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Unanimous Supreme Court sides with Catholic Charities in Wisconsin case

The Supreme Court is seen on April 7 in Washington, D.C.

A unanimous Supreme Court ruled that Catholic Charities can opt out of participating in a state unemployment compensation program in Wisconsin.

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Unanimous Supreme Court rules against Mexico in guns case

A person rests in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 5 in Washington, D.C.

The Court dismissed Mexico's claim that U.S. gun manufacturers aided and abetted the pipeline of weapons from the U.S. to Mexican drug cartels.

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Unanimous Supreme Court sides with Ohio woman who claimed workplace discrimination

Marlean Ames in her lawyer

The court sided with an Ohio woman who claimed she was discriminated against at work because she is straight.

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China says Trump and Xi talked on the phone, their first call since the tariff war began

President Trump chats with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to Beijing in 2017.

It's the first known call between the two leaders since Inauguration Day — and the first time they've spoken since tariffs began ratcheting up.

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Israel says it has recovered the bodies of 2 hostages

People take part in a protest demanding the end of the war and immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

The bodies of Judy Weinstein Haggai, 70, an Israeli who held U.S. and Canadian citizenship, and her husband, Gad Haggai, 72, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, were recovered, the country's military said.

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Trump issues a new travel ban. And, GOP raises concerns over the budget bill

President Donald Trump waves to guests from South Portico of the White House during an event on the South Lawn on June 04, in Washington, D.C.

Trump has signed a proclamation banning travelers from a dozen countries starting on Monday. And, Elon Musk's criticism of the budget bill is raising GOP concerns.

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FEMA was starting to fix long-standing problems. Then came the Trump administration

Homes destroyed by a 2020 wildfire in Talent, Ore. FEMA denied about 70% of assistance applications related to massive Oregon wildfires that year, an <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/07/01/1010897265/as-western-wildfires-worsen-fema-is-denying-most-people-who-ask-for-help"target="_blank"   >NPR investigation<!-- raw HTML omitted --> found. The agency has a long history of failing to help vulnerable disaster survivors, but reforms under the Biden administration were starting to fix those long-standing problems.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has a long history of failing to help those who need assistance the most after disasters. Biden-era changes meant to fix some of those problems now face an uncertain future.

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Divorce lawyers say it's a seasonal business. Here's why

Kirk Stange, a family law attorney with 25 years in the business, told NPR that divorce filings hit their peak in March and April, then again in August and September.

Divorce lawyers know certain times of the year are much busier than others. They and researchers have found seasonal patterns around divorce filings.

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OpenAI takes down covert operations tied to China and other countries

Open AI CEO Sam Altman speaks during a conference in San Francisco this week. The company said it has recently taken down 10 influence operations that were using its generative artificial intelligence tools. Four of those operations were likely run by the Chinese government.

The company said China and other nations are covertly trying to use chatbots to influence opinion around the world. In one case, operatives also used the tools to write internal performance reports.

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Trump will meet German Chancellor Merz at the White House. Here's what to know

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz attends a news conference at the chancellery in Berlin, May 28.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to meet President Trump at the White House, where they are expected to discuss issues including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as tariffs and trade.

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International students look to the U.K. instead of the U.S. amid Trump's visa plans

A tour guide walks with a group of people attending an Uncomfortable Oxford Tour, in Oxford, on Oct. 20, 2023.

Planned U.S. visa restrictions are causing students around the world to consider going to the United Kingdom instead.

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Maryland fails to protect young inmates in adult jails

The mother of a 17-year-old boy detained in the Prince George

Some youth in Maryland spend more than a year in adult jails before seeing their day in court. Without a fix, the state may lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal funding every year.

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New Zealand Parliament suspends 3 lawmakers who performed Māori haka in protest

New Zealand lawmakers Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, top left, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, bottom left, and Rawiri Waititi, bottom right, watch as other legislators debate their proposed bans in parliament in Wellington on Thursday, June 5, 2025.

The suspended lawmakers from the Māori Party performed the haka, a dance of challenge, last November to oppose a widely unpopular bill, now defeated, that they said would reverse Indigenous rights.

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3 World War II bombs are defused in a German city's biggest postwar evacuation

Ambulances drive to the Eduardus Hospital in Cologne-Deutz to evacuate the hospital before specialists defuse three unexploded U.S. bombs from World War II that were unearthed earlier this week in Cologne, Wednesday, June 4, 2025.

More than 20,000 residents were evacuated from Cologne's city center Wednesday after the bombs were unearthed on Monday during preparatory work for road construction.

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Trump issues new travel ban covering a dozen countries

President Trump announced a travel ban Wednesday on 12 countries and a partial ban on seven others.

The White House said the action was needed to protect the United States from terrorist attacks and other national security threats, and said the countries lacked screening and vetting capabilities.

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In hearings, McMahon faces questions about the shrinking federal role in schools and colleges

Linda McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education, during a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing in Washington.

In separate hearings on Capitol Hill this week, the Education Secretary answered questions about a range of issues, from student loans to mental health programs.

