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Chapter 1: What recent actions has Iran taken regarding U.S. strikes?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Iran is denouncing the most recent U.S. strikes against it as a sign of bad faith as negotiations press on toward a possible deal to end the war. Meanwhile, Iran began restoring Internet access after a months-long national shutdown. The U.S. says the strikes were defensive, saying targets included missile launch sites and mine-laying boats.
President Trump's redistricting effort was dealt a blow in South Carolina today after several Republican lawmakers joined Democrats in blocking a new congressional map there. South Carolina Public Radio's Gavin Jackson reports.
26,000 voters had already cast early ballots in person for the June 9th primary. The Republicans voting to kill the new map said that it was too late. The map could have helped the GOP take South Carolina's lone Democratic seat held by Congressman Jim Clyburn. The failed attempt capped three weeks of rushed hearings, a special session called by the governor.
Long debates, limited public input, and questions over a map lawmakers said was crafted by the White House. South Carolina's state Senate is not up for election this fall, meaning lawmakers might be insulated for a while from criticism by Trump. For NPR News, I'm Gavin Jackson in Columbia.
Texas Republicans are voting today in the most expensive Senate primary in history. NPR's Claudia Grisales reports State Attorney General Ken Paxton is challenging incumbent Senator John Cornyn.
Paxton, a controversial MAGA loyalist, drew President Trump's endorsement over Cornyn. Here's Paxton celebrating with supporters at a rally in the Houston suburb of Katy, Texas.
We're going to change this country and we're going to go help Donald Trump get it done.
Cornyn is warning his party a Paxton nomination could open the door for Democrats to win the seat.
This would be the first chance they've had in 30 or 40 years or longer to pick up a statewide office.
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Chapter 2: How did South Carolina lawmakers respond to the redistricting effort?
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is outpacing efforts to respond. As NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports, there are at least 220 suspected deaths and more than 900 suspected cases.
The outbreak is still largely centered in northeastern DRC. But over the weekend, more cases were reported in Uganda, bringing their total to seven confirmed cases. On Monday, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak will likely get worse before it gets better. The outbreak is challenging for a few reasons.
First, delays in detection allowed the virus to spread for a couple of months undeterred. There are also no approved vaccines or treatments for this species of Ebola. That leaves victims with supportive care at clinics, which can be hard to come by in this region.
Bread and butter public health responses, like tracing contacts of sick people and requesting that they isolate, are the main tools for stemming the outbreak. Jonathan Lambert, NPR News.
This is NPR News from Washington. Attorneys say a woman fired by Ball State University in Indiana over her Facebook post criticizing Charlie Kirk will receive $225,000 in a legal settlement. The ACLU of Indiana says the school agreed to pay out to settle a First Amendment lawsuit by Suzanne Swearek.
The president of Bal State defended the firing, saying the post caused extraordinary damage to the school's reputation. More than one and a half million Muslims are taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. It includes gathering for prayers on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon nearly 1,400 years ago. NPR's Aya Batraoui reports.
This year, the Hajj is taking place under the specter of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Around 30,000 Iranian pilgrims are part of the Hajj this year, a sharp decline from the 90,000 Iranians given Saudi permits last year. Higher fuel and travel costs because of the Iran war have also made it more expensive to perform the Hajj this year.
Pakistan's religious affairs minister told NPR it costs around... $4,300 per pilgrim for a roughly three-week-long Hajj package. Indonesia's state-run news agency says the government there is helping to subsidize the cost a little. Most pilgrims wait decades to secure a Hajj visa and save up for a lifetime to pray in Mecca and return home with the honorary title of Hajji.
Ayah Petrawi, NPR News, UAE.
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