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Rand Paul released Fauci’s pandemic-era ‘diary.’ Now they’ll face off on Capitol Hill
Senator Rand Paul, Republican chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, has released more than 1,100 pages of pandemic-era diary entries kept by Dr Anthony Fauci, the former director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, just ahead of a Senate hearing at which Fauci has been subpoenaed to testify about the…
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As extreme heat grips the South and West, here’s how to stay safe
A third major heat dome in a month is baking large parts of the United States, putting roughly 70 million people across the South, West and Midwest under extreme heat warnings. The system, a high-pressure “lid” that traps hot air and humidity, matters because it is pushing temperatures well above 100°F over a wide area,…
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The Federal Reserve faces a critical decision on interest rates
The US Federal Reserve is preparing to announce a decision on interest rates, expected on Wednesday, as it weighs whether to hold rates steady or raise them further to tackle persistently elevated inflation. The decision matters because it will signal the direction of monetary policy under new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, who took over the…
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More Americans are going bankrupt. What does that mean?
Personal bankruptcy filings in the United States have surged over the past few years, with more than half a million cases filed last year, an increase of nearly 50% compared with three years earlier. Filings continued to climb into early 2026, rising almost 12% year-on-year by the end of March, though overall levels still remain…
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‘Machines are collaborators’ at this new museum of AI art
A new venue called Dataland, billed as the world’s first museum dedicated to AI art, opened in downtown Los Angeles in June 2026, founded by Turkish-American artist Refik Anadol and his partner Efsun Erkılıç. The museum features immersive rooms combining synchronised sound, light and visual displays that respond to visitors’ biometric data via wristbands, reflecting…
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Morning news brief
This NPR “Morning News Brief” for 29 July 2026, hosted by Michel Martin and Leila Fadel, rounds up two separate top stories rather than delving into a single narrative in depth. – President Trump met separately with the leaders of Ukraine and Israel on Tuesday at the White House. – A severe heatwave in Europe…
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Voices: ‘University is not for everyone’: Readers welcome Andy Burnham’s education shake-up – with one big caveat
Andy Burnham has announced the biggest overhaul of England’s schools system in 15 years, aiming to break the long-standing bias towards university education in favour of vocational and technical training. Under the plan, students would be offered technical routes alongside academic subjects from age 14, with Burnham arguing that a “hard hat” should be valued…
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Andy Burnham poll tracker: Prime minister and Labour’s approval ratings in four charts
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has enjoyed a rapid surge in popularity within weeks of taking office, dubbed the “Burnham bounce” by pollsters, as Labour’s fortunes recover from the low point reached under his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer. Political analysts, including Sir John Curtice, attribute the shift both to Burnham’s own policies and communication style and…
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Burnham’s spanner in the works leaves UK government tech scattered across Whitehall
New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has broken up the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), scrapping the dedicated technology minister post and scattering responsibility for government digital transformation across three separate departments. This risks creating a fragmented approach to how Whitehall manages and modernises its ageing legacy IT systems, at a time when…
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Andy Burnham to host cross-party talks on social care – but neither Kemi Badenoch nor Ed Davey can attend after ‘being given just 18 hours’ notice’ – while Nigel Farage is snubbed
Andy Burnham, the Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, is set to host cross-party talks on reforming social care, but the effort has been undermined by scheduling problems and a deliberate exclusion. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey are both unable to attend after reportedly being given only 18 hours’ notice of…