SCOTUS Cake Decision; Trump's Power To Pardon; Fallon Surprises Graduates

Top stories for Monday, June 4, 2018 [NPR]( Daily Headlines Monday, June 4, 2018 FIRST UP: What you need to know now [The Supreme Court has upheld a baker’s right to refuse service to a same-sex couple.]( In a narrow decision, the U.S. Supreme court dodged a major ruling on the question of whether business owners can refuse services to gay individuals based on their religious objections. Justice Anthony Kennedy, long seen as the swing vote in the case, wrote the opinion. The court still has several other big decisions to hand down before the end of its term this month. [Read more.]( [One of President Trump’s lawyers says the president has the power to pardon himself.]( The president made the same assertion on Monday. That came after his attorney Rudy Giuliani said in an interview Sunday that Trump has constitutional authority to pardon himself in the Russia investigation or to terminate that investigation. Giuliani said the president has "no intention" of a self-pardon, saying in a separate interview that any such move could lead to impeachment. [Read more.]( Noe Perez/AFP/Getty Images [At least 25 people are dead and hundreds injured after a volcano erupted in Guatemala.]( Authorities fear that number could rise after the sudden eruption of Mount Fuego — one of Central America’s most active volcanoes — shortly after noon on Sunday. Lava began flowing down the mountain’s side several hours later. The volcano is just 20 miles southwest of the capital, Guatemala City. [Read more.]( IN THE NEWS: Digging deeper This drug took one man’s chaos and turned it into calm. James works as a creative director for an advertising firm in New York City. He enjoys spending time with his wife and kids. He says that’s [all possible because of ketamine]( a drug he has been taking for the past six years. Before he began taking the drug, James — who asked that we not use his last name to protect his career — couldn’t focus his thoughts, and his mind was filled with violent images. His mood could shift from ebullient to dark in a matter of minutes. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health found in 2006 that an intravenous dose of ketamine could relieve severe depression in a matter of hours. Since then, doctors have prescribed ketamine "off label" to thousands of depressed patients who don't respond to other drugs. Now pharmaceutical companies are testing several new ketamine-related drugs to treat depression, including a nasal spray. Why it matters: Ketamine could be "one of the biggest advances in psychiatry in a very long time," says Dr. Martin Teicher at Harvard Medical School. The drug could also offer new hope for people who show symptoms of several different psychiatric disorders. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( A fund that helps sick and dying coal miners pay medical expenses is facing deep cuts. The [proposed cuts to the federal Black Lung Disability Trust Fund]( come as NPR has reported and government researchers have confirmed an epidemic of the most advanced stages of black lung disease. A tax on coal companies supports the fund, but that tax is set for a 55 percent cut at the end of 2018, even as the fund's debt exceeds $4.3 billion and demand for benefits is expected to grow. "We're dying off like crazy right now," says Sheralin Greene, 57, who mined coal underground for 20 years in Harlan County, Ky. Black lung has sapped her ability to walk around her small farm, do chores at home, or even sleep, without paralyzing coughing fits that last 15 minutes or more. She receives payments and medical care from the federal trust fund. The fund paid out $184 million in benefits in the 2017 fiscal year to 25,700 coal miners suffering from the fatal mine dust disease and their dependents. Can cuts be avoided? At the current rate, the coal tax collects more than enough money to cover miners' benefits — $450 million in fiscal year 2017. But that wasn't always the case. The fund had to borrow money to pay for benefits in the past, and that, plus interest on loans, has put the fund deep in debt. One current projection results in zero debt, avoids borrowing more money for the fund, and continues to pay benefits — but it requires a 25 percent spike in the coal tax, instead of the planned cut. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( BEFORE YOU GO Nolis Anderson for NPR - She [built a Facebook support group]( for women around the globe. It now has some 1.7 million members. - Bill Clinton says [he does not owe]( Monica Lewinsky an apology. - Apps are making [dating in Saudi Arabia easier](. But is it getting less complicated? - "That was you choosing hope over fear." [This is what Jimmy Fallon had to say]( to the graduates of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. You received this message because you're subscribed to our News emails. | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002 [NPR]