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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigns: The Georgia Republican, who rose to prominence as one of President Trump's biggest defenders and recently became one of his biggest critics, is leaving Congress. Greene's announcement late Friday that she would resign effective Jan. 5, 2026, is the latest escalation of months of clashes with the president over his second term agenda – including the release of the Epstein files. Read more from NPR's Sam Gringlas.
Trump signs law calling for release of Epstein files: The House and Senate voted to compel the release of the Epstein files this week by a nearly unanimous margin, after President Trump urged Republicans to support the measure in an 11th-hour reversal. The bill, which comes after years of calls for a public reckoning by survivors of Epstein's abuse, could trigger a rarely seen baring of a sprawling federal investigation. The political fight over the files also exposed cracks in the MAGA coalition, raising questions about what a post-Trump GOP looks like and what direction the party will go.
Court blocks Trump-backed Texas redistricting: A federal court this week ruled that there was “substantial evidence” that new congressional maps drawn by Texas Republicans constituted an illegal racial gerrymander. The maps would have given Republicans an advantage in winning five more seats in the House in next year’s midterms. The ruling is a blow to President Trump’s efforts to tilt congressional maps nationwide in Republicans’ favor, but Texas has already appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Trump defends MBS over Khashoggi killing: During a meeting in the Oval Office this week, President Trump defended Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from questions about the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump called Khashoggi, who was killed and dismembered in a Saudi consulate in Turkey, “extremely controversial,” and said the crown prince “knew nothing about” the killing, despite the CIA concluding the prince had approved the operation.
Trump calls Democratic video "seditious behavior, punishable by DEATH!": In a series of social media posts Thursday, President Trump accused Democratic lawmakers of sedition “punishable by DEATH,” called them “traitors” and shared a post suggesting they should be hanged. The posts came in response to a video where the lawmakers, most of whom are military veterans themselves, address members of the military and intelligence communities and advise them to “refuse illegal orders.” In training, servicemembers are told that following orders does not protect them from consequences for illegal actions. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters President Trump does not want to see members of Congress executed, but accused the lawmakers of undermining the military chain of command. Trump’s posts were swiftly condemned by Democrats as calls for political violence.
Trump administration could further penalize immigrants for using benefits: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services wants to expand a Biden-era policy that could further curtail legal immigrants' use of public benefits. That means that their use of safety net programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), could be considered when determining whether they should be granted further legal status, such as a green card. Advocates say the proposed rule is overly broad and could penalize immigrants for using programs that they qualify for. Read more from NPR’s Ximena Bustillo.
DOJ official said U.S. should “just sink” suspected drug boats: At a Justice Department conference in February, then-acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove told the department's top drug prosecutors that the Trump administration wasn't interested in interdicting suspected drug vessels at sea anymore. Instead, he said, the U.S. should "just sink the boats," according to three people present for the speech. Nine months later, the U.S. has conducted some 20 strikes in international waters, killing more than 75 people without providing any public evidence about who those people were or if they were carrying drugs. NPR’s Ryan Lucas has been tracing the origins of Trump’s fight against “narco-terrorism.”
Trump meets with Mamdani at the White House: President Trump and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani described their first in-person conversation on Friday afternoon as cordial and productive -- a striking shift in tone after months of both leaders slinging political attacks at one another. Read more from NPR's Elena Moore. |
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Quick question: Do you have a list of old books that you’ve always been meaning to get around to? You know — the sort of book that a friend recommended a hundred years ago, or maybe one that a teacher assigned (and you ignored), or a classic that everyone’s - allegedly - already read? Yep, us too.
Thankfully, we’ve just launched Books We’ve Loved, a brand-new, limited series from our Book of the Day podcast, with new episodes dropping on Saturdays throughout the fall. This is where we’ll be wrangling some of the most compelling lit nerds out there to make the case for picking up a book from the past.
We’re inviting a cast of literary luminaries – authors, critics, and familiar NPR voices – to argue why their book pick is worth your time. We’re asking our guests questions like — why can’t they get this book out of their head? How did this book shift a paradigm, shake the culture, or change their life? And, most importantly, why should you read it now? |
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Going Deeper: An Iraqi Vet Navigates Coming Home |
After a string of juvenile crimes and struggling with a drinking problem, the military was supposed to be a way out for Dave Carlson.
But after two combat tours in Iraq, Carlson found himself back in prison and struggling with PTSD. NPR’s Quil Lawrence has been following Carlson’s story for 10 years, always with the same question in mind: How do you get over war?
Their conversations document Carlson’s journey and demonstrate his evolution — from incarcerated vet struggling with addiction to husband, father and practicing lawyer.
🎧Listen to the two-part story, Carlson’s War |
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The Shot: Single Motherhood In America |
Eva Marie Uzcategui for NPR |
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Today, 40% of all babies in the U.S. are born to unmarried women, a dramatic increase since 1960, when they made up only 5% of births.
Increasingly, they are more likely to be over 30, never have been married and raising children by themselves by choice.
NPR’s Pallavi Gogoi and Janet W. Lee followed a series of women who are rewriting the single mom narrative in America. |
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