"Lie from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh.
Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullins warning state officials that if they do not implement the Trump administration's election security measures,
they could face penalties.
“NPR's Jude Jaffee Black reports his remarks follow the President's speech last night.”
Mullins says DHS will roll out an updated election infrastructure plan for states, and they will lose access to grants if they don't follow it. The Trump administration wants states to use a federal data system known as Save to check voter rolls for non-citizens and deceased voters. Mullins had a warning for state officials that don't participate.
"We will make sure that we make those states a priority to look at who voted in their states and hold then the election officials accountable." That could mean fines or even prison time, Mullins said. He says DHS found 250,000 non-citizens on the public voter rolls of four states,
but how DHS arrived at that number is unknown.
And election experts say that figure is likely highly inaccurate. Jude Jaffee Black and PR News. China has launched a new multilateral organization on artificial intelligence, and Chinese leaders, Xi Jinping says countries need to collaborate to improve AI governance worldwide, more from NPR as John Ruiz.
“Speaking of the start of the world AI conference in Shanghai,”
Xi Jinping did not mention the U.S. by name, but made some targeted comments. He said AI development should not be a solo performance by a single country, rather he said it should be a symphony of global collaboration. While the U.S. has pulled back from multilateral organizations under their Trump administration, China has stepped up, and on Friday, it launched the World AI Cooperation Organization
with the participation of nearly 30 other countries, including Brazil, Indonesia, and Russia.
Xi pledged support from China for AI development in the developing world through training and other programs, and urged the creation of laws, as well as monitoring and warning systems around AI to keep it safe. John Ruiz and PR News. Millions of people from the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic woke up to a blanket of wildfire smoke
from Canada and Northern Minnesota. Here's New York resident Barbara Glickstein. I'm healthy, but I know what air particles do to the body.
“And I wish more people were wearing masks and little babies and children were inside.”
The air quality is expected to get worse throughout the day in DC, where you can smell the smoke at times. Detroit, Chicago and New York are experiencing some of the worst air quality in the world, according to rankings by IQ Air. And meteorologists say it's among the worst in years.
Parts of Pennsylvania hit code purple, which is worse than red. Smoke from more than 800 wildfires burning in Canada is able to travel long distances, and the summer heat can make the air quality even worse. Officials are advising people to stay indoors, especially older adults, children, and those with health issues.
Kristen Wright and PR News, Washington. It's NPR. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says lettuce from Mexico served at Taco Bell sites in five states is a source of the widespread outbreak of the diarrhea causing parasites cyclists.
The Associated Press sites, a federal official saying the lettuce came from a single supplier in Mexico, and PR has not independently confirmed that in Taylor Farms, which is based in California, has not responded to a request for comment. Dozens of former dollar general workers and supporters protested in New Orleans earlier this week, angry over how the company handled a wave of store closures.
The Gulf states newsrooms, Tanner O'Neill Riley, has a latest. Dollar General has closed all but one of its New Orleans stores in the past couple of years. Former employees say they got little warning. Some say they learned they were out of a job only when they tried to clock in. Organizers of the protests say workers were paid only through the week of the closures with no severance pay
and no guarantee transfer to another store. They're calling on dollar general to offer 60 days of severance transfers to other stores and advance notice for future closures. In a statement, dollar general said the employees were paid for scheduled time and invited to apply for jobs at other store locations.
For NPR news, I'm Tanner O'Neill Riley in New Orleans. Parts of Puerto Rico, a rationing water in the wake of a drought in the U.S. territory. The Associated Press cited head of the island's water and sewer authority saying thousands of people in North Eastern Puerto Rico faced 48 hour rationing periods starting today. I'm Lakshmi saying NPR News.
This week on the NPR Politics Podcast, President Trump, "It is the greatest threat to our country." "It is trying to tie Democrats to communism." "Including World War II or even 9/11." "Both he and his team feel this is resonating with his base."
Why the White House is pushing communism as a new line of attack ahead of this year's midterms?
