Live from NPR news in Washington, I'm Ryle and Barton.
The Trump administration is defending its plan for a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund.
“As NPR's Tom Drysbock reports, the administration says it'll consider giving financial”
restitution to defendants, who assaulted police during the January 6th, 2021 capital riot. Trump administration officials say people who believe the government was weaponized against them should apply for taxpayer-funded restitution. Through the Justice Department's upcoming anti-weaponization fund, an officials would not
rule out making payments to Trump supporters who violently assaulted police during the January 6th attack on the capital. Vice President J.D. Vance told reporters they would evaluate applications on a case-by-case basis. "We're trying to compensate people where the book was thrown at them, they were mistreated
by the legal system."
Democrats have condemned the initiative, calling it a "slush fund" for Trump's allies.
The current draft of the highway bill includes an annual EV registration fee of $130. To increase over time, $250.
“The nation's highway system is partly funded by a gasoline tax, although for many years”
that tax has not been high enough to cover costs. Because EVs do not need gasoline, EV drivers don't contribute toward highways at all. A small problem for now, but one that will grow as more EVs hit the road. EV advocates acknowledge the need for all drivers to pitch in toward highways, but protest that the House Bill's proposed fee would be nearly twice what the average driver pays
in gas taxes. Camila Dominozki and PR news. The death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 131, according to local health authorities. His NPR is a Jonathan Lambert reports more than 500 people are suspected to be sick because
of the outbreak. On Tuesday, the head of the World Health Organization said he is deeply concerned about the scale and speed of this outbreak. A rare species of the Ebola virus, called bune de buyo, is behind it. Standard field tests often miss this virus, and it's likely that it's been spreading in
the region for weeks under the radar. At least one American, a doctor who is working in DRC, tested positive and is experiencing symptoms. The risk to the US, however, is low, as Ebola doesn't spread as easily as an airborne disease, like COVID.
But the risk to Central Africa is high, because it's a rare species, there are no approved treatments or vaccines for the virus that's spreading. Jonathan Lambert and PR news. The NFL is taking the 2030 Super Bowl to Nashville in the Tennessee Titans New Nissan Stadium. It'll be the first time the game will be held in music city after a vote from team owners.
This is NPR News. President Trump showed off the construction site of his new White House ballroom to a group of reporters today.
It comes days after the Senate parliamentarians set up a proposal to pay for $1 billion
in security additions for the ballroom could not be included in a bill currently before Congress, Trump had previously said taxpayer money would not be used to pay for the ballroom. A coalition of 24 states in the District of Columbia are suing over a new rule that limits federal student loans for borrowers and some health care-related fields in PR's Cori Turner reports.
Last year, Republicans passed new limits on graduate student loans. Previously, grad students could borrow as much as they needed. Soon, they'll be capped it around $20,000 a year. There's one big exception to these caps, though. orrowers earning what are called professional degrees, including law, medicine, and dentistry.
They can still borrow up to $50,000 a year. This new lawsuit is about a rule by the Trump administration that narrows the programs which qualify as professional. Many health care-related programs have been excluded, including advanced nursing degrees, which is drawn by partisan criticism and raised fears of a worsening health care worker
shortage. Cori Turner and PR News. The annual rat-upalusa with held in Buenos Aires over the weekend, promoting the adoption of rodents raised in animal facilities or use and research in science labs that are no longer wanted to attract adoptive families.
“The fair includes stalls, selling key chains, mug, stickers, and hair clips in the shape”
of rats and mice. The money raised goes to veterinary and food expenses for the rodents. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. On Consider This, NPR's afternoon news podcast, we cover everything from politics to the economy to the world, but every story starts with a question.
NPR, we stand for your right to be curious to make sense of the biggest story of the day and what it means for you. Follow Consider This, wherever you get your podcasts.
