"Ly from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh.
U.S. stocks are down sharply and part over fears about the implications of an escalating war between the U.S. and Iran.
“Global oil prices are going up at one point they were above $100 a barrel.”
NPR's Deepah Shipurum reports on the overall impact from a war that's been going on for nearly five months. "Stass prices are going up again. Inflation is up, and at the same time that Americans are struggling with these higher prices,
the Fed Secretary Pete Hugsett said this week that the Iran war so far has cost $37.5 billion
that's with the B, which is pretty big for a price tag for a war that Trump said would end months ago. And, you know, not to mention American troops who have been killed and injured in action as well." NPR's Deepah Shipurum reporting, despite mounting concerns about more U.S. casualties in
the conflict, Senate Republicans have voted down a motion to advance a war powers resolution and the end U.S. military action against Iran, Senator John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote against while Republicans Senator Susan Collins voted in support, several
“GOP lawmakers were absent earlier today.”
The GOP led House narrowly passed a resolution and the conflict after a handful of Republicans joined Democrats in favor. House Republicans are referring former special counsel Jack Smith to the Justice Department for possible prosecution. NPR's carry Johnson reports lawmakers are citing statements Smith made under oath to Congress
last year. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Republican from Ohio is urging the DOJ to investigate Jack Smith, over the former prosecutor's testimony about his effort to gather phone records of GOP lawmakers. Jordan says Smith seems to have made false statements in a deposition last December.
Smith led two criminal investigations of President Donald Trump, including an effort to charge Trump for interfering in the 2020 election. His team gathered records of certain lawmakers as part of that probe.
“Smith's lawyer says he gave candid testimony to the House about his work as special counsel.”
And he says the new referral is an effort to weaponize the justice system against a long time civil servant, Kerry Johnson and PR news Washington. Mortgage rates in the U.S. are the highest they've been in nearly a year. NPR Stephen Massaja says the war with Iran is driving up the cost of borrowing.
The average rate for a 30 year mortgage hit 6.58 percent this week, the highest since
August last year. Rates were falling earlier this year and even fell below 6 percent in February. The first time in three and a half years. But then the war with Iran started. The uncertainty and inflation fears that came with the wars shook the bond market, raised the
cost of borrowing, and drove mortgage rates back up. Now the war is expanding in mortgage rates are rising again as pending home sales fall. Redfin reports pending sales this week are at their lowest level in three months. Steve and Bassaha and PR news. This is NPR.
Transportation officials have removed a growing list of safety measures that references bicycles and bike safety from federal websites. PR's Joel Rose reports safety advocates say that is undermining proven strategies to reduce crashes and save lives. Staff at the Federal Highway Administration have been directed to look for the words "bike
and bike lanes" in online safety materials and to pull some of those pages down. The push began earlier this month after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy vowed to end funding for what he called "dei bike lanes." One of the pages that's been removed hosted the pedestrian and bicycle crash analysis tool, which helps researchers and planners understand and prevent crashes.
The DOT spokesperson says that the department continuously reviews its policies to ensure they promote "safety, efficiency, and common sense" on quote, while noting that nearly 80% of the U.S. population uses cars to get to work. Joel Rose and PR News Washington.
Local storm birth is made a second-land fall on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
The first strike, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana last night, birth a produced fledgenuating rainfall, up to three feet of storm surge, and 45 mile per hour winds. National Hurricane Center says it was expected to maintain tropical storm strength until it reached the upper Texas coast today before then moving inland and weakening. The storm had threatened to further delay SpaceX Starship launch scheduled today.
I'm Lakshmi Singh and PR News in Washington. This week on the NPR Politics podcast, we uncover a pattern in political ad spending. As the midterms get closer, Republicans are leaning into an issue they've won on before. Immigration. Look at their message and also what Democrats are saying on the issue in a very different
way.
