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Today's top stories
The Supreme Court yesterday unanimously rejected a lawsuit challenging the FDA's rules for prescribing and dispensing the abortion medication mifepristone. Justices said the group of doctors who sued the FDA over its approval of the drug had no standing to sue because they didn't prescribe mifepristone.
- 🎧 NPR's Elissa Nadworny tells Up First that the ruling leaves a "patchwork" of abortion access in the U.S. in place. Near-total abortion bans are in effect in 14 states. Many more have restrictions after the first trimester. But she reports that expanded access to telehealth has helped to change the landscape since the court struck down Roe v. Wade. Some states have shield laws that allow providers to mail abortion medication to states with bans and restrictions.
The Pope has a busy day at the G7 summit in Italy today. In addition to nearly 10 individual bilateral meetings, he's expected to give a speech about artificial intelligence. In 2020, the Vatican brought together leaders from IBM and Microsoft to sign the Rome Call for AI Ethics, which laid out foundational, person-centered approaches to AI.
- 🎧 Christopher White, who covers the Vatican for The National Catholic Reporter, tells Morning Edition that he doesn't think the Vatican is interested in being involved in policy specifics surrounding AI. Rather, he says the Pope may want to use his megaphone to offer broad principles that can guide discourse and development.
Jailed American journalist Evan Gershkovich will stand trial on espionage charges in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. Gershkovich was arrested in March of 2023 while on a reporting trip for The Wall Street Journal. Russian authorities allege that Gershkovich collected information under "instructions from the CIA" about a factory in Yekaterinburg that plays a significant role in building tanks and weapons for Russia in its war against Ukraine. Prosecutors have not publicly presented any evidence to support their claim.
- 🎧 The U.S. is still trying to win Gershkovich's release, NPR's Michele Kelemen tells Morning Edition. She reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it no secret that he wants the U.S. to get Germany to release a Russian hitman serving a life sentence in Berlin on murder charges. U.S. officials have not publicly commented on this. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the U.S. put forth a substantial deal that Russia rejected.
Life advice
To honor dads, dads-to-be, dads who are gone and dadlike figures this Father's Day, NPR is sharing some of the best advice readers have received from their fathers. Their wisdom encompasses everything from practical furniture assembly tips to lessons to live a life less fearfully.
- 👨🍼 Clifford Whitney's father said if you learn everything you can about what you love, no one can take it from you.
- 👨🍼 Pam Goodman's dad taught her not to tighten the screws in her furniture until everything was aligned. She applies this advice to everything in her life.
- 👨🍼 Krissia Keck's dad said you always have options. The only thing you can't fix is death.
- 👨🍼 Frannie Doonan's father made sure she was never afraid to do something she wanted unless it was immoral or unsafe.
Weekend picks
Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
🍿 Movies: Nothing hits better than movie theater air conditioning on a hot summer's day. Cool off this season with the 19 films NPR's critics are most looking forward to.
📺 TV: Franz Kafka may have inspired a word used to describe feeling powerless or hopeless in front of a faceless bureaucracy, but the miniseries Kafka portrays the author's life as anything but Kafkaesque.
📚 Books: In 1970, at 17, Jill Ciment fell in love with her 47-year-old art teacher — who later became her husband. Her new memoir Consent, written eight years after his death at 93, reexamines their relationship through the lens of the #MeToo movement. She revises details and addresses distortions from her 1996 memoir Half a Life — including the passage describing their first kiss.
🎵 Music: Pedro the Lion's past few releases have formed a multi-part memoir of his childhood as a minister's son. In the NPR Music newsletter, critic Ann Powers says the band's latest album, Santa Cruz, is "quietly transformational."
🎮 Games: The world’s first trading card game, “Magic, The Gathering,” is debuting its sequel — and it’s bigger and fancier than nearly anything before. (via WBUR)
⚾ Sports: The U.S. national cricket team plays Ireland today in the T20 World Cup, one of the world's most-watched sporting events. It's the first time the team has ever played in the tournament — and they're just one win or rainout away from advancing to the second round. Here's everything you need to know about the U.S. team's Cinderella run.
❓Quiz: NPR's weekly news quiz is back. Did you miss it? I almost did until my 10/11 score earned me an "Almost good!" message. How well will you do?
3 things to know before you go
- Competitive eater Joey Chestnut isn't going to stop guzzling hot dogs just because Nathans's Famous banned him from its contest. Netflix announced that Chestnut will face off against his biggest rival, Takeru Kobayashi, in September. It will be the first time the two go head-to-head since 2009.
- The U.S. State Department says it's bringing back a trial service that will allow Americans to renew their passport online. The portal will be open during certain times and close for the day once it reaches a daily limit. Here's how it works.
- The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an incident involving a Boeing 787 Max 8 jet flown by Southwest Airlines. Less than an hour after taking off from Phoenix last month, the plane experienced an uncontrolled side-to-side yawing motion known as a Dutch roll.
This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.
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