Why the Supreme Court decision on affirmative action matters Only a small portion of U.S. colleges have selective admissions, where race-conscious admissions can make a difference in who gets in. But the impacts of banning affirmative action are far wider. Read more on NPR

Our own Milky Way is sending out neutrinos, the so-called ‘ghost particles’ Scientists have detected these strange particles from outer space before, but this is the first time they’ve caught cosmic neutrinos from our own Milky Way Read more on NPR

A big swath of the U.S. is under red and purple air quality alerts from Canada’s smoke In Madison, Wis., the air quality was measured at 242 Thursday morning— a “very unhealthy” purple alert rating that many other communities shared, particularly in the Midwest. Read more on NPR

Read the Supreme Court decision reversing decades of precedent on affirmative action The Supreme Court ruled that race-conscious admissions are unconstitutional in a pair of cases involving Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Read the full opinion. Read more on NPR

16 people are hospitalized after an Amtrak train crashes into a water truck The Coast Starlight train was carrying 186 passengers when it rammed into a public works tanker truck on a raised gravel crossing. The truck’s driver was taken to a trauma center. Read more on NPR

The Supreme Court rules against USPS in Sunday work case The court ruled in favor of an evangelical Christian Postal Service carrier who refused to work on Sundays for religious reasons. Read more on NPR

Supreme Court finds Harvard, UNC’s admissions policy violate the 14th Amendment The decision reverses decades of precedent upheld over the years by narrow court majorities that included Republican-appointed justices. Read more on NPR