NPR News: 07-25-2026 12AM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman.
What happened at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and why was it delayed?
President Trump spoke at the White House Correspondents' Dinner Friday night. The dinner was delayed from April after a gunman ran past security, causing the event to be initially postponed. Trump has frequently sparred with the media, but instead of offering criticism, this time he brought jokes.
Everyone's looking really good tonight, and I know it was not
How did President Trump address the media and what jokes did he make?
easy-finding shoes to go along with your bulletproof vest, which many people didn't want to wear because they'd rather die than look 20 pounds heavier. You know that, right?
Trump's sometimes off-color speech lasted for more than an hour. Last fall, the U.S. Department of Energy terminated more than $7 billion in clean energy grants. Now, in a recent court filing, the agency says it canceled grants only in states that didn't vote for President Trump. NPR's Julia Simon has more.
Some of the canceled clean energy projects were in California, where some former project grantees sued the Trump administration in response. The Department of Energy states in court documents that of the 284 canceled projects, all but one were in states that voted for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in 2024. 340 projects in states that voted for Trump were not canceled. The DOE stated that terminated grants were, quote, based solely on the political identity of the grant recipient's state, i.e., whether the recipient's location and or place of performance was in a blue state or a non-blue state. The DOE did not respond to NPR's request for comment. Julia Simon, NPR News.
Democrats Friday picked the first presidential primary state for 2028. The top contenders were South Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire and Iowa. MPR's Maham Javid has more on that story.
South Carolina is once again set to lead the Democratic presidential primary calendar. It's meant to show that the Democrats are prioritizing black voters, a reliable and influential voting bloc for the party. South Carolina's allies say the party should signal that it's serious about making an investment in the South. The Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee also considered Nevada because of its diverse voters. Ultimately, members raised concerns about Nevada's ability to process results quickly. It was given the second date on the calendar, followed by New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia. Maham Javed, NPR News.
Skydance-owned Paramount has agreed to delay closing its $81 billion buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery until sometime next year. A judge is considering a challenge from 12 states seeking to block the deal entirely. Several days ago, a judge had granted a temporary restraining order requested by the states to freeze the deal for several weeks. Stocks finished mixed on Wall Street Friday. The Dow gained 235 points, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added three points, just up a fraction. You're listening to NPR News. Forest fires are continuing to burn out of control in southwestern France and central Spain at this hour. The region is under a major heat wave, which has brought high temperatures and dry conditions that are fueling the fires.
At least 200,000 people have been forced to leave their homes because of the blazes, including more than 140,000 people in France.
Why did the Department of Energy cancel $7 billion in clean energy grants and who was affected?
Budget shortfalls and declining enrollment are top concerns for K-12 school leaders, that's according to a recent survey from the nonpartisan research organization RAND. And Paris Cadenmill reports.
The nationally representative survey, conducted in the spring, found that school districts are trying to address their funding gaps, in part by competing for students. The survey asked leaders from 38 school districts to rank their top concerns. Among them were rising costs and declining revenues. The cost of services has increased, and state funding has not kept up. Many of the schools surveyed say they are attempting to address budget shortfalls by increasing their enrollment. Some are experimenting with marketing campaigns and increased services, like expanding options for extracurriculars and pre-K programs, though Rand acknowledges that already tight budgets don't leave much room for that.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:04
2
What happened at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and why was it delayed?
0:04–0:23
3
How did President Trump address the media and what jokes did he make?
0:23–3:20
4
Why did the Department of Energy cancel $7 billion in clean energy grants and who was affected?
3:20–5:02