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Today’s top stories
President Biden is scheduled to meet with leaders from a Black sorority and fraternity today. On Sunday, he will Provide the starting address at Morehouse College, a leading historically black school in Georgia. Biden has previously received strong support from Black voters. This time not everyone is as enthusiastic. Recent polling found that only 38% of black Americans feel Biden’s policies have helped black people. At Morehouse, several faculty members wrote a letter protesting the awarding of an honorary degree to the president due to his policies on the war in Gaza. They ultimately voted to award the degree to Biden.
Family members of the plaintiffs in the historical case Brown v. Board of Education met with President Biden on the 70th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision.
Susan Walsh/AP
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Susan Walsh/AP
Family members of the plaintiffs in the historical case Brown v. Board of Education met with President Biden on the 70th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision.
Susan Walsh/AP
- NPR’s Asma Khalid tells Up first that some protests are expected during the graduation ceremony. Martin Luther King Jr. is a Morehouse alum, and one student told her they were proud to think their school was “built on a legacy of peaceful protest.” Another told her that Morehouse was a school known for “black male excellence” and that he didn’t believe Biden had the ability to inspire them.
Louisiana could become the first state in the country to classify mifepristone and misoprostol — drugs used in medical abortion — i.e controlled hazardous substances. State and federal regulations for these substances are intended to control access based on the drug’s medical benefits and potential for abuse. The bill passed by the Louisiana legislature would create penalties of up to 10 years in prison for anyone caught using drugs without a valid prescription. Doctors who opposed the decision said that a “misperception that these are dangerous drugs” could lead to “fear and confusion among patients, doctors and pharmacists, causing care to be delayed.” delay and worsened outcomes” in a setting with high rates of maternal injury and death.
- Workers at the Mercedes-Benz auto plant in Alabama could make history today. When the union election ends this morning, the plant could become the first in the state to form a union. Workers want lower health care costs, more predictability of their schedules and an end to the “Alabama discount,” which refers to the trend of companies paying workers less in the Deep South.
The South used to be a difficult place for unions, NPR’s Andrea Hsu says. The United Auto Workers Union has been trying to organize there for decades, but Workers don’t care. Hsu says there has been some recognition that the reason jobs exist in the region is because it’s cheaper to produce cars there. But recent UAW victories following a strike against the Big Three automakers, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, have renewed interest in unionization.
Picture show
A Phoenix Herpetological Society rattlesnake class participant moves to pick up a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake with snake grip under the supervision of instructor Cale Morris at Florence Ely Nelson Desert Park in Scottsdale , Arizona.
Caitlin O’Hara for NPR
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Caitlin O’Hara for NPR
A Phoenix Herpetological Society rattlesnake class participant moves to pick up a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake with snake grip under the supervision of instructor Cale Morris at Florence Ely Nelson Desert Park in Scottsdale , Arizona.
Caitlin O’Hara for NPR
During rattlesnake season in Arizona, the Phoenix Reptile Sanctuary offers classes for people and businesses. When people were trained to handle rattlesnakes, they realized that basically everything they thought they knew about these creatures was just a myth. This practice could prove useful as Arizona saw an increase in rattlesnake bites in April.
View images of student activities with slippery creatures and learn about Common misconceptions about rattlesnakes.
Weekend selection
Bridgerton. (From left to right) Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton, Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in episode 303 of Bridgerton. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2024
Liam Daniel/Netflix
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Liam Daniel/Netflix
Bridgerton. (From left to right) Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton, Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in episode 303 of Bridgerton. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2024
Liam Daniel/Netflix
Check what NPR watching, reading and listening this weekend:
Movie: Evil does not exist – or so? This Japanese eco-drama about the residents of a jungle community facing off against a developer with big plans for the land will leave you captivated — and deeply unsettled.
TV: You can bet that as soon as I finish work today I’ll be sitting on the couch binge-watching the latest season of Bridgerton. TGIF!
Book: Honor tax My first book is a collection of short stories that offers an interesting, if sometimes uneven, take on what it’s like to grow up white, privileged, and Generation Z.
Music: Along with her brother Finneas, Billie Eilish tells Morning Edition that she discovered a newfound self-awareness on her latest album, Hit me hard and soft.
Theatre: by Giacomo Puccini Turandotone of the world’s most famous operas, premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC with an all-new ending.
Quiz: Happy one-year anniversary of NPR News Quiz! How long have you been playing? Let’s see if you remember this week’s answers question about return rewards.
3 things to know before going
Kansas City Chiefs player Harrison Butker, pictured at a press conference in February, struggles during a recent commencement speech at Benedictine College in Kansas.
Chris Unger/Getty Images
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Chris Unger/Getty Images
Kansas City Chiefs player Harrison Butker, pictured at a press conference in February, struggles during a recent commencement speech at Benedictine College in Kansas.
Chris Unger/Getty Images
- The NFL released a statement that was a far cry from the commencement speech made by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker at Benedictine College. In it, he denounced abortion rights, Pride Month, Covid-19 lockdowns, “the tyranny of diversity, equity and inclusion” and called on women to become homemakers.
- An unfortunate mistake at Georgia State University in Atlanta prompted 1,500 people to enroll receive acceptance letter by mistake.
- About two dozen supporters showed up at the U.S. Capitol this week to call renewal of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, will expire in June. People living near nuclear weapons testing sites say their communities remain harmed and want Congress to continue funding to help them.
This newsletter has been edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.
