top story of the day
Israel has again ordered the evacuation of Gaza City due to renewed military action there. Many residents, who had just returned to find their homes destroyed, ignored orders to evacuate Gaza’s largest city – because of the lack of security in the south. The escalation comes as the U.S. announced it will resume shipments of 500-pound bombs to Israel that it has paused in an effort to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza, according to U.S. officials.
Hatem Ali/AP
- 🎧 “Devastation,” reports NPR’s Hadeel Al-Shalchi from Tel Aviv Go up first. A local civil defense group said yesterday that the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza City was uninhabitable. Fatima al-Da’ama told Al-Shalchi that when her family told her to leave, she said what was the point: “Because there is no safe place, I prefer to die at home. At least I know my surroundings.”
- ➡️ Escalating military activity during ceasefire negotiations looks set to continue in Qatar with US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators.. According to multiple sources close to the talks, Hamas appears to be moving toward a more gradual approach to meeting core demands in exchange for a six-week ceasefire, including a permanent end to fighting and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
President Joe Biden has been under the microscope since a disastrous debate two weeks ago. The president embraced the spotlight at a rare solo press conference Thursday night, but he stumbled again, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.” He also faced many questions about whether Harris would be a better candidate to take on Donald Trump.
- 🎧 NPR’s Asma Khalid asked Biden if he still sees himself as a bridge to the younger generation of Democrats, as he said during the 2020 campaign. Biden insisted that the situation had changed and made it clear that he would not drop out of the race, although his team hypothesized that Vice President Harris could do better against Trump.
- 🎧 After Biden’s debate performance, the presidential race remained statistically unchanged, a recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found. NPR’s Domenico Montanaro reports that we are in a “hyperpolarized landscape,” with people holding fixed views on both men. But one thing this latest NPR poll noted is this: two-thirds of Americans would rather have a president who doesn’t tell the truth than someone who’s too old for the job.
Dermatologists are sounding the alarm about the TikTok trend among teenagers and pre-teens called “glass skin.“The skin care craze is a multi-step routine in pursuit of pore-free, crystal-clear skin. Trying to achieve this look can backfire, causing skin irritation, redness, peeling, flaking or burning in young children because of products like chemical exfoliants and retinol have harsh ingredients for skin, which is thinner than adult skin.However, Dallas-based dermatologist Elizabeth Houshmand recommends that young people keep their skin care routine simple: a gentle cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen.
Behind the story
This essay was written by Morning Edition producer Claire Murashima.
Humans go through millions of pounds of plastic every day. Many of them can take centuries to decompose. This level of waste inspired Plastic Free July, a movement aimed at involving individuals to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic.
I spoke with Plastic Free July founder Rebecca Prince Ruiz, who gave up plastic one by one after visiting a recycling plant and seeing the amount of waste the city produces. I tried this challenge in 2019 by replacing my deodorant with one in a glass jar, buying reusable cotton and using a menstrual cup.
I’ll try this againr. I am ditching single-use plastic for a week and report to Morning edition. Through this experiment, I hope to find another viable plastic alternative.
Here’s my plastic-free game plan:
♻️ Eliminate online shopping and food delivery.
♻️ Fill my own container in the bulk section of my grocery store.
♻️ Carry a kit with reusable food storage and silverware in my tote bag every time I leave the house.
♻️ Replace single-use plastic with a plastic-free alternative when it runs out.
Do you want to take the challenge with me? Check out these tips from Prince Ruiz for success. And, tune in to the Morning Edition on July 26 to see if I’m up to the challenge.
Weekend selection
Check what NPR watch, read and listen this weekend:
🍿Puppet: Action-packed adventures, comedies, coming-of-age tales and more hit the big screen this summer. You don’t want to miss a new cinematic crop, and luckily we’ve got you covered on what to watch until Labor Day.
📺 TV: Dragon House it’s halfway through the second season. Whether you’re now jumping in or are all caught up, here are all the episode recaps to make sure you don’t miss a thing before Sunday night.
📚 Book: Photographer Cory Richards came close to death while climbing mountains and documented some of the most dangerous places on Earth. She goes beyond her adventures and explores her struggles with mental health in her new memoir, All Colors: A Journey To Silence The Chaos In.
🎵 Music: ‘Oh my, good Lord’ Shaboozey has a lot to celebrate as his chart-topping song A Bar Song (Tipsy) took him to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. He is the first black male artist to top this chart and the Billboard . Hot Country Songs Chart.
❓Quiz: This week there has been a lot of political news from celebrities asking President Biden to drop out of the race to the GOP platform in 2024. Test your knowledge and see if you can Ace this quiz.
3 things to know before you go
Nam Y. Huh/AP
- Bread, milk … and gun ammunition. People in many southern states can now buy ammunition from an AI-powered vending machine at their local grocery store.
- Leave your checkbook at home if you’re going to Target. The retailer announced that it will stop accepting checks on July 15. Are we close to paper checks?
- Researchers have discovered why cats scratch furniture. They have some tips how cat owners can stop the habit or at least curb the behavior.
This newsletter is edited by Obed Manuel.