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Today's top stories

President Biden arrived in France this morning to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, taking the Nazis by surprise and turning the tides of World War II. Biden is expected to meet with D-Day veterans, many of whom are more than 100 years old. The anniversary comes while a land war once again rages in Europe with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, whose president Biden will also meet.

World War II veteran Gene Kleindl, age 102, from Rockford, Ill., receives a kiss from Chantell Boivin while leaving the Normandy American Cemetery on June 4 in Colleville-sur-Mer, France. Kleindl, a medic in the U.S. Army's 90th Infantry Division, arrived on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.

World War II veteran Gene Kleindl, age 102, from Rockford, Ill., receives a kiss from Chantell Boivin while leaving the Normandy American Cemetery on June 4 in Colleville-sur-Mer, France. Kleindl, a medic in the U.S. Army's 90th Infantry Division, arrived on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. / Getty Images

  • 🎧 The president's speech is billed as an address to the American people about "freedom and democracy," NPR's Tamara Keith tells Up First. These are also key themes of Biden’s re-election effort.
  • ➡️ D-Day ultimately helped end World War II. The largest sea-to-land invasion in history wouldn't have been possible without deep knowledge of ocean tides.

NASA won't pursue a wealthy private astronaut's plan to send a maintenance crew to the Hubble Space Telescope for now. Jared Isaacman's mission aimed to boost the telescope higher into orbit. Instead, officials say they will change how the telescope points to avoid using a glitchy gyroscope. Mark Clampin, the director of NASA's astrophysics division, says he expects Hubble to "continue producing science through the rest of this decade and into the next."

This fall, Arizona voters will decide whether local and state police should have the power to enforce immigration law. The state's House of Representatives approved the proposal yesterday, two weeks after it cleared the state Senate. If voters pass the measure, entering Arizona from Mexico outside of a designated port of entry would become a state crime. The proposal is similar to a Texas law currently blocked by a legal challenge. (via KJZZ)

We, the voters

Fat Joe arrives on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Fat Joe arrives at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Feb. 13. The Bronx-born rapper sat with NPR's A Martínez to discuss how he advocates for price transparency and what he wants politicians in D.C. to do about it. / Invision/AP

As part of the We, The Voters series, NPR is bringing you stories about how politics impacts the nation's health care system. 

Rapper Fat Joe wants us to know we're being robbed. The crooks: hospitals and insurance executives. Last year, President Biden signed an executive order enforcing a Trump-era rule requiring hospitals to make the prices of health services public. But a 2023 report by the nonprofit Patient Rights Advocate found that most hospitals are not complying with those rules.

🎧 Listen to Fat Joe explain why he says the time is up for politicians to pass laws that give Americans quality, affordable health care. You can read the interview highlights here.

The science of siblings

Honoré Prentice (in yellow shirt and glasses), who lives in Canada, met three of his birth siblings, who live in the U.S., in person on Dec. 13, 2021. The brothers were all born in Haiti.

Honoré Prentice (in yellow shirt and glasses), who lives in Canada, met three of his birth siblings, who live in the U.S., in person on Dec. 13, 2021. The brothers were all born in Haiti. / Family photo

The Science of Siblings is a new series from NPR exploring the ways our siblings can influence us, from our money and our mental health all the way down to our very molecules. 

When siblings are adopted, many are placed with different families, often in different countries. Websites that match DNA and social media platforms have made it easier for these siblings to connect across borders. But while this process can be a heartwarming, joyful experience, it can also be challenging and emotionally charged. From Sri Lanka to Sweden, NPR spoke with four families who found their birth siblings.

3 things to know before you go

Beyonce, a beagle with one ear, pictured at Homeward Trails Animal Rescue in Fairfax, Virginia in August 2022 after being rescued from the Envigo breeding and research facility.

Beyonce, a beagle with one ear, pictured at Homeward Trails Animal Rescue in Fairfax, Va., in 2022 after being rescued from the Envigo breeding and research facility. / Getty Images

  1. A breeding facility in Virginia has agreed to pay a record $35 million fine nearly two years after thousands of beagles were rescued from the location due to unsafe conditions.
  2. The NAACP is warning American Airlines it will reinstate a travel advisory against the airline if it doesn't provide answers to recent racial discrimination incidents.
  3. Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for LA Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, has pleaded guilty to charges related to the theft of nearly $17 million from the player to cover gambling debts.

This newsletter was edited by Olivia Hampton.

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