--:-- [Up First theme music plays]
--:-- Leila Fadel: President Biden once championed an effort to cut cancer deaths in half. Now his office says he received his own cancer diagnosis.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: The news comes amid a widespread discussion of his fitness during this year's in office.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I'm Steve Inskeep with Leila Fadel and this is Up First from NPR News.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Israel has expanded its ground offensive in Gaza in an operation called Gideon's Chariots, forcing Palestinians to flee again.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Why now amid ceasefire talks?
--:-- Steve Inskeep: And recovery is underway after storms killed more than two dozen people in three states over the weekend.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Kentucky's governor says there's been an outpouring of help.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: And to each of those individuals looking at what used to be their home, that are wondering where they start, there's going to be a bunch of people that show up and say, start with me.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
--:-- [Up First theme music continues]
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--:-- Fernando Madeira: For me, sometimes I just need to go and talk to somebody that is not going to judge me, right? It's going to be there and they're going to listen to me. And I can start just saying, look, I'm not feeling right today. And it feels natural. I love it.
--:-- Announcer (Voiceover): Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. sa.com, promo code NPR.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Former President Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and it has spread to his bones.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: The news from his office comes as new attention is focused on Biden's decline while in office.
--:-- Leila Fadel: We're joined now by NPR senior White House correspondent Tamra Keith to discuss.
--:-- Tamra Keith: Good morning, Tam.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: So, Tam, what do you know about the diagnosis?
--:-- Tamra Keith: According to a statement from Biden's personal office, the cancer was detected after he experienced increasing urinary symptoms, and it has metastasized to his bones and is a more aggressive form of prostate cancer.
--:-- Leila Fadel: The statement says it appears to be hormone sensitive, which means there are options for effective management.
--:-- Tamra Keith: And the former president and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in elderly men, and Biden is 82 years old.
--:-- Tamra Keith: He was the oldest president in U.S. history.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And there has been this intense focus on his health for years now, but especially after the disastrous debate performance less than a year ago, that performance that ultimately led to him dropping out of the race for president.
--:-- Tamra Keith: And I want to talk more about that.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: But before we get to that, I mean, reactions have been pouring in to this diagnosis or the news of this diagnosis.
--:-- Tamra Keith: You know President Trump who spends a lot of time trashing Biden was quite gracious writing on social media that he and the First Lady were saddened to hear about his diagnosis and wish Biden a fast and successful recovery.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Former Vice President Kamala Harris posted quote I know he will face this challenge with the same strength resilience and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Now, Tam, you talked about his decline while in office and the focus of that.
--:-- Tamra Keith: And this is all happening in a week where there were already, there was already going to be a focus on the former president because of the release of a book about his health while in office, right?
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Yeah, the book is called Original Sin, written by CNN's Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson from Axios.
--:-- Tamra Keith: And it alleges that Biden experienced both a physical and cognitive decline while in office and that those closest to him covered it up.
--:-- Leila Fadel: In an interview with NPR's Scott Detrow that will air on All Things Considered later today, Tapper said everyone loses their train of thought or forgets a name from time to time.
--:-- Tamra Keith: But this was different. We're talking about to the point of you are not able to have a conversation. You are not able to come up with data, information, knowledge, names that you should have at the ready.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Including not recognizing George Clooney at a fundraiser.
--:-- Tamra Keith: Biden on The View said the authors are wrong and there is nothing to sustain their claims.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Now, the claims in this book, are there broader implications here about Biden's fitness while in office?
--:-- Tamra Keith: Yeah, this is likely to be an extended and uncomfortable news cycle for Democrats who are trying to move on and restore trust with voters.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Voters who made it clear they thought Biden was too old to run for reelection well before the Democratic establishment acknowledged it.
--:-- Tamra Keith: But the midterm elections are nearly 18 months away.
--:-- Leila Fadel: The economy and President Trump's leadership are almost certainly going to be bigger issues than Joe Biden, who is already in the rearview mirror.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: And in a week where Republicans are trying to advance Trump's one big, beautiful bill, which includes both tax cuts and spending cuts, Democratic politicians would much rather be talking about what's in that bill than rehashing the political tragedy of Joe Biden.
--:-- Tamra Keith: NPR's Tamara Keith, thank you for joining us, Tam.
--:-- Tamra Keith: You're welcome.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Israel has launched a new ground offensive in Gaza.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: And Palestinians are fleeing bombardment.
