The massive U.S. housing shortage; fixing a broken child care system; OTC birth control

Plus, disabled people are left behind as COVID restrictions lift. [View this email online]( [NPR]( by Suzanne Nuyen First up [Contractors work on the roof of a house under construction in Louisville, Ky., on July 1. "America's fallen 3.8 million homes short of meeting housing needs," says Mike Kingsella, the CEO of research group Up for Growth, which on Thursday released a study about the problem of housing shortages. "And that's both rental housing and ownership."]( Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images Here's what we're following today: The U.S. is suffering from a massive shortage of homes, both for rent and to buy. Strong demand and low supply have [driven up costs]( home prices are up more than 30% and rents have spiked dramatically, too. The U.S. child care system is broken. The Treasury Department has deemed it [a market failure]( and a shortage of providers is [keeping parents from returning]( to the workforce. Dozens of states have gotten creative as they try to fix the system. The Indianapolis Star's story about an anonymous child rape victim from Ohio who crossed state lines to get an abortion became a political lightning rod. Now a man has been [arraigned for the rape](. A pharmaceutical company in Paris is seeking approval from the FDA to provide the first over-the-counter birth control pill in the U.S. Nearly [30% of people of childbearing age]( have issues obtaining prescriptions or refills, and an over-the-counter option would be groundbreaking. A decision is expected in 2023. LGBTQ people say they don't feel safe or welcomed on social media, according to a new GLAAD study. A survey revealed 84% of LGBTQ adults feel social media companies [don't do enough to protect them]( from harassment. IRS chief Charles Rettig will be questioned by lawmakers today in relation to a New York Times report revealing that two former top FBI officials who were critical of Trump were audited in 2017 and 2019. Sen. Ron Wyden said the revelations "[raised serious concerns]( that Trump encouraged the IRS to investigate his enemies. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Picture show [A selfie of Beth Kenny (foreground), their wife Adina (middle), and their child Vyla sitting in their backyard in Alameda, Calif. Since the lifting of COVID safety measures, Kenny and their family have had to pull back from indoor activities, and they struggle to explain why to Vyla.]( Beth Kenny Many people are eager to return to a sense of pre-pandemic normalcy as COVID safety protocols are lifted across the nation. But disabled and immunocompromised people [aren't able to stop taking precautions]( and they're being left behind. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today’s listen [A mural featuring a portrait of civil rights icon Emmett Till in Chicago.]( Scott Olson/Getty Images Emmett Till's family is asking authorities to serve a 1955 arrest warrant to the white woman they say is responsible for his murder and kidnapping. 🎧 Listen as they explain [how the "white pedestal" theory]( them from getting justicefor Emmett, or [read the story](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Before you go NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI via AP - Astronomers at MIT have picked up repetitive radio signals from a galaxy billions of light-years from Earth. Scientists suspect the source of the [heartbeat-like signal]( could be neutron stars, which are made from collapsed cores of giant stars. - Kerry Hays has crowdsourced the manuals for upwards of 850 unique Super Nintendo games and [made them free]( in an online archive. - July's buck supermoon rose Tuesday night, but you still have [a few more chances to view it](. Here's how — plus why this supermoon is a "buck." - Mary McLeod Bethune, pioneering educator and civil rights activist, is the [first Black person to have a state-commissioned statue]( at the Capitol. She replaced a Confederate general. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Find a Station]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Daily News emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]