Trump rallied in Madison Square Garden in a state he says he could win : NPR

Trump rallied in Madison Square Garden in a state he says he could win : NPR

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Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Bryce Jordan Center on Oct. 26. in State College, Pa.

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Alex Brandon/AP

Former President Donald Trump rallied in Madison Square Garden Sunday evening — leaving key battleground states and instead spending precious time in liberal New York City for an “epic event,” according to the Trump campaign.

The splashy rally itself — in a landmark arena that has played host to superstars, musicians, and political events in the past — threatened at times to be overshadowed by the vitriol coming from the speakers who preceded Trump at the event.

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, speaks at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday in New York City.

This isn’t the first time Trump has rallied in and around New York City. Back in May, during his felony hush-money trial, the former president campaigned in the South Bronx, courting minority voters. Then in September, Trump held another rally in Long Island where he told the crowd, “We are going to win New York.”

The former president lost his home state by around 23 percentage points during the 2016 and 2020 elections. Current polling averages of the Empire State show Trump is trailing Vice President Harris by around 15 points.

Supporters hold signs as former President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign event for Vice President Harris in Pittsburgh on Oct. 10.

Despite this, the Trump campaign is pouring significant resources and star power into Sunday’s rally at Madison Square Garden. Star surrogates like former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii), tech billionaire Elon Musk and Trump running mate Sen. JD Vance (Ohio) are all set to speak. They will notably not be in key swing states — the ones that will determine who wins the White House.

Harris, meanwhile, spent her Sunday in a swing state — Pennsylvania — speaking after the sermon at the Church of Christian Compassion in West Philadelphia, and picking up some books at Hakim’s Bookstore.

She met with a group of young Black men at PhillyCuts barbershop, and sat in a chair that the barbers called the “lucky chair” — they told her that all candidates running for office who sat in it won their elections.

Vice President Harris sits in the “lucky chair” at PhillyCuts on Oct. 27, 2024 in Philadelphia. According to the barbershop, anybody that has run for office and has sat in that chair has won their race.

Vice President Harris sits in the “lucky chair” at PhillyCuts on Oct. 27, 2024 in Philadelphia. According to the barbershop, anybody that has run for office and has sat in that chair has won their race.

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House control via New York

A closer look at the guest list provides political reasons for the Madison Square Garden rally. The list features prominent Republicans House Speaker Mike Johnson and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik.

Back in 2022, Republicans narrowly won control of the U.S. House thanks to a handful of New York districts that elected Republicans — such as Rep. Nick LaLota, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito and Rep. Mike Lawler. These Republicans, who represent districts from Long Island to Syracuse, now face tough races against Democrats this November.

Left: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul attends the annual 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum on Sept. 11, 2024 in New York City. Middle: U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) speaks during a news conference on the Family and Medical Leave Act at the U.S. Capitol on February 1, 2023 in Washington, DC. Right: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on June 14, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Trump likely won’t win the Empire State for himself this year, but the campaign is certainly working hard to keep Republican control of the U.S. House.

Beyond political strategy, the event is gaining attention — a important commodity in the final days of the election. Madison Square Garden also has a storied political past.

In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave one of his most important and combative speeches at the New York venue, railing against the establishment. Three years later, 20,000 gathered there for a “Pro America Rally” supporting Adolf Hilter in 1939.

And in 1962, Marilyn Monroe sang happy birthday to 45-year-old President John F. Kennedy. In 2004, the Garden hosted the Republican National Convention. Now it welcomes a Republican once again.

NPR’s Asma Khalid contributed to this report from Philadelphia.


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Self-exiled Turkish spiritual leader Fethullah Gülen dies in Pennsylvania : NPR

Self-exiled Turkish spiritual leader Fethullah Gülen dies in Pennsylvania : NPR

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Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen at his compound in Saylorsburg, Pa., in July 2016.

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SAYLORSBURG, Pa. — Fethullah Gülen, a reclusive U.S.-based Islamic cleric who inspired a global social movement while facing accusations he masterminded a failed 2016 coup in his native Turkey, has died.

Abdullah Bozkurt, the former editor of the Gülen-linked Today’s Zaman newspaper, who is now in exile in Sweden, said Monday that he spoke to Gülen’s nephew, Kemal Gülen, who confirmed the death. Fethullah Gülen was in his eighties and had long been in ill health.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the death has been confirmed by Turkish intelligence sources.

Trump Says Extraditing Turkish Cleric Fethullah Gulen Is 'Not Under Consideration'

“The leader of this dark organization has died,” he said.

Gülen spent the last decades of his life in self-exile, living on a gated compound in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, from where he continued to wield influence among his millions of followers in Turkey and throughout the world. He espoused a philosophy that blended Sufism — a mystical form of Islam — with staunch advocacy of democracy, education, science and interfaith dialogue.

Gülen began as an ally of Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but became a foe. He called Erdogan an authoritarian bent on accumulating power and crushing dissent. Erdogan cast Gülen as a terrorist, accusing him of orchestrating the attempted military coup on the night of July 15, 2016, when factions within the military used tanks, warplanes and helicopters to try to overthrow Erdogan’s government.

