News
SCOTUS lifts limits on LA raids. And, Nation's Report Card shows drops in scores
Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.
Today’s top stories
The Supreme Court lifted a temporary restraining order that barred federal immigration agents from conducting “roving patrols” and racially profiling people in the Los Angeles area. The decision, issued Monday, cleared the way for ICE and Border Patrol agents to restart aggressive immigration sweeps that began in June, sparking protests and leading President Trump to send National Guard troops into the city. The raids halted after the ACLU sued, saying that agents were targeting people based on skin color, accents or the type of work they did.
An officer speaks to a protester during an anti-ICE rally outside the Metro Detention Center in Los Angeles on Aug. 8. The protest draws attention to controversial immigration enforcement policies and calls for the abolition of ICE.
Benjamin Hanson/Middle East Images via AFP/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Benjamin Hanson/Middle East Images via AFP/Getty Images
- 🎧 The brief, unsigned order from the Supreme Court didn’t give any legal reasoning for the decision, NPR’s Adrian Florido tells Up First. In a concurrence, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said that demographic realities in LA and factors like race and work sites could be relevant to whether someone is residing in the country illegally. Florido says this emergency ruling is not the final word on the underlying lawsuit challenging racial profiling in ICE arrests. A court hearing is scheduled in LA later this month, and the case could eventually find its way back up to the high court.
- ➡️ Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security announced it’s launching an immigration enforcement operation in Illinois. It’s the latest escalation of federal action on Democrat-led U.S. cities and states.
The House Oversight Committee has released some documents given to it by Jeffrey Epstein’s estate. The records include more than 200 pages from a book made for the late convicted sex offender’s 50th birthday. The pages include a lewd drawing and letter that appears to be signed by Trump.
- 🎧 There’s been very little daylight between Republican stances and Trump’s often-changing views on many topics — including Epstein, NPR’s Stephen Fowler says. Vice President Vance once agreed with Trump that the files must be released, then agreed with the president that there were no files, then agreed that the letter didn’t exist, and now agrees with Trump’s claim that it’s a hoax from Democrats. Trump campaigned in 2024 on releasing the files and exposing powerful people who hide the truth from the public. Many voters now see him as one of those powerful people and feel he’s broken his promise. Fowler says this topic is one of the few places where Democrats have leverage against Trump’s “otherwise complete control of the narrative in Washington.”
New scores from the National Assessment of Education Progress, known as the Nation’s Report Card, show a drop in 8th-grade science scores since 2019 and 12th-grade math and reading scores in the same time period. Matthew Soldner, the acting director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), said scores from the “lowest performing students are at historic lows — continued declines that began more than a decade ago.” The IES is charged with measuring student achievement. These latest scores are from tests administered between January and March 2024, before Trump was elected president. Since then, the Trump administration has made cuts to the U.S. Education Department, including laying off more than half of the employees at the IES. Here’s what these test scores mean for students.
Today’s listen
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer’s badge and weapon are seen as ICE conducts a vehicle checkpoint on Georgia Ave. on August 30 in Washington, D.C.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images North America
hide caption
toggle caption
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images North America
When Trump sent the National Guard and federal agents into Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., some critics warned that racial profiling would lead to U.S. citizens getting caught up in the efforts to ramp up deportations. NPR spoke with a naturalized citizen in Washington who claims it happened to her just over a week ago. Chilo, who asked to go by her nickname because she fears repercussions for speaking out, moved to the U.S. after she was adopted from Nicaragua at 9 years old. She’s now 53, married and has a high school-aged daughter. She says two men in camouflaged masks stopped her and told her she did not “look like a citizen.” Cheelo says she believes this happened to her because she has brown skin and black hair. She tells Morning Edition’s Michel Martin that the experience left her scared that she would be taken away and feeling like she doesn’t “belong here.” Listen to their conversation here.
Picture show
Pastor Billiance Chondwe has known 9-year-old Diana Lungu since she was born. He helped her mother through a rough pregnancy and during Diana’s early years. Diana’s mother died of AIDS when Diana was nearing her third birthday.
