Live from NPR news in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton.
U.S. officials say Iran launched multiple missiles, drones, and small boats at three American
“warships, transiting the Strait of Hormuz, central command says it destroyed the threat”
and targeted Iranian military facilities, including launch sites and command locations. Meanwhile, Iran has created a government agency to try to control and tax vessels passing through the Strait. The effort raises new concerns as hundreds of commercial ships remained bottled up in the Persian Gulf, unable to reach the open sea.
The mayor of New York City and the head of one of the nation's largest hedge fund firms are trading sharp opinions over taxing the wealthy, and PR's Windsor Johnston reports that debate is raising broader questions about how tax policy influences where companies choose to expand. Citadel CEO Ken Griffin criticized Mayor Zoran Mamdoni's proposal to tax luxury properties owned
by wealthy part-time residents. Mamdoni argues the city's tax system favors the ultra wealthy, while critics say New York is already near a tipping point on taxes for high earners. Jared Walzak is with the central right thing tank, the tax foundation.
“He says the state depends heavily on top earners for revenue.”
New York State gets 40% of its income tax revenue from the top one percent. You lose some of those people. You lose a lot of tax revenue. This acts as the proposal itself is relatively narrow, but says concerns over future tax increases could be a deterrent for some companies, Windsor Johnston and PR news.
The postal services considering a rule changed about allowing anyone to send handguns
through the mail for the first time in nearly 100 years.
A 1927 law prohibits the shipment of handguns through the USPS, and less they're from licensed retailers. The DOJ is called that law unconstitutional. Democratic Attorney General sent a letter in opposition to the change, arguing that it would override state gun laws and make it easier for felons and domestic abusers to access
firearms. A council of disaster experts appointed by President Trump is recommending major changes to FEMA, and PR's Rebecca Hershey reports. The council was created by President Trump in the early days of his second term. The president has repeatedly called for FEMA to be eliminated, but the council recommends
investing in the agency to make it easier for disaster survivors to get help. That includes housing for people whose homes are destroyed in hurricanes, wildfires, and other events. The council does not recommend cuts to FEMA's workforce. In recent weeks, the agency has reversed Trump administration policies that previously cut
thousands of jobs at FEMA. Rebecca Hershey and PR News President Trump says EU goods will face higher tariff rates July 4th if the block doesn't approve a trade framework drawn up last year. Trump is displeased that the European Parliament has yet to finalize that trade agreement. The negotiations have been complicated since the Supreme Court ruled that Trump has
improperly used an emergency power to levy tariffs. This is NPR News. A pilot program in New York City uses plug-in batteries that can power air conditioners during peak demand, helping take pressure off the grid at its most stressed moments while still keeping residents cool.
The devices are about the size of a microwave, charge when electricity demand is low, and then run window AC units for a few hours when demand spikes.
“Main Republican Senator Susan Collins is in a key mid-term reelection contest.”
In her first ad of the campaign, she's highlighting her ability to secure federal funding. Steve Misler from Main Public has more on how she's trying to woo voters. The ad hits a theme that's expected to be a central part of Senator Collins is bid for a sixth term. The focus is on $6 million in federal funding.
She helps secure to repair a breakwater dock in East Port, Maine nearly a decade ago. The breakwater has long been a part of East Point's past, and with the help of Susan Collins,
it'll always be a part of our future as well.
Susan, thank you. Collins's first ad coincides with a new spot from her prospective Democratic opponent, Graham Platner. The combat veteran turned oyster farmer blasts the Republican for her early support of the war against Iran.
He also accuses her of enabling President Trump and policies that enriched the wealthy at the expense of working class manners. For NPR News, I'm Steve Misler and Brunswick Maine. The NCAA will expand its March Madness tournaments by eight teams each next season. The news 76 team brackets will jam eight extra games into the first week of the men's
and women's tournaments. It's the first expansion of the tournaments in 15 years. You're listening to NPR News from Washington, Iran, Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, with conflict unfolding in so many places.
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