NPR News: 06-11-2026 1AM EDT
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Roman. Bill Gates Wednesday testified behind closed doors before the House Oversight Committee. NPR's Ava Berger reports in a prepared opening statement, Gates said he met Jeffrey Epstein in 2011 through his work on a global health project, and the two continued to have conversations through 2014.
We also got more information because Gates released the text of his opening statement this morning.
What did Bill Gates reveal about his connection to Jeffrey Epstein?
In it, he said he never witnessed or knew about any of Epstein's crimes. And lawmakers say Gates is not accused of any wrongdoing related to his association with Epstein.
Gates also said he should have used more care when it came to his introduction to Epstein. Inflation hit 4.2 percent last month, the highest rate in three years, with higher energy costs pushing up the prices across the economy. Economists said consumers are likely to keep feeling the squeeze, this ahead of the midterm elections. NPR's Windsor Johnston reports.
Rising energy costs continue to work their way through the economy, pushing up the price of everything from food and airfare to shipping and manufacturing. Economist Mark Sandy says consumers shouldn't expect much relief anytime soon.
You know that old adage that prices go up like a rocket, they come down like a feather. Oil prices now are kind of sort of around 90 bucks a barrel. That may be about as low as it gets for a while, even if the President nails down some kind of deal here in the next few days, few weeks.
Sandy says the typical household has paid more than $500 in added energy costs since February. That alone is more than the roughly $350 families received in tax relief this year. Windsor Johnston, NPR News.
In Southern California, the FBI and the Environmental Protection Agency executed a search warrant Wednesday. This at an aerospace plant in Garden Grove. The investigation follows a major chemical scare last month. It forced some 50,000 nearby residents to flee their homes. Jill Repligel reports.
For several days over Memorial Day weekend, firefighters warned that a tank holding several thousand gallons of a toxic chemical known as MMA was was in danger of exploding, with a potential blast zone that included surrounding neighborhoods. The chemical eventually stabilized. Here's First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Assele.
Obviously, this was a huge case that had a big impact on the community. So we want the public to be assured that We're going to take this seriously.
He says the EPA and other federal agencies are looking into whether the company, GKN Aerospace, failed to take precautions to prevent the scare. For NPR News, I'm Jill Replogle in Garden Grove.
Iran and the United States are exchanging new military strikes, putting in jeopardy a fragile ceasefire. The U.S. says the attacks are in response to Iran's continued aggression, including the attack this week of an Army Apache helicopter. President Trump is warning there could be more attacks. Federal prosecutors are charging eight people with threatening University of Michigan administrators and others, according to an indictment that was unsealed Wednesday. Michigan Public Radio's Beamish Ahmad reports prosecutors say the threats were part of an effort to get the university to cut ties with Israel.
The indictment describes actions the defendants allegedly took against several unnamed victims, including littering shrouded and broken baby dolls across the lawn of one victim and spray painting expletives and throwing jars full of a noxious chemical into the home of another. Six of the defendants are current or former University of Michigan students. The indictment says the goal was to get the university and other businesses to sever perceived ties to Israel.
How is rising inflation affecting consumers ahead of the midterm elections?
The defendants face charges of conspiracy to transmit a threat, destruction of property, and witness tampering. The indictment also includes encrypted messages and social media posts prosecutors say were used by defendants to plan and boast of these and other actions. For NPR News, I'm Beanish Ahmed in Detroit.
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