★★ My Country, 'Tis of Thee mikepasini.com about
A S C R A P B O O K O F R E P O R T I N G O N T H E C O U N T R Y
Tuesday
18 Aug 2026
UPDATED
Tue 4:19 pm PDT
My country, 'tis of thee,
sweet land of liberty,
of thee I sing:
land where my fathers died,
land of the pilgrims' pride,
from every mountainside
let freedom ring!
No more shall tyrants here
With haughty steps appear,
And soldier bands;
No more shall tyrants tread
Above the patriot dead—
No more our blood be shed
By alien hands.
Let music swell the breeze,
and ring from all the trees
sweet freedom's song:
let mortal tongues awake,
let all that breathe partake;
let rocks their silence break,
the sound prolong.
Samuel Smith
1831
Beyond the sound bites, these interviews and reports detail with lucidity what's happening now in the United States. A brief intro follows the head that takes you directly to the story, video or audio recording. Dotted red lines are day breaks.
We fly the U.S. flag either right side up or upside down, "a signal of dire distress in instance of extreme danger to life or property." Use the RSS feed for daily updates.
July July A U G U S T 2 0 2 6
Trump's Ballroom Is Rising at Breakneck Speed: 20 Hours a Day, 7 Days a WeekThe New York Times
LUKE BROADWATER
ANN E. MARIMOW
ReportingWith the fate of his ballroom tied up in court, President Trump is racing against the clock. He has enlisted a team of 250 workers to push ahead with construction 20 hours a day, seven days a week to complete as much work as quickly as possible. This week, there are plans to install one million pounds of rebar and pour 3,000 cubic yards of concrete for a project that is now two-thirds complete, the administration said in a court filing. Now, with the matter pending before the Supreme Court, the Trump administration is making a practical appeal to the justices: The ballroom is simply too far along to be stopped now. "His strategy clearly is to change the reality on the ground so that instead of preserving the status quo, those who rightly invoke the law against what he's doing are put in a position of having to undo something that is already a fait accompli," said Laurence H. Tribe, an emeritus university professor of constitutional law at Harvard.
Trump Administration Moves to Rescind Rule That Protects Millions of Forest AcresReuters
LEAH DOUGLAS
ReportingThe Trump administration took a step toward rescinding a decades-old rule that protects undeveloped forests on Tuesday in a move it says will help manage wildfire risk, but which environmental groups oppose, saying it would do the opposite. President Trump has rolled back environmental regulations and taken land out of conservation for purposes such as energy extraction. The proposed rule filed by the U.S. Forest Service would rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which bans logging, roads and mining in undeveloped forests, and move authority to local national forest managers, according to a press release from the Department of Agriculture.
Preservation Group Urges Supreme Court to Suspend Trump's White House Ballroom ProjectThe Associated Press
MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
ReportingA historic preservation group that sued to block construction of President Trump's White House ballroom urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to suspend the project while it considers whether the work can continue. The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed its request less than a week after the Trump administration asked the nation's highest court to allow the White House to continue construction on its $400 million ballroom project during the appeals process. Lawyers for the trust accused the administration of trying to "outrun judicial review" rather than obtain permission for the work from Congress, as required by federal law. The administration "cannot identify any statute granting them 'express authority' to destroy a third of the White House and replace it with a massive, privately funded ballroom, because none exists," trust attorneys wrote.
Senator Presses Hegseth, Caine for Commitment to Keep U.S. Military Out of the Midterm ElectionsThe Associated Press
BEN FINLEY
ReportingMichigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday to confirm he won't send U.S. troops to polling places during November's midterm elections, as Democrats have raised concerns that the Trump administration could use the military to interfere with the vote. "I'd ask you to confirm a simple statement: the Department of Defense will not send Federal troops to the polls or to seize election materials of any kind," Slotkin wrote to Hegseth and to Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in letters Tuesday. The Pentagon said in an email that it will respond directly to Slotkin, as it does with all congressional correspondence. The Joint Chiefs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Slotkin told The Associated Press that Trump has been laying the groundwork to claim the midterms were stolen. She noted that Trump contemplated using the military to seize voting machines after his loss in 2020 and has deployed the National Guard to cities against the wishes of Democratic leaders. He also deployed active duty Marines to Los Angeles during his immigration crackdown in 2025.
Trump's Broken Promises, in 11 ChartsThe New York Times
STEVEN RATTNER
T. MAGGIACOMO
Reporting"Promises made, promises kept." Other presidents have employed variations of that phrase, although few with the gusto of President Trump; he even proclaims it on the White House Web site. When it comes to the economy, though, "promises not kept" would be a more apt description of the first 19 months of Trump 2.0. And many of the promises he has kept are causing as much damage as critics predicted. All in all, while Trump continues to boast about the "greatest economy we've ever had, by far," the record to date falls far short of that lofty pronouncement.
White House Launches Personal Attack on CNN Reporter Over Question to TrumpThe Guardian
SAM LEVIN
ReportingThe White House launched a personal attack against a CNN reporter on Monday with a social media post that mentioned her children and accused her of asking a "disgusting and inhumane question." A White House post targeted Kristen Holmes, a senior White House correspondent for the network, after she asked Donald Trump to respond to a widely shared comment by the Democratic senator Jon Ossoff in a speech on Sunday. The Georgia senator told a crowd that Trump "doesn't want to do the job" and instead "wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the emir of Qatar." The comment was an apparent reference to Natalie Harp, the president's executive assistant, fueling scrutiny of her perceived closeness to Trump. When Holmes asked Trump in the Oval Office to respond to Ossoff's remark, the president dismissed her, calling the senator a "Pee-wee Herman lookalike."
ABC Sues Trump's Media Regulator Over Demand for TV License RenewalsThe Guardian
JEREMY BARR
ReportingABC has sued the Federal Communications Commission, arguing that it is being retaliated against for content-based reasons in a move it warns threatens the independence of the press. The network filed the lawsuit on Tuesday after being forced to apply early to renew its license to broadcast on the eight local television stations it owns. It is waiting to hear whether the Brendan Carr-led FCC approves its renewal requests or, more likely, holds a hearing on their merits. "Acting through the Federal Communications Commission, the Administration has waged a retaliatory campaign against ABC for a single reason: it disapproves of what ABC broadcasts," the network said in the suit, filed on behalf of its eight local stations in district court for the District of Columbia. "That campaign began in this Administration's earliest days and has only intensified since. Again and again, the Administration has attacked ABC's speech -- the stories its journalists report and the viewpoints its network programs air. Over time, those attacks have escalated into express demands that ABC be stripped of its broadcast licenses because of its speech."
Trump 2.0 Has Deleted or Altered Nearly 400 U.S. Datasets, Endangering Public Health, Education and MoreThe Guardian
AMY QIN
FLÁVIO PESSOA
ReportingA database of federal law enforcement officer misconduct records. A survey measuring physical, sexual and emotional violence against children and youth. Real-time pollution readings collected by air quality monitors from U.S. embassies around the world. These are among the hundreds of federal datasets that the Trump administration has taken down or altered as part of its aggressive campaign to wipe all mentions of data findings that do not align with the administration's priorities. Over the past year and a half, at least 28 federal datasets have been deleted and another 338 data collections have been modified, according to an online tracker released last week from dataindex.us, a group of data policy experts, researchers and developers that formed last year to monitor changes to government data. "We're at a very vulnerable point as a nation," said Denice Ross, former U.S. chief data scientist under the Biden administration and a co-founder of dataindex.us. "We're facing a future where we are not going to have the information that we need to make decisions that will save lives and benefit American communities."
As U.S. Debt Mounts, Investors Demand Higher Returns to LendReuters
GERTRUDE CHAVEZ-DREYFUSS
ANKUR BANERJEE
HARRY ROBERTSON
ReportingPersistently higher yields at U.S. Treasury auctions are increasing the cost of refinancing debt and funding future deficits, as investors demand greater compensation to absorb Washington's borrowing needs, raising questions about their appetite to continue buying U.S. debt. Investors are concerned about the sheer volume of borrowing that must be financed in the years ahead, analysts said. U.S. national debt is approaching a record $40 trillion, according to the Treasury Department, while the fiscal deficit remains large. Two Treasury auctions in the past week drew attention for their yields -- the sale of 10-year notes cleared at a high yield of 4.683 percent, the highest in 19 years, while the 30-year bond auction stopped at 5.216 percent, a 25-year peak.
Bond Markets From U.S. to Japan Whacked as Inflation and Fiscal Worries Take HoldReuters
DHARA RANASINGHE
G. STUART HUNTER
SAMUEL INDYK
ReportingLong-term borrowing costs from the United States to Japan and Germany hit their highest levels in decades on Tuesday, as renewed inflation worries added to nagging concerns about the fiscal pressures facing some of the world's biggest economies. Thirty-year bond yields in the United States, the world's most systemically crucial government bond market, hit their highest since 2007 as oil prices -- up 50 percent so far this year -- rose back above $90 a barrel, fanning inflation worries as U.S.-Iran peace hopes faded. In Japan, inflation angst and expectations that Japan could hike interest rates as early as September pushed 10-year borrowing costs to a three-decade high just under 3 percent. In Europe, Germany's 10-year Bund yield touched its highest since 2011 , French yields were at their highest since 2009 and Britain's 30-year borrowing costs neared peaks hit in May that marked the highest levels since 1998. When a bond's yield rises, its price falls.
Former U.S. Ambassador on Kushner's Meeting With Israel's Prime MinisterNPR Morning Edition
MICHEL MARTIN
ReportingPresident Trump's envoy Jared Kushner met with Israel's prime minister in an effort to revive the stalled Gaza agreement. NPR's Michel Martin talks to former U.S. ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro.
A Look at the Trump Administration's Evolving Relationship With AsiaNPR Morning Edition
MICHEL MARTIN
ReportingNPR's Michel Martin speaks with Jung H. Pak, former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, about the Trump administration's evolving Asia policy.
Families Struggle With the Financial Impact of Fighting Trump's Deportation CampaignNPR Morning Edition
NANCY GUAN
ReportingFighting immigration detention can be expensive and some families now struggle with the financial fallout from the mass deportation campaign.
Border Construction Paused at Big Bend National Park After Public OutcryNPR Morning Edition
TRAVIS BUBENIK
SACHA PFEIFFER
ReportingU.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott says he is "pausing all construction activity" on border infrastructure in Big Bend National Park, ahead of a visit to the area this week.
Previously on My Country, "Tis of Thee...We've archived 288 news stories in July, 286 in June, 267 in May, 270 in April, 266 in March, 234 in February and 278 in January this year. In 2025, the totals were 211 in December, 219 in November, 290 in October, 268 in September, 293 in August, 272 in July, 253 in June, 308 in May, 277 in April, 110 in March and 9 in February. Access them from the blue monthly title bar above.
Trump Votes by Mail Again in FloridaThe New York Times
CHRIS CAMERON
ReportingPresident Trump voted by mail ahead of Florida's Republican primary on Tuesday, according to the White House, participating for at least the third time in a practice that he has railed against for years and has equated to cheating.
National Debt Nears $40 Trillion: How We Got Here and Why It MattersPBS News Hour
LISA DESJARDINS
ReportingThe national debt is expected to hit a record high as soon as this week, crossing a major threshold of $40 trillion. Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins explains why that milestone is a warning sign for many economists.
Trump Lashes Out at South Korea Over Its Refusal to Join Iran WarPBS News Hour
NICK SCHIFRIN
ReportingExercises between the American and South Korean militaries began as scheduled on Monday, even after President Trump demanded they be scaled back. Trump said the war games were unnecessarily provocative and a challenge to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, despite recent praise of South Korea by the administration.
Where the Iran War Stands as 60-Day Window to Reach Peace Deal ExpiresPBS News Hour
AMNA NAWAZ
ReportingPresident Trump lashed out at U.S. allies on Monday as the deadline to reach a deal to end the war with Iran expires. Trump threatened to bomb Oman, which has been mediating negotiations and called for military exercises with South Korea to be scaled back, in part for refusing to join the war. Amna Nawaz discussed where the war stands and what happens next with Alan Eyre and Reuel Marc Gerecht.
Judge Rules Trump Administration Can't Scrap F.B.I. Move to MarylandThe New York Times
CHRIS CAMERON
ReportingA federal judge in Maryland blocked the Trump administration from abandoning a planned move for the F.B.I. from its crumbling headquarters in Washington to a new facility in Prince George's County, Md. In a 47-page ruling, Judge Theodore Chuang of the Federal District Court in Maryland wrote that "the F.B.I. erroneously concluded" that it could select a new headquarters for itself without consulting Congress. In reality, Judge Chuang wrote, Congress had already approved the Biden administration plan for the F.B.I. to move to Maryland.
