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
Israel launched attacks on central Beirut last night, intensifying its offensive in Lebanon after the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel. The exchange marks some of the fiercest fighting between the two sides since the beginning of the war in Iran. Today, U.S. Central Command confirmed that at least four crew members were killed when a refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq. Yesterday, Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his first message, vowing to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed.
- 🎧 Israel issued its first-ever evacuation order since the war in Iran began for a 300-yard radius of a building in the Bachura neighborhood of Beirut, NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi tells Up First. The Israeli military claims it is killing and targeting Hezbollah operatives, but the specifics of what was targeted in that building last night are unclear. An official not authorized to speak publicly told NPR that the strike was symbolic and was meant to send the message that Israel would not tolerate Hezbollah's fire much longer. The Lebanese president has recently called for direct talks with Israel to end the war and asked the international community to help bolster its army to try to disarm Hezbollah. Israel hasn't commented publicly, but the official told NPR that Israel sees positive signs from Lebanon to crack down on Hezbollah. Al-Shalchi says it wouldn't be surprising if talks happen soon.
The FBI is investigating two separate attacks that happened yesterday. In Michigan, an armed man rammed a car into Temple Israel synagogue. In Virginia, another man opened fire in a Reserve Officers' Training Corps classroom at Old Dominion University, killing one and wounding two others.
- 🎧 Security officers exchanged gunfire with the alleged suspect in Michigan, who was found dead. Authorities identified him as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali. He was a naturalized citizen born in Lebanon. NPR has confirmed that an Israeli strike in Lebanon killed two of Ghazli's brothers and two of his brother's children earlier this month. His parents were wounded and are in the hospital. Authorities have not yet shared a motive for the attack and say that their investigation will take time, according to Alex McLenon of NPR network station WDET.
- 🎧 Authorities identified the Old Dominion University shooter as 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, from Sterling, Va. Members of the ROTC class wrestled him to the ground, and he was ultimately killed. Jalloh was honorably discharged from the Virginia Army National Guard in 2015. Steve Walsh of NPR network station WHRO says he seems to have been radicalized in the following years. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison and five years supervised release in 2017 after he pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq. He was released in 2024. The FBI is investigating the incident as an act of terrorism, citing his previous arrest and witness reports of him yelling "Allahu Akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is Greatest."
The Senate yesterday passed the largest housing bill in decades with an 89 to 10 vote. The bipartisan legislation aims to improve housing affordability and availability by deregulating, expanding existing programs and banning large corporations from buying single-family homes, with few exceptions.
- 🎧 The bill, which has over 40 provisions, aims to drive down housing costs by encouraging more homebuilding, NPR's Stephan Bisaha says. The nation is millions of homes short of meeting the demand, but Bisaha explains that the federal government doesn't have a "big lever" it can pull to mandate more construction. So the legislation is an amalgam of different programs and incentives that co-sponsor Sen. Elizabeth Warren describes as a "giant meatball." It includes a popular provision banning institutional investors from buying single-family homes. While people blame these investors for driving up prices by outbidding families, research on this is mixed. Bisaha notes that large investors own few homes across the U.S. and, in some cases, they help lower costs.
Living better
Living Better is a special series about what it takes to stay healthy in America.
Tech companies are rolling out platforms specifically tailored for health care consultation, and AI is quickly becoming a key player in shaping people's medical decisions. OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, reports that more than 40 million people consult the platform daily for health information. But new research shows that AI can mislead users in certain medical scenarios. And the quality of the health information it imparts depends on how effectively a person prompts the tools.
- 🗨️ A study found that even when AI correctly identifies a condition, it often does not present the next steps with enough urgency. Researchers found that bots "under-triaged" in 52% of emergency cases, treating the ailment as less serious than it was.
- 🗨️ Health care can be difficult to afford and access, which is why consulting AI can often be better than the alternatives, says Robert Wachter, a doctor at UC San Francisco.
- 🗨️ Adam Rodman, a hospitalist who researches AI programs, says a good time to use AI is before or after seeing a doctor to become more informed about your condition. This helps you use time with your medical provider efficiently.
Weekend picks
Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
🍿 Movies: In Hoppers, a young woman uses mind-hopping technology to inhabit an animatronic beaver with the hope of saving a beloved glade from serious risk of destruction by way of the town's slimy mayor.
📺 TV: MGM+'s American Classic is a hidden gem, says NPR TV critic David Bianculli. In the series, a Shakespearean actor returns to his small hometown after a crisis and works to save the local theater.
📚 Books: In her new book Darkology: Blackface and the American Way of Entertainment, Rhae Lynn Barnes traces the origin of minstrel shows, which are performances where an actor portrays a racist depiction of a Black, often formerly enslaved, person.
🎵 Music: Kacey Musgraves' new song "Dry Spell" discusses the longest period she spent on her own as an adult. The song appears on her sixth album, Middle of Nowhere, releasing May 1. She sat down with NPR Music for an exclusive first interview about her new music.
🌮 Food: The Oscars are this weekend. If you invite people over to watch, NPR has some punny menu ideas to reflect this year's idiosyncratic slate of best picture nominees.
❓ Quiz: I have scored a nine out of 10 for two weeks in a row. I will reach that perfect score soon. In the meantime, it is your turn to aim for a flawless result.
3 things to know before you go
- NASA yesterday announced it is targeting a launch date as early as April 1 for Artemis II, a 10-day mission that will send four astronauts around the moon and back.
- Smiljan Radić Clarke has won the Pritzker Prize, an award often called the Nobel of architecture.
- Fisher F003, a large weasel outfitted with a GPS collar by researchers, traveled roughly 80 miles, the longest documented dispersal journey for the species. (via NHPR)
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
Copyright 2026 NPR