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Today's top stories
Tens of thousands of people are fleeing Gaza City on foot, and Israel has agreed to allow civilians stuck in northern Gaza to move south for several hours each day in what the Israeli government is calling humanitarian corridors. Israel has held brief pauses throughout the week. The journey south is still arduous, NPR's Daniel Estrin tells Up First.
Check out npr.org/mideastupdates for more coverage, differing views and analysis of this conflict.
West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin will not seek reelection next year, complicating Democrats' hopes of keeping their already-slim majority in the Senate. Manchin wielded significant influence on key legislation — and irked many people — in his party, as a moderate from a red state. His decision gives an advantage to Republicans seeking to flip that seat.
Migrant crossings along the U.S. southern border hit new highs this year, as did the number of displaced people worldwide. NPR's Jasmine Garsd spent time in Tijuana, Mexico this week speaking with people who are increasingly desperate while waiting for their immigration appointments. They include a Venezuelan medical student who has spent months living in Mexican shelters and a Russian medical specialist fleeing the war with his family.
Today's listen
Lice have been hitchhiking on our heads for so long that they've recorded human history in their DNA. "We can think of human lice as heirlooms of our past," says Marina Ascunce, a U.S. Department of Agriculture evolutionary geneticist. Her team just released a study revealing what lice can tell us about human migration to the Americas — and their research doesn't stop there. Listen to the story or read it here.
Weekend picks
Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
Movies: Sofia Coppola's Priscilla tells the story of one of America's most iconic couples, through the eyes of a teenage Priscilla Presley living with Elvis at Graceland.
TV: In the Australian Paramount+ series Colin from Accounts, a real-life husband and wife duo play two lonely strangers who bond after an accident leaves them with an injured dog and large veterinary bills.
Books: The Golden Screen: The Movies That Made Asian America is a collection of cultural commentary on the state of Asian American representation in media. Author Jeff Yang describes it as "sort of like a cheer out loud."
Music: Cher's first album of original material in a decade, "Christmas," is also her first holiday album. She spoke with NPR about her process, collaborators and that time she jumped a freight train as a child.
Games: Looking for a Thanksgiving group activity? WarioWare: Move It! will transform your family and friends into "squirming chaos imps," writes NPR's James Perkins Mastromarino.
Quiz: It's been a big week for politics and animals. You'll need to be up-to-date on both to ace the ever-tricky NPR news quiz.
3 things to know before you go
This newsletter was edited by Olivia Hampton.
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