Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton.
Stocks dropped today after a divided federal reserve held interest rate steady, the signal
“to rate hike could be coming as inflation remains stubborn.”
This was the second rate setting meeting led by Kevin Wash, whom President Trump appointed
hoping he would lower interest rates. My colleagues and I considered the economic shocks of recent years. Money and supply chains arising from the pandemic, military conflicts, energy, supply disruptions, substantial increases in tariff rates, and yes, the surge in AI related investment.
Meanwhile, oil prices jumped as the war with Iran continues reinforcing expectations for a rate hike. A planned vote to advance Todd Blanche's nomination for Attorney General appears to be in doubt. This Republican Senator John Corn and called off a scheduled meeting with Blanche today.
Corn and told reporters that the Justice Department has not adequately addressed his concerns about the settlement that gave President Trump and members of his family protection from tax audits. The Trump administration is ending subsidies for Medicare drug plans, and PR's Sydney Lupkin
“reports some seniors will face higher premiums.”
Under the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare started capping patients out of pocket drugs spending at $2,000 last year. That change and others that changed how plans would pay for drugs meant ensures we're on the hook for more money.
At first, they didn't know how much more they'd be spending or how high to set premiums.
To ease the transition for insurers, the Biden administration created temporary subsidies to stabilize premiums. The subsidies were expected to last three years, but are ending a year early at the end of 2026. Dr. Mehmet Oz, who oversees the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, said on the social media
platform X, that it's because the subsidies are no longer needed. But the change means beneficiaries could be paying higher monthly premiums next year. Sydney Lupkin and PR news. A rocky militias hit by U.S. and Saudi air strikes today have vowed revenge. They've given the Iraqi government a deadline to respond to the attacks, and PR's
Jane Arraf has more.
“The way of strikes killed at least 20 fighters, according to the militias.”
They were buried on Wednesday, mourners at a procession in Baghdad chanting death to America. These are Iranian-backed militias that emerged in a security vacuum after the U.S. invasion of Iraq two decades ago, some are now on the Iraqi government payroll. And while the new Iraqi Prime Minister has pledged to the U.S., he will rain in the armed groups.
No previous Iraqi leader has had much success. A militia group that calls itself the Iraqi resistance has given the Iraqi government a deadline of next Thursday after a major shea commemoration to respond to the attacks. Jane Arraf and pure news, Aman. The Dow fell more than 2% today.
This is NPR.
Elon Musk's company XAI is suing Minnesota over the state's first in the nation law that
bans notification technology on websites and apps, the lawsuit potentially provides a test for how far states can go and constitutionally regulating the use of AI. It says Minnesota's law is overly broad and bans many constitutionally protected images and videos. China is opposing a federal communications commission's ban on foreign-made robots over
national security risks. NPR's Jennifer Pack reports Beijing says the U.S. is trying to suppress its companies. The FCC said it would ban new imports of advanced robotics, including foreign-made humanoid robots and robot dogs. While the directive doesn't single out China, China just so happens to make more humanoid
robots than the U.S. China's foreign ministry says the U.S. is overstretching the concept of national security and that protectionism does not make the U.S. more competitive. This ban does not apply to existing models, previously authorized for sale or import into the U.S.
This week, the U.S. blacklisted dozens of China's research institutions to prevent unauthorized tech transfer. Jennifer Pack and PR News Beijing. Major League Baseball Seattle Mariners have an outstate "Jimmythie" night for their game next Wednesday.
It's an honor of a curious raccoon from the city's ballard neighborhood that's believed to have a rare congenital spinal deformity, though he's surprisingly agile and appears to be thriving. Fans can get a Mariners' "Jimmythie" t-shirt and the first 20,000 in the stadium. We'll get an exclusive "Jimmythie" rookie card.
This is NPR News. This is our glass of the American Life. Do you know our show? Okay, well either way I'm going to tell you about it. We make stories that hopefully pull you into the beginning with funny moments and feelings
and people in surprising situations and then you just want to find out what is going to happen and cannot stop listening. That's right. I'm talking about stories that make you miss appointments.
