NPR News: 08-08-2026 7PM EDT
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Why did the Senate narrowly confirm Todd Blanche as Attorney General?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. Early this morning, the Senate confirmed President Trump's nominee for US Attorney General Todd Blanche, who squeaked out a victory in a Republican led Senate that raised questions about placing Trump's former personal lawyer atop the Justice Department. That includes a controversial settlement between Trump and the IRS that created a one point eight billion dollar fund that was on track to benefit Trump's allies. Blanche was approved by the narrowest margin fifty to forty nine, with Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy voting in favor. MPO's Claudie Glissas has more.
He admitted he too had concerns over Blanche's role in things like that anti weaponization fund. Here's Cassidy on the Senate floor.
mister Blanche is not perfect and he will tell you this, but the choice is not between perfection and mister Blanche. It is between mister Blanche and another acting attorney general who may not run the department effectively under President Trump.
How are extreme heat alerts affecting Americans and what does the new survey reveal?
So he argued Blanche would actually have more leverage to push against the president if he was confirmed to the role.
And Pierce Claudia Grisales reporting. More than seventy million Americans are under heat alerts today and in parts of the Western US, triple digit heat has held on for weeks. MPR's Amy Held reports a new survey finds a growing number of people say extreme heat is changing how they live.
The AP NORC survey finds a growing share of Americans say it's affecting their energy bills, outdoor activities, their sleep. One thing that's dropped, the percentage of Americans who say climate change is happening, two thirds down from three quarters two years ago. Human caused climate change is making intense heat waves more likely. Then there's the naturally occurring El Nino climate pattern, forecast to intensify in the coming months, making above normal heat even likelier. This as highs in parts of the western US top one hundred ten degrees.
What new CDC travel restrictions are being imposed for Ebola‑affected regions?
The National Weather Service says it's up to twelve degrees above normal for summer. Amy Held, NPR News.
The CDC says it's tightening restrictions for people traveling to the US from Ebola affected areas in Africa. Michael Koloki has more.
The latest CDC guidance means Americans and other nationals who have been to the Democratic Republic of Congo within 21 days prior to traveling to the United States will not be allowed to board commercial flights with US destinations. Those travelers must remain outside of the DRC for 21 days before re-entering the US. The CDC says the measures are in place to reduce the risk of a boarding. are being brought into the United States, adding that certain categories of travelers who have recently been to Uganda or South Sudan will be required to enter the US through designated airports where they will undergo health screening. For NPR News and Michael Kaloki in Nairobi.
Who was the Ukrainian volunteer killed while recovering war dead, and why does his story matter?
And you're listening to NPR News from Washington. A Ukrainian known as the collector of souls for his dangerous work to recover remains on the front lines in the war with Russia has been killed in a landmine blast, and Pierre Scott Newman has more.
In twenty fourteen, after the Kremlin's annexation of Crimea and the insurgency in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, Alexei Yukov founded a volunteer organization known as Plotsdarm or Bridgehead to recover the dead on all sides of the conflict. Eight years later, Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine intensified the need for his efforts. Earlier in the war he was severely wounded in a similar mind blast to the one that killed him earlier this week. But that didn't slow Yuk down. He was known for getting in close to the action to recover remains and bring closure to the families of the dead. And that's where he was killed, in Donetsk on a recovery mission. Scott Newman, NPR News.
Former President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden says his father's prostate cancer has spread to other parts of his body and is causing him pain. Even as he continues to speak out on public issues. In an interview with the BBC, Hunter says his father's condition is quote very sad to watch, saying the cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones, and that it's quote very painful and very debilitating.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
Why did the Senate narrowly confirm Todd Blanche as Attorney General?
0:00–0:54
2
How are extreme heat alerts affecting Americans and what does the new survey reveal?
0:54–1:59
3
What new CDC travel restrictions are being imposed for Ebola‑affected regions?
1:59–2:55
4
Who was the Ukrainian volunteer killed while recovering war dead, and why does his story matter?
2:55–4:54
5
What does Abdul El‑Sayyed’s Michigan Senate primary win indicate for the upcoming midterms?
4:54–5:03