politics
Takeaways from Trump's primetime speech. And, at least 2 dead in major Texas flooding
President Trump gave a primetime speech raising claims of voting vulnerabilities but offered no new evidence. And, at least 2 people have died in major flooding in Texas.
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President Trump delivered a primetime address last night where he repeated claims that the country's voting systems are vulnerable to being "rigged and stolen." The president presented no new evidence of a single fraudulent vote in any election. He said he was declassifying intelligence documents that reveal "shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure."
President Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House.
Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
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Catastrophic flooding in Texas has killed two people and prompted hundreds of rescues after days of heavy rain. The flooding comes just over a year after devastating July Fourth floods killed 130 people, including children and counselors at a summer camp.
Several U.S. states are experiencing unhealthy and hazardous air quality as heavy smoke from wildfires continues to spread. Extreme heat and dry conditions in Ontario and northern Minnesota fueled wildfires earlier this week. Today, more than 800 wildfires are burning in Canada, according to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System. Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan face some of the worst air quality levels and millions in large cities like Philadelphia, New York City and Baltimore are also impacted. Relief remains several days away.
SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 14, 2026: Cure for Paranoia performs during NPR's Tiny Desk Concert Tour stop at Neumos in Seattle, Wash., on Sunday, June 14, 2026.
Jovelle Tamayo for NPR
Jovelle Tamayo for NPR
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The Dallas hip-hop group Cure for Paranoia won this year's Tiny Desk Contest, earning the chance to perform their own Tiny Desk concert after standing out among thousands of independent artists. The group also joined the 2026 Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour, performing alongside 20 other standout entrants. Ten photographers captured some of the tour's most memorable moments.
Matt Damon is Odysseus in The Odyssey.
Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures
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Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
🍿 Movies: The Odyssey follows Odysseus as he spends two decades trying to return home to his wife, Penelope, the queen of Ithaca, after the Trojan War. Along the way, he encounters various supernatural obstacles. You can also hear Pop Culture Happy Hour's Glen Weldon discuss the film on Morning Edition.
📺 TV: Netflix is bringing Little House on the Prairie to life again in a new series. It follows Laura Ingalls Wilder's life in Kansas, where her family's promise of available land comes at the expense of the local Osage population.
📚 Books: Chef Nephi Craig says eating, cooking and teaching about Indigenous food has saved his life. In his memoir, Our Knives Will Save Us, he discusses cooking, his battle with addiction and his Native American heritage.
🎵 Music: NPR Music reflects on how beabadoobee sheds her '90s style with her new single "Switchblade" and shares the best new songs of the week.
❓Quiz: After a two-week vacation, the quiz is back! Get ready for silly questions about Jurassic Park, U.K. politics, wild conspiracy theories and more.
A rendering from the Trump administration's proposal shows what the fencing would look like, when open, looking south toward the White House from H Street.
U.S. Commission of Fine Arts
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This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.