Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst.
President Trump swore in the new Fed chair, Kevin Worscht this morning, the 56-year-old
“succeeds Jerome Powell, who served as chair for nearly or 48 years and was appointed”
by President Trump in his first term, but he was also a frequent target of Trump for
not lowering interest rates quickly or deeply enough. Kevin has spoken often about the need to restore the Fed's integrity by returning to a proper focus on its two-functional and really fundamental responsibilities maintaining price stability and low inflation and achieving full employment. Worscht is the first Fed chair to be sworn in at the White House, since Alan Greenspan
in 1987. He says he will lead a reform-oriented Fed, learning from past mistakes and successes. Powell will stay as a member of the Fed's Board of Governors, Senate Republicans confirmed Worscht, just ahead of Powell's departure from the top job. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says there's still more work to do to reach a deal with
Iran.
President Trump has been threatening more military action if a deal can't be reached,
as NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports. After meeting NATO counterparts in Sweden, Secretary Rubio was asked about the prospects of a deal with Iran, he says the goal is an agreement that covers Iran's nuclear program and reopens the straight-of-hormous. But we also have to have a plan B, and plan B is what if Iran refuses to open the
streets?
“What if Iran decides we refuse to open the streets?”
We're going to own the streets and we're going to charge tolls for it. At that point, something has to be done about it. And he says this affects Europe more than the U.S., Rubio repeated his frustration that a few NATO allies did not let the U.S. use bases to launch the war against Iran. The state of our moves was operating normally before the war.
Michelle Kellerman and BR News, the state department.
In California, regulators voted this week to take the first step toward banning a popular
material that's used to make countertops. From a conversation KQED, Frieda Javlava Romero reports that the material is linked to a surging lung disease called silicosis. Stone cutters who had lung transplants, as well as multiple doctors, urged the occupational safety and health standards board to prohibit the use of artificial stone.
Hundreds of workers in several states are ill, 31 have died in California in recent years,
“from inhaling toxic silica dust generated by the factory made material when it's cut.”
Board member Derek Irwin. We have to take effective action to prevent further cases now. It can now take months for Kalosha to develop a rule prohibiting the fabrication of artificial stone with more than 1% crystalline silica. For NPR News, I'm Frieda Javlava Romero in Oakland, California.
And you're listening to NPR News from Washington. It's been 15 years since the deadliest tornado of modern history struck Joplin, Missouri, but a local organization is still serving barbecue for its community long after the storm passed, Rachel Snelly, with member station KRPS, has more. On May 22, 2011, an EF 5 tornado went right through the middle of Joplin, killing 158
people in its path. A local organization, Operation Barbecue Relief, was born out of the idea that competitive barbecue cooks could help their community by cooking meat and serving it to those in need. Stan Hayes is the CEO and co-founder. Two better than us to go set up in a parking lot, with minimal needs, and feed a community
herding after something so devastating. Thorganization is holding an event at a park in Joplin to commemorate the tornado victims. It will feature their signature smoked pullpork sandwiches and snacks. For NPR News, I'm Rachel Snelly in Joplin, Missouri. A launch attempt last night for SpaceX's newest and biggest starship test flight from Texas
had to be scrubbed, and now officials will have to wait for another chance, which could possibly come today to try to launch again for a space-skimming journey. The 407 foot rocket is using a brand new pad at Starbase near the Mexican border, which officials say contributed to some of the issues. NASA is counting on this latest version of the starship to land astronauts on the moon
in just a few years. On Janine Herbst and you're listening to NPR News from Washington News shows new music, new movies, keeping up with pop culture sometimes feels like a full-time job. Thankfully, over at Pop Culture Happy Hour, it's literally our job. We break down what's actually worth watching listening to and pretending you already knew
about. So the next time someone says, "Did you see that? You can say, yeah, obviously, follow NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour wherever you get your
