Up First from NPR - Congress Votes On Aid, Auto Workers Vote On Unionizing, New Melatonin Guidelines

Episode Date: April 20, 2024

Congress is expected to vote Saturday on aid for U.S. allies over the objections of some Republicans. Volkswagen workers at a Tennessee plant have voted overwhelmingly to join the United Auto Workers. There are new guidelines to safeguard melatonin overuse by children.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

He's serving Ukraine first and America last. Vocal critics in his own party didn't want him to do it, but today's Speaker Mike Johnson is letting the House vote on aid to Ukraine. Will it cost him his gavel? I'm Aisha Roscoe. And I'm Scott Simon, and this is Up First from NPR News. We expect votes on assistance to U.S. allies this afternoon over the objections of Republicans, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, who's already teed up a measure to oust the speaker. What to

watch? Also, more voting. VW workers in Chattanooga have been deciding over the last three days whether to join the UAW. They've said no twice over the last decade. We have the latest results. And important news for parents of sleepless children. So please stay with us. We have the news you need to start your week. Now Our Change will honor 100 years of the Royal Canadian Air Force and their dedicated service to communities at home and abroad. From the skies to our change, this $2 commemorative circulation coin marks their storied past and promising future. Find the limited edition Royal Canadian Air Force $2 coin today. It's been another topsy-turvy week in the Republican-led House of Representatives, and it's not over yet. The House is voting today on aid for Ukraine as part of a larger package to support U.S. allies, and it could cost Speaker Mike Johnson. We have to do the right thing,

and I'm going to allow an opportunity for every single member of the House to vote their conscience and their will on this. And I think that's the way this institution is supposed to work. And I'm willing to take personal risk for that because we have to do the right thing. And history will judge us. The personal risk Mr. Johnson's referring to there is his job. That's enough of his fellow Republicans have signed on to an effort that could remove him from the speakership. And Pierre Congressional Correspondent Claudia Grisales joins us. Claudia, thanks so much for being with us. Good to be with you, Scott. Mr. Johnson was once opposed to giving more aid to Ukraine. What changed? A lot. Yes, Johnson was opposed without

assurances of new U.S. border policy changes being attached to this legislation. It was that reason he refused to take up a Senate bipartisan bill because it did not have those changes. But we've since learned that Johnson changed his position after intelligence briefings and extensive prayer. Here he is earlier this week talking about the risks if Ukraine is defeated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. I think that Vladimir Putin would continue to march through Europe if he were allowed. I think he might go to the Balkans next. I think he might have a showdown with Poland or one of our NATO allies. He also quoted President John Quincy Adams saying, quote, duty is ours, results are God's. So now Johnson is facing threats from members of his own party to resign or asking him to resign or these threats that he could be forced down. Where's that threat stand

now? Well, Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene started the initial steps for so-called motion to vacate, and she could take additional steps to force a vote because of this Ukraine aid getting on the floor. This has been a red line for her. Also, she's had two more Republicans join her to co-sponsor that effort, Thomas Massey of Kentucky and Paul Gosar of Arizona. This could be the votes she needs to force him out of office. But again, she has not forced this vote yet, and it is possible Democrats step in to save Johnson. And Democrats played an enormous role in moving this package of foreign aid bills to the floor in the first place, didn't they? Yes, exactly. And this aid also includes aid to Israel and allies in the Indo-Pacific, and they would not be getting votes today if

Democrats had not stepped in. Here's Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries talking to reporters yesterday. House Democrats have once again cleared the way for legislation that is important to the American people to be processed and considered on the House floor. And what he's referring to is some rare moves we saw this week with Democrats helping get a procedural rule passed to allow votes on this bill today. And Jeffrey's defended Johnson's role as well, saying that he played a bipartisan role to get this done. Have Democrats signaled that they might step in to save Speaker Johnson? Publicly, no, but they have signaled they might. This is very different from what we saw when House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted. Democrats railed against McCarthy, and that is not the case here. In fact, Jeffries earlier this year said it was possible Democrats would protect

Johnson if he put foreign aid on the floor. And he was asked about this again yesterday and said the caucus would have to have a discussion. But he did note this aid needed to pass in totality first. And the Senate's still up there, aren't they? Exactly. They reauthorized the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, ahead of a critical deadline. And they're hoping to work through the weekend to take up these foreign aid bills, assuming the House passes them. And Pierce, Claudia Grisales. Claudia, thanks so much for being with us.

Thank you. Now that union vote in Tennessee and a historic win for the United Auto Workers, Volkswagen workers at a plant in Chattanooga have voted overwhelmingly to join the union. It's part of a larger push that the UAW is making across the South. Stephen Basaja of the Gulf States Newsroom spent the night at an election result watch party with workers. He joins us now from Chattanooga. Stephen, thanks for being with us. Yeah, thanks for having me. Must have been a happy mood at the party. Yeah, it really leaned into the party side of Election Watch Party. From the very beginning,

there was a lot of excitement in the air, along with some tension and anxiety over how it was going to go. That quickly broke when the ballot counting started coming in Friday night, because Union, they grabbed onto a quick lead and held onto it by a wide margin the whole time. Robert Crump's been at Volkswagen for 12 years and he voted for the Union in two previous elections that both failed. So how does it feel to finally be a Union member? A sense of security, a sense of relief. Yeah, it feels really, really good. More of a surreal moment. By the end of the night, about 73% of the votes were in favor of the union. What has Volkswagen's reaction been? That was one of the big questions last night. Would Volkswagen

