Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman.
The Supreme Court laid today rejected Virginia's request to use a new congressional
pamphlet-favorite Democrats in all but one of that state's congressional seats.
“It was a key part of the effort by Democrats to counter a Republican wave of redistricting”
set off by President Trump, along with the Supreme Court decision that largely gut at the last remaining provision of the landmark voting rights act, and Paris Nina Tottenberg as our reports. The new map was approved by Virginia voters in an April referendum, but the state Supreme Court, by a 43 vote, invalidated the referendum, because the Court said, "State legislators
had failed to follow the proper procedures under the state constitution." Virginia Democrats and the state attorney general appeal to the Supreme Court, containing that the state court decision overwrote the will of the people. But in a one-sense order, the High Court refused without explanation to intervene in the case.
Nina Tottenberg and PR News Washington. "Grain markets fell after President Trump left China this week with no firm trade deal for American soybean farmers." As Empire's Kirk Siegler reports, many farmers are nervous going into the planting season, because China has historically been their largest buyer.
There had been hope that the summit would result in China committing to buy even more than
the 25 million metric tons of soybeans that the White House says.
It's agreed to annually, that's only a verbal agreement, and nothing out of the summit was put on paper nor was there a deal to buy even more, which caused prices to plummet by 24 cents. Here's Analyst Brian Splitt on the podcast, "Standard Grain." "We're running out of time to get additional details, and again, hopefully if there are
details, it's something concrete, not just, hey, it's billions of dollars of goods by
“the end of the season, I think the trade would really like to see something specifically."”
Export-dependent farmers tell NPR they're nervous about that, and that no other firm deals were inked for commodities like corn, Kirk Siegler and PR News, New York. Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen is ending his reelection bid after Tennessee Republicans approved mid-decade redistricting pushed by President Trump, Mariana Bockell, member station WPLN, as our reports.
The new congressional map splits Cohen's home city of Memphis into three different districts. Tennessee's ninth congressional district, which Cohen has represented for nearly 20 years, now stretches 300 miles from Memphis to the edge of Nashville. Cohen is doing to block the redistricting plan, but a federal judge has allowed the map to go into effect while multiple legal challenges go forward.
Cohen says he would rejoin the race if the map were struck down in court, and the meantime more state lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have joined the race. For NPR News, I'm Mariana Bockell, in Nashville.
“Stocks closed down across the board on Friday, and you're listening to NPR News.”
President Trump has announced his planned massive sculpture garden will be located along a Potomac River in the nation's capital, but as NPR's monthly till Barco reports, the waterfront area still needs approval. In 2020, during his first term in office, Trump signed an executive order to create what he called the National Garden of American Heroes.
"They vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans to ever live." That includes life-size statues ranging from George Washington to Whitney Houston to Kobe Bryant. Trump had hoped to complete the garden by this July 4th to mark the country's 250th birthday,
President Biden later scrapped the plans, but Trump reinstated them when he returned to office.
Last summer, Congress committed $40 million to it, though critics say it will cost much
more than that. The president has now posted on social media that the garden would be located in West Potomac Park, a national park between the river and the national mall. Mandalit del Barco, NPR News. Alex Smolley and Maverick McNally share the lead going into the weekend at the PGA Championship
underway in New Town Square, Pennsylvania, after two rounds they each sit at 400-136. Chris Gauderup, who led much of the day, ended in a tie for second with Hidekki Matsuyama and four other golfers. They're just one stroke off the pace, and Scotty Sheffler overcame three-bokees to salvage a 71.
He's in a tie with six other people at two strokes back. Stocksward down across the board Friday, the Dow Jones closed down 537 points, the Nasdaq down 400 points. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News. Keeping our world can be hard to see, follow NPR's Planet Money wherever you get your
