from withholding funds already approved by Congress.

The Government Accountability Office has at least 39 investigations into possible violations of the act by the Trump administration. This one involves $5 billion already allocated to build electric vehicle charging stations across the country. The GAO finds that the administration has been improperly freezing the money and must continue to carry out the program. The GAO also has the power to file a lawsuit. There are already other lawsuits underway over the allegedly illegal freezing of such

funds. The White House has argued that the Impoundment Control Act is unconstitutional, but GAO points out that the Constitution specifically gives Congress the power of the purse. Chris Arnold, NPR News. Chris Arnold, NPR News. A Chicago man is facing federal charges for the killing of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington.

Federal prosecutors announced today charges less than 24 hours after Yaron Lachinsky and Sarah Milgram were gunned down outside a Jewish museum. NPR's Ryan Lucas has more. Elias Rodriguez faces several charges, including first degree murder, murder of a foreign official, as well as several gun charges. The interim US attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro, called the shooting horrific

and said her office will not tolerate such crimes. We're going to continue to investigate this as a hate crime and a crime of terrorism, and we will add additional charges as the evidence warrants." Officials say they believe Rodriguez acted on his own. According to court documents he arrived in Washington DC from Chicago on Tuesday the day before the shooting. He allegedly told police after his arrest that he did it for Palestine and for Gaza.

Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. The Trump administration is restoring in-person training at the National Fire Academy in Maryland after abruptly pausing it in March. As NPR's Frank Langford reports from Washington, the reversal today came after the Trump-supporting firefighters publicly criticized the move. The administration initially paused in-person classes,

saying they weren't mission critical. But now, it says, a comprehensive review found certain courses were, quote, effective. John Beck runs the Waynesboro Volunteer Fire Department in Pennsylvania. We're getting back on track with the training that should have never been taken offline, but this is good news because this is exactly what the public deserves. Each year, the Academy trains thousands of fire chiefs on everything from leadership to how to conduct fire and arson investigations. A source familiar with the process

said the administration's handling of the Academy fits a broader haphazard approach to cuts and funding freezes. Frank Langford, NPR News, Washington. You're listening to NPR. The Trump administration has revoked Harvard University's ability to enroll international students under the authority of the US Department of Homeland Security.

Details were sent in a letter to the school, and the changes impact currently enrolled international students. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in the letter accused the university of fostering anti-Semitism and collaborating with China's Communist Party. Harvard for its part issued a statement calling the action illegal.

Harvard has nearly 7,000 international students making up about 27% of the student body. The company behind the artificial intelligence Chatbot, ChatGPT is joining forces with one of the best known designers in Silicon Valley to make AI enabled devices. Here's NPR's John Rewich. OpenAI says it's buying a startup called I.O. for about $6.5 billion.

I.O. was launched last year by the designer Johnny Ive, who created the iPhone and other iconic products for Apple. The tie-up deal links the legendary designer with Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO and one of the driving forces behind the explosive growth of AI in recent years. The goal they say is to create AI powered devices. OpenAI declined to say what exactly those devices would be. Companies are scrambling to create devices like glasses or robots that can sense the real world and analyze and interact with it using artificial intelligence.

Altman previously invested in a company that attempted to make AI enabled lapel pins about the size of an Apple Watch. John Ruch, NPR News. Stocks ended the session on a mixed note. The Dow was down one point to $41,859. The Nasdaq closed up 53 points. The S&P 500 was down two points today. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.

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