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--:-- Steve Inskeep: Hey there, it's Steve Inskeep. And I'm A. Martinez.
--:-- A. Martinez: Now, if you want to follow what's going on now and make sure you don't miss a single development, we want you to know that there are three things you can listen to each and every day.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: One of them is Up First, which you're about to hear. The Morning News podcast recorded before dawn and out by 7 o'clock Eastern time each weekday. The Morning News podcast that captures the news overnight, Up First at 7 a.m. Now, later in the day, you can find a new episode of the NPR Politics podcast. It has context and analysis and all the big stories whenever they happen.
--:-- A. Martinez: So, like, you get an alert, big breaking news, and you don't know what to think. Then look for the NPR Politics Podcast just a few hours later.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Israeli forces intensified their assault on Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip, besieging towns and killing or wounding hundreds of people. What's the fate of an area home to hundreds of thousands of people living among ruins?
--:-- A. Martinez: I'm Steve Inskeep with A. Martinez, and this is Up First from NPR News.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Law enforcement agencies are preparing for possible election violence and challenges to the results amid widespread conspiracy theories about voter fraud.
--:-- A. Martinez: So-called evidence is mobilized to sort of create misleading rumors and misleading narratives of voter fraud.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: OK, what's driving those claims? An abortion is a major campaign issue this election. But how much power does a president really have?
--:-- A. Martinez: We'll ask what any president can do on the issue with or more likely without action by Congress.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Stay with us. We've got all the news you need to start your day.
--:-- A. Martinez: A hairdresser, or a taxi driver for life advice. But when you're looking for help about relationships, anxiety, depression, or other clinical issues, they may not have all the right answers.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Instead, get guidance from a licensed therapist online with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com slash NPR for 10% off your first month.
--:-- A. Martinez: This message comes from NPR sponsor AARP.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Where do you see your career in 12 years? What are you doing now to help you get there?
--:-- A. Martinez: The sooner you start enhancing your skills, the sooner you'll be ready. That's why AARP has management, finance, and small business reskilling courses, all to help your income live as long as you do.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Because the steps you choose to take today will help you love what you do in the future. Learn more at aarp.org slash skills.
--:-- A. Martinez: This message comes from NPR sponsor, Adobe.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Introducing the all-new Adobe Acrobat Studio, now with AI-powered PDF spaces.
--:-- A. Martinez: Need to turn 100 pages of market research into five insights with a click? Templates for a sales proposal that'll close that deal? Or an AI specialist to tailor the tone of your market report?
--:-- Steve Inskeep: You can do all that with the all-new Adobe Acrobat Studio. Learn more at adobe.com slash do that with Acrobat.
--:-- A. Martinez: The humanitarian crisis in northern Gaza is dire.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Yeah, Israeli forces have intensified their assault on Hamas in that area, besieging entire towns. Hundreds of Palestinians are being killed and wounded as hospitals shut down, and rescue workers are banned from operating, according to health officials there.
--:-- A. Martinez: There are some questions over what Israel's endgame might be, with calls for parts of Gaza to be seized as payback for Hamas' attack on Israel last year.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: NPR's Adil Al-Shalchi joins us now from Tel Aviv.
--:-- Adil Al-Shalchi: So what exactly is happening in northern Gaza right now?
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Well, just like I was mentioning, there's a serious ground operation there. The military had said that they had cleared Hamas fighters in the north, but now they've regrouped and they're still battling them.
--:-- Adil Al-Shalchi: For example, troops raided a hospital last week, one of the last three functioning in the north. They rounded up the staff, arrested some of them, and hospital workers are now saying they're running out of things like oxygen tanks, fuel, and other basic life supplies.
--:-- A. Martinez: Airstrikes are also getting worse. A few days ago, the military struck a five-story building in the town of Beit Lahia. It was full of families of displaced Palestinians.
--:-- Adil Al-Shalchi: And the Ministry of Health said at least 93 Palestinians were killed or missing, and that at least 25 of the killed were children.
--:-- A. Martinez: Islam Ahmad is a freelance journalist in Beit Lahya NPR spoke to him this week. Ahmed said he saw bodies strewn on the street. He said there were body parts stuck to the rubble.
--:-- Adil Al-Shalchi: The Israeli military said that that incident was, quote, being looked into. And the thing is, last week, the Israeli military demanded that Gaza first responders leave Bethlehia.
--:-- A. Martinez: So civilians ended up pulling people out of the rubble themselves and burying the killed in the street.
--:-- Adil Al-Shalchi: The United Nations and aid agencies have said that Israel has drastically reduced the amount of aid and food getting into northern Gaza.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: What has Israel said to those charges?
--:-- Adil Al-Shalchi: Right. So we need to know that Gaza right now is split into two these days. It's divided by this large fenced in barrier that Israel's military built just south of Gaza City. It's called the Nezarim Corridor.
