Britain's Next Prime Minister; Mueller In The Spotlight; Oregon Students Get Mental Health Days

Plus, digging into the case against Al Franken. [NPR] by Korva Coleman and Jill Hudson First Up [President Trump shakes hands with Boris Johnson during the U.N. General Assembly in 2017. The United Kingdom and the United States are about to be led by two remarkably similar figures.]( Evan Vucci/AP Here’s what we’re following today. Hard-line Brexiteer Boris Johnson will be Britain's new prime minister. At a time of polarization and political chaos, the United Kingdom and the United States are about to be led by [two remarkably similar figures](. Johnson will take office on Wednesday. Former special counsel Robert Mueller will testify before Congress on Wednesday, and lawmakers have so many questions that they may not have enough time to ask them all. [Here are six questions]( they might ask Mueller about his findings on election interference in 2016. An NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll finds that Americans aren’t sold on President Trump — or Democrats. Trump did his best in this polling since taking office, but [his approval rating]( is still just 44%. Hundreds of thousands of people protested in Puerto Rico, demanding the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. [Recently exposed text messages]( showed the governor and his inner circle mocking women and others, including hurricane victims. Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery today. [He died after a stroke]( last week at the age of 99. Former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau died on Sunday at the age of 99. He oversaw [prosecutions of infamous criminals]( such as John Lennon’s murderer and subway shooter Bernhard Goetz. --------------------------------------------------------------- The Daily Good Oregon students are now allowed to take mental health days. [(From left) Sam Adamson, Lori Riddle, Hailey Hardcastle, and Derek Evans pose at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem. The teens suggested legislation to allow students to take "mental health days" as they would sick days.]( Jessica Adamson/AP In an effort to combat stigma around mental illness, four teen activists took matters into their own hands and championed a proposed state law that will excuse student absences for mental or behavioral health reasons. In other words, if a student is feeling down, [they can stay home from school]( without getting docked for missing classes. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Listen Khalid is the shooting star of the playlist era. [Buzz Aldrin (left) practices collecting a sample while Neil Armstrong photographs during a training session before the Apollo 11 mission. The Apollo 11 astronauts returned with about 50 pounds of material, including 50 rocks.]( RO.LEXX/Courtesy of the artist Perhaps no contemporary musician understands the rules of the streaming ecosystem better than the singer Khalid, who emerged as a teenager and is now one of the most-streamed artists in the world. (Listening time, 7:05) [▶ LISTEN]( The case against Al Franken. NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Jane Mayer of The New Yorker about her investigation into allegations of sexual impropriety against Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat who resigned from the Senate in 2018. (Listening time, 6:47) [▶ LISTEN]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Digging Deeper Criminals are being hired as police officers in Alaska. A new report finds that in Alaska, people convicted of assault, domestic violence and theft have been finding work as police officers, according to an investigation by the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica. The reporting focused mainly on village and tribal police officers. The problem stems not just from a lack of funding and a shortage of people who want to work as officers, but from a broken regulatory and background check process. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed millions in funding for a police officer training program last month. Meanwhile, the Justice Department says [Alaska has the highest per capita crime rate]( in the U.S. and is declaring a law enforcement emergency in rural Alaska, releasing $10 million in immediate funding for training Village Public Safety Officers. --------------------------------------------------------------- Podcast Of The Day Julián Castro says Trump is “the biggest identity politician” in recent history. [Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro says his party can't ignore racist statements from President Trump, but needs to offer their own positive vision of a multicultural America to draw out a big coalition to vote in 2020.]( Courtesy of East West Market In an ongoing series, The NPR Politics Podcast is hitting the road and interviewing 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. In this episode, Scott Detrow and New Hampshire Public Radio's Lauren Chooljian sit down with former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, who says he expects many more weeks of the 2020 presidential campaign to look and feel like last week, when President Trump's racist tweets about Democratic members of Congress dominated every aspect of the news cycle. [▶ LISTEN]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Before You Go [Vacuum-sealed space food — including a beef steak, spinach, a cookie, and an orange grapefruit drink — was on display inside the NASA lunar habitat, designed by Lockheed Martin, during the 35th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo., in April.]( Jason Connolly/AFP/Getty Images - Here’s a peek at [what astronauts eat today]( compared with Neil Armstrong’s dinner menus in space 50 years ago. - Musician [Art Neville]( a founding member of both the Meters and the Neville Brothers, died Monday at age 81. - Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" has tied a record for the [longest consecutive No 1. spot]( on the Billboard Hot 100. - Joshua Harris, one of the most influential voices on sex and relationships for a generation of evangelical Christians, announced this past week that [he and his wife are separating]( after 20 years of marriage. His 1997 book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, became a manual for young evangelicals looking for love. --------------------------------------------------------------- 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? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to our Daily News emails. | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002 [NPR]