Trump extended his deadline for countries to make tariff deals, and sent a host of letters threatening new measures. Brian Schwartz at the Wall Street Journal brings us up to speed. Mary Ilyushina with the Washington Post discusses Putin’s “anti-woke” visa, and how U.S. citizens are using it to migrate to Russia. Cuts are coming for the federal SNAP program, which provides food assistance to more than 40 million Americans. Marcia Brown with Politico explains how the move will leave food banks sc...
Jul 09, 2025•13 min
The death toll from the Texas floods climbed above 100, as stories of tragedy and heroics continue to emerge. Keri Heath at the Austin American-Statesman gives us the latest from the scene. The Trump administration’s funding freezes are teeing up a budgetary challenge between the White House and Congress. Jeff Stein with the Washington Post explains how it could reshape the balance of power between them. Kavitha Surana with ProPublica unpacks how abortion bans have made first-trimester miscarria...
Jul 08, 2025•15 min
Catastrophic flooding in Texas killed at least 80 people, and more rainfall is expected. The Texas Tribune has the latest. Congressional Republicans passed a sprawling bill that cuts Medicaid, clean-energy funding, and taxes. NBC ’s Sahil Kapur unpacks the details. Jobs in meatpacking plants are notorious for being dangerous and physically taxing. Scott Calvert with the Wall Street Journal reports on how a slaughterhouse in Nebraska wants to change that. Plus, Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks began ...
Jul 07, 2025•15 min
The Trump administration is building a national citizenship-data system. NPR ’s Jude Joffe-Block joins to discuss her exclusive reporting behind the project. The Senate narrowly passed Trump’s tax-and-spending bill. Next comes the challenge to get it through the House before July 4. Politico looks at what might happen next. California has rolled back a landmark environmental law. Liam Dillon from the Los Angeles Times explains. Plus, the University of Pennsylvania bans transgender athletes from ...
Jul 02, 2025•16 min
Senate Republicans are racing to get their sprawling bill to the House. The Wall Street Journal ’s Richard Rubin joins to explain the financial maneuver Republicans are using to say that their tax-cut extensions will not impact the federal budget. As USAID is absorbed into the State Department, the Washington Post ’s Katharine Houreld tells us funding how cuts are hurting people in Sudan. The Trump administration has repurposed an app from the previous administration to encourage migrants to sel...
Jul 01, 2025•15 min
Republicans are grappling with their big tax-and-spending bill, which the independent Congressional Budget Office estimates will add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. As they debate Medicaid cuts and work requirements at the federal level, Jeanne Whalen with the Wall Street Journal explains why Medicaid work requirements at the state level have not worked out. Following the Supreme Court ruling on birthright citizenship, Politico reporter and former prosecutor Ankush Khard...
Jun 30, 2025•16 min
Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman — along with her husband, Mark, and their golden retriever, Gilbert — will lie in the Minnesota state Capitol on Friday ahead of a private funeral on Saturday. Patrick Coolican with the Minnesota Reformer tells us about her political legacy. Alicia Victoria Lozano from NBC lays out what to know about the detention of Iranians in the U.S. Plus, how a larger turnout might have affected the 2024 election , Anna Wintour gives up the editor’s chair at V...
Jun 27, 2025•16 min
Israel tasked private contractors with distributing aid in Gaza. Nabih Bulos with the Los Angeles Times explains how those sites have descended into chaos. Arian Campo-Flores with the Wall Street Journal unpacks the economic implications of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policy. More than 100 million Americans have faced sweltering weather this week. NPR asks, how hot is too hot for kids? Plus, the NATO summit concluded with new spending targets , the readout from the first me...
Jun 26, 2025•14 min
The Iran-Israel ceasefire is tentatively holding, as questions emerge over the scale of Iran’s nuclear setbacks. Reuters reports. Megan Messerly at Politico tells us how it all unfolded. In a shock result, 33-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is set to win the Democrat mayoral primary in New York City. Axios has been following the result. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has changed who makes vaccine recommendations to the CDC. Helen Branswell with Stat unpack...
Jun 25, 2025•16 min
Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, but has now accused both countries of violating it. Reuters has the latest. What to know about New York City’s mayoral primary, and the unique ranked-choice voting system that will decide the next mayor. Laura Nahmias with Bloomberg News has the details. Wyatt Myskow with Inside Climate News reports that congressional Republicans’ proposed federal budget would cut millions from national parks, as part of the Trump administration’s broader atta...
