Author: rpnadmin

Venus Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match in professional tennis, delivering some of her familiar big serves and groundstrokes at age 45 while beating Peyton Stearns — 22 years her junior — by a 6-3, 6-4 score at the DC Open on Tuesday night.This was the first singles victory for Williams in nearly two years. The only older woman to win a match was Martina Navratilova at 47 in 2004. The former No. 1-ranked Williams had not played singles in an official match since March 2024 in Miami, missing time while having surgery to remove…

President Trump said Tuesday he has struck a “massive” trade deal with Japan that calls for 15% tariffs on goods the U.S. imports from the country.The president wrote on Truth Social that, as part of the agreement, Japan will invest $550 billion into the U.S., “which will receive 90% of the Profits.” He also said Japan will “open their Country to Trade including Cars and Trucks, Rice and certain other Agricultural Products.” The 15% tariff rate floated by Mr. Trump is somewhat lower than the 25% that he proposed earlier this month, or the 24% duties that were proposed on…

President Trump says he was unaware of the latest developments in the Epstein backlash and pivots to his complaints about the Obama administration. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: There’s a new development today in the political drama over the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Justice Department says it plans to meet with his longtime partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, in the coming days. That’s in response to a push from President Trump’s supporters to uncover more details about the disgraced financier and his contacts. So of course, Trump faced questions about it today. NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez is with us. Hi,…

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has effectively barred transgender women from competing in women’s sports, telling the federations overseeing swimming, athletics and other sports it has an “obligation to comply” with an executive order issued by President Trump.The new policy, announced Monday with a quiet change on the USOPC’s website and confirmed in a letter sent to national sport governing bodies, follows a similar step taken by the NCAA earlier this year.The USOPC change is noted obliquely as a detail under “USOPC Athlete Safety Policy” and references Mr. Trump’s executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” signed in February. That order, among…

Zohran Mamdani won New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary by defying the rules of local politics—unseating the establishment, energizing overlooked neighborhoods, and reimagining what a successful progressive campaign can achieve. But the primary was just the first test. If Mamdani wins in November, he’ll face an even tougher task: turning an insurgency into a governing coalition, and proving that a different kind of politics can deliver real change in America’s biggest city.The demands of campaigning, however grueling, are ultimately straightforward. Governing is messier—but also richer in possibility. If Mamdani becomes mayor, he’ll have the chance to prove something few American…

Special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is scheduled to travel to Europe this week for meetings on a wide range of issues, including the Israel-Hamas conflict, and will continue pushing for a ceasefire and peace deal, according to a U.S. official. FILE: Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East, attends meeting between President Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House on July 14, 2025.  Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images In a briefing with reporters Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce suggested Witkoff could soon go to the Middle East, but declined to provide…

The release of more than 100 pages of declassified files and a memorandum by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has reignited political battles over Russia’s actions during the 2016 presidential election, a topic that has long incensed President Trump and put the actions of the U.S. intelligence community in partisan crosshairs.Gabbard’s office on Friday alleged in the memorandum, which accompanied the files, that they contained what she called evidence of “suppression” and manipulation of the intelligence underlying a 2017 community-wide assessment of Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. The files include email exchanges, excerpts from a…

The lesson for Democrats is that they should force confrontations, especially when they drive a wedge into the GOP base. Ad Policy Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) leaves the House Republican Conference caucus meeting in the US Capitol on July 22, 2025.(Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) After programming its legislative calendar and staging committee hearings to feed conspiracy theories and persecution fantasies, the 119th Congress appears to be grinding to a halt over the threatened release of documents relating to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Late Monday night, the House rules committee collapsed into chaos…

Federal judges in New Jersey invoked a rarely used judiciary power to sideline interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, installing her top assistant as the state’s top prosecutor.President Trump installed Habba, who had served as his personal attorney, on March 24, in an interim capacity. An appointee can lead a U.S. attorney’s office for up to 120 days pending Senate confirmation. Habba was not formally nominated for the role until July 1, and has not been confirmed.The state’s district judges voted to replace her. Chief Judge Renée Bumb wrote in an order Tuesday that they’ve appointed Habba’s first assistant, longtime prosecutor…

The official start of fall is still months away, but the season is just around the corner for Starbucks fans.The coffee chain’s popular Pumpkin Spice Latte is set to return on Aug. 26, Starbucks announced Monday. Although that’s a later release date than last year, the 2025 return of the PSL is still on the earlier side for the company, which traditionally had waited until September to bring back the seasonal drink, closer to the actual start of autumn, which falls on Sept. 22 this year.The popular menu item consists of espresso, milk, Pumpkin Spice Syrup and whipped cream, with…