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Harris courts Black male voters. And, worries that Israel is starving north Gaza
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Today's top stories
Today, Vice President Harris is set to announce initiatives aimed at winning over Black voters, particularly men. She has pledged to legalize recreational marijuana, protect cryptocurrency assets and give 1 million fully forgivable loans of up to $20,000 for Black entrepreneurs and others to start businesses. Polls show that Black men are not as enthusiastic about Harris as they were about President Biden in 2020. Some are showing interest in former President Donald Trump. Democrats are worried that even a small shift in the Black male vote could harm Harris' chances of winning crucial swing states needed to secure the White House.
- 🎧 With the race so close, NPR's Deepa Shivaram tells Up First that Harris spending these final weeks trying to appeal to Republican and independent voters. She is set to discuss her new proposals today at a town hall event with Charlamagne tha God, one of the hosts of The Breakfast Club. Charlamagne is known for being a challenging interviewer and has been critical of Democratic candidates in the past.
Aid workers and human rights groups fear that Israel's new offensive is starving people in north Gaza. The plan, which has been in effect for the past two weeks, focuses on the Jabalia refugee camp where Israel claims Hamas was attempting to regroup. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which provides aid to Palestinians, reports that civilians in the area are being forced to either leave or face starvation due to blocked food deliveries. Israel has issued an evacuation order for all of north Gaza.
- 🎧 NPR’s Daniel Estrin spoke with a man named Mohammed El Balaawy, who fled his home in Jabalia. El Balaawy stated that he was part of a group of 25 people who escaped while under fire, and 10 of them were injured or killed. His relatives who stayed behind have run out of food and water. The practice of "leave or starve" is not an official policy, and the Israeli army denies its implementation.
The Biden administration is establishing a new national marine sanctuary off the Central California coast that will protect over 4,500 square miles of ocean. The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will be the first to be managed by Indigenous people. It will be overseen in collaboration with local tribes and Indigenous groups that will provide guidance to the federal government. This initiative reflects the Biden administration's commitment to involving tribes in decisions regarding the lands and waters that were historically taken from them.
Life advice
Sometimes, we tend to criticize our style or body when getting dressed. Stylist Sophie Strauss wants to flip the narrative and reframe how we talk about our clothes in relation to our bodies. Here are positive and constructive ways to tackle style complaints.
- 👖 If you're feeling stuck or bored with your style, don't rush to buy new clothes. Take this opportunity to reconsider what you already have and get creative.
- 👖 Saying comments like “this isn’t flattering” blames your body. Put the fault back on your clothes by saying, “I don’t like this.”
- 👖 Remember, anyone can take fashion risks; it just takes confidence, which can be built.
- 👖One misconception about personal style is that it’s a race to be the most unique person. It should be all about making the right decisions for you.
Check out the full list of how to fix common style gripes.
Picture show
Every year during Holy Week leading up to Easter, the community in Juntas, Buenaventura, Colombia, celebrates the Manacillos festival. This ancient ritual originated near the Yurumangui River. During the festival, no one is allowed to work in the artisanal gold mines or the agricultural fields in the jungle. The Manacillos festival holds profound spiritual significance, as it reaffirms the residents' African roots and resists colonialism and imposed Catholicism through syncretism, creating a new collective cultural identity.
- 📷 See photos of how one Afro-Colombian community honors their ancestry.
3 things to know before you go
- The Europa Clipper, a spacecraft powered by solar energy, was launched yesterday on a journey of over six years. It will study whether one of Jupiter’s moons can support life.
- Three men were awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Economics for tracing the institutional roots of national prosperity in former European colonies. They’ll share the prize, worth about $1.058 million, for their work explaining how the different institutions in those colonies continue to shape economic fortunes today.
- Women’s equality activist Lilly Ledbetter died Saturday at 86. Her fight for pay equity led to the passage of the monumental Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
Correction
A previous version of this newsletter incorrectly said that Vice President Harris is proposing loans for Black entrepreneurs. In fact, the proposed loans would go to Black entrepreneurs and others.
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