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Episode Date: May 22, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Congress has left town for a week-long recess without passing President Trump's immigration funding plan. Republicans have been pushing for taxpayer money for Trump's ballroom project. The package also includes a nearly $1.8 billion fund that could compensate people the president says were targeted by the government, including January 6 rioters. and PR's Eric McDaniel has more. Asked about President Trump's fund that he says will pay reparations to folks unjustly persecuted by the government. Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, had this to say. I don't like it. Here's Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune on the same issue.

I think that there are and will be, continue to be, a lot of questions around that that the administration is going to have to answer. Thune said the fund concerns are linked to why these votes are delayed. Republicans were all set to pass three years of funding for immigration enforcement. They control both chambers of Congress, albeit with narrow margins. But when those slim majorities come up against controversial policies, the math stops working. Eric McDaniel and P.R. News, Washington. Stephen Colbert signed off from The Late Show last night with an emotional farewell

after more than a decade behind the desk. The final show featured surprise appearances from fellow late-night hosts, actors and musicians, including Paul McCartney, who called out from backstage during the show. Who's going to be my last guest now? Hey, see, what about me? During his closing monologue, the late-night host thanked his viewers. Tonight is our final broadcast from the Ed Sullivan Theater

where, no, no, we were lucky enough to be here for the last 11 years. All right? That was, you can't take this for granted. CBS says the decision to cancel the show was financial, though Colbert and others have publicly questioned whether politics also played a role. For the first time, a Planned Parenthood organization is prescribing abortion medication for patients who are not pregnant. NPR's Selena Simmons-Duffin reports the service allows patients to have the medications at home. The new service is called just-in-case abortion pills, and it's being offered by Planned Parenthood, Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, and Kentucky. Rebecca Gibran is the CEO. As evidence support,

this model of care has continued to grow and with supportive policy environments in Washington and in Hawaii, this really is the right time for us to step into this space. The service is available to residents of Washington and Hawaii. They can get it via telehealth or in person at 16 health centers. Demand for getting abortion medication to have on hand spikes when abortion restrictions are in the news. Selina Simmons-Duffin and PR News. This is NPR. NASCAR driver Kyle Bush has died at the age of 41. He was a two-time Cup Series champion and won more races than any driver across NASCAR's three national series.

No cause of death was released. Earlier this week, Bush's family said he had been hospitalized with what they described as a severe illness. The window is closing for registering to vote in this year's primary election. in some parts of the country. NPR's Hansi Lowong reports. Today is Oklahoma's voter registration deadline for the state's June 16th primary. Eligible voters in Oklahoma have only hours left to sign up online or in person or get their mail-in application postmarked.

If you are registering by mail, the U.S. Postal Service recommends that you go to a post office and ask for a free manual postmark at the counter. In Washington, D.C., eligible voters have until Tuesday to get their mail and application or to register online. But D.C. voters still have time to register. in person during early voting and on the day of D.C.'s primary on June 16th. If you've already registered to vote, you may want to go to your election officials' website and check your status. Eligible voters can sometimes be removed from lists,

especially if they move, change their name, or haven't voted in a while. Anzi Luong, NPR News. Some New York City residents will soon have a shot at discounted tickets to the Summer's World Cup. The city is planning to offer a thousand tickets priced at $50 each for matches being played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, excluding the final. City officials say safeguards will be put into place to make sure the tickets go to New York City residents and are not resold on the secondary market. This is NPR News.