fight this union election, this win? This is the only Volkswagen plant in the world without some form of worker representation, so working with unions is the norm. But at the same time, they've pushed back at past attempts to unionize this facility. This time around, workers say Volkswagen has been pretty neutral, and shortly after the count ended, workers were all opening up their phones to read this email from Volkswagen, noting that yes,, workers had voted unionized and thanking workers for their vote. So still seemingly pretty neutral. But the real test is going to be seeing how negotiations go for the first contract. And what's next for the UAW beyond this plant there in Chattanooga? Well, UAW's goal is recruiting non-unionized workers, mostly in the South. And this win

really builds a ton of momentum for that, and importantly, it's proof that it's possible to even do this in the South. Here's UAW President Sean Fain at the watch party. They said Southern workers aren't ready for it. They said non-union auto workers didn't have it in them. But you all said, watch this. Next month, there's going to be another union vote at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama. And there's lots of similarities to this plant. Both are large with several thousand workers. And workers I talked to at Mercedes are also

pretty fired up. The UAW said well more than a majority of workers at Mercedes signed union cards and used similar language when describing this Volkswagen plant where, again, they won. How are state and local leaders reacting? We haven't heard much yet, but earlier this week, we had six southern governors kind of send out this joint statement speaking out against the union and really sending out this warning message saying that they fear unionizing could cost the South jobs. Call State Newsroom senior reporter Stephen Bisaja. Stephen, thanks so much for being with us. Thank you, Scott.

Finally today, new guidelines for companies that make melatonin. They call for child deterrent packaging and other safety measures. Melatonin is a hormone that is widely used as a sleep aid, including by children. And in recent years, nearly 11,000 kids have visited the emergency room after taking it. Here to tell us more is NPR's Maria Godoy. Hi, Maria. Hi, Aisha. So these guidelines are coming from the dietary supplement industry itself. Like, why are they acting now?

Yeah, so the guidelines come from the Council for Responsible Nutrition, and that's the leading industry trade group for dietary supplement makers. Steve Mister is the group's CEO, and he told me they've had a task force working on this for about a year. And there are really two issues here. One is that the number of really young kids accidentally taking melatonin has skyrocketed in recent years. Mr. says this has coincided with an increased sales. This is an issue that needs to be dealt with. There's more melatonin out there and more kids seem to be getting into it.

And then the other issue is that more and more kids are taking melatonin on purpose as a sleep aid. A recent study found nearly one in five school-age kids and adolescents are now using it on a regular basis. The guidelines address both of these issues. And when we say child deterrent packaging and other safety measures, like what does that actually mean? So first of all, they call for packaging that's harder for young kids to open. And it's specifically for melatonin that's sold in flavored form. So gummies and chewables that might be appealing to kids, especially little ones who might think it's candy or even vitamins. And the guidelines also call for labels that clearly warn that melatonin can make you drowsy and should only be used with adult supervision and kept out of the reach of children. And it's only meant for occasional use, which is a point a lot of pediatricians have been making. So what is the concern about using melatonin regularly in kids? Well, so for one thing, there's just not a lot of research on melatonin use in children, especially not long term, and especially with the youngest kids.

So there really is no guidelines for dosing, like when to give it or how much. It's possible for kids to take too much, which can lead to severe headaches, stomach pains, dizziness, and extreme drowsiness. There's also concerns about how much melatonin is in a given supplement. Some studies have found that some supplements contained much more melatonin than what was listed on the label, although the industry disputes those findings. Well, given these concerns, what should parents do if they can't get their kids to sleep? Should they not use melatonin at all? So every pediatrician I've talked to recommends focusing on sleep hygiene first. So turning off screens at least an hour before bedtime, using blackout shades and noise canceling machines or earplugs,

that kind of thing. Dr. Nia Heard-Garris with Northwestern University and Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago says parents should definitely talk to their kids' pediatricians before giving them melatonin, especially if they're considering using it in the youngest kids like preschoolers, because again, it's easy to give them too much. And even in older kids, she says melatonin use should be just very occasional. You tell me that you're using it three times a week and I'm like, hmm, that's more than I want you to be using it. What's going on? If it's once a year, you know, once every like four or five months, maybe that's less of a red flag. And if you are going to use it, look for the lowest dose possible. Don't give it for more than three days at a time. And look for a product that is tested by a third party like NSF or U.S.

Pharmacopoeia so that you've got some guarantee of what's in it. NPR's Maria Godoy. Thanks so much, Maria. My pleasure. And that's Up First for Saturday, April 20th, 2024. I'm Scott Simon. And I'm Aisha Roscoe. Michael Radcliffe produced today's podcast with help from Danny Hensel and Gabe O'Connor. It was directed by Andrew Craig. And Ed McNulty edited, along with Dana Farrington, Don Clyde, Jane Greenhall, and Hadil Al-Shauchi.

Our technical director is Hannah Glugna, with engineering support from Carly Strange, Nisha Hynas, and Joby Tenseko. Evie Stone is our senior supervising editor. Sarah Oliver is our executive producer. Jim Kane is our deputy managing editor. Tomorrow on Up First, off the mark. NPRs look at hundreds of historical markers across the nation and what they tell us about ourselves. And there's more news and perspectives just like that on your radio. Find your NPR stations at stations.npr.org. Listen to us. We be out here. Yeah.

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