Month: May 2023

Jonathan Mitchell devised the legal strategy behind SB 8, a near-total ban on abortion in Texas. That legislation pioneered the idea of allowing private citizens to file lawsuits against people they suspected of helping provide access to abortion.

Mitchell is also involved in similar efforts by conservative activists in other states. NPR’S Sarah McCammon profiles the Austin, Texas-based attorney.

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A new advisory out this week from the US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has deemed loneliness a public health challenge that needs immediate attention. And some of those most severely affected are young people.

But it’s not just loneliness. Across the country, kids are struggling with challenges to their mental health – from social isolation to poor grades at school.

NPR’s Sarah McCammon speaks to Lisa Damour, a psychologist, and author of the book “The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents”, about what’s going on with kids and how they can be helped.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has put the Supreme Court, again, under scrutiny. Reports show that conservative billionaire Harlan Crow paid boarding school tuition for Justice Thomas’ grand-nephew.

Revelations about the private dealings of other supreme court justices are shaking the already fragile public confidence in the institution.

NPR’s Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with independent Sen. Angus King of Maine about what needs to be done in order to create a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court.

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Union writers in Hollywood have put down their pens and reached for picket signs, after the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to reach an agreement on a new contract.

Some television shows and movies with finished scripts can continue filming, but other productions, like late-night talk shows, may soon be in reruns.

NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly speaks with TV writer and WGA captain Jeane Phan Wong about what union members want and what’s getting in the way.

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Eastwind Books in Berkeley, California, has closed its doors. It was one of the oldest Asian-American bookstores in the country.
For decades, the store functioned as a cultural hub, not only for the Asian-American community, but for a variety of marginalized groups.
NPR’s Ailsa Chang spoke with co-owner Harvey Dong about the bookstore’s history and legacy.
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Lots of colleges and universities have announced tuition hikes for the upcoming school year, just as inflation is taking a bite out of many families’ budgets.

Still, NPR’s Elissa Nadworny explains that the real cost of college for most students has actually been falling for the past few years, after decades of growth.

But college is still very expensive, and it can feel out of reach for some students. Two Washington, D.C. high school students explain how they’re trying to make the math work.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

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