Appeals Court Rejects Trump's Strategy of Picking U.S. AttorneysThe New York Times
DANNY HAKIM
ReportingA federal appeals court on Monday rejected the Trump administration's strategy of circumventing Congress to more freely appoint politically aligned federal prosecutors, casting fresh doubt on the practice. The ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco was the second appellate decision within the last year to take issue with the administration's custom of leaving interim prosecutors in place instead of appointing permanent U.S. attorneys who require congressional confirmation. Within hours of the ruling Monday, the Trump administration said it would appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Trump's Move to Gut South Korea Alliance Is 'Inane, Haphazard Decision', Lawmakers SayThe Guardian
JOSEPH GEDEON
ReportingDonald Trump's move to gut Washington's 73-year-old military alliance with Seoul has been called "inane" and "shortsighted" as lawmakers warned it risked strengthening Russia's hand in Ukraine. The U.S. president abruptly ordered the Pentagon to scale back joint exercises with South Korea just days after North Korea test-fired ballistic missiles, justifying the decision by citing his "very good relationship" with Kim Jong-Un, the nuclear-armed dictator such exercises exist to deter. Trump framed the decision as a courtesy to Kim, writing that the drills "send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to a country he described as "unthreatening and respectful," despite North Korea's continued missile testing and its expanding nuclear arsenal. Democrats in Congress said the move handed Kim a propaganda win for nothing, while an ally was left paying the price for a war in the Middle East it never agreed to fight. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate armed services committee, called it "another inane, haphazard decision by President Trump and his chaotic administration."
Trump Approval Falls to 33 Pct., Lowest of His Presidency, Reuters/Ipsos Poll FindsReuters
JASON LANGE
ReportingPresident Trump's approval rating fell to the lowest level of his presidency, with an overwhelming majority of Americans concerned the U.S. war with Iran will last a long time, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded on Monday. Just 33 percent of respondents in the four-day survey said they approved of Trump's performance in the White House, while 64 percent disapproved. Trump's approval rating, down from 35 percent in a poll that closed earlier this month and lower than at any point in his current term, has now tied the lowest level of his prior term reached in December 2017. Some 80 percent of Americans -- including 87 percent of Democrats and 71 percent of Republicans -- think U.S. involvement in Iran "will go on for an extended period of time," the Reuters/Ipsos poll found. Just 16 percent said the conflict would likely end in a few weeks.
Alzheimer's Research Is Latest Casualty in Trump Administration War Against 'DEI'The Guardian
JESSICA GLENZA
ReportingA new round of scientific grant cancellations has hit brain health and Alzheimer's disease research at two leading research institutions, Emory University and the University of Pittsburgh. The latest cancellations are the Trump administration's most recent effort to remove disfavored topics from the National Institutes of Health $47bn scientific portfolio -- and appear to target the study of the impacts of racism. "This kind of clear political interference -- that's not a good way to do science," said Ann Cohen, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, whose grant was canceled. "I haven't even thought much about the why this is being done because it's so scientifically wrong that I can't get past that piece." At least three grants were canceled between the two institutions. In total, the cancellations represent $15m in grants that were meant to study how discrimination affects long-term brain health -- millions of which have already been invested in the work.
U.S. Gas Prices Reach Highest Ever Recorded for August Amid Stalled Talks With IranThe Guardian
GAYA GUPTA
ReportingU.S. gas prices this month are so far the highest ever recorded for August as peace talks between the U.S. and Iran have stalled and Donald Trump launched fresh threats against Oman. The national average price of gas was $4.06 per gallon on Monday, according to data from AAA, $0.05 higher than last week and $1 more expensive than a year ago. In California and Hawaii, averages hit about $5.50 a gallon. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, reached $112 a barrel in March, a high not seen since 2022. While prices have since come down closer to $85 a barrel, they are still about 30 percent higher than a year ago. On Monday, the U.S. and Iran missed their 60-day diplomatic deadline to end the war, as both countries failed to reach an agreement on Iran's nuclear program. Trump on Monday threatened to bomb Oman, a key strategic partner for the U.S. that has historically served as a backchannel between the two countries, if it "gets in the way."
After Killing Hundreds in Boat Strikes, U.S. Military Expands Campaign on Land in Latin AmericaThe Associated Press
MEGAN JANETSKY
ISABEL DEBRE
ReportingHundreds of people have been killed in the year since the U.S. military began bombing boats it accused of ferrying drugs off Latin America's Caribbean and Pacific coasts. Now, the Trump administration says it is seeking to extend that lethal campaign to land, pursuing deals that would put U.S. forces on the ground in allied nations across the region. Trump's defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, announced last week during a visit to Panama that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow the U.S. to carry out joint military operations against criminal groups on their soil, following Ecuador, which launched similar missions with the U.S. in March. Guatemala, however, has denied reaching such an agreement.
Supreme Court Again Rebuffs Trump's Push to Toss Out $5 Million Verdict in E. Jean Carroll CaseThe Associated Press
LINDSAY WHITEHURST
ReportingThe Supreme Court on Monday again rebuffed President Trump's push to throw out a jury's $5 million finding that he sexually abused the writer E. Jean Carroll at a New York City department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her. The Republican president's lawyers had asked the justices to reconsider their refusal to hear his appeal. The court denied Trump's petition along with several others.
Trump Orders Pentagon to Scale Back Joint Exercises With South KoreaThe Associated Press
K. TOROPIN
A. DURKIN RICHER
ReportingPresident Trump ordered the Pentagon on Sunday to scale back annual joint military exercises with South Korea, saying the ally declined to help with the war against Iran and citing his good relationship with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. Trump said in a social media post that the exercises, which began Monday, are not only costly but "send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, which he said "has been unthreatening and respectful" during his time in the White House. The move is the latest example of the president appearing to turn against an ally in favor of a leader that previous administrations have cast as an adversary.
Trump Blames Vandals for Damaged Grass in the Same Spot Where He Held His Big July 4 CelebrationThe Associated Press
STAFF
ReportingIn a social media post, President Trump on Sunday said vandals are to blame for large swaths of dead grass on the National Mall near the World War II Memorial -- in the same spot where Trump had a stage built and hosted crowds for his July 4 celebration. Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals for damage to his renovation projects in the nation's capital, often without evidence and sometimes despite opposing accounts from his officials. That stretch of lawn is where a large stage was built and crowds gathered to hear from Trump and watch fireworks at a July 4 event celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary. Trump claimed without providing evidence that more than 400,000 people attended the event before a storm hit the area and delayed his remarks. Photos from the time, taken by a streaming webcam atop the Washington Monument, show a large bandstand and seating areas covering nearly the entire lawn Trump now says has been vandalized. Associated Press photos from the days that followed showed workers removing the structures, revealing brown, damaged grass underneath.
States Hope Federal Funds Will Help Offset Medicaid Cuts for Rural HospitalsNPR Morning Edition
NATALIE KREBS
ReportingOver the next five years, states hope to get an influx of federal funds to invest in rural health care. Some hospitals say the funding won't offset what they'll lose in Medicaid cuts.
Trump Wants to Build an Expanded Bunker Under the White House. A Historian Weighs InNPR Morning Edition
MICHEL MARTIN
ReportingNPR's Michel Martin speaks with author and presidential historian Garrett Graff about President Trump's plans for an expanded bunker beneath the White House.
Attorney General Todd Blanche Won't Commit to a DOJ Free From White House InfluenceNPR Morning Edition
SACHA PFEIFFER
ReportingNPR's Sacha Pfeiffer asks ProPublica reporter and author Aaron C. Davis about Attorney General Todd Blanche's "ground-breaking" refusal to pledge Department of Justice independence.
Sen. Mark Kelly Discusses Conditions Aboard the USS LincolnNPR Morning Edition
SACHA PFEIFFER
ReportingNPR's Sacha Pfeiffer asks Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona about conditions aboard the USS Lincoln and President Trump's multi-billion dollar plan to restore older tech on aircraft carriers.
Years of Trump Support Came Undone in 15 Minutes in an Airport.The New York Times
MIRIAM JORDAN
ReportingAfter she got off a flight in Burbank, Calif., a young man in a brown hooded sweatshirt stopped Galina Bobreneva. He was a federal agent and after questioning Bobreneva for about 15 minutes, he led her away in handcuffs to an unmarked vehicle. So began a 16-day ordeal: a night on the floor of a basement holding cell in downtown Los Angeles; two weeks in a Mojave Desert detention center and a frantic legal effort to win her release. Freed on a $35,000 bond with an electronic monitor clamped to her ankle, she is now fighting to stay in the U.S. against federal charges of overstaying her visa. Bobreneva, who is from Russia, has a pending green card application and her lawyer asserts that she was never out of lawful status. As the Trump administration seeks to nearly double its daily arrests to 2,000 people, it is detaining and attempting to deport thousands of people who believed they were following the rules. "The allure of the MAGA campaign was around illegal entries of criminals," said Brent Jindra, Bobreneva's husband, who voted for Trump three times. "There was never a mandate for this president to turn the barrel of the gun and start going after people who legally entered."
Families of U.S. Sailors Denounce Trump and Hegseth for 'Dismissing Their Experiences and Calling Them Liars'The Guardian
ED PILKINGTON
ReportingNaval families with loved ones deployed for months on U.S. warships amid the Iran war have reacted with fury to Donald Trump and the defense secretary Pete Hegseth's dismissal of their concerns about the extreme pressures and dire conditions they are enduring. The Guardian has talked to three naval families who have been following the physical and mental stresses bearing down on their relatives with mounting alarm. The families, with loved ones on board the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Tripoli, all spoke anonymously for fear of retribution against their active duty relatives. They spoke of insufficient nourishment that has led to close relatives losing 20-30lbs in weight since they were sent to the Middle East five months ago, leaving one sailor "emaciated," according to his mother. They spoke also of low-quality drinking water and scarce mental health counseling and support despite the intense burden of being at sea for months on end without making land.
Massachusetts Anti-Hunger Advocate Fasts to Protest Trump Food Stamp cutsReuters
LEAH DOUGLAS
ReportingAnti-hunger advocate Liz Wills-O'Gilvie, 63, said she has not eaten for 15 days in a bid to push Governor Maura Healey to raise funding for Massachusetts' shrinking food stamp program. By consuming only water, electrolytes and glucose pills, Wills-O'Gilvie, whom Healey last year appointed to an anti-hunger task force, aims to draw attention to rising food insecurity due to cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. More than 5.3 million people across the U.S. have lost SNAP benefits since President Trump made sweeping changes to the program in his 2025 tax and spending law, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
U.S. Oil Reserves Hit the Lowest Level Seen in Over 40 YearsNPR Weekend Edition
DANIELLE KURTZLEBEN
ReportingNPR's Danielle Kurtzleben speaks with Kevin Book of ClearView Energy about the dwindling oil reserves in the U.S. as they hit the lowest level seen in over four decades.
Prosecutors Examined Firm With Tie to Judge in Trump Hush Money TrialThe New York Times
GLENN THRUSH
ReportingThe U.S. attorney's office in Chicago has spent the past year investigating a Democratic fund-raising firm once co-owned by Loren Merchan, the daughter of the judge in President Trump's hush-money trial in New York, according to court filings and people familiar with the inquiry. The Merchan family has been a frequent target of Trump and his allies, who have made unsubstantiated claims that the judge was out to get him and that his daughter profited from accusations aired at the trial. The trial ended with Trump's conviction in 2024, in the midst of his campaign for a second term, on 34 felony counts stemming from his efforts to keep a porn star from publicizing her story of a liaison with him. The inquiry is the latest indication of the extent to which U.S. attorneys offices across the country, once largely removed from political machinations in Washington, have increasingly been drawn into the Trump's effort to target his adversaries.
The Buck Stops Somewhere Else: A Look at Trump's Tendency to Avoid Blame When Things Go AwryThe Associated Press
WILL WEISSERT
ReportingIt is among the most famous phrases in presidential history: " The buck stops here." Except with President Trump, it almost never does. Concerns about a weak economy and still-high inflation? His predecessor, Joe Biden, saddled him with that, he says, even though the Democrat has been out of office for 18-plus months and despite Trump once promising an immediate turnaround. The problem-plagued revamp of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool? That was marred by vandalism, the Republican president insists, even though the office of a prosecutor he put in the job has said the damage was due to shoddy workmanship. The increasingly unpopular war in Iran that has kept oil prices high, Trump's approval rating low and sent shock waves through the global economy? Actually, this was Trump making up for timid earlier presidents who, he argues, squandered nearly 50 years of opportunities to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Accepting the 2016 presidential nomination, Trump said, "Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it." But as president, he has often suggested that the solution and blame rest elsewhere.
We Learned Five Important Things About the Economy This WeekNPR Weekend Edition
SCOTT HORSLEY
ALINA SELYUKH
ReportingHow is inflation showing up on supermarket shelves and at the gas pump? How are families coping? What are they splurging on? These were among some of the insights delivered this week about the economy. Here are the key takeaways about the economy we've gleaned this week from government and industry reports covering everything from debt to housing.
