Birthright citizenship in court; Trump’s ‘big’ bill : NPR

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Today’s top stories

Today, the Supreme Court hears historic arguments as the Trump administration tries to challenge the constitutional provision that guarantees automatic citizenship to all babies born in the U.S. The Constitution’s 14th Amendment says, in part, that all persons born in the United States are citizens of the country. On day one of President Trump’s second term, he issued an executive order barring citizenship for children born in the U.S. whose parents were either not here legally or who were here legally but on a temporary basis.

• 🎧 The Justice Department, knowing it is likely to lose its claim that the 14th Amendment doesn’t mean what it says, has asked the court to focus on a more technical question, NPR’s Nina Totenberg tells Up First. Immigrant rights groups and 22 states challenged Trump’s order in court. Three judges ruled that the president’s order is blatantly unconstitutional, and three appeals courts have refused to unblock the orders while appeals are happening. The administration is focused on whether federal district court judges have the power to rule against them and bar enforcement of Trump’s executive order nationwide.
• ➡️ A majority of Americans oppose ending birthright citizenshipaccording to a new NPR/Ipsos poll.

House Republicans are working to advance Trump’s “big beautiful bill” this week as committees continue to make adjustments to meet a Memorial Day deadline. For months, Trump has said the bill will accomplish much of his domestic policy agenda, including immigration and tax policy. Yesterday, three committees voted to finalize their portions of the bill, which involve extending the 2017 tax cuts, no taxes on tips and overtime, and cuts to Medicaid and the food assistance program SNAP. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson will have to ease tensions within his own party to get the narrow majority needed to pass the bill. Meanwhile, many Senate Republicans are dismissing the legislation before it is even finished in the House.

• 🎧 Tomorrow, the budget committee will meet to combine all the individual approved billsand the House leadership will vote on it next week, NPR’s Barbara Sprunt says. The Freedom Caucus has pushed back, saying the bills won’t result in significant enough deficit reductions and that proposals to add work requirements to Medicaid won’t kick in soon enough. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that at least 8.6 million people enrolled in Medicaid could lose coverage due to changes in the House bill.

Trump’s announcement that he would lift sanctions against Syria has caused a bit of confusion for the country’s neighbor, Israel. For decades, Israel was Syria’s enemy. Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has said for months that he wants no trouble with Israel. Trump is in Qatar for the third day of his Middle East trip.

• 🎧 NPR’s Hadeel Al-Shalchi spoke with Damascus Governor Maher Marwan, who said Syria wants peace and it cannot be an opponent to Israel or anyone else. Marwan also stated he wanted the U.S. to facilitate those relations. Israel was stunned by the news of Trump’s announcements about the sanctions, and its country’s media stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Trump not to lift them. Israel has expressed that Sharaa and his people are terrorists and they must defend themselves against them.

Deep dive

Congressional Republicans are pursuing one of the most significant changes to the federal student loan program in history. This overhaul, which would impact millions of borrowers, is included in the Republicans’ reconciliation package. If passed, the package would also extend the tax cuts implemented during Trump’s administration in 2017. A key aspect of the proposed overhaul is the intention to eliminate most existing student loan repayment plans and provide a single repayment option for future borrowers.

• 💰 The new plan would require new borrowers to agree to a repayment period of 10 to 25 years, based on their debt size. The total amount owed, including interest, would be divided into equal monthly payments.
• 💰 Borrowers currently holding loans will not qualify for the new plan but can access some older options, including standard repayment plans with durations ranging from 10 to 30 years.
• 💰 Republicans are creating their Repayment Assistance Plan for future and current borrowers, which would allow payments based on their total adjusted gross income.
• 💰 The assistance plan would also waive any interest left after a borrower makes their payment, which means borrowers would no longer see their loans grow.

Read more details on repayment options based on income brackets here.

Life advice

Maintaining adult friendships after children come into the mix can be complicated. Parents might assume their child-free friends aren’t interested in your new life. Those without children might assume their parent friends are too tired or busy to hang out. Life Kit has an illustrated guide to help you grow your relationships even stronger in new life stages.

• 👶Pay attention to the balance of topics discussed at gatherings that include parents and child-free friends. You don’t want someone to feel left out by a conversation they might not be able to relate to.
• 👶 Be flexible. Gatherings might look different, but remember the goal is to spend time together. Consider activities children can be present for, like doing chores or running errands.
• 👶 Don’t hesitate to have difficult conversations about your feelings during this new phase of life. Open communication can either strengthen your relationship or reveal that you are growing apart.

For more guidance on how to nurture friendships after kids come into the picture, listen to this episode of NPR’s Life Kit. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.

3 things to know before you go

1. A viral Reddit post led hundreds on a quest Tuesday in San Francisco to find out if the clues led to a bounty. Spoiler alert: The prize was around $10,000 of gold, currency and historic artifacts.
2. A few years ago, “A” experienced psychosis and believed he was a sleeper agent for the U.S. government with a mission on the moon. His boss visited him after he told her that he needed to quit his job and ended up in jail for driving under the influence during a psychotic episode. She became his unsung hero when she noticed the signs of what was happening and got him the psychiatric treatment he needed.
3. A new study reveals that nearly 19 million children in the U.S. live in households with at least one parent who has a substance use disorder.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.