NPR News: 08-08-2026 6PM EDT
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Why was Todd Blanche’s confirmation as Attorney General so controversial?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herst. Todd Blanche says he's deeply honored by the trust President Trump has placed in him to lead the Department of Justice. And Pierce Carey Johnson reports the Senate narrowly confirmed Blanche fifty to forty nine to serve as Attorney General.
Blanche worked overtime to convince skeptical Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana to support his nomination. The Senate ultimately confirmed Blanche as the nation's eighty eighth attorney general by a single vote. Critics say Blanche presided over a DOJ that attacked the career workforce, went after the president's political foes, and botched the release of files connected to the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. But Senator Cassidy and others suggest anyone Trump would hire to replace Blanche could be less qualified and less likely to push back on Trump's impulses. Carrie Johnson, NPR News.
It's been one year since a gunman opened fire on the centers for disease control and prevention in Atlanta. Empire's Ping Wan has more.
What motivated the gunman who attacked the CDC in Atlanta and how are officials responding?
It was Friday afternoon, near the end of the workday, when a gunman stood across the street from the C D C's main campus and started shooting. doctor Dan Jernigan was there. At the time, he led the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. For about fifteen minutes, he says.
Being in an office in Atlanta was more dangerous than tracking Ebola in West Africa.
The CDC staffers all survived, but the gunman killed DeCab County Police Officer David Rose. A main road on campus is being renamed after him. The gunman who killed himself was motivated by anti vaccine and anti C D C messaging. Dernigan says those sentiments are still out there.
The rhetoric and demonization of public health and public health leaders.
How are extreme weather conditions fueling the Wide Mouth Fire in Utah?
It certainly has not stopped.
Ping Huang NPR News.
In Utah, extremely dry weather and high temperatures and winds are fueling wildfires in the state, including the large wide mouth fire. Deanna Younger is public information officer with the FIRE.
We're at one hundred and eleven thousand. Three hundred and six acres. with twenty four percent containment. It's about two miles southwest of Kenosh, Utah. And we are still experiencing extreme fire behavior.
She says there are more than six hundred thirty people fighting the fire, including nine crews, along with seven helicopters, twenty three engines, two dozers, and nine water tenders.
Why did Spain impose border checks on travelers from Italy amid the Ceuta crisis?
Meanwhile, the fate of the two crew members on board a firefighting helicopter that crashed yesterday isn't known. Fire officials say the remote crash site is in the perimeter of the fire, and until conditions get better, they can't safely send in emergency responders. The NTSB and the FAA are investigating that crash. Wildfires are burning in several western states. You're listening to NPR News. Spain has imposed border checks on visitors flying from Italy amid a continuing diplomatic spat between the two countries. Empire's Miguel Messius has more.
The move comes after Italy's Prime Minister Giorgio Maloni criticized the Spanish government for its handling of a chaotic mass border crossing last week at the Spanish territory of Ceuta in northern Africa. Italy was first to impose border controls on travelers coming from Spain after the events of july 30th. Maloney blamed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his immigration policies for the tragic events in Ceuta.
What is the new “In Pursuit” essay series and which presidents are featured?
Where over 70,000 people managed to cross the border from Morocco, 82 people died according to Spanish authorities, most of them drowned. Nearly all of those who crossed into Ceuta have returned to Morocco. Spain is imposing the temporary border checks after demanding that Italy lift its own to no avail. Miguel Macillas and Pierre News, Seville, Spain.
And that restriction is where rare within the European Union where there is freedom of movement. Three former presidents joined an all-star roster of historians contributing to a series of essays about presidents back to George Washington. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, along with Chief Justice John Roberts, are among the essayists in a project called In Pursuit.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Why was Todd Blanche’s confirmation as Attorney General so controversial?
0:00–1:08
2
What motivated the gunman who attacked the CDC in Atlanta and how are officials responding?
1:08–1:52
3
How are extreme weather conditions fueling the Wide Mouth Fire in Utah?
1:52–2:38
4
Why did Spain impose border checks on travelers from Italy amid the Ceuta crisis?
2:38–3:37
5
What is the new “In Pursuit” essay series and which presidents are featured?
3:37–4:33
6
What quirky moments did Sally Field share on this week’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me?
4:33–5:03