NPR News: 02-26-2026 1PM EST
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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Members of Congress are reacting to an NPR investigation that found the Justice Department withheld some Epstein files related to allegations President Trump sexually abused a minor in the 1980s. A law passed last year mandates the release of all files, but those withheld include what appear to be more than 50 pages of FBI interviews and notes from conversations with Trump's accuser. The ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, Robert Garcia, pressed the DOJ for answers.
What we have is a survivor that we have verified, that others have verified, and those files are missing. It's not just those. It's an additional 50 percent of files that are missing. It is Unconscionable. It is illegal. And Pam Bondi and the president need an answer to where those files are.
The committee's Republican chair, James Comer, said the panel's looking into the allegations outlined in the NPR report. Today, members of the panel are questioning former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a closed-door deposition in New York. She has said she never had any personal connections with Jeffrey Epstein or personal knowledge of his sex crimes. The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage fell just below 6 percent this week, according to Freddie Mac. That is the lowest rate in about three and a half years. NPR's Stephen Basaja says cheaper home interest rates could lead to more Americans getting into the housing market.
Mortgage rates have been steadily declining since last May, so it's not like housing got drastically more affordable this week. But Kate Wood with NerdWallet said the psychological effect of a mortgage below 6% and just how long people have been waiting to move could get more Americans house shopping.
There are people who are certainly going to reach that breaking point of, you know, I love my mortgage rate, but my goodness, I cannot stand this house anymore.
The U.S. is in a housing affordability crisis, and cheaper mortgages can help. But the U.S. also has a housing shortage, so a flood of new buyers without more supply could drive prices up, cutting into any affordability gains. Stephen Passaha, NPR News.
Cuba says a boat registered in Florida was carrying 10 people with, quote, terrorist intent. And Pierre Zeta-Peralta reports a gunfight ended with four people dead.
Cuba's Interior Ministry says the boat entered into Cuban waters and when border troops approached, the occupants opened fire. Cuban troops returned fire, killing four people and injuring six. The Cuban government says the men on board were Cubans living in Florida planning terrorist attacks on the island. Kiki Naranjo is a friend of one of the survivors and says none of the men were terrorists. They are all men who want Cuba to be free, he says, but they grew tired of promises by politicians. Naranjo and his friend run a group that he says wanted to sabotage the government from the inside. The U.S. says it will investigate and react appropriately. Eder Peralta, NPR News, Mexico City.
It's NPR. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is working on an agreement to continue the partnership between the Pentagon and Scouting America. Last fall, NPR reported on internal Pentagon memos that detailed military plans to sever that relationship. Here's NPR's Graham Smith.
After NPR's November report on the scouting memos, some members of Congress said they'd heard from angry constituents. Here's Nebraska Republican Don Bacon. There's some big-time Trump supporters in Omaha called me in rage that Hegseth would be picking a fight with the scouts. Earlier this month, the Pentagon tweeted that the partnership might continue if the organization abandoned DEI and, quote, gender fluid stances. Now, a Defense Department source who wouldn't be identified for fear of retribution tells NPR Hegseth is near reaching an agreement. Among the concessions from scouting, applicants would now have to register under the sex assigned at birth. Graham Smith, NPR News.
The U.S. is engaging in a third round of negotiations to convince Iran to halt its uranium enrichment.
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