Decades of Abuse Uncovered at Michigan Art School, and Iran's Demands Shake U.S. Politics

A new report has revealed decades of sexual abuse at Interlochen Center for the Arts, a well-known arts school in Michigan. Students described about 70 abuse allegations against nearly 50 adults connected to the school, going back as far as the 1950s. The report also found that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein targeted some of his earliest victims there. One former student, Paul Busch, is now sharing his story publicly for the first time.

Busch told NPR that he spent 21 years dealing with the abuse he suffered from his ballet teacher when he was 16 years old. He was living away from his parents at the time, and he deeply admired the teacher who hurt him. After the abuse, he stayed at the school for two more years and never received counseling. He says no one from the school ever asked if he was okay.

Interlochen says it has put safety measures in place, including school counselors, social workers, and a psychologist to support students. However, Busch believes the school is still not doing enough for the victims who were left without protection. His story reflects a pattern found throughout the report: students who were far from home, passionate about their art, and too trusting of the adults around them.

Meanwhile, Iran issued a statement over the weekend with a long list of demands before it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global shipping. Iran wants the U.S. to lift its naval blockade and sanctions, remove its military from the region, pay for war damages, release frozen Iranian money, and stop attacks. The White House has not responded to these demands. Experts say these conditions are likely to slow down any peace talks between the two countries.

The tension with Iran could also affect U.S. politics ahead of the midterm elections. NPR reporter Hadeel Al-Shalchi says Iran is paying close attention to American political debates and sees President Trump as vulnerable. A researcher at the Brookings Institution says Iran knows it cannot win a military battle with the U.S., but it has other strategies. By making very large demands and pushing nuclear talks further away, Iran may force Trump into the midterms without a deal, a weak economy, and unhappy supporters.

Wildfires are also a major concern across the country. Since Saturday, 183 new fires have started across the U.S., including eight large ones, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. More than 30,000 firefighters in over 640 crews have been assigned to battle the blazes, and parts of the Western U.S. and Southwest Canada have issued evacuation orders due to extreme heat and dry conditions. Two pilots died on Friday when their helicopter crashed while fighting the Widemouth 2 Fire in Utah's Fishlake National Forest.

In lighter news, K-pop is inspiring young artists in Chile to create something new. The Korean music wave, which started in the 1990s, has spread Korean music, TV shows, food, and fashion all over the world. In Latin America, young artists are mixing K-pop's high-energy dancing and polished music videos with Latin rhythms, Spanish and English lyrics, and local slang. A Chilean boy band called Q_ARE is pioneering this exciting new Latino pop style.