NPR News: 07-17-2026 1AM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. During his primetime speech to the nation Thursday evening, President Trump revived his long-running allegations about U.S. election security, focusing heavily on China. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben.
What did President Trump allege about China and U.S. election security in his primetime speech?
Well, he said he's declassifying and releasing documents regarding the security of U.S. elections. And he talked about those documents as covering any number of theories about how he says U.S. elections have been interfered with, including by foreign actors like China. Now, to be upfront. We're being careful how we talk about this because, like you said, Trump has spread disinformation and lies about elections for years.
Trump claimed that Beijing improperly acquired data about millions of U.S. voters, saying that presents an unprecedented election security nightmare. His remarks contradict U.S. intelligence findings, and a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said China has never and will never interfere in the U.S. presidential election. Trump's remarks about China come two months before leader Xi Jinping is due in Washington for a summit. While Trump focused mostly on his election security claims, he did mention the war with Iran, saying the U.S. is winning amid escalating back-and-forth attacks. The U.S. military says it has completed its latest wave of attacks that have expanded to include strikes on bridges inside Iran.
With those renewed strikes in Iran, oil prices rising again. NPR's Julia Simon reports that some U.S. lawmakers want to tax oil company profits.
Sheldon Whitehouse, Democratic senator from the state of Rhode Island, proposed the windfall oil profit tax bill earlier this year. Here's how he says it would work. You look at the average price of a barrel of oil before the war. You compare that to the price spikes today. You look at the resulting profits.
And then you split the difference. We're actually somewhat generous about letting him keep half of the excess profits.
The government would distribute the money to lower-income Americans in the form of tax rebates. About a dozen senators have signed onto the bill. Big oil companies are expected to announce higher second-quarter profits later this month. Julia Simon, NPR News.
The governor of Texas says at least two people have died in catastrophic flash flooding that's hit the south-central part of the state, Blaise Gainey. From the Texas Newsroom reports.
Governor Greg Abbott is asking Texans to pay attention to flood alerts throughout the rest of the week as more rain is expected. Floods are confirmed in the Hill Country area as well as in other areas along the Guadalupe River. Abbott says the damage is not yet done.
There are massive challenges in Uvalde as well as other regions.
How do U.S. intelligence and China respond to claims of election interference?
And in fact, people need to understand to expect very meaningful flooding in the Rio Grande.
This flood comes a year after more than 130 people were lost due to a flash flood in the Hill Country area of Texas. Several camp attendees lost their lives. This time around, Abbott says the camps along the river are not in danger. For NPR News, I'm Blaise Gainey in Austin.
And you're listening to NPR News. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch met Thursday with accusers of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The meeting at the Justice Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. lasted for about an hour and followed a demand from a Republican senator whose support is crucial to Blanch's nomination to lead the Justice Department. Afterward, Blanche told reporters that the meeting was not all cordial. The Homeland Security Department is changing its rules for foreign students. NPR's Alyssa Nadwarny reports the department is adding fixed limits to how long international students can stay in the U.S.
Historically, international students could remain in the States as long as they were making progress in their academic program. Under the new rule, most foreign students will be admitted to the U.S. for a fixed period of time, up to four years. If they need more time to finish, which many students do, they will now have to apply for a formal extension.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:16
2
What did President Trump allege about China and U.S. election security in his primetime speech?
0:16–2:34
3
How do U.S. intelligence and China respond to claims of election interference?
2:34–4:40
4
What updates did NPR report on the U.S. military strikes and rising oil prices?
4:40–5:04