NPR News: 05-02-2026 6PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Skivone. The makers of the abortion pill, MIFA Pristone, have directly asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the drug to remain available through telemedicine, a federal appeals court in Louisiana ruled yesterday that it must be prescribed in person. As NPR Selina Simmons-Duffin reports, this is a first since Roe v Wade was overturned. Louisiana challenged the Food and Drug Administration over a rule that allows patients to be prescribed MIFA Pristone through telemedicine. The state argued that remote access undermined their abortion ban. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed and issued a ruling to immediately put back a requirement that people go in person for the medication. That affects people all over the country, including in states that protect abortion access. The reproductive freedom alliance, a coalition of 23 governors, wrote in a statement, quote, we are taking immediate action to protect patients and providers in our states, and we will pursue every legislative, executive, and legal avenue available."

1:04Selina Simmons-Duffin and NPR News. Spirit Airlines customers arriving at airports today have tickets to planes that are no longer in operation, and no working ticket counters to appeal to. After 34 years, many battling financial setbacks, the budget airline officially has folded. And secretary Shawn Duffie says Spirit ticket holders should contact other airlines. Shawn Duffокоes-Duffin, former types of technology planners rather than later, have your confirmation number ready and your proof of payment and the airlines will step up and give you better pricing. The airline has struggled with higher costs and mounting debts since the COVID pandemic, with today's skyrocketing jet fuel costs since the start of the war with Iran now insurmountable.

2:07NATO has issued a brief response on social media to President Trump's announcement of a drawdown of 14 percent of U.S. forces in Germany, Terry Schultz has more. NATO spokesperson Ellison Hart says the alliance is, quote, working with the U.S. to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany. Besides the withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers, the U.S. is also canceling the planned deployment of a battalion providing long-range strike capabilities. Hart adds that the U.S. adjustment reinforces action already underway for Europe to take on a greater share of the responsibility for NATO-shared security, including spending more on their militaries. She says the alliance, quote, remains confident in our ability to provide for our deterrence and defense as this shift toward a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO continues. For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz. This is NPR. Early voting for Louisiana's primary elections begins today, just days after the Supreme Court found the state's redrawn congressional map unconstitutional,

3:10and the governor suspended the House races. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced several significant rules changes for the 99th Academy Awards next year, NPR's Chloe Veltman reports AI figures into this. The Academy now explicitly states that only roles, quote, demonstrably performed by humans with their consent are eligible for acting awards. In other words, AI creations like Tilly Norwood cannot hope to win a best actress Oscar anytime soon. Writing categories now have a similar requirement. And those flesh and blood human actors can now be nominated for multiple performances in the same category, if those performances are voted in the top five. Another big change, international films can still be the official selection of their countries as was previously the case, but now they can qualify by winning the top prize of a major international festival, such as the Pum Dar at Cannes. This means the film itself is now officially the nominee, not the country. Chloe Veltman, NPR News. Several seven tech companies have struck deals with the US Department of Defense, allowing the

4:13Pentagon to use their artificial intelligence in its classified computer networks, their Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Nvidia, OpenAI, Reflection, and SpaceX. Anthropic is conspicuously absent. The company has clashed with the Trump administration over the ethics of the use of artificial intelligence in war. I'm Louise Kivone, NPR News, Washington. As hurricane season approaches, a political storm is brewing at the federal disaster agency. I've never been a big fan of FEMA. I really don't see getting the job done. But can we afford to lose this vital agency? Whenever there's a disaster, the first thing people say is, where's FEMA? American emergency, the movement to kill FEMA is a brand new series from WNYC's on the media. Listen on the NPR app.