"Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton.
has ordered the U.S. to withdraw 5,000 American troops from Germany. His NPR's Greg Meier reports this comes as the U.S. and German leaders disagree publicly over the war with Iran." The Pentagon says the move follows a thorough review of U.S. forces in Europe. Around 35,000 American troops are currently based in Germany, the largest U.S. military presence in Europe,
and one of the biggest in any country outside the U.S. The drawdown is slated to take place over the next 6 to 12 months. The Pentagon gave no information on where the troops might be sent. German Chancellor Friedrich Meierz said this week that, quote, "The Americans clearly have no strategy for ending the war in Iran." President Trump fired back saying the German leader should worry more about his country and stop interfering in the Iran war.
Greg Meiery, NPR News, Washington. Former Florida Republican Congressman David Rivera has been found guilty in connection
“to a secret $50 million lobbying campaign on behalf of the Venezuelan government, from”
member-station WLRN Helen Oceveto reports. Juris found Rivera and an associate guilty on all counts, including failing to register as a foreign agent with the U.S. Justice Department and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges stemmed from his undisclosed work for former Venezuelan dictator Nikolás Mavoudos government. Rivera, a Republican, represented Florida's 25th district from 2011
to 2013. Federal prosecutors had argued Rivera was recruited by the regime to lobby Congress and the White House to ease sanctions on Venezuela. Attorney's for Rivera say the ex-Congressman acted in good faith and was unaware he had to formally register as a foreign agent. The date for Rivera sentencing hearing has not been announced. He faces additional federal charges in a related foreign lobbying case in Washington,
D.C. For NPR News, I'm Helena Savito in Miami.
“This week, the Supreme Court's conservative majority weakened protections against racial”
discrimination guaranteed by the Voting Rights Act. That same day, Florida lawmakers passed a Republican-friendly congressional map and leaders in several other Republican-led states want to make changes to their maps, as NPR's Hansi Lowong reports. Louisiana Republican officials say because the Supreme Court found their map is unconstitutional that they need a new map in time for this year's midterms and so are Republicans in
other southern states like Alabama and Tennessee and Louisiana has gone as far as suspending its congressional primary and that has led to lawsuits. NPR's Hansi Lowong reporting, OxyContin Maker, Purdue Pharma ceased to exist today. It's part of a deal to resolve thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids. Members of the
Sackler family who owned the company must pay up to $7 billion over time, most of the
money is set to be used by government entities to fight the epidemic linked to 900,000 deaths since 1999. It's NPR.
“China is giving Africa's biggest economies tariff free access to its market for the next”
two years. Meanwhile, the U.S. is seeking to impose new import taxes under President Trump's push for protectionism. The China deal covers Africa's 20 largest economies, including South Africa and Nigeria. China had already dropped tariffs on 33 poorer African countries. Much of the public supports loosening federal restrictions on marijuana, according to new research from Johns Hopkins University. That comes as the Trump administration recently
rescheduled medical marijuana and is considering more changes. NPR's will stone has more. Researchers at Hopkins used artificial intelligence to analyze more than 40,000 public comments submitted to the federal government. That was in response to a proposal by the
Drug Enforcement Administration in 2024 to reschedule cannabis. About a third wanted to move
cannabis from a schedule one, the most restrictive category to schedule three. About two thirds thought the federal government should go even further, with some saying it should not be a controlled substance at all. Only about 7% of commenters oppose rescheduling, according to the study published in the medical journal Addiction. The Trump administration has already rescheduled medical marijuana, and it will be holding a hearing over the
summer to discuss whether that should apply to all cannabis, not just for medical purposes. Willstone and PR news. A massive sea lion nicknamed "chunkers" is charming tourists and locals at San Francisco's Pier 39 estimated to weigh between 1,500 and 2,000 pounds. He flops along on the pier among much smaller California sea lions. He likely came from Washington or Oregon. This is NPR News from Washington.
This year, for the first time in NPR's history, public media is operating without federal
funding. That means NPR needs your support now, more than ever. I'm Brittany loose from its benefit. Please do your part to keep independent, reliable, news coverage strong, and support the podcasts that get you through the day by making a gift for public media giving days. Head over to Donate.nbr.org.