Erdogan's victory could be fateful for Turkey's democracy and role in the world

Heeding a call from the president, thousands took to the streets to oppose the takeover attempt. The coup-plotters fired at crowds and bombed parliament and other government buildings. A total of 251 people were killed and around 2,200 others were wounded. Around 35 alleged coup plotters were also killed.

How Recep Tayyip Erdogan became Turkey's most powerful leader

Gülen adamantly denied involvement, and his supporters dismissed the charges as ridiculous and politically motivated. Turkey put Gülen on its most-wanted list and demanded his extradition, but the United States showed little inclination to send him back, saying it needed more evidence. Gülen was never charged with a crime in the U.S., and he consistently denounced terrorism as well as the coup plotters.

Cleric Accused Of Plotting Turkish Coup Attempt: 'I Have Stood Against All Coups'

In Turkey, Gülen’s movement — sometimes known as Hizmet, Turkish for “service” — was subjected to a broad crackdown. The government arrested tens of thousands of people for their alleged link to the coup plot, sacked more than 130,000 suspected supporters from civil service jobs and more than 23,000 from the military, and shuttered hundreds of businesses, schools and media organizations tied to Gülen.

Gülen called the crackdown a witch hunt and denounced Turkey’s leaders as “tyrants.”

Turkey's attempt to ban an Erdogan rival from politics is drawing a backlash

“The last year has taken a toll on me as hundreds of thousands of innocent Turkish citizens are being punished simply because the government decides they are somehow ‘connected’ to me or the Hizmet movement and treats that alleged connection as a crime,” he said on the one-year anniversary of the failed coup.

Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan said Monday that Gülen’s death “will not make us complacent or relaxed. This organization has been a threat rarely seen in the history of our nation.”

“Our nation, our state will continue to fight against this organization as they do with all kinds of terrorist organizations,” Fidan said.

He also called on Gülen’s followers to turn away from “this treasonous wrong path.”

Gülen preached that religion and science could go hand in hand

Fethullah Gülen was born in Erzurum, in eastern Turkey. His official birth date was April 27, 1941, but that has long been in dispute. Y. Alp Aslandogan, who leads a New York-based group that promotes Gülen’s ideas and work, said Gülen was actually born sometime in 1938.

Trained as an imam, or prayer leader, Gülen gained notice in Turkey some 50 years ago. He preached tolerance and dialogue between faiths, and he believed religion and science could go hand in hand. His belief in merging Islam with Western values and Turkish nationalism struck a chord with Turks, earning him millions of followers.

Turkey's Erdogan Suggests Swap: Jailed U.S. Pastor For Turkish Cleric

Gülen’s acolytes built a loosely affiliated global network of charitable foundations, professional associations, businesses and schools in more than 100 countries, including 150 taxpayer-funded charter schools throughout the United States. In Turkey, supporters ran universities, hospitals, charities, a bank and a large media empire with newspapers and radio and TV stations.

But Gülen was viewed with suspicion by some in his homeland, a deeply polarized country split between those loyal to its fiercely secular traditions and supporters of the Islamic-based party associated with Erdogan that came to power in 2002.

Gülen had long refrained from openly supporting any political party, but his movement forged a de facto alliance with Erdogan against the country’s old guard of staunch, military-backed secularists, and Gülen’s media empire threw its weight behind Erdogan’s Islamic-oriented government.

Gülenists helped the governing party win multiple elections. But the Erdogan-Gulen alliance began to crumble after the movement criticized government policy and exposed alleged corruption among Erdogan’s inner circle. Erdogan, who denied the allegations, grew weary of the growing influence of Gülen’s movement.

Erdogan charged Gülen with plotting to overthrow him

The Turkish leader accused Gülen’s followers of infiltrating the country’s police and judiciary and setting up a parallel state, and began agitating for Gülen’s extradition to Turkey even before the failed 2016 coup.

The cleric had lived in the United States since 1999, when he came to seek medical treatment.

In 2000, with Gülen still in the U.S, Turkish authorities charged him with leading an Islamist plot to overthrow the country’s secular form of government and establish a religious state.

Erdogan Announces 3-Month State Of Emergency For Turkey

Some of the accusations against him were based on a tape recording on which Gülen was alleged to have told supporters of an Islamic state to bide their time: “If they come out too early, the world will quash their heads.” Gülen said his comments were taken out of context.

The cleric was tried in absentia and acquitted, but he never returned to his homeland. He won a lengthy legal battle against the administration of then-President George W. Bush to obtain permanent residency in the U.S.

Rarely seen in public, Gülen lived quietly on the grounds of an Islamic retreat center in the Poconos. He occupied a small apartment on the sprawling compound and left mostly only to see doctors for ailments that included heart disease and diabetes, spending much of his time in prayer and meditation and receiving visitors from around the world.

Gülen never married and did not have children. It is not known who, if anyone, will lead the movement.


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Trump ends uneven week on the campaign trail with Arnold Palmer riff : NPR

Trump ends uneven week on the campaign trail with Arnold Palmer riff : NPR

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Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport on Saturday in Latrobe, Pa.

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Evan Vucci/AP

Former President Donald Trump called Kamala Harris a “sh** vice president” and implied golfer Arnold Palmer was well-endowed during a rambling Saturday rally in Pennsylvania that capped off a tumultuous week on the campaign trail.

