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
Tonight is the first chance Americans have to see Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump face off, in the same place, at the same time. A new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll shows that 70% of respondents will be watching what could be the one-and-only scheduled debate between the presidential hopefuls. And 30% say it will help them decide who to vote for. This comes as polls show a very close contest between the candidates.
- 🎧 Compared to President Biden’s June debate, Harris is younger and less likely to struggle when Trump attacks her, NPR’s Franco Ordoñez tells Up First. And as a former prosecutor, she can also hold Trump accountable. She is looking to define herself to voters and continue her momentum, while Trump wants to end what his campaign sees as her extended honeymoon period. The former president is hoping to show she is the same as Biden and tie her to his most controversial policies while presenting himself as something different.
- 🎧 NPR’s Scott Horsley says Trump will likely try to paint Harris as responsible for a lot of the inflation that people are unhappy about. Harris will likely try to paint Trump as someone who cuts taxes for the wealthy, but doesn’t do much for the middle class. Sweeping tariffs have also been a centerpiece of Trump’s economic platform, which Harris might use to remind people that his first term tariffs invited a lot of retaliation and ended up hurting U.S. farmers and other exporters. Horsley says much like other issues like immigration and foreign policy, Trump will paint a very dark picture of the U.S. economy and present himself as the would-be rescuer.
- ➡️ Confused on what the rules for the debate are and what to watch for? Here’s everything you need to know.
- ➡️ The debate will air at 9 p.m. ET. You can listen here for NPR’s live special coverage.
An Israeli strike on a crowded tent camp housing displaced Palestinians in the south of Gaza killed 40 people, officials said. Tens of thousands of Palestinians were told they’d find relative safety from Israeli airstrikes in the neighborhood outside Khan Younis called al-Muwasi. That’s where the Israeli military struck today saying it was targeting a Hamas operations center.
- 🎧 NPR producer Anas Baba was at the location after the strike and described the chaotic scene as three massive craters in the middle of the area, NPR’s Hadeel Al-Shalchi says. He also said the craters looked to be maybe 150 feet deep. Tents were destroyed under rubble with first responders saying they took all night to pull bodies from underneath it. Over the weekend, the head of the CIA, Bill Burns, said that the U.S. is making a new cease-fire proposal to end the war. It hasn’t been presented to either side yet, but he’s hoping it’ll come in the coming days.
The Miami-Dade Police Department released body camera footage showing the dramatic encounter between officers and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. It shows officers forcibly remove him from his car less than a minute after pulling him over. The officers ultimately detained him in handcuffs for nearly 20 minutes. It started after police spotted a black sports car zip by, and Hill was pulled over. He rolled down his window, handed over his license and then rolled up his window. A verbal disagreement sparked over the closed window and an officer then yelled at Hill to get out of the vehicle. The incident escalated from there. One officer has been placed on administrative duty over the incident, and Hill’s lawyer says they’ll be pursuing legal action.
Climate Solutions Week
Climate change is affecting our food, and our food is affecting the climate. NPR is dedicating a week to stories and conversations about the search for solutions.
A team of scientists and bakers in the Pacific Northwest are searching for ways to make whole wheat bread resilient to a warming world — and more delicious. The Washington State University Bread Lab makes loaves from a mix of different types of wheat called a “Climate Blend.” It was developed specifically to withstand the increasingly intense weather brought on by human-caused climate change. Wheat breeder and longtime home baker Stephen Jones started Bread Lab where he wanted to test a hypothesis. Here are the details on just that and how it could impact the future of breadmaking.
Today's listen
Irene Maiorino's best childhood friend changed her life years ago when she handed her Elena Ferrante's book My Brilliant Friend. It’s the first volume in a quadrilogy that was made into a HBO TV series by the same name, which she stars in along with Alba Rohrwacher. They both talked about their leading roles in the show on Morning Edition as it enters its fourth and final season.
- 🎧 Hear how the roles have shaped their lives and what to expect this season.
3 things to know before you go
- Apple unveiled its latest iterations of the iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods yesterday. Most products will be in stores starting on Sept. 20. Here’s everything you need to know.
- Actor James Earl Jones, known for voicing roles such as Mufasa in The Lion King and Darth Vader in Star Wars, died yesterday at age 93. He was at his Dutchess County, N.Y. home surrounded by family.
- Discount retailer Big Lots is filing for bankruptcy and will need to close some locations as it prepares to be acquired.
This newsletter was edited by Obed Manuel.
Copyright 2024 NPR