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Chapter 1: What is the context of the news today?
This is Ira Glass, the host of This American Life. So much is changing so rapidly right now with President Trump in office. It feels good to pause for a moment sometimes and look around at what's what.
To try and do that, we've been finding these incredible stories about right now that are funny and have feeling and you get to see people everywhere making sense of this new America that we find ourselves in. This American Life, wherever you get your podcasts.
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. It is graduation day at Harvard. Welcome. President Alan Garber receiving a lengthy standing ovation as the face of the university's landmark court battles against government interference. Harvard is fighting against the Trump administration's deep funding cuts and attempts at blocking the school's ability to to enroll international students.
Chapter 2: What are the latest developments at Harvard University?
Today, a federal judge said in court she would issue a preliminary injunction on the administration's efforts, efforts that are widely viewed as a warning to institutions across the U.S. that do not comply with Trump's directives. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Chinese students across the U.S. are affected by new visa restrictions.
Trump supporters defend tighter procedures as a matter of national security. The spokesperson for China's foreign ministry says the Trump White House is engaging in political discrimination. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sent his reorganization plan to Congress. He is making deep cuts, saying they are meant to make the State Department more agile. NPR's Michelle Kellerman has details.
Chapter 3: What are the implications of the Trump administration's funding cuts?
Secretary Rubio often complains about the bureaucracy at the State Department. Now he's giving Congress a look at his plan to streamline the org chart and cut staff, drastically in some areas like human rights and democracy. He's putting more of an emphasis on regional bureaus and says in today's world, the State Department must move at the, quote, speed of relevance.
Democrats on Capitol Hill have argued that his cuts mean that the U.S. is ceding ground to U.S. adversaries, including China. The Trump administration has dismantled the lead U.S. aid agency, and Rubio is taking over what remains of USAID. There won't be cuts to passport and visa services, which are funded by fees. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department.
Chapter 4: How is the State Department changing under Secretary Rubio?
A second federal courts blocked President Trump's authority to unilaterally impose tariffs. This less than a day after the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled against most Trump tariffs. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the stakes are enormous.
Chapter 5: What recent legal decisions have affected Trump's tariffs?
A dozen states and five businesses challenged the president's authority to unilaterally levy those taxes. And last night, A specialized trade court handed those challengers a decisive victory. The unanimous three-judge panel ruled that under the Constitution, it's Congress that has exclusive power to regulate trade and impose tariffs.
That's NPR's Scott Horsley reporting. The Trump administration says it will appeal the decision all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. U.S. stocks are trading higher this hour. The Dow Jones Industrial Average up now 65 points at 42,164. The S&P has climbed 14 points, and the Nasdaq is up 45 points. From Washington, this is NPR News.
A new study finds that breathing in wildfire smoke raises the chances of cardiorespiratory problems long after the smoke has cleared. Here's NPR's Alejandra Burunda.
New research published in the journal Epidemiology found that breathing in wildfire smoke contributed to hospitalizations for heart and breathing problems as long as three months after the smoke exposure, especially for hypertension. It's another study in the growing body of research showing that smoke can have long-term health impacts.
In the study, the researchers point out that climate change is making wildfires and their smoke more intense.
That's NPR's Alejandra Barunda reporting. A Swiss village was wiped from the map Wednesday after a massive glacier carrying rock and debris detached and roared down the mountainside, destroying everything in its path. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports that scientists predicted the coming disaster and had evacuated the entire village.
Video footage of the glacier and rock roaring down the mountainside went viral Wednesday afternoon as the natural disaster unfolded. The 300 residents of Blatton were evacuated on May 19th. A mile-long strip of ice, rock and dirt several feet deep now covers their village. What happened is unthinkable.
It's the catastrophic worst-case scenario, said Christophe Lambiel, a specialist in high mountain geology and glaciers, speaking on RTS Swiss television. Lambiel said the glacier detached because the rock face had been breaking off and falling into it for years, adding weight and pressure until it finally collapsed. That's NPR's Eleanor Beardsley.
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