Speaking in Latrobe, Penn., where Palmer was born, Trump delivered a lengthy monologue about the late golfer’s life story and praised him as “all man,” including an off-color joke about Palmer’s anatomy.

“Arnold Palmer was all man, and I say that in all due respect to women — and I love women,” Trump said. “But this guy, this guy, this is a guy that was all man. This man was strong and tough. And I refuse to say it, but when he took showers with the other pros, they came out of there, they said, ‘Oh my God, that’s unbelievable.'”

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, campaigns in Waterford, Mich., on Friday. Harris made numerous stops in the state as former President Donald Trump held a rally in Detroit. Early voting begins on Saturday in Michigan.

In the closing weeks of the 2024 campaign, Trump’s rally speeches largely mirror the same trajectory as earlier in the year — meandering missives that paint a dire picture of an America governed by Democrats and overrun by migrants, touting a tariff-driven economic plan that’s light on details, and aggressively railing against his political opponents — especially Democrats like Harris.

After an extended riff mocking Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Trump said Harris was more “radical left crazy” than Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

“So you have to tell Kamala Harris that you’ve had enough, that you just can’t take it anymore, we can’t stand you, you’re a sh** vice president,” Trump told a roaring crowd. “The worst. You’re the worst vice president. Kamala, you’re fired! Get the hell out of here!”

Trump then asked the crowd how they liked the flyover his campaign plane did before landing and encouraged them to vote.

Jason Brown spray-paints a blue dot sign in his driveway in Omaha, Neb. on Oct. 9, 2024.

It was an unusually energetic rally for the former president, who has looked and sounded tired of late while doing multiple events and interviews a day across multiple swing states.

Harris’ campaign has made a pointed attempt to highlight Trump’s energy levels as part of a closing message that argues the 78-year-old does not have the stamina or fitness to lead the country.

“He is only focused on himself, and now he’s ducking debates and canceling interviews because of exhaustion,” Harris said at a rally in Atlanta Saturday night. “And when he does answer a question or speak at a rally, have you noticed he tends to go off script and ramble and generally for the life of him cannot finish a thought?”

Trump had a rough week with only a few of them left in the election

With less than 17 days until the final votes will be cast in the election, Trump’s campaign blitz hit several bumps this past week.

Monday, a town hall in Oaks, Pa., was interrupted by two medical incidents in the hot, crowded room. After the second call for a medic, Trump opted to stop the question-and-answer session and instead played music for more than half an hour, swaying along to his favorite songs on stage while the crowd watched.

Tuesday, he sat for a contentious interview with Bloomberg News, taped a Fox News town hall focused on women’s issues and then delivered remarks in suburban Atlanta, where he sounded a somber note about potentially losing the election.

Vice President Harris speaks at a campaign event at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Washington Crossing, Pa., on Wednesday.

“If you don’t win win win, we’ve all had a good time, but it’s not going to matter, right?” he asked. “Sadly, because what we’ve done is amazing: Three nominations in a row, what we’ve done. We’ve got to win. If we don’t win, it’s like was all —it was all for not very much. We can’t, can’t let that happen.”

Wednesday, Trump’s Fox town hall with an all-women audience aired, where he called himself the “father of IVF” and said Alabama Sen. Katie Britt (a “fantastically attractive person”) had to explain to him what in vitro fertilization was before he supported it.

He also participated in a Univision town hall with Latino voters where he doubled down on false claims about Haitian migrants eating pets in Ohio and called the Jan. 6 insurrection attempt a “day of love.”

Former President Donald Trump addresses a town hall hosted by Univision and moderated by Enrique Acevedo in Miami on Wednesday.

At a Catholic charity dinner known for jokes in New York Thursday, Trump’s remarks largely focused on Harris, who didn’t attend. At his Friday rally in Michigan, the microphone stopped working a few minutes into his speech, as he began to talk about tariffs.

Trump paced the stage silently for about 20 minutes until audio was restored, while the screens behind him eventually said “TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES” and “COMPLICATED BUSINESS.”

“If it goes off again, I’ll sue their a** off,” Trump half-joked about the production company.

Trump has another rally Sunday night in Pennsylvania and a full week of events in key states coming up. More than 13 million people have already voted in the presidential election, with a little over two more weeks of voting left.


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Cuba’s power grid collapses again. Why does this keep happening? : NPR

Cuba’s power grid collapses again. Why does this keep happening? : NPR

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A woman prepares to catch a tossed frisbee during a massive blackout after a major power plant failed in Havana on Friday.

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Ramon Espinosa/AP

MEXICO CITY — Cuba’s power grid collapsed for a second time on Saturday, shortly after Cuban officials announced they had begun reestablishing service, in what has become one of the worst crises in the country’s history.

The massive outage leaves 10 million people on the Caribbean island without electricity, and with no clear indication of when power might be restored.

It is a new low in a country that has already been dealing with a deepening economic crisis, compounded by the U.S. embargo and widespread food shortages.

The crisis began on Friday when one of the country’s largest power plants, the Antonio Guiteras power plant in the western province of Matanzas, failed shortly before midday on Friday. The failure prompted a total breakdown of Cuba’s electrical system.

Cuba’s prime minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, blamed the problem on deteriorating infrastructure and fuel shortages exacerbated by Hurricane Milton, which has made it difficult for much-needed fuel deliveries to reach the island.

