Friday, May 23rd, 2025 - D.C. shooting; Hamas motive; ‘Beautiful’ bill passed; Harvard ban; NOAA forecast; FDA limits vax access; Trump’s crypto dinner

Today’s Headlines: On Wednesday night, a shooting outside the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. left two dead following a multifaith event focused on Gaza. The suspect, Elias Rodriguez, reportedly told attendees he acted “for Palestine” before being arrested. The DOJ is weighing terrorism and hate crime charges. Separately, newly revealed Hamas documents confirm the October 7 attacks were aimed at sabotaging Israel-Saudi peace talks. Meanwhile, the House narrowly passed Trump’s sweeping “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” extending 2017 tax cuts, cutting green energy incentives, and tightening welfare requirements. In education, the Trump administration moved to block Harvard from enrolling international students, potentially prompting legal action. The Supreme Court issued two major rulings—blocking Oklahoma’s religious charter school due to a 4–4 tie, and granting Trump more power to fire independent agency members, though not the Fed chair. NOAA forecasts a severe hurricane season, and the FDA will limit COVID vaccine availability this fall to high-risk groups due to new testing rules. Lastly, Trump hosted a White House dinner for his $TRUMP coin holders—most of them foreign, including controversial crypto figure Justin Sun.

Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:

• AP News: Court papers say suspect in embassy killings declared, 'I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza'

• WSJ: Hamas Wanted to Torpedo Israel-Saudi Deal With Oct. 7 Attacks, Documents Reveal

• CNBC: Trump tax bill clears the House in a victory for Republicans, advances to the Senate 

• NY Times: Trump Administration Says It Is Halting Harvard’s Ability to Enroll International Students

• NY Times: Deadlocked Supreme Court Rejects Bid for Religious Charter School in Oklahoma 

• NBC News: Supreme Court grants Trump request to fire independent agency members but says Federal Reserve is different

• NBC News: NOAA forecasts above-average Atlantic hurricane season

• NBC News: FDA says Covid vaccines likely not available for healthy kids and adults this fall

• WSJ: A Crypto Billionaire Who Feared Arrest in the U.S. Returns for Dinner With Trump 

Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson

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