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
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Harris are rushing to campaign for votes, especially in swing states, after their first and possibly only presidential debate. This week, Harris has been rallying voters in North Carolina and will soon head to Pennsylvania, while Trump has gone to Arizona and now heads to Nevada. There are no further debates currently scheduled. Harris is pushing for another one, but Trump says he won’t debate her again.
Georgia US House Representative Nikema Williams leaves the bus carrying her and other Harris surrogates on a reproductive rights tour of Georgia, at a stop in Macon.
Grant Blankenship
hide caption
toggle caption
Grant Blankenship
- 🎧 At her post-debate rallies, Harris has been attacking Trump’s policies and working to cut into his margins in red areas in swing states, NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben tells Up First. At one rally, she jabbed at Trump for saying he had “concepts of a plan” to replace the Affordable Care Act. As for Trump, he announced a new policy yesterday: no tax on overtime. This is one of the ways he’s looking to boost support among the working class, which makes up a lot of his base. It’s unclear how that would work. His campaign has not released details.
- ➡️ Taylor Swift has entered her election era. Her post-debate presidential endorsement has driven tens of thousands of people to register to vote.
One of Boeing’s largest unions, which represents more than 30,000 machinists, overwhelmingly voted yesterday to strike. Union members rejected a tentative contract offer because it fell short of the pay raise and pension changes they were seeking. Union members were asking for a 40% raise when the deal would have raised it by 25%. It’s the latest blow for the aerospace giant, which was already reeling from safety and quality problems.
- 🎧 NPR’s Joel Rose says union members say the pay increase offered is not enough money to live on. Before the vote, company leaders urged the union to take the deal. But 94% of union members voted to reject the contract and 96% voted in favor of striking. The company has been struggling to rebuild trust with airlines, regulators and the flying public after a door plug blew out of a jet in January. Boeing is ready to get back to the bargaining table.
President Biden is expected to host British Prime Minister Keir Starmer today at the White House. Russia’s war on Ukraine will be at the top of their agenda. There’s wide speculation Biden may use the occasion to announce he’s dropping his ban on Ukraine using long-range weapons provided by Washington to strike targets deep inside Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants his forces to be able to destroy Russian missiles and drones before they ever get off the ground and head toward Ukraine. He has been lobbying hard to gain permission to use the weapons that are already in the country.
- 🎧 U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken seemed to have changed minds on the topic this week when he said there was evidence that Iran is providing Russia with ballistic missiles, NPR’s Teri Schultz says. Western countries fear they would be seen as escalating the conflict by letting Ukraine use the weapons. The vast majority of NATO allies have made clear Ukraine can use its weapons however it chooses and say Kyiv has the right under international law to defend its territory. NATO has been heavily pressuring the U.S. to say the same thing.
Climate solutions week
Climate change is affecting our food, and our food is affecting the climate. NPR is dedicating a week to stories and conversations about the search for solutions.
ChoViva chocolate, which is a cocoa-free chocolate alternative, is being tested and processed by an employee at the testing lab of Planet A Foods.
Sandra Singh for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Sandra Singh for NPR
Your favorite candy bars, desserts and dipped fruit could be in danger due to climate change. Why? Chocolate supplies are dwindling. Last year, equatorial countries that account for two-thirds of the global cocoa supply saw record rainfall. The extreme weather patterns caused infections in cocoa trees that rotted the cocoa fruit. This shortfall set the stage for companies like Marquart’s Planet A Foods, whose scientists have been working on a chocolate substitute for the past three years. But, making food that looks like chocolate, feels like chocolate, and tastes like chocolate – but isn’t chocolate – takes time.
Weekend picks
Clockwise from left: Wicked, Here, Emilia Pérez, A Real Pain, Piece by Piece and Blitz.
Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Shanna Besson/Pathé, Searchlight Pictures and Apple TV+
hide caption
toggle caption
Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Shanna Besson/Pathé, Searchlight Pictures and Apple TV+
Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
🍿Movies: Need an escape from reality? We’ve got you covered with 25 movies coming out this fall. The list has award contenders, goofy comedies, a smattering of romance, plenty of anti-heroes and more.
📺 TV: With fall comes new TV show premieres. Here’s what to watch out for, from scary and soapy to hopefully funny, with trips to both Marvel and DC worlds.
📚 Books: Edwidge Danticat’s We’re Alone delves into harsh topics like racism and injustice without losing its sense of humor, proving once again that she is one of contemporary literature’s strongest, most graceful voices.
🎵 Music: MJ Lenderman’s newly released fifth solo album, Manning Fireworks, holds stories of people who can’t maintain connections. One of the songs, “You Don’t Know the Shape I’m In,” stands out as a particularly tender love song sung after the reason for its existence has petered out. NPR critic Ann Powers breaks down more of the songs here.
❓Quiz: There was a debate this week… but luckily this week’s quiz questions are not all about that. I’m patting myself on the back for my score. Think you can ace it too?
3 things to know before you go
Dawn Richard arrives at the Latin American Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015, in Los Angeles.
Paul A. Hebert/Invision via AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Paul A. Hebert/Invision via AP
- Dawn Richard, a former member of the American girl group Danity Kane, filed a lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, alleging he sexually assaulted her, deprived her of food and sleep and refused to pay her adequately.
- Janet Kahn-Scolaro’s sister, Susan Kahn, was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in 2013 and admitted to the hospital the next year. Kahn wanted to attend her daughter’s high school graduation, but her condition quickly got worse. Hospital staff, the family’s unsung hero, was able to thoughtfully recreate the ceremony right there for her.
- Keurig agreed to pay $1.5 million in penalties without admitting guilt or denying the SEC’s findings that the K-Cup pod producer made misleading statements about the recyclability of its K-Cup single-use coffee pods.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
