NPR News: 06-29-2026 5AM EDT

Nora Raum· Host0:00

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rom. Frustration is growing in Venezuela following last week's earthquake that killed more than fourteen hundred people. Tens of thousands of people are still missing. As John Otis reports, survivors claim the government's response has been slow and inept.

John Otis0:19

[backhoe digging] That's a backhoe digging through the ruins of a twelve-story building that collapsed here in the coastal town of Los Corales. But local residents say the government backhoe operator never showed up, so they had to pay for one. Many are incensed by government paralysis and bureaucracy. The security forces have been accused of looting. Doctors and rescue workers have faced delays getting to the disaster zone because they lacked government permits. All this is costing lives, says Rosalia Bustamante, who lost several friends when the building collapsed. "There were people in the ruins responding when we called out to them," she says, "but now they are dead." For NPR News, I'm John Otis in Los Corales, Venezuela.

Nora Raum· Host1:07

Congress passed a bipartisan bill last week designed to make housing more affordable. But President Trump refused to sign it into law until Congress approves the Save America Act, legislation to impose voting restrictions that does not have bipartisan support. House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News yesterday he thinks the president will change his mind.

Mike Johnson· Soundbite1:29

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