Floating Pier for Gaza Aid; RFK Jr.'s Dead Brain Worm: NPR

Good morning You are reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe to here to get it delivered to your inbox, and Hear The Up First podcast has all the news you need to start your day.

Today’s top stories

A ship carrying relief supplies set sail from Cyprus yesterday towards a US-built floating pier off the coast of Gaza. U.S. officials say the pier will help address the worsening humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave. But aid groups say there are significant unanswered questions – including what difference it would make if Israel kept its land borders closed.

A U.S. Navy ship docks off the coast of the Gaza Valley in the central Gaza Strip on April 29, 2024. The ship is scheduled to take part in construction work announced in March for a floating naval dock to deliver more humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images

Hide caption

Toggle label

Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images

Development workers say there is neither a lack of resources nor help but “the political will to bring it to Gaza,” NPR’s Jane Arraf reports First up. One official called the pier “a joke.” Pediatrician John Kahler, co-founder of MedGlobal, said they needed to open the gates to allow food into what he called a “laboratory of malnutrition” rather than “silly piers or silly airdrops.” Another medical aid official said the pier will cost $320 million, which could instead be used to purchase large numbers of truckloads of relief supplies.

For the second year in a row, medical school graduates were less likely to apply for residency training in states with abortion bans and other significant abortion restrictions, according to new statistics from the Association of American Medical Colleges. The organization found that aspiring doctors of all specialties are less interested in pursuing residency training in these states – and not just those most likely to treat pregnant patients. In its analysis, the AAMC says declining interest “could negatively impact access to health care in these states.”

“Two months after gangs staged a coup in Haiti and has taken control of the capital, the country is making some progress in stabilizing its leadership. A transitional council is working to appoint a new prime minister, while a multinational force led by Kenya is due to deploy in the next few weeks.

NPR’s Eyder Peralta is in Port-au-Prince. He describes the city as “eerie, even surreal.” Life there has resumed, the street vendors are open and the children go to school. But there are still signs that things are not normal, such as burned-out cars acting as barricades on the streets. “This is daily life here in Port-au-Prince,” he says. “It’s a place where the government has collapsed, where the gangs control most of this city and where everyone is afraid of being the next one on the side of the road.”

We, the voters

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks with NPR’s Morning Edition at the department’s headquarters in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Michael Zamora/NPR

Hide caption

Toggle label

Michael Zamora/NPR

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks with NPR’s Morning Edition at the department’s headquarters in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Michael Zamora/NPR

In this week’s newsletter, I shared NPR stories about the influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border has overwhelmed the federal government’s ability to hear cases and strained city budgets. So is the Biden administration’s immigration strategy working? That question is on the minds of many U.S. voters as the country approaches a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Biden has been criticized for being too tough on both immigration and asylum seekers in the United States. Former President Trump has vowed to be more aggressive on immigration if elected to a second term.

The Biden administration proposed a rule yesterday This would allow immigration officials to quickly reject migrants who are not eligible for asylum. While this change is modest in scope, it illustrates the administration’s broader strategy toward thousands of asylum seekers arriving at the southern border. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas sat down with Morning Edition’s Steve Inskeep to explain what his department is doing at the border. Listen to their conversation or read the interview here.

Thank you for joining us on Morning Edition this week as we explore immigration issues. The We, the voters The series continues May 20 with stories about abortion and reproductive rights on “All Things Considered.”

Weekend tips

The Swiss Nemo rehearses “The Code” before the second semi-final.

Jessica Gow/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Ima

Hide caption

Toggle label

Jessica Gow/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Ima

The Swiss Nemo rehearses “The Code” before the second semi-final.

Jessica Gow/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Ima

Look at what NPR watch, read and listen this weekend:

Films: Although Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Although the film is set hundreds of years after the recent Planet of the Apes trilogy, the spirit of Andy Serkis’ Caesar character still dominates.

TV: Hulus ShardlakeBased on CJ Sansom’s first novel in a series about a lawyer solving crimes in 16th century England, it has a strong historical atmosphere and brings Tudor-era England to life.

Books: In Return home, WNBA star Brittney Griner opens up about the nearly 10 months she spent in Russia on drug charges. “I didn’t feel human,” she tells NPR.

Music: Tomorrow, 26 larger-than-life finalists will compete for the main prize at the Eurovision Song Contest. These are the songs with the highest chance of fame.

Games: Asteroids, Myst, Resident Evil, SimCity and Ultima are the latest to be inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York.

Quiz: Nothing will humiliate me faster than being called “totally appropriate” in the weekly news quiz for my 9/11. How will you be?

3 things you should know before you go

A close-up of the front of the pork tapeworm larva with hooks and suction cups. The colors of this image have been manipulated. Parasitic worms made headlines after the press reported an earlier statement by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that he had been infected with a parasitic worm. RFK Jr. did not specify the type of worm, but worm researchers believe it may have been a pork tapeworm.

Scientific source

Hide caption

Toggle label

Scientific source

In a 2012 statement uncovered and verified by the New York Times, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said doctors found a dead worm in his brain after he sought medical attention for brain fog and memory loss. He’s not alone: The World Health Organization estimates that more than a billion people are infected with parasitic worms.
Barron Trump, Donald Trump’s youngest son, will make his political debut this summer as a delegate to the Republican National Convention.
Luis Rubiales, the former head of the Spanish Football Federation, is facing a sexual assault charge for kissing soccer star Jenni Hermoso without consent after last year’s Women’s World Cup final.

This newsletter was published by Majd Al-Waheidi.