Vehicles make their way along the Malecon during a massive blackout after a major power plant failed in Havana on Friday.

Vehicles make their way along the Malecon during a massive blackout after a major power plant failed in Havana on Friday.

Ramon Espinosa/AP


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Ramon Espinosa/AP

Declaring a “energy emergency,” Marrero Cruz introduced measures to reduce power use across the country — state workers were told to stay at home, and schools and non-essential industries were closed. He also sought to assuage concerns saying he expects an influx of fuel from Cuba’s state-owned oil company.

While the collapse of the electrical grid comes as a surprise, the crisis is years in the making. Cuba’s power plants are dilapidated and in desperate need of maintenance. In addition, Cuba produces very little fuel of its own, meaning it relies on imports to keep the electrical grid afloat.

The big problem for the island is that Venezuela — a political ally that for decades was Cuba’s principal provider of fuel — has slashed shipments amid its own economic crisis. Mexico and Russia have also cut exports, leaving Cuba in a vulnerable position.

A person drives a classic American car past a floating generator that has not been producing electricity for days in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.

For months, there have been rolling blackouts across the island, with the situation coming to a head with the failure of the power plant on Friday.

Cuba’s economy initially began tanking during the pandemic, when international tourism plummeted and inflation soared. During that same period, former President Donald Trump imposed a range of sanctions on Cuba after re-designating the country a “state sponsor of terrorism.”

Then in March, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Santiago de Cuba, the island’s second largest city, furious over the lack of electricity and food. Cuba’s communist government — which uses a rationing system to provide a certain amount of food per household — started limiting its allocations of bread only to children and pregnant women. Some analysts say conditions are worse than the economic crisis that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, a time known as the Special Period.

A woman and a boy attempt to hitch a ride during a scheduled power outage in Bauta, Cuba, Monday. The island is facing an energy crisis, with waves of blackouts worsening in recent weeks.

The Cuban government has long blamed its woes on decades-old U.S. sanctions that have complicated the island’s purchase of fuel and food.

While the causes of the crisis are multifaceted, the country-wide blackout is a new low for the government — and those Cubans still living on the island. Amid growing desperation, an unprecedented number of Cubans are trying to migrate to the U.S. by any means possible. The island has lost an estimated 10 percent of its population over the last three years.


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Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed; Biden in Berlin : NPR

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed; Biden in Berlin : NPR

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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

Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas and Israel’s most wanted man in Gaza, is dead, the Israeli military confirmed. He was considered the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, according to the Israeli government. The attack sparked a war that has killed over 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza health officials. The Israeli military reported that he was killed in Rafah, in the south.

Hamas’ Yahya Sinwar chairs a meeting with leaders of Palestinian factions at his office in Gaza City, April 13, 2022.

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Adel Hana/AP

  • 🎧 Sinwar’s death — the latest high-profile killing of a Hamas leader after two other key leaders were killed over the summer — has raised questions about who will assume leadership of the group, NPR’s Hadeel Al-Schalchi tells Up First. Sinwar’s right-hand man has been his brother, Mohamed Sinwar, but there are others outside of Gaza who have represented Hamas in Qatar and Turkey for years. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last night his ultimate obligation is to secure the release of the remaining hostages. The U.S. and Israel have long argued that Sinwar was the main obstacle to reaching a hostage deal, according to former Israeli intelligence officer Michael Milshtein. President Biden has emphasized the need to move forward, indicating it’s time to reinvigorate stalled cease-fire talks.
  • ➡️ Who was Yahya Sinwar? Here’s everything you need to know about the obsessively secretive man labeled a psychopath by Israeli politicians and security officials.

NPR put together a pair of focus groups in May with “double haters,” voters who disapproved of both former President Donald Trump and Biden. This was to help understand how they made up their minds about the candidates, but a lot has changed since then. This week, NPR went back to those very same voters to find out which way they are now leaning in the tighter-than-ever race between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump.

  • 🎧 NPR’s Mara Liasson says that of 10 springtime double haters, four were locked in or leaning towards Trump, five were locked in and leaning towards Harris, and one was certain he would not vote for either. The shift towards Harris seems to be driven more by anti-Trump than pro-Harris sentiment. “She still isn’t garnering as much support as Biden did in 2020 at the same point in the race with key Democratic groups like African Americans, Hispanics, and young people,” Liasson said. These voters seem less concerned about a Harris outcome as they didn’t believe she would undermine the election. More apprehension surrounds Trump and the potential for political violence due to his repeated refusal to commit to accepting the results of any election he didn’t win.

Biden is in Berlin, Germany, today to meet with European leaders for the last time during his presidency. It’s a farewell trip to a region that has been front and center since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The meeting holds great political importance, especially as the U.S. is poised to elect a new president while the outcome of the war in Ukraine remains uncertain. Here’s a look into this meeting’s significance.

  • 🎧 “America’s relationship with Europe is stronger than ever, and that’s largely due to the work that President Biden has done these past four years,” NPR’s Rob Schmitz says. According to a recent survey by the German think tank Körber-Stiftung, 80% of Germans polled believe that another Trump presidency would harm trans-Atlantic relations. Trump’s uncertainty about continuing support for Ukraine could force Europe to step in to fill the gap in U.S. support for the country if he is re-elected. This could put pressure on Germany in particular to strengthen its own security. Furthermore, a Trump presidency could contribute to the growing popularity of far-right parties in Germany and across Europe.

