Shooting in Birmingham, Ala.; U.N. Week : NPR

Good morning. You’re reading the Up First 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.

Today’s top stories

The Israeli military is carrying out extensive strikes in Lebanon this morning and has published a video warning some villagers to evacuate immediately if they suspect Hezbollah is hiding weapons in their area. This comes as Hezbollah landed rockets deeper into Israel and after last week’s attack on Hezbollah by way of exploding pagers and walkie-talkies. The incidents mark the most significant escalation on the Israeli-Lebanese border in almost a year of war.

• 🎧 NPR’s Daniel Estrin tells Up First that Israel is signaling it’s attempting to gradually hit Hezbollah, but is stopping short of launching a full out war that could pull in Iran and the U.S. Israel says its goal is to degrade Hezbollah’s rocket launching capabilities to prevent a situation similar to when Hamas stormed across the border on Oct. 7 of last year. NPR producer Itay Stern spoke with some Israelis who said it’s about time their country finally took the initiative against Hezbollah. But some are opposed to Israel’s moves in Lebanon, with one protestor telling Estrin she wants the war to end and the hostages to be freed.

World leaders are at the United Nations this week in New York, and conversations are expected to focus on the Middle East. President Biden is expected to give a speech tomorrow. The high-level week will also include meetings on the sidelines to try to push forward diplomacy. Gaza and the escalating war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon are all parts of the world that need solutions addressed.

• 🎧 NPR’s Michele Kelemen says other conflicts that will be discussed include Haiti and its slow efforts to get gang violence under control as the country gets back on a path to elections. Also on the agenda: Sudan, where U.N. officials say the world’s worst humanitarian crisis is currently happening. Even though the U.S., Saudi Arabia and others were able to get aid routes open, more is needed to help, including getting the Sudanese armed forces and paramilitary RSF to negotiate. Russia’s war against Ukraine remains a big topic with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is expected to rally support for an end to the war in a way that preserves Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
• ➡️ U.N. leaders yesterday adopted the “Pact of the Future,” which included explicit calls to end fossil fuels.

Police are looking for the people responsible for a mass shooting that left four people dead and at least 17 others injured over the weekend in Birmingham, Ala. The possible murder-for-hire incident happened Saturday night in a popular entertainment district, outside of a hookah bar where people were lined up to enter. Multiple suspects involved drove into the area, got out of the car, began shooting and then fled in the vehicle. This has the city’s mayor, Randall Woodfin, talking about the need to solve America’s gun violence epidemic.

• 🎧 Police believe one of the people who died was the intended target of the shooting while the others were caught in the crossfire, Andrew Yeager of NPR Network station WBHM says. Authorities say fully automatic weapons were used. These are banned under federal law, but Alabama has no equivalent state level ban. Woodfin says gun violence is a solvable issue if people, specifically elected leaders, worked together to have stronger laws, particularly at the local level. The city has already recorded 122 murders this year. Officers say the increase is due to multiple reasons, including the availability of guns and the tit-for-tat violence culture.

We, the Voters

The Arts District in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sept.18, 2024

Krystal Ramirez for NPR

hide caption

toggle caption

Krystal Ramirez for NPR

NPR is visiting six key swing states that will likely decide this year’s historic election. This week, Morning Edition is in Nevada to listen to voters about what matters to them and how that will affect their vote.

Nevada could help determine who wins the White House in November with its six Electoral College votes. Though that doesn’t sound like many, it doesn’t negate the state’s importance. In the last two presidential elections, 15 of the state’s 17 counties voted Republican. The two that didn’t made up 90% of Nevada’s population. For Republicans to make their mark and win, they’ll have to focus on those two counties. Around 40% of registered voters in the state don’t identify with a specific party, meaning candidates will have to find out if they lean left or right in order to reach them.

Here’s a deeper dive into the voters’ concerns heading into this election.

Life advice

We all wash our bodies. The concept is simple enough. But when you get to the details… things can get complicated. How often you should wash? When you should get a new loofah? Is bar soap better than the liquid alternative? Dermatologists Sonia Batra and Michelle Henry offer surprising advice on the subject.

• 🧼 You should wash your whole body starting from the top and working your way down so you don’t transfer germs all over yourself.
• 🧼 Wash your washcloth or loofah with soap, rinse it out with hot water and let it fully dry to prevent mold growth. Launder it once a week.
• 🧼 There’s no scientific hard line on whether a shower or a bath is more hygienic.
• 🧼 Sitting in hot water for excessive amounts of time can strip your skin of its natural protective oils and dehydrate it.

See the complete list of advice in the form of a comic.

3 things to know before you go

A building on the Tufts University campus.

Eden, Janine and Jim/Flickr Creative Commons

hide caption

toggle caption

Eden, Janine and Jim/Flickr Creative Commons

1. Five players on Tufts University’s men’s lacrosse team have been hospitalized after a “voluntary, supervised 45-minute workout” with an alum who graduated from a Navy SEAL training program, according to the school.
2. Almost all of North Carolina Lt. Gov. and gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson’s campaign team quit their jobs yesterday, just days after a CNN report alleging he posted racist and sexual comments on a pornography forum. (via WUNC)
3. The creators of the comedic adult party game Cards Against Humanity have filed a lawsuit against SpaceX, claiming that the company trespassed and damaged their property near the U.S.-Mexico border. (via Texas Public Radio)

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.