>> Live from NPR news in Washington, I'm Louise Kivoni.
Facing explicit allegations of sexual misconduct, two members of Congress have announced
their resigning. California Democrat Eric Swallwell faced accusations from multiple women, one who stepped forward today charging he had drugged and raped her eight years ago, which Swallwell denies. Former California Congresswoman Jackie Spears says it's a big problem. >> What is really fair is to ask the question, why didn't these women feel
that they would have the protection they needed to come forward? I mean, I presume it's because they were fearful of retaliation or being ostracized
“from getting another job on the hill, but that's what I'm calling on my former colleagues”
and Congress to do. Find out why they didn't think that they would be protected enough. >> Also leaving Congress early Texas Republican Tony Gonzalez, after admitting to an affair
with a staff member who later died by suicide.
>> Central tool in America's intelligence apparatus will expire next week of Congress fails to renew it and PR's Eric McDaniel explains. >> Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows the government to collect the electronic communications of foreign nationals located outside of the United States without a warrant.
And according to the government, the trove of information collected through the program informs a huge portion of the president's daily intelligence briefing. Sometimes the surveillance targets communicate with Americans and some lawmakers of both parties want to require a targeted court order before the government can peruse those specific calls, texts, and emails.
“The government says that reform would hamstring surveillance and jeopardize national security”
and that process reforms enacted in the last few years are already leading to dramatically
fewer searches. Eric McDaniel and PR News, Washington. >> United Nations experts are calling for an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza shelters and the forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank. And PR's Eleanor Beardsley reports attention to these areas has fallen off, and that's
the new Israeli U.S. war against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. >> The UN experts express grave concern over what they say are continued military attacks affecting sites sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City and forced displacement in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. They say the aim of the cycle of displacement terror and targeted attacks is to make life
unbearable for Palestinians and to permanently force them from their land. Their report sites and air strike last month in Western Gaza City that set fire to tents sheltering internally displaced people. 36,000 Palestinians have also been forcibly displaced amid expanding illegal settlement activity and intensifying violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Eleanor Beardsley and PR News, Tel Aviv. On Wall Street at the close the S&P 500 gained 81 points, the Dow closed up 317 closing at 48,535, this is NPR. This month, the Trump administration released its budget request for fiscal year 2027, detailing its spending priorities in a break with tradition, the global health budget will
be treated as a whole, and PR's Gabrielle and Manuel explains. For years, lawmakers in Congress earmarked the biggest chunk of global health dollars to HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis also got specific amounts, same with nutrition. Jeremy Lewin, with the State Department, would like to see that change. The way that we have funded our global health programs is incredibly inefficient in its
silo.
“It's important to have funding that is more flexible.”
He says money that is not tied to a specific disease will give policymakers greater latitude in determining how they want to use those funds. Others worry it will mean Congress and the public have less input and insight into how the money is spent. Gabrielle and Manuel and PR News.
The Trump administration wants to clear the records of proud boys and oath capers, leaders who led members of their far-right extremist groups to attack the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 5 years ago. They had been sentenced to prison in a sweeping act of clemency, the president commuted their prison sentences when he took office.
Now the Justice Department is going a step further requesting that a federal appeals court throw out the seditious conspiracy convictions this latest appeal could potentially erase all the convictions for the extremist group leaders, including oath capers found or stewed roads he did not receive a pardon at that time. I'm Luis Givone and PR News, Washington This message comes from Subaru.
They are continuing their partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation to distribute 165,000 trees since 2025. Growing greener, healthier communities for generations to come. Subaru, more than a car company.
