--:-- Lakshmi Singh: On NPR's Wildcard Podcast, Jeff Hiller says fans of his character in Somebody Somewhere have a slogan. WWJD? What would Joel do? In the 80s they had, what would Jesus do? You've been deified. Oh no, this is what brought the Beatles down. Watch or listen to that Wildcard Conversation on the NPR app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
--:-- [Sound of a news theme]
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The U.S. Senate convenes this hour for another vote that could reopen the government, which has been shut down now for 14 days.
--:-- Jeff Hiller: [audio clip from Wildcard Podcast]
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: Republicans are pressing Democrats in the Senate to support a House-approved short-term measure. This morning, Congresswoman Virginia Fox, chairwoman of the House Rules Committee, appeared alongside Speaker Mike Johnson to describe the impact on federal workers.
--:-- Virginia Fox: Today, 400,000 federal workers will receive partial paychecks. The Speaker called attention to this last week. This will be the last paycheck that these federal workers receive until Democrats grow a spine and reopen the federal government.
--:-- Mike Johnson: Well, the majority of Democrats who oppose the GOP measure have been demanding the restoration of soon-to-expire health care protections. They include tax credits that have made health insurance more affordable for millions of people since the pandemic Democrats also want to reverse Medicaid cuts
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: Israel returned the remains of 45 dead Palestinians to Gaza part of an exchange of bodies under a ceasefire agreement. NPR's Greg Myrie reports the exchanges of the dead are taking place but are not going exactly as planned.
--:-- Greg Myrie: The remains of the 45 Palestinians were delivered to the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza, according to officials there. This comes a day after Hamas handed over to Israel the remains of four dead hostages held in Gaza. Under the ceasefire, Hamas is supposed to return all 28 dead hostages. Hamas says it needs more time to locate all of the Israeli bodies due to the heavy fighting. Some may be buried under rubble. Still, Israel was expecting more than four sets of remains initially. Some Israelis are now saying the country should not hand over any more Palestinian bodies until all the Israeli remains are returned.
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: President Trump is hosting the president of Argentina, Javier Milay. He took reporters' questions a short time ago about the Israel-Hamas ceasefire he brokered. He had a warning for Hamas.
--:-- President Trump: We have told them we want to disarm, and they will disarm and if they disarm we will disarm them And it happen quickly and perhaps violently
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: Asked if he would put a specific time limit on disarmament Trump said quote a reasonable period of time pretty quickly end quote
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: D'Angelo, the Grammy-winning visionary R&B singer who helped pioneer the neo-soul subgenre, has died after a quiet battle with cancer, according to a statement from his family shared with multiple outlets. He was 51 years old. Songwriter-producer born Michael Eugene Archer in Richmond, Virginia, spent much of his career wrestling with the scrutiny of his outsized genius. He released only three full-length albums that had a lasting impact.
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: It's NPR News. President Trump will posthumously award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kirk was shot and killed last month at an event on a college campus. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben has more.
--:-- Danielle Kurtzleben: Trump announced shortly after Kirk's death that he would award the medal to Kirk. The president has said that Kirk's widow, Erica Kirk, will be there for the ceremony. Since Charlie Kirk's death, she has taken over as CEO of Turning Point USA, the campus activist organization he founded. Kirk was beloved among the MAGA movement and often deliberately provocative. His organization created a watch list of professors perceived to be too liberal leading to harassment of those professors He also promoted baseless claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election and called the Civil Rights Act a mistake
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: The ceremony is scheduled for today.
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: Former President Barack Obama is urging California voters to help Democrats retake control of the U.S. House in the 2026 midterm elections. He appears in a 30-second advertisement in support of Proposition 50. The November ballot proposal could add as many as five Democrat-held House seats in the state. It's California's response to President Trump's call on Republicans and red states to redraw congressional maps to help the GOP secure seats in the House.
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: At last check on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 412 points, or nearly 1%, at 46,479. It's NPR News.
--:-- Gwendolyn Christie: Before I was cast as Brienne of Tarth on Game of Thrones, I had a hard time finding a good role. The feedback I'd always get was the same, and it wasn't particularly helpful. Because you're too tall and you're too unconventional looking. And I just thought, gosh, I'm limited.
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: Gwendolyn Christie from Game of Thrones, Severance and more on Bullseye for MaximumFun.org and NPR.
