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Lakshmi Singh
Live from NPR News. I'm Lakshmi Singh. Members of the U.S. senate are weighing whether to advance the nominations of three of President Trump's nominees. Dr. Erica Schwartz to head up the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Jay Clayton to lead the nation's intelligence agencies and Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general who's trying to turn his job as the interim leader of the Justice Department into a permanent one. As NPR's Kerry Johnson reports, Blanche previously helped defend President Trump in several high profile criminal cases.
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Kerry Johnson
Few senators question Todd Blanche's qualifications to lead the Justice Department. He served as a prosecutor in New York for years. But it's his work, personal defense lawyer for President Trump, that worries Democrats. They say Blanche lacks independence and is carrying out vendettas against the president's foes. Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, asked Blanche whether he was Trump's friend. The nominee replied, I'm his lawyer, before quickly adding, I was his lawyer. Blanche famously said in April that he loves the president and working for him was the honor of a lifetime. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.
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Lakshmi Singh
Delegations from 65 countries are expected to be at the State Department tomorrow for a conference on the rise of political terrorism. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports. The Trump administration is focusing on left wing groups.
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Michelle Kellerman
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that far left political terrorism is on the rise in the Western Hemisphere, Europe, Asia and beyond, and he calls this a blind spot for law enforcement. A State Department official tells reporters left wing violence is rising to levels that haven't been seen since the 1970s. Rubio is bringing together experts from around the world for a one day conference on this to better map the threat and come up with ways to counter it. Though many in Europe have raised alarms about right wing political violence, that is not a focus of this conference. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News.
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Lakshmi Singh
The State Department inflation at the wholesale level cooled last month. NPR's Scott Horsley reports on the latest data from the Labor Department.
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Scott Horsley
Prices at the wholesale level in June were up 5.5% from a year ago. That's a smaller annual increase than the previous month. Wholesale prices actually dipped between May and June by 0.3%. Retail prices showed a similar decline last month, thanks in part to falling gasoline prices. Renewed tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, however, are once again pushing gas prices higher AAA says the average price of regular gas rose 3 cents a gallon overnight, while diesel prices jumped by a nickel a gallon. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.
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Lakshmi Singh
England and Argentina are fighting this hour for a spot in Sunday's FIFA World cup final. Whoever wins today plays Spain, who defeated France 2 nil. From Washington, this is NPR News. The federal government is proposing that management of the nation's grisly bear population be returned to states that that have met certain benchmarks for protecting grizzly populations. Hannah Merzbach with Wyoming Public Radio says environmental groups are not pleased with the idea.
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Hannah Merzbach
Grizzlies in the lower 48 states have largely been on the endangered species list since 1975. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon says it's time that changes.
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Mark Gordon
It's not a dean's list, and why I say that is it's time that this bear graduates. It has excelled in its recovery, but
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Hannah Merzbach
many environmentalists say grizzly bears should stay under federal management since they face habitat loss and climate change. The Montana governor said grizzly hunting will still be prohibited under federal law even if control goes to the states. For NPR News, I'm Hannah Mersbach.
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Lakshmi Singh
Two bookstores, one of which was founded by journalists, are among the latest targets of Hong Kong's crackdown on independent booksellers. According to local media, they report police have hauled away boxes of books and arrested five people on suspicion of selling what authorities there call seditious publications. When Britain transferred control of Hong Kong to China in 1997, Beijing agreed to allow the region considerable political autonomy under a one country, two systems framework for 50 years. However, 29 years in, Beijing has tightened its political grip and response to dissent. U.S. stocks end the day higher. The Dow closed up 150 points. This is NPR.
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