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Today’s news
Arizona grand jury indicts 18 of former President Donald Trump’s closest advisers — including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The defendants are accused of being involved in a “fake voter” scheme to keep Trump in power despite his defeat in the 2020 election. The indictment alleges that after President Biden won the 2020 election , Trump’s allies conspired to give Arizona’s 11 electoral votes to Trump anyway.
Rudy Giuliani speaks at press conference after defamation trial
Jose Luis Magana/AP
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Jose Luis Magana/AP
Rudy Giuliani speaks at press conference after defamation trial
Jose Luis Magana/AP
- The 11 fake voters named in the indictment are a “who’s who” of Arizona Republicans from the Trump wing of the party,” said Wayne Schutsky of NPR station KJZZ in Phoenix, Arizona. First. The average person may not know their names, but they are important people who “control the direction of party activities in the state, especially during elections.”
FDA found genetic material from bird flu virus which infected dairy cows in tested samples of commercially available pasteurized milk. Federal officials say the risk to the public remains low because efforts to culture the virus from those samples indicated the virus was inactive and no longer capable of causing infection. Further evaluation of the milk samples will be carried out. The FDA says these results will be released in the coming days or weeks. In the meantime, here’s what consumers should know.
More than a third of Americans regularly breathe unhealthy air, according to the American Lung Association’s State of the Air report. This number is higher than in previous years, despite long-term efforts to clean the country’s air. The passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970 helped significantly improve air quality by reducing pollution from human-controlled sources like coal-fired power plants and diesel trucks. Scientists say the challenge now will be to combat climate change, as the biggest current challenge to climate-fueled pollution comes from wildfire smoke.
Listening of the day
Nimer Saddy al-Nimer, 12, was shot five times by the Israeli army on April 1 while collecting food from parachute aid that had landed in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza. Israeli soldiers took the boy to Israel for surgery and, according to Nimer, placed him in prison for four days while he recovered. He is now in a refugee camp in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Anas Baba for NPR
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Anas Baba for NPR
Nimer Saddy al-Nimer, 12, was shot five times by the Israeli army on April 1 while collecting food from parachute aid that had landed in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza. Israeli soldiers took the boy to Israel for surgery and, according to Nimer, placed him in prison for four days while he recovered. He is now in a refugee camp in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Anas Baba for NPR
More than 25,000 children in Gaza have been killed or injured since October 2023, according to the United Nations. That’s one child every ten minutes. From Tel Aviv, NPR’s Rob Schmitz tells us the story of Nimer Saddy al-Nimer. The 12-year-old boy speaks with an NPR producer in Gaza, Anas Baba, about how he was shot by Israeli forces while trying to get food aid. He now lives in a refugee camp in Rafah.
- Listen it is up to Nimer to tell his story, or to read it here. Editor’s Note: This story contains descriptions of violence.
Check npr.org/mideastupdates for more coverage and analysis of the conflict.
Life advice
For poetry lovers, this art form can help process anger, sadness, or fear. It can also spark joy and wonder. Others may not “get” poetry, and it may seem less accessible than other forms of writing. For National Poetry Month, try these tips from Life kitto connect meaningfully with a poem.
- Don’t treat him like a school assignment.
- You don’t have to unlock the author’s meaning. Think about how the poem makes you feel.
- Try reading the poem out loud and visualize it. You can scribble down the images that the poem evokes for you.
- Read more poetry! There are many different types of poems: find one that suits you.
How has poetry influenced your life? Is there a poem that you love that brings you joy? Share your answers with NPR and you could be featured in an upcoming edition of the First bulletin.
3 things to know before you leave
Ed Dwight poses for a portrait in February to promote the National Geographic documentary film The space race at the Winter Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, California.
Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
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Ed Dwight poses for a portrait in February to promote the National Geographic documentary film The space race at the Winter Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, California.
Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
- In the 1960s, Edward J. Dwight Jr. was set to become America’s first black astronaut. but his dream never came true. Now aged 90, he finally made a trip to space.
- Taylor Swift broke her own record for the most vinyl albums sold in a week – and it only took him three days to do it.
- Five military horses roaming free in central London yesterday, galloping through crowds during rush hour, crashing into vehicles and injuring several people before being captured.
This newsletter was published by Majd Al-Waheidi.
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