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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all. On the web at theschmidt.org.
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. On the seventh day of war, Iran launched another wave of retaliatory strikes against Israel and Gulf countries, and Israel unleashed airstrikes on Tehran and Beirut, Lebanon. The Associated Press recording an explosion hours ago as large plumes of smoke were seen rising in Beirut's southern suburbs.
Tens of thousands of people have fled as Israeli forces issued sweeping evacuation warnings and targeted Iran-backed Hezbollah strongholds. Areas of the Kurdistan region of Iraq are also under attack tonight. A major hotel in Erbil was hit shortly after the U.S. State Department warned foreign nationals hotels were a target. Iran-backed militias in Iraq are claiming responsibility.
President Trump has projected the U.S.-Israel war with Iran will last four to five weeks, perhaps longer. Amid concerns about weapons stocks, Trump's meeting today with some of the biggest U.S. defense contractors. Here's NPR's Frank Ordonez.
White House officials are expected to press contractors to accelerate weapons production. Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said the president would be joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hagseth.
The purpose of it is to talk about the president's aggressive and fierce support for rapidly increasing the ability of US manufacturers to produce American made weapons.
U.S. officials who were not authorized to speak publicly told NPR that they are concerned about a lack of missile interceptors and may have to draw from other stockpiles. Levin and other officials have pushed back on those concerns, saying the U.S.
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Chapter 2: What are the latest developments in the Iran-Israel conflict?
has more than enough weapons. Franco Ordonez, NPR News, the White House.
Customs officials say they're working on a streamlined system to deliver tariff refunds. NPR's Scott Horsley reports they hope to have the system up and running within 45 days.
Since the Supreme Court struck down many of President Trump's tariffs two weeks ago, the companies that paid those import taxes have been wondering when and how they'll get their money back. Customs estimates it collected some $166 billion from the now outlawed tariffs. Refunding that money to more than 300,000 businesses will be cumbersome.
but the government says it's working on a streamlined process that won't require every importer to file individual lawsuits. The government says it'll take about a month and a half to set up the program, which will use the same electronic filing system importers already rely on.
The proposal came after a judge at the Court of International Trade said this week the Supreme Court left the administration with no choice, but to refund the money it wrongly collected. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.
The U.S. economy unexpectedly lost 92,000 jobs last month instead of gaining tens of thousands. The Labor Department says a jobless rate ticked up to 4.4 percent. U.S. stocks ended the day lower. The Dow closed down 453 points or nearly 1 percent. This is NPR News. The Department of Justice has published additional Epstein files related to allegations that President Trump sexually abused a minor.
That's after an NPR investigation found Dozens of pages were withheld Here's NPR's Stephen Fowler.
DOJ uploaded more than 1,000 new pages of Epstein files Thursday evening. They include 18 pages related to claims of sexual abuse by President Trump four decades ago that were previously withheld. After NPR reported on those missing files, the Justice Department said it was looking to see if that was a mistake.
There are still 37 pages of records relating to the allegation missing, also missing any sort of context as to how credible investigators found the claims. or why it was included in a Justice Department slideshow last fall. Stephen Fowler, NPR News, Atlanta.
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