Up First from NPR - Israel Calls Reservists, NATO & Ukraine, Hurricane Erin

Israel plans to call up 60,000 reservists for a new Gaza City offensive, even as Hamas says it has accepted a ceasefire deal. 
U.S. and European officials are drafting security guarantees for Ukraine.
And Hurricane Erin is flooding North Carolina's Outer Banks and forcing evacuations as it tracks up the East Coast.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Ryland Barton, Andrew Sussman, Susanna Capelouto, Adriana Gallardo and Mohamad ElBardicy.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Destinee Adams, and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange. 


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The Indicator from Planet Money - What happens when railroads get hitched

Two freight-rail giants could make history if their $85 billion merger gets approved. Union Pacific’s proposed marriage with Norfolk Southern would create the first coast-to-coast rail network. So why hasn’t it happened before now? Today on the show, the business of train mergers.  

Related episodes: 
How Yellow wound up in the red 

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.  

Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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NPR's Book of the Day - ‘Atlantic’ writer James Parker says his odes are exercises in gratitude and attention

James Parker finds inspiration for odes in small and large things: history, America, brain farts, his flip phone, Pablo Neruda, meditation. The Atlantic staff writer’s book Get Me Through the Next Five Minutes spans these subjects and more. In today’s episode, Parker joins Here & Now’s Anthony Brooks for a conversation that touches on the subjects he’s found difficult to write odes to, the origins of ode, and what it means to stay ode-ready.


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1A - The new reality for student loan borrowers

Nearly 43 million Americans have federal student loan debt. Their borrowing totals more than $1.8 trillion. That’s according to the Education Data Initiative.

Now, the federal student loan system is facing significant changes under the Trump administration.

One of the biggest differences is the end of the Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE plan, started by President Joe Biden. The income-driven program offers low monthly payments and an expedited path to loan forgiveness. 

Republicans challenged the plan in court where it’s still tied up, leaving the 7.7 million enrollees in limbo.

How is the Trump administration overhauling the federal student loan system? And what does this mean for the tens of millions of current and future borrowers?

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Consider This from NPR - What’s Trump doing in DC?

President Trump says the administration’s takeover of DC is making life safer. But many of the city’s residents and business owners are questioning the administration’s moves?  So what exactly is the goal of the federal takeover in DC?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Avery Keatley and Megan Lim, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Courtney Dorning.


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State of the World from NPR - The “White Walkers” of Gaza

In the Gaza Strip thousands of exhausted, hungry people seek meager food at a distribution site in the north. Those lucky enough to get one of the sacks of white flour given out are called “white walkers”, a reference to zombie-like characters in the television show "Game of Thrones". But many leave empty-handed and simply seeking the food aid is dangerous and often deadly. We go to one of these sites to see the dangers hungry Palestinians will face in search of food.

You can see a short video version of this report here.

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Up First from NPR - Governors and the National Guard, Europe and Ukraine, Texas Redistricting

Six governors are sending National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. to back President Trump's crime crackdown there. European leaders weigh the options for a ceasefire and security guarantees for Ukraine. And the Texas Legislature appears on the verge of redrawing congressional districts that will help Republicans in the midterm elections, as requested by Trump.

Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter. 

Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Martha Ann Overland, Tara Neil, Ryland Barton, Acacia Squires, Olivia Hampton and Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

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The Indicator from Planet Money - Cobalt-free batteries reign in Chinese EVs. Why not the US?

There’s been an era-defining race underway between two types of batteries used in electric vehicles: lithium batteries that use cobalt, and ones that use iron phosphate. Cobalt, a metal with a checkered human rights record, has been in the lead. Until recently. 

Henry Sanderson’s book on the elements that build electric vehicles is Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green.

Related episodes: 
The race to produce lithium 
How batteries are already changing the grid 
How batteries are riding the free market rodeo in Texas 
How EV batteries tore apart Michigan (Update) 
Batteries are catching fire at sea 

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Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter

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Short Wave - The Yellowstone Wolf Controversy

Thirty years ago, park rangers reintroduced grey wolves into Yellowstone National Park. They wanted to restore the ecosystem and get the elk population, which had decimated the plant community, in check. And it worked – or so the popular narrative suggests. But is it really so simple? Today on the show, we explore how the Yellowstone ecosystem has changed since wolves returned and whether those changes can really be pinned solely on wolves. Plus, how the narrative of the Yellowstone wolf legacy could affect wolf reintroduction elsewhere.

Curious about other science controversies? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

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NPR's Book of the Day - In ‘The Hounding,’ rumors swirl around five sisters living in 18th-century England

Author Xenobe Purvis says the premise for her new novel is based on a nugget of history. In 1700, a doctor reported that five sisters in Oxfordshire, England were said to be “seized with frequent barking in the manner of dogs.” Purvis’ The Hounding imagines what happens to these girls after a ferryman starts a dangerous rumor about them. In today’s episode, Purvis talks with NPR’s Scott Simon about rumors, gossip and the danger of being a girl in society.


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