National Guard deployment; Pentagon press policy : NPR

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Today's top news

A federal appeals court is expected to rule on President Trump's authority to station National Guard troops in Portland, Oregon.in the coming days. A similar case involving the deployment of troops in Chicago is pending before the Supreme Court. The federal government sent troops to both cities against the wishes of the Democratic governors of Illinois and Oregon, and district courts temporarily blocked the deployment. Here's what you should do know about legal battles regarding the rollout in both states.

• 🎧 The focus in these cases is to determine the facts that can be trusted when it comes to the situation on the ground in these states.: The president or local officials, says NPR's Kat Lonsdorf Up first. There are several court cases related to the deployment of the National Guard. Chicago was the first to go to the high court. If the Supreme Court issues an emergency ruling in the case, it will not set a precedent for the entire country, but it will provide more opportunities. clarity regarding the power the president has deploy and federalize the armed forces, even against the wishes of local authorities.

New reporters now have Pentagon press passes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told news organizations they must sign off on the new policy. for its coverage of military operations by the middle of last week. Hegseth introduced the policy several weeks ago, asking reporters to sign a document saying they could not broadcast, print or request information the Pentagon had not authorized for publication. In response, almost all journalists decided to turn in media passes instead.

• 🎧 Hegseth said Pentagon reporters wandered throughout the building.which, according to NPR's David Folkenflik, is not true. This policy change means that Americans people's knowledge about the army “It will be what Hegseth and company want to tell them, and nothing more,” Folkenflik says.
• ➡️ NPR's Tom Bowman has held his Pentagon press pass for 28 years. but decided to surrender it due to new media guidelines. Read why.

EU leaders are meeting in Brussels for a summit to discuss what more pressure should be put on Russia end the war in Ukraine. On the agenda is a controversial proposal to provide Ukraine with a large loan using frozen Russian assets located in Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the summit, where he is expected to express support for the idea to EU leaders.

• 🎧 The loan to Ukraine will include just over $160 billion held by the Russian Central Bank. The money was kept in Europe, mostly in Belgium, and was blocked due to all-out war, says reporter Teri Schultz. The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, wants to provide this loan backed by Russian money because Moscow will owe Ukraine at least that much in a future peace settlement. However, Belgium fears that at some point Russia will have the right to demand this money back, and the Belgians will have to provide it. The Belgians want each EU country to sign a pledge to participate in the loan that other EU countries member states hesitated According to Schultz, this is not yet possible.

Live better

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

A new 10-week study provides the first compelling evidence that cognitive training can boost levels of a brain chemical that typically declines with age. A study of people aged 65 and older found that intense mental exercise for 30 minutes a day increased levels of the messenger chemical acetylcholine by 2.3% in the area of ​​the brain involved in attention and memory. This cognitive training seemed to reverse age-related decline in this brain region by about 10 years.

• 🧠 Of 92 healthy participants, half played computer games such as Candy Crush for 30 minutes, while the other half spent the same amount of time doing cognitive exercises. The results showed no change in acetylcholine levels in those who played the games, while cognitive training showed positive results.
• 🧠The cognitive exercises were part of a scientifically proven program that asked users to remember the types and locations of objects that appear and disappear at an increasing rate.
• 🧠Medications for early Alzheimer's disease reduced symptoms by increasing acetylcholine levels. Intensive brain training may provide similar benefits and help prevent cognitive decline, according to Michael Hasselmo of Boston University's Center for Systems Neuroscience.

Picture show

Cumbia throughout Latin America is a visual reportage highlighting the people, places and cultures that support this genre of music in six countries.

The history of Argentine cumbia cannot be analyzed without taking into account the role of migration in the genre, says Luciano Rombola, host of the radio program Cumbia de la Pura. Around the 1950s, the University of Buenos Aires welcomed foreign migrants who could study for free, which attracted many music students. Among the students was Mario Castellon from Costa Rica, who formed a band of two Colombians, a Peruvian and a Chilean to perform at the wedding. This collaboration led to the formation of Los Wawancó, one of Argentina's most iconic cumb groups. Since then, other influences such as chicha and huayno tropical from Bolivia, cachaça from Paraguay, cumbia chicheras, chacaloneras and norteñas from Peru, and Colombian cumbia have infiltrated Argentine cumbia. Find out more about Argentina influence on the genre of music and see pictures of a vibrant culture developed. You can also read the article in spanish.

3 things you need to know before your trip

1. The Museum of Christian and Gospel Music opened in Nashville this month. This is the first museum in the USA. created to celebrate a diverse history Christian music.
2. Billboard updated its system for removing songs from the Hot 100 singles chart if they are too old to qualify as contemporary hits. The new measure is confusing 10 tracks left this week's schedule.
3. This week Iceland recorded the presence of mosquitoes on its territory during for the first time in the history of the country.

This newsletter has been edited Suzanne Nuyen.