Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton.
President Trump has officially nominated Todd Blanch to serve as attorney general and PR's Ryan Lucas reports.
“Todd Blanch previously served as President Trump's personal attorney, defending him against”
criminal prosecutions. After Trump returned to the White House, he tapped Blanch for the number two post at the Justice Department. Blanch then stepped into the top job on an acting basis.
After Trump pushed out his first attorney general, Pam Bondi, in April.
Blanch took over the Justice Department, has aggressively pursued the President's agenda, including prosecutions of Trump's perceived enemies. Blanch also has signed papers that would shield Trump, his family and companies, from IRS tax audits. Blanch's recent work has won praise from Trump, but could complicate his road to confirmation
in the Senate. Ryan Lucas and PR News, Washington. A federal judge in Massachusetts has ruled that President Trump's $100,000 fee for highly skilled worker visas is unlawful. Twenty states sued over the policy, saying it would impede their ability to hire teachers
and medical workers. The judge ruled that the change intruded on Congress's powers and that the administration had no authority to impose the fee. Final results results are in from parliamentary elections. In the former Soviet Republic of Armenia, the vote was the latest test of Russia's influence
in the region has in PR's Charles Mayn's reports. Dominion Prime Minister Nicole Pashenyans ruling civil contract party took just under 50%
of all votes, with a pro-Russian block placing a distance second.
The result is an endorsement of Pashenyans' recent pro-Western policies, including ambitions to join the European Union and expand ties with the U.S. As the region's traditional power broker, Russia has expressed displeasure over Armenia's
“drift, imposing bans on key exports and threatening future access to cheap Russian gas.”
Even Pashenyans has other troubles, its party fell far short of a super-majority. That will complicate efforts to push through constitutional changes needed to ratify a U.S. back peace deal with longtime rival Azerbaijan, and open up trade to the region. Charles Mayn's impere news. Moscow.
In Los Angeles today, the man accused of setting what became known last year as the Palisades fire goes on trial, first on the agenda is jury selection, Steve Futterman reports. Jonathan Rinder canesht is charged with intentionally starting a different fire, the
lockman fire just passed midnight on January 1st last year.
Prosecutors say the lockman fire then smoldered underground for a week, before resurfacing and exploding into the Palisades fire. Defense attorney Steve Haney says his client is not guilty, he says the lockman fire was started by "Arent Fireworks." Jonathan did not start the fire on January 1st.
We believe strongly it was started by a fire. The Palisades fire led to the death of a dozen people, nearly 7,000 structures were destroyed. For MPR news, I'm Steve Futterman, in Los Angeles. This is NPR news. Pope Leo met with six survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Madrid and vowed to consider
how the Catholic church can improve its response to the crisis. Spain's Catholic hierarchy has only recently begun reckoning with its legacy of abuse and cover up after long dismissing the severity of the scandal. There's a boom in interest in vibration devices to help boost bone health at a time when millions of Americans have low bone density and muscle mass, and appears Alison
Aubrey reports there's a lot of hype on social media. "Vibration plates have gained popularity as a way to mimic some of the effects of exercise that low-intensity vibrations produce mechanical signals that lead to some of the same effects that happen when our muscles contract. The devices are marketed as helping everything from lymphatic drainage to muscle strength,
but the evidence is limited. The FDA has only approved one vibration device, a belt, helps low the loss of bone strength and women with osteopeenia. Dr. Eric Asher of Northwell Health in New York recommends healthy habits for bone health, including weight-bearing exercise, calcium and vitamin D, staying hydrated, and good sleep.
“His message to most patients who want to use a vibration device?”
It might help, it can't hurt." But it's not a panacea, Alison Aubrey and PR news. Hockey's Carolina Hurricanes are experiencing a playoff baby boom, and in their push to the NHL Stanley Cup final, and the Vegas Golden Knights could soon join them. Three hurricanes players have welcomed children during the playoffs.
The Golden Knights have multiple players with new arrivals scheduled for later this month. The series could run through a game seven on June 17th. This is NPR News. On NPR's wildcard podcast, Maya Hawke says childhood with her mom, whom a thermon was "witch adjacent."
It's not, you know, toil and trouble, but it's a wichiness, like a kind of witchy love of nature and a love of herbal remedies, and something that could potentially get you burned at the stake. Watch or listen to that wildcard conversation on the NPR app or on YouTube at NPR wildcard.
