Transcript
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Doua Lisa Kowtao (0:17)
Live from NPR News in New York City. I'm Doua Lisa Kowtao. The Department of Veterans affairs has been ordered by a federal appeals court to build more than 2,500 housing units at its location in Los Angele. Steve Futterman has details.
Steve Futterman (0:34)
The battle has been going on for years. Veteran groups have been trying to get the VA to build homes on the land to help vets who need housing. In recent years, the land has been leased out, and some of it has been used as a sports complex for a private school. Attorney Mark Rosenbaum, who represented the veterans in their lawsuit, says this all goes back to when the land was originally donated in 1888.
Mark Rosenbaum (0:59)
388 acres was given to the predecessor of the VA, with the specific requirement that it become a soldier's home for disabled veterans.
Steve Futterman (1:09)
And Rosenbaum says this could impact other VA properties across the nation that have also been leased out. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman.
Doua Lisa Kowtao (1:18)
In Los Angeles, tensions are growing between Congress and the Justice Department over the release of documents tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. NPR's Windsor Johnston reports.
Windsor Johnston (1:31)
Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna tells NPR that lawmakers are prepared to escalate the pressure on Attorney General Pam Bondi over the delayed release of the Epstein files.
Mark Rosenbaum (1:41)
We also plan to go to the Southern District of New York, asking the judge who ordered these releases that have a special master see what should be redacted or not, or to create a congressional committee, a bipartisan committee, to see what should be redacted or not.
Windsor Johnston (1:57)
Khanna says lawmakers are also considering a bipartisan committee to decide what should be redacted from the files. The Justice Department argues the release is taking time to avoid inadvertently identifying victims. Windsor Johnston, NPR News, Washington.
Doua Lisa Kowtao (2:14)
This year, crime rates dropped across the country. That's what specialists found when they reviewed data for 2025. NPR Criminal justice correspondent Meg Anderson says she looked at something called the Real Time Crime Index, which uses data from nearly 600 jurisdictions, and she found that crime in general is down by a lot. Murders and murders are down by 20%.