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Chapter 1: What recent changes occurred in the Justice Department?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Attorney General Pam Bondi is out at the Justice Department. President Trump made the announcement on social media just a short time ago. NPR's Kerry Johnson reports Deputy Todd Blanch will serve in the acting role for now.
In a post on social media, President Trump calls Pam Bondi a great American patriot and loyal friend and says she'll transition to a job in the private sector. Trump has blamed Bondi for mishandling law enforcement files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and he's demanded the Justice Department do more to go after his perceived political enemies.
Bondi presided over a huge exodus at the DOJ. The group Justice Connection, which supports current and former justice workers, says DOJ's independence, integrity, and workforce have degraded more under her leadership than any other time during the department's history. Todd Blanch, one of Trump's former personal lawyers, will run the Justice Department on an acting basis.
Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.
Chapter 2: How is President Trump addressing the government shutdown?
President Trump is expected to sign an executive order at this hour to fund the Department of Homeland Security. The move comes as congressional Republicans remain deadlocked on ending the partial government shutdown. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reports it's unclear where the money will come from or how this will affect negotiations on Capitol Hill.
Trump wrote in a social media post, quote, I will soon sign an order to pay all of the incredible employees at the Department of Homeland Security. However, it's unclear how this interacts with congressional Republicans' attempts at coming to a funding agreement.
On Wednesday, GOP leaders said in a joint statement that the House will take up a measure passed by the Senate last week to fund most of DHS except Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. The House previously rejected that measure. Votes on ICE and Border Patrol funding would come later. Trump last week signed a memo to pay TSA agents amid nationwide airport security delays.
Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News.
Chapter 3: What are the latest developments in the Iran conflict?
The foreign minister of Bahrain says he's hoping the U.N. Security Council will pass a resolution on Friday calling on Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. He's also criticizing Tehran for ignoring a previous resolution. and continuing to strike Gulf states in response to the war in Iran. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres says it's past time for the U.S. and Israel to stop the war and for Iran to stop attacking its neighbors. Bahrain, the current Security Council president, has drafted a resolution to press Iran to reopen the strait. Russia's ambassador points out that the closure was the result of what he called an unprovoked act of aggression by the U.S.
Chapter 4: How is the measles outbreak in Utah being managed?
and Israel against Iran.
That's NPR's Michelle Kellerman reporting. Stocks on Wall Street are trading lower at this hour. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 188 points, the Nasdaq down 66. This is NPR News in Washington. An outbreak of measles in Utah continues to spread. The state has confirmed more than 140 new cases over the last three weeks.
The surge comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 1,500 cases in the U.S. this year. Each year, venomous snake bites kill more than 130,000 people and sickens hundreds of millions more.
Chapter 5: What does new research say about venomous snake bites and climate change?
As NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports, new research suggests that number could rise because of climate change.
Snake bites usually arise when there's a conflict between how people and snakes are using an environment where they coexist. But scientists' knowledge of precisely where snakes and people coexist was patchy. Researchers analyzed reams of data, from scientific papers to museum records, to create a detailed map of over 500 venomous species.
Right now, overlap between dangerous snakes and people is highest across parts of sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia. But the researchers found that climate change could expand that overlap. Parts of eastern North America, China, Europe, and elsewhere could become more habitable for some venomous snakes, which in turn could mean more snake bites.
The study appears in PLOS-neglected tropical diseases. Jonathan Lambert, NPR News.
Soccer's World Cup this year takes place in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
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Chapter 6: How are scientists predicting cherry blossom bloom times?
FIFA, the governing body, released more tickets yesterday, with the most expensive costing nearly $11,000. Stocks continue to trade lower on Wall Street at this hour. The Dow was down 139 points, the S&P 500 down 8. This is NPR News.
Do you ever wish you could predict the future? Well, some scientists try to do that every year, forecasting when cherry blossom trees will bloom each spring.
It's a wild guess, but there is some science involved in it.
And there is a lot riding on the peak bloom forecast. Tourism, climate change models, and more. Listen to ShoreWave on the NPR app, or wherever you get your podcasts to hear how scientists are predicting the future.