Here & Now Anytime

George Washington could have stayed president for a third term, yet in his famous Farewell Address, he wrote that he would “decline being considered." He penned that address by candlelight in 1796, and curator Lisa Kathleen Graddy explains why the brass stand that held those candles is a significant part of American history.

Then, Ethel Payne was the first Black American woman to become an international news correspondent. A flowered, wide brim hat made her stand out in a room full of male reporters, and Smithsonian curator Jennifer Sieck shares how this hat represents Payne’s legacy.

And, few musicians have changed American music quite like John Coltrane did. He pushed jazz in new directions over his short career. Smithsonian curator Krystal Klingenberg talks about a tenor saxophone that Coltrane played in his final years.

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Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old Democratic Socialist, won the Democratic primary in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, in Denver, over 15-term incumbent Diana DeGette. KUSA politics reporter Kyle Clark breaks down more primary takeaways.

Then, a large part of the U.S. is under extreme heat warnings as temperatures are expected to hit triple digits this week. Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist at the Nature Conservancy, explains the dangers and causes of this potentially record-breaking heat.

And, Bobby Bonilla retired from the MLB in 2001. But every July 1, he gets a $1.19-million check from his former team, the New York Mets. Planet Money’s Kenny Malone breaks down one of the strangest contracts in baseball history.

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The Supreme Court has struck down President Trump's executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship. Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, explains the decision, which is in line with the longstanding legal interpretation of the 14th Amendment.

Then, Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, explains why he still believes birthright citizenship should be limited.

And, in another major decision, the Supreme Court ruled against two transgender athletes by saying schools can determine sports eligibility based on biological sex. Orion Rummler, LGBTQ+ reporter for The 19th, shares more.

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The president can now fire most independent regulators, ending a nearly century-old precedent. Mark Joseph Stern, who covers the courts and the law for Slate, weighs in on the consequential opinion.

Then, Alan Blinder, former vice chair of the Federal Reserve, talks about a separate but related decision that upholds the independence of the Federal Reserve.

And, a new bridge between the U.S. and Canada has been built but the Trump administration won't allow it to open. Michigan Public Radio's Rick Pluta explains how it may be an apt metaphor for a low point in U.S.-Canada relations.

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Every storyteller has a tool: a notebook, a camera, a microphone. For legendary author Octavia Butler, it was a powder blue typewriter. That typewriter is now in the Smithsonian Institution's Anacostia Community Museum, and acting curator Jennifer Sieck explains Butler’s influence on the country’s history. 

And, the megalodon was one of the biggest fish that ever lived, with seven-inch-long teeth and jaws with 40,000 pounds of bite force. Don’t worry: The megalodon swam between 3.6 and 23 million years ago. But you can still see a model hanging from the ceiling in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. Curator Nick Pyenson explains why Americans remain fascinated with megalodons.

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