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
Jimmy Carter's life will be remembered with more than a week of events. The 39th president of the United States died in his hometown of Plains, Ga., yesterday at age 100. In an address to the nation, President Biden said his predecessor "lived a life measured not by words, but by his deeds." Carter's single term in the White House was remembered for inflation, international unrest and the seizure of American hostages in Iran. After leaving office, he founded the Carter Center, which promoted health care and monitored elections internationally.
- 🎧 Carter will receive a state funeral and Biden has set Jan. 9 as a national day of mourning, NPR's Stephen Fowler tells Up First. Carter's journey to the national stage included his joining the Navy, leaving the service to run his family's peanut farm, becoming a state senator and then governor of Georgia. His presidential inauguration came after the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal. Fowler says Carter's post-presidential life will be remembered for its impact more than his time in office. He effectively eradicated the Guinea worm, a crippling parasitic disease in Africa. He also was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his work forging peaceful solutions to international conflict.
- ➡️ Carter served as president from 1977 to 1981 with a focus on human rights-centered politics. Check out photos from his time in office.
- ➡️ Carter wrote books about his life and beliefs, as did other writers and historians who re-examined his impact. Here are 10 of the best-known titles by or about him.
A high-ranking Syrian official told NPR he wants his country to have cordial ties with Israel and wants the U.S. to help facilitate them. This is not commonly heard from an Arab-led government, especially one made up of rebels who once had ties to al-Qaida. The statement made by the newly appointed governor of Damascus, Maher Marwan, sent shockwaves throughout the region.
- 🎧 In the interview with NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi, Marwan said it was natural that when rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took power Israel felt some fear. Marwan continued by saying Syria couldn't be an opponent to Israel and wanted co-existence. The U.S. has relayed the message to Israel. The Israeli foreign ministry said it rejected any overture from HTS. Syria and Israel have been in a state of war since Israel's creation in 1948 and have never had diplomatic ties. Marwan has since issued a video distancing himself from the comments he made to NPR.
South Korea has begun a week-long period of mourning after one of the worst aviation disasters for a Korean airline. A plane's landing gear failed to deploy, resulting in it skidding off a runway and crashing into a wall. Only two of the 181 people on board the plane emerged alive.
- 🎧 NPR's Anthony Kuhn says sobs, wails and cries of grief echo through the halls of the Muan International Airport. The first concern from family members is reclaiming their loved ones' bodies. Currently, about 146 of the 179 victims have been identified. The problem is that only five of the bodies are relatively intact. Investigators are looking into the cause of the deadly crash, collecting control tower data and recovering black boxes.
Life advice
It is the season of giving… and returning. The National Retail Federation reports that returns will total $890 billion this year. Returns happen year-round, but tick up during the holiday season. Etiquette experts say there is a delicate art to returning or even regifting unwanted presents. Here are a few things to consider before heading to the store:
- 🎁 Instead of saying you didn't like a present, provide a reason for the return that is out of your control. The sizing wasn't right or receiving a very similar gift.
- 🎁 To avoid possible awkwardness when it comes to exchanges, it is suggested that gift-givers provide a gift receipt.
- 🎁 When regifting, ensure the gift is new, completely unused and in its original packaging.
- 🎁 Avoid giving the gift to someone in the same social circle. Don't give the sweater your aunt gave you to one of your cousins.
Check out the full list of tips for gift returns and regifting this holiday season.
Picture show
Fishermen known as Madagascar's "sea nomads" use their exceptional diving skills to preserve both sea life and their livelihood. The group is from the Vezo tribe, who work to survey the health of the coral reef in the Barren Isles, identifying sediments and plants on the sea floor, and noting marine species encountered. Their daily dives are part of a conservation effort to protect the Barren Isles. Over the past two decades, Vezo people have migrated there from parts of Madagascar, after overfishing and climate change started to threaten their traditional way of life. Now, the Vezo are worried about the decline in fish numbers in the Barren Isles.
- 📷 See photos from the sea nomads' daily dives.
3 things to know before you go
- A baby pygmy hippo born earlier this month needs a name – and you can help. The Metro Richmond Zoo is holding a poll that ends tomorrow afternoon to decide what its name will be.
- The bodies of two Oregon men looking for Sasquatch were found in a forest in Washington state following a three-day search for them, state officials announced Saturday.
- Several people have fallen seriously ill in North America due to bird flu, and fears that a strain of the flu could unleash a pandemic go back decades. Here's what the latest research says about protecting yourself and your pets.
This newsletter was edited by Obed Manuel.
Copyright 2024 NPR