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Judge blocks deportation of Boulder attacker's family

A visitor offers a tribute after leaving a bouquet of flowers at a makeshift memorial for victims of an attack outside of the Boulder County, Colo., courthouse as a light rain falls Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the government to immediately halt deportation proceedings against the wife and five children of a man charged in the firebombing attack in Boulder, Colorado, responding to what the judge called an urgent situation to ensure the protection of the family's constitutional rights.

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The Trump administration is working on a plan for time limits on rental aid

Some nine million people in the U.S. get federal housing assistance. Most are elderly or disabled, and would be exempt from a proposed rule regarding time limits or work requirements, according to a HUD employee familiar with the plan. But millions of others could still face harsh consequences.

A housing agency rule would also allow work requirements. Supporters say a time limit would help spread limited funds to more people, but critics warn it would leave some homeless.

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A new satellite channel allows Alexei Navalny's videos to reach Russian audiences

Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Russian opposition leader and activist Alexei Navalny, presents her television project at the Reporters Without Borders headquarters on Tuesday in Paris.

The Russia's Future channel, launched by Navalny's widow Yulia Navalnaya and Reporters Without Borders, began broadcasting Wednesday, on what would have been the late Russian activist's 49th birthday.

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Darfur: bearing the brunt of over two years of civil war in Sudan

People who fled violence in Darfur walk through a makeshift encampment in the western Darfur region on April 13, 2025.

An attack on what would have been the first aid delivery to the beseiged city of El Fasher in over a year has dealt a major blow in the Darfur region. The assault comes as humanitarian groups warn that collapsing healthcare, unrelenting violence, and a paralyzed aid effort are pushing civilians to breaking point.

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How New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern broke the political mold

Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern speaks during Cinema Cafe 2 during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Awards.

Whether it was her history making win in 2017.

Or the history she made as only the second woman elected to lead a country to give birth while IN office.

Or her decision to step away from power after leading New Zealand through crisis after crisis.

Jacinda Ardern could never be described as a TYPICAL politician. But perhaps the most norm-busting feature of her time as Prime Minister was her rejection of the old ways of leadership.

Now as she reflects on her time as Prime Minister of New Zealand Ardern is emphasizing the need to lead with kindness and empathy.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for C_onsider This+_ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

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Trump's tariffs could cut deficit by $2.8 trillion over next decade -- with caveats

Revenue raised by President Trump

The Congressional Budget Office projected President Trump's tariffs could raise trillions of dollars over the next decade — but they could also lead to higher inflation and slower economic growth.

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Some Israelis are Shifting their Views on the War in Gaza

Israelis call for the end of the war at a protest near the Israeli border with Gaza on May 23, 2025.

Since the war against Hamas in Gaza began, there have been protests in Israel pressuring the government to end the war so that the hostages being held there can be released. But lately, as the number of casualties in Gaza mount and food entering the territory has been restricted, it is becoming less taboo to speak out about the plight of Palestinians. We go to one protest.

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Democrats oppose Trump public media cuts request as GOP plans vote to defund NPR & PBS

People participate in a rally to call on Congress to protect funding for US public broadcasters, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR), outside the NPR headquarters in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2025.

Senate Democrats warn Trump plan to wipe out public broadcasting funding will shut down stations, eliminate essential services. But House GOP scheduled to vote to clawback $1.1 billion next week.

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Medicare negotiations underway to lower prices for next batch of drugs

Medicare has started price negotiations for 15 medicines, including the diabetes drug Ozempic.

In the shadow of President Trump's efforts to lower drug prices, the Medicare drug price negotiation process that began in the Biden administration continues.

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Trump's bill adds $2.4 trillion to U.S. debt over 10 years, per nonpartisan analysis

The U.S. Capitol building is seen on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C. on June 3.

The analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office also found that the version of the bill passed by the House last month would lead to nearly 11 million people going uninsured.

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Trump's billion-dollar war on Harvard, explained

Harvard Law professor Noah Feldman says the attack represents an erosion of democratic values: "Ultimately, this is about Trump trying to impose his view of the world on everybody else."

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Trump and Putin discuss Ukraine drone strikes, Iran during 75-minute call

President Trump speaks during the Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on May 26, 2025.

President Trump said it was a "good conversation" but noted the Russian leader had vowed "very strongly" during the call to respond to Ukraine's Sunday drone strikes on air bases in Russia.

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Vietnam ends its longstanding 2-child policy

A billboard campaigning for each family to have two children hangs above a street in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Jan. 14, 2024.

A declining birth rate led lawmakers to approve a new policy on Tuesday that lifts the limit on the number of children many families may have.

(Image credit: Jae C. Hong)

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Some federal workers lost health coverage they had paid for. A Democrat wants answers

The U.S. Capitol Building is seen on December 2, 2024 in Washington, D.C.

Commerce Department employees who were fired, reinstated, and fired again learned belatedly that their health insurance has been cut off. Some had already racked up thousands in medical bills.

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