--:-- Leila Fadel: They report more than 100 people were killed on Sunday, including women and children.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: The intensified war comes at the same time that Israel and Hamas are holding new ceasefire negotiations, and Israel says it will let some food and medicine back into Gaza after a blockade of almost three months.
--:-- Leila Fadel: NPR's Daniel Estrin is covering this story, and he joins us now.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: Good morning, Leila.
--:-- Leila Fadel: So a lot of big developments this weekend. And so let's just break them down one at a time.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: And let's start with the ground offensive. What do we know there?
--:-- Leila Fadel: Israel had been threatening to expand the war if a deal with Hamas was not reached by the time President Trump left the region late last week.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: And now that officially has begun.
--:-- Leila Fadel: The operation is called Gideon's Chariots.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: It began Sunday.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Just in the last few days, more than 100 people have been killed on average every day, according to Gaza health officials.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: NPR's Anas Baba is in Gaza City.
--:-- Anas Baba: He's been watching Palestinians flee this heavy bombardment from northern Gaza.
--:-- Leila Fadel: They're fleeing by donkey cart and by foot.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: The people here, they look desperate, pale.
--:-- Anas Baba: Some of them, they cannot even walk.
--:-- Leila Fadel: You can see the children in front of me at the meantime.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: They are carrying pots and empty cans and roaming the streets.
--:-- Anas Baba: Anas spoke with one man who was fleeing, Wael al-Kilani.
--:-- Wael al-Kilani: And that man described intense bombing and shelling.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: He said he was fleeing planes who were striking artillery fire tanks Israeli military dropping flyers ordering evacuations from the area
--:-- Leila Fadel: The Israeli military spokesman says that unlike earlier in the war where troops were going in and out of areas in Gaza he says that any territory captured by Israel this time is going to remain under its control.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: Israel is threatening to gradually expand this new offensive until they reach a deal with Hamas to release hostages.
--:-- Leila Fadel: So as you describe this intensifying of attacks, there's also news of ceasefire negotiations.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: That began this weekend.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Is there any hope these will be successful?
--:-- Daniel Estrin: There are positive signs I'm seeing, but it is still too soon to tell.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I spoke to a person briefed on the negotiations who did not have authorization to speak publicly, but offered some details on condition of anonymity and said that the talks between Hamas and Israel are advancing.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: They are discussing the details of what would possibly be a two-month ceasefire and around 10 Israeli hostages freed.
--:-- Leila Fadel: They're discussing what kind of Palestinian prisoners would be released in exchange and negotiating international guarantees that Hamas is demanding.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: They want to see that this temporary ceasefire would include talks about a permanent end of the war.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And the U.S. says that it's actively engaged in these talks.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: And let's get to that blockade now.
--:-- Leila Fadel: About nearly three months, Israel's now saying it's decided to allow food and supplies back into Gaza.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: Is this a full lifting of that blockade?
--:-- Leila Fadel: Well, there had been a total ban on food and all supplies into Gaza for nearly three months to pressure Hamas to release hostages.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: Now, Israeli officials say they are going to allow in a basic quantity of food to prevent starvation.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Experts have been warning of looming famine.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been facing right-wing criticism in Israel about renewing this food.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And he said, look, we would not be able to continue to have international support for our offensive in Gaza if there is mass starvation.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: He said, we're going to take control of Gaza. We need to do it in a way that they won't stop us.
--:-- Leila Fadel: NPR's Daniel Estrin.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: Thank you, Leila.
--:-- Leila Fadel: More than two dozen are dead across Kentucky, Missouri, and Virginia after a storm sent tornadoes through these states over the weekend.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: The storm leaves behind a few questions, including these.
--:-- Leila Fadel: How will states manage the aftermath?
--:-- Steve Inskeep: And how much warning did people get after staff cuts at an office of the National Weather Service.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Let's turn now to Justin Hicks, who's covering the story for Kentucky Public Radio.
--:-- Justin Hicks: Hey, good morning, Layla.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Can you give us a brief recap of what happened in Kentucky?
--:-- Justin Hicks: Yeah, so on Friday evening, just about all of Kentucky was bracing for this line of severe thunderstorms that were heading west to east, and we were all told to expect high winds, hail, maybe even tornadoes.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Well, just about midnight, the National Weather Service now estimates there was a tornado with roughly 150 mile per hour winds that just tore through central Kentucky.
--:-- Justin Hicks: Now, you're in London, Kentucky. What's the scene right now? How are people feeling?
--:-- Leila Fadel: Yeah, so while Main Street looks pretty normal, just about a five minute drive away, there's houses that are just turned over.
