NPR’s federal funds; Alien Enemies Act; Mike Waltz : NPR

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Today’s top stories

President Trump signed an executive order last night that aims to end federal funding for NPR and PBS. He accuses the organizations of political bias. The order directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease federal funds for both media entities. CPB is an independent nonprofit created by Congress to partially fund public broadcasters. NPR receives about 1% of its funding directly from the federal government. The majority of the funds for public media are directed to local stations. Most of it subsidizes TV, which is more expensive to produce than radio.

• 🎧 NPR CEO Katherine Maher and her PBS counterpart have rejected accusations of biased reporting. The order could heavily impact some local stations, especially small rural stations, which sometimes get over 50% of their funding from the CPB, NPR’s Ryland Barton tells Up First. NPR relies on its network stations to cover breaking news and provide context that national reporters can’t always get. In remote areas, these stations can be the only sources of news, offering life-saving emergency alerts.

Trump announced yesterday that he’s nominating his national security adviser, Mike Waltz, as his ambassador to the United Nations. This is the first big shake-up of top aides since the president began his second term. The move comes after Waltz took the blame for inadvertently adding a journalist to a Signal group chat where top officials discussed plans to strike Yemen. Trump stated on social media that he would make Marco Rubio his interim national security adviser. Rubio will also continue to do his job as secretary of State.

• 🎧 Waltz’s new role will depend on his confirmation by the U.S. Senate. With how Waltz handled the group chat, confirmation could be trickyNPR’s Franco Ordoñez says. It is not known who’s on the shortlist to replace Waltz permanently. Ordoñez says Waltz had a “diminished role compared to most national security advisers.” Waltz was more of a traditional Republican hawk compared to other advisers, who wanted to get America out of intervening in foreign conflicts.

A federal judge ruled yesterday that Trump’s usage of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan immigrants from South Texas was “unlawful.” U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., a Trump appointee, made the first of its kind ruling. Rodriguez wrote that the president’s invocation of the act “exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute’s terms.”

• 🎧 The lawsuit names three Venezuelan men. Their lead counsel, ACLU’s Lee Gelernt, says the “decision protects everyone who’s detained in the Southern District of Texas.” Rodriguez extensively analyzed the historical record and concluded in the case that the ordinary meaning of “invasion” or “predatory inclusion” when the act was enacted in 1798 required a military incursion or a hostile takeover, NPR’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán says. The judge found that the criminal activities of Tren de Aragua members described in Trump’s proclamation didn’t fit those terms as understood under the act. It is almost guaranteed that the Trump administration will appeal the decision, Martínez-Beltrán says.

Living better

Living Better is a special series about what it takes to stay healthy in America.

Children are being exposed to an unprecedented amount of online pornography, much of which is violent and misogynistic. A study from 2023 found that the average age at which children first view pornography was around 12, and 15% of kids saw it at age 10 and younger. Researchers in the U.K. analyzed 50 of the most popular pornographic videos and found that approximately 90% portrayed violence or aggression, primarily directed toward women. Scientists believe early exposure to this content may hinder children’s understanding of consent and respect in relationships. Here’s what parents can do to keep violent porn out of their homes:

• 📱 Log in to your router through a browser and program it to block explicit websites. If your router doesn’t include parental controls, buy a device that connects to it and filters unwanted content.
• 📱 Smartphones and tablets can bypass router controls using cellular or mobile data. Scientists recommend using all filters and parental controls with those devices and apps.
• 📱 Parents are advised to frequently monitor their children’s activities on apps, games, and social media. That doesn’t mean being with the child every time they use their devices, but it does mean having access to their accounts.
• 📱 Teach children how to respond if they encounter pornographic content. Reassure them that they’re not in trouble, they’re safe, and you love them just the same.

Weekend picks

Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:

🍿 Movies: Free for All: The Public Librarya new PBS film, examines the value of libraries in the past and makes a compelling case for the importance of the American public library system today.

📺 TV: Star revolves around two prestigious ballet companies, one in New York and the other in Paris, that are dealing with plummeting ticket sales. To help save the art form, the companies decide to swap their most valuable members for a season.

📚 Books: The Fate of the Daythe second installment in historian Rick Atkinson’s planned trilogy on the American Revolution, hit shelves this week. Plus, a graphic memoir, short fiction, and “the secret life” of a cemetery.

🎵 Music: Many artists, including Aly & Aj, Pink Floyd, Car Seat Headrest, and Eric Church, released new music at midnight. Catch up on your favorite musicians and discover new ones with this playlist of the best songs from each album.

❓ Quiz: I sadly didn’t do great this week. This test truly bested me. However, I believe in YOU and your ability to ace it.

3 things to know before you go

1. This year’s Tony nominations are out. No Broadway show swept the categories, showing how strong a season it was.
2. A UFO watch tower in San Luis Valley, Colo., will celebrate 25 years this month. What started as a joke now draws around 10,000 visitors a year. (via CPR)
3. Writer Canisia Lubrin, known for her poetry, won this year’s Carol Shields Prize for Fiction with her debut short story collection Black code.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.