The News Roundup for May 22, 2026

1A

NPR

News

4.3 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 22 May 2026

⏱️ 86 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie lost his state’s GOP primary to a Trump-backed candidate this week. The seven-term congressman became a target for the president over the former’s desire to release the files related to late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Thomas Massie and Bill Cassidy are now lame-duck Republicans after losing their primaries to Trump-backed challengers. Where does that leave razor-thin margins in Congress?

President Donald Trump’s seemingly doomed lawsuit against the IRS has resolved itself in an unprecedented way this week. A settlement in the case includes a clause that precludes the agency from investigating the president, his family, and his businesses ever again.

And Trump allies get a $1.8 billion boost in the form of a new so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund paid for by taxpayers. That money could be giving pardoned January 6 insurrectionists payouts – and is drawing bipartisan ire.

And, in global news, Iranian officials are accusing the U.S. of getting ready to start a new war as the American military makes moves in the Middle East. Both parties mull a new proposal, and familiar messaging from the White House. Also this week, Iran formalizes a plan to make money on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finds himself in a precarious political situation this week as Knesset, votes to dissolve itself ahead of another election. Now, Netanyahu must find a way to keep his right-wing coalition from collapsing amid pressure from his nation’s ultra-orthodox parties.

And Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to China to meet with its president, Xi Jinping, a week after President Donald Trump made the same trip.

We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.

Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hi, it's Naila, your host for this edition of the News Roundup. Just a quick heads-up before we start the show.
0:05.7	The news is rapidly changing and things may have changed by the time you hear this episode. Stay up to
0:10.8	date with all the latest by listening to your local NPR member station and visiting npr.org.
0:26.5	I'm Naila Boodoo. It's the 1A Friday News Roundup.
0:39.9	President Trump's Department of Justice stunned both parties this week when he announced a $1.8 billion fund to go to allies deemed wronged by the government that could include January 6 insurrectionists.
0:45.0	The fund has got Democrats incensed and the GOP worried, if not up in arms themselves.
0:48.2	Here's Republican Senator Tom Tillis of North Carolina.
0:53.3	Under what circumstances, would it ever make sense to provide restitution for people who were either pled guilty
0:54.5	or were found guilty in a court of law. I mean, my God, do you see where this would head?
0:59.6	As Trump's approval ratings dip and Americans continue to face high prices, just how big of a
1:05.0	crisis is this for Republicans? In primaries this week, Trump did show his considerable power over
1:10.7	outcome.
1:11.7	Meanwhile, Democrats are in disarray about a report looking back on the 2024 election.
1:17.2	We're going to unpack all of this from this week, plus more with Jeff Mason, Washington correspondent for Bloomberg News.
1:23.0	Hi, Jeff.
1:23.5	Hi, I.
1:24.3	Anita Kumar, head of standards and practices at Politico.
1:26.8	Anita, welcome.
1:28.6	Thanks for having me back.
1:32.7	And also in studio with us, Arthur Delaney, senior reporter for HuffPose. Hey, Arthur.
1:45.7	Hey. Let's start with the primary results of this week where we got some big ones. In Kentucky, a noteworthy primary loss, the libertarian leading GOP representative Thomas Massey, who's been a critic of President Trump lost to Ed Galrein, a former Navy SEAL. Trump recruited Galreined in 2025 to run against Massey,
1:53.4	who had clashed with the president over the Epstein Files, GOP tax law, and more.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 14 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.