Week in Politics: USS Lincoln; Latest Primaries and Democrats; White House BallroomNPR Weekend Edition
EYDER PERALTA
RON ELVING
ReportingA shortage of some munitions as well as the problems with the USS Lincoln have the Trump administration on the defensive. Meanwhile, what the latest primaries show about Democratic enthusiasm.
Trump Dismisses Concerns Over Conditions on Long-Deployed USS Abraham LincolnPBS News Hour
LIZ LANDERS
ReportingReports from sailors and their families describe concerning conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The ship has been at sea since last November, a record-length deployment. White House correspondent Liz Landers reports.
Trump Urges Americans to Accept Higher Gas Prices as He Escalates Iran RhetoricReuters
HUMEYRA PAMUK
ReportingPresident Trump on Friday urged Americans to accept "slightly" higher gasoline prices as the cost of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and said he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a U.S territory. In a speech in Garden City, Trump said Americans who had to "pay a tiny little bit more for your gasoline" should remember that this was the cost of ensuring "a very evil country" could not have a nuclear weapon. "What we're doing is a great service for the world, not only for ourselves ... and we're really doing a great job," said Trump, adding he would never apologize for attacking Iran. Oil prices have risen this week, with Brent crude approaching $90 a barrel, while U.S. gasoline prices have climbed to around $4 a gallon.
Trump Says USS Abraham Lincoln Deployment 'Not Nearly Long Enough'Reuters
HUMEYRA PAMUK
ReportingPresident Trump on Friday dismissed concerns about the toll on U.S. sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying the aircraft carrier's more than 260-day deployment in support of the war with Iran was "not nearly long enough" even as families and lawmakers raised concerns about mental health and deteriorating conditions aboard the ship.
They Fought for the U.S. In Afghanistan. Now They Worry About Losing Their Green CardsAll Things Considered
XIMENA BUSTILLO
ReportingFive years after the U.S. withdrawal, Afghan allies who resettled in America are facing new fears as the government retroactively revokes their Special Immigrant Visas.
Democrats Grapple With Trump's Push to Limit Transparency Within the Executive BranchAll Things Considered
ERIC MCDANIEL
CARRIE JOHNSON
ReportingPresident Trump is pushing the boundaries of executive power to limit transparency within the executive branch. Congressional Democrats are grappling with how to respond.
Little Thefts, Big Charges: Trump's Justice Dept. Targets Lesser FraudThe New York Times
DEVLIN BARRETT
ReportingAs the White House expands its "war on fraud," the Justice Department announced criminal charges in recent days against a new symbol of that battle -- a food truck in Santa Ana, Calif. Soriano Produce, a weathered white food truck advertising ice cream treats as well as fruits and vegetables, drew the attention of undercover agents at Immigration and Customs Enforcement for what investigators said was a startlingly high number of food stamp transactions for such a small business. The case against the food truck owner, Esmeralda Soriano, is an example of the Trump administration's push to show that "no fraud is small enough or big enough to look away from," as Vice President JD Vance said in a speech in April. The new emphasis on small-dollar fraud comes as the administration has issued pardons and commutations to white-collar convicts, pulled back from pursuing criminal cases against multinational corporations and dropped high-profile charges against wealthy executives.
Trump Orders the Navy to Return to an Older System of Launching Jets Off Aircraft CarriersThe Associated Press
KONSTANTIN TOROPIN
ReportingPresident Trump is ordering the U.S. Navy to remove the advanced system used to launch fighter jets from its newest type of aircraft carrier and return to using older steam catapults that he has long said he prefers, according to a directive issued Thursday. The new mandate would likely cost billions of dollars and revert the Navy's most advanced ships to a system that takes more sailors to operate and is more difficult to maintain. The move comes after years of Trump railing against the new, magnetically powered catapult system that shoots fighter jets off the deck of the carriers. It also comes at a time when the U.S. military is trying to find funding from Congress for all its desired equipment and as the Navy is struggling to fill its ships with enough sailors.
At Big Bend National Park, Bulldozers Begin Clearing Pristine Desert Land for Border Barrier WorkNPR Morning Edition
CARLOS MORALES
ReportingAt the foot of Santa Elena Canyon -- perhaps the most iconic and photographed stretch of Big Bend National Park -- Joan Stutts Escamilla sits in silence by the edge of the Rio Grande. "It's such a god-given gift," the 70-year-old said, looking up at the canyon's 1,500-foot tall limestone cliffs. "There's just nothing, there's nothing else like this." But within the last week, federal contractors have moved heavy machinery into the national park, bulldozing through desert shrubs and clearing ecologically sensitive land. Bright pink ribbons now mark a construction path where willow and mesquite trees once stood.
Doctors Say Medicaid Change to Gender-Affirming Care Will Harm Vulnerable YouthNPR Morning Edition
SELENA SIMMONS-DUFFIN
ReportingFederal Medicaid dollars can no longer pay for gender-affirming care for youth. Doctors who treat trans kids say it will harm vulnerable people.
Sen. Ruben Gallego on Handling of USS Lincoln Conditions: 'That's Not Proper Leadership'NPR Morning Edition
MICHEL MARTIN
MAJD AL-WAHEIDI
ReportingDemocratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona is calling for greater oversight of conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying he has heard reports of long hours, limited food and mounting stress among sailors. Gallego, a Marine veteran who deployed to Iraq, said in an interview with Morning Edition that he has been in contact with the spouse of an experienced sailor aboard the carrier, who described deteriorating morale and difficult working conditions. Gallego is among lawmakers seeking to visit the carrier. "They're just kind of winging it right now," he said, criticizing the Trump administration's planning. Regarding the Pentagon's handling of the deployment itself, Gallego added: "That's not proper leadership."
DOJ Deploys Tactic to Strip Naturalized Americans of CitizenshipPBS News Hour
ALI ROGIN
ReportingEarlier this month, federal prosecutors moved to strip citizenship from 25 naturalized Americans, accusing them of lying about their pasts and hiding serious crimes. It's called denaturalization and the Justice Department now calls it one of its top priorities.
How Trump's Construction Projects Are Changing Washington and Costing TaxpayersPBS News Hour
LIZ LANDERS
ReportingPresident Trump is pressing ahead with an ambitious effort to reshape Washington with new construction and renovations. The White House projects alone are now estimated to cost at least $900 million, with taxpayers funding a significant portion, despite earlier promises that private donors would cover most of the bill.
Judge Dismisses Federal Government's Antisemitism Case Against HarvardThe New York Times
MARK ARSENAULT
ReportingA federal judge in Boston on Thursday dismissed the Trump administration's antisemitism lawsuit against Harvard University, dealing a blow to the government's efforts to force the school to make a deal. Judge Richard G. Stearns of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts granted Harvard's motion to throw out the case, saying that the antisemitic incidents cited in the administration's March lawsuit were "too isolated and episodic" to show that Harvard is breaking the law.
U.S. Conducted 'Mass Spying Campaign' Against Leftwing Groups and Anti-ICE Protesters, Records RevealThe Guardian
SAM LEVIN
RACHEL LEINGANG
ReportingNewly disclosed records reveal the U.S. government extensively spied on prominent leftwing organizations and on protesters as part of a vast operation into groups opposing the immigration crackdown in Minnesota earlier this year. Internal investigative reports show the Department of Homeland Security sent undercover agents to community meetings in the Twin Cities and New York City, infiltrated Signal chats and obtained financial records of mainstream unions and left-leaning non-profit groups. Nearly 30 internal law enforcement reports were released on Thursday as part of a criminal case the Department of Justice has filed against 15 Minneapolis protesters. The defendants are accused of a "conspiracy" to "impede" U.S. immigration officers during the Trump administration's surge in the region.
Kennedy Center Board Votes Again to Shut Main Building Down -- and Add Trump's Name BackAll Things Considered
ANASTASIA TSIOULCAS
ReportingOn Thursday, the board of the Kennedy Center voted a second time to shut down most of the Washington, D.C., arts complex for what is being described as a two-year major renovation plan, according to a person briefed on the vote. In March, the center's board approved a full shutdown of the complex for major renovations, but a federal judge later ruled to temporarily block the planned closure, saying that no board members had "sufficient information" to make such a decision. In a test of both the same judge's previous ruling and a related appeals court ruling, the board also voted on Thursday to put President Trump's name back on the center's entry, calling the complex, "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump." The board's decisions will be subject to the federal judge's approval. Thursday's board meeting was held by Zoom and was not public.
Trump Administration Lets Key Gun Law Lapse Following Court RulingThe New York Times
CHRIS CAMERON
ReportingThe Justice Department declined to appeal a court ruling that effectively dismantled longstanding restrictions on owning short-barreled guns and suppressors, bowing to pressure from Republicans and gun advocates. Gun rights groups and gun businesses, many of which had filed and supported the lawsuit, celebrated the overturning of the law. Groups supporting gun restrictions criticized the government's inaction, arguing that the ruling had deregulated dangerous, easily concealable firearms and accessories that had been restricted since 1934.
Homeland Security Paid $464 Million for Airplanes. Then It Parked Them.The New York Times
STAFF
ReportingStarting last fall, the Department of Homeland Security spent $464 million on a no-bid contract to buy 10 used airplanes from a firm in Northern Virginia. That was an enormous price tag, but the department said it had no time to consider other offers. The planes were needed urgently for deportation flights. But since then, the department has barely used this new fleet -- for deportations or anything else. Three of the aircraft are luxury business jets. Just months after acquiring them, the department sought to loan or lease two to other agencies, including one for the use of F.B.I. director Kash Patel, according to a letter to the department sent Wednesday by top Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee. The other seven are older Boeing 737 passenger jets, which the government has left parked at an airport in Lake Charles, La., for months at a time. An internal government document, obtained by The New York Times, said the agency did not have the staff necessary to operate them.
Trump Administration Accused of 'Bullying' Union Leader at Consumer Protection AgencyThe Guardian
MICHAEL SAINATO
ReportingThe Trump administration has been accused of "bullying and intimidation" after a labor union leader and critic was put under investigation and suspended from his job at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Stephen Wheeler, a data scientist at the agency since 2022 and chair of the CFPB union organizing committee, was placed on administrative leave effective immediately earlier this month. The union said it was not provided with any specific violations or given any details of the investigation. The CFPB -- conceived by the Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren to protect consumers after the 2008 financial crisis -- has long been a target of Republicans. "An investigation with no stated scope or scale is no investigation -- it's a fishing expedition," Wheeler said. "I have nothing to hide and when the facts are examined this will be seen for what it is: bullying and intimidation for union activity and protected speech."
Trump Promised a Sex-Trafficking Crackdown. His Justice Department Hasn't DeliveredReuters
D. ROSENZWEIG-ZIFF
BRAD HEATH
KRISTINA COOKE
ReportingThe Trump administration has repeatedly said the fight against sex trafficking is one of its top priorities. But investigations have stalled and prosecutions declined in the past six months because of staffing shortages, funding cuts, immigration enforcement and growing distrust of the government among victims, according to Reuters interviews with 25 former prosecutors, current agents and victims' advocates and a review of federal court records. "You can't say something is a priority and then not provide the resources to make that happen," said Jacqueline Kelly, a former federal prosecutor in New York who led the prosecution of rapper and actor Sean "Diddy" Combs, who was accused of sex trafficking and was convicted last year on two counts of transportation for prostitution.
Reflecting Pool's Botched Repairs Threaten to Tarnish the National Park Service's ReputationThe Associated Press
MATTHEW DALY
ReportingPresident Trump's botched repairs at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have landed the National Park Service in a political predicament. The beloved federal agency, its iconic park rangers and other employees have been serving the public while managing controversial demands by the Republican president -- from revising exhibits at parks and other sites to the demolition of important structures under its stewardship, such as the White House's East Wing, to arresting visitors for alleged vandalism at the pool. Critics say the monthslong Reflecting Pool saga and other demands by Trump risk undermining the integrity of a federal agency that has long been held in high esteem by the American public. "Never -- not once in decades -- have I witnessed such systematic degradation, disrespect and dismantling of the National Park Service as I see today under the thumb of President Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum," said Bill Wade, a former park ranger and superintendent.
