Chapter 1: What happened in the shooting incident near the White House?
Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Two National Guard members are in critical condition after a gunman opened fire outside a subway station just two blocks from the White House this afternoon. NPR's Jacqueline Diaz is at the shooting scene.
The area around where two National Guardsmen were shot is closed off with police tape. It's in a normally busy intersection of the nation's capital called Farragut Square, just about two blocks away from the White House. So far, we know the National Guardsmen were shot earlier this afternoon and caught by surprise. D.C. officials called it a targeted attack.
The gunman was also shot and is in custody at a local hospital. West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrissey said that the two soldiers were West Virginia National Guardsmen.
Chapter 2: How are states responding to changes in SNAP food assistance for migrants?
The White House says it is monitoring the situation. Jacqueline Diaz, NPR News, Washington.
A coalition of states is suing the Trump administration. They're hoping to block a federal effort to cut off SNAP food assistance for migrants who are in the U.S. legally. Federal officials want to limit food aid for migrants who arrive through asylum and humanitarian programs. NPR's Brian Mann reports.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued guidance in late October restricting the group of migrants in the U.S. legally who are eligible for SNAP food assistance.
Chapter 3: What are the legal implications of the OpenAI lawsuit?
Attorneys general from 20 states and the District of Columbia filed suit in federal court. They say if states keep providing food aid to legal migrants, they could face catastrophic financial penalties. In a statement, New York AG Letitia James said the change would affect more than 35,000 migrants living in her state.
James blasted what she called an effort to take food away from children and families. The USDA says legal refugees and asylum seekers from some countries are still eligible for food aid. Most are now required to meet complex eligibility rules. Brian Mann, NPR News.
In new court papers, chat GPT maker OpenAI says it's not liable for the death of a teen boy, saying he misused the chatbot. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, it comes after the family of the boy filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the AI giants.
Lawyers for OpenAI say a 16-year-old boy from Orange County, California, used the chatbot as a suicide coach.
Chapter 4: How is North Carolina's new congressional map affecting elections?
The tech company says the boy's death was the result of the unauthorized use of ChatGPT. It's OpenAI's first legal response to a lawsuit that set off debate about the potential mental health dangers of powerful AI chatbots. The lawsuit contained chat logs showing ChatGPT discouraged the boy from seeking mental health treatment and even helped him write a suicide note.
Since the suit, OpenAI has changed its AI models. so that interactions with the chatbot are less affirming of what a user is asking about, which could include harms. Bobby Allen, NPR News.
Federal judges are allowing North Carolina to use a new congressional map next fall. That map was drawn by the state's Republicans and targets the state's only swing state district held by a Democrat. Stocks finished up across the board today. The Dow Jones Industrial is up 314 points.
Chapter 5: What challenges is the biotechnology sector facing due to federal budget cuts?
This is NPR News. Federal budget cuts and financial upheaval are now threatening the biotechnology sector. The industry has grown significantly, creating thousands of jobs, and officials in Montgomery County, Maryland, outside Washington, D.C., are trying to maintain talent in businesses as cuts to federal health agencies send ripple effects throughout the local economy.
Jenny Abamu from member station WAMU has the story.
Industry experts estimate venture capital investment in the region has dropped by more than 50%. Jeff Galvin is founder and CEO of American Gene Technologies in the county. A lot of the risk in it is whether the project can continue under economic conditions that exist in the United States today. And that's what investors need to figure in when they're making decisions.
He's trying to raise $35 million for the company's next phase of research, but says the shuttering of USAID was a major blow to investor confidence. USAID provided some funding for HIV prevention and treatment.
Chapter 6: What are the latest updates on the high-rise fire in Hong Kong?
For NPR News, I'm Jenny Abamu in Bethesda.
At least 36 people have died in an overnight fire at a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong, and at least 29 others were injured. Officials say another 279 people are reported as missing. The fire burned across seven buildings in the Taipo District. The fire apparently began on scaffolding outside one of the buildings. Pope Leo XIV is traveling to Turkey and Lebanon this week.
It's his first international trip since becoming pope. While in Turkey, he will mark an anniversary with the Orthodox Church there. Pope Francis had planned to make the same trip before he died. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.