Jun 24, 2025•15 min
Following the U.S.’s strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, there are major questions in the days ahead. CNN reports on the members of Congress who were informed beforehand. Lawfare examines the legality of going to war with Iran. A major heat wave is bearing down on much of the U.S. Eric Holthaus, meteorologist with The Guardian , examines how Trump administration cuts could affect preparedness for summer heat. Plus, Mahmoud Khalil was released from ICE custody, why visas were rejected for members o...
Jun 23, 2025•15 min
In a 6-3 ruling along ideological lines, the Supreme Court determined a Tennessee state law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors is constitutional, in a major setback for trans rights Political violence appears to be on the rise in the U.S. Aaron Blake with CNN unpacks what that says about the state of partisanship. Israel says Iran was very close to getting nuclear weapons. Now Trump agrees. The Washington Post has been assessing Iran’s capabilities. Maanvi Singh with The Guardi...
Jun 18, 2025•16 min
As Iran and Israel trade missiles, The Economist explores how citizens might respond to their leaders’ actions. The suspect in the Minnesota killings is alleged to have visited other homes that night. The Minnesota Star Tribune covers the hunt to find him. Katy Stech Ferek with the Wall Street Journal discusses how stock trading by lawmakers around Trump’s tariff announcements has revived calls for a ban. Plus, more deaths around aid centers in Gaza, tension from overwhelming tourism levels forc...
Jun 17, 2025•16 min
The suspect has been found in the Minnesota killings of a lawmaker and her husband. The Minnesota Star Tribune has the details. Israel and Iran intensified their strikes into each other’s territories. The Atlantic ’s Isaac Stanley-Becker explains how Israel managed to take their neighbors by surprise, and looks at what comes next. Molly Ball with the Wall Street Journal reports on how California Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken center stage amid the L.A. protests, in a balancing act of state and nati...
Jun 16, 2025•14 min
CBS reports on Israel’s strikes on nuclear sites in Iran. Bloomberg has more details of the Air India crash — and the remarkable story of the sole person on board to survive it. Ahead of an Army parade in D.C, Politico ’s Megan Messerly walks us through Trump’s relationship with the military and displays of force. Plus, the House passed a bill to codify DOGE cuts , a senator’s dramatic encounter with DHS, and the dentist turned golfer at this year’s U.S. Open. Today’s episode was hosted by Gideo...
Jun 13, 2025•14 min
What to know about a fatal Boeing crash in India that killed more than 200 people. As protests continue in L.A. and elsewhere over immigration raids, Reuters has been exploring the “less lethal” tactics that police are using. Rare earth minerals are at the center of U.S. and China trade talks. The Wall Street Journal ’s Lingling Wei explains why. NPR reports that states with stricter gun laws have fewer teen and child deaths. Plus, an Air India flight carrying more than 200 people crashed , Harv...
Jun 12, 2025•15 min
An L.A. curfew was implemented amid protests against ICE raids there. Elizabeth Findell from the Wall Street Journal looks at the marching orders from the White House that started the migrant crackdown. Reporting from NPR ’s Jasmine Garsd details the unsanitary conditions migrants are facing in an overcrowded ICE facility in Florida. ‘Les Misérables’ is a story of the downtrodden. It’s also a musical loved by Trump. The Atlantic looks at its appeal for him. Plus, the Smithsonian agreed to review...
Jun 11, 2025•15 min
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent Marines into Los Angeles, and California’s governor sued Trump. CalMatters ’s Nigel Duara has been following events in the city. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed the CDC’s entire panel of vaccine advisers. Stat reports. Amid the public feuding between Musk and Trump, the federal government is attempting to rehire people that DOGE summarily cut from roles. Hannah Natanson from the Washington Post has the story. Plus, Ukraine and Russia’s prisoner swap began, Jus...
Jun 10, 2025•15 min
It was a weekend of unrest in L.A. as protesters demonstrating against immigration raids and ICE agents collided. President Trump sent in the National Guard, defying the California governor’s wishes. The Los Angeles Times has been covering the scenes. How could Trump and Musk hurt each other in their spectacular breakup? We speak to Bloomberg ’s Ted Mann. Some families are moving from the U.S. due to policies aimed at transgender people. NBC News ’s Jo Yurcaba tells us some of their stories. Plu...
Jun 09, 2025•13 min
Trump and Elon Musk attacked each other on social media in an extraordinary public fight. Politico has the blow-by-blow. Afghanistan has a complex set of migration exemptions owing to the war. The travel ban could complicate that. The Washington Post ’s Kabul bureau chief, Rick Noack, joins to explain. The deported Venezuelan migrants were said by Trump aides to be the “worst of the worst.” ProPublica ’s Melissa Sanchez and colleagues have been digging to reveal a more complicated picture. Plus,...
