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Climate Hope...For Now: Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Freezing Funds to New York in Congestion Pricing Fight (Bloomberg) ‌

New York won a temporary freeze on potential Trump administration moves to withhold federal approvals or funds for the state’s transportation projects, as the president tries to end Manhattan’s congestion pricing program.

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The ruling means the program — designed to reduce gridlock and pollution and raise money to modernize the city’s transit system — will almost certainly continue as the legal battle proceeds. It helps reduce uncertainty over how the nation’s largest public transportation system will pay to modernize a more than 100-year-old network.

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Governor Kathy Hochul says the toll was urgently needed and has pointed to MTA data to show it is working. New York maintains it won’t stop the tolls unless the court tells it to.

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Congestion pricing is working:  The toll brought in $159 million in the first three months of the program and is on target to raise $500 million this year after expenses, according to MTA officials. 

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The fee has helped ease traffic:  About 8.1 million fewer vehicles entered Manhattan’s central business district from the launch of the tolling through April, for a daily average decline of 11%, according to MTA data.  That means cleaner air, and has resulted in fewer accidents, according to officials.  

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King Charles in Canada.

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Message to the World: A 'Strong and Free' Canada is a Force for Good in Historic 'Throne Speech' in Parliament (CBC News) ‌

King Charles delivered a historic speech from the throne Tuesday and he used that platform to praise Canada as a force for good that will remain "strong and free" as its relationships with longtime partners are "changing."

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Charles, who delivered the speech while seated next to Queen Camilla and Mark Carney in the Senate, laid out the new Liberal government's agenda for the parliamentary session ahead. He also subtly addressed the issue that's on the minds of many Canadians in the portion of the speech that he himself crafted: U.S. President Donald Trump, his tariffs and the 51st state taunts.

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The King prominently wore an Order of Canada medal around his neck for the occasion and noted that he's witnessed a renewal of "national pride, unity and hope" in Canada in recent weeks.

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Charles is enjoying something of a revival in Canada, with polls suggesting his popularity has soared and a majority of people now support maintaining ties to the Crown in the wake of Trump's annexationist musings.

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Prime Minister Mark Carney said the address was about highlighting and preserving "Canadian institutions" and that Canada's "sovereignty is strong." Watch the full speech here. 

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Below: King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Mark Carney in front of the Senate of Canada in Ottawa (Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images)

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Meanwhile in the US.

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Birthday Plans for President: Trump Is Getting the Military Parade in DC He Wanted in His First Term, Costing Between $25M - $45M (New York Times)

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The current plan involves a tremendous scene in the center of Washington - with 28 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored personnel carriers and more than 100 other vehicles in a parade from the Pentagon to the White House.  The Pentagon says the parade will mark the 250 years of the US Army, but critics say it is another example of how Trump has politicized the military.

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The Army estimates the cost at $25 million to $45 million. But it could be higher because the Army has promised to fix any city streets that the parade damages, plus the cost of cleanup and police are not yet part of the estimate.

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While $45 million is a tiny fraction of Trump’s proposed Pentagon budget of $1.01 trillion for fiscal year 2026, it comes as the administration seeks to slash funding for education, health and public assistance.

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Defense Advertising News: New Dystopian Ad by Pentagon Touts 'Readiness' and End of 'Wokeness' (New York Post)

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Not a science fiction movie: Pentagon rolls out new ad touting end of wokeness under Trump, Hegseth: ‘No more gender confusion’

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Over Memorial Day weekend, the Pentagon aired what felt like a dystopian Top Gun reboot — combat drills, apocalyptic music, and voice-overs from Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declaring the military’s “woke” era officially over.

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Premiering during NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600, the ad pledges a return to “war-fighting readiness.” Just in case that wasn’t clear, it’s titled Peace Through Strength and includes the line: “No more electric tanks. No more gender confusion. No more climate change worship.”

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Supporters call it a long-overdue reset. Critics call it a throwback, and not the nostalgic kind.  Watch the full Trump cinematic universe (TCU) unfold here.

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What I'm Reading.

Podcast Alert:  Today's Daily Read Podcast is online now.  Click here to listen to the AI-generated audio companion.  Today's is just 10 minutes and available both on  Spotify and Apple Podcasts.  