Ben de la Cruz/NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Ben de la Cruz/NPR
In April, NPR asked 12 HIV-positive Zambians to share their stories following the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid. When Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued the memo calling for stop-work orders on all existing foreign aid awards, Pastor Billiance Chondwe — affectionately known as Pastor Billy — watched with horror and hopelessness as many U.S.-funded HIV clinics shut their doors. Today, he says that actions from the Zambian government have filled him with more determination and hope, despite a future that is far from certain. Check in with the people NPR spoke with in April, and see photos of how they’re doing now.
3 things to know before you go
- For its seventh year, NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge received more than 2,000 entries from 45 states and the District of Columbia. Before we reveal the winner, check out the 11 middle school and 10 high school finalists, as well as the honorable mentions.
- Since June, a slew of musicians — many of them independent — have pulled their music from Spotify to protest the CEO’s ties to Helsing, an artificial intelligence defense company. Some artists are now moving to a music ownership model that can balance their principles with making money, but it’s not an easy task.
- Media titan Rupert Murdoch and his son and intended heir, Lachlan, have struck a deal to buy out the shares of Lachlan’s three eldest siblings. The move will ensure that the 94-year-old’s vast corporate empire, which includes Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post, will retain its conservative identity after his death.
This newsletter was edited by Obed Manuel.
Vote
Total
Democrats
Republicans
215
211
4
208
0
208
The House on Wednesday passed a measure to direct President Trump withdraw U.S. forces from Iran or win congressional approval to continue military operations there. The vote was the fourth of its kind in the chamber since the war began, the previous three having failed.
A vote on this measure was originally scheduled for last month but was pulled by House Republican leaders after it became clear they lacked the votes at the time to defeat it because of several members’ absences. Several Republicans were also absent on Wednesday, but party leaders were unable to delay the vote any longer.
Votes fell mostly along party lines, with the exception of four Republicans, who voted with Democrats to pass the measure. Representative Jared Golden, Democrat of Maine, who had previously voted with Republicans, flipped and voted with his party.
Republicans who voted against their party
The House vote came after four Senate Republicans last month broke from their party to advance a measure to assert the legislature’s role in authorizing the war. The Senate had rejected seven other similar measures, but Republicans in both chambers have expressed increased uneasiness with the conflict as it wears on.
Even if a war powers resolution passed in both the House and Senate, it would be subject to an all-but-certain veto by Mr. Trump, which would need a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override. Beyond that, the president and his senior aides have frequently dismissed efforts by Congress to rein in his war powers, saying they are unconstitutional.
How Every Member Voted
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
No N
No N
No N No N
No N
Did not vote
Did not vote
Did not vote Did not vote
Did not vote
Did not vote
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y Yes Y
Yes Y
Yes Y
Did not vote
Republicans
Member
Answer
Democrats
Member
Answer
Washington — The House on Wednesday passed a measure that would force President Trump to end the war with Iran without congressional authorization, marking the first time the lower chamber has defied the White House on the conflict.
The House voted 215 to 208 to approve the war powers resolution with the help of four Republicans. Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, who has voted against the three previous failed attempts, also dropped his opposition and voted for the measure, giving his party unanimity on the issue.
Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Tom Barrett of Michigan and Warren Davidson of Ohio voted with Democrats in favor of the measure.
Democrats in the chamber erupted in applause after passage.
The vote was supposed to take place before lawmakers left for the Memorial Day recess, but House GOP leaders abruptly pulled the vote when it became clear they did not have the numbers to block it. Several Republicans were absent and others were expected to support it.
The Senate advanced a similar measure in May to rein in Mr. Trump on Iran after four Republicans joined all but one Democrat to push it forward. Three Republican absences also helped deliver the breakthrough after seven previous unsuccessful votes.
But the Senate’s procedural vote was just the first step on the way to potential passage, and Republicans will have another opportunity to block it in the coming days.
It’s unclear when they plan to vote on the House version. In a statement, House Democratic leaders called on Senate Republicans “to do the right thing.”
Support for the war from some Republicans waned after the conflict passed a statutory 60-day deadline under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which says the president must remove armed forces from hostilities if Congress has not authorized the war. The war passed the deadline on May 1, but the administration has argued that a fragile ceasefire stopped the clock in early April, though both sides have carried out attacks since then.
