Up First: Titan implosion; 1 year after Roe; Evan Gershkovich's appeal rejected

By Suzanne Nuyen

Published June 23, 2023 at 6:19 AM CDT

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Today's top news

All five passengers in the Titan submersible died in a "catastrophic implosion," according to the U.S. Coast Guard. They found debris near the bow of the Titanic, with no evidence of a collision.

Rescue teams have indicated it will be difficult to recover the bodies, according to NPR's Jasmine Garsd. On Up First this morning, she reports the expedition skirted regulation because it happened on international waters, but adds that this high-profile incident could lead to more regulation of the adventure-tourism industry.

The five men onboard loved adventures and taking risks. Here's what we know about them so far.

One of the passengers, OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush has another connection to the Titanic: His wife is a descendant of a couple who died in the shipwreck.

Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Since then, more than a dozen states have enacted abortion restrictions. The issue of abortion has upended the nation's political landscape.

NPR's Sarah McCammon reports that the bans mean people must travel much farther for abortion access. Research reveals Americans, on average, must travel more than three times farther to find a facility that provides abortions. McCammon adds providers feel the strain too. "Many have struggled to keep up with the demand," she says.

Last fall, NPR asked listeners how abortion laws have affected their lives. More than 350 shared their stories. Read about eight very personal accounts.

The FDA has approved the first gene therapy for muscular dystrophy, an incurable disease. The agency rejected a request to make it available for all children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common form of the disease. The therapy is restricted to patients aged four and five until more safety evidence is available.

A Russian court rejected an appeal from Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich yesterday and refused to release him from pretrial detention. Gershkovich was arrested in March on espionage charges. The U.S. says he's being wrongfully detained. Gershkovich's parents traveled to Russia to attend the hearing.

From our hosts

Eight-member band St. Paul and The Broken Bones is known for its raucous soul music. Its latest album "Angels and Science Fiction" is subtle, reflective, and the closest the Birmingham-based band will get to folk music.

Debbie Elliott is guest hosting Morning Edition. As NPR's national correspondent, she covers the latest news and politics and is attuned to her native South's rich culture and history.

Guest-hosting Morning Edition this week gave me the pleasure of talking with Paul Janeway, frontman of the soul band St. Paul and the Broken Bones. I've been following them for more than a decade after my friend, Birmingham restauranteur Pardis Stitt, told me about a rising local band

Janeway grew up in a rural Alabama town where church was the epicenter. He always dreamed of becoming a preacher but wound up a singer-songwriter. I think watching him perform live is almost like being in church. "It's like a lot more accepting church, and loving church," he says. "And a lot more cursing."

He wrote some of the songs for the band's new album, "Angels in Science Fiction," after he found out he was going to become a father during the pandemic. The music is more subtle and reflective than the raucous soul the eight-piece band is known for. Janeway says it's the closest they're going to get to a folk record.

I hope you'll enjoy our conversation. Spoiler alert: There's a haunting in Memphis...

Weekend picks

Mamoudou Athie voices Wade and Leah Lewis voices Ember in the new Disney Pixar film <em>Elemental</em>. — Mamoudou Athie voices Wade and Leah Lewis voices Ember in the new Disney Pixar film *Elemental*.

Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:

Movies: Disney and Pixar's Elemental is full of the studio's usual imaginative visuals and dives into the immigrant family experience.

TV: NPR critic Eric Deggans calls Nick Fury Marvel's "baddest dude NOT in a cape" in Secret Invasion. The series is available on Disney+.

Books: Garrett Neiman's Rich White Men: What It Takes to Uproot the Old Boys' Club and Transform America makes a compelling argument that inequality harms us all.

Music: If you've got a summer road trip planned, you're in luck: Pop Culture Happy Hour host Stephen Thompson and NPR Music contributor Marissa Lorusso have three songs perfect for your drive.

Games: Final Fantasy XVI's focus on action and storytelling makes it one of Square Enix's strongest outings since the turn of the century.

Quiz: Test your news knowledge and beware of trick questions on NPR's weekly news quiz.

3 things to know before you go

Giant African land snails — seen here in 2019 — have been spotted recently in three counties in Florida, spurring state officials to enact quarantines and eradication efforts against the invasive pests.

Invasive giant African land snails are back in Florida, and the state is moving quickly to destroy them to protect crops.

Native Americans experience higher rates of mental health issues than their white counterparts, but less than 1% of therapists in the U.S. are Native American. Texas Native Health aims to change this. (via HPPR)

People are flocking to the Benedictines of Mary Queen of Apostles monastery to view the well-preserved remains of "miracle" Missouri nun Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster. Many believe her seemingly "incorruptible" body could signal sainthood. (via KCUR)

This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.