NPR News: 07-25-2025 4AM EDT
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Why is Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche visiting Ghislaine Maxwell and what does it mean for the Epstein files?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stephens. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has visited convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell amid calls to release the Epstein files. An attorney for Maxwell says his client answered all questions truthfully. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence in a Florida prison for sex trafficking and other offenses. The U.S. envoy to the Middle East says Hamas has shown a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. As NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports, the U.S. is now bringing its negotiating team home.
In a social media post, Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff praised the mediators for making what he calls a great effort to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.
What is the U.S. envoy’s assessment of Hamas’s willingness to negotiate a Gaza ceasefire?
But he says Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith. Witkoff says the U.S. will now consider alternate options to create a more stable situation in Gaza and bring home hostages. He did not elaborate. His statement comes as international aid groups warn of mass starvation spreading across Gaza. U.N. aid workers say the hunger crisis there has never been so dire. The U.S. backs a new aid group that Trump administration officials say is trying to make sure food does not benefit Hamas.
How will the USDA’s plan to cut its Washington workforce and relocate employees affect federal staff?
Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department.
The Department of Agriculture plans to move most of its Washington, D.C. workforce to five other locations around the country. From member station KCUR, Frank Morris reports that a similar shakeup proved costly in the last Trump administration. USDA Secretary
Brooke Rollins says the agency will cut its Washington workforce by at least 55 percent. That's on top of cuts made earlier this year. The idea is to disperse some 2,600 USDA employees now in D.C., to Kansas City, Indianapolis, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, and Fort Collins, Colorado. Laura Dodson with the USDA and the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3403, says the plan is hostile to staff.
Why is North Carolina suing FEMA over a $200 million grant for a wastewater pumping station?
I'm being told if you're in the National Capital Region, don't get comfortable because you're going to be either fired or removed.
When the USDA tried to move two research divisions to Kansas City during the last Trump administration, most employees quit rather than uproot their families. For NPR News, I'm Frank Morris in Kansas City.
North Carolina is suing FEMA for withholding more than $200 million in grant funding. for updating a wastewater pumping station in the northern town of Hillsboro. State Attorney General Jeff Jackson says the money was approved by Congress, but FEMA canceled it in April, calling it wasteful.
If you want to make FEMA more efficient, do it. If you want to make sure that local towns have more power over how that money is spent, do it.
What sparked the deadly border clashes between Thai and Cambodian forces near the disputed temple?
Here's a local town telling you that they have a major risk with this piece of infrastructure. And the reason we know that they're being serious is because it just flooded about two weeks ago.
Tropical Storm Chantal knocked out Hillsboro's weigh station. This is NPR. The southern New Mexico village is again cleaning up from flash flooding. At least five people had to be rescued Thursday after being trapped by rushing water. Past wildfires have left the hillside community of Ruidoso barren and vulnerable to flooding. UnitedHealthcare says it is the subject of federal criminal and civil investigations over its Medicare billing.
How are U.S. futures and Asian markets reacting to the latest Wall Street after‑hours trading?
In a regulatory filing, the insurance giant said it is complying with requests from the Justice Department regarding its Medicare Advantage program. UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, covering more than 8 million people. Officials in Thailand say at least 14 people were killed during clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops. Michael Sullivan has the story from Chiang Rai.
The Thai military says the clashes began early Thursday morning near a disputed temple complex about 225 miles east of the capital, Bangkok. The dead, the military says, include an eight-year-old boy in Surin province, and it says it's carried out airstrikes against Cambodian positions as the long-simmering conflict has escalated dramatically.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Why is Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche visiting Ghislaine Maxwell and what does it mean for the Epstein files?
0:01–0:42
2
What is the U.S. envoy’s assessment of Hamas’s willingness to negotiate a Gaza ceasefire?
0:42–1:15
3
How will the USDA’s plan to cut its Washington workforce and relocate employees affect federal staff?
1:15–2:01
4
Why is North Carolina suing FEMA over a $200 million grant for a wastewater pumping station?
2:01–2:43
5
What sparked the deadly border clashes between Thai and Cambodian forces near the disputed temple?
2:43–3:22
6
How are U.S. futures and Asian markets reacting to the latest Wall Street after‑hours trading?
3:22–4:39