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Chapter 1: What are the criminal charges against Raul Castro and their significance?
Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. In Miami Wednesday, Cuban-Americans celebrated the criminal charges the Trump administration is leveling against former Cuban President Raul Castro. The Justice Department unsealed an indictment against the brother of the longtime Cuban president, Fidel Castro.
Raul Castro, now 94, he's charged with murder for his alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of two civilian planes operated by a Miami-based exile group. Four people were killed, including three Americans. Lourdes Morial White celebrated with her father, a Cuban national who stood against Castro's rule.
Castro remains in Cuba, where the government is calling the indictment a farce.
Hot, windy weather east of Los Angeles, making for dangerous fire weather. Two blazes in Riverside County, threatening about 10,000 homes. From member station KVCR, Madison Allman reports.
Chapter 2: How are wildfires impacting communities in Southern California?
The Bain and Verona fires both ignited Tuesday in different parts of Riverside County. More than 4,500 people are under evacuation orders between both blazes. John Klingingsmith, who's with CAL FIRE, says crews are focused on defending homes. He says the weather is posing a challenge.
Temperatures are going to increase. Relative humidity is going to drop. Winds are going to pick up. So that's going to challenge the lines that we have in place right now.
It'll be dry and windy through Friday. Clinging Smith says the cause of both fires are under investigation.
Chapter 3: What major IPO is SpaceX preparing for and why does it matter?
For NPR News, I'm Madison Aument in Riverside County.
Crews are battling multiple wildfires in Southern California, including the Sandy Fire in Simi Valley. Thousands remain under evacuation orders. Elon Musk's SpaceX getting ready to break new records on Wall Street. The rocket company has officially filed the paperwork for an initial public offering.
And Piers Maria Aspen reports it could be the biggest IPO ever, surpassing the debut of Saudi Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia.
The IPO is expected to make SpaceX one of the most valuable companies in the world. It sends rockets into space and holds billions of dollars of U.S. government contracts, but space launches are just part of its business. SpaceX also owns the Starlink communications platform and Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, XAI.
Chapter 4: What legal actions are being taken by Capitol police officers regarding the January 6th riot?
Tech investors will be watching SpaceX for more details on the costs and payoffs of the AI boom. They're also waiting for big IPOs from OpenAI and Anthropic, the makers of ChatGPT and Claude. Meanwhile, SpaceX's IPO would also make Musk even wealthier. The billionaire and former advisor to President Trump could become the world's first trillionaire.
You're listening to NPR News. Two police officers who defended the Capitol during the January 6th Capitol riot are suing to stop the Trump administration from paying rioters from a new anti-weaponization fund. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in federal court in Washington, D.C.
The Trump administration has not ruled out the possibility that rioters would be eligible for payout, saying it will evaluate claims on a case-by-case basis. In Taiwan, the president has said that he hopes the U.S. can continue to sell arms to the disputed island.
Chapter 5: What is the current state of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan?
Speaking on the two-year anniversary of his time in office, Taiwan's president also used the opportunity to assure that the island's future would not be decided by external forces.
The statement comes after President Trump referred to arms sales to Taiwan as, quote, a good negotiating chip in the U.S. relationship with China. The U.S. sells arms to Taiwan but maintains a policy of strategic ambiguity over whether it would militarily come to the island's aid in case of a war. In December, Washington approved a record $11 billion arms package to Taiwan.
Trump has yet to approve a further $14 billion package. Taiwan's President Lai said U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are, quote, necessary means to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. For NPR News, I'm Jan Khamzim-Rumbi in Taipei.
Chapter 6: How are financial markets in Asia responding to recent economic developments?
Financial markets in Asia advancing. South Korean shares leading the way up more than 7 percent. Japan's Nikkei up more than 3 percent, following a stronger-than-expected quarterly report from chipmaker NVIDIA. This is NPR News.
Right now, we are living through some of the most tumultuous political times our country has ever known. I'm David Remnick, and each week on The New Yorker Radio Hour, I'll try to make sense of what's happening alongside politicians and thinkers like Cory Booker, Nancy Pelosi, Liz Cheney, and so many more. That's all on The New Yorker Radio Hour, wherever you listen to podcasts.