Good morning. You are reading the Up First newsletter. subscription Get it delivered to your inbox here and listen Visit the Up First Podcast for all the news you need to start your day right.
Today’s headlines
Former President Donald Trump is seeking to distance himself from Plan 2025, A controversial plan by the ultraconservative Heritage Foundation to change the U.S. government. Trump wrote on his social media site that he knew “nothing” about the project and thought they were proposing “ridiculous” things. Meanwhile, Biden’s campaign is doing everything it can to highlight Trump’s ties to the plan, which would expand his presidential powers. What exactly is Project 2025?
Jeff Dean/AP
- 🎧 This is not Trump’s plan per se but it’s a plan for NPR’s Franco Ordonez tells Trump first up. He explained that the plan in many ways embodies some of Trump’s biggest policy goals and showcases plans to execute them. The plan outlines a legal framework for reforming the federal workforce and proposes mass deportations of millions of undocumented immigrants, aligning with the platforms of Trump and the Republican National Committee.
Democrats’ private concerns about President Joe Biden are becoming public. Last night, Peter Welch became the first Democratic senator to call on Biden to end his candidacy. he wrote in an article Washington post The op-ed said Biden should step down for the “national interest.” All this scrutiny of Biden has put another person in the spotlight: Vice President Kamala Harris. Wales said she was one of several up-and-coming Democratic leaders who could step in, calling her a “capable, proven leader.”
- 🎧 NPR’s Asma Khalid says Harris is one of Biden’s key certifiers. She has been defending him and shifting the focus to Trump. Part of her strategy is to link Trump to the overthrow of the U.S. government. Roe v. Wade. “Democrats see abortion as one of the most important policies that can help them win. Harris is their chief emissary,” Khalid explained.
- 🎧 Biden faces another high-profile public test Is he sharp enough to run for re-election today? He is expected to take questions from reporters at a separate news conference at 5:30 p.m.
Frustration remains high after Hurricane Beryl devastated Houston, Texas. Nearly a million people are still without power and air conditioning as the region continues to be sweltering. Some residents used generators in their homes while waiting for a response, which led to reports of carbon monoxide poisoning.
- 🎧 “It’s a bit of a whirlwind in the newsroom,” Lucio Vasquez of Houston Public Media said. CenterPoint Energy, the region’s main utility, released a map showing areas requiring access and repairs but did not provide a timeline for those repairs. “Of the two million people who lost power, half are still in the dark,” he said.
Listened to it today
Howard Tobochnik never thought he would become a soldier. The American moved to Israel before October 7 and joined the army. The death and destruction caused by the attack.
- 🎧 Tobochnik reflects on the war and his role in it. As the death toll in Gaza soars and Israel’s war goals remain unfulfilled, he questions how much more aid he can provide. Listen to the full conversation here.
life advice
Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images
Companies have figured out how to squeeze more money out of consumers by deflating inflation. This is a form of inflation where companies not only increase prices but also reduce the number of items in a package. The price per unit goes up and you get less product for your money. Don’t worry: you can fight back. These tips will help you see through the fog of packaging gimmicks and spot the best deals:
- 💸 Find unit price. It’s a standardized measurement method that makes it easier for you to buy the best value for your money by telling you how much a product costs per pound, quart, or other unit of weight or volume.
- 💸 Get a computer. Some stores may not display unit prices. Only nine states legally require stores to do this. In this case, you can do some math. Divide the total product price by the quantity of product in the package to get the unit price.
- 💸 Hate doing math? Talk to your elected representatives about developing a policy that requires stores to post unit prices.
3 things you need to know before you go
- Hubble Space Telescope helps astronomers Evidence of an elusive black hole with a mass about 8,000 times that of the sun has been found. Finding a black hole of this size could help scientists understand the many ways black holes form and grow.
- U.S. Soccer fires U.S. men’s national soccer team head coach Gregg Berhalter, following the team’s disappointing results at the Copa America. It is the last major international event before co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Canada and Mexico.
- A man was caught trying to smuggle More than 100 live snakes entered China from Hong Kong in his pants.
This newsletter is sponsored by Suzanne Newyen.