Up First briefing: Israel and Hamas war escalates; older voters on aging politicans

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Today’s top stories

The war between Israel and Hamas enters its fifth day. More than 100 Israelis are being held hostage in Gaza after last weekend’s deadly attack by Hamas militants. More than 1,000 Israelis and at least 1,055 Palestinians have been killed. Morning Edition host Leila Fadel is in Jerusalem following developments.

• On Up First, Fadel says there’s no question the conflict will escalate, and there’s concern it could lead to a regional conflict. She adds that it appears Israel’s military is now preparing for a ground invasion into Gaza.
• When asked about how the hostage situation could affect Israel’s military strategy, former head of Israeli military intelligence Tamir Hayman tells Fadel that Hamas “must not get the benefit of its terror activities.”
• Meanwhile, civilians in Gaza are trapped. Israel has cut off access to food, fuel and medicine. Foreign journalists aren’t allowed in. Hospitals are running out of supplies. On All Things Considered, Gaza’s health ministry director general says the situation is “applying too much pressure” on hospitals.
• In the U.S., President Biden pledged full U.S. support for Israel yesterday, promising more aid. NPR’s Tamera Keith says the U.S. is also talking to Egypt and others about providing safe passage for Palestinians trapped in Gaza.
• What is the Gaza Strip? Here’s everything you need to know about what human rights groups call the world’s “largest open-air prison.” Plus, learn why Hamas and Israel reached this moment — and what could come next.

New York Republican Rep. George Santos is now facing 10 more felony counts, including conspiracy, identity theft and wire fraud. The new charges are in addition to the 13 counts of federal fraud charges Santos pleaded not guilty to in May.

A startup called PimEyes is raising concerns with privacy advocates worldwide. The facial recognition AI tool scans photos and crawls the internet to identify virtually any person. Big tech companies have been hesitant to release similar powerful face search technology because of the potential for misuse.

Today’s listen

Multiple polls show that age is top of mind for voters in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. NPR interviewed more than a dozen seniors around President Biden and former President Donald Trump’s age from various political backgrounds. Here’s what they said:

• Their perception of age broke down along partisan lines. Democratic voters looked more at Biden’s record vs Republican voters.
• Many believed neither Biden nor Trump should run, and it was time for a younger generation of leaders.
• Still, they felt younger people don’t fully appreciate the aging process and the focus on Biden can be overblown.

Enlighten me

Enlighten Me is a special series with NPR’s Rachel Martin about what it takes to build a life of meaning

Did you know Rachel Martin went through a Trekkie phase? Episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation were her source of comfort when she taught English in Japan in 1997. Martin sits down with Captain Jean-Luc Picard himself — Sir Patrick Stewart. Stewart says the role made him a better person. He and the cast were like ministers to fans who treated the show with an almost religious reverence.

3 things to know before you go

1. Michael Jordan just broke a world record. No, not the basketball player. This one’s a 2,749-pound pumpkin — the biggest in the world. (via MPR)
2. NASA will launch a spacecraft on a six-year journey to an asteroid called Psyche. Scientists believe Psyche is mostly made of metal and studying it could help them understand how planets like Earth were formed.
3. Billionaire Walmart heir Alice Walton has donated $40 million in grants to 64 museums nationwide to help them attract new audiences. 

This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.