Friday morning news: May 23, 2025

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Response to D.C. shooting » The Justice Department has charged the suspect in the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers with multiple federal crimes.

Interim Washington District Attorney Jeanine Pirro: 

PIRRO:  Murder in the first degree for the murder of 30-year-old Yaron Lischinsky, a foreign official and official guest of the United States.

And another first degree murder charge for the death of Sarah Milgrim, as well as charges of murder of foreign officials.

Prosecutors say 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez gunned them down in cold blood Wednesday night as the couple left an event at a Jewish museum.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday:

NETANYAHU: Yaron and Sarah weren’t the victims of a random crime. The terrorist who cruelly gunned them down did so for one reason and one reason alone – he wanted to kill Jews.

According to his charging documents, Rodriguez later confessed to the crime, and told investigators he did it for Palestine.

Big beautiful bill heads to Senate »  The Senate will now decide the fate of President Trump’s so-called ‘big beautiful bill’ which addresses his top legislative priorities.

House Speaker Mike Johnson took a brief moment to celebrate the bill’s passage in the House early Thursday morning after a marathon overnight session. But he wasted no time urging the Senate to do the same. 

JOHNSON:  I encourage our senate, uh, colleagues to, to think of this as a one team effort, as we have, um, and, and get it over the line ultimately and finished, and get it to the President's desk by July 4th.

Right now it makes the 2017 tax cuts permanent, eliminates taxes on tips, it also addresses border control and national security.

President Trump and Republicans call it a beautiful bill. Democrats describe it differently. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer:

SCHUMER:  House Republicans took a bill that was already rotten to the core and made it even worse

Democrats accuse Republicans of pushing through tax cuts for the rich.

Witkoff heading to Rome for Iran talks » U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is traveling to Rome today for a fifth round of nuclear talks with Iran.

White House Press Secretary Karline Leavitt told reporters: 

LEAVITT:  This deal with Iran could end in two ways. It could end in a very positive diplomatic solution, or it could end in a very negative situation for Iran.

The White House says President Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday about a potential deal.

Iran is believed to be a short technical step away from weapons-grade levels of enriched uranium.

Supreme Court charter schools » The U.S. Supreme Court has effectively shut down plans for the first publicly funded religious charter school in the country. In a rare 4-4 split decision—Justice Amy Coney Barrett sitting out—the justices allowed a lower court ruling to stand, blocking a Catholic charter school in Oklahoma.

The case centered on whether taxpayer money can fund a religious charter school. Supporters argued it expanded school choice; critics said it blurred the line between church and state.

The decision applies only to Oklahoma and doesn’t set a national precedent.

Judge federal abortion rule » A federal judge has struck down part of a Biden-era regulation that required employers to accommodate workers seeking abortions. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher has more:

BENJAMIN EICHER: District Judge David Joseph ruled that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission overstepped its authority by mandating such accommodations.

The commission interpreted the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act— or P-W-F-A to include abortion as a—quote—"related medical condition" requiring employer accommodations.

But the judge found that Congress did not explicitly include abortion in the PWFA and that the commission lacked the authority to expand the law's scope.

While the decision vacates the abortion-related provisions, the rest of the EEOC's PWFA regulations remain in effect.

The ruling came in response to lawsuits filed by two states along with Catholic organizations.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

RFK roadmap on chronic illness » Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has unveiled the very first report from his Make America Healthy Again commission.

The panel was tasked with finding the root causes of rising chronic illness in children and developing a strategy to reverse the trend.

And Kennedy says many of its findings should really come as no surprise.

He told reporters Thursday: 

KENNEDY:  It's common sense that ultra-processed nutrient poor food contributes to chronic disease. It's common sense that excessive screen time and isolation lead to anxiety and depression, especially in children. It's common sense that exercise and healthy foods come before prescriptions and surgery.

The report also looks at corporate influence in shaping public health policies, particularly in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

The Make America Healthy Again Commission has 80 days from the report's release to develop a strategy addressing those issues.

I'm Kent Covington. 

Straight ahead: John Stonestreet answers questions from our WORLD Journalism Institute students on Culture Friday. Plus, WORLD’s Collin Garabarino reviews two movies opening this weekend.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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