McCarthy's debt ceiling plan; Fox News trial begins; Ralph Yarl shooter charged;

Plus, who bears the burden when employees can't work on the Sabbath?

View this email online by Suzanne Nuyen April 18, 2023 Good morning. Taxes are due today. While refunds have been smaller, customer service has improved thanks to a ten-year, $80 billion IRS makeover. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has outlined a proposal to raise the nation's credit limit for one year to address the "ticking time bomb" of the debt ceiling in exchange for significant spending cuts and GOP policy changes to federal assistance programs. The U.S. reached its debt limit in January. Negotiations have stalled between McCarthy and President Biden, with Biden calling for a clean increase of the debt ceiling not tied to a debate about spending.  Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images 🎧 NPR's Barbara Sprunt explains that the debt ceiling discussion is not about future spending but "meeting the cost of existing commitments the federal government has made." On the Up First podcast this morning, she says failure to agree could lead to an "unprecedented debt default," which would hit financial markets hard and make it difficult to borrow money, which economists say could lead to a recession.   Andrew Lester, an 85-year-old white man, has been charged with felony assault in Kansas City, Mo., for shooting 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, a Black teen who accidentally went to the wrong address to pick up his siblings. Yarl survived last week's shooting, and the hospital released him on Sunday.  🎧 Lester was not charged with a hate crime, despite many calls to the effect. On Morning Edition, member station KCUR's Peggy Lowe explains that first-degree assault and armed criminal action are Class A felonies in Missouri. A hate crime charge would "carry a less severe punishment."    Today, the Supreme Court hears arguments on how far employers must go to accommodate religious views. The court ruled 46 years ago that employers didn't have to accommodate employees who didn't want to work on the Sabbath if it would result in staff shortages or having to pay replacement workers premium wages. Now, religious groups are urging Justices to modify the ruling. 🎧 On Morning Edition, NPR's Nina Totenberg says today's case goes before a court that's "dramatically different" from the one that originally made the ruling. While 46 years ago, the court "sought to balance burdens," today's Justices have "consistently and explicitly shifted the balance to favor religiously observant groups."   After a one-day delay, Dominion Voting Systems' lawsuit against Fox News goes to trial today. In addition to the $1.6 billion in damages Fox might have to pay, the case could also have long-term implications for U.S. media's First Amendment rights.  🎧 First Amendment attorney Martin Garbus tells A Martinez on Morning Edition that he's "astonished" the case hasn't been settled, and that there's never been a case with "this much evidence of falsity." He says if Fox loses, it wouldn't "jeopardize the media," but democracy would be jeopardized if Fox wins. Newsletter continues after sponsor message JGI/Tom Grill/Getty Images/Tetra images RF Getting COVID while pregnant could affect your son's brain development, according to a study looking at more than 18,000 children born in Massachusetts. It revealed that boys, not girls, were twice as likely to show developmental disorders like speech, language and motor function delays in the first 18 months of life.  🎧 These delays are often associated with autism spectrum disorder, but doctors say it's too soon to diagnose the children reliably in this study. 🤰 Male fetuses are known to be more vulnerable to maternal infection exposures. Studies have found similar results in pregnant mothers with influenza and cytomegalovirus infections. 🤰 The risk to the fetus comes from the mother's immune system response rather than the infection itself. Proteins produced when fighting a virus, called cytokines, can cross the placenta and cause fetal brain inflammation.  Keith Negley for NPR  Rose's parents have struggled with their daughter’s life-threatening depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation since she was 13. Inpatient, residential treatment at a behavioral health facility was finally helping. But two months into her therapy program, her insurance provider declined to continue coverage. 🎧 Listen to her family's struggle to get Rose the help she needs, or read their story. Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images  Beatriz Flamini, a climber and mountaineer, has emerged from a cave in southern Spain after 500 days. No, she wasn't trapped. She was doing it for science. David's Bridal says it's filing for bankruptcy for the second time in five years and laying off more than 9,000 employees. Hollywood writers have voted to authorize a strike if they don't reach an agreement on a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers before their current one expires on May 1.  Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi. Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? 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