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Today's top stories
The death toll has risen to 12 after electronic pagers belonging to members of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah exploded at the same time yesterday, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Thousands more were wounded in the attack , one U.S. official told NPR. Many of the pagers were carried in bags, on people鈥檚 hips or in their hands when they detonated across Beirut and south Lebanon. Videos show them exploding in grocery stores, at desks and on crowded streets.
- 馃带 NPR鈥檚 Daniel Estrin tells Up First that the majority of the injuries were to the face and eyes as people were holding their pagers to read a text message. Hezbollah started using the pagers because it was concerned that Israel had infiltrated its smartphones. The New York Times reports Israel put the explosives inside the pagers before they were brought to Lebanon. It's a that Israel was in their pockets this whole time, Estrin says. The Biden Administration has been working to prevent a regional war and, based on NPR鈥檚 reporting, the administration considers the attack very unhelpful in its efforts.
The Federal Reserve is expected to announce today the first interest rate cut since 2020. Borrowing costs have been at their highest level in more than two decades for more than a year. This made things like getting a car loan or financing a business being more expensive. Here鈥檚 may affect the economy and your wallet.
- 馃带 A big question is how quickly the Fed will move, NPR's Scott Horsley says. Some people think it鈥檚 getting a late start on cuts and . Horsley says today鈥檚 rate cut is just the first step and we鈥檙e likely to see interest rates fall further in the coming months. He cautions that even if inflation falls to the Fed's target 2%, it doesn't mean prices will go back to pre-pandemic levels. The good news? Wages have gone up faster than prices have for more than a year, which means people's buying power could catch up.
Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. appear to be plummeting for the first time in decades. Data from the CDC shows a more than 10% drop in deaths. Some experts say the trend, which began late last year, is accelerating and could mean thousands fewer drug deaths each year. NPR's Brian Mann spoke with people experiencing addiction for an NPR exclusive report. and learn more about the drop in deaths.
- 馃带 鈥淭o be clear, nobody thinks the problem is solved,鈥� Mann says. Though deaths appear to be dropping, there are still around 100,000 fatal overdoses a year. Rahul Gupta, the White House drug czar, and addiction treatment programs are finally working. He credits the spread of overdose reversal drug naloxone, also known as Narcan. Some experts say public health measures alone don鈥檛 explain the significant drop in drug-related deaths. Researchers are racing to understand the change so they can build on it and keep it going.
Deep dive
Social media platforms can be a fun outlet but can also hold dangerous content for young users. With that in mind, Instagram of teenagers' accounts private, enhance parental supervision and set restrictions on messaging. Meta says users under 16 will now need a parent鈥檚 approval to change restrictions on 鈥淭een Accounts,鈥� which filter out offensive words and limit who is able to contact them.
- 馃摫 This push comes as Congress hesitates to pass the Kids Online Safety Act. It would require social media companies to do more to help prevent bullying, sexual exploitation and the spread of harmful content.
- 馃摫 The House has concerns that the bill would infringe on the young people's free speech. If it passes, it would be the first Congressional legislation since the 1990s to protect kids online.
- 馃摫 Meta officials say they have developed new AI systems to detect teens who lie about their age when trying to get on Instagram.
- 馃摫 Parents will be limited to viewing around three dozen topics that their teens are interested in. Meta says topic-viewing is less about surveilling kids and more about their curiosities.
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Today's Listen
Getting in your car and turning on your radio might feel like an endless time loop. At least I know it does for me. The jams the DJs played on the radio yesterday are spun again today. More times than not, you can hear some songs several times a day.
- 馃带 Listen to find out on the radio and learn a tip for how to avoid it.
3 things to know before you go
- Sean 鈥淒iddy鈥� Combs was denied bail yesterday after he was racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution in a sweeping federal indictment.
- A long-awaited mission to Europa, one of Jupiter's icy moons believed to have the right conditions for life, is on track to , NASA officials say.
- Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic bill to provide a nationwide right to IVF treatments, marking the to advance.
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