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Opening Arguments - BREAKING: Federal Courts Correctly Notice Color of Sky, Pope’s Religious Affiliation

For this week’s Rapid Response Friday we take up three major judicial rulings pushing back against executive overreach on three completely different topics: removals under the Alien Enemies Act, the use of the National Guard to conduct domestic law enforcement, and the  imposition of tariffs as an executive action under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Also: it turns out a DC grand jury really can't indict a ham sandwich, and why Brazil is so much better at prosecuting insurrectionists than the US is.

  1. Fifth Circuit's decision in W.M.M. et al (9/2/25)

  2. Judge Charles Breyer’s decision in Newson v. Trump (9/2/25)

  3. Federal Circuit’s decision in V.O.S. Selections v. Trump (8/29/25)

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NBN Book of the Day - Dan Roche, “Eyes by Hand: Prosthetics of Art and Healing” (MIT Press, 2025)

Eyes by Hand: Prosthetics of Art and Healing (MIT Press, 2025) is a book about artificial eyes—about the artisans and artists who make them, and about the life-changing and sometimes life-saving experience of wearing them, as author Dan Roche has done for 15 years. Eye making is done by hand, for one person at a time, by a very small number of ocularists (fewer than 200 in the US); it is a slow, intricate, and unusually intimate process of molding, fitting, and painting that brings ocularist and patient together for many hours or even days.
In Eyes by Hand, Dr. Roche describes the craft that goes into the making of an eye that looks uncannily real, as well as the psychological and emotional healing that such service brings to someone who has suffered the very visible trauma of eye loss—a loss that can go to the heart of self-identity.
In an engaging, frankly fascinating fashion, Roche captures the intricacies of a profession whose techniques and culture have been remarkably consistent for 200 years. He explores, too, how that profession may now be facing a digital transformation in the form of scan-print-mail possibilities. Such a change might make prosthetic eyes more easily and cheaply available, though it may also risk the aesthetic qualities and intimate connection fundamental to the process of healing.

This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.

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What A Day - How Trump’s Hatred For Windmills Is Hurting All Of Us

President Donald Trump really, really, really hates wind and solar power. He made sure to make that point very clear during a Cabinet meeting last week, where he ranted about windmills for…way too long. At the end of August, the Trump team ordered construction be stopped on a 4-billion-dollar wind farm project off the coast of Rhode Island that was nearly finished. The administration alluded vaguely to national security threats, suggesting, among other things, that wind farms could be used to launch drone attacks on the U.S. None of this is good. Not just for, you know, preventing the very worst outcomes of climate change that could put billions of lives at risk and alter the very nature of human existence. But also for Americans dealing with spiraling energy bills. So we spoke to Bill McKibben, environmentalist and author of a new book, Here Comes The Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization, about climate change, to help us feel more optimistic about the future of the Earth.

And in headlines, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vs. the Senate Finance Committee, and former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has some thoughts on how we got here.

Show Notes:

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The NewsWorthy - RFK Jr on Defense, RIP Armani & Free Compliments  – Friday, September 5, 2025

The news to know for Friday, September 5, 2025!

We’ll tell you about an especially heated hearing on Capitol Hill, as senators from both parties grilled Health Secretary RFK Jr.

Also, President Trump’s new name for the Department of Defense.

And the storms that could impact parts of the U.S. starting today.

Plus: we’re remembering a fashion icon, explaining how American Eagle has been doing since its controversial ad campaign, and telling you how a 9-year-old skipped the lemonade and found a sweeter way to make his neighbors smile.

 

Those stories and even more news to know in about 10 minutes! 

 

Join us every Mon-Fri for more daily news roundups! 

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Pod Save America - Trump’s Very Convincing Body Double

The internet enjoys a brief freakout about the possibility that Trump might be dead. (He isn't.) Senators from both parties press RFK Jr. on his dismantling of the CDC and his accelerating war on vaccines. Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein hold a press conference on Capitol Hill to announce that they plan to release a list of Epstein's clients. Jon and Dan discuss the latest news and trace the through-line of Trump's authoritarian impulse from his attack on a Venezuelan speedboat to his renewed threats to strip Rosie O'Donnell of her citizenship. Then, Strict Scrutiny's Leah Litman joins Jon to talk about how the Trump administration might respond to a recent string of defeats in federal court.

Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com

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WSJ Tech News Briefing - Elon Musk Unintentionally Reveals Why the iPhone Isn’t Going Anywhere

Elon Musk is fighting with Apple again, claiming in an antitrust lawsuit that the company’s App Store policies damage his own xAI business. WSJ columnist Tim Higgins says Musk’s suit demonstrates why AI is unlikely to make smartphones irrelevant anytime soon, despite the hopes of other tech gurus like Mark Zuckerberg. Plus: Writer Heidi Mitchell explains some new tools that make smartphones better at helping you avoid spam calls and fraud. Patrick Coffee hosts.


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Short Wave - What Marsquakes Reveal About The Planet’s Habitability

Mars is known for its barren desert landscape and dry climate. But two recent studies in the journals Nature and Science go beneath the surface, exploring the interior of the red planet using seismic data from NASA’s InSight mission. And now, this data is also giving scientists a glimpse into the planet’s history – to see how Mars evolved over billions of years and how its inner structure compares to that of Earth. 

Interested in more science news? Let us know at shortwave@npr.org.  

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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - TBD | Is the A.I. Bubble Bursting?

We’ve been told that artificial intelligence can write, code, generate images—it can do everything…except feasibly turn a profit. But investing in A.I. has nevertheless become a pillar of the U.S. economy. Where is this leading us?


Guest: Ed Zitron, author of the newsletter Where’s Your Ed At and host of the podcast Better Offline.


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NPR's Book of the Day - ‘Papilio’ and ‘Chooch Helped’ are children’s books brought to life by friendship

Two children’s books were brought to life by close collaborations, one between longtime friends and another that began with a chance encounter. First, Papilio follows an adventurous caterpillar through different stages of metamorphosis, each written and illustrated by three friends: Ben Clanton, Corey R. Tabor, and Andy Chou Musser. In today’s episode, the authors speak with NPR’s Scott Simon about how they made each section of the book their own. Then, author Andrea L. Rogers and illustrator Rebecca Kunz met by chance at the Cherokee National Holiday. Their book, Chooch Helped, went on to win the 2025 Caldecott Medal. In today’s episode, they talk with NPR’s Scott Simon about writing a sibling story.


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