Picture show

Abrar Saleh Ali, 17, arrived to Milé refugee camp in Eastern Chad two weeks ago after the civil war in Sudan destroyed her home and she was separated from her family. It took months for her to walk across the country and reach the camp, along the way she was robbed of all her belongings, After arriving at the camp, she found out that her sister had been killed.

Abrar Saleh Ali, 17, arrived to Milé refugee camp in Eastern Chad two weeks ago after the civil war in Sudan destroyed her home and she was seperated from her family. It took months for her to walk across the country and reach the camp, along the way she was robbed of all her belongings, After arriving at the camp, she found out that her sister had been killed.

Claire Harbage/NPR


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Claire Harbage/NPR

NPR’s Claire Harbage and Fatma Tanis spent a week in September speaking with more than two dozen women in several refugee camps in Chad, which is now home to over 600,000 people who have fled Sudan. The women said that the adult men in their families — their husbands, fathers, adult sons, and brothers — were almost always missing. Some men had disappeared, been killed by the Rapid Support Forces to prevent them from defending themselves and their families, or had been conscripted by the Sudanese army. The conflict has displaced over 13 million people and resulted in what the United Nations is calling the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

Weekend picks

Florence Pugh in We Live in Time.

Florence Pugh in We Live in Time.

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A24

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

🍿Movies: We Live In Time stars Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, who laugh and cry as a couple trying to make the most of their time together. The story jumps from their first meeting to their later crisis and several critical points in between.

📺 TV: Disclaimer stars Cate Blanchett as a successful documentarian who is confronted with a secret from her past. Each of the seven episodes propels the story forward, providing new clues, raising bigger questions, and leaving the audience eager to learn more.

📚 Books: Clean is narrated by Estela, a sharp woman who works as a housemaid for a wealthy family. She becomes the main suspect in the death of a 7-year-old who was found dead in the pool of the home where she works.

🎵 Music: Renowned guitarist and composer John Scofield will be celebrating 50 years of recorded music in November. To commemorate this milestone, Jazz Night in America presented him with a special challenge: Choose 10 pivotal tracks from his vast discography and reveal the stories behind them. Listen to the full setlist here.

🎮 Games: Super Mario Party Jamboree is packed with variety, including 112 mini-games, 22 playable characters, seven boards, five multiplayer modes and an exclusively single-player adventure.

❓Quiz: If you’ve paid attention to the presidential hopefuls and incoming pandas, you can pass at least half of this week’s quiz. But if you are like me, you will ace it all. Are you ready to take it on?

3 things to know before you go

People protested in front of the White House in September 2023 to raise awareness of opioid-related deaths. A year later, the number of fentanyl-related deaths in the U.S. has dropped sharply.

People protested in front of the White House in September 2023 to raise awareness of opioid-related deaths. A year later, the number of fentanyl-related deaths in the U.S. has dropped sharply.

Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP


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Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

  1. Drug overdose deaths are down 12.7%, as per CDC data released this week. If the trend continues, this year could be the first since 2020 to see overdose deaths drop below 100,000.
  2. Vikash Yadav, a former Indian intelligence official, is facing U.S. federal charges for allegedly planning to assassinate an American citizen in New York City. The intended victim is a leader in the movement for an independent Sikh homeland.
  3. Recently released body camera footage shows Tyron McAlpin, a deaf Black man with cerebral palsy, allegedly being beaten and tased by Phoenix police officers in August 2024. This comes after a DOJ report found evidence of discrimination by Phoenix police against Black, Hispanic, and Native American individuals.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.


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Mitzi Gaynor, star of ‘South Pacific,’ dies at 93 : NPR

Mitzi Gaynor, star of ‘South Pacific,’ dies at 93 : NPR

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Actress Mitzi Gaynor poses in her apartment in Beverly Hills, Calif., on May 26, 2021. Gaynor, among the last survivors of the so-called golden age of the Hollywood musical, died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Thursday. She was 93.

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Mark J. Terrill/AP

LOS ANGELES — Mitzi Gaynor, the effervescent dancer and actor who starred as Nellie Forbush in the 1958 film of “South Pacific” and appeared in other musicals with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, has died. She was 93.

Gaynor, among the last survivors of the so-called golden age of the Hollywood musical, died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Thursday morning, her long-time managers Rene Reyes and Shane Rosamonda confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press.

“As we celebrate her legacy, we offer our thanks to her friends and fans and the countless audiences she entertained throughout her long life,” Reyes and Rosamonda said in a joint statement. “Your love, support and appreciation meant so very much to her and was a sustaining gift in her life.”

Her entertainment career spanned eight decades across film, television and the stage, and appeared in several notable films including “We’re Not Married!” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” but she is best remembered for her turn in “South Pacific.”

The screen version of “South Pacific” received three Academy Award nominations and won for best sound, while Gaynor was a best actress nominee for a Golden Globe.

The role of the love-sick nurse Nellie, created on Broadway by Mary Martin, had been eagerly sought by Hollywood stars. Sinatra helped Gaynor land it.

