NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-26-2025 5PM EDT

Episode Date: May 26, 2025

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We've all been there running around a city looking for a bathroom but unable to find one. Hello, do you have a restroom we could use? A very simple free market solution is that we could just pay to use a bathroom, but we can't. On the Planet Money podcast, the story of how we once had thousands of pay toilets and why they got banned from Planet Money on NPR, wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Herbst. Today is Memorial Day, when the country remembers

the sacrifices of America's service personnel who gave their lives protecting this country. President Trump today visited the tomb of the unknown soldier at Arlington National Cemetery just outside Washington, D.C., remembering the fallen. This morning we pay tribute to their immortal deeds. We share in the sorrow of their beloved families and as one nation we give thanks for the ultimate gift they have so selflessly given to all of us.

He also used the occasion to criticize his predecessor, former President Biden, and take credit for bringing the Summer Olympics and the World Cup to the U.S., while also touting his plans for a large military parade in D.C. next month, a celebration of both the Army's 250th anniversary and his 79th birthday. The head of a new U.S.-backed aid program for Gaza has resigned, saying the initiative doesn't adhere to humanitarian principles. Empire's Daniel Estrin reports the director's resignation puts into question the future of assistance in the region.

Jake Wood, a U.S. Army veteran, says he's resigning from leading the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. In a statement, he said it's not possible to implement the plan while also strictly adhering to principles of humanity and neutrality. The plan, backed by the U.S., is supposed to replace how food is delivered in Gaza amid rampant hunger. It's come under criticism from the U.N. and aid groups, who say the program would limit civilians' access to aid and serve Israeli military goals.

Israel says the program will keep aid away from Hamas, concentrating aid mostly in southern Gaza with Israeli soldiers guarding nearby. The U.S.-backed aid group says it will maintain humanitarian principles and will begin delivering aid in Gaza. Daniel Esther in NPR News, Tel Aviv. Community violence interrupters are scrambling for alternative sources of funding. And Piers Martin-Costee says the money crunch comes in the wake of the Trump administration's abrupt canceling of federal grants in April.

The Trump administration cut about $170 million in grants to community safety groups, including violence interrupters, people trained to work with young people in a neighborhood who are in danger of being drawn into violence. Akilah Sherrells, a pioneer in this kind of work, says the timing is terrible. Black and brown organizations who are providing direct services in neighborhoods that have traditionally experienced high levels of violence are being cut right before the summer. And summertime is traditionally, you know, when violence spikes in neighborhoods.

The Justice Department calls the grants discretionary and not aligned with administration priorities, but it also says groups may appeal to try to have the grant money restored. Martin Costi, NPR News. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. In Northwest England, police say a man has been detained after he drove his vehicle into a crowd as thousands of soccer fans celebrated the Premier League Championship in Liverpool today at a parade. Several people were hit, but there's no word yet on how many people are injured. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer calls the scenes appalling in a post on social media saying his thoughts are with those injured or affected. Numerous

emergency vehicles and police are at the scene and police are still trying to determine what led to this collision. Lilo and Stitch may be dominating Memorial Day box office, but as NPR's Bob Mandela reports, Tom Cruise and Stitch have a history that goes back more than two decades. A mischievous blue alien is raking in the cash this weekend. Lilo and Stitch will make more than 180 million dollars in North America alone. Not bad for a project that was almost released direct-to-streaming on Disney+. Tom Cruise is racing along in second place with a series best77 million for his latest Mission Impossible installment, but 23 years ago, in 2002, that outcome was reversed.

The original animated Lilo & Stitch was just edged out by Cruise's Minority Report. I'm placing you under arrest for the future murder of Sarah Marx. Turnabout is fair play, of course, especially when a struggling film industry benefits. Estimates put Hollywood's total box office this summer at $4.2 billion in North America, which is finally back in line with pre-pandemic levels. Bob Mandelo, NPR News. Wall Street is closed today in observance of Memorial Day. I'm Janene Herbst, NPR News in Washington.