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Today's top stories
The Supreme Court yesterday ruled that President Trump can proceed with the construction of his ballroom at the former East Wing of the White House without needing congressional approval. Chief Justice John Roberts and the court's three liberal justices dissented. The high court didn't address whether demolishing the East Wing and constructing the ballroom are legal, but said that the National Trust for Historic Preservation lacked standing to sue, as it likely hasn't suffered any concrete injury. The new ballroom is projected to cost taxpayers at least $300 million, even though Trump has said that taxpayers wouldn't pay for it.
- 🎧 The Supreme Court may eventually hear the legal dispute over the project, but for now, construction is allowed to continue, NPR's Carrie Johnson tells Up First. The administration says that crews are working 20 hours a day, seven days a week, to complete the project, which has been underway for nearly a year. By the time the Supreme Court addresses the legal issue, substantial progress on the ballroom could already be made, Johnson says. In the dissent, Roberts wrote that Congress must approve buildings on federal park grounds, a requirement that hasn't been met for the ballroom.
Dan Driscoll has resigned as secretary of the Army after only 18 months in the role. Driscoll, who became the youngest-ever Army secretary when he took the job last year at age 38, served as the Army's top civilian leader. Tensions between Driscoll and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have risen as Hegseth has dismissed many top military officers, replacing them with officers seen as more loyal to him.
- 🎧 Driscoll's resignation is significant amid the ongoing turmoil at the Pentagon under Hegseth, especially as the war in Iran continues with no end in sight, NPR's Greg Myre says. The Army secretary manages the Army's budget and engages in long-term planning, but is not part of the military chain of command, meaning Driscoll doesn't command troops in the Middle East. Driscoll is really close to Vice President JD Vance, and prior to the resignation, there was speculation that Driscoll would eventually leave to take on a key role in Vance's presidential campaign. Myre says it wouldn't be surprising if Driscoll is next seen in one of those prominent roles supporting Vance.
Finance ministers from the world's largest economies are meeting for the G-20 summit this week in North Carolina to discuss ways to encourage faster economic growth. They are also expected to talk about tightening economic pressure on Iran. This gathering marks the first time in more than a decade and a half that the U.S. has hosted the summit.
- 🎧 The U.S. hasn't been able to use military force to compel Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, so the administration announced what it called "Operation Economic Outcast" to cut Iran's remaining ties to the global economy, NPR's Scott Horsley says. The U.S. is now threatening to penalize countries that do business with Tehran. This stalemate with Iran has consequences for the U.S. and its allies: Gasoline prices are more than a dollar per gallon higher than before the war, and diesel prices have risen by nearly $2 per gallon. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says that economic growth can help address the growing U.S.' debt, but fiscal watchdogs are doubtful that it would be a magic fix. The U.S. federal debt is increasing at three times the rate of the overall economy, according to Horsley.
- ➡️ Bessent said oil pipelines bypassing the Strait of Hormuz will make the crucial shipping route irrelevant in two years. Here's why energy experts disagree.
A newly released whistleblower report warns that the U.S. Postal Service could "derail" the midterm election by rushing out "untested" technology as part of Trump's efforts to restrict mail-in voting. USPS has spent months preparing to launch an online portal for state election officials to submit absentee voters' names and ballot envelope barcodes. According to the whistleblower, testing of this new system has been inadequate. If the courts allow USPS to proceed with this plan, issues with the portal could prevent eligible absentee voters from receiving their mail-in ballots on time or at all.
Life advice
It can be challenging to love your appearance in a world full of filtered photos and weight loss trends. If you find yourself feeling negatively about your looks, practicing "body image flexibility" can help. The term describes the ability to cope with uncomfortable feelings about your looks, and the approach doesn't require you to love or even feel neutral about your body. Instead, it focuses on how you respond to negative thoughts. Here are some exercises to practice body image flexibility:
- 🪞 Shift your negative thoughts about body image by focusing inward. Ask yourself about what is happening inside your body: Are you hungry or full? Are you feeling nervous, excited, calm or relaxed?
- 🪞 Appreciate your body's functionality and ask yourself how you're using it in this moment. Take a moment to appreciate its physical abilities.
- 🪞 Swap some of the time you spend focusing on your image with activities that help you appreciate your body, such as playing with your dog or enjoying a hobby outdoors.
For more advice on how to stop fixating on your body image, listen to this episode of NPR's Life Kit. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.
Picture show
Photojournalist Slava "Sal" Veder died at the age of 99 on Aug. 22, eight days before his 100th birthday. He was best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning photo "Burst of Joy," which captured a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel reuniting with his family after five years in a Vietnam prisoner-of-war camp. During his three-decade career at the Associated Press, Veder documented significant political events and figures, including Dianne Feinstein's election as San Francisco mayor following Mayor George Moscone's assassination and political activist Angela Davis' conspiracy for murder trial. See photos of some of Veder's works throughout his AP career.
3 things to know before you go
- Dawn has been crowned the inaugural winner of Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory's Fat Marmot Week. The competition is inspired by Alaska's Fat Bear Week.
- Generative AI videos of late-night talk show hosts are increasingly spreading on social media. These videos are easier to make than deepfakes of other celebrities, since the hosts speak directly to the camera. They could be more disruptive because audiences are more inclined to accept their context.
- The Federal Trade Commission is suing Amazon again, alleging that the tech giant has pocketed tens of billions of dollars by "secretly and systemically overcharging advertisers on its platform."
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
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