Hurricane Helene 2024; Netanyahu at the United Nations: NPR

Good morning You are reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and Hear The Up First podcast has all the news you need to start your day.

Today’s top stories

Hurricane Helene weakened to a Category 1 storm as it moved north from Florida into Georgia after hitting the Big Bend region of Florida as a strong Category 4 storm late Thursday. The storm made landfall with winds of up to 140 miles per hour and a storm surge of 20 feet. Initial reports indicated there were three storm-related deaths. Helene could potentially destroy large parts of the south in the coming hours and days.

People are splashed by the pounding surf from Tampa Bay as Hurricane Helene passes offshore on September 26, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Hide caption

Toggle label

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

• 🎧 NPR’s Frank Morris tells First up The storm made landfall in an area of ​​dense tree cover and likely resulted in… Thousands of fallen trees. Nearly 5,000 people in Florida stayed in emergency shelters. However, some, like 85-year-old James Judy, rode out the storm in his home, saying he simply hates leaving the house. Winds will ease this morning, but there is a chance the rain will become heavier, causing widespread flash flooding and possible river flooding.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make his case at the United Nations today as he continues to reject a US-backed ceasefire proposal for Lebanon. This week at the United Nations, world leaders called for a ceasefire in Lebanon’s Gaza Strip. More than 90,000 people in Lebanon have fled their homes this week amid Israeli attacks.

• 🎧 U.S. officials told reporters they had achieved a breakthrough in a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon proposed by the U.S. and FranceBut it seems like that was wishful thinking, says NPR’s Michele Kelemen. Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi said yesterday that this was a pattern and that the world had failed to hold Israel accountable. The US argument to Israel was that Hezbollah would stop firing rockets if an agreement was reached with Hamas in Gaza. But Israel doesn’t believe this and sees this as a fight with Iranian proxies.

The Sudanese army has launched a major offensive against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum to recapture the capital. The RSF has controlled the capital for more than a year. Millions of people have been displaced since the war began, representing the world’s worst displacement and hunger crisis.

• 🎧 The surprise attack involves fighting that has not occurred in the capital region since Maysays NPR’s Emmanuel Akinwotu. The army has advanced a few miles into the capital. Although it is unclear how this will end, Akinwotu says it is “a bold attempt to shift the balance of power.” At the United Nations, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the president of Sudan’s interim government, said the army was committed to peace but would never negotiate with the RSF.

Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary in Pennsylvania has failed to take necessary steps to reduce the risk of suicide among its inmates, according to the most recent audit of the medium-security men’s institution. A report from the Bureau of Prisons watchdog found that prisoners with mental illnesses at Lewisburg were held in solitary confinement for longer than BOP policy recommended, usually with another prisoner with a mental illness. This puts them at higher risk of attacks and even death. Here’s a closer look at the other issues plaguing the site.

We, the voters

A Martinez walks with touts in Nevada.

Jacob Kepler/NPR

Hide caption

Toggle label

Jacob Kepler/NPR

This essay was written by A Martinez, Morning edition And First up host

Pessimism, skepticism and exhaustion are the three things that stick in my mind from voters about my trip to Nevada.

As I went door to door with touts, I would ask people how they feel about how the election went. Before they answered, I noticed that they rolled their eyes, shook their heads, sighed, or expressed in some other nonverbal way how tired they were… before saying they just wanted it to be over already.

I thought tipped workers might be optimistic, Considering that both presidential candidates promised during campaign stops in Las Vegas that their tips would no longer be taxed if they were elected. No. There was a feeling that nothing comes for free, and many wondered how the government would make up for the lost tax revenue from their tips.

An hour and a half west of Las Vegas, I visited the town of Pahrump in rural and conservative Nye County. I’ve spoken to many Trump supporters who were convinced that even if Trump won, Congress would somehow prevent him from fulfilling his campaign promises.

My final question to everyone I spoke to was this: Where do you hope we are as a country? the day after the election? Pretty much every answer contained the word “united”… just as the name suggests: United States of America.

Weekend tips

His three daughters. (L-R) Natasha Lyonne as Rachel, Elizabeth Olsen as Christina and Carrie Coon as Katie in His Three Daughters. Cr. Sam Levy/Netflix © 2024.

Sam Levy/Netflix

Hide caption

Toggle label

Sam Levy/Netflix

Look at what NPR watch, read and listen this weekend:

🍿Movies: Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon and Natasha Lyonne portray sisters who are at odds but must come together in their dying father’s apartment in the new Netflix film His three daughters.

📺 Television: Police detective Lois Tryon teams up with a nun, who is also a journalist, to solve a series of heinous crimes that may have been fabricated to mock her grotesque. Here are some other shows premiering this week.

📚 Books: Sally Rooney’s fourth novel intermezzo is a story about learning to accept loss. It follows two Irish brothers, 32-year-old Peter Koubek and 22-year-old Ivan, as they navigate their difficult relationships with each other and women after their father’s death.

🎵 Music: Keith Garret will release his jazz album The Old Country: More from the Deer Head Inn on November 8th, which was recorded in 1992 with a trio. Before that, he offers NPR network station WRTI the world premiere of his stirring first single, “Straight, No Chaser.”

🎮 Games: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is the first game in the main series starring Princess Zelda. NPR’s James Perkins Mastromarino explains how it compares to the rest of the series.

❓Quiz: This week’s news ranged from a zoo saying it would send its pandas packing to an indicted mayor. Do you have what it takes?

3 things you should know before you go

FILE – Hoda Kotb appears on NBC’s “Today” show at Rockefeller Plaza on Thursday, May 19, 2022, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

Hide caption

Toggle label

Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

1. Hoda Kotb, NBC’s longtime co-host Today showShe announced yesterday that she was leaving the program.
2. States that have enacted anti-transgender laws for minors saw There was a 72% increase in suicide attempts by transgender and gender non-conforming teens in the following years, according to a new study from The Trevor Project. If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide or is in crisis, call or text 9-8-8 to make that happen Suicide and crisis lifeline.
3. Louisiana Representative Clay Higgins withdrew his comments yesterday Haitian immigrants in a now-deleted social media post. He was criticized for amplifying the false claims.

This newsletter was published by Suzanne Nuyen.