Republican presidential candidate former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks at a campaign event on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024, in Greer, S.C.
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
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has yet to win a primary contest. Saturday's primary has the highest stakes yet, as it's in her home state of South Carolina. Ahead of the event, Haley has been making defiant speeches and sharpening her critique of former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the GOP nomination. Haley spoke yesterday with NPR's Steve Inskeep about her campaign.
On Up First today, Inskeep describes her journey as a "step-by-step campaign." She wants to give Republicans as much time to vote as possible and will stay in the race until at least Super Tuesday on March 5, when most states vote. Haley criticized Trump's opposition to funding for Ukraine, saying her fellow Republicans need to understand that "we need to prevent war. And the only way we prevent war is if Ukraine defeats Russia in this instance." Still, when Inskeep asked who she'd choose between Biden and Trump, she said Biden was "more dangerous."
An estimated 42% of adults in the U.S. know at least one person who has died of a drug overdose, according to a new RAND Corporation study. In states where overdose deaths are particularly high, including Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and all of New England, nearly one in two adults has a personal connection with someone who had a fatal overdose. (via WBUR)
"This type of bereavement is creating vicious circles within communities, where there's a death that spurs suffering, that spurs more deaths," Alison Athey, the lead author of the RAND study, tells NPR network reporter Martha Bebinger of WBUR. The researchers say individual strategies are needed for the families left behind to stop the cycle of grief. They point to the support offered to those who have lost someone to suicide as a model. The authors add that we must stop shaming and blaming people who are addicted to opioids. The blame extends to families left behind, causing more anxiety and stress.
The Boeing executive at the head of the company's troubled Max 737 program has left the company as part of a broader leadership change Boeing announced yesterday. Ed Clark oversaw Boeing's company in Renton, Wash., where the Alaska Airlines plane whose door plug blew off midflight was assembled. His departure was announced yesterday in a company memo, along with Elizabeth Lund's role in the newly created position of senior vice president of quality.
Today's listen
/ Molly Keane for NPR
/
Molly Keane for NPR
Emmalene Blake poses for a portrait in front of her mural showing Samia al-Atrash holding her niece Masa Khader, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza in October.
Last October, Irish artist, teacher and activist Emmalene Blake painted a mural in Dublin inspired by a viral photo from Gaza of a Palestinian woman kneeling and cradling the dead body of a child wrapped in a white shroud. The mural became an iconic symbol of Palestinian grief amid the ongoing war and soon reached Samia al-Atrash, the woman in the photo. Al-Atrash reached out to Blake on Instagram to share more stories about the child in the photo: her niece Masa. Masa and her parents were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Oct. 21.
Listen to Blake and al-Atrash discuss how their long-distance friendship bloomed through shared grief, and hear Blake read a poem she wrote about Masa.
Life advice
Lucidio Studio, Inc. / Getty Images
/
Getty Images
Starting a new job or doing a new project at work can bring up many insecurities: What if your boss is bad? What if you don't fit in with the team? Elainy Mata hosts New Here, a podcast from the Harvard Business Review that helps people navigate the professional world. Here are some of her favorite tips:
Every office has its own culture. Step back to listen, observe and absorb it.
If you just started a job and think your pay is too low, try working hard for six months before asking for your first raise.
Own up to mistakes right away. See if your manager can help with damage control and think about how to do better next time.
Is your boss the worst? This is one case where being direct and open is probably not the best option. Think about your shared needs and motivations, focus on how they prefer to communicate and don't forget to take care of yourself.
3 things to know before you go
Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images
/
Getty Images
John Cheeks' lottery ticket matched the numbers posted online in January 2023. But when he tried to redeem his prize, he was repeatedly denied.
A Washington, D.C. man is suing Powerball after it denied him $340 million worth of winnings. The D.C. Office of Lottery and Gaming says the "winning" numbers on his ticket were posted online by mistake.
Scientists have discovered a Stone Age megastructure on the sea floor. They believe the half-mile-long wall, called the Blinkerwall, was built by hunter-gatherers to herd and hunt reindeer.
In 2018, Julie Silverman developed a bad cough that got worse over the next few years. After several doctors dismissed her, a nurse practitioner and unsung hero's diligence helped her get a diagnosis for a rare, fatal condition.
The Paris Olympics opening ceremony wowed Parisians, fans and most everyone who was able to catch a glimpse of thousands of athletes floating down the Seine to officially begin the Games.
As Vice President Kamala Harris ramps up her campaign for president, Republicans are trying out new — and old — attacks focused on her race and gender, including calling her a "DEI candidate."
The Food Safety and Inspection Service made the announcement Friday. There are 34 cases of Listeria from deli meat across 13 states, including two people who died of Thursday, according to the CDC.
On the day that former President Donald Trump is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, we look at the Republican nominee's relationship with Israel.
Ashleigh Johnson is one of the best water polo goalkeepers in the world. NPR's Juana Summers talks to her about her barrier-breaking role in the sport and her expectations for her third Olympic games.
After a decades long man hunt the defacto head of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel is arrested just outside El Paso. What more do we know about his capture and what impact, if any, will this have on the fentanyl crisis here.
The territory hasn't had any polio cases for 25 years but this suggests the virus is spreading. Polio experts are scrambling to figure out the origins and whether or not there are active cases.
The opposition is united against longtime leftist President Nicolas Maduro, who is seeking a third term in this Sunday's election amid the country's gravest economic and political crisis in decades.