Trump's Vaccine Plan Would Require Millions of Individual Shots Last Used Decades AgoThe Associated Press
MATTHEW PERRONE
ReportingPublic health experts have been quick to condemn an executive order from President Trump aimed at upending childhood vaccinations in the U.S., but the biggest obstacles may be the unprecedented financial and logistical challenges it would impose on parents, health providers and drugmakers. Monday's announcement by the Republican president calls for separating combination shots -- including the measles, mumps and rubella or MMR, vaccine -- into separate injections. Appointments for that and other vaccinations should be spaced out whenever possible, the order states. To accomplish that, drugmakers would need to revive a slate of individual vaccines that have not been marketed separately in the U.S. for decades. They would also have to build new manufacturing plants capable of producing millions more vaccine doses than the nation currently uses. For parents, unbundling the MMR vaccine and spacing out the shots would mean returning to the doctor's office many more times than is currently needed. Those appointments could also strain pediatricians who typically administer the shots, while driving up costs tied to syringes and other medical supplies. Studies in the U.S. and other countries have shown that combination vaccines increase the likelihood that children will be fully protected from infectious diseases before starting school. Health experts say there is no scientific basis for changing course.
How Inflation Is Affecting Consumer SpendingNPR Morning Edition
LEILA FADEL
ReportingNPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Investopedia's Editor-in-Chief Caleb Silver about the impact of inflation on consumer spending.
Controversial Group Wins $158-MB-Contract to Represent Unaccompanied Immigrant ChildrenNPR Morning Edition
SERGIO MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN
ReportingThe Trump administration has awarded a controversial anti-human trafficking organization a no-bid $158 million contract to provide legal services to unaccompanied migrant children, according to a notice posted Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Utah-based Our Rescue, previously known as Operation Underground Railroad, says it helps law enforcement perform sting operations to catch human traffickers and rescue survivors. It's unclear if it has immigration lawyers on its staff, although its Web site says it offers "legal support to help prosecute offenders." Our Rescue did not immediately return NPR's request for comment.
Trump Administration Again Urges U.S. Supreme Court Intervention on Mail BallotsReuters
ANDREW CHUNG
ReportingPresident Trump's administration again asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to intervene to fully implement his executive order restricting the use of mail-in ballots ahead of the November midterm elections that will decide control of Congress. The Justice Department filed a request asking the justices to put on hold a decision made on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston that blocks the U.S. Postal Service from nationwide enforcement of the directive's tighter rules for voting by mail.
Trump's Justice Department Arrests Expert on Far Right as Part of SPLC CrackdownThe Guardian
SAM LEVINE
ReportingThe Justice Department on Wednesday arrested a leading expert on far-right extremism, charging her with financial crimes as part of the government's ongoing case against the Southern Poverty Law Center. Federal prosecutors charged Heidi Beirich, who formerly served as the group's chief financial officer, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to submit false statements to a federally insured bank and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering. Without ruling on the merits of the case, a federal judge in Alabama allowed the case to proceed last week, rejecting an argument from the SPLC that the case should be dismissed because it was a vindictive prosecution.
USS Abraham Lincoln Sailors Tried to Jump Overboard Amid Extended Deployment -- ReportsThe Guardian
ED PILKINGTON
ReportingMilitary families and Congress members are sounding the alarm about an intensifying mental health crisis onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, as its 5,000 sailors and marines endure a record-breaking deployment at sea tied to the war with Iran. Two leading specialist military papers, the Navy Times and Stars and Stripes, are reporting that there have been multiple attempts by sailors to jump overboard as poor conditions and mental stresses on the Lincoln reach the breaking point. The crew is in its ninth month at sea and has spent 250 days consecutively without making land -- a record for an aircraft carrier in modern times.
Lawsuit Seeks to Ban Trump Media From Charging for Early Access to President's Posts on U.S. PolicyThe Associated Press
BERNARD CONDON
ReportingPresident Trump was sued in federal court Wednesday to stop him from making money off a new, paid service at his Truth Social company offering early, exclusive access to his posts on U.S. policy. The lawsuit alleges the service offering paying customers sneak peeks of his posts about U.S. policy on war, tariffs and other issues violates the Constitution and that official announcements should be made available to everyone at the same time. The new subscription service rolled out earlier this month is charging Wall Street firms as much as $100,000 a month to trade off the market-moving posts before others. "A president selling priority access to news he himself generates for the benefit of a private company he controls is so blatantly corrupt and unconstitutional that it would have been hard to even fathom just a few years ago," said Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, a plaintiff in the case along with news outlet The Intercept.
Budget Cuts Have Reduced Efforts to Find and Recover Vietnam War TroopsAll Things Considered
JAY PRICE
ReportingBudget cuts have gutted the Pentagon's efforts to find and identify troops still missing from the Vietnam War, even as aging family members run out of time to see their loved ones brought home.
ICE Plans to Outfit Officers With Electric Shock GlovesAll Things Considered
MEG ANDERSON
ReportingImmigration and Customs Enforcement is planning to purchase high-tech gloves that deliver electric shocks to people they're trying to detain. Immigrant advocates are concerned.
U.S. Credit Card Debt Climbs to $1.26tn, Nearing Last Year's Record HighThe Guardian
CORAL MURPHY MARCOS
ReportingCredit card debt in the United States is growing close to a record high, having creeped up from $54bn to $1.26tn between April and June compared with the same period last year, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. An increase in credit card debt more than 90 days past due, from 7.6 percent in late 2022 to 12.8 percent early this year, raised concerns about household stress in "rates not seen since the Great Recession."
U.S. to Offer 81 Million Acres in Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease SaleReuters
STAFF
ReportingThe Trump administration on Wednesday will offer more than 81 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drillers as part of an effort to boost domestic energy production with regular offshore lease sales. The sale is the second since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran disrupted global crude flows and sent oil prices to four-year highs. It is the third of 30 mandated by U.S. President Trump's tax cut and spending law passed in 2025.
Wall St Gains as AI Earnings Lift Tech, Inflation Data Supports Rate-Hold BetsReuters
AVINASH P
PURVI AGARWAL
ReportingWall Street's main indexes rose on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq outperforming peers as upbeat earnings from AI infrastructure firms boosted technology stocks, while largely in-line inflation data reinforced bets the Fed will hold interest rates steady. Data showed U.S. consumer prices increased slightly in July, weakening the argument for the central bank to hike interest rates next month.
Groups Sue the Trump Administration Over Its Targeting of the International Criminal CourtThe Associated Press
FARNOUSH AMIRI
ReportingHuman Rights Watch and three other advocacy groups sued the Trump administration on Tuesday to challenge its campaign against the International Criminal Court, arguing that sanctions against ICC judges and prosecutors are undermining the ability to prosecute people responsible for humanity's worst crimes. The complaint -- filed in the Southern District of New York -- says that President Trump's executive order last year targeting the Hague-based criminal court and the U.S. sanctions issued against a U.N. human rights expert and three Palestinian rights groups represent a "blatantly illegal attack on international justice and should be struck down," according to a press release. The lawsuit is the latest example of organizations pushing back on what they call the Trump administration's efforts to undermine international law and prevent efforts to combat impunity by governments around the world.
Doctor Talks About Trump's Executive Order to Change Childhood Vaccine ScheduleNPR Morning Edition
LEILA FADEL
ReportingNPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Dr. James Campbell at the University of Maryland School of Medicine about President Trump's order to space out childhood vaccines.
Trump Administration to Give Faith-Based Groups $2B in Funding for Global Health WorkNPR Morning Edition
FATMA TANIS
ReportingThe Trump administration announced $2 billion in funding to faith-based groups for global health work. The White House says these groups work more efficiently. Experts question that claim.
Judge Again Bars Trump Administration From Implementing Order That Sought to Limit Mail VotingThe Associated Press
MICHAEL CASEY
NICHOLAS RICCARDI
ReportingA federal judge on Tuesday ruled against President Trump's executive order that sought to create a federal voter list and directly involve the U.S. Postal Service in election operations in a way that would limit mail voting. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani had already halted the order Trump signed in March, his second one attempting to set national election rules. On June 25, she sided with Democratic state attorneys general in granting summary judgment, preventing the core parts of Trump's order from taking effect. "The executive branch has no authority to regulate elections," she wrote. "This ruling is a victory for voters and for the Constitution," Marcia Johnson of the League of Women Voters said in a statement. "Neither the president nor the U.S. Postal Service has the authority to rewrite election rules."
The Effectiveness and Cost of the National Guard Deployment in D.C.PBS News Hour
LISA DESJARDINS
ReportingIt has now been one year since President Trump declared a "crime emergency" in the nation's capital and deployed thousands of members of the National Guard to its streets. Questions continue to mount over the mission's cost, its legality and its effectiveness in fighting crime. Lisa Desjardins discussed more with Richard Hahn of the Niskanen Center's Criminal Justice Department.
Trump's Decoy Flight and the Role of the White House Press CorpsAll Things Considered
TAMARA KEITH
ReportingNew reporting contradicts what the White House told the press traveling with the president during a recent trip to Turkey. It was also a breach of protocol and public trust with the passengers on the decoy plane.
Home Sales Fall in July Amid High Mortgage RatesAll Things Considered
SCOTT HORSLEY
ReportingThe housing market is stuck in a slump. Sales of existing homes fell by 1.7 percent last month, even as the average selling price rose. High prices along with rising mortgage rates are putting a squeeze on affordability.
Trump Administration Kills a Flagship Annual Report on the ArcticThe New York Times
RAYMOND ZHONG
ReportingThe Trump administration has pulled federal funding for an annual report chronicling the changing environment of the Arctic, where rapid warming is upending ecosystems, reconfiguring trade routes and scrambling Great Power strategy. Every year for the past two decades, the Arctic Report Card has provided a checkup on the health of the region, which is heating up at several times the pace of the rest of the globe. Sea ice has dwindled. Snow cover has shrunk. Glaciers are thinning out. Tundra vegetation has grown more abundant, leading to wildfires that burn through huge areas. Now, the report's coordinator and publisher, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is withdrawing its support for the report card. In a statement on Tuesday, Kim Doster, the agency's director of communications, didn't provide a reason.
Trump Sues New York and Other States Over in-State Tuition for MigrantsThe New York Times
LUIS FERRÉ-SADURNÍ
ReportingThe Justice Department on Monday sued three states -- Connecticut, New York and Vermont -- over policies that offer in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants at public colleges and universities. The lawsuits argue that the policies are unconstitutional, violate federal law and discriminate against U.S. citizens from other states who pay thousands of dollars more in out-of-state tuition. "In keeping with the law, the governor believes all New York high school students deserve the opportunity to pursue higher education in the state," Emma Wallner, a spokeswoman for Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, said in a statement. William Tong, the attorney general in Connecticut, addressed President Trump in a statement: "How we run our schools and teach our kids is none of your business and you have no authority to force the sovereign state of Connecticut to deny our kids a future." He added that Connecticut offered in-state tuition and financial aid to all eligible students because "all kids deserve the opportunity to learn, to advance and to achieve their dreams." The Trump administration has now filed lawsuits against 17 states challenging in-state tuition for undocumented residents, the Justice Department said in a news release on Monday, including against California, New Jersey and Virginia.
As Credit Card Debt Mounts, Home Becomes a Piggy BankThe New York Times
GREGORY SCHMIDT
ReportingHousehold debt increased 3 percent in the first quarter of 2026, to $18.8 trillion, from a year earlier, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, using data not adjusted for inflation. Mortgages made up the biggest chunk of that total, but credit card balances climbed 6 percent to $1.25 trillion from the year before. In the same three months, homeowners withdrew an estimated $47 billion in equity, up 2 percent from the same period in 2025, according to a report from the Intercontinental Exchange, a financial services company. Second mortgages amounted to $25 billion, a 1 percent increase from a year earlier, but refinancing existing mortgages to take cash out jumped 18 percent year over year to $22 billion.
New Evidence Shows Agents Using Slurs, Bolstering Profiling ClaimsThe New York Times
JAZMINE ULLOA
MAIA SPOTO
JILL COWAN
ReportingSince immigration agents began carrying out a string of big, aggressive sweeps last year, civil rights groups have argued that the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign has been defined by brazen racial profiling. Now, body-camera footage, text messages and other documents emerging from lawsuits around the country reveal how race and ethnicity have figured in the dragnets that unfolded in Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis and other U.S. cities.
Trump Boarded Secret Turkey Flight via Catering Truck Due to Iran Threat, Reports SayReuters
STAFF
ReportingPresident Trump took a secret military flight from Turkey last month in an operation that involved him being moved between aircraft in a catering truck, an extraordinary deception prompted by an Iranian assassination threat, the Washington Post reported. The White House said at the time that the president was flying aboard Air Force One from Turkey, where he had attended a NATO summit, to Britain. But moments after Trump had boarded the plane, he left it in secret via the catering truck and boarded another aircraft for the flight to Britain, the Post said on Monday, quoting unnamed sources. Before departing Ankara, Trump said on Truth Social that he would use an older baby blue Air Force One plane "for old time's sake" to RAF Mildenhall in Britain while the new plane stopped at the same base so U.S. service members stationed there could tour the aircraft. After Trump boarded the old Air Force One in front of cameras in Ankara, he was secretly shuttled by the airport catering truck to a smaller plane, an Air Force C-32A, the Post reported citing a U.S. official familiar with the operation and corroborating material it reviewed.
