ReadNOW

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Today’s top stories

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday that it will allow the Trump administration to resume dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. The Court overruled a lower court that temporarily paused massive cuts at the department. Congress created the department by law and President Trump promised to shut it down without any change in that law, which is why opponents sued.

• 🎧 The court’s decision now means that roughly 1,400 Education Department workers will lose their jobs, ReadNOW’s Cory Turner tells Up First. The work that those employees did, including helping local schools support kids with disabilities and children living in poverty, may also cease. The ruling isn’t the final word as the case continues to work its way through lower courts. The plaintiffs’ concern is that by the time they get a final ruling in court, it might not matter, as the harm to the department could be irreversible, Turner stated.

Some Trump supporters over the weekend were surprised when he urged them to move on from the Epstein files. The Justice Department and the FBI released a two-page memo last week stating they found no evidence to support conspiracy theories about the life and death of disgraced financier and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. They stated he really did kill himself in jail in 2019 and left no client list. This comes after Attorney General Pam Bondi previously said on Fox News that she had the list on her desk.

• 🎧 Heading into the last election, a central concept of Trump’s MAGA ideology was the belief that there was a deep state cabal of shadowy figures protecting pedophiles and unsavory people running the government and obstructing Trump’s agenda, says ReadNOW’s Stephen Fowler. Now, Trump has a baseless theory about the files, suggesting Democrats created them to target him. Fowler says it is uncertain if Trump’s shift on the topic has hurt his favorability with his supporters, but it does reiterate the stranglehold the president has on the shape and direction of the GOP.

Trump yesterday threatened to implement heavy tariffs on countries that trade with Moscow if the Kremlin doesn’t reach a ceasefire deal with Ukraine by September. The president also promised Ukraine billions of dollars worth of U.S.-made military equipment, which NATO countries in Europe will pay for.

• 🎧 ReadNOW’s Charles Maynes says the president’s change of tone on Russia was quite a shift. A big driver in this shift is Trump’s frustration with and even a sense of betrayal by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The president said he thought he had a peace deal with Putin four separate times, only to see Russian attacks in Ukraine continue. Some in Moscow see the 50-day grace period provided for the ceasefire as a sign that Trump isn’t ready to give up on Russia.

Living better

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

Doctors are writing “social prescriptions” to get people engaged with nature, art, exercise and volunteering in the same way they would prescribe pills or therapy. Research has shown it can help with mental health, chronic disease and dementia. The method worked for Frank Frost. He gained weight and was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in his 50s. A doctor found out he used to love riding a bike as a kid and gave him a prescription for a 10-week cycling course for adults getting back into cycling. The prescription led to Frost developing friends, losing 100 pounds and getting his diabetes under control. Julia Hotz, the author of The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging, shares details on the health approach:

• 🚲 Health providers in around 30 countries are practicing social prescribing to address symptoms of Type 2 diabetes, chronic pain, dementia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and more. A growing number of U.S. providers are also embracing the approach.
• 🚲 Social prescribing can save money due to a reduction in emergency room visits and repeat visits to primary care physicians. Health care systems have acknowledged that it can be cheaper to cover weeks of Zumba classes than medication over the course of a lifetime.
• 🚲 People interested in social prescribing can visit the map on Social Prescribing USA’s website to find a list of organizations and health systems involved in this practice.

Picture show

The theme of this year’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., was youth and the future of culture. The event showcased a diverse range of talent. A 26-year-old Bolivian rapper infused his unique style into Spanish hip-hop by incorporating words from his father’s indigenous language. Two refugee weavers made a traditional bag as they work to revitalize their ancient art form. A Guatemalan artist created a mural that highlights her Mayan culture. A Mexican American dad and his two daughters demonstrated techniques for shaping a guitar passed down from their great-grandfather. The Goats and Soda team sat down with the four ensembles to talk about their craft, the youth they mentor and the cultural traditions they’re keeping alive. Read what they had to say and see photos of their craft.

3 things to know before you go

1. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday that he is relaunching his campaign for New York City mayor, this time as an independent candidate. (via Gothamist)
2. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has suspended his police minister after serious allegations linking him to organized crime.
3. Los Angeles is now three years away from the Olympic Games, and to commemorate the occasion, organizers yesterday released a preview of the competition schedule. (via LAist)

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.