Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Libye Casey.
The Justice Department is dropping its investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome
Powell.
“The decision likely paves the way for the Senate to confirm President Trump's nominee”
to head the Central Bank, Kevin Warsh, and Pierce Ryan Lucas reports. "The U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Janine Piero, says in a statement on X, that our office is closing its investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell over cost overruns in the renovations of the Fed's headquarters." Piero says instead, the Federal Reserve's Inspector General has been asked to examine
the cost issues. The Justice Department's investigation into Powell generated major blowback for the Trump administration when the probe's existence became public earlier this year. It prompted North Carolina Republican Senator Tom Tillis to threaten to block President Trump's pick to replace Powell at the Fed, Kevin Warsh, unless the DOJ dropped its investigation.
Now, the decision to do exactly that appears to clear the way for the Senate to move forward
on Warsh's nomination. Ryan Lucas and PR News, Washington. President Trump has announced a three-week extension to pause the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“But as MPR's cat-lawn store reports from Beirut, both sides have continued to acknowledge”
attacks, despite the agreement. Hezbollah says it fired rockets into northern Israel Thursday night. These really military says all were intercepted. As after in Israeli air strike killed prominent Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil, while she was reporting in the south, the eighth journalist killed by Israel and Lebanon in the past
two months. The Israeli military responded to Hezbollah's attack by carrying out several more air strikes in the south on what it says were military structures. All of this occurred as the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors were in Washington to discuss the extension of the ceasefire.
Iran backed Hezbollah has been opposed to direct talks while Iran insisted on a ceasefire in Lebanon to continue peace talks with the U.S. Catwansdorf and Pair News, Beirut.
The tech company Mehta has announced it is laying off about 10 percent of its staff.
The parent company of Facebook and Instagram is now investing heavily on developing AI.
“This year, Mehta forecast record capital expenditures of up to $135 billion, almost double”
what it spent last year. And Pair's John Ruich reports, the layoffs will take place May 20th. Mehta's chief people officer Janelle Gail says the layoffs are part of a continued effort to run the company more efficiently. The cuts will also allow it to offset other investments the companies making.
Mehta and other big players in AI have been spending vast amounts of money to build data centers and try to win the AI race. Gail says while its unwelcome news that puts employees in an uneasy state, the company feels it's the best path forward given the circumstances. Mehta is a financial supporter of NPR.
Those are ordering more evacuations in Georgia for residents near a large wildfire that has destroyed scores of homes in the states where rural southeast. This is NPR News Live in Washington. The cannabis industry is applauding the Trump administration's move this week to ease restrictions on medical marijuana.
The order will also make it easier to do research into the effects and uses of the drug. NPR's will stone has more. The move does not apply to all cannabis, the memo from the acting attorney general says it's for FDA approved drugs and marijuana products that qualify under state medical marijuana programs.
Instead of schedule one on par with heroin, these medical products will now be considered schedule three, a less restrictive category. Doug Burman is a law professor at the Ohio State University. I think it's a very big deal. Fundamentally, the very big deal is the politics more than the law.
The most immediate impact will be for cannabis businesses, which will now be able to get tax deductions for business expenses, hearing a scheduled for late June to discuss rescheduling marijuana more broadly, not just for medical purposes. Will stone NPR News. Lawmakers in Turkey have passed a bill restricting access to social media platforms for children
under 15. It's the latest in a global trend to try to limit kids' ability to use social media. A bill forces social media platforms to install age verification systems and provide parental control tools. It also requires companies to respond rapidly to content deemed harmful.
The law would apply to platforms including YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. It must still receive final approval from Turkey's president, which is expected in the next two weeks. Turning to stocks that last check, the Dow is down the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ are up. People prices keep swinging in the weight for what's next in the war with Iran.
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