Missouri executes man prosecutors thought innocent. And, FAFSA’s disastrous launch

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Today’s top stories

The recent changes to the FAFSA have been plagued by errors and miscommunication from the U.S. Department of Education, affecting millions of students who rely on student aid. The U.S. Government Accountability Office testified yesterday about the issues during the last application cycle and what needs to be done to improve the next one. It identified 55 defects in the form that caused confusion for students and their families.

• 🎧 During the early rollout, nearly three-quarters of all calls to FAFSA’s call center weren’t answered due to understaffing, adding to the frustrations many experienced, NPR’s Cory Turner tells Up First. The GAO review also showed that around 9% fewer high school seniors and other first-time applicants submitted a form, with the largest decline among lower-income students. The Education Department has postponed the form’s next launch to Dec. 1 and has tried to reassure students that they’ve learned from their mistakes.

Last night, the state of Missouri executed Marcellus Williams, a man whom prosecutors have come to believe was innocent of a 1998 murder. Williams consistently maintained that he had nothing to do with Felicia Gayle’s killing. No forensic evidence tied him to the crime scene. However, police did find some of Gayle’s belongings in his car, and he had pawned a laptop belonging to her husband. Despite several last-ditch legal efforts to save his life, he was put to death by lethal injection.

• 🎧 Further testing of the knife used in the murder revealed DNA belonging to two former employees of the prosecutor’s office, according to Rachel Lippman of NPR network station St. Louis Public Radio. Both later admitted they touched the weapon without wearing gloves, which could potentially contaminate any DNA evidence that could exclude Williams as the killer. St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell also tried to stop the execution based on new evidence that a potential juror may have been excluded based on race.

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Visa, alleging that the company has illegally monopolized the debit card market. The lawsuit claims that Visa’s actions led to higher prices for both businesses and consumers. According to the lawsuit, Visa controls over 60% of the debit card transactions in the United States and earns more than $7 billion annually in processing fees. The company is accused of setting prices in a way that makes it very costly for merchants to use any other processing company.

We, the voters

NPR is visiting six key swing states that will likely decide this year’s historic election. This week, Morning Edition is in Nevada to listen to voters about what matters to them and how that will affect their vote.

Even on an 89-degree day in Las Vegas, Nev., canvassers work hard to talk with voters in their community about the upcoming election. NPR’s A Martínez accompanied canvassers from the conservative group The Libre Initiative and the Culinary Workers Union. To win Nevada in this election, it is crucial to win Clark County, which holds more than two-thirds of the state’s population. In order to do this, canvassing is essential. but for it to be effective, voters have to open their doors.

• 🎧 Listen to the concerns some Nevadans told canvassers they have about the upcoming election.

Picture show

You might have heard of twin telepathy, but twin brothers Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo take it a step further. The artist duo, best known as Osgemeos, says their creativity is in sync as if they are one artist. Their distinctive graffiti style earned them art world recognition in their birthplace of Brazil and beyond. Their playful artworks have graced murals, parks, bridges, major museums, galleries and more. OSGEMEOS: Endless Story will be displayed at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., starting Sept. 29.

• 📷 See photos of the artist duo’s works throughout the years, including a peek at the exhibit on display at Hirshhorn.

3 things to know before you go

1. Brett Favre, the Hall of Fame quarterback who led the Green Bay Packers to a 1997 Super Bowl victory, revealed yesterday during a U.S. House Ways and Means Committee hearing that he has Parkinson’s disease.
2. In 2009, Megan Atherton, who was 23 years old, had just been evicted from her Maryland apartment. While traveling home to find a new place to live, her car broke down and needed serious repairs. A nearby woman and unsung hero named Toni supported the panicked Atherton and took her in overnight, helping to put her at ease.
3. A man who was abducted from a California park in 1951 at the age of six has been found alive and well on the East Coast, thanks to DNA testing and the persistent efforts of his family.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.