Cecilia Ley (2:54)

The Pentagon's announcement was precipitated by recent critical comments from Mers. Exit the Americana.

Noah Robertson (3:05)

Merz was talking to a group of high school students earlier this week within Germany and made comments that were very sharp about how the US was being humiliated within the war and that Iran was slow playing negotiations and was not willing to move forward on actually finding a peace deal amid a ceasefire that's been in effect for the last few weeks.

Cecilia Ley (3:24)

Robertson said that Germany and NATO are trying not to raise more alarm bells and that Europeans are also doing more for their own security. Germany's defense minister said that the move was expected and that about 40,000 US troops remained stationed in Germany. Still, he asserted that troop presence in the country benefits both nations. Part of the concern here is that a withdrawal of this kind could return the US troop presence in the region to levels not seen since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. That prompted former President Biden to send troops to Europe to help deter any kind of additional aggression. The announced drawdown also drew a rebuke from some Republicans and a rare joint statement from the GOP leaders of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees.

Noah Robertson (4:08)

They're frustrated that the US is pulling troops from Europe at a time when the war is showing no signs of slowing down and Ukraine still faces daily barrages of Russian missiles and drones on its cities. Russia is doing nothing to slow down its war effort and therefore pulling US Troops away from the continent, in the opinion of the two leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees sends the wrong signal to Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin.

Cecilia Ley (4:36)

Congress has also implemented a requirement for the administration to alert them before lowering European troop presence to a certain level, though it's not clear this would meet that threshold. Germany's top military official, meanwhile, has said it's evident that Europe will need to take on a greater burden within NATO. Last week's Supreme Court decision to strike down a majority black congressional district in Louisiana is already shaking things up across the south, and it's intensifying the nationwide battle over redistricting, a powerful tool for both parties in the fight for control of Congress. Today, a special session is expected to begin in Alabama at the urging of the state's Republican governor, Kay Ivey. At issue is whether legislators will be permitted by the state Supreme Court to change its map prior to the midterms, with the state's primaries set for just two weeks from now. Some Democratic legislators have criticized the last minute move.

Jimmy Fallon (5:38)

I'm sure that he's probably getting pressure from leadership and other members of the national Republican Party because it seems like every Southern state around us is trying to do something to gain power.

Cecilia Ley (5:49)

That was Alabama's Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton talking to a local CBS affiliate. Alabama is just one state where Republicans are now arguing that the Supreme Court ruling allows them to try and change their maps. Tennessee will also have a special session to consider breaking up its one Democratic held House seat, and Louisiana has already suspended its upcoming primaries to try and pass a new map. Though that effort is being challenged in court, there are real questions as to how many changes can actually get made before this year's midterms. But in the future, it's possible this ruling could dramatically reshape congressional representation.

Hansi Lo Wang (6:28)

This Supreme Court ruling that weakens the Voting Rights act paves the way for a potential historic drop, the largest ever decline in representation by black members of Congress.

Cecilia Ley (6:40)

Hansi Lo Wang covers voting for NPR.

Hansi Lo Wang (6:43)

We found that there are at least 15 House districts with sizable racial minority populations that are currently represented by black Democrats and are at risk of being eliminated, being drawn out of existence because they were likely protected under the previous interpretation of the Voting Rights Acts by the Supreme Court.

Cecilia Ley (7:05)

The ruling sharply limits how states can consider race when drawing maps, even if they're trying to comply with the Voting Rights act. For decades, Section 2 of the Law had been used to allow the consideration of race conscious data and redistricting to protect the voting power of communities of color. And since the landmark law passed in 1965 during the Civil Rights movement, dozens of districts have been protected by Section 2, according to election law experts. While Section 2 was not eliminated, this ruling has been interpreted as a significant weakening of it, thereby potentially diluting the voting power of minority citizens. As Hoang points out, the number of districts represented by black lawmakers sat at zero or close to zero for 100 years after the Civil War. Since the Voting Rights act came into play, there are now 63 these black

Hansi Lo Wang (7:54)

represented districts are at risk because they are represented by black Democrats. And many redistricting experts are expecting right now, in the middle of this ongoing congressional gerrymandering war between Democrats and Republicans, Republican controlled states are going to try potentially to try to see if they can eliminate these Democratic held districts. And that's why it's at risk right now.

Cecilia Ley (8:23)

According to the Pew Research center, the current Congress that began in 2025 had the highest number of black members in history, though Congress still remains far less racially and ethnically diverse than the US Overall. One former airline executive called it, quote, the airline America loved to hate. And it was the subject of countless jokes.

Hansi Lo Wang (8:48)

According to reports, the Trump administration is close to a $500 million bailout to save Spirit Airlines.

Cecilia Ley (8:55)

Yeah, the CEO of Spirit was like,

Jimmy Fallon (8:57)

with $500 million, our planes could have two wings again. Amazing.

Cecilia Ley (9:02)

That's Tonight show host Jimmy Fallon talking about Spirit Airlines, which seized all operations. Early Saturday morning. The end of the budget airliner with its famous yellow facade and the word Howdy painted on its wingtips came abruptly. Tens of thousands of passengers faced canceled flights or had to rebook tickets mid trip in order to make it home.

