Israel Pushes Deeper Into Lebanon, Immigration Bill Stalled, Anti-Weaponization Fund

[00:02] Israeli forces captured a medieval castle, their deepest incursion into Lebanon in 26 years. Iran says any deal to end the war must include Lebanon, where Israel is ramping up its military operation. So where does this leave the talks? I'm Steve Inskeep with A. Martinez, and this is Up First from NPR News. [00:22] Congress is back in Washington facing a jammed-up immigration bill, [00:30] could pay January 6th defendants, he's holding everything up. And Trump keeps making enemies of Republicans he needs. The anti-weaponization fund is also getting scrutiny in the courts. One judge temporarily blocked any payouts, and another is asking President Trump's personal lawyers to defend the settlement that created the fund in the first place. Stay with us, we've got all the news you need to start your day. [00:52] you [00:56] This message is from AT&T with your summer essential, the iPhone 17 Pro. Its center stage front camera auto adjusts the frame to fit everyone into group selfies. Right now at AT&T, ask how you can get iPhone 17 Pro on them with eligible trade-in. Requires eligible plan. Terms and restrictions apply subject to change. Visit att.com slash iPhone for details. [01:22] Support for NPR comes from IBM. On Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm Gladwell explores how organizations are using technology to solve complex challenges. I spoke with Sergi Ghosh, Heineken's chief AI officer. If you can connect all the different applications, all the platforms, remove fragmentation, scale very quick, that's what we call the best connected drawer. That's where IBM is really partnering with us.

[01:52] podcasts. [01:54] This message comes from Rosetta Stone and their newest language learning experience, Rosetta Stone Sapphire. [02:00] Get unlimited access to all 25 Rosetta Stone languages and Sapphire learning tools. [02:05] Visit rosettastone.com slash NPR and receive 20% off. [02:10] At the official level, there are ceasefires in both the Iran War and the Lebanon War, yet we have reports this morning of fighting on both fronts. The United States and Iran have been trading long-distance fire. Israel is expanding ground operations in southern Lebanon, and Israeli troops have captured a medieval castle. For more on this, we're joined by NPR's Greg Myrie in Tel Aviv. Greg, let's start off with the fighting in Iran. Yeah, the U.S. military says American aircraft fired on a number of Iranian sites over the weekend. [02:40] Now, they include a radar station, some drones, and a command center for drones. And this included an attack on Keshem Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Now, the U.S. says it acted because Iran had earlier shot down a U.S. predator drone. The U.S. military says this U.S. drone was flying over international waters. And just this morning, Iran says it's fired on a U.S. military base in the region. It didn't say which one. [03:10] country has come under attack from missiles and drones and defended itself. And the U.S. does have a number of bases in Kuwait. Okay, so where does this leave talks to end the war in Iran? Well, President Trump remains confident. He took to True Social this morning and said, quote, Iran really wants to make a deal and it will be a good one for the USA. And then he went on to say, just sit back and relax. It will all work out well in the end. It always does. Yet, Abe, we're

[03:40] volatile conditions remain and how fragile the ceasefire is. You know, Trump met with top advisors at the White House Friday afternoon, said he would make a final determination on the proposal to bring the war to an end. But that meeting broke up with no decision. And even if the president does come out in support for a plan, that isn't necessarily enough. The Iranians keep saying that the deal is not finalized and that the details keep shifting. All right. So that's Iran. [04:10] over the weekend. [04:11] Yeah, Israeli forces captured this 900-year-old hilltop castle in southern Lebanon, and it's part of Israel's deepest push into that country in decades. An Israeli flag is now flying over the Beaufort Castle. And from this site, the Israelis have a commanding view over southern Lebanon. The Israelis say Hezbollah was using this area to fire on nearby northern Israel. And this is a historic castle that carries a huge amount of symbolism. [04:41] was the scene of battles ever since the Crusaders built it back in the 12th century. And more recently, Israel captured it in a bloody battle during a 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Israel remained there until it withdrew from Lebanon in 2000. So this raises memories of that long Israeli occupation and certainly questions about how long Israel plans to stay this time. How much is the fighting in Lebanon tied to efforts to end the Iran war?

[05:11] complicates the Iran talks and could potentially undermine them. Iran issues almost daily statements supporting Hezbollah, and it says peace efforts must address the wars in both Iran and Lebanon. Yet Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps saying he wants Israeli forces to keep going in Lebanon. Just this morning, he issued a statement saying he's ordered the military to attack Hezbollah's strongholds in the southern suburbs of Beirut. That's NPR's Greg Myrie in [05:41] Sure thing, eh? [05:42] Music [05:51] Congress returns to Washington from a Memorial Day break with a very long to-do list. Republicans want to approve funding for immigration enforcement for the rest of Trump's term. That would be insurance against Republicans losing power to Democrats in Congress who would not vote for so much money. But the funding measure that Trump wants is stuck because of something Trump did. [06:13] He claimed the power to give taxpayer money to people who claim the federal government targeted them, including Trump supporters who attacked the Capitol. Eric McDaniel reports on Congress for us. So, Eric, how did immigration funding and the president's nearly $2 billion anti-weaponization fund get all mixed together like this? Well, in order to pass something on a party line vote in the Senate procedurally, you've got to let the minority party, in this case Democrats, propose a lot of amendments to the bill. And those amendments can be on, well, I guess whatever Democrats want.

