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Chapter 1: What recent actions has President Trump taken regarding coal power plants?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. President Trump says the U.S. will spend $700 million to support coal-fired power plants.
Today we're officially invoking the Defense Production Act to save 13 coal plants in West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Tennessee, Arizona, Arkansas. Oklahoma, North Dakota and Wisconsin.
Trump cited the Cold War era national defense law to prop up existing coal plants and build new plants in Alaska and West Virginia. If built, they would be the first new U.S. coal plants since 2013. Environmentalists say the plan would put polluters first and jeopardize Americans' health. During Trump's second term, the U.S.
has lost 1,800 coal mining jobs, or 4% of the workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At least 4.3 million Americans have lost food assistance benefits from the SNAP program since last year. As NPR's Maria Godoy reports, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins faced tough questioning on Capitol Hill today about that drop.
Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee grilled Rollins about why so many people have lost access to a program that's a key safety net against hunger. Rollins said the drop is due to a better economy and a crackdown on fraud.
But Ohio Democratic Representative Chantel Brown pointed to a recent report showing that more than 700,000 children have lost SNAP benefits as a result of President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Madam Secretary, millions of Americans are going hungry, and you're saying it's a success story. Rollins countered. I think that you want more people on government programs.
Committee members also asked Rollins about rising farm input costs and the threat posed by screwworm. Maria Godoy, NPR News.
Elevated mortgage rates are dragging down the spring home buying season. According to Renfin, new home listings are declining and sellers are taking their homes off the market. NPR's Stephen Basaha reports.
It was expected to be a strong home buying season. Average interest rates for a 30-year fixed mortgage dropped below 6% in February, the first time in three and a half years. But the war against Iran increased the cost of borrowing, and this week the mortgage rate is about 6.5%.
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Chapter 2: Why have millions of Americans lost access to SNAP benefits?
Remote workers also saw a rise in self-reported emotional distress and visits to mental health care providers. Ritu Chatterjee, NPR News.
The NBA banned two people for life from its arenas after one of them was arrested shortly after running onto the court during Game 1 of the NBA Finals last night and trying to take a selfie next to Spurs star Victor Wembynjama. Wemby didn't appear to be bothered by the incident. I'm Ryland Barton, and you're listening to NPR News.
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