Anastasia Tsoukas
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The committee charged with reviewing the plans for the arch is the Commission of Fine Arts, a group President Trump has filled with his appointees.
The submitted plans from the Harrison design firm show a structure very similar to the model that Trump showed off at a fundraising dinner at the White House last October.
The proposed arch bears a striking resemblance to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and is topped with two eagles and a winged, crowned figure reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty.
On one side, the words, one nation under God, appear with the phrase, with liberty and justice for all on the other.
The structure would be more than twice the height of the nearby Lincoln Memorial.
Anastasia Tsoukas, NPR News, New York.
Administrators say this year at least five students from Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, have attempted suicide.
The district's first response was to order the removal of Junot Diaz's novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, from an advanced level class for seniors.
In the novel, the title character attempts suicide.
Free expression advocates say this is part of a nationwide trend.
The group PEN America reported in 2024 nearly 60% of banned books are titles that depict topics like grief, suicide, and depression.
After pushback from parents and students, the New Jersey district is allowing students to read the novel in class, but only if parents sign a permission form.
They're also shoring up their mental health offerings.
Anastasia Tsoukas, NPR News, New York.
The Met told NPR that these cutbacks and attempts to generate new revenue come as the opera company awaits an infusion of cash in a pending, still tentative deal with Saudi Arabia worth some $200 million.
In the meantime, the Met has cut 22 administrative jobs, instituted temporary salary reductions, and postponed the run of one opera previously announced for next season.
The Met is also looking at possibly selling two iconic murals by artist Marc Chagall that frame its entryway.
The Chagall murals are valued at some $55 million.
If they're sold, the Met expects them to remain in place at the theater, displayed on permanent loan.
Anastasia Tsoukas, NPR News, New York.