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Today's top stories
The ACLU and other groups argued in federal court yesterday that a law passed in Louisiana earlier this year requiring schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms violates a Supreme Court precedent and the First Amendment. They sued the state to prevent the law from taking effect in January. This was the first time both parties met over the issue.
- 🎧 The nine Louisiana families who are plaintiffs in the case argue that the law will harm children if it takes effect, Aubri Juhasz of NPR network station WWNO tells Up First. The main focus in court yesterday was whether the case can move forward, as attorneys argue that the plaintiffs don’t have a case until the posters go up in the classrooms. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a similar law in Kentucky in 1980. The federal court judge in Baton Rouge says he will decide whether the case will move forward by Nov. 15.
This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosts many leaders of the world’s fastest-developing economies at the 2024 BRICS summit. The Kremlin says 22 world leaders will attend and is billing it as the biggest foreign policy summit in Russia’s history. Putin says companies from BRICS countries already dominate key economic industries like energy and agriculture and will be the key drivers of the global economy in the future.
- 🎧 NPR’s Charles Maynes says the Kremlin would argue this is the latest proof that Russia is not isolated over its invasion of Ukraine, as the West would claim. The event will feature closely monitored bilateral meetings, including between Russia and Iran. Maynes suggests that if Putin has his way, the conference will make progress in reducing the dominance of the U.S. dollar. He is keen on observing BRICS nations develop new financial tools that could protect economies like Russia from Western sanctions.
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Harris made two separate but equally important pitches to Republicans on Monday while campaigning in swing states. In North Carolina, Trump repeated false claims about FEMA’s funding in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, tying this back to his viewpoint on immigration. Meanwhile, as Harris traveled to the “Blue Wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, her GOP outreach has been less about adopting more conservative stances of her policies, but more about positioning herself as an alternative to Trump.
We, the voters
NPR is visiting six key swing states that will likely decide this year’s historic election. This week, Morning Edition is in Pennsylvania to listen to voters about what matters to them and how that will affect their vote.
It is unlikely we'll know who won the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Election night. That's because a law created four years ago doesn't allow election officials to open mail-in ballots until the morning of Nov. 5. Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong says the county will have thousands of ballots to go through, and the longer it takes, the more people will think something has gone wrong. Pennsylvania’s Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, who oversees the state's vote count, breaks down the process on Morning Edition with host Michel Martin.
Picture show
“Severe child food poverty” is on the rise. One in four children under the age of five worldwide is unable to access a nutritious diet, according to a UNICEF report. This amounts to 181 million young children. Rising food prices, climate crises, harmful food-marketing strategies, disruptions in food supply and other factors are contributing to the problem. In addition, low-income countries struggle to regulate aggressive advertising of processed snack foods, leading to many children consuming unhealthy, inexpensive options instead of nutrient-rich foods.
- 📷 See photos of how nine families cope when they can't afford three healthy meals daily.
3 things to know before you go
- Four people are dead, including a child, after a helicopter crashed into a radio tower in Houston Sunday night, officials say.
- The men known as the Central Park Five are suing former President Donald Trump for defamation over comments he made during last month's presidential debate, according to a lawsuit filed. The men were exonerated after being wrongfully convicted in 1989 of a brutal assault on a New York jogger.
- Samantha Hodge-Williams had to undergo emergency surgery when doctors discovered an ovarian mass in 1996. A singing aesthetician — and unsung hero — helped ease her stress on the operating table, and has stayed in her thoughts through multiple surgeries later in her life.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
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