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Attorney General Bondi brushes aside questions about her handling of Epstein files

US Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks about recent drug enforcement actions during a news conference at the Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters in Arlington, Va., on Tuesday.

Pam Bondi sought to move past questions about her handling of the Justice Department's files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, as pressure continued to grow for her to release them.

(Image credit: Saul Loeb)

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Increase in military aid to Ukraine marks a shift in White House policy toward Russia

A military vehicle drives by Patriot air defense systems installed at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, a logistics hub for U.S. and European military aid to Ukraine, in southeastern Poland on March 6.

The Pentagon and U.S. military officials in Europe are working with NATO members to ship more Patriot missile systems to Ukraine and release more munitions that were briefly halted.

(Image credit: Sergei Gapon)

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Texas flash flood recovery effort turns its focus to lakes

The dam on the Guadalupe River that forms Nimitz Lake, the city of Kerrville

With 101 people still missing after the July 4 flash flood, the focus turns to local lakes, and what may be buried in them.

(Image credit: Martin Kaste)

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U.S. senator wants DOGE out of sensitive farmer payment system

Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin wants to revoke DOGE

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., wants the USDA to revoke high-level access granted to the Department of Government Efficiency to a database that controls payments and loans to farmers and ranchers.

(Image credit: Christian Blaza for NPR)

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An Israeli restaurant owner quits a controversial Gaza food program after criticism

Protesters enter Miznon Hardware Lane in Melbourne, Australia, July 4. Demonstrators clashed with staff at the restaurant, which is co-owned by Shahar Segal, who had joined the Israeli- and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as a spokesperson. Segal has since left his role with the controversial Gaza food distribution group.

Shahar Segal, who runs popular restaurants around the world, has left his role as a spokesman for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation amid calls to boycott his businesses.

(Image credit: Alex Zucco)

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Trump's pick for U.N. Ambassador grilled over Signal chat scandal

Mike Waltz, former US national security adviser and US ambassador to the United Nations (UN) nominee for US President Donald Trump, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.

Former national security adviser Mike Waltz, who was removed from office amid the Signal chat controversy, spent Tuesday infront of Senate confirmation hearing for his nomination as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

(Image credit: Kent Nishimura)

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5 takeaways from the 2025 Emmy nominations

Britt Lower and Adam Scott in <!-- raw HTML omitted -->Severance<!-- raw HTML omitted -->. Both were nominated for Emmys Tuesday.

Apple TV+ must be happy about how many nominations they've raked in this year for hit shows including Severance and The Studio, NPR critic Linda Holmes says.

(Image credit: Apple TV+)

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Childhood Stamp Collection Opened a Reporter's Eyes to the World

Stanley Gibbons is probably the best-known name in the philatelic world: their catalogues are the standard reference work for collectors and dealers alike and they are the market leader in the stamp collecting business.

Clearing out a closet, attic or garage can be a chore. Old photographs, clothes and books can create clutter, or take up space that's sometimes needed for something else. But every so often, the heirlooms or mementos that you find retain some value: if that's emotional value, it can be hard to part with them. If it's financial, that can make it easier, as Willem Marx hoped it would be with his childhood stamp collection in London.

(Image credit: Whitemay)

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The White House took down the nation's top climate report. You can still find it here

A resident of Altadena, Calif., during wildfires in January 2025. Wildfires are getting more extreme because of climate change. The Trump administration has taken down the website for the National Climate Assessment, which is the most comprehensive and authoritative source of information about how climate change is affecting all parts of the U.S.

The National Climate Assessment is the most influential source of information about climate change in the United States.

(Image credit: Ethan Swope)

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The Trump administration reverses its promise to publish key climate reports online

Workers on scaffolding repaint the NASA logo near the top of the Vehicle Assembly Building in 2020 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Earlier this month, the government websites that hosted the authoritative, peer-reviewed national climate assessments went dark. Officials say they're only obligated to give the reports to Congress.

(Image credit: John Raoux)

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Stacey Abrams warns of autocracy and voter suppression, doesn't rule out another run

Stacey Abrams says her focus is on ensuring free and fair elections in 2026.

Abrams isn't running for office — but she's not ruling it out, either. "Politics is a tool ... for getting good done, but it's not the only one." Her new thriller is Coded Justice.

(Image credit: Kevin Lowery)

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Floods are getting more dangerous around the country

Debris, rubble and a damaged car in North Plainfield, N.J. on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 after flooding from heavy rains in the area. Climate change is causing heavier rain across the United States.

New York, North Carolina, New Mexico and Texas have all suffered serious flooding this month. Climate change is causing even more rain to fall during the heaviest storms.

(Image credit: Seth Wenig)

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In Britain, hopes are mounting to finally clean up sewage-polluted waterways

A view along the Kennet and Avon Canal near Newbury Lock, Newbury, Berkshire, England.

After years of polluting by the water industry, a report planned for release in the coming days could lead to tightened regulation while also prompting an expensive modernization drive.

(Image credit: Andy Soloman)

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Inflation heats up in June as President Trump's tariffs start to bite

Clothing prices jumped by 1% in June, contributing to a rise in inflation during the month. Imported clothing is one area where the effects of tariffs are beginning to be felt by shoppers.

