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Caitlin Thompson
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Caitlin Thompson

Thursday

This photo shows political commentator and YouTuber Benny Johnson on the left side of the photo while he speaks with Eric Trump, a son of former President Donald Trump, during the 2024 Republican National Convention. Johnson is wearing a black T-shirt and is holding a microphone. Eric Trump, standing on the right side of the photo, is also holding a microphone and is wearing a white shirt and gray suit jacket.

Political commentator and YouTuber Benny Johnson (left) speaks with Eric Trump, a son of former President Donald Trump, during the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Johnson made videos for Tenet Media. The Justice Department accused a company matching Tenet's description of working closely with employees of Russian state broadcaster RT to covertly spread pro-Russian narratives in the United States. Johnson says he was not aware of Tenet's ties to Russia. Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images

Untangling Disinformation

How Russian operatives covertly hired U.S. influencers to create viral videos

Details in an indictment match Nashville-based Tenet Media, which offered lucrative paychecks to prominent right-wing influencers. The influencers say they were deceived.

Russia RT Interference

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Friday

Randee Noggle stands in front of her home in Taylor, Mich. on June 30, 2024. She bought the house in 2018 using money she inherited from her grandmother.

Randee Noggle stands in front of her home in Taylor, Mich. on June 30, 2024. She bought the house in 2018 using money she inherited from her grandmother. Sylvia Jarrus for NPR hide caption

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Sylvia Jarrus for NPR

Investigations

Courts, regulators tackle whether 'sale-leaseback' deals are actually loans

Courts are tackling the question of whether sale-leaseback deals function more like a mortgage than an outright sale — and therefore should be regulated like a loan.

Tuesday

Lester Shreffler stands near his open garage door at his rental home in Farmersville, Texas.

When Lester Shreffler's rent to EasyKnock went up, he fell behind and received a notice to vacate. He and his daughter scrambled to find this rental home in Farmersville, Texas. His lease is up at the end of July, and he's not sure where he's going to go next. Zerb Mellish for NPR hide caption

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Zerb Mellish for NPR

Investigations

'Sale-leasebacks' offer to help homeowners needing cash. Some lose thousands

Companies like EasyKnock offer to help people in financial trouble by buying their home and renting it back. An NPR investigation finds the deals cost some people a lot of money and even their homes.

NPR probe finds getting help from a sale leaseback company can be costly

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Thursday

The cargo ship Dali sits in the water, surrounded by four concrete dolphins, after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, in Baltimore.

The cargo ship Dali sits in the water, surrounded by four concrete dolphins, after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, in Baltimore. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images hide caption

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Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Investigations

Concrete structures meant to protect Baltimore bridge appear unchanged for decades

Experts said if the Key Bridge had been fitted with more robust collision-prevention structures, the collapse might have been avoided. Records indicate the protections weren't significantly altered.

Concrete structures meant to protect Baltimore bridge appear unchanged for decades

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Friday

Police recovery crews work near the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge after it was struck by the container ship Dali in Baltimore. Eight members of a construction crew repairing potholes were on the bridge when the structure fell into the Patapsco River at around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Police recovery crews work near the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge after it was struck by the container ship Dali in Baltimore. Eight members of a construction crew repairing potholes were on the bridge when the structure fell into the Patapsco River at around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Investigations

'We got workers in the water': Audio reveals new details of Baltimore bridge rescue

Radio calls exchanged between first responders when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed show a coordinated response. But distress calls are not optimized for alerting construction crews.

'We got workers in the water': Audio reveals new details of Baltimore bridge rescue

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