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Episode Date: August 18, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingley. There are election primaries today in Alaska, Florida, Wyoming, and a special election runoff in California. As Catherine Welch reports, voters in Florida will be choosing candidates for Congress as well as the governor's mansion. Florida voters will pick candidates to replace term-limited Republican governor Ron DeSantis. Republican Congressman Byron Donald's is the favorite in that crowded primary, while former Republican congressman turned Democrat, David Jolly, is one of six Democrats running and is leading in the polls. Florida voters will also pick candidates seeking to serve out the rest of Marco Rubio's term in the Senate after he was named Secretary of State. And voters will select candidates in all but one congressional district, with most candidates running in newly redrawn districts that favor Republicans. For NPR News, I'm Catherine Welch in Orlando. In California, voters will be choosing a replacement for former Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell. He resigned from the House several months ago and ended his bid for governor amid allegations of sexual assault, accusations he denies. Either state Senator Aisha Wahab or Bay Area Rapid Transit Board President Melissa Hernandez

will serve out the remainder of Swalwell's term in Congress. President Trump is offering more details on why he directed the Pentagon to scale. back joint U.S. South Korean military exercises currently underway. Here's NPR's Tamara Keith. Trump cited South Korea's unwillingness to get involved in the war with Iran and his own relationship with Kim Jong-un in explaining the decision to pull back on the exercises. I'm making it much safer. You see, I'm actually making it much safer. Kim Jong-un has always treated me with great respect. Trump was answering questions in the Oval Office. Why hasn't Kim Jumlin responded to your request to have a conversation?

I do you know he has he responded? Has he? Um, yeah, he has. During his first term, Trump met with the North Korean leader three times. Other presidents have sought to isolate Kim. Tamara Keith, NPR News, the White House. In New York, the state murder trial of Luigi Mangione has been postponed indefinitely. It was slated to begin September 8th.

Defense attorneys are seeking to have the state charges, is dismissed now that Mangione has pleaded guilty to federal charges of stalking and killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He was shot to death outside a Midtown Manhattan Hotel in 2024. Mangione's lawyers want the state case thrown out arguing legal double jeopardy. Economists will get their latest look at consumer spending in the U.S. when Retailer Home Depot reports its latest quarterly earnings today. This is NPR News. A federal judge is blocking plans by the Trump administration to move the FBI's headquarters to downtown Washington, saying the administration acted illegally when it scrapped plans approved by Congress to build the facility in the Maryland suburbs.

The Trump administration is appealing the decision of a federal judge in Tennessee to dismiss charges against Kilmar-Abrego-Garcia. Charges were brought against Obrigo-Garcia after he was wrongfully deported to El Salvador. Mariana Buckeyao with member station WPLN has more from Nashville. Prosecutors charged Obrego Garcia with human smuggling based on a 22 traffic stop in Tennessee. A federal investigation into Abrago Garcia began two and a half years later after the Supreme Court ordered he be returned to the U.S. from El Salvador, where he had been mistakenly deported. The court found issue with that delayed timing and dismissed the charges as vindictive. Now the Trump administration is appealing, arguing that the judge, judge did not follow Supreme Court precedent in his decision. At the same time, a judge in Maryland

has ruled that the Trump administration cannot deport Abrago Garcia to a third country until at least October. For NPR News, I'm Mariana Baca Yao in Nashville. The state of Florida has carried out more than half of the 22 executions of death row inmates in the U.S. so far this year. The state has another execution scheduled today. Sixty-one-year-old William Francis Sylvia would be the 13th, death row inmate put to death in Florida since January. He was convicted of killing his estranged wife and wounding his mother-in-law. I'm Dave Mattingly in Washington.