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Chapter 1: Who is the actor featured in the Broadway play 'Oh Mary'?
This is Fresh Air contributor Anne-Marie Baldonado. I talked with actor Cole Escola about their hit Broadway play, Oh Mary. Cole plays an unhinged alcoholic Mary Todd Lincoln, who's an aspiring cabaret performer. If that makes no sense, that's part of the point. You can find my interview on the Fresh Air podcast.
Chapter 2: What recent action did the Trump administration take regarding Harvard?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The Trump administration is revoking Harvard's ability to enroll international students. NPR's list and ad warning reports details were sent in a letter to the school from the Department of Homeland Security.
Chapter 3: What does the letter from Homeland Security to Harvard state?
The letter, signed by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, says the administration is terminating Harvard's student exchange certification. That prevents Harvard from enrolling new students and pulls the rug out from under currently enrolled international students.
Chapter 4: How many international students are affected by the Harvard situation?
In a statement, Noem says the administration is holding Harvard accountable for, quote, fostering violence, anti-Semitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party. Harvard says the government's actions are, quote, unlawful. The university has nearly 7,000 international students, roughly one-fourth of the student body. More than a million international students study at U.S.
colleges and universities, contributing more than $43 billion to the U.S. economy. Alyssa Nadwarni, NPR News.
Chapter 5: What tragic event occurred outside the Capitol Jewish Museum?
One of the victims of a fatal shooting in Washington, D.C. last night grew up in a Kansas suburb and was an active member of her Jewish community there. Reporter Solisu Kalakul from Kansas City has more.
Chapter 6: What did the father of one of the shooting victims say about violence?
Police say a gunman shot and killed Sarah Milgram and Yaron Lishinsky outside the Capitol Jewish Museum. The couple met at work at the Israeli embassy, and they were on the verge of getting engaged. Milgram, who is 26, grew up in Prairie Village, Kansas. Her father, Robert Milgram, told KCUR he thinks education is important to stopping these acts of violence.
Many different people living in the U.S., there's no reason to hate one another. This hate cannot divide us. We need to overcome it.
Chapter 7: What is the significance of Sarah Milgram's commitment to her faith?
The temple where Sarah worshipped said in a statement that her commitment to Judaism was deeply personal and described her as a radiant presence. For NPR News, I'm Salisa Kalakul in Kansas City.
Chapter 8: How did Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac perform in the stock market recently?
Shares of the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac hit their highest levels since 2008. That's after President Trump posted he may take them public. As NPR's Chris Arnold reports, that could make a lot of money for some big investors who are allies of the president.
Fannie and Freddie are the most powerful forces in the multi-trillion dollar U.S. mortgage market. And they've been prisoners of the Treasury Department ever since their bad investments forced a government bailout during the 2008 crash. So President Trump is basically talking about letting Fannie and Freddie out of jail.
But a former official tells NPR that there's a way to do that where investors that hold the old Fannie and Freddie stock get wiped out. And another way to do it where those investors would make billions. The biggest holder of that old stock is reported to be Bill Ackman, a backer of President Trump.
Taking Fannie and Freddie public would also be complicated, and if done wrong, it could cause turmoil in the stock and bond markets. Chris Arnold, NPR News.
On Wall Street, stocks ended the session on a mixed note. The Dow was down a point. The Nasdaq closed up 53 points. The S&P 500 rose two points. You're listening to NPR. The Archdiocese of New Orleans has agreed to pay nearly $180 million to survivors of clergy sex abuse, but survivors say it averts accountability, and as the Gulf State Newsroom's Drew Hawkins reports, the deal may not go through.
Lawyers representing a group of survivors of clergy sexual abuse call the proposed settlement a backroom deal and say it falls short by about $100 million. They say the settlement also prevents records of the abuse from being released.
One of our goals was to expose all of this stuff.
Rick Trahant is a lawyer representing a group of survivors. Hundreds took part in a suit filed in 2020. The agreement has to be approved by two-thirds. Trahant says that is unlikely. In a statement, New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Amond called for healing for survivors. For NPR News, I'm Drew Hawkins in New Orleans.
Homeowners sick of maintaining their immaculately manicured lawns are finding creative ways to put forth alternatives. Themes like No Mow May, Let It Bloom June, or Leave the Leaves. Supporters of the trend say it cuts down on the use of fertilizer that can often find its way into rivers and streams, along with providing a habitat for insects and pollinators during the crucial spring months.
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