--:-- Ryland Barton: This message comes from Capital One with the Venture X Card. Earn unlimited double miles, a $300 annual Capital One travel credit, and access to airport lounges. Capital One. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. Details at CapitalOne.com.
--:-- Ryland Barton: Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton.
--:-- Ryland Barton: The Trump administration is firing more federal workers as the government remains shut down. Budget Director Russ Vogt posted on social media that the process has begun.
--:-- Selena Simmons-Duffin: As NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin reports, one of the targets is the Department of Health and Human Services. HHS encompasses all the federal health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes for Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
--:-- Selena Simmons-Duffin: Spokesperson Andrew Nixon did not say how many staff were being fired or which agencies were being affected. He said the department had grown bloated during the Biden administration and the cuts are the, quote, consequence of the Democrat-led government shutdown.
--:-- Selena Simmons-Duffin: However, because of the firings and retirements earlier this year, HHS was already smaller than it was under President Biden before this latest round of layoffs.
--:-- Ryland Barton: Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR News, Washington.
--:-- Caroline Eggers: Authorities say 19 people are missing and feared dead after an explosion at a munitions plant in Tennessee.
--:-- Caroline Eggers: Caroline Eggers of member station WPLN spoke with Tennessee State Representative Jody Barrett about the impact on the community.
--:-- Jody Barrett: Barrett says his community has faced multiple disasters in his lifetime a gas pipeline explosion, a deadly flood, and now a factory explosion.
--:-- Jody Barrett: This county has dealt with a lot of tragic loss like this, more than their fair share.
--:-- Jody Barrett: Four years ago, the community was struck by Tennessee's heaviest recorded single-day rainfall. A flood killed 20 people in the town of Waverly, just a short distance from the explosives plant.
--:-- Jody Barrett: He says the sheriff and deputies responding to this latest incident also managed the flood and are probably still struggling with some of the PTSD of dealing with pulling bodies out of trees.
--:-- Jody Barrett: Barrett says the explosion will leave another mark on the community.
--:-- Caroline Eggers: For NPR News, I'm Caroline Eggers in Nashville.
--:-- Maria Godoy: California is the first state to ban ultra-processed foods and some school meals.
--:-- Maria Godoy: NPR's Maria Godoy reports health experts are increasingly concerned about these foods, which dominate kids' diets.
--:-- Maria Godoy: The new law prohibits public schools in California from serving children what it terms as, quote, ultra-processed foods of concern.
--:-- Maria Godoy: This category of foods has been linked to health risks such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
--:-- Maria Godoy: But regulating them has been tricky because scientists have yet to agree on a precise definition.
--:-- Maria Godoy: The new law tackles this issue by defining ultra foods as those that contain high levels of salt fat and added sugars as well as certain ingredients, such as artificial sweeteners, synthetic food dyes, emulsifiers, and thickening agents.
--:-- Maria Godoy: Schools will be required to start phasing these foods out by mid-2029 and complete the changes by 2035.
--:-- Ryland Barton: President Trump received a flu shot and a COVID booster today.
--:-- Ryland Barton: After a checkup, the White House released a memo saying he, quote, remains in exceptional health, exhibiting strong cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, and physical performance.
--:-- Ryland Barton: I'm Rylan Barton.
--:-- Ryland Barton: This is NPR News from Washington.
--:-- Ryland Barton: National Guard troops are now patrolling Memphis.
--:-- Ryland Barton: As part of President Trump's attempt to crack down on crime, the deployment comes a day after a federal judge temporarily blocked the Guard from being deployed in Chicago.
--:-- Ryland Barton: President Emmanuel Macron has renamed his outgoing prime minister as his incoming prime minister in France.
--:-- Eleanor Beardsley: NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports it only adds to the instability brought on by having four prime ministers in the last year.
--:-- Eleanor Beardsley: Sebastian Lecornu will now replace SLecornu said one TV anchor in stupefaction.
--:-- Eleanor Beardsley: On Monday, Lecornu resigned before even serving, saying the parliament was too fractured to get anything done.
--:-- Eleanor Beardsley: Macron said he would name a new PM.
--:-- Eleanor Beardsley: It's clear Macron wants to avoid dissolving parliament and holding new legislative elections, but so far, no one seems to understand why he named the same premier who just threw in the towel.
--:-- Eleanor Beardsley: The far right and left are howling for Macron's resignation more than ever, but some analysts say Le Corneau, a former defense minister, is humble and smart.
--:-- Eleanor Beardsley: They say perhaps he can save the situation.
--:-- Ryland Barton: A baby eastern black rhino has made its debut at the Cleveland Zoo, giving a boost to efforts to conserve the endangered species, which is fewer than 583 adults left in the wild.
--:-- Ryland Barton: The 120-pound rhino was born earlier this month.
--:-- Ryland Barton: The zoo is holding a contest, to name it.
--:-- Ryland Barton: I'm Rylan Barton.
--:-- Ryland Barton: You're listening to NPR News from Washington.
--:-- Announcer (Voiceover): This message comes from Warby Parker. Prescription eyewear that's expertly crafted and unexpectedly affordable. Glasses designed in-house from premium materials starting at just $95, including prescription lenses. Stop by a Warby Parker store near you.
