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Today’s top stories
President Trump’s meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Friday has been characterized by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as a “listening exercise.”Leavitt’s language minimizes the likelihood of a Russian-Ukrainian peace agreement. The leaders are getting ready for their first meeting of Trump’s second term, which will take place in Alaska.
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NPR’s Tamara Keith tells
Up First
she asked Leavitt yesterday about expectations for the Trump-Putin meeting
because wording surrounding it has shifted. Leavitt stated that the president wants a peace deal, but the meeting is with only one party involved in the war. Trump does plan to meet virtually with European leaders, including the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, before and after his summit with Putin. Leavitt says there isvalue in Trump sitting face-to-face
with Putin to gauge his seriousness about ending the war.
Leavitt announced yesterday that homeless people in Washington, D.C., will have the choice to leave their camp and be transported to a shelter or receive addiction or mental health services. They risk penalties or jail time if they reject either choice. Advocates are concerned about the penalties that homeless individuals would have to endure.
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There are not enough shelters in the nation’s capital for people living on the streets
, people in Washington tell NPR’s Brian Mann. Experts sayshelters are also not a permanent fix
. Because apartments and homes are not affordable for many Americans, many people will wind up back on the streets or in jail after staying at a shelter. Crackdowns like this can make things worse for people who live on the streets with addiction, says Dr. Steven Taylor, who heads the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Taylor says addiction is a chronic illness, and it isn’t the kind of thing where people can be removed from the street, given treatment and then be cured.
According to an inflation data issued by the Labor Department yesterday, consumer prices increased 2.7% in July over the same month last year.The yearly growth was comparable to the previous month. Evidence of tariff-related price increases on furniture and toys is shown in the report. According to the Treasury Department, tariff receipts last month totaled $28 billion.
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Consumers are likely to bear more and more of the tariff price tag
, according to Michael Pearce, who is with forecasting firm Oxford Economics. Tariffs are not the only factors driving inflation. In July, airfares, used cars and rent also saw price increases, says NPR’s Scott Horsley. Despite inflation remaining elevated, investors are betting that it is low enough that the Federal Reservewill be able to cut interest rates
when members meet in September. The reason the Feds are discussing a rate cut is to address the sagging job market, Pearce says.
Today’s listen
The band’s most recent album, Beauty’s Pride, was inspired by a trip to India, according to Luke Lalonde, frontman of the Born Ruffians. After he borrowed a purple children’s bike that was painted with the message, he was unable to stop thinking about it. Lalonde wrote the majority of the album while getting ready for the birth of his first kid. On one of the tunes, his child even had a cutesy appearance. Almost twenty years into their history, the Toronto indie rock group is still developing musically. Lalonde performs a few of the new songs and talks about the creation of the new album at World Cafe.
Living better
A unique series called Living Better explores the factors that Americans need to maintain their health.
There are reports on TikTok that hormonal birth control can lead to a long range of problems, such as depression, baldness, a decrease in libido, and irreversible infertility. Influencers are increasingly urging people to follow their fertility cycles naturally or through apps, and to forego birth control. Doctors and researchers talk about how birth control’s reputation became so negative.
- A study found that TikTok videos on contraception had “poor reliability and quality.” Only 10% were created by medical professionals.
- More common side effects of hormonal birth control include headaches, mood changes and breast tenderness. Contraceptives are safe for most people, but clinicians stress that people should evaluate their individual risks with a doctor.
- Concerns about birth control are often mixed with a significant issue: Women frequently feel overlooked in medical environments, says Emily Pfender, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania.
3 things to know before you go
Suzanne Nuyen edited this newsletter.
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