NPR News: 08-04-2026 10AM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dualisa Kautel.
What are the market reactions to corporate earnings and trade data this morning?
Stocks opened higher this morning as McDonald's reported a slowdown in U.S. sales growth. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped more than 500 points in early trading.
McDonald's says its U.S. sales grew by less than 1% during the most recent quarter, a marked slowdown from the same period a year ago. The fast food giant warned during the spring that rising gas prices might cut into its sales. McDonald's is trying to woo cost-conscious diners with its value menu of items priced at $3 or less. Stock in Caterpillar got a boost after the company reported record quarterly sales of more than $20 billion. Caterpillar has seen strong demand for industrial turbines to power data centers. And the U.S. trade deficit narrowed in June. Exports and imports both fell during the month, but imports fell more. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.
President Trump warns Iran that this is Tehran's last chance to make a deal to end the five months long war. He had called off weekend attacks, saying negotiations were imminent with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and others. But Iran denies that direct talks are taking place. More than two dozen states are suing the Trump administration over new tariffs imposed on some of the largest trading partners in the U.S.
Why did McDonald's U.S. sales slow and how is the company responding?
And PR's Daniel Kurtzleben says the levies were imposed on countries accused of exporting goods made with forced labor.
Twenty-five states in all are suing the administration, saying in their suit that, quote, the administration cannot use forced labor as a pretext to continue its illegal tariff scheme. The administration imposed the tariffs under a law meant to fight discriminatory practices by trading partners. They set the new tariffs to take effect last month at the moment that another global blanket tariff expired. The lawsuit uses that continuity, as well as the president's own words, to argue that the new tariffs are not a good-faith effort to fight forced labor. The states furthermore called the investigation that preceded the new tariffs a sham. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News, the White House.
The foodborne illness that has been reported across the country has now killed at least two people in Michigan, where health officials say more than 11,000 people have been sickened with cyclosporiasis. Kate Wells is a reporter with our partner KFF Health News.
do not have a lot of information about these deaths right now. We do know that there are several outbreaks happening at this point. They're not necessarily connected to each other. The FDA says Michigan's part of a nine-start state outbreak, but we really have just got local public health nurses here walking through with people everything that they have eaten in great detail.
She said there are at least 45 states currently with cases of cyclosporiasis and no answers yet on what is causing this outbreak. This is NPR News from New York City. Recent Russian attacks on printing facilities in Ukraine have severely impacted the Ukrainian book industry. NPR's Hanna Palomarenko reports from Cave that these attacks destroyed millions of books this summer.
How did Caterpillar's results and the U.S. trade deficit affect stocks?
According to Ukraine's Ministry of Culture, more than 1.5 million books and textbooks were destroyed in July. In early August, Russia attacked two more major book printing facilities in Kharkiv. As a result, more than 8 million books, including school textbooks, were burned. Deputy Minister of Culture Bogdana Layuk said on Ukrainian television that as a result, some of the textbooks will be late in reaching students this school year. The Russians' targeted strikes on warehouses and printing plants are not only continuing, but are becoming increasingly intense, she says. Ukrainian government is currently formulating two long-term programs to bolster the sector and provide sustainable support to publishers.
Search teams in Pakistan's Karakor mountains are still working to collect the remains of a 10-member expedition that died after an avalanche last week.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:06
2
What are the market reactions to corporate earnings and trade data this morning?
0:06–1:21
3
Why did McDonald's U.S. sales slow and how is the company responding?
1:21–3:14
4
How did Caterpillar's results and the U.S. trade deficit affect stocks?
3:14–5:04