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Chapter 1: What changes are happening with President Trump in office?
This is Ira Glass, the host of This American Life. So much is changing so rapidly right now with President Trump in office. It feels good to pause for a moment sometimes and look around at what's what.
To try and do that, we've been finding these incredible stories about right now that are funny and have feeling and you get to see people everywhere making sense of this new America that we find ourselves in. This American Life, wherever you get your podcasts.
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. President Trump is expected to hold a phone call next hour with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump says he's still hoping to end Russia's war in Ukraine. NPR's Charles Maines reports Trump will also speak with leaders from Ukraine and NATO.
Chapter 2: What are the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict?
The phone calls come in the wake of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul, Turkey on Friday, their first direct negotiations since the early days of the war. That led to an agreement for a mass prisoner swap, but fell short of Western demands. Russia joined Ukraine in signing on to an immediate 30-day ceasefire.
Instead, Russia has kept up the military pressure, launching mass drone attacks over the weekend. Charles Mainz, NPR News, Moscow.
Powerful storms that raked the central U.S. over the weekend have killed at least 28 people. At least 19 victims are in Kentucky. From member station WEKU, Stan Ingold reports the Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to start assessing Kentucky damage today.
Chapter 3: How have recent storms affected Kentucky?
Over the weekend, Governor Andy Beshear said he had put in a request for a federal disaster declaration, a process that he noted has become familiar.
I've now been governor for at least 14 federally declared disasters, 13 of them weather, and this is one of the worst. It's one of the worst in terms of the loss of human life. It's one of the worst in terms of damage, and it's tough.
Chapter 4: What is the impact of natural disasters in Kentucky this year?
This is the third major natural disaster to hit Kentucky this year, with two rounds of heavy flooding happening in April and in February. For NPR News, I'm Stan Ingold in Richmond, Kentucky.
The storms also killed several people in Missouri. On Friday, a tornado left eight miles of damage outside St. Louis. Officials say thousands of buildings were damaged, causing at least $1 billion in damage. Last night, tornado warnings were issued in Kansas, where there are now reports of extensive damage to several buildings in the western part of the state.
The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is set to join the S&P 500 when trading opens later this hour. And Piers Raphael Nam reports it's the first crypto company to become part of this major stock index.
Just over two years ago, crypto exchange FTX collapsed. Today, a different exchange, Coinbase, is set to join the ranks of 500 of the biggest public companies in the U.S. Here's Faryar Sherzad, Coinbase's chief policy officer.
I think it's a historic moment for the industry and it's a really special moment for Coinbase.
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Chapter 5: What is the significance of Coinbase joining the S&P 500?
And that's in part because things have changed under President Trump. His administration is taking a far friendlier approach to the crypto industry. Trump himself has a financial stake in the crypto sector, raising major concerns about conflicts of interest. All of this is alarming consumer advocates who warn this is a nascent industry, rife with potential for fraud and shady characters.
NPR's Raphael Nam. This is NPR. Republicans have voted to advance a multi-trillion dollar budget package out of committee and to the full House for a vote. Democrats vehemently oppose it. They say the package will deeply cut social services Americans need and instead fund tax cuts for wealthy people. Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to his office.
The cancer has spread to the bones. Biden's office says he was checked after developing symptoms and it says the cancer appears to be hormone sensitive. This means there are options for effective disease management. Many consumers look to purchase homes during the spring and this season there are new rules around how agents are paid.
It follows a settlement last year with the National Association of Realtors. NPR's Laurel Walmsley has more on flat fee payments.
For a long time, buying and selling a home was pretty straightforward. The seller paid a commission to both the buyer's and seller's agent, totaling 5% to 6% of the sales price. For Jim Hsiao, a homebuyer in Georgia, it was just too much money going to the realtors. When you try to negotiate, you're basically just told, nope, that's our rate.
But following the realtor's settlement, agents must now tell their prospective clients that their rates are fully negotiable. So Hsiao found an agent who agreed to a flat fee to help him buy a new home. And he got $14,000 back to put toward the closing. Despite the new rules, commissions for buyers' agents overall have barely budged.
Hsiao says consumers just need the confidence to ask for options beyond the status quo. Laurel Wamsley, NPR News.
And I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News, from Washington.
We've all been there, running around a city, looking for a bathroom, but unable to find one. Hello. Do you have a restroom we could use? A very simple free market solution is that we could just pay to use a bathroom, but we can't. On the Planet Money podcast, the story of how we once had thousands of paid toilets and why they got banned. From Planet Money on NPR, wherever you get your podcasts.
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