Congress has a June deadline to raise the debt ceiling, but there's a tense political standoff to be settled. It's not the first time something like this has happened. In 2011, Republicans were also trying to secure spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt limit. NPR's Ron Elving joins us. And, the Syrian refugee crisis has been going on for 12 years now, and it hasn't shown many signs of improvement. Political violence and natural disasters have forced more than 14 million Syrians out of their homes. Cate Blanchett — actor and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees goodwill ambassador — discusses her recent trip to Jordan and meetings with Syrian refugees. Then, gun violence and mass shootings are daily occurrences in the U.S., but new research shows that rates of gun violence differ across the country. Colin Woodard, researcher and director of the Nationhood Lab at Salve Regina University in Rhode Island, joins us.