Fewer Resources and Funding Cuts Contributing to Spike in Foodborne IllnessesNPR Morning Edition
YUKI NOGUCHI
ReportingIt's been a bad summer for foodborne illnesses -- from a record-breaking cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to iceberg lettuce to salmonella infections linked to jalapeños.
Armed Troops Have Patrolled D.C. For One Year Now. It's Challenging Democratic NormsNPR Morning Edition
KAT LONSDORF
ReportingThousands of National Guard members have been patrolling the streets of Washington D.C. for a year now, in an anti-crime deployment that was quietly extended until Inauguration Day of 2029. Armed and uniformed troops have become a ubiquitous -- and controversial -- part of the city scenery, appearing on busy streets, in farmer's markets, metro stations and around the national monuments. And while activists have hung signs throughout the city urging "National Guard Go Home" and "Troops Out," life in D.C. has largely settled to coexist around their presence. It is both the longest and the largest of such deployments under this administration, which has repeatedly used the military domestically in unprecedented ways. All of those deployments have been challenged in court -- but it's a pattern that constitutional experts and former military officials have been ringing the alarm bells about for more than a year.
Author Max Boot Says Trump's Approach to Iran Is 'Guaranteed to Fail'NPR Morning Edition
LEILA FADEL
ReportingNPR's Leila Fadel speaks with author Max Boot about President Trump's recent foreign policy setbacks. Boot writes that Trump's "zigzagging" approach to Iran is "guaranteed to fail."
State Voting Officials Join CISA Security Call With Election 85 Days AwayPBS News Hour
LIZ LANDERS
ReportingCISA, the federal agency tasked with protecting the cybersecurity of the nation's critical infrastructure, held a conference call with state election officials to discuss the upcoming midterms. Despite President Trump's claims about the risk of hackers targeting voting systems, this was one of CISA's first broad outreach efforts with Election Day just 85 days away.
Iran Demands U.S. Pay for War Damage Before Agreeing to Reopen Strait of HormuzPBS News Hour
NICK SCHIFRIN
ReportingIran doubled down on keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed until the U.S. meets a sweeping list of demands. President Trump scoffed at those conditions, especially paying reparations to Iran for damages caused by five months of U.S.-Israeli bombardments. The impasse comes as war appears closer in Yemen between a Saudi-backed coalition and Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Nick Schifrin reports.
Washington Grapples With a National Guard Deployment Extended Until 2029The Associated Press
GARY FIELDS
ReportingIt's been 12 months since President Trump announced a crime emergency in Washington, pledging to make the city "safe and beautiful" and deploying the National Guard. But a mission that seemed temporary has been extended through January 2029. Residents and a new cadre of local officials see in it an unacceptable attempt by the federal government to restrict the heavily Democratic city's autonomy and, a year in, still question why having troops on the streets of the nation's capital is necessary. "There's a deep irony that here we are in the capital of the free world and our president is treating it like a police state," said Scott Michelman, legal director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia. "D.C. residents have lived with our National Guard troops in our neighborhoods for about a year, despite the absence of any genuine emergency and really any reason for them to be here."
ICE Crackdown in Minnesota Changed the Race for Open U.S. Senate SeatAll Things Considered
CLAY MASTERS
ReportingPresident Trump's immigration crackdown in Minnesota earlier this year is a key issue going into that state's competitive Democratic primary for an open U.S. Senate seat.
Trump and RFK Jr. Try Again to Upend Vaccines for KidsAll Things Considered
ROB STEIN
ReportingPresident Trump signed another executive order aimed at trying to upend the way U.S. children are vaccinated against dangerous infectious diseases. The new executive order, signed Monday afternoon in the Oval Office, calls for reducing the number of childhood vaccines recommended by the federal government from 17 to 11. The order tries to accomplish similar goals that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention enacted in January, a move which was later blocked by a judge. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long questioned the safety and effectiveness of many childhood vaccines. Monday's order is also likely to be challenged in court.
Voters Are Sick of the Two-Party System. A New Poll Shows They're Open to Big ChangesAll Things Considered
ASHLEY LOPEZ
ReportingA new poll, commissioned by supporters of election reforms and shared with NPR, shows there is significant support for upending winner-take-all U.S. House elections and single-member congressional districts and instead moving toward proportional representation, a system that elects multiple representatives in a single district in rough proportion to a party's vote share. According to the poll conducted by the advocacy group Fix Our House and liberal think tank New America, half of 1,000 respondents said they support proportional representation, with nearly a quarter opposed. A third of those who participated said they were not sure whether they supported it or not.
America Is AtomizingThe New York Times
JESSE MCKINLEY
ReportingA report in June by Pew Research Center of more than 10,000 a.m.ericans found that the two-party system has basically split into nine groups, ranging from the "unconventional right" to the "left-out left" to the "tuned-out middle." Each embodies "a complex mix of values and beliefs" that belie -- and bedevil -- traditional Democratic and Republican alignments. Cultural critics and historians say our atomization is driven by many forces, including the nation's foundational pledge of personal freedoms, its proud and sometimes stubborn streak of individualism and its regional and ethnic diversity. Perhaps most important is the Internet, offering anything to everybody, no matter how niche -- and often leading to a distracted, fragmented and overstimulated online world. Poll after poll has found Americans less likely to know their neighbors, to trust other people, to have faith in the modern family. America is the only country where a majority of people think their fellow citizens are "morally bad," according to Pew.
Trump Officials Offer Cities Tens of Millions for Memphis-Style Police Surges -- With ConditionsThe Guardian
GEORGE CHIDI
ReportingThe Trump administration is offering grants of tens of millions of dollars to cities across the U.S. to create more Memphis-style enforcement surges -- on the condition that they abandon progressive ideologies on policing. The U.S. Department of Justice says it will announce up to four finalist cities that will split $300m in grant funding under a federal "Model Cities" policing initiative next month, setting the stage for some of the largest federal policing grants ever awarded to individual U.S. cities. In exchange for the funding, cities are required to comply with federal immigration enforcement requests, enact conservative policies on anti-homelessness rules and potentially repay millions of dollars in the event of a surge in violent crime or "civil unrest," according to a grant document. Steven Reed, the mayor of Montgomery, Ala., said he had seen the grant and passed on applying. "Everybody wants a quick fix and no one wants to invest in the root cause of the issue," he said.
Congressional Democrats Launch Probe Into Efforts to Deport U.S. Military Members and Their FamiliesThe Associated Press
JACK BROOK
SAFIYAH RIDDLE
ReportingCongressional Democrats said they are investigating the Trump administration's efforts to deport military service members and their families after The Associated Press found more than 50 active-duty troops' spouses and parents have been detained by immigration authorities. In a letter sent Sunday evening to the Department of Homeland Security, the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Democrats said they will investigate whether the Pentagon and DHS are coordinating to deport military service members and their families. "These efforts imperil military readiness, weaken service members' morale and betray America's promises to the people who put their lives on the line for our nation," according to the letter, which was signed by more than 60 lawmakers and provided to the AP.
Economist Discusses the Current State of the U.S. EconomyNPR Morning Edition
A MARTÍNEZ
ReportingFollowing a weak jobs report and looking ahead to Wednesday's inflation data, NPR's A Martinez speaks to Diane Swonk, chief economist at the accounting firm KPMG U.S., about the state of the economy.
Amid Cost of Living Stress, Many Parents Are Supporting Children Well Into AdulthoodNPR Morning Edition
JENNIFER LUDDEN
ReportingAccording to polls, a majority of Americans think it's more difficult for young adults today to achieve financial independence than it was for their parents. It's a view that's grown sharply in recent years, as prices for essentials such as housing, food and energy have shot up and inflation has stayed stubbornly elevated. Such concerns partly explain why most parents help support their grown children in some way, many well beyond the traditional age of financial independence. The share of 25- to 34-year-olds living with parents has also nearly doubled since 2005, to about 20 percent, according to the Urban Institute. One analysis found a third of all those under 35 are living back at home, just shy of the record peak during the Covid-19 pandemic, even though most are employed.
U.S. Diplomat Discusses Israel's Netanyahu Rejecting Trump's Proposed Gaza Peace PlanNPR Morning Edition
A MARTÍNEZ
ReportingNPR's A Martinez asks longtime U.S. diplomat Richard Haass about peace plans for Gaza after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected an agreement with Hamas proposed by President Trump.
Greenland Issues 'Strong Warning' as Trump-Linked Oil Firm Prepares to DrillThe Guardian
TOM BURGIS
ReportingAn American oil company connected to Donald Trump is preparing to sink wells in remote Greenland despite not having received permission from the local authorities. As the U.S. president renews his threats to claim the vast Arctic territory, materials to prepare for drilling were brought ashore in recent days on Greenland's eastern coast. That has prompted Greenland's government to issue a "strong warning" that no approval had been granted to land the kit. "All future logistical matters must be advised and approved by the mineral resources authority -- before they are carried out," the government said in a statement.
Democrats Plan Trump Investigations Over Impeachment if They Win House, Sources SayReuters
NANDITA BOSE
ReportingU.S. House Democrats preparing for a possible return to power are developing a broad investigative strategy targeting companies and financial firms surrounding President Trump, instead of trying to impeach him immediately, according to four people familiar with the discussions. Senior Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives and committee aides have discussed using hearings, subpoenas and document requests to obtain records from entities tied to Trump's political and business orbit, the sources said. It is a bet that investigating private companies and outside financial players will prove more fruitful than directly confronting a White House they expect to resist oversight, they said. "We're not going into this to impeach," said a senior Democratic aide, describing the thinking among party leaders and committee staff. "No one wants a failed vote on day one. The focus is on building a body of evidence through investigations that can hold Trump accountable."
Senators Head for the Exits Without Meeting Trump's Demands for Voting BillThe Associated Press
LISA MASCARO
ReportingSenators headed for the exits in the predawn hours Saturday, ending for now a crushing standoff over President Trump's demands that they stay in session to pass a strict proof-of-citizenship voting bill before the summer recess. While they wrapped up many key priorities in the overnight votes, advancing Trump's SAVE America Act was not among them. Instead, Republican senators who had brought the chamber to a standstill spoke to Trump late in the evening about an alternative plan: They would try again to approve elements of the voting bill as part of a broader GOP budget package to fund the Iran war and replenish the Pentagon when they return to work in September.
Todd Blanche Is Narrowly Confirmed as Trump's Attorney General in an Overnight Senate VoteThe Associated Press
A. DURKIN RICHER
LISA MASCARO
ReportingThe Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general in a vote early Saturday, cementing the command of President Trump's former personal lawyer at a Department of Justice that Trump has sought to bend to his will. The Republican-led Senate voted 50-49 to make Blanche the second confirmed attorney general since Trump returned to the White House last year with a stated desire to use the law enforcement agency to investigate his political enemies. The vote followed a tumultuous confirmation fight that exposed deep concerns -- from some Republicans as well as Democrats -- about installing Trump's close ally atop a Justice Department that historically prided itself on its independence from the White House. In the end, Blanche was confirmed by the narrowest of margins, opposed by two Republicans -- Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska -- and by every Democrat.
Yo-Yo Ma Unites Musicians and Civil Rights Leaders to Reframe America's StoryNPR Weekend Edition
KAREN BROWN
ReportingCello superstar Yo-Yo Ma brought together, musicians, civil rights leaders and intellectuals to reflect on America, past and present, using classical music to help imagine a hopeful future.
Private Prisons Announce $1.4 Billion in Revenue as Immigration Detentions ClimbNPR Weekend Edition
VANESSA ROMO
ReportingAmerica's two largest private prison companies, CoreCivic and GEO Group, are reporting a combined $1.4 billion in quarterly revenue over the spring as immigration detention closes in on record levels. Those revenues announced Thursday do not include net proceeds of $1.6 billion made by CoreCivic after the recent sale of four of their facilities to the Department of Homeland Security. Patrick Swindle, CoreCivic's President and CEO, told investors on an earnings call that that works out to an average rate of $307,000 per bed. The earnings -- from April through June of this year -- come as the U.S. is holding almost 66,000 people in immigration detention, nearing record levels not seen since January, according to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a nonpartisan research center. Both companies say they're also finding other revenue opportunities, like ankle monitors for Haitian immigrants who recently lost their protected immigration status.
Week in Politics: Blanche Confirmed as Attorney General; Iran-Oman Strait Deal StallsNPR Weekend Edition
SCOTT SIMON
RON ELVING
ReportingWe look at what it took to get Todd Blanche confirmed as U.S. attorney general, as well as the proposed deal between Iran and Oman to control the Strait of Hormuz.
