Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh.
Chapter 2: What incident involving Congresswoman Ilhan Omar occurred recently?
Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was the subject of an attack at a town hall last night. She was not harmed and continued the event. Threats against members of Congress have risen for the third year in a row.
Chapter 3: How are threats against Congress members on the rise?
NPR's Barbara Sprunt reports U.S. Capitol Police attribute this, in part, to a false sense of anonymity online.
Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was rushed by a man at her town hall. He sprayed an unknown liquid from a syringe in her direction. Also this week, Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost of Florida said he was punched in the face at the Sundance Festival.
The Capitol Police reports an uptick in 2025 of concerning statements, behaviors, and communications towards federal lawmakers, their families, and their staff. They investigated nearly 15,000 threats last year. up nearly 58 percent from 2024. Last year, there was an increase in security funding for members of Congress in response to growing concerns about political violence.
Barbara Sprunt, NPR News, Washington.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is not ruling out new military action in Venezuela. He tells lawmakers that the South American country was a base of operation in this hemisphere for many of the U.S. 's competitors and enemies until ex-president Nicolas Maduro was seized weeks ago.
We are not postured to, nor do we intend or expect to have to take any military action in Venezuela at any time. The only military presence you will see in Venezuela is our Marine Guards at an embassy. That is our goal. That is our expectation. And that is what everything that outlines towards.
That said, if an Iranian drone factory pops up and threatens our forces in the region, the president retains the option to eliminate that threat.
Rubio is appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a panel on which he was a senior member before he resigned from the Senate last January to assume his current role. The Federal Reserve is expected to hold its benchmark interest rate steady this afternoon when policymakers wrap up their latest meeting.
And Pierre Scott Horsley reports the central bank is facing pressure from the White House to cut rates more aggressively.
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