Harris’s Economic Plan; The “Song of the Summer”: NPR

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Today’s most important news

Vice President Harris will focus on grocery store prices and housing costs in her first major campaign speech, which she will deliver later today in Raleigh, N.C. She will unveil her economic plan, centered on two issues that are top of mind for voters. It comes as the Democratic presidential nominee faces criticism for offering scant details on her vision for the role, and as her Republican opponent Donald Trump seeks to blame her for high prices.

• 🎧 NPR’s Asma Khalid told Up First that he is expected to expand the child tax credit and focus on reducing spending on health care, housing and food. Harris will seek a federal ban on price gouging in the food industry. She also wants to give first-time home buyers $25,000 toward their down payment, a plan that could help about 4 million people. Khalid says the economy is one of Harris’ biggest political vulnerabilities because many voters are nostalgic for the Trump economy they remember from before COVID.

Former President Trump has been pressured by Republicans to focus on policy issues rather than crowd size and personal attacks. This week, Trump talked about the economy. Speaking at a rally in North Carolina and a large press conference at his New Jersey golf club, Trump talked about his plan to eliminate taxes on tips and Social Security benefits for about 45 minutes. He then took questions about Israel, the assassination attempt on him, jobs and Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’s running mate, though he veered off topic and returned to personal attacks.

• 🎧 Yesterday’s event was part of Trump’s efforts to emphasize that he is answering questions while Harris has not held a press conference.says NPR’s Franco Ordoñez. While Republicans are calling on him to tone down his personal attacks, he said he’s the nominee, he has to campaign his way, and that’s what many of his supporters love about him. Harris is expected to make another public-opinion boost during next week’s Democratic National Convention. Trump has said his campaign strategy is to paint her as a radical liberal from California. He’ll also work hard to steal the show with counterprogramming every day by holding rallies and J.D. Vance by giving interviews.

Five people, including two California doctors and an alleged drug dealer, have been charged and arrested in connection with the death of actor Matthew Perry. Best known as Chandler Bing from Friends, Perry died last October from the acute effects of ketamine. Officials said at a news conference yesterday that a vast underground criminal network supplied him with the drugs that ultimately killed him. The “Ketamine Queen of North Hollywood,” Jasveen Sangha, and Dr. Salvador Plasencia were among those arrested. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said the defendants were more interested in making money off Perry than in caring for his well-being.

• 🎧 A Drug Enforcement Administration official said that while trying to get help for anxiety and depression, Perry became addicted to ketaminesays LAist reporter Robert Garrova. Doctors refused to increase his dosage, so he turned to other doctors who were ready to profit. He paid $55,000 for about 20 vials of ketamine over two months last year.

Today’s Listening

In the race for the unofficial but coveted title of “song of the summer,” Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” currently reigns supreme. It’s No. 1 for the fourth consecutive week on Billboard’s Hot 100, and it’s also the most-streamed song, the best-selling song, and the song with the most airplay at radio. The rest of the chart, however, has been strangely static this week, but there are hints as to which songs could claim the top spot before the summer is out.

Weekend Picks

Look what NPR is watching, reading and listening this weekend:

🍿Movie: CuckooAn elegantly bizarre horror film, it stars Hunter Schafer as an American teenager who reluctantly moves with her family to a mysterious resort in the German Alps. Her rebellious spirit clashes with the resort’s creepy owner.

📚 Books: Wendell Berry’s new collection of poems, Another Day: Saturday Poems2013-2023, brings to life the joys and sorrows of hardworking rural Kentucky residents.

🎵 Music: Louis Cole is a prolific musician, best known as a drummer, whose style has straddled the nexus of jazz, funk and rock over the past decade. Now, he has taken on new musical challenges: writing music for a choir and a new album of orchestral music, called Nothing.

🥘 Food: Starred chef René Redzepi, host of the new show Omnivorous on Apple TV+, joins Bull’s-eye with Jesse Thorn‘S I wish I had done it segment to talk about a recipe he wished he had invented: a delicious vegetable dish called Le Gargouillou.

❓Quiz: After a barrage of blissful news about election-campaign pranks and the Olympics, we’re back to the same old stew of science, retail, and animals. Do you think you’re up to the challenge?

3 things to know before you leave

1. Stonehenge’s ‘Altar Stone’ may have come from Scotland, researchers say. This means that the monolith, weighing around 5,500kg, at the centre of one of the world’s most mysterious monuments, was somehow transported hundreds of kilometres to England before the invention of the wheel.
2. The Washington Post is reviewing a book by popular tech columnist Taylor Lorenz private social media story, which appears to label President Joe Biden a “war criminal” in a photo. Lorenz disputes the authenticity of the photo.
3. TikTok claims it faces the “largest speech restriction” in US historyin its latest court filing in its fight to avoid being banned. The Chinese-owned social media app argues that government claims that it could be used for Chinese propaganda are unfounded.

This newsletter was curated by Obed Manuel.