NPR News: 07-24-2025 8PM EDT
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Why is President Trump pressuring Fed Chair Jerome Powell over the Federal Reserve renovation costs?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Kristen Wright. President Trump toured the headquarters of the Federal Reserve in Washington today with Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The president accuses Powell and the central bank of mismanaging costs for a major renovation project, which have risen into the billions of dollars. NPR's Tamara Keith reports on Trump's hard hat visit.
It was part of a relentless pressure campaign aimed at Powell. Um, Trump picked Powell to be Fed chairman during his first term, but has turned on him in a big way. Uh however, Powell's term doesn't end until next year, uh, and Trump would have a very hard time firing him because of legal protections meant to protect the Fed from political interference. That is, unless there's cause like fraud. And so Trump has keyed in on this project.
What did the Justice Department reveal about the UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage investigation?
Today he even interrogated Powell about it in front of cameras.
In that tense exchange, Powell corrected Trump on his tally of the renovation cost, saying the president was including a five-year-old building that is not part of the project. The Justice Department is conducting a civil and criminal investigation into United Healthcare, the largest private provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the country. NPR's Yuki Naguchi says that's the subject of the probe.
The health insurance giant runs its Medicare Advantage plan on behalf of the government, covering about eight million Americans. The Wall Street Journal reported United Healthcare was using doctors to extract extra payments from the government program. Prompting the Justice Department probe. The company said it is cooperating and has launched its own third party investigation. It said it had quote a long record of responsible conduct and effective compliance.
How are the stalled Gaza cease‑fire talks affecting U.S. diplomatic strategy?
Yukinaguchi N PR News.
Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar have stalled for now. The US is bringing its negotiating team back home to discuss the latest response from Hamas. Hulk Hogan, one of the defining stars of professional wrestling, has died. According to police and fire departments in Clearwater, Florida, he died this morning after crews responded to a call for cardiac arrest. NPR's Andrew Limbong reports he was seventy-one.
Hulk Hogan had a knack for riling people up to get people to believe he was fighting for them.
What were the circumstances surrounding Hulk Hogan’s death and his cultural legacy?
All those Hulcomaniacs live vicariously to me. That's why they get off of my style, brother.
His real name was Terry Belea, but as Hulk Hogan, he was the face of professional wrestling's boom in the 1980s. The craze around him, known as Hulcomania, spread far and wide, including a memorable appearance in Rocky III. You're in trouble, man. Hogan retired in 2012 and soon after sued the website Gauker into bankruptcy for publishing his sex state. More recently, he was a figure of right-wing politics, appearing at the Republican National Convention in 2024, rallying the crowd for what he called Trompomania. Andrew Limbong, NPR News.
Why are homicide and violent‑crime rates dropping in U.S. cities according to the Council on Criminal Justice?
This is NPR News. Homicide and other violent crime rates are falling in the US, according to a mid year analysis of crime data released today by the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think take. As NPR's Meg Anderson reports, the analysis mirrors the findings of other researchers as well.
The Council on Criminal Justice looked at the rates of 13 crimes in more than three dozen US cities. Those included violent crimes like homicide and sexual assault, and property crimes like shoplifting and motor vehicle theft. Researchers found that the levels of nearly all crimes they examined were lower in the first half of this year than the first half of last year. Drug offenses remained the same and domestic violence rates rose slightly. Violent crime in particular is especially down.
What changes does President Trump’s new executive order propose for homelessness and how might the Union Pacific‑Norfolk Southern merger reshape freight rail?
Those types of crimes are lower now than they were before the pandemic. Some crime analysts say a reinvestment in communities after the pandemic from local governments is a key reason why crime is falling. Meg Anderson, NPR News.
President Trump has signed an executive order that seeks to overhaul policies on managing homelessness. It calls for changes to make it easier for states and cities to remove outdoor encampments and get people into mental health or addiction treatment in certain circumstances.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Why is President Trump pressuring Fed Chair Jerome Powell over the Federal Reserve renovation costs?
0:00–0:51
2
What did the Justice Department reveal about the UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage investigation?
0:51–1:52
3
How are the stalled Gaza cease‑fire talks affecting U.S. diplomatic strategy?
1:52–2:21
4
What were the circumstances surrounding Hulk Hogan’s death and his cultural legacy?
2:21–2:56
5
Why are homicide and violent‑crime rates dropping in U.S. cities according to the Council on Criminal Justice?
2:56–3:47
6
What changes does President Trump’s new executive order propose for homelessness and how might the Union Pacific‑Norfolk Southern merger reshape freight rail?
3:47–4:39