--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Tracy Mumford: From the New York Times, it's the headlines. Today's Thursday, May 8th.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: My name is Mona Bushnak. I'm a senior photo editor with the International Desk at the New York Times.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Early afternoon, I got a message from our freelance photographer in the Gaza Strip, Sahir Al-Ghura, telling me that he was at the scene of a strike at a restaurant in Gaza City, and he has strong pictures.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: So I asked him to send them over, and what we saw was really graphic images and videos from the scene of the strike. In Gaza yesterday, the Israeli military carried out widespread airstrikes across the territory, killing dozens of people, according to Gaza's health ministry.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The deadliest attack was at a popular restaurant in northern Gaza, just across the street from where the Times photographer happened to be.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: So I called him up and he said that he was at a cafe using the internet and just having coffee with his friends and heard a sudden explosion and saw some smoke coming from the restaurant.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: He picked up his gear and ran to the restaurant.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: And the scene that unfolded in front of him, There were many bodies on the floor. He saw people taking their last breaths just right before they died and wounded people as well.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: In one photo, one man was holding a prayer rug to his head wound.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: And then in another photo, we see that a man was carrying the body of what seemed to be a child. And the body was mostly covered with a blue sheet, but you could see his arms and legs draped on the sides.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: As Sahir asked the man who the boy was, and he told him he was his nephew. His name is Karam, he's five years old, and he was killed in the strike on his way back from kindergarten.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: In all, 33 people were killed at the restaurant. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the target of the attack.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The strikes came just after Israel announced an aggressive new push into Gaza saying it plans to force all two million residents there into the southern part of the territory.
--:-- [Chorus of protesters in the background]
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Meanwhile, at Columbia University, Free, free, free Palestine! Free, free, free Palestine!
--:-- [Chorus of protesters continues]
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Dozens of protesters occupied the main library yesterday in an attempt to rekindle the pro-Palestinian protests that swept the school last year.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: Several protesters and public safety officers were injured in the chaotic scene, and after several hours, Columbia's president authorized New York City police to enter the library, where they detained about 70 demonstrators.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The school has been under intense pressure from the Trump administration to suppress pro-Palestinian protests.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: Earlier this year, the White House cut off more than $400 million in federal funds for the school, accusing it of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The university has been in ongoing negotiations with the administration to try and get that funding restored.
--:-- [Audio clip of news report]
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The United States is nearing the end of what's been a particularly brutal flu season. An estimated 47 million people caught it, with many parts of the country reporting high or very high levels.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: And the number of hospitalizations for influenza was the most in 15 years.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: A number of factors likely contributed to the surge. For one, researchers believe it could be about the particular strains circulating this year.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: Some of it may also be a lingering consequence of pandemic social distancing, when many common viruses didn't circulate as much and people's immune systems got out of practice.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Another factor medical experts are pointing to is vaccination rates. Amid a growing distrust of the scientific establishment, some people have been questioning the safety and effectiveness of flu shots and other vaccines.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: Vaccination rates have been dropping. In New York State, for example, 25 children died from the flu this season, And the state health commissioner said that of the kids who were old enough to be vaccinated, only one had gotten the flu shot.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Flu season typically peters out in May.
--:-- [Audio clip of news report]
--:-- Tracy Mumford: In Washington President Trump has changed up his choice for Surgeon General.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: His first pick had been Dr Jeanette Neshwat a former Fox News contributor She was scheduled to appear in front of the Senate Health Committee today, but her nomination ran into trouble on two fronts.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The conservative activist Laura Loomer, who Trump has listened to on other staffing matters, claimed she wasn't ideologically aligned with the president, and there have been allegations that she lied about her resume.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: Trump's new pick is Dr. Casey Means. The message I'm here to share is that American health is getting destroyed.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: It's being destroyed because of chronic illness. Means is a Stanford-educated doctor turned wellness influencer who frequently casts doubt on the American medical system.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: She's an ally of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and has shared his criticisms of processed foods and the pharmaceutical industry.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: She's also echoed some of Kennedy's skepticism of vaccines, calling the current vaccine recommendations for children, quote, extreme.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: If confirmed as Surgeon General, Means will be responsible for leading thousands of public health officers and communicating key health information to the public.
--:-- [Audio clip of news report]
--:-- Tracy Mumford: At the Federal Reserve yesterday...
--:-- Mona Bushnak: What does your gut tell you about how things are evolving out there?
--:-- Jerome Powell: My gut tells me that uncertainty about the path of the economy is extremely elevated and that the downside risks have increased.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that interest rates will stay the same for now as he waits to see the full economic impact of President Trump's policy changes.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: We don't have to be in a hurry. The costs of waiting to see further are fairly low, we think. So that's what we're doing.
--:-- Jerome Powell: Powell said it wasn't totally clear how the Fed should try and manage the economy going forward.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: On one hand, it might decide to lower interest rates to try and encourage spending if the economy slows down because of Trump's plans for mass deportations and huge federal budget cuts.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: On the other hand, the Fed might want to raise interest rates if new tariffs cause a spike in inflation and officials feel the need to try and rein it in.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: The next announcement about the rates will come in June
--:-- [Audio clip of sports report]
--:-- Tracy Mumford: And finally, 1 looking for Wilson to put it up Beats the clock! Asia, the game winner!
--:-- Mona Bushnak: Asia Wilson is widely acknowledged as the best player in women's basketball right now.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Oh, what a rejection from behind! Wilson, down but not out!
--:-- Mona Bushnak: She's won just about every award and title possible from the NCAA to the WNBA to the Olympics.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: But there was one iconic marker of stardom that she hadn't reached until now. Her own signature basketball shoe.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: This week, Nike released the A1, Wilson's first line of sneakers.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Some say it's way overdue. More than two dozen active men's players have signature shoes, but Wilson is one of only a handful of WNBA stars with a sneaker deal.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: Brands like Nike and Adidas launched a few shoes from WNBA stars in the 90s and through the early aughts.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Wilson, though, is the first Black player in the league to have a shoe drop in over a decade.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: And on Tuesday, the first batch of A1s in hot pink sold out in minutes.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: It's proof that WNBA stars can move shoes, too.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: Another player, Sabrina Unescu, released a unisex shoe with Nike two years ago. That design is now one of the most popular sneakers for men in the NBA.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The sales speak to the growing popularity of the WNBA and its stars. Viewership numbers have skyrocketed recently.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: Top players like Wilson, along with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, have signed major apparel deals. And arenas have been selling out.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: At a Nike event for her new shoe, Wilson told reporters, quote, it's time for people to have a shoe and see a shoe from someone like me.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: Those are the headlines.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Today on The Daily, how the recent air traffic control outage at Newark has exposed a new crisis in U.S. airline safety.
--:-- Mona Bushnak: That's next in the New York Times audio app, where you can listen wherever you get your podcasts.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow. Thank you.
--:-- [Theme music starts playing]
