NPR News: 07-02-2026 8PM EDT

Ryland Barton· Host0:00

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. It was disclosed this week that President Trump made over one billion dollars from crypto businesses last year. Those investments have worked out well for the president, but as NPR's Rafael Nam reports, many investors in those ventures have lost a lot of money.

Rafael Nam0:16

When it comes to cryptocurrencies, Trump has followed a plan similar to the ones he has used during most of his business career. He earns a lot of money, but he's careful to protect himself and his family from any downsides. Take a meme coin he launched, or essentially a cryptocurrency based on things like memes or even cartoons. Trump doesn't own the meme coin, he just licenses his name. That earned him over six hundred million dollars. The coin itself, though, it has crashed from over seventy dollars at its peak to about a dollar today, leading to big losses for investors. Rafael Nam, NPR News.

Ryland Barton· Host0:53

Senator Mitch McConnell remains hospitalized. According to a statement from his office, the cause is not specified. The Kentucky senator and former Republican majority leader was first admitted more than two weeks ago. NPR's Eric McDaniel has more.

Eric McDaniel1:06

The statement says, quote, "The senator continues to improve and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session." End quote. At eighty-four, McConnell regularly moves about the Capitol in a wheelchair. In 2023, McConnell froze and appeared unable to speak for nearly thirty seconds during his weekly press conference as majority leader. He's also suffered a series of falls, including one that resulted in a concussion and nearly six-week absence.