The Trump administration has also argued the War Powers Resolution of 1973 is unconstitutional, though that theory has never been tested in court.
Republicans who have voted in favor of limiting Mr. Trump’s military powers in Iran have been uncomfortable with the lack of congressional authorization on the war and a strategy to end it. Some fear the war’s unpopularity and the economic fallout could harm the GOP’s chances at keeping control of Congress after the midterm elections in November.
GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa, who is running for Senate, said in a private exchange at a campaign stop last week that the war could be a “political liability” if it continues beyond “the next couple of weeks,” according to audio obtained by CBS News.
But Mr. Trump said last month he was in “no hurry” to make a deal with Iran ahead of the midterms.
“Everybody’s saying, ‘Oh, the midterms, I’m in a hurry.’ I’m in no hurry,” he said.
The resolution approved Wednesday was introduced in April by Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It directs the president “to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran,” unless Congress declares war or authorizes the use of military force.
Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, earlier Wednesday called it a “stupid political vote” that “weakens the president’s hands as he’s negotiating with Iran.”
After the vote, Meeks brushed off the assertion that the war powers votes have undercut the president during negotiations with Iran. When asked whether Democrats would keep forcing votes to end the Iran war, Meeks told reporters, “You can expect us to continue to do our jobs.”
“We’re going to continue to do our constitutional responsibilities,” he said.
Fitzpatrick, who also voted in favor of a war powers resolution in May, said, “The law is the law.”
“We have to follow the law. There’s a law on the books,” Fitzpatrick said. “So you have two choices: You either follow the law or you change the law. You can’t violate the law. That’s not an option.”
During floor debate on the measure on May 20, Democrats questioned why Republicans haven’t held a vote on an authorization for military force to provide Mr. Trump with legal guardrails for attacking Iran.
“If my Republican colleagues believe this is justified, they should bring an AUMF to the floor,” Meeks said.
There’s been little momentum so far behind an AUMF introduced by Barrett earlier in May.
Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, an independent who caucuses with Republicans, argued there are “better tools” for Congress to assert its authority.
“We actually have the ability to provide direction as to how funds should be used,” Kiley said, referring to Congress’ power of the purse. “I understand why people want to use whatever tools are available, but I believe that Congress should use those tools of congressional oversight and the powers we have under Article I that really have teeth here.”
Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 3 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “weak,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown. The New York Times
A moderately strong, 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The temblor happened at 5:45 a.m. Pacific time about 40 miles west of Petrolia, Calif., data from the agency shows.
As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.
Subsequent quakes have been reported in the same area. Such temblors are typically aftershocks caused by minor adjustments along the portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the initial earthquake.
Aftershocks detected
Quakes and aftershocks within 100 miles
Aftershocks can occur days, weeks or even years after the first earthquake. These events can be of equal or larger magnitude to the initial earthquake, and they can continue to affect already damaged locations.
The New York Times
When quakes and aftershocks occurred
Sources: United States Geological Survey (epicenter, aftershocks, shake intensity); LandScan via Oak Ridge National Laboratory (population density) | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Pacific time. Shake data is as of Wednesday, June 3 at 6:03 a.m. Pacific time. Aftershocks data is as of Wednesday, June 3 at 8:01 a.m. Pacific time.
-
Michigan4 minutes agoMichigan Lottery Daily 3, Daily 4 results for June 3, 2026
-
Massachusetts11 minutes agoMass. House votes to set new rules for DiZoglio’s audit
-
Minnesota14 minutes agoMinneapolis considers closing dog park sitting on Indigenous land
-
Mississippi19 minutes agoMississippi Court of Appeals Brings ‘Court on the Road’ Prog…
-
Missouri26 minutes agoTwo airlifted after serious crash in Cole County
-
Montana29 minutes agoClark Fork River remains central to Missoula’s identity, conservation groups say
-
Nebraska34 minutes agoMiss Nebraska festivities kick off with opening ceremonies
-
Nevada41 minutes agoHillel of Northern Nevada Builds Community at the University
