Netanyahu talks Gaza’s future while Sean ‘Diddy’ combs is accused of rape
How to Be Joyful and Why Prison Labor Has a Chance? The BIG JOY Project Reveals a Simple Way to Add Joy to Your Life
Five years ago this month, Colorado became the first state to change its constitution to ban forced prison labor. But people incarcerated there say their daily lives haven’t changed. More than 14,000 prisoners in Colorado have been written up for failure to work since the amendment went into effect, according to data obtained from the Department of Correction. The advocates and academics talk about why prison labor is hard to dismantle. Listen to the story and read it.
It’s easy to add joy to your life if you start small. The BIG JOY project — a collaboration between UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and other institutions — discovered that every day “micro-acts” of joy boost emotional well-being by 25% over the course of a week. Here’s how to try it and why it works:
Source: Up First briefing: Congress avoids government shutdown; Biden and Xi meeting takeaways
The First Face-to-Face Meeting between the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives to the Joint Committee on Veterans Affairs
A group of U.S. Senators are asking the Department of Veteran Affairs to immediately stop foreclosing homes of veterans and service members. They cited an NPR investigation that found thousands of veterans at risk of losing their homes through no fault of their own. Veterans taking a Covid mortgage forbearance was told that their missed payments would be moved to the end of their loan. The VA ended the program.
This week, Israeli troops closed in on Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, which is the territory’s main hospital. The lack of medical supplies in Gaza because of the blockade by Israel had been one of the factors that stopped al-Shifa from functioning.
Biden met with the China’s President in San Francisco. The two leaders announced new agreements to reopen military communication and reduce the flow of precursor ingredients used to make fentanyl from China to the U.S. Here are takeaways from their first face-to-face meeting in a year.
The Senate passed a stopgap spending bill last night in order to avoid a government shutdown tomorrow. The bill now heads to President Biden to be signed. The four federal agencies will be funded over the course of a few weeks. It is a must for the House and Senate to negotiate 12 annual spending bills in the early part of next year.
The Status of Hamas in the Gaza Hospital, Revealed by Prime Minister David Netanyahu in an Interview with Morning Edition Steve Inskeep
It’s a good morning. You’re reading a newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.
“After we defeat Hamas, we have to make sure that we do not see a return of terrorism, and the only force that is able to secure that is Israel,” Netanyahu said.
But the interview with Morning Edition’s Steve Inskeep was notable for what the prime minister did not say: who he thinks should govern the territory with a population of 2.3 million, now devastated by six weeks of Israeli bombing.
Israeli officials say Israel is responding to an attack on October 7 by Hamas that resulted in 1,200 deaths. Palestinian officials say the Israeli response has killed more than 11,000. Israeli troops now directly control much of northern Gaza, and this week occupied a major hospital center.
Israel allowed Hamas to govern Gaza so that it would not have to, before October 7. Israel says Hamas can’t be allowed to rule.
It’s unclear who would replace Hamas in the seat of government. The leader of the Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank, has said he is not interested — and Israel doesn’t want that either.
Netanyahu compared the situation in Gaza to the Allies’ occupation of Germany and Japan after World War II, after their surrender, for administrative and rehabilitative purposes (such a move by Israel, however, would likely be unilateral).
Israel said Hamas had a command center underneath Al Shifa, an assertion that the U.S. has publicly supported and Hamas has denied. The Israeli military said its troops found weapons and other equipment — as well as the bodies of two hostages — in the area of the complex. But those statements have not been independently confirmed.
Israel now takes over the command center of the hospital that was found to contain weapons, bombs, and other items, according to Netanyahu. He added that as troops moved in, they brought Arabic-speaking doctors and incubators with them.
The safeguards are not absolute and the hospital is protected during war. Human rights groups continue to call for a cease-fire, which Netanyahu has said cannot happen until all the hostages are released.
Hundreds gathered yesterday to mourn Canadian Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver, whose remains were found at her home in Kibbutz Be’eri. She’s thought to have been held hostage by Hamas after the attacks. Silver spent her life pursuing peace in the region.
The next generation is tired of talking about rape and drugs: yakson in Korea, malish in Delhi, and piojito in Latin America
United Auto Workers union members voted to approve a new contract. The 25% wage increase will be the biggest victory for the union in decades. Ford and Stellantis workers are still casting votes for their new contracts.
The R&B singer has accused the Hip-Hop mogul of rape, sex trafficking and more. The lawsuit alleges that Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, met Combs when she was 19 and he was 37 and that Combs’ pattern of abuse began soon after she joined his record label in 2006.
Everyone was surprised when Arévalo won the Guatemalan presidential election. Since then, the government has launched a campaign to keep him from taking power. The president-elect may face charges for his role in a protest at the university.
Parenting advice often focuses on what to say rather than what to do when kids are upset or grumpy. A warm, calm feeling can be triggered when words fail. It’s called yakson in Korea, malish in Delhi and piojito in Latin America. This phenomenon has been the subject of decades of research.
The Killer, The Highest Rated Actor, and the Rise and Fall of Mexican Folk Music in the Age of Technicolor (Extended Abstract)
In the new film The Killer, Michael Fassbender plays an efficient international hitman whose detached and methodical life falls apart when a hit goes wrong.
The last season of The Crown focuses on Princess Diana’s death. Critic Eric Deggans says it fleshes out an important moment for the royal family in a creative, telling way — as long as you remember you’re not watching a drama, not the History Channel.
Zahra Hankir, a journalist, explores how the beauty product connects to cultures and eras from ancient Egypt to the advent of social media.
The first regional Mexican artist to reach the top of the charts was Peso Pluma. NPR’s Alt. Latino discusses the rise of regional Mexican music and why people don’t have enough of this form of Mexican folk music.
