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Today's top stories
Immigration authorities yesterday morning took Kilmar Abrego Garcia into federal custody, where he is waiting to find out how long he will remain in the U.S. The Maryland man was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March and later returned to the U.S. The U.S. government now says it will deport Abrego Garcia again — this time to Uganda. In yesterday's court hearing, federal Judge Paula Xinis said it is "absolutely forbidden" to remove Abrego Garcia from the U.S. without giving him the chance to challenge the deportation in court.
- 🎧 Abrego Garcia's detention has been one of the first high-profile immigration cases of the Trump administration's crackdown, NPR's Jasmine Garsd tells Up First. At the core of his case are questions about due process for undocumented immigrants. Abrego Garcia came to the U.S. from El Salvador illegally in 2011 to escape gang death threats. He has not been convicted of any crimes since coming to the U.S., but the Trump administration accuses him of being a member of the MS-13 gang. He has denied this claim. In 2019, an immigration court ruled that he couldn't be deported back to El Salvador.
President Trump took steps to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook yesterday. This action marks the latest escalation in his efforts to exert control over the central bank, which he has been pressuring to lower interest rates for months. The Federal Reserve is meant to operate independently from political influence by the White House, so Trump's decision may face legal challenges. Bill Pulte, who oversees mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, accused Cook of making false statements on a mortgage application in 2021, before she joined the Fed.
- 🎧 Pulte says that Cook applied for home loans on two properties just weeks apart, in two different states, stating that each home would be her primary residence. NPR's Scott Horsley says that this would lead to more favorable loan terms. Trump expressed that he does not have confidence in Cook's integrity, and that was cause to remove her. Cook says the president doesn't have the authority to fire her, and she will continue to carry out her duties as Fed governor. If Trump succeeds in ousting Cook, it would create a vacancy that he could fill with someone more aligned with his interests.
The president is vowing to punish Washington, D.C., and other locations across the country for abolishing cash bail. Washington hasn't had cash bail since 1992. The driving force behind the decision was that cash bail disproportionately affects poor Black people who are stuck in jail until trial. Trump's announcement comes as he looks to expand his weekslong military intervention in the nation's capital. He also expressed his hope to expand the National Guard's role in policing.
- 🎧 Trump says that the bail system has let murderers easily walk free. This is extremely rare, as just 4% of all people released before trial last year in the nation's capital were accused of violent crimes, says Alex Koma of NPR network station WAMU. Many people in Washington doubt that what Trump wants to do is legal, and only Congress can overturn D.C. laws. Local leaders are on edge due to the president's ongoing meddling in the city's affairs. Trump has expressed that he wants to train a special National Guard unit dedicated to public safety in D.C. He has command of the guard in the capital, because it is not a state.
Living better
Living Better is a special series about what it takes to stay healthy in America.
Wearing sunscreen is essential health advice, but many standard sprays and creams miss an important benefit. Over the last decade, more research has focused on hyperpigmentation and melasma. Though ultraviolet radiation doesn't solely cause these conditions, evidence shows that radiation from visible light, which penetrates the skin more deeply than UV rays, can contribute to them. Tinted sunscreens, which contain pigments to match a range of skin tones, block visible light radiation. According to research published in the journal Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, tinted sunscreens provide better protection against damage from visible light compared to non-tinted products. Here's what to look for on the label.
- ☀️ The number one ingredient in visible light protection is the chemical compound iron oxide. It provides tinted sunscreen with its color, and is commonly used to lend a skin-toned hue to concealer and foundation.
- ☀️ A concentration of around 3% iron oxide in sunscreen likely provides the best protection, says Dr. Jenna Lester, associate professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco. She notes that sunscreens that are white or off-white in color likely don't contain sufficient levels of the compound.
- ☀️ Tinted titanium dioxide does a good job of scattering visible light. Additionally, antioxidants such as vitamin C may help protect against visible light.
- ☀️ If you cannot find a tinted sunscreen in a shade you like, consider using a foundation with iron oxide, and apply non-tinted sunscreen under it.
From our hosts
by Michel Martin, Morning Edition and Up First host
Earlier this month, two 15-year-olds in Washington, D.C., were arrested for beating up a man in what is said to have been an attempted carjacking. He was not just any man, but a member of a high-profile Trump initiative. Infuriated, the president lashed out at the city's Democratic leaders.
But because D.C. has an unusual relationship with the federal government, he could do more than complain. And he did: He took over the city's police department (at least temporarily), redeployed federal agents and brought in National Guard troops. Former Fox News personality and current U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro, whose office prosecutes adults charged with serious crimes, complained that more kids — or "young punks" as she put it — need to be prosecuted for more crimes at younger ages, even as young as 14.
I've seen this movie before — in fact, I've made this movie before. I was part of a team that reported and produced a documentary on juvenile justice for the PBS series FRONTLINE that first aired in January 2001. That was a time when more and more states were moving juvenile offenders into adult systems. The thing is, then and now, that this happened at a time when crime rates, including among youth, were actually falling … but stats aren't driving this train. There is something about kids who do serious crime that just hits differently.
I can tell you from personal experience that when you see these kids in a lockup, no matter how tatted up or hard they try to look, they look like kids — kids who should be worrying about acne, prom and their SATs, not guns, jacking cars and stickups. The question then, as now, is what should happen when they have gotten into that life? What are we actually trying to accomplish? To get them on the right track or just get them out of sight? Then, as now, it seems we still haven't decided.
3 things to know before you go
- Micherre Fox from New York City spent three straight weeks digging at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Ark., to find her own diamond for an engagement ring.
- Stephen Nakagawa, a choreographer and former dancer with The Washington Ballet, has been appointed as the new head of the Kennedy Center's dance programming. This comes just days after the entire staff of the well-known performing arts institution's dance department was fired.
- The Library of Congress has acquired rare artifacts connected to the beloved 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Among these artifacts are 35 musical manuscripts, including the first handwritten drafts of music and lyrics for some of the film's most famous songs.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
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