What the July Jobs Report Reveals About the Strength of the EconomyPBS News Hour
AMNA NAWAZ
ReportingNew labor data shows the U.S. economy lost 23,000 jobs in July, when economists had predicted modest growth. Revised numbers for May and June also show 103,000 fewer jobs created than originally reported. The unemployment rate ticked down, from 4.2 percent to 4.1 percent, a function of fewer people seeking jobs. Amna Nawaz discussed the numbers with Heather Long, chief economist with Navy Federal Credit Union.
Why So Many in Maui Are Still Displaced and Unable to Rebuild 3 Years After WildfiresPBS News Hour
STEPHANIE SY
ReportingIt has been three years since the deadliest wildfires to hit the U.S. in more than a century swept through Lahaina on the island of Maui. The fires consumed thousands of structures, killed 102 people and destroyed an important site of Hawaiian history. Hundreds of homes have been rebuilt and permits for hundreds more have been approved. But as Stephanie Sy reports, many residents remain in limbo.
What's Holding Up the Iran-Oman Proposal to Reopen the Strait of HormuzPBS News Hour
NICK SCHIFRIN
ReportingThere is a new partnership in the Middle East and South Asia. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed an agreement similar to NATO's Article 5, pledging that a strike against one of them would be considered a strike against all of them. But despite reports that it was close, no deal was announced between the United States and Iran. Nick Schifrin explains.
New Jersey Opens Civil Rights Investigation Into Delaney HallThe New York Times
ANA LEY
TRACEY TULLY
ReportingThe New Jersey attorney general has opened a civil rights investigation into a 1,000-bed migrant detention center in Newark, ramping up the state's fight against the Trump administration. The attorney general, Jennifer Davenport, said on Friday that her office had issued subpoenas and would investigate whether employees at the center violated the civil rights of detainees. The announcement was made days after a detainee died and his family denounced the center, known as Delaney Hall, for failing to tend to his medical needs.
U.S. Senate Confirms Trump Nominees for Labor Board, Cementing Republican ControlReuters
DANIEL WIESSNER
ReportingThe U.S. Senate on Friday confirmed President Trump's nominees for two spots on the agency that enforces federal labor law, giving Republicans enough votes to undo a series of key decisions that were widely seen as a boost to union organizing.
Trump Administration Moves Ahead With Efforts to Fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa CookThe Associated Press
ERIC TUCKER
PAUL WISEMAN
ReportingThe Trump administration is moving ahead with its efforts to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, two months after the Supreme Court allowed her to retain her job while she fights the president's effort to terminate her over mortgage fraud allegations that she has denied. The justices in a 5-4 decision in June said Cook, who was nominated to the Fed's Board of Governors by President Joe Biden, could remain in her post at least as long as her lawsuit challenging her firing goes on. The Trump administration is appealing a lower-court ruling in Cook's favor. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in a footnote in his opinion that nothing forbids President Trump from "trying again" to fire Cook provided she is given proper notice and a chance to contest it. "These allegations are as baseless now as they were a year ago when President Trump tried to remove Governor Cook and interfere with the independence of the Federal Reserve," her attorney said in a statement.
Infections From Raw Milk Have Sickened More Than 100 in IdahoAll Things Considered
LAUREN PATERSON
ReportingCyclosporiasis has been getting all the headlines, but infections from Raw milk have sickened more than 100 in Idaho this summer.
Redistricting Played a Part in Tennessee's Primary Election ResultsAll Things Considered
MARY LOUISE KELLY
ReportingTennessee's primary election put its redistricting from earlier this year on display at the ballot box as results questioned President Trump's endorsement.
What the Dwindling U.S. Missile Stock Means for the FutureAll Things Considered
MARY LOUISE KELLY
ReportingNPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Phillips Payson O'Brien from the University of St. Andrews about the implications of reports that the U.S. is running low on weapons.
How the Reflecting Pool Came to Mirror Trump's WashingtonThe New York Times
MAXINE JOSELOW
D. A. FAHRENTHOLD
TYLER PAGER
CLARENCE WILLIAMS
ReportingA hospitality manager for the Trump Organization traveled to Las Vegas to find a solution to problems at a national landmark. This is the untold back story of the fallout. Many of the details of the saga are reported in this article for the first time. They show that the pool, which was supposed to reflect the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, became a striking reflection instead of the second Trump administration's willingness to skirt laws, expend millions of dollars, ignore facts and punish truth tellers in service of the president's demands to put his mark on the capital.
The Amateur Archivists Racing to Save U.S. History in National Parks Against Trump Administration CensorshipThe Guardian
AMY QIN
ReportingHundreds of people around the world sprang into action last year when the Trump administration started deleting government datasets and Web pages because they included information about "gender ideology," environmental justice or diversity, equity and inclusion. The Data Rescue Project mobilized volunteers to archive critical government datasets at risk of deletion by the Trump administration. And the University of Minnesota libraries launched Save Our Signs, a crowdsourced project that aims to document every sign in the more than 400 national parks and historic sites across the country before the Trump administration removes them. Hundreds of volunteers, many of whom are anonymous, have submitted photos of national signage to the Save Our Signs digital archive. As of Aug. 3, the site had compiled 17,236 photos, including at least one in nearly every national park and historic site in the country.
Trump Loses 21 Straight Court Battles for State Voter Rolls as Midterms NearReuters
LUC COHEN
ReportingThe Trump administration's streak of courtroom defeats in its effort to obtain state voter rolls reached 21 this year when a judge ruled this week that states are not required to share the records with the federal government. With PRepublicans defending slim majorities in both chambers of Congress, the administration has mounted an aggressive effort to expand federal oversight of elections before the Nov. 3 midterms. Trump argues that widespread noncitizen voting is benefiting the Democratic Party, even though state audits and independent studies have found noncitizen voting to be rare. A Reuters investigation found that just 129 people have been prosecuted for noncitizen voting since 1996 and that most of those cases stemmed from voter confusion or miscommunication with election officials. Repeatedly judges have found the U.S. Constitution gives states primary responsibility for running federal elections and that federal voting laws do not require them to hand over the records.
Appeals Court Rules Trump Can't Build White House Ballroom Without Congressional ApprovalThe Associated Press
M. KUNZELMAN
BILL BARROW
ReportingA federal appeals court on Friday ordered the Trump administration to halt construction of its $400 million ballroom at the White House without congressional approval. President Trump doesn't have the unilateral authority to construct a 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom where the White House's East Wing stood before he ordered its demolition, according to the decision by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals sided with historic preservationists who sued to stop construction. The court said it would stay its own ruling for two weeks to allow the administration to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
ICE Will Release Body Camera Video Only When Seen in the Agency's 'Best Interests,' Policy SaysThe Associated Press
RYAN J. FOLEY
ReportingImmigration and Customs Enforcement is moving to equip officers with body cameras in the next two months but the agency's policy gives it broad control over what footage will be made public by specifying any releases must be in its "best interests." After years of delays, ICE said its field officers nationwide will have body-worn cameras by the end of September. The rollout comes after recent fatal shootings by officers enforcing President Trump's immigration crackdown have intensified pressure for accountability that the cameras could provide. The policy says ICE will promptly release video of shootings and other encounters in which its agents cause death or serious injury only after determining "it is in the best interests of the agency" to do so. That gives its director discretion to release recordings that reflect well on the agency's image while working to keep others secret, experts on body camera policies said.
Legal Scholar Weighs in on Trump's Executive Orders Targeting Birthright CitizenshipNPR Morning Edition
LEILA FADEL
ReportingNPR's Leila Fadel asks legal scholar Kim Wehle about the ramifications of President Trump's newest executive orders targeting birthright citizenship.
U.S. Economy Unexpectedly Loses 23,000 Jobs in JulyNPR Morning Edition
SCOTT HORSLEY
A MARTÍNEZ
ReportingThe Labor Department offered an update Friday morning on the U.S. jobs market. After lackluster hiring in June, forecasters had expected the report to show a modest pickup in July.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Oman Talks About the Negotiations Over the Strait of HormuzNPR Morning Edition
LEILA FADEL
ReportingNPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Marc Sievers, former U.S. ambassador to Oman, about the negotiations between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz.
Group Pushes for Ban on Using Campaign Funds for Legal Fees in Misconduct CasesPBS News Hour
LIZ LANDERS
ReportingAfter Graham Platner ended his Senate campaign, activists launched an effort to claw back donations so the money wouldn't be used on legal fees related to Platner's alleged misconduct. The group behind the effort, Reckoning Action, is working with lawmakers to create a ban on using campaign cash for legal fees in sexual misconduct investigations. Liz Landers discussed more with Cheyenne Hunt.
Senator Rand Paul Asks Justice Department to Prosecute Fauci After Contempt VoteReuters
AHMED ABOULENEIN
ReportingRepublican U.S. Senator Rand Paul on Thursday asked the Justice Department to prosecute Dr. Anthony Fauci for refusing to answer questions about the Covid-19 pandemic after a Senate committee voted to hold the former top infectious disease official in contempt of Congress. Paul sent the referral after the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which he chairs, approved a contempt resolution on a party-line vote. But the Kentucky senator, a longtime Fauci antagonist, bypassed a referral vote by the full Senate. He described a full Senate vote as unnecessary. Democrats said Paul was violating Senate rules by skipping the vote, which would likely fail to achieve the necessary 60-vote majority and called the move dangerous and unprecedented. "Dr. Fauci has committed no crime -- and Senator Paul knows it," Fauci's attorney David Schertler said, describing the resolution as a continuation of a "personal vendetta."
Union Representing IRS Workers Asks Judge to Block Trump Tax Audit Immunity DealThe Associated Press
ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
ReportingThe labor union representing Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service workers asked a judge Thursday to block a sweeping tax audit immunity agreement for President Trump, arguing it would force career employees to choose between following a political order and abiding by the law. The group joined a lawsuit filed in May that sought to block the proposed $1.8 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund," which the Trump administration later scrapped after bipartisan pushback. The updated lawsuit, filed by legal advocacy group Democracy Forward, now also targets the audit immunity deal conferred on the president, his sons and the Trump Organization, which remains in place. The updated lawsuit says Trump and his family are "obligated to pay taxes owed, just like every other taxpayer." But under the immunity order, IRS employees will be forced to drop ongoing audits of the president and his businesses, giving Trump "a lucrative and unconstitutional emolument," the lawsuit says.
DOGE Overstated Savings on Federal 'Receipts' Web site, Auditors FindThe Associated Press
KEVIN FREKING
ReportingSome of the savings touted by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency are incorrect or lack supporting evidence, according to federal auditors. DOGE began posting its estimated savings on a Web page known as the Wall of Receipts. Lawmakers asked the Government Accountability Office to evaluate the accuracy of the estimates and the watchdog found them lacking in some cases. Auditors found that 108 of 264 leases identified for termination on the Wall of Receipts were already in the process of termination when DOGE was established. In another case, DOGE reported $1.7 billion in savings on a Department of Defense contract for IT services, but in the end, no action was taken to terminate the contract, so no savings were achieved. More broadly, DOGE was not transparent regarding the methodologies used to calculate savings. The GAO said DOGE officials did not respond to requests for information. The report concluded by saying the data quality issues found limit the value of the Wall of Receipts for policymakers. "In addition, when government data are not reliable, it can hinder the public's trust in government," the report stated.
Trump Administration's Latest Buyback of Offshore Wind Leases Brings Total to Nearly $4 BillionThe Associated Press
JENNIFER MCDERMOTT
ReportingAn offshore wind company said Thursday that it reached a $1.2 billion settlement with the Trump administration to walk away from projects under development off New York, California and Louisiana. This latest agreement brings the total amount spent on such settlements to nearly $4 billion. The administration adopted this strategy after federal courts thwarted Trump's efforts to stop offshore wind development through executive action. Roughly $3.9 billion has been spent. States that are losing offshore wind energy are suing. California intends to sue.
Trump Signs Two Immigration Actions to Limit Birthright Citizenship and Curb 'Birth Tourism'The Associated Press
WILL WEISSERT
REBECCA SANTANA
ReportingPresident Trump said Thursday that he is once more trying to limit the number of people who are born in the country who can become American citizens. The first written executive order released Thursday was narrower in scope than the previous one shot down by the Supreme Court and appeared to focus on restricting automatic citizenship to specific categories of people, including children born to adults with connections to foreign embassies or organizations as well as anyone considered an "alien enemy" of the United States. It also aimed to restrict birthright citizenship to anyone whose parents "engaged in fraudulent activity to obtain citizenship." A second order seeks to curb what Trump called "birth tourism" by increasing restrictions on visitors to the U.S. who want to obtain visas to give birth while in the country.
