
Plus, inside the closed-door talks over Greenland.
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Will Jarvis
from the new York
New York Times Reporter
Times, it's the headlines.
Will Jarvis
I'm Will Jarvis in for Tracy Mumford.
New York Times Reporter
Today's Monday, May 18th.
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Here's what we're covering. President Trump's approval rating in his second term has reached a record low. According to a Times Siena poll released this morning, just 37% of voters approve of how Trump is handling his job as president.
New York Times Reporter
That's less than at any point since
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he took office last year. Trump's approval rating has dropped 4 points since January alone, and a majority of
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voters seem deeply skeptical of how he's handling some of the country's most pressing issues. For example, 64% of voters disapprove of how he's handled the economy, and 65% say they disapprove of how he's handled
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the war in Iran. More broadly, a growing number of voters say that Trump's policies are hurting them personally. The owner of a cleaning company in
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Missouri told the Times he voted for Trump in 2020 and 2024, but said he was, in his words, very pissed
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off with the president's decision to attack Iran.
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He said, quote, I just want my family to live a good, healthy life, adding that he didn't want to constantly
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pay more and more and more for food and other essentials.
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Still, Republicans broadly approve of Trump's job performance and how he's handled the war. And this weekend, there was more evidence
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that the president has continued to keep
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a tight grasp on when you participate
Commentator
in democracy, sometimes it doesn't turn out the way you want it to.
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In Louisiana on Saturday, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who's clashed with the president, lost his primary election to a Trump backed candidate.
Commentator
But you don't pout, you don't whine, you don't claim the election was stolen. You don't find a reason why.
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Cassidy was one of a small handful
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of Republicans who voted to convict Trump
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in his impeachment trial after January 6th. In the years since, Cassidy tried to repair the relationship.
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But Trump kept vowing to oust him,
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and the president celebrated this weekend's results on social media, writing that Cassidy's disloyalty
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was now a quote, part of legend.
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Cassidy's defeat marks the second time this month that Republican primary voters have sent a message about defying the president. In Indiana, a group of state lawmakers Trump had targeted over a failed redistricting
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effort lost their primary elections.
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One GOP consultant told the Times that
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Trump's power over the party could potentially backfire in the midterms, with swing district Republicans wanting space from an increasingly unpopular
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president but worrying about how Trump himself might react. For the moment, the next big test
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of Trump's sway will come tomorrow, when
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Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who's criticized the White House over the Epstein files in the war in Iran, will face voters in a primary election in Kentucky.
Expert/Analyst
Foreign.
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Now two quick updates on the Trump administration. First, a new analysis estimates that President Trump's mass deportation campaign has separated more than 100,000 children from their parents.
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A vast majority of those kids are
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US Citizens, according to the report from the Brookings Institution.
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The report suggests that federal statistics about
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family separations have been an undercount.
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The Department of Homeland Security says that
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when parents are detained, they're given a
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leave the US with their children or place them with someone legally in the country. According to experts, many of those kids
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end up living with older siblings, other family members or neighbors, sometimes putting a strain on households that are already struggling to get by.
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Around the country, many schools and legal aid groups have been helping immigrants appoint a caregiver for their kids in case they get detained. The head of one group said she
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hears from mothers who've been separated from their children, quote, almost every day. And the Times has learned that for the past four months, the US has been quietly negotiating over the future of Greenland earlier this year.
Expert/Analyst
All we're asking for is to get Greenland, including right title and ownership, because you need the ownership to defend it.
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President Trump said he was ready to seize the island, which is partly controlled by Denmark, claiming it was crucial for national security.
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While he's backed off those public threats
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behind closed doors, US Officials have pushed forward on talks with Greenland and Denmark.
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Among other things, the US has been
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trying to extend a long standing military
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arrangement to allow US Troops to stay in Greenland indefinitely. And the Trump administration wants effective veto power over any major investment deals there to potentially box out countries like Russia and China. While Greenland's prime minister said he's open to working with the US on some
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issues, other politicians there are warning that if all the American demands are agreed to, it would be a blow to the island's sovereignty. One member of parliament said, quote, we
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might as well raise our own flag halfway.
WHO Representative
Who will continue working to support the Democratic Republic of the Congo to bring this Ebola outbreak under control.
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In Congo, the World Health Organization has declared that the spread of the deadly Ebola virus is a global health emergency.
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As of yesterday, there have been reports
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of more than 300 suspected cases, including
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nearly 90 deaths, according to American health officials. And some cases have also been confirmed in neighboring Uganda. The rare type of the Ebola virus
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that's spreading has no targeted vaccine or treatment and has a mortality rate of 25 to 50%.
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It spreads through contact with bodily fluids and contaminated objects like clothing and medical equipment.
Expert/Analyst
The outbreak was declared in Ituri region, northeastern Congo, and that is a particularly troubled place.
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Matthew Bigg is the Times East Africa bureau chief.
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He says that the part of Congo where cases have been spreading has been in political turmoil.
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A few years ago, following attacks by
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insurgent groups there, the country's president launched a widespread crackdown in the region, declaring
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a state of siege, effectively martial law.
Expert/Analyst
All of that has fractured the relationship between the government and the population. And that matters because trust in the authorities is a critical factor in containing the spread. But the other thing is obviously in a state of siege, healthcare services and healthcare facilities are not as strong as they need to be. And that, of course, makes the task of combating the outbreak much more difficult.
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Matt says there's another factor that could potentially complicate the response to the Ebola
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cases, the Trump administration's push to slash foreign aid.
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USAID was a key player in containing previous Ebola outbreaks in Africa, but the
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White House shuttered the department last year.
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And finally, in Colombia, the Times has
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been reporting on how a new tourism industry in the country has been sparked by apps for bird watchers. Birders have long traveled around the world
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to get a glimpse of rare or spectacular species.
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It's known as avian.
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Tourism and Colombia used to lag behind
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other countries when it came to birding. But in recent years, more and more people have been learning about the country's remarkable biodiversity. And as the birding apps Merlin and ebird have become hugely popular, for example, nearly 40 million people have downloaded Merlin,
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which lets you identify and make lists of birds you've seen.
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And on ebird, the map of Colombia is bright red, showing that close to
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2,000 bird species have been recorded there. And basically beckoning people to come spot
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an Andean emerald hummingbird or a red
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headed barbet for themselves to keep up with the new wave of apt toting
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avian tourists, many Colombians are now turning to the birding business, gearing up to host visitors from around the world.
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Some local bird enthusiasts say they hope
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that will help preserve the country's environment
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by creating an incentive to protect habitats for the species that live in them.
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One woman who hosts birders on her property in northern Colombia told the Times that she and her husband spent years
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using chainsaws to cut down their trees to make charcoal. But now, she says, she stopped to
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try and keep the birds and the tourists around. Those are the headlines. I'm Will Jarvis. The show will be back tomorrow.
Date: May 18, 2026
Host: Will Jarvis (in for Tracy Mumford)
This episode provides a succinct briefing on key global and national stories:
[00:39–03:21]
[03:30–05:32]
[05:42–07:37]
[07:49–09:12]
Tone:
Straightforward, analytical, and observant—a characteristic blend of The New York Times' reporting style, with moments of personal testimony, expert analysis, and a focus on consequential policy impacts.