Jun 06, 2025•15 min
Trump announced a new travel ban. The Wall Street Journal breaks it down. As Canada’s wildfires continue to rage, dangerous air is sweeping across the U.S. PBS explores conditions in the worst-hit states. The NBA Finals begin tonight between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. The Ringer ’s Michael Pina tells us what to watch for. Plus, how Columbia University could lose its accreditation , the small Republican town that rallied to help an ICE detainee , and a mass evacuation after...
Jun 05, 2025•14 min
Elon Musk attacks “abomination” GOP bill. As he leaves government, he returns to an uncertain future for Tesla, as the Wall Street Journal’s Becky Peterson explains. Israel announces its controversial aid center will be closed for the day, as death and chaos continues to surround the distribution sites. Amidst the confusion, the BBC explores what we know and don’t know. The White House grapples with deporting migrants when the home country won’t accept them. NPR ’s Ximena Bustillo joins to discu...
Jun 04, 2025•15 min
There is unlikely bipartisan support in Congress around an effort to make childbirth free in America. Vox ’s Rachel Cohen discusses the plan and how it would work. The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is in its fourth week. CNN ’s Elizabeth Wagmeister, who’s been reporting from the courtroom, tells us the latest. There’s been an international series of brazen, violent crimes against crypto executives and their families. The Wall Street Journal ’s Sam Schechner explains what’s been happening. Plus, wh...
Jun 03, 2025•14 min
A man in Colorado has been arrested after setting fire to people marching for the release of Israeli hostages. The FBI are treating it as a terror attack. The Colorado Sun has the latest. Dozens were reported dead or severely injured in southern Gaza, reportedly near the controversial U.S.-Israeli aid sites. CNN has been following the conflicting reports. With Russia-Ukraine talks set to begin, a Ukraine drone attack took Putin by surprise. The Wall Street Journal ’s Thomas Grove explains how Ru...
Jun 02, 2025•13 min
Elon Musk has left the government building, but DOGE remains. The Washington Post ’s William Wan reports on what he learned speaking to federal-government employees who lost their jobs amid cuts. Some Republican senators have concerns about elements of the GOP megabill, such as what cuts to Medicaid could mean for election prospects in 2026. NBC’s Sahil Kapur breaks their objections down. David Armstrong with ProPublica speaks to In Conversation about how a life-saving pill’s eye-popping price t...
May 30, 2025•14 min
A court struck down the bulk of Trump’s tariffs, in a major setback to his economic agenda. Bloomberg has the latest. Harvard has its universitywide commencement today, as it’s facing more funding threats. Its president speaks out in an interview with NPR . Trump has recently issued a number of pardons . Reporting from the Wall Street Journal provides a look at how politics factored into those decisions. Plus, Elon Musk announced that he’s leaving government , Israel said it has killed the leade...
May 29, 2025•14 min
Trump’s family empire is dramatically expanding its wealth during his presidency. Bloomberg News ’s Max Abelson joins to discuss the deals that are powering this growth and the questions they spark. The controversial U.S.- and Israeli-backed aid effort got off to a tumultuous start. CBS reports. The Assad regime’s surveillance state relied on civilians to inform on their neighbors and colleagues. Now Syrians are reckoning with who among them quietly contributed to the tyranny. The Washington Pos...
May 28, 2025•14 min
Trump said in a social-media post that Putin has “gone absolutely CRAZY,” after Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine. Reuters reports . Police in New Orleans relied for years upon a live-facial-recognition program, an unprecedented surveillance method in the United States. The Washington Post ’s Doug MacMillan explains how it worked and the controversy around it. For some 2025 grads, commencement ceremonies have become a place to protest the war in Gaza. CNN and The Guardian have the story. Plus, a...
May 27, 2025•15 min
The Trump administration revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students. Reuters breaks down the impact of the move. Trump held a behind-closed-doors gala for top investors of his cryptocurrency coin. Declan Harty from Politico discusses the ethical ramifications. It’s nearly five years since the murder of George Floyd. The Marshall Project ’s Jamiles Lartey joins to assess where police reform is in the country. Plus, the Supreme Court in a split decision blocked an effort...
May 23, 2025•15 min
Two staff members of the Israeli Embassy were shot and killed outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., last night. The man and woman — a couple — had been attending a reception for young diplomats. CBS has the latest. The FDA announced a change in its framework for approving new COVID vaccines for healthy individuals under 65. Usha Lee McFarling, a national science correspondent with Stat , discusses the impact of the move, while NPR reports on how some of the CDC’s mai...
May 22, 2025•15 min
