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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The US Supreme Court is debating birthright citizenship. President Trump is challenging the constitutional provision that has long been interpreted to guarantee U.S. citizenship to every child born on U.S. soil. On his first day back in office, he issued an executive order barring automatic citizenship for any baby whose parents entered the country illegally. The order also applied to parents on a long term visa. Solicitor General John Sauer is arguing for the administration.
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Unrestricted birthright citizenship contradicts the practice of the overwhelming majority of modern nations. It demeans the priceless and profound gift of American citizenship. It operates as a powerful pull factor for illegal immigration and rewards illegal aliens who not only violate the immigration laws but also jump in front of those who follow the rules.
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Cecelia Wong, national legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union, says repealing birthright citizenship will have profound consequences.
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For generations swaths of American laws would be rendered senseless. Thousands of American babies will immediately lose their citizenship. And if you credit the government's theory, the citizenship of millions of Americans past, present and future could be called into question. All of this tells us the government's theory is wrong.
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Earlier, President Trump watched arguments from the gallery. He was the first sitting president to do so. President Trump says Iran's asking for a ceasefire. The Iranian government says that claim is false and baseless. But Trump posted on Truth Social this morning tehran's asking for truce and that the US Would consider it if the Strait of Hormuz were open again. Iran's blockade has choked off oil shipments, sending oil prices rising and many drivers in the US Struggling to afford gas prices that have shot up since the US And Israel started a war with Iran last month. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt says the president will give the country an important update on Iran in a speech tonight at 9 Eastern. Here's NPR's Mara Liaison.
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The televised address comes a day after Trump reversed himself, dropping his demand that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He had threatened to, quote, completely obliterate Iran's civilian electric plants, oil wells and desalinization plants if Iran didn't open the strait shortly. But now he says the US Will be leaving Iran very soon. And if other countries want to get oil through the strait, they can, quote, fend for themselves. Trump says we're not going to have anything to do with it. With gas prices in the US breaking $4 a gallon, the president seems eager to find a way to end the war, even if many of his political objectives, including unconditional surrender, have not been met. Mara Liasson, NPR News.
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The Dow Jones industrial Average is up 442 points, or nearly 1%. This is NPR News. It's launch day at NASA. Four astronauts are slated to orbit the moon on the first lunar mission in more than 50 years. Here's NPR's Nell Greenfield Boyce.
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NASA test director Jeff Spaulding told reporters that launch preparations have been going well at Kennedy Space center in Florida. Someone asked him about the fact that it's April Fool's Day because there's a long history of astronauts playing practical jokes.
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So I am not aw of any pranks that anybody intends to pull on the flight crew or in the launch team itself. So I think I'll just leave it at that.
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He said he hoped everyone would stay focused on the launch. It will happen no earlier than 6:24pm Eastern Time. If bad weather or a technical glitch forces a delay, there should be additional launch opportunities through April 6th. Nell Greenfield, boys, NPR needs some bars
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and restaurants are telling customers ditch the phone. WFAE's Nick DeLacanal explains a new cocktail
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bar in Charlotte, North Carolina, has opened with a strict no phone policy. To get inside, customers have to lock their devices in a pouch, says co owner Mike Salzaruba. So I wanted to create a space where people could come, interact, be vulnerable, be nervous, but be human. The idea is catching on. They're attracting people like social media manager Lauren Bernard.
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Honestly, it's fantastic.
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Life needs to be more like this.
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Experts say it may reflect a broader backlash to smartphones and social media. For NPR News, I'm Nick Della Canal in Charlotte.
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Major market indices are up roughly 1%. It's NPR News.
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Host: Lakshmi Singh (NPR)
Duration: 5 minutes
This NPR News Now episode covers the day's top headlines, including a pivotal Supreme Court debate over birthright citizenship, escalating tensions and shifting strategies in the US-Iran conflict, a historic NASA lunar mission launch, and a social trend reflected in a North Carolina bar's no-phone policy.
[00:01-01:25]
Background: President Trump, on his first day back in office, issued an executive order denying automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. whose parents entered illegally or are on long-term visas, challenging the Fourteenth Amendment’s long-standing interpretation.
Key Arguments:
“Unrestricted birthright citizenship contradicts the practice of the overwhelming majority of modern nations. It demeans the priceless and profound gift of American citizenship. It operates as a powerful pull factor for illegal immigration and rewards illegal aliens who not only violate the immigration laws but also jump in front of those who follow the rules.” (John Sauer, 00:34)
“For generations swaths of American laws would be rendered senseless. Thousands of American babies will immediately lose their citizenship. And if you credit the government's theory, the citizenship of millions of Americans past, present and future could be called into question. All of this tells us the government's theory is wrong.” (Cecelia Wong, 01:04)
Notable Moment: Trump becomes the first sitting president to observe Supreme Court arguments from the gallery.
[01:25-02:50]
“Trump says we’re not going to have anything to do with it. With gas prices in the US breaking $4 a gallon, the president seems eager to find a way to end the war, even if many of his political objectives, including unconditional surrender, have not been met.” (Mara Liasson, 02:30)
[03:10-03:54]
“So I am not aw of any pranks that anybody intends to pull on the flight crew or in the launch team itself. So I think I’ll just leave it at that.” (Jeff Spaulding, 03:25)
[03:54-04:35]
"So I wanted to create a space where people could come, interact, be vulnerable, be nervous, but be human." (Mike Salzaruba, 04:12)
"Honestly, it’s fantastic... Life needs to be more like this." (Lauren Bernard, 04:23)
[02:50, 04:35]
"It demeans the priceless and profound gift of American citizenship. It operates as a powerful pull factor for illegal immigration..." (00:40)
"...the citizenship of millions of Americans past, present and future could be called into question." (01:13)
"With gas prices in the US breaking $4 a gallon, the president seems eager to find a way to end the war..." (02:43)
"I am not aw of any pranks..." (03:25)
"I wanted to create a space where people could come... and be human." (04:12)
"Honestly, it’s fantastic. Life needs to be more like this." (04:23)
This episode captures a day of legal, geopolitical, scientific, and social developments, blending rapid news delivery with telling human moments and on-the-ground voices.