SCOTUS rejects Trump's mail voting limits. And, the Kennedy Center financial crisis
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Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon are joining forces across their political poles today at the "Pro-Human Assembly" in Washington, D.C., to address concerns about artificial intelligence. They aim to urge Congress to act quickly to curb AI's impact. President Trump disagrees with the criticism of AI and data centers, calling the pushback a "sick conspiracy" that would benefit China, an AI competitor.
Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at Mumford High School on May 3 in Detroit. Steve Bannon speaks during the Semafor World Economy Summit 2025 at Conrad Washington on April 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Sanders credit: Sarah Rice/Getty Images and Bannon credit: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images hide caption
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Sanders credit: Sarah Rice/Getty Images and Bannon credit: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
The Supreme Court has blocked Trump's efforts to impose new mail-in voting restrictions before the midterm elections. The high court ruling ensures that the U.S. Postal Service will continue delivering ballots as usual. Voting by mail has already started in states like Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin, and more states are set to follow soon. Voters who are eligible to vote by mail may have their ballots on the way to them now. Voters who need to request one should check their state's deadline to do so, as election officials suggest sending completed ballots back as soon as possible.
The Kennedy Center's board says that the arts institution faces bankruptcy and might close as soon as today. NPR obtained a document outlining this plan ahead of a board meeting set for today. It is slated for the same day as a status hearing set by Judge Christopher Cooper, who is overseeing a lawsuit from Rep. Joyce Beatty seeking to halt the center's renaming to honor Trump.
by Linda Holmes, Pop Culture Happy Hour host
The Emmys were yesterday. Here are our takeaways from the evening:
Check out photos from the red carpet and see the full list of winners.
Stay pop culture savvy by subscribing to the Pop Culture Happy Hour newsletter. Once a week, you'll get NPR's guide to movies, TV, music and more.
A Jewish man blows a shofar, or Ram's horn, during a Rosh Hashanah ritual in Israel. Ariel Schalit/AP hide caption
toggle caption
Ariel Schalit/AP
Jewish people around the world celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, over the weekend. The two-day holiday began at sunset on Friday and was filled with prayer, reflection and celebration. A standout moment for many is the powerful blast of the shofar, an animal's horn played like a trumpet at various points during the Rosh Hashanah service. A shofar can be large or small, and blown by one person or anyone who brings their own. The horn's sound marks moments of heightened experience and emotion, according to Daniel Picus, an associate professor at Western Washington University who researches religious practices and rituals. Listen to the unmistakably profound and electrifying sound of the shofar and read more about how it became the spiritual soundtrack of Rosh Hashanah.
Reparations recipient Kimberly Holmes-Murphy sits outside her home in Evanston, Ill. Holmes-Murphy is a grantee of the city's Local Reparations Restorative Housing Program designed to compensate Black residents for decades of systemic discrimination. Candace Dane Chambers for NPR hide caption
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Candace Dane Chambers for NPR
The Trump administration's Justice Department is investigating Evanston, Ill., accusing it of racial discrimination. Evanston is the first U.S. city to implement a reparations program to compensate Black residents for historical discrimination. The program has provided more than 300 individuals with $25,000 grants to compensate for past housing segregation. The Justice Department is joining a lawsuit filed by a conservative group that alleges the city's program is racially discriminatory, as it only qualifies Black people for assistance. Here's what we know about what is happening:
Visionary costume and fashion designer Bob Mackie was known as the "Sultan of Sequins" for his eye-catching celebrity looks. He's pictured above in 2008. Toby Canham/Getty Images hide caption
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Toby Canham/Getty Images
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗ · NPR ↗ · Axios ↗ · Axios ↗ · The Hill ↗
The Supreme Court has rejected Trump's mail-in voting restrictions ahead of the midterm elections. And, the Kennedy Center says it is on the brink of bankruptcy and could close…
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.
Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon are joining forces across their political poles today at the "Pro-Human Assembly" in Washington, D.C., to address concerns about artificial intelligence. They aim to urge Congress to act quickly to curb AI's impact. President Trump disagrees with the criticism of AI and data centers, calling the pushback a "sick conspiracy" that would benefit China, an AI competitor.
Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at Mumford High School on May 3 in Detroit. Steve Bannon speaks during the Semafor World Economy Summit 2025 at Conrad Washington on April 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Sanders credit: Sarah Rice/Getty Images and Bannon credit: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption
Sanders credit: Sarah Rice/Getty Images and Bannon credit: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
The Supreme Court has blocked Trump's efforts to impose new mail-in voting restrictions before the midterm elections. The high court ruling ensures that the U.S. Postal Service will continue delivering ballots as usual. Voting by mail has already started in states like Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin, and more states are set to follow soon. Voters who are eligible to vote by mail may have their ballots on the way to them now. Voters who need to request one should check their state's deadline to do so, as election officials suggest sending completed ballots back as soon as possible.
The Kennedy Center's board says that the arts institution faces bankruptcy and might close as soon as today. NPR obtained a document outlining this plan ahead of a board meeting set for today. It is slated for the same day as a status hearing set by Judge Christopher Cooper, who is overseeing a lawsuit from Rep. Joyce Beatty seeking to halt the center's renaming to honor Trump.
by Linda Holmes, Pop Culture Happy Hour host
The Emmys were yesterday. Here are our takeaways from the evening:
Check out photos from the red carpet and see the full list of winners.
Stay pop culture savvy by subscribing to the Pop Culture Happy Hour newsletter. Once a week, you'll get NPR's guide to movies, TV, music and more.
