House lawmakers vote on the debt ceiling; the Sackler family gets immunity; the Pittsburgh shooting trial is underway

Plus, tech experts have a dire warning about AI. [View this email online]( [NPR Up First Newsletter]( by [Suzanne Nuyen]( May 31, 2023 Good morning. I've got some bad news for the people looking forward to peach season: 90% of this year's [Georgia's peach crop]( has been destroyed by bad weather and warming climate. 😢 Here's what else we're following today. House lawmakers are set to vote tonight on a bill that would lift the U.S. debt ceiling and avoid a default. While President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy see the deal as a needed compromise, both conservative and progressive lawmakers are unhappy. Alex Brandon/AP 🎧 NPR's Deirdre Walsh says on Up First that some Democrats are [upset about policy provisions]( in the bill that would change how energy projects are approved and add work requirements for some adults who receive assistance like food stamps. If the bill passes, it will head to the Senate. Walsh reports that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would keep the Senate late for the vote. ➡️ Republicans upset with the deal are threatening to oust McCarthy. Texas Gov. Chip Roy said [no Republicans should vote for the bill]( and threatened a "reckoning" no matter what happens. A New York federal appeals court's ruling in a controversial bankruptcy deal will [grant the Sackler family immunity]( from lawsuits related to its role in the opioid crisis. The family will pay roughly $6 billion for addiction and health care programs and give up control of their company, Purdue Pharma. 🎧 While this is a legal victory for the Sackler family, NPR's Briann Mann reports that it's a [different story for its reputation](. While the family used to be respected philanthropists, protests over its role in pushing OxyContin sales have led many universities and museums to remove their names from galleries. Lawyers gave their opening statements yesterday in the trial of Robert Bowers, the man accused of shooting and killing 11 Jewish worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018. Bowers faces 63 federal charges, including hate crimes, and could get the death penalty if found guilty. 🎧 WESA's Oliver Morrison reports that prosecutors emphasized the [antisemitic statements Bowers made online](. Meanwhile, the defense isn't disputing Bowers' guilt but will challenge whether he was rational. One of the witnesses, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, testified and described hiding in a bathroom and reciting a Jewish prayer for the congregants. ➡️ Keep up with the trial with [WESA's live blog](. Tech industry experts have a dire warning: The AI programs we're creating [could outsmart us and lead to our collective demise](. A group that includes scientists, AI experts, journalists and policymakers has released a [statement]( urging the world to give the same priority to mitigating AI risks as it would to pandemics or nuclear war. 🎧 On Morning Edition, University of Massachusetts Amherst associate professor Scott Niekum discusses [what persuaded him to sign]( the warning. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- [ A woman and a girl wearing white and pink hanboks stand in a field with their backs to the camera. ]( Arin Yoon Photographer Arin Yoon came to the U.S. when she was 5 years old. She writes about the Korean concept of han, or the "collective feeling of sorrow relating to having been colonized and oppressed." Her photos [re-examine her connection to the U.S.]( reconsidering histories while exploring her connection to the landscape, her children and their past and future selves. --------------------------------------------------------------- [This photo in 2020 shows a life-size cutout of the late famous Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng, who would take part in broadcasts across the water to China, displayed at a showroom at the Mashan Observation Post at Taiwan's Kinmen Island.]( Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images Decades ago, Taiwan set up propaganda broadcast stations off the coast of mainland China to try and get listeners in Communist China to defect. Women's voices and the dulcet tones of pop star Teresa Teng became one of their key tools of persuasion. 🎧 Listen to the Taiwanese women behind the microphones [reflect on their "fight for hearts and minds]( or [read their stories](. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Rosalynn Carter speaks into a microphone.]( Ron Harris/AP Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, a longtime advocate for mental health care, has been diagnosed with dementia. A statement from The Carter Center says she "continues to [live happily at home]( with her husband," Jimmy Carter, who entered hospice care in February. It's bird migration season. If you listen carefully, [stunning and diverse birdsong]( can be found even in the densest cities. Air New Zealand will begin weighing passengers for international flights "for safety reasons." Passengers [won't see numbers]( from the scales, which will be anonymous. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Find a Station]( --------------------------------------------------------------- This newsletter was edited by [Majd Al-Waheidi](. 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 Best of NPR emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]