--:-- Justin Hicks: That's where I found Matthew Belcher, and he was still in shock yesterday.
--:-- Leila Fadel: After the tornado, he said he emerged to find that his house was mostly fine, but right across the street at this mobile home park, other homes had just disappeared into the wind.
--:-- Justin Hicks: And yesterday, some RVs were still wrapped around tree trunks.
--:-- Leila Fadel: It was wild.
--:-- Justin Hicks: We had a bunch of power lines. People were rushing to get out and were driving through them.
--:-- Leila Fadel: But we got very, very blessed considering that we are 15, 20 feet away from mass destruction.
--:-- Justin Hicks: And Belcher says his neighborhood was told they may not have running water or power again for weeks.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Because you could see all the light poles are just leaning or snapped in two.
--:-- Justin Hicks: And meanwhile everyone with damages have been scrambling to patch holes in their houses or get keepsakes removed.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Because the weather experts are telling us that another round of thunderstorms is coming tonight and Tuesday
--:-- Justin Hicks: Speaking of weather events there been some reporting too about the local National Weather Service office having staffing cuts thanks to these federal cost-saving measures.
--:-- Leila Fadel: What do we know about how that affected the office's ability to warn about the storm?
--:-- Justin Hicks: So our Kentucky Public Radio team found that on quiet nights, the local office was closing from about 1 to 7 a.m. to conserve staff.
--:-- Leila Fadel: But then on nights with bad weather, they are able to shift things around to make sure they are fully staffed.
--:-- Justin Hicks: And so the office's lead meteorologist says they were fully staffed and they were prepared on Friday night.
--:-- Leila Fadel: They said they knew a tornado was possible and that the failure to notify people just isn't an option for them.
--:-- Justin Hicks: Now, you're in the midst of the destruction there in London, and you've been talking to survivors and volunteers and looking at the wreckage.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Were there any moments that stuck out to you?
--:-- Justin Hicks: Yeah, so I spoke to this guy named Jake Cutchins.
--:-- Leila Fadel: He was there helping his girlfriend's family the Carnes family and they were all digging through what was left of the house after the tornado just blew the entire second story in the roof off.
--:-- Justin Hicks: And so we sort of sat on the rubble of that second story with our feet dangling off the edge and we sort of watched this beautiful purple sunset over this totally decimated neighborhood.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Sitting there Cutchins just started unreeling his thoughts.
--:-- Justin Hicks: You know the thing that they recovered the most out of here was pictures.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And somehow, every one of them stops and looks at a picture and smiles and laughs and they're telling stories.
--:-- Justin Hicks: And it's, this is Appalachia's heart right here.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And it's the coolest thing to just see it.
--:-- Justin Hicks: So I think it's just little moments like that that really help put things in perspective after such a big tragedy.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Absolutely.
--:-- Leila Fadel: That's Justin Hicks with Kentucky Public Radio.
--:-- Justin Hicks: Thanks.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And that's Up First for Monday, May 19th.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: I'm Steve Inskeep.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And I'm Leila Fadel.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Thanks for waking up with NPR News.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Your NPR station is what makes Up First possible each morning.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: You support their work, and when you do that, you also support ours.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Go to donate.npr.org slash Up First.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Today's episode of Up First was edited by Kevin Drew, Carrie Kahn, Anna Yukhananov, Ally Schweitzer, and Alice Woelfle.
--:-- Leila Fadel: It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent and our technical director is Zac Coleman.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Join us again tomorrow.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: This message comes from NetSuite.
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--:-- Steve Inskeep: With real-time insights and forecasting, you're able to peer into the future and seize new opportunities.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine Learning for free at netsuite.com slash story.
--:-- Announcer (Voiceover): This message comes from NPR sponsor Rosetta Stone, an expert in language learning for 30 years.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Right now, NPR listeners can get Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership to 25 different languages for 50% off.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Learn more at rosettastone.com slash NPR.
--:-- Announcer (Voiceover): This message comes from the Hartford.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Every day, they make business insurance easy. Or easier, anyway.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And when it comes to business insurance for midsize and large businesses, they know just how complex it can be.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: And businesses rely on them to make the complex challenges less so.
--:-- Leila Fadel: That's why at each step, from quotes to claims to everything in between, The Hartford is devoted to making it easier.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Connect with your underwriter at The Hartford or visit thehartford.com.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Join us again tomorrow.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: This is Up First from NPR News.
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