A Jewish man blows a shofar, or Ram's horn, during a Rosh Hashanah ritual in Israel. Ariel Schalit/AP hide caption
toggle caption
Ariel Schalit/AP
Jewish people around the world celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, over the weekend. The two-day holiday began at sunset on Friday and was filled with prayer, reflection and celebration. A standout moment for many is the powerful blast of the shofar, an animal's horn played like a trumpet at various points during the Rosh Hashanah service. A shofar can be large or small, and blown by one person or anyone who brings their own. The horn's sound marks moments of heightened experience and emotion, according to Daniel Picus, an associate professor at Western Washington University who researches religious practices and rituals. Listen to the unmistakably profound and electrifying sound of the shofar and read more about how it became the spiritual soundtrack of Rosh Hashanah.
Reparations recipient Kimberly Holmes-Murphy sits outside her home in Evanston, Ill. Holmes-Murphy is a grantee of the city's Local Reparations Restorative Housing Program designed to compensate Black residents for decades of systemic discrimination. Candace Dane Chambers for NPR hide caption
toggle caption
Candace Dane Chambers for NPR
The Trump administration's Justice Department is investigating Evanston, Ill., accusing it of racial discrimination. Evanston is the first U.S. city to implement a reparations program to compensate Black residents for historical discrimination. The program has provided more than 300 individuals with $25,000 grants to compensate for past housing segregation. The Justice Department is joining a lawsuit filed by a conservative group that alleges the city's program is racially discriminatory, as it only qualifies Black people for assistance. Here's what we know about what is happening:
Visionary costume and fashion designer Bob Mackie was known as the "Sultan of Sequins" for his eye-catching celebrity looks. He's pictured above in 2008. Toby Canham/Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption
Toby Canham/Getty Images
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗ · NPR ↗ · Axios ↗ · Axios ↗ · The Hill ↗
Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.
Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon are joining forces across their political poles today at the "Pro-Human Assembly" in Washington, D.C., to address concerns about artificial intelligence. They aim to urge Congress to act quickly to curb AI's impact. President Trump disagrees with the criticism of AI and data centers, calling the pushback a "sick conspiracy" that would benefit China, an AI competitor.
Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at Mumford High School on May 3 in Detroit. Steve Bannon speaks during the Semafor World Economy Summit 2025 at Conrad Washington on April 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Sanders credit: Sarah Rice/Getty Images and Bannon credit: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption
Sanders credit: Sarah Rice/Getty Images and Bannon credit: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
The Supreme Court has blocked Trump's efforts to impose new mail-in voting restrictions before the midterm elections. The high court ruling ensures that the U.S. Postal Service will continue delivering ballots as usual. Voting by mail has already started in states like Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin, and more states are set to follow soon. Voters who are eligible to vote by mail may have their ballots on the way to them now. Voters who need to request one should check their state's deadline to do so, as election officials suggest sending completed ballots back as soon as possible.
The Kennedy Center's board says that the arts institution faces bankruptcy and might close as soon as today. NPR obtained a document outlining this plan ahead of a board meeting set for today. It is slated for the same day as a status hearing set by Judge Christopher Cooper, who is overseeing a lawsuit from Rep. Joyce Beatty seeking to halt the center's renaming to honor Trump.
by Linda Holmes, Pop Culture Happy Hour host
The Emmys were yesterday. Here are our takeaways from the evening:
Check out photos from the red carpet and see the full list of winners.
Stay pop culture savvy by subscribing to the Pop Culture Happy Hour newsletter. Once a week, you'll get NPR's guide to movies, TV, music and more.
A Jewish man blows a shofar, or Ram's horn, during a Rosh Hashanah ritual in Israel. Ariel Schalit/AP hide caption
toggle caption
Ariel Schalit/AP
Jewish people around the world celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, over the weekend. The two-day holiday began at sunset on Friday and was filled with prayer, reflection and celebration. A standout moment for many is the powerful blast of the shofar, an animal's horn played like a trumpet at various points during the Rosh Hashanah service. A shofar can be large or small, and blown by one person or anyone who brings their own. The horn's sound marks moments of heightened experience and emotion, according to Daniel Picus, an associate professor at Western Washington University who researches religious practices and rituals. Listen to the unmistakably profound and electrifying sound of the shofar and read more about how it became the spiritual soundtrack of Rosh Hashanah.
Reparations recipient Kimberly Holmes-Murphy sits outside her home in Evanston, Ill. Holmes-Murphy is a grantee of the city's Local Reparations Restorative Housing Program designed to compensate Black residents for decades of systemic discrimination. Candace Dane Chambers for NPR hide caption
toggle caption
Candace Dane Chambers for NPR
The Trump administration's Justice Department is investigating Evanston, Ill., accusing it of racial discrimination. Evanston is the first U.S. city to implement a reparations program to compensate Black residents for historical discrimination. The program has provided more than 300 individuals with $25,000 grants to compensate for past housing segregation. The Justice Department is joining a lawsuit filed by a conservative group that alleges the city's program is racially discriminatory, as it only qualifies Black people for assistance. Here's what we know about what is happening:
Visionary costume and fashion designer Bob Mackie was known as the "Sultan of Sequins" for his eye-catching celebrity looks. He's pictured above in 2008. Toby Canham/Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption
Toby Canham/Getty Images
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗ · NPR ↗ · Axios ↗ · Axios ↗ · The Hill ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- The Supreme Court has rejected Trump's mail-in voting restrictions ahead of the midterm elections.
- And, the Kennedy Center says it is on the brink of bankruptcy and could close…