Slower U.S. mail, fewer U.S. jobs, more Jan. 6 subpoenas

Plus, why California outlawed "stealthing." [View this email online]( [NPR]( by Korva Coleman and Carol Ritchie First up [A man pulls up to drop off mail at the mailboxes at the Portland Post Office in Portland, Maine, on Dec. 4, 2020.]( Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Here's what we're following today: U.S. mail delivery has slowed and the price of stamps risen since Postmaster General Louis DeJoy enacted the cutbacks last week. DeJoy says the cutbacks will save money, but [experts say they put the Postal Service in a death spiral](. ➡️ Twenty attorneys general filed a complaint to [block the Postal Service cuts](. The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to journalists [Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia]( for their fight to protect freedom of expression. President Biden will restore protections for [Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante and other national monuments]( today. Then-President Donald Trump slashed the protected areas — sacred to several Native tribes — by 50% and more in 2017. ➡️ Biden's decision might face legal challenges: Utah's Republican governor has threatened to sue against expanding the monuments. Numbers released today show a sharp drop in new jobs for September, [raising new concerns about the economy](. Employers added just 194,000 jobs, far below summer's hiring pace. Kids are losing school days to quarantines. Rapid tests can help keep them from missing school days, [but the tests are hard to find amid a national shortage](. A House special panel issued a new wave of subpoenas for [a right-wing group known as Stop the Steal and several of its members]( as part of its investigation of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. After weeks of tense negotiations, the [Senate passed a bill to increase the federal debt ceiling]( — but only for the next eight weeks. House approval is still needed. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- The picture show [Natasha Rothwell/"The White Lotus"; Sarah Niles/"Ted Lasso"; Uzo Aduba/"In Treatment"]( Mario Perez/HBO; Apple; Suzanne Tenner/HBO Hollywood hasn't slowed its stream of "Black Lady Therapists" — actors of color who play bit-part counselors to (mostly) white protagonists. But Ted Lasso, In Treatment and The White Lotus [have demonstrated how to subvert the trope](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today’s listen ["In These Silent Days" is the latest collaboration between singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile and her core band, twin brothers Phil and Tim Hanseroth.]( Neil Krug/Courtesy of the artist Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile has spent the past two decades collaborating with musicians Phil and Tim Hanseroth, twin brothers who make up the core of her band. In These Silent Days is their latest, written mostly during quarantine. [🎧 Listen to them describe]( their personal and creative lives together, or [read the story here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Before you go [Drinking artificially sweetened diet sodas may lead to increase in appetite and weight gain, research finds.]( Pornchai Jaito/EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm - It's not the stay-slim drink you thought it was: Researchers say [diet soda may cause food cravings]( especially in women and people with obesity. - California just became the first state in the U.S. to outlaw "stealthing" — slang for the nonconsensual removal of a condom during sex. [Here's why it wasn't already illegal](. - Top Chef Junior competitor Fuller Goldsmith died at 17 after a battle with leukemia. "[He was an incredible chef and the strongest kid]( we've ever met," the show's producers said. - Read why the Barróns of Oklahoma were named "[America's kindest family]( by Parents magazine. --------------------------------------------------------------- Correction: Thursday's newsletter incorrectly named Mitch McConnell as Senate majority leader. He is Senate minority leader. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- 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]