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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. President Trump says his administration could use a softer touch on immigration. As NPR's Franco Ordonez reports, Trump says it was his decision to withdraw hundreds of federal officers from Minnesota.
During an interview with NBC News, President Trump took a step back from his hardline position on immigration amid the national outcry after two U.S. citizens were killed during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.
I learned that Maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch, but you still have to be tough. We're dealing with really hard criminals.
Trump says it was his decision to withdraw 700 federal agents from the state, but that state and local officials have also agreed to cooperate more with their efforts, including the release of immigrants who've been arrested for crimes into federal custody. Franco, Ordonez, NPR News, the White House.
Democrats in Congress are threatening to block funding for the Homeland Security Department when it expires a week from Friday, unless there are what they call dramatic changes in real accountability for immigration enforcement. Congress is discussing potential new rules for officers after agents shot and killed two Minneapolis protesters last month.
In a one sentence order today, the Supreme Court upheld California's mid decade redistricting, which could yield five more House seats for Democrats in the upcoming election. As NPR's Anita Totenberg reports, the decision effectively mirrors and might offset what the high court did in a case from Texas in December.
While the Trump administration supported the Texas redistricting, it opposed California's, describing it as tainted by an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. But California countered that its redistricting, unlike the redistricting in Texas, was approved by California voters by a nearly two-thirds margin.
And the Supreme Court seemed to conclude that what's good for the Texas goose is good for the California gander.
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Chapter 2: What immigration policy changes did President Trump propose?
There were no noted dissents. Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington.
The Washington Post announced today that it's eliminating its sports desk and book section and making major cuts to its foreign and local coverage. NPR's David Folkenflik reports the massive layoffs Come at the direction of owner, billionaire Jeff Bezos.
Executive editor Matt Murray addressed the entire newsroom by Zoom Wednesday morning. Murray called the cuts a strategic reset as the paper's readers preferred coverage of national politics and national security. Bezos is the founder of Amazon and one of the world's richest people. He bought the paper in 2013 and invested in it deeply, saying it needed to innovate to survive.
Now he demanded deep cuts to stem years of red ink. Former executive editors Marty Baron and Marcus Browkley questioned the strategy. Notably, the paper's chief executive and publisher Will Lewis did not address the newsroom and has not so far spelled out the roadmap for the path ahead.
David Folkenflik, NPR News. And stocks closed mixed today. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States is set to expire this week. That will remove any caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than half a century.
The end of the New START treaty sets the stage for what many fear could be an unconstrained nuclear arms race. Russian President Vladimir Putin says he's ready to extend it for one more year. President Trump has been noncommittal. The Trump administration says it's close to a deal to end the ongoing civil war in Sudan.
The announcement came at a humanitarian aid conference for Sudan held in Washington attended by U.S. allies. It's the latest attempt at peace during the almost three-year civil war, as NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu reports.
Special Advisor to President Trump, Mossad Boulos, said the final text of a peace agreement had been agreed between the Quad Diplomatic Group of Nations, comprised of the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. The deal includes plans for an initial humanitarian truce and for the opening of safe corridors for aid.
Boulos said he was optimistic it would be accepted by the two warring sides, Sudan's army and the paramilitary rapid support forces. The war in Sudan has created the world's largest humanitarian crisis. The exact death toll is unknown, but as many as 400,000 people may have been killed, according to some estimates. Emmanuel Akimotu, NPR News, Lagos.
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