Consumer prices were up 2.7% from a year ago — a larger annual increase than the month before.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)

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SCOTUS allows dismantling of Education Dept. And, Trump threatens Russia with tariffs

The Department of Education building in Washington, DC, March 24, 2025.

The Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to continue with mass firings. And, Trump has threatened Russia with tariffs over its war with Ukraine.

(Image credit: JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

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Action must follow Trump's 'remarkable shift' on Russia, says Sen. Richard Blumenthal

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House on July 14 in Washington, DC.

A bipartisan bill in Congress would enable President Trump to slap "bone-crushing sanctions" on Russia, says Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch)

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Planet Money Summer School tackles political economy

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In this season of Planet Money Summer School, our free economics course for your ears is tackling the biggest economic player of them all: the government.

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A million veterans gave DNA for medical research. Now the data is in limbo

A research project run by the Department of Veterans Affairs that analyzes genetic data has led to medical breakthroughs.  Yet critical steps to keep the research going are stalled out.

Retired service members donated genetic material to a DNA database to help answer health questions for all Americans. The Trump administration is dragging its heels on agreements to analyze the data.

(Image credit: Billy Schuerman/Virginian Pilot/Tribune News Service)

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4 astronauts splashdown on SpaceX capsule to end Axiom Space's private Ax-4 mission

This image provided by NASA shows Axiom Space crew members from the Ax-4 mission from second left, Poland

The private crew included Ax-4 mission commander and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. It was her fifth trip to space and extended her record-setting duration to 695 days, the most of any American.

(Image credit: AP)

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Heavy rains and flash flooding sweep across Northeast

This image made from video shows cars submerged in floodwaters in Rahway, NJ., on July 14.

Flash flood watches and warnings were in place in parts of New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and surrounding areas as downpours moved through the region.

(Image credit: AP)

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Thousands continue search for those missing following deadly floods in central Texas

Recent storms have slowed recovery efforts in central Texas following the July 4 floods that killed more than 130 people. About 14,000 volunteers are searching for at least 100 people still missing.

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Wildfire destroys historic Grand Canyon Lodge

Arizona's governor is demanding answers about how the National Park Service handled a wildfire burning out of control in Grand Canyon National Park. The fire destroyed a historic lodge there.

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Man arrested for allegedly firebombing election equipment in Colorado clerk's office

A man who once ran for county sheriff in Colorado was arrested for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail into a county clerk's office, appearing to target the county's voting machines.

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Will Congress cut funds to NPR/PBS and foreign aid this week?

Sun shines on the U.S Capitol dome on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 9, 2022.

The Trump Administration has asked Congress to rescind funds for NPR/PBS and Foreign aid. Congress has until the end of the week to approve the cuts.

(Image credit: Patrick Semansky)

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Why there's so much excitement around a cryptocurrency called stablecoin

An illustration picture taken in London on May 8, 2022, shows a souvenir Tether (USDT) coin, which is one of the world

Stablecoins are meant to be a safer type of cryptocurrency. Now, Congress is preparing some rules around it.

(Image credit: Justin Tallis)

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This family wants to have more babies, but not in a hospital

Megan and Stephen Alger, photographed at home with their children in Augusta, Georgia. They have eight children and are expecting their ninth in December.

The Trump administration is encouraging people to have more children, with baby bonuses and tax breaks. But some families who are practicing pronatalism want alternatives to hospital births.

(Image credit: Kendrick Brinson)

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Her love life was in chaos. The solution? Giving up sex

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After a bad breakup, writer Melissa Febos decided to abstain from sex and dating for a year. She didn't realize how much it would change her life. She tells her story in a new book, The Dry Season.

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Republicans renew a bid to remove noncitizens from the census tally behind voting maps

GOP Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky, left, poses during a ceremonial swearing-in with House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, at the U.S. Capitol in January. On Monday, Rogers led Republican members of the House Appropriations Committee in releasing one of the latest bills in Congress that call for excluding millions of people living in the states without U.S. citizenship from a set of census counts that the 14th Amendment says must include the "whole number of persons in each state."

GOP lawmakers are trying again to exclude millions of non-U.S. citizens living in the states from census counts that the 14th Amendment says must include the "whole number of persons in each state."

(Image credit: Jacquelyn Martin)

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Power prices are expected to soar under new tax cut and spending law

A view of high-voltage transmission towers in Houston. The law President Trump signed on July 4 ends tax incentives for wind and solar projects and is expected to drive up electricity bills across the U.S., according to a nonpartisan think tank.

In states without policies to drive renewable energy, power prices could surge as federal tax incentives for clean energy disappear, according to Energy Innovation, a think tank.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan)

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With temporary protections for some Afghans set to expire, appeals court steps in

Afghan refugees who returned after fleeing Iran to escape deportation and conflict line up at a UNHCR facility near the Islam Qala crossing in western Herat province, Afghanistan, on Friday, June 20, 2025.

An appeals court late Monday stepped in to keep in place protections for nearly 12,000 Afghans that have allowed them to work in the U.S. and be protected from deportation.

(Image credit: Omid Haqjoo)

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