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Chapter 1: What is being promoted on the Embedded Podcast?
On the Embedded Podcast. No. It's called denying a freedom of speech. It's misinformation. Like so many Americans, my dad has gotten swept up in conspiracy theories. These are not conspiracy theories. These are reality. I spent the year following him down the rabbit hole, trying to get him back. Listen to Alternate Realities on the Embedded Podcast from NPR. All episodes available now.
Chapter 2: Why is the US-Russia meeting controversial?
Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul says the Trump administration is making a mistake by meeting with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia without Ukraine and Europe on board.
It's a mistake. It's symbolically a mistake. There should be talks with our... colleagues in Ukraine first, substantial talks, not just the kind of episodic conversations they've had, including in Munich. Second, we should talk to our European allies first, and then we should go to a meeting with the Russians with a consolidated, agreed position.
Top U.S. and Russian officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Our meeting at the Sauer in Riyadh, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will not recognize any agreements without Ukraine at the table. And European leaders held emergency talks in Paris on Monday amid concern that they could be sidelined.
Chapter 3: What are the details of the Toronto Pearson Airport crash?
The National Transportation Safety Board sending investigators to Toronto to assist their Canadian counterparts in the investigation into Monday's crash at Toronto Pearson International Airport. A Delta flight out of Minneapolis crashed while landing and flipped upside down. Officials say 18 people were injured, but no one was killed.
Chapter 4: What led to the firing and rehiring of nuclear agency workers?
The Department of Energy has rescinded the firings of many workers responsible for overseeing the nation's nuclear weapons. NPR's Jeff Bromfield reports a reversal came within hours of mass terminations.
Over the weekend, several employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration told NPR they've been hastily rehired after being fired last Thursday. Sources inside the agency said hundreds were fired at first, but in a statement sent late Sunday night, a Department of Energy spokesperson said that fewer than 50 employees ultimately lost their jobs.
Those jobs were in, quote, primarily administrative and clerical roles. Members of Congress were alarmed after learning of the mass layoffs at the agency, which oversees America's nuclear warheads and combats nuclear terrorism. Jeff Brumfield, NPR News, Washington.
Chapter 5: What is the health status of Pope Francis?
The Vatican says Pope Francis remained in the hospital to treat what it calls a complex clinical situation. Francis admitted late last week for a respiratory infection, as NPR's Jackie Northam reports.
Before his hospital admission Friday, Pope Francis had shown signs of bronchitis for several days. But the Vatican says recent tests indicate the pontiff has polymicrobial respiratory tract infection, which can be caused by a combination of viruses, bacteria and fungi, according to the National Institutes of Health.
The diagnosis prompted a change in the Pope's drug treatment and the Vatican says he will stay in the hospital for as long as necessary. The Pope has had challenging health conditions in the past, including the removal of part of a lung after a pulmonary infection when he was a young man. He was hospitalized for several days in 2023 with a bout of pneumonia. Jackie Northam, NPR News.
This is NPR News. The death toll from widespread flooding in Kentucky is rising. Governor Andy Beshear says at least 12 people were killed in his state following heavy rain over the weekend. One fatality has been confirmed in West Virginia, where the governor is asking President Trump to declare a federal disaster.
It's icy, snowy and cold across much of the U.S., but Brazil is getting record heat. Rio de Janeiro hit 107 Monday. prompting city officials to issue health warnings and open cooling centers, as NPR's Carrie Kahn reports.
Even at famous Copacabana Beach, it was hot. Beers are selling fast, but water is tops today, say vendors. Three more extremely hot days are expected. This is high summer carnival season that prompted Rio's mayor to raise the new heat warning to level four out of five. Some schools closed and city workers are getting hydration breaks. More than 50 cooling centers have opened.
A high pressure system over the ocean is blocking any cold weather from coming on shore. There's no rain in the upcoming forecast. Southern Brazil, part of the country's vast farm belt, is experiencing record drought. Carrie Conn, NPR News, Rio de Janeiro.
And international hockey, Sweden top Team USA in last night's Four Nations face-off game in Boston. But the victory has no bearing on Thursday night's final. The U.S. already assured of playing. And the game will be a rematch against Canada, which advanced with a victory over Finland. Canada lost to the U.S.
and Montreal over the weekend, a game marked by three fights in the first seconds of action. This is NPR News.
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