She was starring with him in “The Joker Is Wild,” when she had a one-day opportunity to audition for lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. It was the same day she was scheduled for her biggest scene with Sinatra. When she explained her plight, he told her, “Don’t worry, I’ll change the schedule.”

Six Words: 'You've Got To Be Taught' Intolerance

Hammerstein was impressed with Gaynor, who had already won the approval of director Josh Logan and composer Richard Rodgers. She was cast opposite Rossano Brazzi, about whom she sang “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy.”

Gaynor’s career spanned film, television and Vegas

“South Pacific” was not the turning point in her career that Gaynor had hoped it would be, and she shifted her focus from film to television, making early appearances on Donald O’Connor’s variety series “Here Comes Donald,” and on CBS’ “The Jack Benny Hour.” In October of 1959, she was the only women to guest star alongside Sinatra, Crosby, Dean Martin and Jimmy Durante on ABC’s “The Frank Sinatra Timex Show” special.

Later in her career, Gaynor reinvented herself as a performing entertainer. Working with her husband and manager Jack Bean, she starred in her own musical revue that was a big draw in theaters throughout the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia.

She became the highest paid female entertainer in Las Vegas and was the first woman to be awarded the Las Vegas governor’s trophy for “Star Entertainer of the Year” in 1970.

When touring with a full orchestra, a corps of dancers and backstage personnel became too unwieldy and expensive, Gaynor slimmed down the production, eventually making it a one-woman show. They continued touring every year until 2002 when Bean’s illness required a hiatus.

“I love touring; I’ve been doing it much of my life,” Gaynor said in a 2003 interview. “We go back to the same places; it’s like visiting friends. After the show, people come backstage to the dressing room, and we renew friendships. We send out almost 3,000 Christmas cards every year.”

“Off stage, she was a vibrant and extraordinary woman, a caring and loyal friend, and a warm, gracious, very funny and altogether glorious human being. And she could cook, too!” the statement from Rosamonda and Reyes said, referencing a song from the musical “On the Town” that Gaynor sang in one of her revue shows.

Gaynor also starred in several television variety specials, including “Mitzi…Zings Into Springs” and “Mitzi…Roarin’ in the 20’s.” Many of the specials received nominations for Emmy Awards, with wins for choreography, lighting, art design and costume design, the last of which was awarded to Gaynor’s longtime collaborator, Bob Mackie. The specials were the subject of the 2008 documentary “Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years.”

She began singing and dancing at a young age

Born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber (Mitzi is diminutive for Marlene) in Chicago on Sept. 4, 1931, she was a part of a musically inclined family and started singing and dancing at a young age.

In Revival, 'South Pacific' Still Has Lessons to Teach

In a 2003 AP interview, Gaynor said she has a clear memory of her stage debut. She had been taking ballet and tap lessons and at age 7 she was scheduled for a tap routine at the dance school recital. She had neglected to use the bathroom, and when she faced the audience, a puddle formed on the stage.

“I ran kicking and screaming off the stage,” she recalls. “But I got huge applause. So I dried off and put some lipstick on. After the next girl did a hula with batons and slipped on the wet floor, I went out and said, ‘I’m OK now. Can I do it?’ And I got cheers!”

Gaynor and Bean married in 1954 and in 1960 bought a spacious house in Beverly Hills that became their home until his death in 2006. They rarely appeared at Hollywood events, preferring to entertain a few close friends. The couple had no children.


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Harris is pressed by Charlamagne tha God on the concerns of Black voters : NPR

Harris is pressed by Charlamagne tha God on the concerns of Black voters : NPR

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Vice President Harris prepares to speak with Charlamagne Tha God before “We The People: An Audio Townhall With Kamala Harris and Charlamagne Tha God” in Detroit on Tuesday.

Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for iHeartMedia


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Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

DETROIT — Vice President Harris tried to address criticism that Democrats too often take Black voters for granted during a town hall on Tuesday with the influential radio host Charlamagne tha God.

Harris defended her track record as a prosecutor, promoted her policies aimed at Black voters and said former President Donald Trump was a threat to democracy.

Vice President Harris campaigns in Raleigh, N.C., on Oct. 12 — part of a push to try to shore up her support among Black men.

When Charlamagne suggested that Trump’s vision for the country should be called fascism, adding “Why can’t we just say it?” Harris replied: “Yeah, we can say that.”

Harris’ remarks came at a crucial moment in the campaign, as polls show her struggling to cement the level of support she may need from Black men to win the White House. At the same time, Trump has appeared to make inroads among Black voters, worrying Democrats in a historically-close election.

Former President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign event for Vice President Harris in Pittsburgh on Thursday. Prior to the rally, Obama made a special plea to Black men who have been hesitant to support Harris.

That concern was underscored in remarks by former President Barack Obama in Pittsburgh last week. He said the lack of enthusiasm for Harris “seems to be more pronounced with the brothers,” which he attributed to a reluctance to vote for a woman.

When a caller asked Harris why Democrats were “waving the finger at Black men” even as Trump is gaining support among other demographic groups, Harris sidestepped the question, saying, “I think what what is happening is that we are all working on reminding people what is at stake, and that is very important.”

