NPR News: 08-03-2026 3AM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman.
Why did Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch terminate President Trump’s $1.8 billion fund?
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch has terminated President Trump's $1.8 billion weaponization fund. Concerns over the fund by Republican congressmen had held up a confirmation vote for Blanch to remove the term acting from his title. The Senate Judiciary Committee is now scheduled to vote on Blanch's confirmation this Tuesday. President Trump called off more attacks on Iran this weekend, speaking with reporters on Air Force One Sunday. He explained why.
I was asked to by Saudi Arabia, by UAE, and by Qatar, and by Iran. We were all set to go. It's about at this time right now. And it would have been a massive attack. We're all set to go. But when the allies ask to call it off, you've got to sort of say, well, let's see. And the reason they ask is they think there's a deal.
Trump said Saturday that the deal includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and addressing U.S. concerns about Iran's nuclear program. Negotiations toward a ceasefire are expected to resume soon. Police in Twin Falls, Idaho, have identified the suspect in Saturday's mass shooting that left at least three people dead and seven others injured. Boise State Public Radio's James Dawson has more on our story.
Police say the gunman was 24-year-old Chad Williams, who opened fire at an In-N-Out Burger at about 2.30 Saturday afternoon before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Speaking at a press conference, Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson praised a local resident and an off-duty state trooper who shot back at Williams. These people are true heroes in our community, and their actions diverted the shooter and no doubt saved many lives. In-N-Out issued a statement confirming one of the dead worked at the restaurant. Identities of the victims have not been released.
What reasons did President Trump give for calling off strikes on Iran and what deal did he describe?
Several of those injured are still being treated at a local hospital. For NPR News, I'm James Dawson in Boise.
Officials in Wisconsin are now threatening to prosecute voters who place a bet on the midterm elections. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, that has prompted legal threats from the prediction market company, Kalshi.
Wisconsin is one of 32 states to outlaw election betting. Those state laws will be tested as prediction market sites CalSheet and PolyMarket expect November's midterms to see more bets than ever before. UCLA Voting Rights Project Director Matt Barreto says Wisconsin is right to warn voters not to wager on elections.
We should be voting on candidates for their positions and their policies to represent us, not because we can make a buck.
Bredow says poll workers with insider knowledge could rig a market, like undercounting votes for a prediction market payday. Cauchy says poll workers are already banned from betting, and any who try will be caught. Bobby Allen, NPR News.
And you're listening to NPR News. Oil prices fell sharply Sunday night after President Trump said he would hold off for now on any new strikes against Iran. The price of U.S. crude fell about 6 percent to $80 a barrel. The price of Brent crude, which is considered the international standard, fell about 5 percent to $83 a barrel. That's down from more than $100 during much of the spring. The Trump administration is proposing changes to banking regulations meant to lighten the burden on community banks. But as NPR's Stephen Basaja reports, it could lead to banks investing fewer dollars in affordable housing.
Under the Community Reinvestment Act, the more a bank invests locally, the more likely regulators will approve profitable mergers and acquisitions. In 2024, the law encouraged about $170 billion in affordable housing and local infrastructure lending. That's according to the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders. The group says the new rules would reclassify about 800 banks as small, so they would no longer need to follow those regulations. And that would likely lead to lower investment in rural housing, where those banks are often located. Federal regulators say the proposed loosened rules will lower the burden on community banks.
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