NPR News: 07-24-2025 3PM EDT

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NPR News Now 4 min 4 speakers 5 chapters transcribed 26 days ago

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What is the Justice Department’s new involvement in the Epstein investigation?

Lakshmi Singh 0:01

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The Justice Department's now talking to Glenn Maxwell. ABC News footage showed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche arriving at the Federal Courthouse facility in Tallahassee today to meet with Jeffrey Epstein's ex girlfriend. Maxwell is serving a twenty-year sentence for helping the late financier sexually molest minors. President Trump's DOJ has been trying to quell the clamors for transparency in the Epstein sex trafficking investigation since Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested she had an Epstein client list on her desk, but later said there was no new information. On NPR's morning edition, former federal and state prosecutor Ellie Hannick addressed reports that Bondi had informed Trump months ago he was named in the files.

Unknown 0:47

Why would the attorney general go and tip off the president? Hey, you're named in these criminal, closed criminal investigative files, whatever named may mean. That is highly abnormal.

Why is the alleged tip‑off to Trump considered a breach of Attorney General independence?

Unknown 0:58

And if we look back at the history of attorneys general through both parties, that would be seen as a breach of the attorney general's independence.

Lakshmi Singh 1:06

Note NPR has not independently confirmed that Bondi told Trump back in May he was named in the documents. President Trump has signed an executive order barring some tech companies from working with the federal government if the firms engage in what Trump calls woke AI. Here's NPR's Bobby Allen.

Bobby Allen 1:24

President Trump says the administration will now be vetting AI companies to make sure wokeness is not being spread by AI. The president order defines that as AI models that push diversity, equity, and inclusion, transgenderism and critical race theory. Trump announced it at an AI summit in Washington. The American people do not want woke Marxist lunacy in the AI models. AI scholars say while chatbots can generate left-leaning policy positions, it depends on how questions are framed and what part of the internet is being sourced.

How does President Trump’s executive order aim to limit “woke” AI?

Bobby Allen 1:53

Experts say in order to comply with the order, AI companies may create anti-woke chatbots to land future federal contracts. Bobby Allen and PR News.

Lakshmi Singh 2:04

Witnessing protests across his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's now submitted a bill to parliament to restore the powers and independence of anti corruption watchdogs. NPR's Hannah Palomarenko has more.

Hanna Palomarenko 2:19

Ukrainians called on the president to repeal a controversial law that he had signed. Later, Zelensky announced that he had submitted his own bill to Parliament that would guarantee the independence of anti-corruption agencies. Representatives of these agencies also participated in the drafting of the bill. After the text was published on the parliament's website, the anti corruption agencies said they supported it. Now the parliament is to consider the bill at its next meeting. Ukrainians on social media are calling for continued protests if the session does not take place soon.

What steps is President Zelensky taking to strengthen anti‑corruption watchdogs?

Hanna Palomarenko 2:56

Hanna Polarenko, NPR News, Kyiv.

Lakshmi Singh 3:02

A new report on family caregivers by AARP Finds nearly one in four American adults is a family caregiver. NPR's Ritu Chatterjee reports caregivers surveyed say They have little support and are themselves struggling with financial difficulties and poor health.

Ritu Chatterjee 3:22

Fifty nine million caregivers say they are caring for an adult in their family. Four million say they care for a child under eighteen with an illness or a complex disability. And those numbers have jumped by forty five percent in the past decade. Seven in ten working age caregivers say they are juggling paid work with caregiving at home. Dr. Maisha Minter Jordan is CEO of AARP.

What does the new AARP report reveal about the scale of family caregiving in the U.S.?

Unknown 3:46

Nearly half of caregivers say they face major financial consequences, draining savings, falling into debt, or struggling to afford basic needs like food and housing.

Ritu Chatterjee 3:58

And nearly a quarter report feeling completely alone. Read the Chatterjee, NPR News.

Lakshmi Singh 4:04

The US Geological Surveys reporting a magnitude of five point seven earthquake that hit Papua New Guinea today. There was no word. Immediate word anyway of injuries or damage, the region has a high level of seismic activity.