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Ryland Barton (0:18)
In Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the military has conducted its eighth strike against an alleged drug vessel. The strike occurred in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Previous ones were in the Caribbean, and Hegseth said the strike killed two people. In a brief video released by Hegseth, a small boat is seen moving along the water. Then it explodes and is seen floating on the water in flames. Secretary Hegseth has ordered the Pentagon to severely limit its communications with Congress. This comes after he cracked down on press access, as NPR's Quill Lawrence reports.
Quill Lawrence (0:52)
In a memo obtained by NPR, Hegseth instructs all defense staff, with the exception of inspectors general, to get permission before sharing information with congressional offices. The memo says officer unauthorized engagements with Congress, no matter how well intentioned, may undermine department wide priorities. But that may be hard to implement since lawmakers from both parties request information from military officials about everything from the National Guard to nuclear weapons hundreds of times each day, according to a congressional aide who was not authorized to speak publicly. The aide said this memo fits an alarming trend by the Pentagon to clamp down on public scrutiny and congressional oversight. Quill Lawrence, NPR News.
Ryland Barton (1:31)
The Agriculture Department says it will reopen about 2,100 county offices despite the government shutdown to help farmers get access to $3 billion worth of aid. The USDA says each office will have two workers to help farmers apply for loans, crop insurance, disaster aid and other programs. North Carolina's Republican led legislature has passed a new congressional map that could help the GOP win another seat. It comes after President Trump called on GOP led states to redistrict to try and keep control of con. Texas and Missouri already redrew their maps. California lawmakers are asking voters to approve a map to help Democrats. As Western Carolina University political science professor Christopher Cooper explains, lawmakers aren't hiding that this is all about politics.
Christopher Cooper (2:16)
I think this is sort of the Babe Ruthie era of redistricting, right? They're calling their shot and they're putting the ball exactly where they told us they were going to. He's saying what he wants to do. He's saying the intent and the intent is to draw more Republican districts and the fact that it is a purple state vote that as a Democratic governor, as a Democratic lieutenant governor has a Democratic attorney general. None of that really matters if the goal is just to get more Republicans in Congress.