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Trump Approval Rating Falls Among Key Groups:  Coalition That Powered Trump to Victory Starting to Fray (Wall Street Journal - Gift Link)

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President Trump’s approval ratings have declined across all segments, even among ardent supporters. 

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For the first time, Trump is drawing lower marks for his handling of the economy than he is for his overall management of the presidency.

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Groups that had swung toward Trump in 2024, such as young and nonwhite voters, are now uneasy with his presidency.

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Pardons for Sale? Trump Pardoned Tax Cheat After Mother Attended $1 Million Dinner (New York Times)

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Paul Walczak’s pardon application cited his mother’s support for the president, including raising millions of dollars and a connection to a plot to publicize a Biden family diary.

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Gutting Top Universities: Trump Escalates Higher Ed Fight With Review of Student Visas (Bloomberg)

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered US embassies worldwide to stop scheduling interviews for student visas as the Trump administration weighs stricter vetting of applicants’ social-media profiles. The directive, laid out in a cable sent to diplomats worldwide on Tuesday, marks the latest effort by the administration to restrict foreign students’ entry to American schools over claims that they might threaten US national security or promote antisemitism.

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The move raises the stakes of an ongoing battle between the White House and universities that’s morphed into a larger attack over the role of US higher education.

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If successful, the latest move could be “cataclysmic, maybe even catastrophic” for both international students and the US universities that rely on them.

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Back to Gas: GM Invests in V-8 Engines as It Backpedals on EVs (Wall Street Journal)

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General Motors has abandoned a plan to pump $300 million into electric-vehicle motor production at its upstate New York plant and will instead invest $888 million to make the latest V-8 engines. Since the EV announcement two years ago for its Tonawanda plant, electric-vehicle sales have slowed, prompting GM and other carmakers to walk back investment plans for the technology.

EV sales have a different story in China:  In Q1 2025 battery electric car sales rose by almost 50% compared to the previous year. As of last year, electric vehicle sales made up almost 50% of all new car sales in China.

Making America Smoke Again? RFK Jr.’s Cuts to Anti-Tobacco Agencies Slammed by Health Groups (Bloomberg)

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More than 8 public health groups including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids sent a letter to the Health Secretary raising alarm over the gutting of the entire Office on Smoking and Health at the CDC as well as the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products.

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Stepping Up Spending: NATO Chief Says Members Moving Toward 5% Spending Target (Bloomberg)

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MAGA Meddling: Trump Homeland Chief Noem Backs Nationalist in Poland’s Sunday Election (Bloomberg)

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Space News: SpaceX Starship Rocket Explodes in Third Straight Setback (Bloomberg)

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The stakes for Tuesday’s flight were particularly high after flights in January and March were cut short just minutes after takeoff when the spacecraft exploded over the Gulf of Mexico, sending streams of debris raining down from the sky and disrupting air travel.

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Hoops News: Knicks Season on the Brink After Loss to Indiana Pacers Last Night (CBS Sports)

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Shakira Concert Health Scare:  New Jersey Officials Issue Measles Alert for Shakira Concert at MetLife Stadium (CBS News)

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A person infected with measles attended the Shakira concert on May 15 at MetLife stadium while infectious, potentially exposing any of the 55,000-plus concert attendees.  Officials are urging everyone to stay up to date on their vaccines, which is the best protection against the disease. 

Best of Late Night.

On the US House passing legislation that ended taxes on most tips: ‌

"That's fantastic news to the three people who actually report their tips to the IRS."

-- Jimmy Fallon

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"After it passed, Trump said, 'This is great news,' and also said, 'What are taxes?'"

-- Jimmy Fallon

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"According to the FAA, a radar, radio or frequency is out of service every other day. So, try not to fly on a Tuesday, Thursday or a Saturday and you should be fine."

-- Jimmy Kimmel

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"One air traffic controller from Newark wrote a column for a British newspaper saying she avoids flying out of her own airport. She's too scared... So between Newark Airport and the Shakira measles, there has never been a better time to visit New Jersey."

-- Jimmy Kimmel

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"Amid the ongoing trade war, I read that Americans who are anxious about tariffs are skipping the salon and opting for at-home beauty treatments. Yeah, and after people cut their own bangs, tariffs will be the least of their issues."

-- Jimmy Fallon