Trump Administration Moves to Deregulate Head Start, Opening Door for Sweeping ChangeAll Things Considered
SEQUOIA CARRILLO
ReportingThe Trump administration on Thursday proposed significant changes to Head Start, the nation's early education program for children from low-income families. Head Start not only provides preschool and childcare, but also meals and support services for qualifying families. It now serves more than 700,000 kids each year from birth to age 5. The new proposal would limit the amount of money Head Start centers can spend on administrative overhead, from a 15 percent cap to 5 percent. This change should save the government $2.2 billion, Adams said, which it plans to reinvest in the program. The goal is to create 200,000 more spots for children, he said. To get those costs down, the administration said it proposes cutting regulations and "compliance-driven activities," according to a press release. Similarly, they are shifting decisions about several standards -- such as student-teacher ratios, education requirements, background checks and transportation practices -- back to states. Childcare providers are not sold on the proposal.
States Are Passing Their Own Clear Water Laws to Counter Trump Admin RollbacksAll Things Considered
RACHEL COHEN
ReportingA 2023 Supreme Court ruling removed Clean Water Act protections for wetlands. The Trump administration is moving to weaken remaining rules. Some states are passing their own clear water laws in response.
At Trump's DOJ, Watchdogs Gutted as Misconduct Complaints SoarReuters
A. GOUDSWARD
BRAD HEATH
ReportingIn one courtroom after another, federal judges have accused U.S. President Trump's Justice Department of an extraordinary spate of misconduct, including making false statements, failing to comply with court orders and improperly using the legal system to harass political opponents. Such rebukes might be expected to trigger a flurry of activity within the department's two internal watchdogs tasked with policing the government's most powerful law-enforcement agency. But shrinking staffs and fears of political retribution have largely sidelined the offices, limiting new investigations into the administration, according to Reuters interviews with four former DOJ staffers and a review of department employment and investigations data. The number of new OPR investigations has declined to a 20-year low even as misconduct complaints soar, the review found. The government watchdogs are "afraid of doing any watching," said one former DOJ official who left last year.
Iran Warns Gulf States: Tell Trump to Desist or We Hit You HardReuters
PARISA HAFEZI
SAMIA NAKHOUL
ReportingIran has made a concerted diplomatic push with Gulf states, warning them explicitly that Tehran will hit their oil, power and water plants unless they convince Donald Trump to end U.S. strikes on Iran and instead seek a negotiated end to the war. The warning envisaged attacks on the energy facilities, oil fields, refineries, electricity grids, water infrastructure, transport networks and other strategic assets of Washington's closest Arab allies, according to a senior Iranian official. Two senior Iranian officials, two Gulf sources and a senior regional diplomat with knowledge of the discussions said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi spoke with his Saudi, Turkish and Qatari counterparts, as well as Pakistan's army chief. All spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Former Middle East Adviser Discusses the Negotiations Over the Strait of HormuzNPR Morning Edition
MICHEL MARTIN
ReportingNPR's Michel Martin talks to Michael Singh, a former Middle East adviser during the George W. Bush administration, about negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz.
Senate Finance Committee Wrestles With How to Sustain Social Security BenefitsNPR Morning Edition
SCOTT HORSLEY
ReportingThe Senate Finance Committee held a hearing yesterday on how to prevent deep cuts to Social Security benefits in a few years. The math is simple but the politics are not.
Senate Homeland Security Committee Votes to Hold Fauci in Contempt of CongressNPR Morning Edition
ERIC MCDANIEL
ReportingThe Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has voted to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. Thursday's vote was along party lines and came after Fauci refused to answer lawmakers' questions in a hearing last week about the government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, citing his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination. In an opening statement during that hearing, Fauci said that the committee's chairman, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has "an unhinged obsession" with him and suggested the hearing was convened in an attempt to trick Fauci into lying under oath. Fauci told the committee he had answered many of their questions already during previous testimony. In a statement following Thursday's vote, an attorney for Fauci, David Schertler, said, "Today's partisan committee vote is a crude political stunt intended to punish Dr. Fauci for exercising his constitutional rights."
Trump Touts Economy During Vegas Speech, but Workers Say His Policies Aren't HelpingNPR Morning Edition
DEEPA SHIVARAM
LEILA FADEL
ReportingPresident Trump gave a speech in Las Vegas Wednesday, where he praised the U.S. economy but workers in the city say his administration's policies aren't helping.
Trump Team Pushes to Block Court Order Giving BBC Access to Financial RecordsThe Guardian
GAYA GUPTA
ReportingDonald Trump's legal team is making an 11th-hour attempt to block a court order that would grant the BBC access to the president's financial records, as part of his multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the British broadcaster. Trump claims that the BBC's 2024 documentary on the Jan. 6 attacks have damaged the president's business interests. In July, a Miami-based judge ruled that the president would have to start handing over detailed financial records to the BBC by 6 August. The records would reveal details into the hundreds of businesses owned by the U.S. president's family trust. The lawsuit against the BBC is one of Trump's several recent attempts to wage legal battles against media outlets that publish critical coverage of him.
Dr. Erica Schwartz Confirmed as CDC Director, Filling a Leadership VacuumAll Things Considered
PIEN HUANG
ReportingThe U.S. Senate confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz 51-44 as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly a year after the last permanent director was fired in a dispute over vaccine policy with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. She will take command of a public health agency that has lost thousands of employees in the second Trump administration amid layoffs, resignations and leadership shakeups.
The Local Impact of Changing Federal Grant RulesAll Things Considered
KATIA RIDDLE
ReportingDemocratic policy makers are pushing back on a rule change proposed by the Office of Management and Budget that would grant political appointees veto power over federal research grants. We talk with people at the level of local government about what this could mean for them in areas like public health and research.
Trump Administration Targets Children Amid Push to 'Deport at All Costs'The Guardian
ALEXANDRA VILLARREAL
ReportingThe Trump administration is deliberately targeting children who came to the U.S. unaccompanied by a parent or guardian as it pushes to quickly return them to the countries they fled -- amid "drastic policy changes" in immigration courts, according to allegations in a federal lawsuit shared with the Guardian. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are trying to prevent imminent deportation to the places from where they escaped danger or harm. "This case is about the most vulnerable in our immigration system: abused, abandoned, neglected and trafficked children," the lawsuit reads. "One would assume it would be a priority of our immigration system to protect, at least, these children. However, protecting vulnerable and trafficked children conflicts with an agenda of 'deport at all costs'."
U.S. Has Used 'Virtually All' of Its Long-Range Precision Missiles During Iran War, Sources SayReuters
ERIN BANCO
MIKE STONE
JONATHAN LANDAY
ReportingThe U.S. Army has used up much of its global stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during its five-month war with Iran, according to three people familiar with the data, raising concerns about the military's readiness for future conflicts. The missiles are principally the Army's surface-to-surface weapons, known as Army Tactical Missile Systems and Precision Strike Missiles. The U.S. has used "virtually all" of these weapons, according to two of the sources. he degree to which the military is running out of ATACMS and Precision Strike Missiles has not been previously reported.
Judge Criticizes the Justice Department as He Dismisses Jan. 6 Seditious Conspiracy CaseThe Associated Press
ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
ReportingA federal judge decried efforts to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol as he reluctantly dismissed the seditious conspiracy case against members of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group at the Trump administration's request. "This is the last of the prosecutions seeking to hold accountable those responsible for the events of Jan. 6. That book is now closed," wrote U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta. "Today's epilogue diminishes the gravity of that day, denigrates the work of the prosecutors and law enforcement officers who secured these convictions and excuses criminal acts that caused a centuries-long pillar of our democracy -- the peaceful transfer of presidential power -- to buckle. The court cannot write a different ending," he wrote.
Trump's Immigration Crackdown Has Detained More Than 50 Military Spouses and ParentsThe Associated Press
JACK BROOK
SAFIYAH RIDDLE
AARON KESSLER
ReportingPresident Trump's administration has detained dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. troops as it rolls back immigration protections for military families to pursue its mass deportation agenda, an Associated Press investigation found. More than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty service members have been detained since Trump took office for a second term and at least six have been deported and one self-deported, the AP found in the first accounting of such detentions, which the government does not track. At least eight immediate family members of U.S. service members remain in federal immigration custody. Parents and spouses of people in the military have generally been shielded from deportation under bipartisan consensus for decades. But the AP found they're now routinely being detained for months as they try to adjust their legal status through the policies available to service members' close relatives and even as the military continues to recruit by advertising immigration benefits for enlistees' families.
FDA Is Poised to Decide Whether to Approve the First mRNA Flu VaccineNPR Morning Edition
ROB STEIN
STEVE INSKEEP
ReportingThe FDA will soon decide whether to approve the first flu vaccine that uses the same mRNA technology as Covid-19 shots. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long questioned mRNA vaccines.
Black Lung Rates in Appalachia Are High as the 1970s, With Thousands of Miners SickNPR Morning Edition
HOWARD BERKES
JUSTIN HICKS
ReportingThe National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health researchers found that working veteran underground coal miners in central Appalachia are suffering from the incurable and fatal black lung disease at the highest rates in nearly 50 years. The new research shows that even miners with as few as 15 years underground have higher rates of black lung -- rates not seen in nearly 40 years. "I'm disgusted," said Scott Laney, a NIOSH research epidemiologist who is the lead author of the research letter. "This is not going to get better because of all the disease that's already in the pipeline. These guys are being treated like disposable widgets, not human beings.... We're watching them die right before our eyes."
Expert Discusses Dwindling U.S. Munitions Reserve and the Effect on the Iran WarNPR Morning Edition
MICHEL MARTIN
ReportingNPR's Michel Martin speaks with Center for a New American Security senior fellow Stacie Pettyjohn about the shortage of U.S. long-range precision missiles in the wake of the war against Iran.
Former Energy Advisor on the Turbulent Energy Prices Fueled by the Iran WarNPR Morning Edition
MICHEL MARTIN
ReportingNPR's Michel Martin talks with Bob McNally, a former White House energy advisor, about roller-coaster oil prices amid the U.S. war with Iran.
U.S. Federal Judge Blocks New York's Ban on ICE Officers Wearing MasksThe Guardian
EDWARD HELMORE
ReportingA New York law banning U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from wearing face coverings and requiring that they wear visible identification has been put on hold by a federal judge. But a state law prohibiting cooperation between local police departments and ICE has been allowed to stand. U.S. district judge Mae D'Agostino of the federal court in Albany, New York, wrote that while the state "appears to be well-intentioned in its pursuit of transparent policing," her decision was made on constitutional arguments. "The United States has demonstrated a likelihood that it will succeed on its claim that [New York's] face covering and identification acts directly regulate federal officers in violation of the supremacy clause," D'Agostino wrote. "Whether federal law enforcement agencies have chosen to carry out such operations in a sufficiently transparent manner is an important question. But that question is not for this court to answer at the present time."
U.S. Has Used 'Virtually All' of Its Long-Range Precision Missiles During Iran War, Sources SayReuters
ERIN BANCO
MIKE STONE
JONATHAN LANDAY
ReportingThe U.S. Army has used up much of its stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during its five-month war with Iran, according to three people familiar with the data, raising concerns about the military's readiness for future conflicts. The missiles are principally the Army's surface-to-surface weapons, known as Army Tactical Missile Systems and Precision Strike Missiles. The U.S. has used "virtually all" of these weapons, according to two of the sources. The degree to which the military is running out of ATACMS and Precision Strike Missiles has not been previously reported.
FBI Agents Fired Over Trump Investigation Get Broad Backing in Lawsuit Against AdministrationThe Associated Press
ERIC TUCKER
ReportingAn association of thousands of FBI agents and other groups are backing a lawsuit filed by three bureau employees who were fired last year for their roles in an investigation into President Trump's efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election. A legal brief by the FBI Agents Association is one of five filed by outside parties in the last week in support of the agents, who were terminated as part of a broader personnel purge by FBI Director Kash Patel that has targeted employees who investigated Trump or are perceived as being against the administration's interest. Taken together, the filings, including from former FBI and Justice Department alumni, underscore a concerted and bipartisan pushback to the waves of terminations that have roiled the FBI in the last year and a half as Patel has sought to remake the bureau in his own image.
Trump Administration Expected to Release Proposed Changes to Head Start ProgramNPR Morning Edition
SEQUOIA CARRILLO
A MARTÍNEZ
ReportingThe Trump administration is proposing changes to Head Start rules, delivering on the administration's promise to deregulate the early education program for children from low-income families.
Ripple Effects: Three People Have Reflecting Pool Charges Dropped After Hearn RequestNPR Morning Edition
RACHEL TREISMAN
ReportingThe federal government dropped charges against three individuals in connection with damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, further weakening President Trump's argument that it was the work of vandals. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia wrote that given newly released evidence from the Department of the Interior, "it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt." Instead, it blamed a "botched installation" by President Trump's hand-picked contractor.
What We Know About the Cyberattacks on Water Systems in 7 StatesPBS News Hour
LIZ LANDERS
ReportingAccording to the FBI, at least seven states have now been targeted in a growing wave of cyberattacks on critical water infrastructure across the country. Federal officials now reportedly believe Iran is the likely culprit. Liz Landers discussed more with Cynthia Kaiser, a former deputy assistant director of the FBI's cyber division currently at Halcyon.
