What’s next for abortion rights in the U.S.

Plus, how NASA plans to deal with possible space germs. [View this email online]( [Best of NPR]( May 8, 2022 This week, we look at the history of the anti-abortion movement in the U.S., what could happen after Roe v. Wade is overturned, and how to remove your personal data from Google search results. Plus, the origins of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. --------------------------------------------------------------- Scott’s Weekly Weigh-in [Dave Chappelle looks on during UFC 264: Poirier v McGregor 3 at T-Mobile Arena on July 10, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada.]( Stacy Revere/Getty Images Happy Mother’s Day, to mothers and all of us nourished by their love. The leak of a draft of a Supreme Court opinion may not be the final decision. But it set off seismic reactions of both alarm and celebration that Roe v. Wade may be overturned after almost 50 years of legal abortions. What would the future look like for women without access to a safe, legal and personal procedure? Katia Riddle brought us the story of [Marisol, a nurse living in Texas]( where lawmakers banned almost all abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. She had to go on an odyssey to seek multiple doctors in several states. Selena Simmons-Duffin talked about the [wide range of reasons]( patients seek abortions. And Joan Biskupic told us how this leak [has shaken Chief Justice John Roberts’ ambition]( to put the court above politics. Of course, the war in Ukraine still sheds blood and shakes geopolitics. David Miliband, head of the International Rescue Committee, [told us how cash is especially important]( to keep a society going and productive, even in war. This week’s essay is on [two recent attacks]( on comedians. [Matt Walsh of Veep]( doesn’t let his concern get in the way of a good joke. A video for you: Derek Rodriguez, a 9-year-old Yankees fan, went to a game in Toronto’s Rogers Centre (yes, that’s how they spell it), where his hero Aaron Judge stroked a homer into the left-centre seats. It was caught by Blue Jay’s fan Mike Lanzillotta — who [gave the ball to the visiting little boy](. Canadian grace exemplified. See Derek’s thanks. And each Mother’s Day, I am reminded of the [wise advice]( that my own late mother passed on by example: Write "thank you" notes. Tip well. Sing. Drink responsibly. Remember that good manners cost nothing, and open doors. Reach out to someone who is lonely. Make them laugh. Help people smile. [Scott Simon]( Scott Simon is one of NPR's most renowned news anchors. He is the host of [Weekend Edition Saturday]( and one of the hosts of the morning news podcast Up First. Be sure to listen to him every Saturday on your local NPR station, and follow him [on Twitter](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Stories you might have missed [A line of anti-abortion demonstrators watch as abortion rights demonstrators chant in front of an unscalable fence that stands around the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.]( Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images With the Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the movement against abortion rights nears its apex. But this fight actually began more than a century before Roe was decided. In the early days of the U.S., the legal cutoff for abortion was the moment a pregnant patient could feel the fetus move. But by the early 1900s, every state had made the procedure illegal — with some exceptions. Read our [brief history of the anti-abortion movement]( in America. We also [fact-check 7 persistent claims]( about abortion — and delve into how reversing Roe [would affect transgender people]( too. Meet Lenny and Moishe, premature twins born in Ukraine to a surrogate mother. To bring the infants to their parents in Poland, rescuers [dodged Russian artillery fire]( and drove through a snowstorm. Then the family found themselves stuck in bureaucratic limbo. NASA is planning its first mission to bring Martian dirt and rocks back to Earth. But before that happens, the agency must figure out how to protect our planet against any [alien microbes that could hitch a ride]( — if such a thing exists on Mars. "It’s a very low probability that there's anything living at the surface," one expert says. "But there is a possibility." Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! This is a time to celebrate the history, activism and resilience of Asian American communities around the country. But to understand [why we celebrate in May]( you have to go all the way back to the 1800s — when the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the U.S. and Chinese workers helped complete the country’s first transcontinental railroad. --------------------------------------------------------------- From our member station [STATION]( San Antonio Museum Of Art/Michael Minasi Illustration A woman found a sculpture for $35 at Goodwill. It ended up being a Roman artifact from the first century. It’s all white, made of marble, and weighs about 50 pounds. To learn more about her find, Laura Young began reaching out to auction houses. She learned it was an ancient bust of a man named Drusus Germanicus, and it [was probably looted from a museum]( during World War II. And so began her four-year journey trying to get rid of the 2,000-year-old artifact. — KUT, Austin --------------------------------------------------------------- Before you go... Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute - The EU proposed a ban on all oil from Russia, its main energy supplier. Here’s what that could mean for global oil markets — and [your price at the pump](. - Jacky Hunt-Broersma just ran 104 marathons in 104 days, possibly [setting a new world record](. And she did it all with a prosthesis after her left leg was amputated in 2001. - You can now ask Google to take your personal data [out of search results]( — including your phone number, email and street address. - A fox in the … flamingo house? A wild critter [broke into]( the Smithsonian's National Zoo and killed 26 birds, or nearly a third of the zoo’s flamingo flock. --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? 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