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Today’s top stories
President Trump deployed federal agents across Washington, D.C., last night. He vowed to push out people who don’t have housing and take criminals off the streets and place them in jails. The president announced on social media that he would hold a press conference today at 10 a.m. ET to discuss ending crime in the nation’s capital. Violent crime in Washington hit a 30-year low last year, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents stand guard in Dupont Circle as part of a federal law enforcement deployment to the nation’s capital on August 10 in Washington, D.C.
Andrew Leyden/Getty Images North America
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Andrew Leyden/Getty Images North America
- 🎧 NPR’s Brian Mann was on the streets of D.C. last night and tells Up First that he saw dozens of agents, some wearing masks and one carrying a military-style rifle. At one point, there was a minor car accident, and several federal agents ran to the scene. Mann says the Metropolitan Police Department, the city’s police force, seemed to have the situation pretty much under control. Mann also visited a homeless camp where he talked to multiple people, including 39-year-old Greg Evans, who has struggled with addiction and health problems for years. Evans said he is afraid that Trump can do whatever he wants, but he refuses to live his whole life in fear.
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to meet in Alaska on Friday to discuss a possible ceasefire in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appears not to be included, and Putin has said he is not ready for a gathering with him. Vice President JD Vance suggested to Fox News yesterday that it is only a matter of time before there is a Putin-Trump-Zelenskyy meeting.
- 🎧 European leaders issued a statement rejecting any attempts by Trump and Putin to cut a deal that would force concessions on Ukraine, says NPR’s Charles Maynes. Trump wants to end the war, but attempts to leverage his personal relationship with Putin haven’t worked, according to Maynes. The president last week threatened sanctions on Russia and is now changing his approach with Putin, who kept rejecting his calls for peace, by trying to cut a deal before an agreed-upon ceasefire. Former Putin spokesman Sergei Markov argued that grand gestures were unlikely, but Putin would be looking for ways to keep Trump happy during these talks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his plan yesterday to take control of the rest of the Gaza Strip. The move will involve displacing the population still remaining in the sliver of Gaza not under Israeli control. Netanyahu pushed back against the mounting criticism, in Israel and internationally, over the plan for military escalation. Families of hostages held in Gaza are among the people denouncing the move.
- 🎧 NPR’s Emily Feng went to Israel’s border with Gaza yesterday, where she saw the destroyed northern edge. She could see smoke and hear the booms from ongoing Israeli bombing, which escalated throughout the day. A targeted air strike last night killed Anas al Sharif, Gaza’s most prominent TV journalist, and a number of his colleagues. Feng followed a group of several Israeli mothers and at least one former chief of staff to the military to the border with Gaza, where they were protesting the war. One of the demonstrators, Agamit Gelb, is the mother of a soldier who is currently fighting in the Israeli army. Her second son is about to be drafted. She says she and other mothers “see the impact of the war” on their sons already.
Picture show
Island Storm is about two siblings who put on their boots and head out to sea after they sense a storm approaching. The memory of a storm that swept through an island Brian Floca stayed on off the coast of Maine inspired him to write the children’s book. As the children embark on their journey, they pass by boarded-up houses, a neighbor headed home and an empty town. Sydney Smith brought Floca’s words to life with illustrations that display drama and emotion, some of which can even be a little bit scary. Floca says the book is about risk and risk-taking, encouraging kids to embrace being kids. Check out some of the illustrations from the book.
New from NPR
by Vincent Ni, International Desk editor
In recent years, journalists, policymakers, and historians have grappled with the shifting contours of the “post-war world order” — some heralding a new era, others warning of decline. NPR’s international correspondents have been on the frontline chronicling this evolving landscape with depth and nuance. As this topic resurfaces again amid global tensions in recent months, NPR today is launching a new series looking at the forces changing the new world order. We explore the past and the present and ponder what the future may look like.
Seen from Washington, President Trump’s tariffs, doubts about the effectiveness of security alliances such as NATO and skepticism toward multilateralism are pushing many countries — including some of the U.S.’s most steadfast allies — to imagine a future where they must “go it alone.”
But they might not be so lonely: As U.S. influence wanes, countries around the world are looking together to fill the vacuum many feel it is leaving behind. This is particularly true in the defense sphere. These are uncertain times, and there is no guarantee that the new international dynamics will produce the progress and prosperity that the world has experienced since World War II.
Unlike last year’s Year of Global Elections, this project invites deeper inquiry. For example, as world leaders gather next month in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, we might ask: Is the United Nations still relevant as a symbol of the post-war order? Or when Trump meets King Charles in the U.K., we could explore: Can the “special relationship” endure in today’s shifting geopolitical terrain?
We start with this series today on Morning Edition. Steve Inskeep explores the role of the American presidency with historian and author Max Boot, who authored a recent book on Ronald Reagan.
3 things to know before you go
Some of Dan Pelzer’s book recommendations on display.
Courtesy of Columbus Metropolitan Library
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Courtesy of Columbus Metropolitan Library
- Over the course of his life, Dan Pelzer curated a 3,599-book reading list that spans genres. To celebrate the feat, the Columbus Metropolitan Library in Ohio, where he was a loyal patron, turned the list into a searchable PDF and set up a display with some of his picks. (via WBUR)
- The Italian government got the green light last week to start construction on the Strait of Messina Bridge, which would connect Sicily to the rest of Italy. It would be the world’s largest single-span suspension bridge.
- Texas trophy hunter Asher Watkins was killed by a Cape buffalo while on a hunting expedition in South Africa, according to a safari company.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