Trump Says New Talks Are Iran's 'Last Chance' to Make Deal 'Before Decapitation'PBS News Hour
NICK SCHIFRIN
ReportingPresident Trump said his decision not to escalate the war in Iran over the weekend was Iran's "last chance" to make a deal. He also said he called off attacks because Gulf allies asked him to do so. Threatening new strikes and then calling them off is something Trump has done many times. Nick Schifrin discussed the latest with Dania Thafer, executive director of the Gulf International Forum.
Blanche Wins Support From GOP Holdouts After Vowing to Scrap 'Anti-Weaponization Fund'PBS News Hour
AMNA NAWAZ
ALI ROGIN
ReportingActing Attorney General Todd Blanche cleared a major hurdle in his push to permanently lead the Department of Justice. He reached a deal with two GOP senators who had said they would block his nomination. Blanche put into writing that the DOJ is scrapping a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund that could have provided settlements to the Trump allies, including Jan. 6 rioters. Ali Rogin reports.
Documents Undercut Trump's Claims About Utah National MonumentThe New York Times
MAXINE JOSELOW
ReportingWhen President Trump sharply reduced the size of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah by more than 1.2 million acres, he claimed it was necessary because recreation was virtually impossible within the site's boundaries. But recreation has been allowed in Bears Ears since President Barack Obama designated the monument in 2016. And government documents reviewed by The New York Times show that Trump administration officials were briefed on recreational opportunities inside the monument about a month before the Oval Office event. The documents suggest that the administration was "lying or spreading misinformation about these fantastic public lands" when it justified cutting the protected areas, said Steve Bloch, the legal director at the nonprofit Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, who reviewed the records at the request of The Times.
Voters Prefer Democrats Over Republicans on Economy for First Time in a Decade, Reuters/Ipsos Poll FindsReuters
JASON LANGE
ReportingAmericans picked Democrats over Republicans as better stewards of the economy for the first time in nearly a decade in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, which also found their approval of President Trump's performance falling to 35 percent. The finding, in a poll conducted Wednesday through Monday, showed how Trump's handling of the economy, including rising energy prices resulting from the Iran war, could weigh on his party's chances in the November midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for the next two years. Some 37 percent of registered voters responding to the poll said the Democratic Party has a better approach to the U.S. economy, compared with 36 percent who picked the Republican Party. Another 27 percent said they were not sure or that a different party would do a better job.
t25 States Sue Over Trump's New Tariffs, Calling Them 'Pretext' to Replace His Old OnesThe Associated Press
PAUL WISEMAN
MAE ANDERSON
ReportingTwenty-five states sued the Trump administration Monday over its latest tariffs, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes the Supreme Court struck down in February. "After losing at the Supreme Court, the administration is once again trying to illegally raise taxes on families and businesses with a new round of tariffs," said New York Attorney General Letitia James. Joining New York in the lawsuit announced Monday are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
Inside the Secretive Boards Deciding Trans Troops' FateThe New York Times
GREG JAFFE
DAVE PHILIPPS
ReportingLast year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued an order that effectively forced all trans troops out of the military. Many of the more than 4,000 who were serving accepted that the Pentagon was going to force them out and took a cash payout to leave quickly. But others decided to stay and fight, taking their cases to special separation boards set up by the military. The boards operate like court proceedings, with lawyers and a panel of three officers who decide whether to retain or remove the service member. At least six of attorney Priya Rashid's clients were barred from attending their own separation board hearings because they refused to cut their hair and appear in the uniform of their sex assigned at birth. One was a master sergeant in South Korea with 17 years of service who was allowed to testify by video, but only if she turned off her camera. "It's in a lot of ways a public humiliation ritual," Rashid said in an interview. "Going in, I had hoped I was paranoid and boards' outcomes were not predetermined. It turned out to be much worse than I thought."
Park Service Finds Trump's Arch Could Detract From Dozens of Historic PlacesThe New York Times
EMILY BADGER
ReportingPresident Trump's proposed 250-foot-tall triumphal arch would change the skyline of Washington to such an extent that it would intrude on views at dozens of historic sites around the capital, according to an assessment by National Park Service staff. It would disrupt the symbolic relationship between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, obstruct sightlines from the Kennedy Gravesite and Robert E. Lee's home and alter what official documents call "one of the most magnificent" views in Washington at the National Cathedral four miles away, the Park Service said. The assessment of the arch's impact on surrounding historic properties is a key step the administration must complete before the project can receive final approval by the National Capital Planning Commission, which could come as soon as its next meeting on Sept. 3.
'Stark Example of Brutality': Trump's ICE Used Court Orders in Plan to Force-Feed at Least 10 Hunger Strikers in DetentionThe Guardian
JOSÉ OLIVARES
ReportingHomeland security officials under the Trump administration have quietly attempted to subject at least 10 hunger strikers in U.S. immigrant detention to involuntary medical procedures, including force-feeding, a Guardian investigation has found. In 2025 and 2026, officials had definitely performed the procedures on at least three detained immigrants and probably subjected two more to the forced treatment -- widely considered torture by human rights groups. The other five people gave in and broke their hunger strike at the last minute as force-feeding procedures loomed.More people have gone on hunger strike in ICE detention centers to protest against conditions and demand resolutions to legal cases. The investigation, based on hundreds of pages of court records and interviews with multiple sources, reveals a clearer picture of the federal government's response to hunger strikes within secretive ICE facilities.
Firefighter Deaths Raise Questions About Available Resources for Western WildfiresNPR Morning Edition
MURPHY WOODHOUSE
ReportingFive firefighters have died battling wildfires in the past six weeks, raising questions about how stretched firefighting resources are in a season that is expected to be both long and severe.
Political Strategist Weighs in on the Tension Between Trump and Senate RepublicansNPR Morning Edition
A MARTÍNEZ
ReportingNPR's A Martinez speaks with political strategist Alex Conant about the tensions between the Senate and President Trump ahead of the long congressional recess that starts later this week.
Iran Expert on Tehran's View as Trump Says There's a Pending DealNPR Morning Edition
A MARTÍNEZ
ReportingNPR's A Martínez speaks with Iran expert and analyst Karim Sadjadpour about the view from Iran as President Trump says there is potential to wind down the war.
With a Series of Big Donations, State Department Restores Some Global Health AidThe New York Times
STEPHANIE NOLEN
ReportingOver the past two months, the United States has made financial commitments that hint at a limited return to global health and humanitarian assistance partnerships, after the abrupt severing of many of those relationships a year and a half ago. In most cases, these payments move money that had been appropriated by Congress but which had been stuck since the Trump administration took office in January 2025 and instituted a freeze on foreign aid.
Family to Sue After Woman Released From ICE Custody Froze to DeathThe Guardian
ALBA ASENJO DOMÍNGUEZ
ReportingThe family of a Haitian immigrant who froze to death in early March at a bus shelter in Pittsburgh after she was dropped off in the city by Immigration and Customs Enforcement is poised to file a lawsuit this month against the United States and "multiple other governmental and non-governmental entities," the Guardian has learned. Daphy Michel, 31, had been in county jail for six months after a reported mental health crisis and street incident and then was arrested by ICE before being released with a ankle monitor. She was left to make her way home to Charleroi, a small community on the outskirts of Pittsburgh about 20 miles away, but was found dead three days later. In June, Pennsylvania officials said she died from hypothermia and ruled her death a homicide The morning she was found unresponsive, she was wearing summer clothes and the temperature was just 20 degrees.
Capital One Says It Closed Trump Organization's Accounts After Anti-Money Laundering ProbeReuters
KENRICK CAI
ReportingCapital One Financial hit back on Friday against a lawsuit over its decision to close the Trump Organization's bank accounts years ago, stating that it did so after a review by anti-money laundering experts. The disclosure marks the first time a bank has formally tied money laundering concerns to U.S. President Trump's family business. Capital One is seeking to dismiss the case by casting doubt on claims of illegally debanking -- or denying services on religious or political grounds -- the Trump Organization.
Immigrant Families Sever Lifelong Ties to Flee Red State ICE CrackdownsNPR Weekend Edition
MELODIE EDWARDS
ReportingAs red state leaders have embraced cooperating with ICE, immigrants with and without legal status are leaving, fearing for their safety and abandoning strong ties in rural American communities.
Trust in Public Health Institutions Is Eroding. What Can Officials Do?NPR Weekend Edition
AYESHA RASCOE
ReportingNPR's Ayesha Rascoe discusses America's declining trust in public health officials with Marianne Udow-Phillips, a lecturer at the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan.
FBI Investigates as Michigan Joins Minnesota in Reporting Cyberattacks on Its Water SystemsThe Associated Press
MICHAEL CASEY
ReportingMichigan on Saturday joined Minnesota in reporting cyberattacks on nine of the state's water systems but an official said all systems were operating "safely." Earlier this week, authorities said cyberattacks targeted over 30 water systems in Minnesota. The source of the attacks is being investigated, but they came amid warnings that Iranian hackers have been focused on such systems. The reports in Michigan surfaced after the state received a federal cyber alert Tuesday about attempts to tamper with operational technology at water systems.
tPrevTrump Dings Longtime Ally Jeanine Pirro for Dropping Reflecting Pool Vandalism CasePolitico
BEN JOHANSEN
G. SVIRNOVSKIY
ReportingPresident Trump publicly broke with one of his closest political allies Saturday, criticizing U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro over her office's decision to drop a high-profile vandalism case involving the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Trump rejected the Friday decision from Pirro's office to move to dismiss felony charges against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn after prosecutors concluded that newly disclosed evidence showed the damage to the pool stemmed largely from flawed contractor work rather than vandalism. "I disagree 100 percent with Jeanine Pirro," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "I don't know what she was thinking?" Pirro's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Justice Dept. Subpoenas Times Freelancer in Effort to Identify SourcesThe New York Times
DEVLIN BARRETT
ReportingFreelance reporter Matthew Cole has been fighting a subpoena from the Trump administration seeking to force him to reveal his sources for a New York Times article about a failed top secret mission in North Korea, according to people familiar with the matter. The subpoena, which has not been previously disclosed, reflects the administration's intensifying campaign to investigate leaks of government secrets by pressuring reporters to divulge their sources. Until President Trump began his second term, federal subpoenas to reporters were exceedingly rare. The investigators are seeking his testimony about two years' worth of information about Cole's contacts and conversations, as they try to identify his sources for the article about the operation in North Korea, the people familiar with the matter said.
DoJ Appears to Ignore New Mexico Deadline for Key Epstein Ranch FilesThe Guardian
RICHARD LUSCOMBE
ReportingThe U.S. Department of Justice appeared to ignore a Friday deadline set by Raúl Torrez, the attorney general of New Mexico, to share information about the abuse of girls at a remote ranch formerly owned by the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Torrez's office asked the DoJ in February for unredacted files after he reopened a dormant criminal investigation into activities at Zorro ranch, a remote 10,000-acre property in desert scrub outside New Mexico. It set a 31 July deadline for the department to share relevant records. As it approached on Friday, the justice department did not respond to a request for comment.
Justice Department Moves to Drop Case Against Ex-Olympian Charged With Damaging Reflecting PoolThe Associated Press
ERIC TUCKER
ReportingThe Justice Department moved Friday to dismiss a criminal case charging a former Olympian with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying evidence prosecutors had recently received refuted the idea that vandals were to blame. Government lawyers said in a 20-page court filing that additional documents provided by the Interior Department since the indictment of David Hearn show that the damage was the result of a botched installation by a contractor as well as "the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026." In addition, a recent visual inspection revealed damage throughout the pool, including in the middle -- where prosecutors say a vandal would not likely have attempted to peel the lining. "Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt," said the filing from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, which asked a judge to formally dismiss the case.
Feds Mandate Historic Colorado River Cuts for Southwest Through 2036NPR Weekend Edition
ALEX HAGER
SCOTT SIMON
ReportingUnder a new federal plan out today to manage the Colorado river, Arizona, California and Nevada would share steep water cuts over the next decade. The plan by will deeply impact communities and farms across those states.
Trade Expert Scott Lincicome Breaks Down Legal Threats to Trump's Latest TariffsNPR Weekend Edition
SCOTT SIMON
ReportingNPR's Scott Simon asks Scott Lincicome of the Cato Institute about President Trump's latest round of tariffs and the legal challenges they may face.
Week in Politics: Todd Blanche Nomination; Michigan's Democratic Senate ShakeupNPR Weekend Edition
SCOTT SIMON
TAMARA KEITH
ReportingTwo nominations to watch: President Trump's of Todd Blanche to be U.S. Attorney General and who Michigan Democrats will choose Tuesday to campaign for the U.S. Senate.