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Swalwell and Gonzales resign: California Democrat Eric Swalwell suspended his gubernatorial campaign and resigned from Congress this week after facing multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct — allegations he has adamantly denied. The scandal marks a fall from political grace for the seven-term Democrat, who had widely been seen as a gubernatorial frontrunner. Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales also resigned this week, after previously saying he would retire at the end of his term. The Swalwell story brought renewed scrutiny to Gonzales’ own alleged misconduct, and both men were facing potential expulsion votes if they didn’t step down.
FISA fight: House Republican leaders were unable to unite their razor-thin majority to pass an extension of a controversial surveillance program, instead settling for a short-term stopgap extension through the end of this month. The government says the program — authorized by Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA 702 — is a key asset in international counterterrorism and the fight against trafficking. But a number of lawmakers in both parties are concerned that FISA 702 allows for the federal government to spy on the communications of American citizens without a warrant.
Can the filibuster survive Trump 2.0? President Trump is pushing Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to scrap the filibuster in order to pass his election regulation bill known as the Save America Act. But Thune and other Senate Republicans are keenly aware that the shoe may someday be on the other foot, and that the filibuster provides whichever party is in the minority with a key tool for leverage. As congressional reporter Eric McDaniel reports, the fight is another test of institutional norms in the Trump era.
Immigration logjam leaves millions vulnerable: Since the start of last year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has taken longer and longer to process immigration applications, meaning an increasing number of people wait months without confirmation that their application was received — let alone reviewed. That has left millions of immigrants stuck in legal limbo, waiting to change their legal status and vulnerable to deportation, an NPR analysis has shown.
RFK faces questions on HHS leadership: In his first appearance on Capitol Hill this year, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his record in running the Department of Health and Human Services, playing up his agency's accomplishments on a range of issues — from drug price negotiations to new dietary guidelines — and doing his best to sidestep criticism of his controversial actions on vaccines. Health correspondent Will Stone recaps the hearing.
Polymarket trader made $300,000 betting on Biden's pardons: In the final hours of President Biden's term, a Polymarket trader made around $300,000 correctly betting on Biden's last-minute pardons, according to new data provided to NPR by an analytics firm that examines cryptocurrency transactions. The trader, whose identity is not publicly known, bet big on four individuals receiving pardons, even as the odds of those pardons occurring rapidly dropped to near zero. News of the trades follows a string of other well-timed bets that sparked fears of insider trading. |
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Going Deeper: These Georgia Swing Voters Aren’t Happy About Iran |
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP |
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NPR reporters watched two focus groups of Georgia voters this week as part of NPR’s Swing Voter Project. All 13 participants voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and President Trump in 2024. Seven identified as independents, five as Republicans and one as a Democrat.
Not a single voter said they would describe the military action in Iran as going well so far, despite Trump's claims that the U.S. has decimated Iran and that the war is "very close to over."
When asked how the conflict makes them feel, these voters used words like "afraid," "angry," "concerned," "sad" and "despair." Many said they were worried that the war was being mishandled and was likely to continue causing more economic pressures back home.
Read more from political correspondent Ashley Lopez. |
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The Shot: The Busiest Place You’ve Never Seen |
In the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, about halfway between South America and Africa, sits a small island called Tristan da Cunha. You’d be forgiven for thinking life there is quiet, but the reality is anything but.
Photographer Julia Gunther and writer-filmmaker Nick Schönfeld bring us this view of the world’s most remote inhabited island.
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