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
Israeli air strikes on Rafah killed 35 people and injured dozens more. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. The Israeli government has designated the area as a safe and humanitarian zone for Palestinians fleeing the war. Israel says it targeted a Hamas facility and killed two senior Hamas officials. The attack hit the tent and started a camp fire.
Palestinians look at the devastation caused by Israeli attacks as displaced people live in Rafah, Gaza corridor, Monday, May 27, 2024.
Jihad Alshrafi/AP/Associated Press
hide title
Switch title
Jihad Alshrafi/AP/Associated Press
- 🎧 Narrated by NPR’s Hadeel Al-Shalchi first up Until this month, Rafah had been the “last refuge” for Palestinians. Anas Baba, an NPR producer in Gaza, described the “total devastation” at the scene. Emergency physician James Smith told NPR it was the worst strike he had seen in the weeks he had been working in Rafah. More than a million Palestinians have taken refuge in Rafah. The United Nations says more than 800,000 people have fled since Israel expanded its military operations there.
Today, Americans celebrate Memorial Day and pay tribute to those who have sacrificed their lives in service to our country. Half a century ago, families of service members missing from the Vietnam War fought tooth and nail to persuade the federal government to find and return the remains of their loved ones. Now, technological advances have almost entirely changed whose remains are brought home and to whom they are brought home.
- 🎧 Jay Price of NPR’s WUNC said the length of time the U.S. government is taking to repatriate the remains is unlike other countries. The Department of Defense’s goal is to conduct 200 identifications per year. As the number of Vietnam War remains has dwindled, many are now from World War II and the Korean War. Finding next of kin for these service members can be difficult, but Sarah Wagner, an anthropologist at George Washington University, said it’s an important job. “Ultimately, it’s about belonging,” she said. “It’s about … the need to belong and the need to take care of the military – past, present and future.”
Raw dairy farmers are coming under new scrutiny as bird flu continues to infect dairy herds. The highly pathogenic influenza virus, which is fatal to birds, has spread to at least 58 herds and at least two people in nine states. USDA testing found samples of the virus in unpasteurized milk. Although federal authorities advise people not to drink this milk, it is sold and readily available in many parts of the United States. Earlier this month, an NPR reporter purchased raw milk in Texas and submitted it for testing. But when a USDA-approved laboratory was authorized to test milk for the H5N1 avian influenza virus, the farm asked for permission to test the milk, but the farm refused.
deep dive
When it comes to evaluating which is the most sustainable reading format in the face of human-caused climate change, paperbacks and e-readers each have their pros and cons.
JGI/Daniel Greer/Getty Images
hide title
Switch title
JGI/Daniel Greer/Getty Images
According to the Association of American Publishers, digital reading is on the rise, especially audiobooks. An e-reader or audiobook is more convenient than carrying a paperback with you. But which one is more environmentally friendly? It depends on how greedy you are with your readers. 📚 The print book publishing industry is the world’s third largest emitter of industrial greenhouse gases. In the United States, 32 million trees are cut down each year to make books.
- 📚 Some publishers are turning to print-on-demand and use greener fonts to become more sustainable.
- 📚 Although digital devices do not require paper, Their casings are made from fossil fuel-derived plastic, and the minerals in the batteries require significant resources to be mined.
- 📚 You have to read the equivalent of about 36 small paperbacks Before e-readers break even on their carbon footprint.
Listened to it today
Carol Leone, chair of piano studies at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts, performs in 2016 on a Steinway grand piano modified by DS Standard with a smaller keyboard become.
Courtesy of Hannah Lehman.
hide title
Switch title
Courtesy of Hannah Lehman.
For those with smaller hands, play difficult piano pieces such as Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 May be physically unreachable. In fact, Joseph Hoffmann – a friend of the Russian composer to whom the concerto was dedicated – refused to perform the piece in public because of his small hands. He asked the Steinway Piano Company to build him a narrower piano. Today, most piano companies still refuse to produce stretto (narrow) keyboards. Pianist Hannah Reimann wants to change that. Her International Stretto Piano Festival runs until June 4th.
- 🎧 Listen to some of the music she plays on stretto piano — It sounds just like music played on a regular piano! Hear Reimann explain how playing the piano can help reduce injuries, help children learn the instrument faster, and level the playing field for both men and women in piano competitions.
3 things you need to know before you go
Buck Air officially launched this week and completed its first flight from New York to Los Angeles on Thursday. It also flies to London and plans to add more routes in the coming months.
Joe Gall/Buck
hide title
Switch title
Joe Gall/Buck
- Dogs could soon get first-class jet treatment. BARK Air describes itself as “the world’s first air travel experience designed specifically for dogs, followed by their human companions.”
- Who has time to watch 4 hours of YouTube videos? As it turns out, there are millions of people (including me). Pop Culture Happy Hour Glen Weldon reflects on why YouTuber Jenny Nicholson’s review/eulogy for the shuttered Disney Star Wars Hotel was so successful, and how a well-made production can engage an audience even if it’s A time investment.
- The Birmingham Southern University Panthers have advanced to the Division III College World Series. Their achievement is bittersweet as the school announced in March that it was closing due to financial difficulties.
This newsletter is sponsored by Trey Green.
