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Today's top stories
The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the long-established right to automatic American citizenship for children born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents' immigration status. The high court's decision rejects President Trump's most aggressive efforts to limit immigration in the United States. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, traced the origins of birthright citizenship back to the nation's founding. Roberts said that just as the colonists demanded "the rights of Englishmen" more than 250 years ago, Congress amended the Constitution after the Civil War to ensure automatic citizenship for any child born on U.S. soil. The ruling passed with a 6-to-3 vote. Altogether, five justices signed onto Roberts' majority opinion, while a sixth, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, said he would have struck down Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship based on a 1952 law, but left open the possibility of Congress putting limits on babies born to people who are in the U.S. illegally or on temporary visas. Justice Clarence Thomas authored the lead dissent, a 91-page document agreeing with Trump's assertion that the 14th Amendment only applies to former slaves and their descendants.
- ➡️ The Supreme Court made multiple influential rulings on the final day of its term. The court decided that states may ban transgender girls from participating in sports at publicly funded schools, and it loosened campaign finance restrictions by striking down limits on how much political parties may spend on candidates.
- ➡️ Before the court released yesterday's decisions, NPR's Steve Inskeep spoke with Supreme Court expert Amy Howe, co-founder of SCOTUSblog, about what she was monitoring as the justices prepared to conclude their term. Here are four key takeaways from that conversation.
Yesterday's primary elections in Colorado resulted in several upsets. A Democratic senator lost his bid for governor, and progressive candidate Manny Rutinel advanced to the November showdown for a House seat currently held by a Republican. That House race, between two Latino candidates, could play a crucial role in determining whether Democrats gain control of the chamber in the midterm elections. In Denver, voters picked 29-year-old democratic socialist Melat Kiros as the Democratic nominee over longtime incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in the state's 1st Congressional District. The victory continues the momentum for the Democratic Socialists of America. Last week, DSA-backed candidates won two New York primaries and several state assembly races. They also advanced to the November mayoral elections in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Take a look at Colorado's primary results.
- 🎧 Kiros' political alignment as a democratic socialist played a significant role in attracting younger voters who are advocating for more progressive policies, such as Medicare for all and an end to all aid to Israel, Colorado Public Radio's Caitlyn Kim tells Up First. Kim spoke with some voters who said they want a candidate who will bring fresh ideas to Congress. Republicans are already using Kiros' victory to argue that Democrats in the state have moved too far to the left. Anti-Washington was a key theme of the evening, Kim says. That may have led to a defeat for long-term politician Sen. Michael Bennet, who lost his primary bid to become the state's next governor. Bennet has been in the Senate since 2009. Voters questioned his accomplishments and, more to the point, what he had done to fight Trump, according to Kim.
A massive heat wave is pushing temperatures into the triple digits across much of the eastern United States, just as the crucial knockout rounds of the World Cup begin. Some areas are expected to set new heat records. In these rounds, a single loss means elimination for a team. An NPR analysis finds that this situation was predictable, as past weather patterns show that over one-third of the tournament's matches are at high risk of dangerous heat and humidity.
- 🎧 FIFA, the governing body for international soccer, told NPR's Rebecca Hersher that it did its best to schedule matches to avoid extreme heat. Many matches are planned for the evening, and several venues in the Southern U.S. are equipped with roofs. FIFA is implementing two extra water breaks per match to help players and officials stay hydrated. NPR found that these measures don't alleviate the risks from the heat. The analysis identified Philadelphia as one of the highest-risk host cities, specifically noting that the July 4th match there would likely be played in dangerous conditions. FIFA did not respond to NPR's inquiries about specific match scheduling decisions or whether additional protections, such as cooling buses, misters or free cold water, will be available for matches this week.
- ➡️ The U.S. team plays its first knockout round game tonight in San Francisco, where it will face Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Even though nearly one-third of Americans say they are concerned about the direction the U.S. is headed, the majority say they're "proud" or "very proud" to be an American, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. Close to half of Americans believe the country has strayed significantly from the nation's founding principles. The way Americans feel about the country's current state is largely split along partisan, gender and generational lines. The survey of 1,340 respondents was conducted in early June and has a margin of error of +/- 3.0 percentage points, meaning results could be about three points higher or lower. NPR followed up with several participants to gather their thoughts about America ahead of the 250th anniversary. Read more about what they had to say.
Deep dive
Today, after two decades, graduate students will no longer be able to take out unlimited federal student loans to cover the full cost of their education. The Trump administration is now capping graduate school loans for many students at $20,500 per year and a total of $100,000. Although a federal court has temporarily blocked a small part of this plan, the U.S. Education Department confirmed to NPR that the loan limits will begin on July 1. Republicans used last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act to eliminate the Grad PLUS program and limit graduate loan amounts. They reasoned that borrowers would opt for cheaper programs, prompting more expensive schools to lower their prices to stay competitive. But is that reasoning sound? Here's what the research shows:
- 🎓 For every additional dollar that students received in loans, graduate schools raised their prices by $0.64 after accounting for the grants they provided, according to a team of researchers who studied the Grad PLUS program.
- 🎓 Jeff Denning, an economist whose research found the clearest connection between federal loans and college prices, says that predicting student behavior can be challenging. A significant reduction in federal loans might lead students to opt for less expensive programs, but it could also drive them to seek out private loans.
- 🎓 There is strong evidence that reducing access to financial aid can prompt students to stop enrolling in programs, says Dominique Baker, an associate professor of education and public policy at the University of Delaware. This is especially evident among lower-income students, who often lack sufficient credit history to qualify for private student loans.
- 🎓 Recent analyses suggest these new limits will affect roughly 30% of graduate borrowers.
Life advice
The July Fourth fireworks are expected to be larger than ever this year, not just in the U.S. capital but across the country as part of the celebration for America's 250th birthday. Dr. Michael Bailey, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, says that dogs and cats can hear and feel fireworks from four times farther away than humans can. Here are some tips for pet owners to help their animals cope with the loud explosions and bright flashes.
- 🐕 Get your pet outside for some exercise on a day you know there will be fireworks later so that when they do happen, your pet will be ready to sleep.
- 🐕 Create a safe, calm environment in your home, ideally in a central area away from exterior walls, to provide pets with a buffer against loud noises and bright flashes. You can also offer them a toy and play the TV or radio to help soothe them.
- 🐕 If you need to walk your dog or cat after dark, be sure to use a leash and ensure they have updated ID tags and microchips.
3 things to know before you go
- The Food and Drug Administration has released documents raising concerns about insufficient evidence for a batch of peptides that are set to be considered by an FDA panel soon.
- Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg initially proposed buying Kalshi, the top company in the prediction market sector, before instructing employees to develop a standalone prediction market app, according to sources with knowledge of the talks who were not authorized to speak publicly.
- In this week's edition of Far-Flung Postcards, NPR's Vincent Ni takes readers to central London's Waterloo Place, where a life-size Banksy installation depicts a suited man marching over a precipice while hoisting a flag.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
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