Harris took on mis- and disinformation about her record

Harris defended criticism that she is too scripted as being disciplined, and sought to reclaim the narrative about her record, saying her work on behalf of the Black community has been warped by her political rivals.

Vice President Harris boards Air Force Two at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on Sept. 30, 2024.

“One of the biggest challenges that I face is mis- and disinformation,” Harris said. “It is meant to convince people that they somehow should not believe that the work that I have done has occurred, and has meaning.”

“Part of the challenge that I face is that they are trying to scare people away, because they know they otherwise have nothing to run on,” Harris said. “Ask Donald Trump what his plan is for Black America. Ask him.”

Harris plugged her plans to provide forgiveable loans to entrepreneurs, tax breaks for small business start-ups, down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers, Medicare benefits for home care, and tax credits for low- and middle-income families as measures that would help Black Americans.

Harris was asked about her record as a prosecutor and criticism from her opponents that during her time as district attorney of San Francisco she targeted thousands of Black men for prosecution.

Cherita Evans aka Storm the Barber, with Christian Pounds in her chair at Head Changerz Barber Lounge in Rocky Mount, N.C. on May 23, 2024.

Harris called those claims “simply not true,” saying she was “the most progressive prosecutor in California on marijuana cases.” Harris said she did not send people to jail for simple possession of marijuana, and vowed that as president she would work on decriminalizing marijuana altogether.

Harris also took on criticism from Trump for a lack of engagement with the Black church. She responded by speaking about growing up in the Black church and attending the 23rd Avenue Church of God in Oakland, Calif.

“I know where our church, and my church is about saying true leadership, the measure of that is based on who you lift up,” Harris said. “And then he’s selling $60 Bibles or tennis shoes and trying to play people, as though that makes him more understanding of the Black community. Come on.”


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Lilly Ledbetter, the activist who inspired Fair Pay Act, dies at 86 : NPR

Lilly Ledbetter, the activist who inspired Fair Pay Act, dies at 86 : NPR

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President Barack Obama stands with Lilly Ledbetter before signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act during an event in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 29, 2009.

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Lilly Ledbetter, a women’s equality activist whose fight for pay equity led to passage of the monumental Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, died Saturday. She was 86.

Ledbetter’s death was confirmed on Monday by Jodi Solomon, her speaking manager.

“She was fierce, she was a crusader and just a really good friend. She will be missed a lot,” Solomon told NPR.

Born in Jacksonville, Ala., Ledbetter was hired as a supervisor at a Goodyear tire plant in Gadsden, Ala., in 1979. Years later, she discovered through an anonymous note left in her mailbox that she was receiving less pay than her male co-workers who worked the same position.

“When I saw that, it took my breath away. I felt humiliated. I felt degraded,” Ledbetter recalled in an interview with NPR in 2009. “I had to sort of get my composure back to go ahead to perform my job and then, the first day off, I went to Birmingham, Ala., and filed a charge with the EEOC.”

That action in 1998 was the beginning of a 10-year legal fight for Ledbetter toward equity.

It's Equal Pay Day. Women earn 84 cents for every dollar men make — or even less

She retired from Goodyear 11 months after she found out about the pay disparity and filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the company in 1999. She won the suit in 2003 and was awarded more than $3 million, but the amount was reduced to $300,000 because of a statutory cap and $60,000 in back pay. Goodyear appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, arguing that Ledbetter could only win damages or back pay for the 180 days prior to the filing of her claim. In 2007, the high court agreed in a 5-4 ruling.

In her dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Ledbetter’s case is “not time barred” and wrote the issue “is in Congress’ court.”

Less than two years later, Congress passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which amended the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and allows workers to “obtain relief, including recovery of back pay, for up to two years preceding the filing of the charge.” Then-President Barack Obama signed the measure into law on Jan. 29, 2009, the first bill he signed as president.

Obama paid a tribute to Ledbetter in a statement on Sunday.

“Lilly Ledbetter never set out to be a trailblazer or a household name. She just wanted to be paid the same as a man for her hard work,” he wrote. “Lilly did what so many Americans before her have done: setting her sights high for herself and even higher for her children and grandchildren. Michelle and I are grateful for her advocacy and her friendship, and we send our love and prayers to her family and everyone who is continuing the fight that she began.”

Ledbetter has been recognized for her advocacy on pay equity and her story continues to resonate.

Last week, Ledbetter was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Advertising Week for her activism on Equal Pay. Lilly, a movie based on Ledbetter’s life, is being shown at screenings across the country.

NPR’s Nina Totenberg contributed to this report.


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Man with guns arrested near Trump rally in Coachella, sheriff says : NPR

Man with guns arrested near Trump rally in Coachella, sheriff says : NPR

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Sheriff deputies found a shotgun, a loaded handgun and a high-capacity magazine inside the car of 49-year-old Vem Miller.

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A man is in custody after deputies found guns in his car near the rally site of former President Donald Trump in Coachella, Calif., on Saturday, according to Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies.

The man was identified as Vem Miller, 49, of Las Vegas.

Sheriff’s deputies stopped Miller at an interior check-point in Coachella, near the rally, and found he was illegally in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun and a high-capacity magazine. He also had numerous passports and drivers licenses under different names and his SUV had fake plates, Sheriff Chad Bianco said at a Sunday news conference.

