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Everything you need to know on Election Day. And, how to reduce political stress
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Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.
Today's top stories
Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump have concluded their presidential campaigns in what is anticipated to be a close race. Trump spent his final day in Grand Rapids, Mich., while Harris wrapped up her campaign in Philadelphia. No one knows what will happen after this wild election season comes to an end. Here's what we're watching for today.
- 🎧 If this is Trump’s last campaign, it will be the end of an era, NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben tells Up First. No one will be able to replicate his unique style successfully. If he loses, the Republican Party will need to redefine its identity without him. On his final campaign day, he stayed true to his message, promising mass deportations and saying tariffs are a great solution for the economy.
- ➡️ If Trump is reelected, he'll be the second president in U.S. history to win non-consecutive terms. Grover Cleveland was the first. Take a look at how Cleveland made it happen.
- 🎧 NPR’s Deepa Shivaram says it’s significant that Harris spent her final day exclusively in Pennsylvania, a state with 19 electoral votes. Most voters there don’t cast their ballots until Election Day. Harris encouraged people to vote and to motivate those around them to do the same. Her message focused on who she is and did not mention Trump, except for one reference to “the other guy.”
- ➡️ Harris is one of many VPs who successfully won their party's nomination for president. Actually winning the election has been more difficult.
- ➡️ Roughly eight in 10 people from both the Republican and Democratic parties put politics on their list of the biggest stressors. Dr. Joshua Stein, a psychiatrist in Minnesota, joins Morning Edition with advice on ways to reduce election-induced stress.
- ➡️ NPR partners with The Associated Press to report election results. Here's how the race-calling process works.
NPR will be reporting live on race calls, ballot measures, the presidential electoral vote count and more. Stay tuned wherever you get your news:
- 💻 Read our live blog: We'll provide fast updates and results from around the country.
- ✉️ Get the Politics newsletter: Breaking down the big stories and why they matter.
- 🚨 Get breaking news alerts: Sent when there are big updates, like race calls or upset alerts.
- 🎧 Listen to the NPR Politics Podcast: Our experts provide insights into what's happening.
- 🎙️ Listen to your local NPR station: Our special live coverage begins as polls begin to close and will continue as results come in.
- 📱 Get the NPR app: Get the latest updates and stream your station.
Israel’s government announced it will cancel its agreement with UNRWA, the primary United Nations agency providing aid to Palestinians in Gaza. Israel claims the agency, which employs 13,000 people in Gaza, has been infiltrated by Hamas. UNRWA dismissed nine staff members. The U.N.’s investigative body says those nine staffers may have been involved in attacking Israel, but it could not verify the information Israel used to support its allegations.
- 🎧 The U.S. is concerned about the laws passed last week that ban contact between Israel and UNRWA, NPR's Aya Batrawy says. The outcome of the presidential election will influence how this situation develops moving forward. With less than 90 days until the legislation goes into effect, Israel has not provided an alternative plan to the UNRWA. “In short, people are going to suffer because there is already hunger and starvation across Gaza,” Batrawy says.
Today's listen
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A nearly 200-year-old manuscript of a waltz by composer Frédéric Chopin was recently discovered at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York. Curator Robinson McClellan found it while sorting through a collection gifted to the library. Initially uncertain whether the manuscript was indeed by Chopin, he sought the expertise of music history professor Jeffery Kallberg to confirm its authenticity.
- 🎧 Listen to the newly found music and learn how they verified the work.
Life advice
How confident are you that what you're buying online is real? There's a good chance you've been misled at some point. Nearly 70% of consumers have unknowingly bought counterfeit products online at least once in the past year, according to a 2023 study from Michigan State University. Counterfeit items like medications, skin creams, vitamins and safety products such as brake pads, life jackets and dog leashes can pose serious dangers. Here are red flags to look for on e-commerce platforms:
- 🚩 You can buy cheap meds at an online pharmacy without a prescription.
- 🚩 You don't recognize the name of the seller you're buying from. Sites like Amazon and Walmart.com allow third-party sellers, or independent vendors, to use their platforms to sell goods.
- 🚩 The reviews are all bad — or all good. Illegal companies can post fake reviews or hide bad ones by reporting or downvoting them.
Here’s the complete list of things to look out for to avoid buying fake products.
3 things to know before you go
- Boeing machinists voted to approve a contract offer yesterday, ending a strike that lasted over 53 days.
- How can you make sure a child learns something deeply and for a long time? Violate their expectations, according to a new study from the journal PNAS.
- McDonald’s could repair its soft-serve ice cream machines more quickly now due to a new exemption to a copyright law.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
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