Alex Ossola

It's the latest turn in Amazon's efforts to break into physical retail.

The online shopping giant says it does plan to open more than 100 new Whole Foods stores.

And a big box Amazon store is also in the works in Illinois, where the company plans to sell groceries and general merchandise.

coming up, why the U.S.

population is growing more slowly, and why the Trump administration is betting on bigger tax refunds this year.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is facing criticism on both sides of the aisle for how she's handled the death of Alex Preddy in Minnesota.

She said that he approached federal agents with a handgun and attacked them.

Video footage contradicts Noem's claims.

President Trump today defended Noem and said she wouldn't step down.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans and the White House are trying to broker a last-minute deal with Democrats over immigration enforcement.

Democrats want limits on the Department of Homeland Security passed into law.

A deal is seen as necessary to stop another government shutdown.

And the Trump administration's immigration restrictions have slowed U.S.

population growth.

New estimates from the Census Bureau found that the population grew by 1.8 million people, or half a percent, in the 12 months through June.

That's the slowest pace since COVID-19 caused a surge in deaths and curbed border crossings.

On yesterday's show, we talked about how a lot of people are probably getting bigger tax refunds this year.

Having that drop into Americans' bank accounts during an election year is far from a coincidence.

It's engineered to improve Republicans' chances with voters ahead of the midterms.

But there's no guarantee that strategy will work.