NPR News: 07-28-2026 8PM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton.
Who is confirmed and what controversy followed Jay Clayton's confirmation?
The Senate has confirmed Jay Clayton to head the nation's intelligence agencies. Clayton is the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman. During his confirmation hearing, he refused to say outright that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Some Democrats say they want to investigate President Trump's actions if they win control of Congress during the midterm elections. NPR's Mara Liason has more on the historical context to political scandals and efforts to reform.
If you listen to people who follow this, like Michael Waldman at the Brennan Center, they look back to those times in history where there were huge scandals. And after that, Congress took things that had merely been norms or voluntary choices, and they codified them into laws. Here's Michael Waldman.
Teddy Roosevelt and the progressive era reforms came after the corruption of the Gilded Age. After Watergate came a wave of protections and reforms in the 1970s. It's now a half century later. The corruption is growing. The abuse is growing. And it's time for another reform moment.
And we're now at a time when most of those post-Watergate laws have been overturned or otherwise chipped away.
NPR's Mara Liason reporting. President Trump met with the leaders of Ukraine and Israel today. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he had a good meeting with President Trump. In a social media post, he writes that he discussed several ideas with him, including giving Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot missile interceptors. And Zelensky says they discussed the need to reinvigorate diplomacy. President Trump came to office saying he could resolve that war on day one. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came out of his meeting saying it was one of the best conversations he's had with President Trump. It comes amid tensions over the war in Iran, which Trump initially promised Americans would be over quickly.
How have past political scandals led to major reform movements?
Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department.
The teenager who killed four people in a school shooting in Georgia has been sentenced to life without parole. Shemaine Cruz of member station WABE reports.
Colt Gray was 14 years old in 2024 when he brought the assault-style rifle that his father gifted him for Christmas to Apalachee High School northeast of Atlanta and opened fire. Both the prosecution and the defense agreed that the teen had a bad upbringing. But the local district attorney, Brad Smith, says Gray's motive was to mimic other mass shooters for fame and notoriety within the true crime community.
I want everyone to realize this is not harmless. The things they're doing online are not harmless. And we need to pay attention to when these kids start doodling these things on their notebooks.
The teen's father is set to be sentenced later this week for second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. For NPR News, I'm Shemaine Cruz in Atlanta.
Most U.S. stocks rose today. This is NPR News. The Republican race to replace the late Senator Lindsey Graham on the November ballot is heating up. At least 10 candidates have filed for the special primary on August 11th. the late Senator's sister, Darlene Graham, will serve out the rest of his term and is running for the nomination. But she's a political unknown to many South Carolinians. Other contenders include Congressman Ralph Norman and Russell Fry and former Governor Mark Sanford. Dr. Annie Andrews is the Democratic nominee. FIFA is planning to sell stakes of the World Cup to private investors. NPR's Raphael Nahm reports Europe's soccer governing body strongly opposes the plan.
It's a complicated plan. FIFA would create a separate company to oversee all commercial decisions for the men's and women's World Cup, as well as to other FIFA tournaments like the Club World Cup. And in this new venture, FIFA would partner with a firm called Thrive Eternal, run by Joshua Kushner, the brother of President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
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