U.S.-Saudi deals; House votes on Epstein files : NPR
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Today’s best stories
President Trump will host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) at the White House today. This is his first visit since the murder of Washington Post Saudi journalist and critic Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul, leading to global condemnation.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is pictured during a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State at Al Salam Palace in the Red Sea port of Jeddah on June 24, 2019.
Jacquelyn Martin/AFP via Getty Images
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Jacquelyn Martin/AFP via Getty Images
- 🎧 Both leaders have trade and security deals to announcetells NPR’s Aya Batrawy First. The defense deal would give Saudi Arabia a guarantee that the United States would use military measures if necessary. MBS also wants advanced F-35 jets, which only Israel currently operates in the Middle East. The Saudis are also seeking American civilian nuclear technology and advanced AI chips, and in exchange the crown prince says he is willing to invest $600 billion in the United States.
The UN Security Council yesterday adopted a US-proposed resolution endorsing Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza. and authorize an international territorial stabilization force.
- 🎧 Security Council resolution only hints at possible path to Palestinian statereports Michele Kelemen. Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya, who abstained from the vote, stressed that the resolution should not serve as a cover for the United States and Israel to control Gaza, nor signal the end of a two-state solution.
The House of Representatives is expected to vote today on a measure to release documents relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. If passed, it will then be sent to the Senate. Trump informed reporters yesterday that the Senate could take up the bill and that he would sign it if it passed. The measure would require the Justice Department to release all of its records on Epstein within 30 days.
- 🎧 NPR’s Barbara Sprunt says an interesting element of this process is that Trump has the power to order the Department of Justice to release the documents. The president has done so in other cases with documents such as investigations into the assassinations of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King Jr.
In a Louisiana redistricting case, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority seemed inclined to weaken Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. during a rehearsal in October. Section 2 protects against racial discrimination in the political mapping process. Depending on the timing, a move of this magnitude could allow states to redraw the congressional map before the 2026 midterm elections, particularly in Republican-led southern states, potentially diluting the chances of black voters electing their preferred candidates, usually Democrats. Here’s a closer look at why this decision matters.
Deep dive
Well-meaning violators forgo permits and official procedures to bring nature back into increasingly urban environments. Artist Doug Rosenberg (center) is leading an effort to plant an ephemeral wetland in the Los Angeles River.
Courtney Théophin/NPR
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Courtney Théophin/NPR
In a deserted part of downtown Los Angeles, guerrilla gardener Doug Rosenberg installed a pop-up wetland in an effort to reclaim underutilized public spaces. He did so in a waterway that was turned into a giant storm drain nearly a century ago to contain floodwaters. By rearranging the rocks into loose circles, he helped grow a 10-by-20-foot green island in 10 weeks. He is part of a movement of guerrilla gardeners who are reshaping neglected urban spaces:
- 🌱 The federal government considers the flood control channel Rosenberg worked on to be “navigable water,” protected under the Clean Water Act, making unauthorized modifications illegal.
- 🌱 Despite this, gardeners say they are trying to grow healthy produce in urban food deserts, capture greenhouse gases and beautify their neighborhoods.
- 🌱 Authorities warn that planting in unauthorized spaces can harm water quality, habitat and downstream safety.
Live better
Getty Images/Illustration Andrea D’Aquino for NPR
Living Better is a special series about what it takes to stay healthy in America.
More and more people in their 20s are receiving preventative Botox — known as “baby Botox,” low-dose treatments administered about once or twice a year, which is less than that of middle-aged adults. Small doses block nerve signals to the muscle. Here’s what’s behind this trend:
- 💉 Pandemic-era screen time meant people made more self-comparisons and watched curated images of other people on video calls and on social media.
- 💉 Celebrities and influencers promote cosmetic procedures, further normalizing treatments.
- 💉 “Ageless” beauty is considered a “status symbol” in today’s society. Young women say the treatments show they were able to invest in themselves from a young age.
- 💉 The treatments can be addictive because once you stop receiving the injections, the effects wear off and the wrinkles return.
3 things to know before you leave
Lavonne Schaafsma
Schaafsma family photo
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Schaafsma family photo
- When Lavonne Schaafsma lost her purse in Chicago, she retraced her steps and went to a gift shop. The cashier told the incredible story of two women, her unsung heroes, who got their purse back thanks to a man searching it.
- Leaders of the Society for Neuroscience warn that disruptions in federal funding are driving young scientists away from their fields, threatening progress in treating disorders such as Alzheimer’s, autism, Parkinson’s and schizophrenia.
- Some female ants practice a form of chemical warfare that allows them to infiltrate established colonies of other ant species and manipulate workers into killing their own queen, according to a new journal report. Current biology.
This newsletter was published by Majd Al-Waheidi.
