Today's main news
Mediators are working to finalize a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip after Hamas proposed amendments to the plan presented by President Biden. Israel and Hamas are willing to achieve an initial six-week ceasefire, including exchanging hostages kidnapped from Israel for Palestinian prisoners on October 7. But beyond that, the details of the deal get tricky. Neither side has publicly agreed with Biden's plan.
Chris McGrath/Getty Images
- 🎧 Hamas wants a definitive end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Egypt-Gaza border, and the release of Palestinian prisoners, NPR's Daniel Estrin reports. first. But Israel has said it will not agree to end the war until Hamas no longer rules the Gaza Strip. Estrin said the mediators were aware that talks were currently at a difficult stage. There remains a fundamental gap between Hamas' desire to survive this war and Israel's desire to ensure that Hamas does not survive. The challenge for negotiators is how to bridge this gap.
Today is the first day of the G7 summit in southern Italy. President Biden and other world leaders are expected to focus on how to secure the funding Ukraine needs to continue fighting Russia. Leaders are negotiating a plan to use interest earned on about $300 billion of Russian assets frozen in Western banks.
- 🎧 NPR's Deepa Shivaram says two factors are pressuring leaders to finalize their plans for Ukraine. Far-right candidates have won more seats in recent European elections, which could complicate future support for the country. The U.S. presidential election in November adds a sense of urgency as former President Donald Trump is critical of his support for Ukraine.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has proposed new federal regulations that would remove medical debt from Americans' credit scores.. If enacted, this rule would dramatically expand protections for tens of millions of Americans burdened by unaffordable health care costs. Medical debt affects approximately 100 million people in the United States. There is growing evidence that poor credit scores due to medical debt can threaten people's access to housing and contribute to homelessness.
Behind the scenes
This essay was written by NPR's National Desk Reporter Meg Anderson.
Reaching prisoners is not an easy task.
By design, there is no access behind the impressive metal door. But we are the country with the highest incarceration rate, and talking to the people who make up that statistic is important to understanding how we think about punishment.
I thought this story would be about freedom of speech for people who are not free themselves. I knew that the state prison near Stillwater, Minnesota had been publishing a newspaper since the 1800s. I also knew that this prison had made headlines last year when inmates protested their living conditions.
I wanted to explore how these two facts converge. What I gained instead was a deeper understanding of how prisoners find meaning and strive for salvation.
I visited the prison with Minnesota Public Radio photographer Kerem Yucel. We were able to talk to the newspaper staff without the manager listening and without being rushed. This was a rare opportunity. Kerem also took photos of the men in their cells, a view of the prison that is not often seen.
Inmates told how seeing all sides of the story changed their thinking.. One inmate said: “Through writing, I want to leave a much different footprint than the one I’ve already left on the world.”
picture show
Despite being a women-only car, the Mexico City subway is experiencing a sexual violence crisis. Despite the fact that Seoul implemented the 'Travel Safely' program in 2002, a program that allocated three out of nine subway cars to women and children under 12, nine out of 10 women in the area said they had been victims of sexual harassment. Root of the Problem – Impunity Mexico is a country where approximately 99% of crimes go unpunished.
3 things you need to know before you leave
- Star Competitive Eater Joey Chestnut Nathan will no longer be able to compete in Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest after signing a brand deal with plant-based brand Impossible Foods.
- Black Americans are known to have a higher risk of some neurological disorders. Researchers in Baltimore who examined 151 postmortem brains may have identified the genes that account for these differences.
- Has yoga reached its peak in America? About 1 in 6 adults say they practice yoga, according to a new CDC survey.
This newsletter was edited by: Majid al-Wahidi.