Leslie Josephs (9:23)

So Spirit has been in trouble for years.

Cecilia Ley (9:26)

Leslie Josephs is an airline reporter for cnbc.

Leslie Josephs (9:29)

It has faced rising costs. There's been a shift in consumer taste toward more upscale offering. Another major problem it had it had an engine defect that grounded dozens of its planes. It tried to merge with Frontier, that failed. And then it made a deal to be acquired by JetBlue and that merger agreement fell. AP so it was really one thing after another that led up to this.

Cecilia Ley (9:52)

The final financial nail in the coffin was the surge in jet fuel prices from the war in Iran.

Leslie Josephs (9:57)

Fuel is the airline's biggest cost generally. After labor and Spirit had been saying over the recent weeks that this was one more thing that was challenging its ability to come out of its bankruptcy.

Cecilia Ley (10:09)

There were behind the scenes moves involving the Trump administration to keep the airline afloat and to save thousands of jobs. The Wall Street Journal reports that efforts went so far as to find other airlines to the troubled company. Josephs reports that this culminated in an 11th hour bailout proposal which was worth half a billion dollars. The deal would have given the federal government up to a 90% stake in the airline.

Leslie Josephs (10:33)

Bondholders were against it because it would put the government essentially ahead of their interests. There were talks with the bondholders that just fell apart. The two sides couldn't reach a deal. We know that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expressed this to Spirit in the afternoon of Thursday. So this is a full day before Spirit or the news that Spirit was about to shut down and said we're too far apart on a deal and this isn't going to happen.

Cecilia Ley (10:57)

Spirit's closure means more than 17,000 people both directly and indirectly employed by the airline are now out of a job. Joseph says despite all of the wisecracks about Spirit, many of the company's staff continued to work right up to their

Leslie Josephs (11:11)

last day just listening to a lot of the employees. It was very moving how much camaraderie there was amongst them. And even though they're in the industry and that they knew that this was a risk, I think it becoming a reality not seeing those planes, those bright canary yellow planes that are fixtures at airports. It's a very eerie feeling. And I went to the Marine air terminal at LaGuardia and it was silent.

Cecilia Ley (11:37)

Following Spirit's operations ending, multiple US carriers, including Frontier, JetBlue and Southwest, rolled out discounted fares and added new summer routes that could offer relief for passengers whose plans were disrupted. Among them is one man Joseph spoke to Jeremiah Burton. He had booked a flight from Baltimore to New Orleans to meet his daughter's newborn twins. Burton shared that it was his first flight ever and he had chosen Spirit because of its low price. He was supposed to return May 6. And finally, here's a few other stories we're following. Two drug manufacturers asked the Supreme Court on Saturday to step in and preserve access to mifepristone, a commonly used abortion pill, by mail. The emergency request comes after a federal appeals court ruling on Friday said the drug must be picked up in person, temporarily reinstating earlier restrictions. That ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by the state of Louisiana against the fda, which had allowed patients to access the pills through telehealth and mail. Anti abortion activists have targeted mifepristone as medication. Abortion remains one of the few options available in states with strict abortion bans Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. The pill mailing network has flourished. Abortions in the US have held steady and risen. It's not yet clear how the Supreme Court might rule on the emergency applications. The World Health Organization announced on Sunday that three people have died on a cruise ship in the Atlantic. One of the deaths is a confirmed case of hantavirus, an illness transmitted to humans from rodents. The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondias, which was traveling from Argentina to South Africa. According to the who, there are five additional suspected cases, including one patient currently in intensive care in South Africa. The first person to develop symptoms on the cruise ship was a 70 year old passenger who died on board. The other two deaths include the passenger's 69 year old wife and a 69 year old person from the UK. Humans can catch hantavirus from contact with infected mice or rats or their droppings and can lead to severe respiratory illness. And finally, a highly anticipated sequel kicked off the summer box office season with a bang. Hi, good morning, Miranda.

Meryl Streep (14:00)

Yes, Ashley flag on the play. We don't need you this morning or ever. So pack up your things and HR will be in to see you shortly.

Cecilia Ley (14:10)

Happy?

Meryl Streep (14:12)

You just cost Cornell summa cum laude her job.

Cecilia Ley (14:15)

That's Meryl Streep from the Devil Wears Prada too, which earned $77 million domestically and $233 million worldwide. The film comes two decades after the original and lands at a pivotal time for Hollywood, Variety reports. Disruptions like Covid and writer and actor strikes have slowed movie going in recent years and stagnated box office numbers. But after a strong spring, which featured hits like Project Hail Mary, things are looking better. The first quarter of 2026 is up 23%, and one studio boss says audiences are voting with their wallets. The Hollywood Reporter adds that The Devil Wears Prada 2 is attracting moviegoers across all ages and is a reminder of the buying power of women and teenage girls at the box office. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. The New Yorker explains what really happens when you toss a message in a bottle out to sea, and profiles one of the world's most prolific hunters of these handwritten ocean treasures. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Narrated to find that story and I'll be back with the news tomorrow. It.