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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Texas Republicans have selected Attorney General Ken Paxton to be their nominee for this year's U.S. Senate race over four-term incumbent John Cornyn. That's according to a race call from the Associated Press.
Chapter 2: Who is Ken Paxton and what are the implications of his nomination?
The election brings to a close a bitter and expensive primary. President Trump endorsed Paxton. It was Trump's latest effort to rid the Republican leaders he views as less devoted to him. Paxton has fended off criminal indictments, whistleblower allegations and impeachment by the Texas House. He was acquitted in the Texas Senate. He'll face Democrat James Tallarico in November.
Iran says it has shot down a U.S. drone after the U.S. targeted Iranian Navy boats that comes as Iran and the U.S. are negotiating a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and enter nuclear talks. NPR's Daniel Estrin reports.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal could be days away, but it's unclear how the latest military escalation will affect efforts to reach a deal. Iran said at least four naval officers were killed in the U.S. attacks. The U.S. says it was targeting boats laying mines. And Iran reported explosions around a city on the Strait of Hormuz.
That's the strategic waterway crucial to the world's oil and gas supplies that the U.S. wants Iran to reopen. Israel's opposition leader, Yair Lapid, called the Iran deal being negotiated bad. He argued it would be a matter of time before another war erupts between Israel and Iran. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
President Trump is more than doubling the amount of refugees that can be admitted to the U.S. But as NPR's Meg Anderson reports, the increase in the refugee cap only applies to Afrikaners, an almost entirely white ethnic group in South Africa.
In the memo, the president says the change is due to, quote, the incitement of racially motivated violence on the part of the government of South Africa. He then increased the refugee ceiling by 10,000. That increase comes after Trump decreased the refugee cap last fall to just 7,500 for the year, the lowest number since the U.S. refugee program was established in 1980.
The Trump administration has long set its sights on easing the refugee process for white South Africans while restricting it for people from other countries. In a statement, the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian nonprofit, said the Trump administration's decision, quote, excludes many of the world's most vulnerable from access to protection. Meg Anderson, NPR News.
Two-thirds of Americans say they are cutting back on spending as prices rise due to the Iran war. The national average price for a gallon of regular gas has soared from $2.98 at the end of February to $4.49 now.
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Chapter 3: What recent military actions have occurred between Iran and the U.S.?
In California, it's $6.11. Americans have soured on President Trump's economic policies. Polls show potentially creating problems for Republicans heading into midterm elections. This is NPR News. Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro is in Washington leaning on his disgraced father's connection with former President Trump. The elder Bolsonaro, Jair, is in prison.
He was convicted of attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election. Flavio is trying to bolster his presidential bid after receiving millions of dollars from a disgraced banker. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing, claiming the money was for a movie about his father. In New York City, a revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Evita has found a Broadway home.
The production, starring Rachel Zegler, will open in March, Jeff London reports.
Jamie Lloyd's minimalist production, which played a sold-out run at London's Palladium, will start performances at the end of February next year in New York.
Rachel Zegler, who won in Olivier playing Eva Peron, will reprise the role here, though not at all performances.
Evita will begin its run at the Winter Garden following a fall engagement of Lloyd's production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, another London hit, starring Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell. For NPR News, I'm Jeff London in New York.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee runs through Thursday this week. This year's is the 98th edition. 30 of the past 36 champions have come from families of Indian heritage. The champion of the bee receives more than $50,000 in CASH and prizes. This is NPR.
New shows, new music, new movies. Keeping up with pop culture sometimes feels like a full-time job. Thankfully, over at Pop Culture Happy Hour, it's literally our job. We break down what's actually worth watching, listening to and pretending you already knew about. So the next time someone says, did you see that? You can say, yeah, obviously.
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