Bianco described Miller as a “lunatic” and member of Sovereign Citizens.

“They are certainly considered a far-right group,” Bianco said. “I wouldn’t say it’s a militant group. It’s just a group that doesn’t believe in government and government control.”

Nevada records show Miller is a registered Republican.

Miller also told the deputies at the checkpoint that he was a journalist and had a pass to attend the rally, Bianco said during a news conference Sunday.

Miller was booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center on the state weapons counts and later released. He was given a court date to appear.

It is unclear if he faces any federal charges. Bianco said the FBI and Secret Service are investigating any possible threat to Trump and would handle that part of the case.

The sheriff’s department said the stop and arrest happened before Trump arrived at the venue.

Security has been heightened at Trump campaign events following two attempted assassinations. The first, at a July rally in Pennsylvania, left the former president grazed by a bullet and a rally supporter killed. The gunman was killed by a sniper.

In the second, Secret Service agents saw a man hiding in bushes at Trump’s West Palm Beach resort where he was playing golf. They later found an AK-style rifle and scope. The man is in federal custody.


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Atoning during Yom Kippur : NPR

Atoning during Yom Kippur : NPR

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A man throws bread into a creek in Boulder, Colorado as part of a tashlich ceremony, which involves symbolically casting away sins.

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Jeremy Papasso/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images

In the fall of 2021, Nancy Piness couldn’t bring herself to pick up the phone and call her friend, even though they had known each other for decades.

Earlier that year, they had something of a falling out. There was no one terrible thing that happened, but over the years they had disagreements, differences of opinion and tension. One day, it just became too much and they stopped talking.

“I deliberately avoided her street,” Piness said. “I deliberately hoped I wouldn’t run into her at the grocery store.”

This time of year, Piness thinks about her friend a lot.

That’s because Friday night marks the beginning of Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) — the holiest day of the Jewish year. It’s observed with fasting, prayer and deep introspection.

“Yom Kippur is seen as this really special window where if you express an actual regret and you ask to be absolved, then God will absolve anything — literally anything,” explains Rabbi Chana Leslie Glazer, interim rabbi at a congregation in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

“There is one little caveat, though. If you don’t make right with the other people that you’ve hurt, then that can’t be forgiven,” said Glazer.

This idea is central to the Jewish High Holidays. And in the weeks leading up to Yom Kippur, many Jews try to repair broken relationships.

“There are a lot of people who will go around,” said Glazer, ”writing up a list of all the people that they need to ask forgiveness from and that they want to apologize to.”

But this process requires preparation.

One way this is done is through a service called selichot, which happens within the week before the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah). The word selichot means pardons, and the service is designed to help one reflect on the ways in which they’ve fallen short in the past year.

For the sins we have committed

On a humid Saturday night in northwest Washington, DC a small group of congregants gather together at Temple Micah. 67-year-old Nancy Piness was one of them.

Standing in a circle, they lit a braided candle, sipped from a ceremonial cup of wine, smelled sweet spices and recited the blessings that mark the ending of Shabbat. Then they filed into the sanctuary, and began the selichot service.

One of the prayers they recited is the Al Chet — a communal confession of sins which is said many times over the course of the High Holidays. It pairs with another prayer called Ashamnu, in which many congregants clench their right hand in a fist and pound their heart as they recite each sin.

This is the fourth High Holiday season that Piness has been out of regular contact with her friend, who isn’t Jewish. This year, she finally feels ready to have a conversation. And she’s been thinking a lot about what she’ll say.

“I can tell it’s emotional now and I can feel the lump in my throat and I may burst into tears, which she doesn’t always understand,” said Piness. When she finally picks up the phone to call or text, she said her message will be something like: “Too much time has gone by. I miss you. And I hope we can find some time soon to talk.”

Forgiveness is a process

The Jewish philosopher Maimonides outlined four steps that make up the process of seeking atonement or forgiveness. Glazer explains that the first step is to recognize the improper action and stop. Second, to verbally confess. Third, to genuinely regret the action. And the fourth is to make sure not to do it again.

For years, Piness was stuck between those steps.

“I could be in services for hours on end and think about things. But I’m a feeler, and I’m a doer. And it’s time to act,” said Piness.

So this year, she finally did reach out.

“I was anxious,” said Piness. “I was really anxious. And I didn’t want to pick up the phone and call because she’s not a phone person. And so I texted.”

She asked how her friend was doing and if they could talk in person.

“She wrote back minutes later. And she said, ‘Hi Nancy — thank you for being in touch. I’m willing to get together, but right now I’m the one with too many things going on.’”

Piness plans to sit down with her friend, as soon as they both can. But she knows there’s still a lot of work to do, and it won’t be done before Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Friday. 

Glazer advises a lot of people who are having trouble making amends, and who may feel pressure to do it on deadline around Yom Kippur.

“We talk about at the end of Yom Kippur that it’s the closing of the gates and that’s the end of your window. And that’s more meant to inspire people to really think deeply, as deeply as they possibly can about what they’ve done and to really go as far as they can with it,” Glazer said.

“But also it’s important to understand that if you don’t quite get all the way there by the end of Yom Kippur, it’s perfectly fine to go in later and do the rest of your work.”

Piness is relieved that even though things aren’t completely resolved, at least she’s taken these first steps.


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