"Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst.
Iran's Foreign Minister of Asa-Ragchi is in Pakistan, but it's not clear if U.S.
“Iran peace talks will take place this weekend as the White House has said they will.”
On X-Aranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says no meeting between the two countries is planned, but his Betsy Joel's reports as Lama-Bad has been locked down for days in anticipation of another round of talks." In addition to his Lama-Bad, Iraq-Chi said in a post on X that he'll also visit Muscat and Moscow.
For discussions on, quote, "by lateral matters." Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Iraq-Chi would hold meetings with its senior leadership. White House press secretary Caroline Levitt told Fox News that Jared Kushner and Steve Whitkoff would travel to Pakistan on Saturday for talks.
Iraq-Chi did not say if he would participate in talks with the U.S. in Pakistan.
For NPR News, I'm Betsy Joel's in his Lama-Bad. The Justice Department is dropping its investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
“The decision likely paves the way for the Senate to confirm President Trump's nominee”
to head the central bank, Kevin Ward, and appears Ryan Lucas, as more. The U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., Janine Pirro 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. Pirro 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 Pirro News, Washington. In southern Georgia, firefighters continue to battle two major wildfires, where the 120 structures have been destroyed, and Governor Bryan Camps has around 1,000 more are at risk
in the hot, dry, and extreme drought conditions. Towards the fire damage area by air today, he says the Highway 82 Brantley County Fire burned 7,500 acres and is 15% contained as of this afternoon, while the nearby Pineland Road Fire has burned 31,000 acres and is 10% contained. Camps says the Pipeline's Fire was started by somebody welding their gate, and the other
fire was caused by a balloon hitting a power line. Camps says the coming weather may not help much. We've got a chance to rain down here tomorrow, which is good, but it's not a great chance. But also if it is a thunderstorm, we could actually have more fires that we got to deal
with because the lightning strikes than the rain helps us. This is NPR News. The Trump administration is sanctioning a major China-based oil refinery and about 40 shipping companies. Hengli Petro Chemicals Facility and Dalion is included in the sanctions.
It's been getting Iranian crude oil shipments for about 3 years.
“This is part of a campaign to cut off Iran's oil exports, which are a key revenue source”
for the country.
This is the US blockade of the state of Hormuz, a critical port for energy exports continues.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessons says the agency will continue to restrict Iran's oil network. Another liberal arts college in Massachusetts is closing, unable to overcome mounting financial and enrollment challenges and a Maria College in Pakistan, just outside Worcester, says it will close this summer.
Kirk Heropheza of Member Station, GBH, has more. The 80-year-old Catholic school was known for catering to future police officers, firefighters, and athletes with its large sports programs. But Robert Kelkin, who teaches higher ed policy at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, says that model was no longer viable for the small private school.
The sweaty butts and seat strategy is pretty common. Many small colleges are 30% or more athletes. The Challenges Athletic Programs are often expensive to run. Following Hampshire College in Amherst, Ana Maria is at least the 11th four-year private college in Massachusetts to merge or close over the past decade for NPR News on Kirk
Heropheza in Boston. Mr. Demix Territory by the closing, though, on Janine Herbst, NPR News in Washington. This week on the NPR Politics podcast, for decades, the Southern Poverty Law Center has tracked and even infiltrated hate groups. But the Justice Department now alleges the way they funded that work amounted to bank
fraud. Is it an honest pursuit of justice or just the latest example of the Trump DOJ targeting the President's political opponents?
