FAA Safety Hearing; Mueller Report’s Public Release; Measles Outbreak

Plus, what would happen if top colleges switched to a lottery for admissions? [NPR] by Jill Hudson First Up [The Federal Aviation Administration called for the grounding of Boeing's 737 Max planes on Wednesday. Boeing is facing a test of its notable influence in Washington.]( Joe Raedle/Getty Images Here’s what we’re following today. The head of the Federal Aviation Administration says he's focused on safety. So, why did the FAA let a type of Boeing plane keep flying after two crashes? [Congress will be asking him today](. A Boeing jet operated by Southwest made an emergency landing in Orlando on Tuesday after pilots reported an engine problem. The aircraft was on its way to an airport in Southern California with with no passengers aboard. A public version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report will be released in “weeks, not months,” a DOJ official tells NPR. There are “no plans” to give a copy to the White House in advance. A DOJ lawyer who had been working with Mueller is helping to decide what can be made public. The Trump administration now says the Affordable Care Act should be repealed in its entirety. A letter from the Department of Justice announced the shift, in support of a district court judge's ruling that the health care law is unconstitutional. The case will [likely end up in the Supreme Court](. For the next 30 days, anyone younger than 18 who hasn't been vaccinated for measles won't be allowed in public places in New York's Rockland County. Officials have declared a state of emergency after [more than 150 people contracted the virus]( in recent months. In Chicago, prosecutors dropped the charges against Empire actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of filing a false police report after claiming he was attacked in a possible hate crime. [The mayor and police chief are both angry]( at the decision. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh had some sharp questions about partisan gerrymandering at the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The court once again appeared divided on whether [redistricting could be done on the basis of politics](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Digging Deeper What would happen if top colleges switched to a lottery for admissions? [Commencement on campus of Yale University in New Haven, Conn.]( Jessica Hill/AP The college admissions scandal has inspired an interesting proposal: What if we just pulled names out of a hat to find out who gets into America's top colleges? This would come as [a huge shock to the subset of privileged and striving Americans]( who have a lot riding on the current arduous process of graduating from their "dream school." It would also be a big blow to the prestige of elite colleges and hiring practices in the corporate world. There are a few precedents found throughout the world, but they’re not pure lotteries — students have to meet some kind of criteria on their transcripts and test scores. There’s also the idea of a system that marries the schools' and students' preferences to get the best outcome for everyone — similar to the National Resident Matching Program, known as The Match, for future doctors in the U.S. But others aren't so sure that a lottery would actually produce more fairness or equity in higher education — for poor students, students of color or anyone else. Education researchers really wish everyone would stop worrying so much about admissions — and confusing selective schools with good schools. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Listen America's favorite pastime is back — if only it would just hurry up! [Chicago Cubs' Kris Bryant, right, is hit by a pitch as Seattle Mariners catcher Austin Nola looks on at a spring training baseball game on Tuesday.]( Elaine Thompson/AP Thursday is opening day for Major League Baseball. But as baseball tries to appeal to a younger audience, some are concerned that the long game times may drive fans away. So the MLB is experimenting with speeding games up and eliminating downtime. (Listening time, 3:55) [▶ LISTEN]( The Get Out and Us composer on balancing terror with empathy. Suzanne Hanover/Universal After Get Out arrived in February 2017 — making 40 times its budget, becoming a cultural event and eventually earning an Oscar for best screenplay — writer-director Jordan Peele remembers getting a call from Steven Spielberg, who mentioned composer Michael Abels. "You've got to use him again," Spielberg said. "It's like me and John Williams." (Listening time, 5:31) [▶ LISTEN]( --------------------------------------------------------------- The Picture Show The top sport at the World Nomad Games? Headless goat polo. [The Uzbek and Russian teams clash in the World Nomad Games as Uzbekistan tries to score in a game of kok-boru — a form of polo played with a headless goat carcass.]( Nicolas Tanner for NPR They're definitely not Olympic sports, but they are part of another global competition: The World Nomad Games, held in Kyrgyzstan last September. Nicolas Tanner, a photojournalist and student at the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts in Portland, Maine, [chronicled the third gaming event]( held in the landlocked central Asian nation of 6.2 million. --------------------------------------------------------------- Before You Go - Roger Charlery, the [vocalist of the English Beat and General Public]( better known as Ranking Roger, has died from cancer at age 56. - Critic Glen Weldon says [the new FX Network comedy series about vampire roommates]( What We Do In The Shadows, steps confidently out of the long shadow cast by the hilarious 2014 New Zealand mockumentary. --------------------------------------------------------------- We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [dailynewsletter@npr.org](mailto:dailynewsletter@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? 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