NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-23-2025 6AM EDT

Episode Date: May 23, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. The Department of Homeland Security says it's revoking Harvard's ability to enroll international students. From member station GBH in Boston, Kirk Carapazza reports it's a significant escalation in the White House's feud with the university. DHS has told Harvard's president the university can't enroll foreign students because it failed to provide student disciplinary records. It's telling current students to transfer out or they'll lose their visa status. Harvard calls the move unlawful, saying the school remains committed to hosting global

students and scholars. Historian Allison Frank Johnson says the action threatens their academic mission. We're talking here about students who've worked their whole lives to be able to attend a college of this caliber. And now they don't know if they can continue their educations. We're also talking about graduate students who are working in labs to cure cancer. Harvard already has a pending lawsuit against the administration, accusing it of government overreach.

For NPR News, I'm Kirk Carrapezza in Boston. An independent federal watchdog agency has ruled the Trump administration has violated the law by improperly freezing funds for an electric vehicle program. An issue is the Impoundment Control Act. NPR's Chris Arnold reports this stops a president from withholding funds that are 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. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that President Trump has the power to fire key federal agency staffers if he disagrees with them. The 6-3 decision overturns a 90-year-old U.S. Supreme Court precedent, but the Supreme Court did say the president cannot fire the head of the Federal Reserve who can only be fired for cause. The Chicago man accused of shooting and killing two Israeli embassy staffers has been charged with two federal counts of first-degree murder and the murder of foreign officials. Investigators say the suspect confessed at the scene in

Washington DC on Wednesday night. They say he yelled, free Palestine. Mourners in Washington held a vigil for the victims last night. The staffers had been leaving a reception at a Jewish museum when they were killed. This is NPR. Negotiators for the U.S. and Iran will open a fifth round of talks today about Iran's nuclear program. The talks are being held in Rome. Iran wants to keep its program and says it's only for peaceful purposes.

The U.S. and other allies say Iran could use the program to build a nuclear weapon. Both sides say they prefer to use diplomacy, but they're at odds over several issues, including how or even whether Iran can have a nuclear program at all. Federal authorities say six people were aboard a private plane that crashed into a military neighborhood in San Diego yesterday before dawn. A music agency says three of its employees were aboard and died in the crash. The fate of the other three hasn't been disclosed but no survivors have been discovered. For member station KPBS Katie Anastas has

more. One home was badly damaged and several cars burned. Scott Wall is San Diego's police chief. With the jet fuel going down the street and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see. The Federal Aviation Administration says six people were on board the plane. Music agency Sound Talent Group told the Associated Press that included three of its employees. At least eight other people were injured while evacuating. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

For NPR News, I'm Katie Anastas in San Diego. Heavy rain is falling over parts of New England this morning. The region is getting soaked from a nor'easter. This kind of storm only rarely happens in late May. The weather is now pulling away into the Atlantic Ocean, but there are reports of fallen trees. This is NPR.