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Right this moment’s prime tales
San Diego police are investigating a taking pictures on the Islamic Heart of San Diego in Clairemont, Calif., as a hate crime. Authorities responded to a name from the middle yesterday and located three individuals lifeless. Additionally they discovered two youngsters, who they imagine had been the shooters, lifeless in a automobile. Police imagine they died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. They had been 17 and 18 years outdated. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl mentioned “there was definitely hate rhetoric involved,” however didn’t clarify additional. The FBI says it is usually conducting an investigation.
Police stage on the scene of a taking pictures outdoors the Islamic Heart of San Diego Monday, Might 18, 2026, in San Diego, Calif.
Gregory Bull/AP
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Gregory Bull/AP
- 🎧 Authorities haven’t launched the identities of the taking pictures suspects and victims, NPR’s Juliana Kim tells Up First. Wahl talked about that one of many victims was a safety guard on the heart. Kim says households waited hours for his or her youngsters to evacuate from the college contained in the mosque. One of many mother and father, Montaser Barbakh, instructed her he was shocked by the taking pictures but additionally mentioned that he has at all times been anxious about the potential of such an assault. Barbakh mentioned he felt that locations of worship are more and more underneath assault.
Right this moment marks the busiest main election day of the 2026 midterms to date. Voters in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon and Pennsylvania will take part in essential contests. President Trump’s affect on his occasion will probably be examined in a number of Republican primaries. In Kentucky, GOP Rep. Thomas Massie faces off with Trump-backed candidate Ed Gallrein. Latest primaries in Indiana and Louisiana have highlighted that Republican voters are prepared to oust incumbents whom Trump deems disloyal. In the meantime, Democrats are aiming to flip Republican-held seats in November, and their primaries will spotlight what’s motivating their voters. This is what else NPR is watching on this huge main day.
A federal decide yesterday dismissed Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit towards the IRS over the leak of his tax returns from years in the past, following the president’s request. The swimsuit is the primary recognized occasion of a president suing the federal government he heads. Shortly after the request to dismiss the case, the Division of Justice introduced that, as a part of the settlement with Trump, it might set up a $1.7 billion “anti-weaponization fund.” The president says the cash will probably be used to reimburse individuals who had been “treated horribly” by the Biden administration. Appearing Lawyer Normal Todd Blanche will appoint a board to supervise this new fund, and Trump will be capable to fireplace the members. The fund will probably be developed with taxpayers’ {dollars}.
- 🎧 It is not clear whether or not the federal government will disclose who receives cash from the fund, NPR’s Carrie Johnson says. Watchdog teams say they’re involved that individuals who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, will get compensation. The Trump administration says former President Obama created a fund like this years in the past to compensate farmers who confronted long-term racial discrimination. Trump’s settlement is 3 times larger, and a decide didn’t log out on it. Former Justice Division worker Rupa Bhattacharyya tells Johnson that the Trump administration beforehand tried to eradicate such third-party settlements, solely to now embrace them. Bhattacharyya says the administration’s actions are an abuse of taxpayer cash.
A California jury yesterday dismissed Elon Musk’s lawsuit towards his former enterprise companion, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The jury mentioned Musk waited too lengthy to file his lawsuit. Musk alleged that Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman breached their charitable belief by abandoning OpenAI’s founding mission and making the most of that call. The unanimous resolution of the nine-member advisory jury took lower than two hours. They mentioned Musk exceeded the statute of limitations when he launched his case in 2024.
Local weather Options Week
In conservative Utah, a gaggle of communities joined forces to convey extra renewable power to the electrical grid. The group ranges from the state’s largest metropolis to rural cities, akin to Coalville. Their effort could possibly be a mannequin for different U.S. cities to take local weather motion, even because the federal authorities pulls again on clear energy.
Kim Raff for NPR
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Kim Raff for NPR
NPR is dedicating per week to tales and conversations about how communities are shifting ahead on local weather options regardless of important political headwinds. Because the federal authorities halts plans to deal with local weather change, states, cities, areas, and even neighborhoods try to fill the hole by reducing local weather air pollution and adapting to excessive climate.
For the reason that begin of his second time period, Trump has signed government orders to revive the coal trade and pushed insurance policies to halt new photo voltaic and wind initiatives. Regardless of this, a coalition of massive cities and small cities in conservative Utah is pursuing a special path to extend renewable energy on the electrical grid. Their initiatives may function a mannequin for different U.S. cities to take local weather motion, even because the federal authorities retreats from clear energy. Salt Lake Metropolis is among the 19 communities which have shaped the Utah Renewable Communities initiative, which goals to generate sufficient clear electrical energy to energy almost 300,000 properties and companies. To perform this feat, they plan to construct photo voltaic arrays and wind farms. After years of effort, they’ve up to date rules so as to add clear power to the grid, partnered with the regional utility, Rocky Mountain Energy, and secured funding for his or her initiatives.
Image present
Scottsdale, Arizona, Might 1, 2026:
(L-R) Rex, the tortoise, at Brian and Sara WestfallÕs house, who fostered him whereas they looked for his proprietor, in Scottsdale, Arizona, Might 1, 2026. (Photograph by Adriana Zehbrauskas for NPR)
Adriana Zehbrauskas for NPR/57999420m
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Adriana Zehbrauskas for NPR/57999420m
On a latest spring night, a big tortoise named Rex bought unfastened, took a stroll down a sidewalk and left a Phoenix-area neighborhood in a tizzy looking for his homeowners. Rex’s enterprise highlighted the challenges that sulcata tortoise homeowners face. They could begin out tiny, however grownup African sulcatas are the world’s third-largest tortoise. The U.S. banned the importation of those animals within the early 2000s, however breeding them stays authorized. They will weigh as much as 200 kilos and reside for as much as 150 years. Rex, specifically, is a minimum of a few ft lengthy. These tortoises want massive grassy enclosures for roaming, together with entry to scrub water and dry, heat shelter in winter. Additionally they dig. Many individuals are unaware of those wants once they buy African sulcatas. Take a look at these photographs of Rex’s journey again to his homeowners and learn extra about sulcata tortoises.
3 issues to know earlier than you go
UPS Flight 2976 crashed shortly after takeoff close to Louisville Muhammad Ali Worldwide Airport in Louisville, Kentucky.
Stephen Cohen/Getty Pictures
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Stephen Cohen/Getty Pictures
- The nation’s prime security investigators will launch a fact-finding listening to immediately to find out the reason for the lethal crash of UPS flight 2976 in Louisville, Ky., final November. Preliminary findings point out the cargo airplane solely reached 30 ft off the bottom earlier than it crashed.
- A brand new KFF evaluation predicts that as many as 5 million individuals might drop their protection from Reasonably priced Care Act marketplaces this yr. A significant cause for this drop is enhanced premium tax credit for these well being plans expired on the finish of final yr.
- A state decide in Manhattan dominated yesterday that prosecutors can current a gun, a silencer and a pocket book discovered with Luigi Mangione throughout his arrest at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s to the jury. A number of different objects he had won’t be allowed within the high-profile trial for the deadly taking pictures of the UnitedHealthcare CEO on a Midtown road. (by way of Gothamist)
This article was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.