Reading Is Fundamental, Honey

Republicans remain divided over who should lead their delicate House majority after Kevin McCarthy was ousted as speaker. A vote for his replacement is set for next week – and so far, at least three Republicans have signaled that they want the job. Banned Books Week, an annual event to draw attention to the harms of censorship, has taken on new significance this year. Legislation in some GOP-led states has forced schools and libraries to pull many titles from their shelves, disproportionately targeting books about race, sexuality, and gender identity. Conrrado Saldivar, president of the Wyoming Library Association, joins us to discuss how he’s defending the right to read. And in headlines: President Biden canceled another $9 billion in student loan debt, more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente employees walked off the job as part of a three-day strike, and voting is open for Fat Bear Week 2023.