Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed; Biden in Berlin : NPR

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At this time’s high tales

Yahya Sinwar, the chief of Hamas and Israel’s most wished man in Gaza, is lifeless, the Israeli navy confirmed. He was thought of the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023 assault on Israel that killed 1,200 individuals, based on the Israeli authorities. The assault sparked a conflict that has killed over 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza, based on Gaza well being officers. The Israeli navy reported that he was killed in Rafah, within the south.

• 🎧 Sinwar’s demise — the newest high-profile killing of a Hamas chief after two different key leaders have been killed over the summer season — has raised questions on who will assume management of the group, NPR’s Hadeel Al-Schalchi tells Up First. Sinwar’s right-hand man has been his brother, Mohamed Sinwar, however there are others exterior of Gaza who’ve represented Hamas in Qatar and Turkey for years. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned final night time his final obligation is to safe the discharge of the remaining hostages. The U.S. and Israel have lengthy argued that Sinwar was the principle impediment to reaching a hostage deal, based on former Israeli intelligence officer Michael Milshtein. President Biden has emphasised the necessity to transfer ahead, indicating it’s time to reinvigorate stalled cease-fire talks.
• ➡️ Who was Yahya Sinwar? Here is every thing you’ll want to know concerning the obsessively secretive man labeled a psychopath by Israeli politicians and safety officers.

NPR put collectively a pair of focus teams in Could with “double haters,” voters who disapproved of each former President Donald Trump and Biden. This was to assist perceive how they made up their minds concerning the candidates, however lots has modified since then. This week, NPR went again to these exact same voters to seek out out which method they’re now leaning within the tighter-than-ever race between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump.

• 🎧 NPR’s Mara Liasson says that of 10 springtime double haters, 4 have been locked in or leaning in the direction of Trump, 5 have been locked in and leaning in the direction of Harris, and one was sure he wouldn’t vote for both. The shift in the direction of Harris appears to be pushed extra by anti-Trump than pro-Harris sentiment. “She nonetheless is not garnering as a lot help as Biden did in 2020 on the identical level within the race with key Democratic teams like African Individuals, Hispanics, and younger individuals,” Liasson mentioned. These voters appear much less involved a few Harris consequence as they did not consider she would undermine the election. Extra apprehension surrounds Trump and the potential for political violence as a result of his repeated refusal to decide to accepting the outcomes of any election he did not win.

Biden is in Berlin, Germany, at this time to satisfy with European leaders for the final time throughout his presidency. It’s a farewell journey to a area that has been entrance and heart since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The assembly holds nice political significance, particularly because the U.S. is poised to elect a brand new president whereas the result of the conflict in Ukraine stays unsure. Right here’s a glance into this assembly’s significance.

• 🎧 “America’s relationship with Europe is stronger than ever, and that’s largely as a result of work that President Biden has carried out these previous 4 years,” NPR’s Rob Schmitz says. In accordance with a current survey by the German assume tank Körber-Stiftung, 80% of Germans polled consider that one other Trump presidency would hurt trans-Atlantic relations. Trump’s uncertainty about persevering with help for Ukraine may pressure Europe to step in to fill the hole in U.S. help for the nation if he’s re-elected. This might put stress on Germany specifically to strengthen its personal safety. Moreover, a Trump presidency may contribute to the rising reputation of far-right events in Germany and throughout Europe.

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NPR’s Claire Harbage and Fatma Tanis spent per week in September talking with greater than two dozen ladies in a number of refugee camps in Chad, which is now residence to over 600,000 individuals who have fled Sudan. The ladies mentioned that the grownup males of their households — their husbands, fathers, grownup sons, and brothers — have been virtually at all times lacking. Some males had disappeared, been killed by the Fast Assist Forces to stop them from defending themselves and their households, or had been conscripted by the Sudanese military. The battle has displaced over 13 million individuals and resulted in what the United Nations is asking the world’s largest humanitarian disaster.

Weekend picks

Try what NPR is watching, studying and listening to this weekend:

🍿Motion pictures: We Dwell In Time stars Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, who snort and cry as a pair attempting to take advantage of their time collectively. The story jumps from their first assembly to their later disaster and a number of other crucial factors in between.

📺 TV: Disclaimer stars Cate Blanchett as a profitable documentarian who’s confronted with a secret from her previous. Every of the seven episodes propels the story ahead, offering new clues, elevating greater questions, and leaving the viewers desirous to be taught extra.

📚 Books: Clear is narrated by Estela, a pointy lady who works as a housemaid for a rich household. She turns into the principle suspect within the demise of a 7-year-old who was discovered lifeless within the pool of the house the place she works.

🎵 Music: Famend guitarist and composer John Scofield shall be celebrating 50 years of recorded music in November. To commemorate this milestone, Jazz Evening in America offered him with a particular problem: Select 10 pivotal tracks from his huge discography and reveal the tales behind them. Hearken to the complete setlist right here.

🎮 Video games: Tremendous Mario Social gathering Jamboree is full of selection, together with 112 mini-games, 22 playable characters, seven boards, 5 multiplayer modes and an solely single-player journey.

❓Quiz: Should you’ve paid consideration to the presidential hopefuls and incoming pandas, you’ll be able to go a minimum of half of this week’s quiz. However if you’re like me, you’ll ace all of it. Are you able to take it on?

3 issues to know earlier than you go

1. Drug overdose deaths are down 12.7%, as per CDC information launched this week. If the development continues, this 12 months may very well be the primary since 2020 to see overdose deaths drop under 100,000.
2. Vikash Yadav, a former Indian intelligence official, is dealing with U.S. federal costs for allegedly planning to assassinate an American citizen in New York Metropolis. The meant sufferer is a frontrunner within the motion for an unbiased Sikh homeland.
3. Not too long ago launched physique digital camera footage reveals Tyron McAlpin, a deaf Black man with cerebral palsy, allegedly being crushed and tased by Phoenix cops in August 2024. This comes after a DOJ report discovered proof of discrimination by Phoenix police towards Black, Hispanic, and Native American people.

This article was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.