[06:43] Well, for the three-year immigration enforcement bill, Democrats are going to propose amendments that put their Republican peers on the record about this anti-weaponization fund. It became clear, though, that an amendment outlawing the fund could get like 30 Republican votes probably, which would be embarrassing for Republicans. So GOP leaders pushed the vote on the package to this week. But President Trump hasn't backed down on the fund in the time they were at home. And I'm just going to say it doesn't seem like waiting has made things any easier. [07:13] place. He did it unilaterally, even though it is, of course, Congress's job to decide how taxpayer dollars are spent. And then, Eric, there's another sticking point, and that's been votes over the Ron War. [07:23] Right. Folks might remember the Senate actually advanced a measure that would force an end to the conflict, which is driving up the cost of living and very unpopular among the American public. [07:32] In part, that's because the president keeps making enemies of Senate Republicans. Trump backed a primary opponent against Louisiana's Bill Cassidy, and after Cassidy lost his re-election race, he joined with Democrats in their effort to force an end to the war. The House of Representatives actually delayed a vote on a Democratic War Powers resolution after it looked like Republican absences meant it would have passed. But all of this, of course, is mostly symbolic. The president can veto any of these resolutions that reach his desk. [08:02] Congress the power to declare war and regulate military conflicts. And Trump is legally required to get their approval in order to continue his war. That has not happened. And just a guess, I imagine the political dynamics only get a lot more difficult as we get closer to November in the general election. You know, that's a good guess. For one, the president's GOP lawmaker enemies list continues to swell. He pushed out not just Cassidy, but also Senator John Corden, Representative Thomas Massey out of their seats. So for Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson,

[08:32] who has effectively a one-vote majority because of what we're told is a long-term medical absence among one of his members, that means Massey could decide to sink any vote he chooses. And as we move out of primary races, where party voters matter the most, and into general election season, where all voters matter, midterm headwinds are only going to blow stronger. [08:52] There are so few races, though, that are actually competitive, maybe 25. But with majorities this narrow, you only need a few seats to flip for Capitol Hill to just be turned upside down. That's NPR's Eric McDaniel. Eric, thanks. Thank you. [09:11] President Trump's anti-weaponization fund isn't just getting pushback in Congress, it's also facing scrutiny in the courts. Judges issued two orders in one day at the end of last week. First, a judge temporarily blocked the government from establishing the president's settlement fund to reimburse people who claim the federal government targeted them. Then another judge said she would [09:35] The president arranged the payoffs in a deal with agencies he controls. NPR's Jacqueline Diaz is with us to break all of this down. So Jacqueline, remind us where we are with this fund. So there were a few developments on Friday. This anti-weaponization fund was created by the DOJ, and it was part of a settlement of President Trump's civil lawsuit against the IRS. Trump sued his own government back in January for the leak of his tax returns in 2019.

[10:05] this fund. People who feel like they were targeted by the federal government can apply for this fund and get payouts for damages. Groups like the non-profit Democracy Forward sued the government over this whole program. And on Friday, a judge temporarily blocked the DOJ from moving forward with the fund. That means no payouts right now. [10:25] She's now thinking about whether to grant a longer-term pause. Trump's lawyers have about two weeks to respond. All right, so Steve earlier mentioned another judge. What about that other judge? Yeah, so the original federal judge who oversaw Trump's lawsuit over his tax return leaks also waited on Friday. That judge, Judge Kathleen Williams, had earlier dismissed the case after the government and Trump settled. Before dismissing it, she expressed some concerns. [10:55] weren't really on opposite sides and that the court itself might be a, quote, victim of fraud. 35 retired federal judges weighed in and urged Judge Williams to take another look. And stay with me here. Judge Williams said she's going to consider that. She's giving Trump's lawyers until June 12th to respond. Trump supporters have really wanted something like this to exist. But there's a lot of legal obstacles here for the president to get his fund up and running. Now, you say some supporters wanted this. [11:25] fund. [11:26] Well, there's some serious bipartisan pushback to this whole program. Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said previously that he is not a big fan of this fund. But the loudest critics have been naturally Democrats. Some top Democrats are really concerned with another part of the settlement. That is one that bars the U.S. government from taking action over past tax returns filed by Trump, his companies and his family.

[11:56] have to wait for the courts and has the power to act itself. [11:59] How has the Trump administration responded to this criticism? [12:02] President Trump and other folks in the White House have said repeatedly that he does not get any personal benefit from this fund, and the Justice Department has defended its legality. The DOJ, for its part, did not respond to a request for comment from NPR. We do know that some Trump supporters who feel like they've been targeted by the DOJ have started applying for the fund. So far, that's included Michael Caputo, a Trump ally and former health and human services spokesman. [12:32] Biden administration. [12:34] Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is sure to get questions about the weaponization fund and who might benefit when he testifies before a House budget hearing on Tuesday. [12:43] All right, that's NPR's Jacqueline Diaz. Jacqueline, thanks for laying all this out for us. [12:48] Thank you. [12:49] And before we go, scientists say that sitting is the new smoking, which has experts trying to answer this question. What's the least amount of movement that you can do to offset the harms of sitting? On the Sunday Story, how five minutes can change your life. Listen now to the Sunday Story right here in the Up First podcast. [13:10] And that's Up First for Monday, June 1st. I'm E. Martínez. And I'm Steve Inskeep. Today's Up First was edited by Tina Kraja, Anna Yukonanov, Mohamed El-Bardisi, and Lindsay Totti. [13:19] by Ziad Butch and Nia Dumas. Our director is [13:23] is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Zoe Van Genhoven, and our technical director is Carly Strange. Join us again tomorrow.

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