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Today's top stories
President Trump confirmed yesterday that he has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela. He portrayed it as part of a pressure campaign against the country's drug trade. On Tuesday, the U.S. military struck a fifth boat that the Trump administration said was carrying drugs. The U.S. has also built up forces in the Caribbean in a way that raises questions about whether this goes beyond interrupting the drug trade and could possibly be about regime change.
- 🎧 The president says the focus on Venezuela is not just about drugs. He said that it is also about the number of Venezuelan migrants who have entered the U.S. in recent years. The tension between Trump and the country dates back to his first administration when he tried to topple Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, NPR's Franco Ordoñez tells Up First. Trump expended considerable political capital opposing Maduro, yet he remains in power. Some experts believe that Trump may see this as unfinished business. The White House is defending these actions by saying Trump campaigned on a promise to take on cartels and stop the flow of drugs into the U.S., Ordoñez says.
A federal judge in San Francisco has temporarily halted the Trump administration's latest wave of layoffs in the federal workforce. This comes as the federal government shutdown has crossed the two-week mark. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, who is overseeing the case, expressed that she believes these layoffs are probably illegal.
- 🎧 Unions representing federal workers argue that the administration is illegally using the shutdown to engage in politically driven reductions in force. NPR's Andrea Hsu says the unions discussed how, on top of a tumultuous year for federal workers, those who need to go to HR staff for important paperwork like information on health care cannot because they've been furloughed. The government's attorney, Elizabeth Hedges, tried to convince the judge that she shouldn't be hearing the case at all because federal employee personnel issues are heard by a particular agency, which is currently shut down.
- ➡️ Here's what the shutdown means for you and your part of the country.
Military troops received their paychecks yesterday due to a last-minute intervention by the Trump administration. Over the weekend, Trump announced the administration would move $6.5 billion in unused research funds to make payroll. However, the fix didn't resolve the underlying anxiety felt by military families as the shutdown continues.
- 🎧 Unemployment is an issue for military spouses, since they move around the U.S. often, says Steve Walsh with NPR network station WHRO. The Biden administration encouraged spouses to seek employment with the federal government, including positions at their local bases. Now, those spouses are not getting paid along with other federal workers, meaning their families are missing out on a paycheck. Walsh says several sources note that this shutdown feels different from previous ones. Military families are concerned that the next paycheck, which is due at the end of the month, may not arrive on time.
Deep dive
Natural gas prices are relatively low currently, but residential gas utility rates are nearing record highs. That trend is being felt across the United States. Prices are up because customers are paying more for infrastructure, construction, utility costs and taxes than they are for the actual fuel. The money being spent on infrastructure, which will last for many years, comes at a time when scientists say the world will shift away from fossil fuels, including natural gas. Climate activists are now questioning why gas utilities are making this investment.
- 💸 Gas companies usually don't profit from the gas itself; instead, utilities make their money by building new infrastructure, like pipelines. Regulators allow companies to recover the cost, plus profits, through customers' bills.
- 💸 Pipeline replacement programs have contributed to changes in bills over the past 40 years. Last year, less than a third of customer bills went to gas, while about two-thirds went to the other costs.
- 💸 Gas utilities point out that one reason gas makes up a smaller share of bills is that it's relatively cheap. Natural gas remains the cheapest way to heat homes in the winter, according to the Energy Information Administration. Meanwhile, construction costs have increased.
- 💸 Activists are urging state utility regulators to consider cheaper alternatives to replacing old gas pipelines. This includes repairing the lines or shutting down sections of gas pipelines and switching homes to electric appliances.
Learn more about what is impacting the price on your monthly gas bill.
Picture show
Cumbia Across Latin America is a visual report covering the people, places and cultures that keep this music genre alive in six countries.
In Peru, the term "chicha" can refer to a sacred fermented corn drink or to Peruvian cumbia music. It has also been used derogatorily to mock immigrant culture in Lima, particularly during the mass migrations of Indigenous Andean people to the city in the 20th century. When it comes to music, the term has become controversial. Alfredo Villar, an author and art historian, says chicha "is the most complex moment of Peruvian identity, because it mixes everything — from its deepest roots to its most extreme and complex external influences. This is why it is so difficult to define … Chicha will always surprise you." Learn more about the complexity of how cumbia has evolved in Peru and see photos of its influence in the country. You can also read the article in Spanish.
3 things to know before you go
- Natalie Grabow, an 80-year-old grandmother, is being hailed as an inspiration after becoming the oldest woman to finish the grueling Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
- LitBox, a vending machine selling books written by local authors in the nation's capital, is providing hope to the literary community as writers struggle with cuts to arts funding.
- Greetings from the Rhône Glacier! This week, NPR's Far-Flung Postcards series takes us to where scientists are conducting tests that include releasing bright pink dye to see how fast a glacier is melting.
This newsletter was edited by Obed Manuel.
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