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Jack Spear
In Washington, I'm Jack Spear. It's been a month of the Israeli blockade on Gaza, marking the longest siege of the territory since the war began. No food, fuel, medical supplies or any goods have been allowed into the enclave. NPR's Ibrahim reports. Bakeries across the territory have closed.
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Aya Batrawi
The World Food Program says all of its 25 bakeries in Gaza have shut down because they've run out of flour and fuel as a result of Israel's blockade. The UN Food Agency tells NPR it's also distributing its final food parcels to the neediest families and only has food supplies to last two more weeks to support charity kitchens that provide many with their only meal of the day. Israel's military says there's plenty of food in Gaza. The government says the blockade is to pressure Hamas. Mona Dehlis, a mother standing outside one of the shuttered bakeries in Gaza tells NPR she's searching for food to feed her three daughters. Her youngest is underweight. Tahlis says she can't afford the price of a large sack of flour, which has soared to $80. Aya Batrawi, NPR News, Dubai, with reporting by Anas Baba in Gaza City.
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Jack Spear
On the eve of the imposition of more tariffs by the Trump administration, the president and his administration are not saying exactly what the broad reciprocal levies will look like. The president is expected to have more to say about that tomorrow, an event in the White House Rose Garden. Trump says he has settled on a final plan, though it is known the White House has weighed several options, including imposing a flat 20% tariff on all imports. However, some advisers have also discussed assigning different levels to different countries. Two female members of the House of Representatives fighting for a bill to allow remote voting for new parents have brought business in the chamber to a halt for the rest of the week. More from NPR's Deidre Walsh.
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Deidre Walsh
Florida Republican Anna Paulina Luna and Colorado Democrat Brittany Patterson are trying to change House rules so that new parents could vote by proxy for up to 12 weeks around the birth of a child. GOP leaders opposed their bill and designed a measure to kill it, but nine Republicans joined all House Democrats to defeat their effort. Luna says it's a win for parents.
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Anna Paulina Luna
We worked as a team, and I think that today is a pretty historical day for the entire conference. It's showing that the body has decided that parents deserve a voice in Washington and also to the importance of female members having a vote in Washington, D.C.
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Deidre Walsh
The vote also blocked action on all other bills scheduled for this week. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was disappointed. He said leaders would regroup and try again to block them next week. Deirdre Walsh, NPR News, the Capitol.
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Jack Spear
Some special elections going on in key battleground states are being seen as a litmus test for the Trump administration. Just months into his second term, swing seat on the Wisconsin state Supreme Court and a couple of GOP friendly congressional seats in Florida. We watch to see whether voter sentiment has changed since Election Day. A mixed close on Wall Street. The Dow fell 11 points. The Nasdaq was up 150 points. This is NPR. Layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services are now underway. The Trump administration says the layoffs of about 10,000 workers, many at the National Institutes of health and the FDA, will save upwards of $1.8 billion annually. That is still just a fraction of the agency's $1.7 trillion budget. Notices for employees began arriving early this morning. The dismissals include researchers, scientists, doctors, support staff and senior leaders. Nearly 30 years ago, listeners around the world fell in love with the Buena Vista Social Club. The band featured Cuban musicians in their 70s and 80s playing old classics. Now their story is being told on Broadway, as we hear from NPR's Isabella Gomez Sarmiento.
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Isabella Gomez Sarmiento
Like in real life, the musical behind Buena Vista Social Club is about a music producer trying to assemble a group of older musicians to record an album. Artists like pianist Ruben Gonzalez, guitarist Compai Segundo and singer Ibrahim Ferrer were all performers in 1950s Havana. But after the Cuban revolution, many musicians had to look for other jobs to make a living. It wasn't until the 1990s, when they formed Buena Vista Social Club and released an album with the same name, that they achieved international success. The Broadway musical takes creative liberties with the characters, but the music remains at the heart of their story. Isabela Gomez Sarmiento, NPR News.
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Jack Spear
Crude oil futures prices has lowered today. Oil down 28 cents a barrel to settle at 71, 20 a barrel. In New York, I'm Jack Spear, NPR News, in Washington.
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