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- [00:01]
Narrator/Advertiser
This message comes from the Economist introducing the Economist Insider, a new video offering with twice weekly shows featuring in depth analysis and expertise to make sense of an increasingly complex and dangerous world. More@exter.com Insider Live from NPR News in.
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Ryland Barton
Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. President Trump has confirmed reports that he greenlit covert CIA operations in Venezuela. As NPR's Franco Ordonez reports, Trump says it's part of his efforts to tackle drug trafficking.
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Franco Ordonez
President Trump has escalated US Efforts to destabilize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, acknowledging that he authorized an attempt to go after trafficking inside Venezuelan borders. We've almost totally stopped it by sea, now we'll stop it by land. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump was responding to questions about a report on the classified directive from the New York Times. I authorized for two reasons, really. Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America. He also cited the amount of drugs entering the country via Venezuela. And he dismissed criticism that the administration was not sharing enough information about U.S. efforts. Franco Ordonez, NPR News.
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Ryland Barton
A federal court says President Trump has to stop firing workers during the government shutdown. U.S. district Judge Susan Ilston in San Francisco issued the ruling after federal agencies started laying off workers last week. Judge Trump has said he's targeting what he calls Democrat agencies. Democrats say they're not intimidated by Trump, blaming them for the layoffs. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says Democrats are holding firm on their demands for Congress to extend health care subsidies. Neither Trump nor congressional Republicans are even trying to solve the health care crisis that is just a horror for the American people. Meanwhile, Republicans are confident in their strategy to not negotiate with Democrats on health care. Here's Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
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Franco Ordonez
I think the American people are one when the Senate Democrats are going to end their temper tantrum and vote to reopen the government.
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Ryland Barton
A bill to temporarily fund the government again failed in the Senate today. Oklahoma's superintendent for public schools is scrapping plans to require schools to include biblical instruction in the classroom. Lionel Ramos of member station KOSU reports.
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Lionel Ramos
Oklahoma's previous superintendent had mandated that every classroom in the state have a Bible and every teacher include the Ten Commandments in their curricula. It quickly faced a legal challenge and has wound up in the state Supreme Court. The state's new superintendent, Lyndall Fields, now says he's nixing the plan. Oklahoma Department of Education spokesperson Tara Thompson says the agency plans to file a motion to dismiss the case.
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Narrator/Advertiser
Are we spending taxpayer dollars wisely and as good stewards? And if the answer to that is no. Then we need to start looking at rescinding or making changes to things that have been put in place.
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Lionel Ramos
It's a stark shift away from what Field's predecessor, Ryan Walters, intended and what prompted a coalition of parents, teachers and faith leaders to file the lawsuit last year. For NPR News, I'm Lion Oramos in OKLAHOMA CITY.
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Ryland Barton
Most U.S. stocks rose today. This is NPR News from Washington. Heat trapping carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere jumped by the highest amount on record last year, according to the UN weather agency. The high levels of CO2 have tripled since the 1960s, and they're now turbocharging the Earth's climate and causing more extreme weather. The toxic metal lead was affecting human ancestors as far back as 2 million years ago, as NPR's Nell Greenfield Boyce reports. That's according to a new study that looked at dozens of preserved teeth.
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Nell Greenfield Boyce
The fossil teeth show that Neanderthals and other ancient relatives got exposed to a lot of lead from the environment. And Allison Muotri of the University of California, San Diego thinks this could have affected human evolution. He studies BR brain development genes, including one gene that's slightly different in Homo sapiens compared to Neanderthals.
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Franco Ordonez
The question was why we modern humans acquired that mutation. There must be a strong selective pressure.
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Nell Greenfield Boyce
In the journal Science Advances, he and some colleagues say that pressure could have come from lead. Lab tests show that brain cells with the human version of the gene had some protection against lead, while brain cells with the Neanderthal version didn't. Nell Greenfield Boyce, NPR News.
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Ryland Barton
A family cleaning their backyard in New Orleans discovered a 1900 year old Roman grave marker. The marble tablet includes Latin characters memorializing a 42 year old Roman sailor named Sextus Congenius Verus. The tablet was brought from Italy to the US by the home's previous owner who was returning from World War II. This is NPR News.
- [04:58]
Narrator/Advertiser
This message comes from Warby Parker. What makes a great pair of glasses at Warby Parker? It's all the invisible extras without the extra cost, like free adjustments for life. Find your pair@warbyparker.com or visit one of their hundreds of stores around the country.