RBG Honored At Supreme Court; Trump Expands Racial Sensitivity Training Ban; Free College For Michigan's Essential Workers

Plus, why the town of Swastika decided to keep its name. by Korva Coleman, Jill Hudson and Suzette Lohmeyer First Up [The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be honored with two days of repose at the high court.]( Tom Brenner/Getty Images Here's what we're following today. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie in repose at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday and Thursday, a two-day event to honor the cultural and legal icon. It appears that [enough Republican senators]( will support President Trump’s move to quickly nominate a new candidate to the Supreme Court. A stopgap funding bill to keep the government running through Dec. 11 passed the House 359-57 late Tuesday evening. The legislation had been held up because of [a dispute over farm aid](. Now that the number of COVID-19 deaths has surpassed 200,000, a closer look at the spread of the coronavirus finds that [more people are dying in rural areas and small towns](. President Trump on Tuesday said he has expanded a ban on racial sensitivity training to federal contractors. "Americans should be taught to take PRIDE in our Great Country, and if you don't there's nothing in it for you!" [he tweeted](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- NPR Special Series [Drs. Joel Zivot (left) and Mark Edgar, of Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, first found evidence of pulmonary edema in inmate autopsies in 2016. Their findings are now at the forefront of legal challenges to lethal injection across the country.]( Audra Melton for NPR For decades, states have claimed that lethal injection is quick, peaceful and painless. An NPR investigation — and legal battles across the country — tells a different story. [Some doctors are raising concerns]( that many inmates are not being properly anesthetized and are therefore feeling the suffocating and drowning sensation brought on by pulmonary edema. The findings come at a time when death penalty states are already facing scrutiny over drug shortages, untrained execution personnel and a series of high-profile botched executions. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Listens [Buildings are engulfed in flames as a wildfire ravages Talent, Ore., on Sept. 8, 2020. Unfounded rumors that left-wing activists were behind the fires went viral on social media, thanks to amplification by conspiracy theorists and the platforms' own design.]( Kevin Jantzer/AP There are rumors that have gone viral on Twitter and Facebook that leftwing activists started the wildfires in Oregon. Those rumors are false, but so far, those companies have done nothing to stop the misinformations. Should social media platforms take a lesson from stock markets, and trigger circuit breakers to quickly stop dangerous rumors from spreading? [Click here to listen]( or [read the story](. Michigan is offering two years of free community college to essential workers who have worked during the pandemic. The definition of “essential” is loose, and more than 600,000 residents — including grocery workers, gas station clerks and sanitation workers — could qualify. [Here’s an audio clip]( or [a transcript](. When an outsider suggested the tiny northern hamlet of Swastika, New York, should change its name, town supervisors quickly rejected the idea. Listen to the story [here]( or [read about it](. --------------------------------------------------------------- The Picture Show [The Greek island of Kastellorizo, shown here at sunset from the top of an ancient castle, is a little over a mile away from the Turkish shore. ]( Demetrios Ioannou for NPR The pastel-painted cafes and hotels that line the small port in the remote Greek island of Kastellorizo this time of year are usually bustling with tourists, including hundreds of day-trippers from Turkey — which is just a 10-minute speedboat ride away. [This year, the port is quiet]( and not just because of the coronavirus pandemic. The stunning isle has become a pawn in a dispute between Greece and Turkey over maritime borders and offshore gas and oil exploration rights. --------------------------------------------------------------- Before You Go [Michelle Obama speaks during a 2016 event at the White House with the cast of the Broadway play "Hamilton."]( Evan Vucci/AP - The original cast members of the hit Broadway Hamilton have repurposed some of the show's soundtrack with new lyrics to promote voting. The performance was part of [a virtual voter turnout event]( hosted by former first lady Michelle Obama and the nonprofit When We All Vote. - Stranger Things actress Millie Bobbie Brown stars as the brilliant, fourth-wall-busting little sister of Sherlock Holmes in Enola Holmes, [the bright and breezy Netflix adaptation]( of the series of YA novels by Nancy Springer. - Why is it so hard to buy a new refrigerator these days? The pandemic has kept people stuck at home — and that’s leading to [a greater breakdown in kitchen appliances](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Daily News emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]