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Chapter 1: What recent housing bill did President Trump refuse to sign?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. President Trump says he won't sign the bipartisan housing bill that passed Congress yesterday unless lawmakers send him a bill to require proof of citizenship for all voters. Republicans had been hoping to use the housing bill as a selling point ahead of the elections, as NPR's Tamara Keith explains.
Affordability is the theme of this year's midterm elections. It's the issue voters keep telling us that they care about most. And earlier this year, when President Trump was taking flak for not doing enough to bring down the cost of living, he actually made housing a key pillar of his affordability plan.
In his State of the Union address, he told the story of a mom from Houston who put bids on 20 homes and lost out every time to private equity firms paying cash. He called for a ban on large Wall Street investment firms buying up homes by the thousands.
NPR's Tamara Keith reporting. Primary night in New York City marked the first major test for mayors around Mamdani's democratic socialism. As NPR's Elena Moore reports, all three of Mamdani's endorsed candidates for Congress won their matchups.
Mamdani broke with Democratic leaders in three key House races, throwing support behind leftist candidates who openly criticize Israel and push for liberal economic policies. And in the end, two of those challengers ousted sitting incumbents. Strategist and mayoral advisor Morris Katz says it's a move that shows the mayor's goal of rejecting establishment politics.
Very often, politicians who have the power and the popularity that the mayor does right now are far more concerned
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Chapter 2: How are midterm elections focusing on affordability issues?
not just paid off last night, but it's part of the reason people love him.
These districts heavily favor Democrats, meaning Mamdani's endorsed candidates are expected to win their general election matchups in the fall. Elena Moore, NPR News.
The Great American State Fair starts tonight in Washington, D.C., with a Trump rally. NPR's Rachel Triesman reports.
Organizers say the kickoff will feature remarks by President Trump, military flyovers, and some musical performances. It was originally billed as a concert before many of the artists withdrew. The state fair officially opens Thursday as part of the country's 250th birthday celebrations. It will span 10 blocks of the National Mall, featuring a Ferris wheel and over 150 different pavilions.
Leo Landis, public historian for the Wisconsin Historical Society, says state fairs have been an American tradition since the 1840s.
It's about American farming. It's about domestic production. It's about the United States and how we are distinct.
The event runs for over two weeks, ending July 10th.
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Chapter 3: What impact did Mamdani's candidates have on New York City primaries?
Rachel Treisman, NPR News.
The National Taxpayer Advocate says the IRS did better than expected in issuing refunds during the 2026 tax season despite massive cuts to its workforce. The taxpayers who needed human help over the phone were left behind, according to a new report from the IRS watchdog. This is NPR News.
A team of independent experts commissioned by the United Nations has accused Israel of deliberately shooting children in Gaza and committing genocide. Israel denies these claims, calling the report a, quote, libelous sham.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory reports that in two years alone, 30% of the more than 20,000 Palestinians killed over that time period were children. Nearly 8 in 10 Gen Zers say they want a job that allows them to help others, according to a new Gallup poll. NPR's Andrea Hsu reports.
Gallup surveyed close to 2,500 people, ages 13 through 28. A large majority of them said they hope to make a positive difference in people's lives through work. The sentiment was shared across the full range of Gen Zers, regardless of age, gender, race, and financial status. The reality, based on the polling, is that not everyone is achieving that.
Among those 18 and older who have jobs, just over half say they currently feel they're helping others through their work. Gallup asked about barriers standing in the way, about half-sighted insufficient pay as one factor that could prevent them from pursuing such a job.
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Chapter 4: What events are planned for the Great American State Fair in D.C.?
And close to half said jobs that make a positive difference are hard or emotionally draining. Andrea Hsu and PR News.
Archaeologists saying they've discovered a huge Viking Age textile production site in Denmark that dates back more than a thousand years. Experts from the Moose Score Museum say the more than one million square foot site features an area for processing flax, as well as more than 80 pit houses. The semi-buried huts were used as workshops and dwellings in Viking times.
Chapter 5: What challenges did the IRS face during the 2026 tax season?
This is NPR News.
This is Ira Glass. On This American Life, one thing we like is a good mystery. Sometimes about really big things, but most times, the little mysteries are the best.
Our Lost and Found is currently filled with pants.
Chapter 6: What significant archaeological discovery was made in Denmark?
I don't know. I've never seen this happen.
Wait, this is true?
This is true. Mysteries of every size, each week, This American Life, wherever you get your podcasts.