May 22, 2026

Brittney Melton

up first newsletter writer

Good morning. After nearly a century of defining broadcast news, the CBS Radio network signs off for the final time tonight. Here’s the news we’re following today:

Today’s top stories

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks at a podium to reporters in the Capitol on May 19.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America

Congress is preparing to leave town for a weeklong recess without passing a Republican-backed plan to fund immigration enforcement for the next three years. This is a top priority for President Trump, who told congressional Republicans he wanted additional funding approved by June 1. Trump's $1.8 billion "Anti-Weaponization" fund may derail the deadline. The fund aims to compensate people who say they have been targeted by the government. It's not included in the immigration enforcement measure, but some Senate Republicans wanted to address it before passing the funding. Discord also appears to be growing among House Republicans, who called off a vote last night on a resolution limiting the president’s war powers.

🎧 A number of Republican senators said they were blindsided by the "Anti-Weaponization Fund" announcement, NPR's Barbara Sprunt tells Up First. The money hasn't been appropriated by Congress. Sprunt says Senate Republicans were on the verge of passing the immigration enforcement funding, but some withdrew their support over concerns about the $1.8 billion fund and Trump's White House ballroom plans. The ballroom was initially expected to be covered by private donations. After the shooting at the correspondents' dinner, plans shifted to transform it into a secure facility, and costs have since soared to about a billion dollars. Trump wanted Congress to pay for its additional security. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who lost his primary this week, publicly denounced funding for the ballroom and criticized the anti-weaponization fund. Sprunt now wonders whether the GOP is entering a new chapter in which members feel emboldened to challenge the president rather than hesitate.

➡️ Two police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, have filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that the "Anti-Weaponization Fund" is illegal and dangerous. It's widely expected that some of the money would go to Jan. 6 insurrectionists.

The Democratic National Committee yesterday released an external review of its 2024 campaign losses to identify lessons for 2026 and beyond. DNC Chairman Ken Martin is facing internal criticism for shelving the report after he received it in December 2025. Martin has apologized for not releasing the report and for not being more transparent about the decision. But he also said he disavows the report, which was delivered incomplete. The 192-page document, written by Paul Rivera, a Democratic consultant unaffiliated with the Biden and Harris campaigns, lacks key sections, including a conclusion and an executive summary.

🎧 The report is full of incorrect claims that can't be verified, NPR’s Stephen Fowler says. The DNC released the report with a disclaimer that it was not provided with “the underlying sourcing, interviews, or supporting data for many of the assertions contained herein." The report barely mentions voter concerns such as the cost of living, the conflict in Gaza and former President Joe Biden's age. Despite this, Fowler says it highlights an important disconnect: While voters may disapprove of the DNC and national party leaders, they still support their local Democrats and candidates. This dynamic suggests the national party will likely be weak heading into the 2028 presidential nominating process, where it has a lot of influence.

National Hurricane Center forecasters predict that the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season will see slightly fewer storms than average. They estimate 8 to 14 storms in the Atlantic between June 1 and Nov. 30. Abnormally warm waters in the Atlantic raise the risk that at least one very large, destructive hurricane will form, potentially threatening the tens of millions of people living in areas vulnerable to flooding, wind damage and coastal storm surges. States at risk from hurricanes include large areas of the eastern and southern U.S., including inland regions in Appalachia and the Northeast.

Since January, Democratic candidates have invested nearly four times less in campaign ads highlighting abortion compared to the same period in 2024. This shift reflects a broader change within the party, as voters consistently prioritize cost-of-living concerns. Abortion rights advocates acknowledge the difficulty in delivering their message this year due to a crowded news cycle. But they argue that protecting reproductive access and care must remain a vital part of the political conversation around affordability.

➡️ A Planned Parenthood affiliate yesterday launched an initiative called "Just In Case Abortion Pills." The initiative, shared exclusively with NPR, allows Washington state and Hawaii residents to get mifepristone and misoprostol on their shelves for future use if they want to end an early pregnancy.

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Climate Solutions Week

Illinois State University students getting items from the Front Yard Free-Cycle event.

Emily Bollinger/WGLT

NPR is dedicating a week to stories and conversations about how communities are moving forward on climate solutions despite significant political headwinds. As the federal government halts plans to address climate change, states, cities, regions, and even neighborhoods are trying to fill the gap by cutting climate pollution and adapting to extreme weather.

Illinois State University is taking the initiative to teach students valuable recycling skills. Each year, the average American throws away nearly 1,800 pounds of trash. Giving items a second life helps to keep them out of landfills and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. To support this effort, the university kicks off the school year with the annual Front Yard Free-Cycle event, hosted by the Office of Sustainability and the ISU Share Shop. The event allows students to gather free dorm essentials, from clothes to small furniture. While it's only one day, the store continues its efforts year-round. Read more about the university's sustainability push.

Weekend picks

A photo of contestants from Survivor cheering, surrounded by cartoon illustrations of prize ribbons and torches.

Photo by Monty Brinton/CBS, illustration by Connie Hanzhang Jin/NPR

Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:

🍿 Movies: Is God Is follows twin sisters who set out to kill their abusive dad. It blends the road trip vibe of Thelma & Louise with the themes of sisterhood in The Color Purple.

📺 TV: Make the most of the long weekend by binge-watching Survivor. NPR’s resident superfan has ranked every season, sharing insights into what makes each succeed or fall short.

📚 Books: NPR’s book critics have previewed this summer’s most anticipated upcoming releases. Here are 15 titles they are looking forward to reading.

🎵 Music: Rostam Batmanglij's new album, American Stories, blends Americana sounds of acoustic guitars and pedal steel with his Persian influences. His songs explore everything from road trips to forgiveness.

🎭 Theater: John Cage's opera Apartment House 1776 features four singers who perform music inspired by their diverse heritages and experiences. Now, new artists are reinterpreting this work in a Detroit Opera production.

❓Quiz: Do you know about the “Tarps Off” trend that men are following? If so, you are ready to answer one question. Check out the highlights for this week with this quiz.

3 things to know before you go

A customer shops with a filled grocery cart at Walmart in Little Rock, Ark.

Will Newton/Getty Images

1

Walmart is likely to use its tariff refunds to lower store prices, executives said yesterday, noting that shoppers are becoming increasingly anxious about rising fuel costs.

2

In this week’s edition of Far-Flung Postcards, NPR’s Emily Feng takes readers to Bali, where a kecak dance retells a story in the epic Hindu poem the Ramayana. Check out this video of the performance.

3

The Trump administration hopes to mitigate staffing shortages at the Transportation Security Administration by giving private companies a larger role in airport security via the new TSA Gold+ program.

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This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.