--:-- A. Martinez: Aid groups began warning earlier this month that almost no aid trucks were going into the area north of that barrier.
--:-- Adil Al-Shalchi: And the idea was that maybe the Israeli military was trying to starve out Hamas fighters. But then there's also hundreds of thousands of civilians still living there.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: And the U.S. actually went as far as threatening to cut off some weapons deliveries to Israel if more supplies aren't allowed in.
--:-- A. Martinez: And the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, warned Israel against being tempted to use that strategy in besieged towns like Jabalia in the north.
--:-- Adil Al-Shalchi: The United States rejects any Israeli efforts to starve Palestinians in Jabalia or anywhere else.
--:-- A. Martinez: Hadil, there have been some increasing calls from some in Israel for a lasting military occupation in northern Gaza. Are these likely to come to pass?
--:-- Adil Al-Shalchi: Right. So there have been these calls by the settler community for a return to Gaza for a while now. Israel had Jewish settlements in Gaza until 2005.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that these settlements in Gaza is not realistic, but some of his own ministers were at a rally this week on the Gaza border where settlers from the West Bank called for the government to allow them to return.
--:-- Adil Al-Shalchi: And the idea is maybe the Israeli military could declare North Gaza a closed military zone. Any remaining Palestinian civilians would live in these bubbles surrounded by soldiers.
--:-- A. Martinez: But really, those discussions and decisions really need to come after the war actually ends.
--:-- Adil Al-Shalchi: That's NPR's Adil Al-Shalchi in Tel Aviv. Thank you very much.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: You're welcome.
--:-- A. Martinez: Millions of Americans have already voted in this year's election. Others are preparing to vote, and some people are spreading concerns about their experiences.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Some anxiety comes amid Democratic concerns about being turned away from the polls.
--:-- A. Martinez: A lot of it centers on Republican preparations to challenge the results if they lose.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Now, before we get into the conspiracy theories, let's note the basic facts.
--:-- A. Martinez: U.S. elections are run by thousands of separate jurisdictions, a bipartisan system that no one person controls.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: The 2020 election was upheld through all challenges. Many states have updated their election rules since then, and election officials have spent four years preparing for this very moment.
--:-- A. Martinez: NPR's Ho Jing Nan covers how false narratives are spreading as we vote. Good morning.
--:-- Ho Jing Nan: Good morning. She's in our studios here, Studio 31 in Washington, D.C. What are you seeing?
--:-- Steve Inskeep: So I'm seeing this massive effort from people on social media to collect and report suspicious incidents and framing them as a coordinated effort to steal the election again.
--:-- Ho Jing Nan: I spoke with Kate Starbert about this. She tracks election rumors at the University of Washington, and she says there is a whole audience that have been told by their leaders and by former President Trump that the 2020 election was stolen.
--:-- A. Martinez: And that audience interprets every incident they see and hear about that way.
--:-- Ho Jing Nan: They go looking for evidence to support this feeling that they already have that they can't trust results.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: So this time, these Trump supporters feel that they need to safeguard the vote.
--:-- A. Martinez: And one of the ways they're trying to do this is by collecting evidence of supposed voter fraud.
--:-- Ho Jing Nan: A lot of it looks like first-person accounts of people running into mistakes or things they didn't expect.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Things when people are voting early, knocking on doors or working as poll watchers.
--:-- Ho Jing Nan: By all accounts, the mistakes when they happened were promptly corrected. If the ballot printout doesn't match how people wanted to put it, they were able to fill it out again.
--:-- A. Martinez: The unexpected things like finding many people registered at the same address there are explanations to that.
--:-- Ho Jing Nan: And as far as we have seen the system is working as it should.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: But people already suspicious still saw all of these as proof that the voting system is unreliable.
--:-- A. Martinez: And these incidents are being collected online in long lists by Trump allies.
--:-- Ho Jing Nan: For example, Elon Musk's Super PAC set up a group on his platform X, formerly known as Twitter, and people are busy posting stories there.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: And Steve, I wanted to point out that, you know, just two days ago, that community, that group had 10,000 people.
--:-- A. Martinez: And now, as of this morning, it now has 50,000. 10,000 up to 50,000 in a very short period of time.
--:-- Ho Jing Nan: So what kind of themes emerge when you look at these communities?
--:-- Steve Inskeep: So we see a remix of old villains from the 2020 election, voting machines, Dropboxes, The theories about all of these things have been disproven in courts.
--:-- A. Martinez: But this year, a big narrative is that non-citizens are voting in large numbers, that outsiders are wreaking havoc on the democratic process.
--:-- Ho Jing Nan: To be clear, there have been incidents of non-citizens voting illegally, but it happens in very small numbers.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: And there is no sign that it has affected elections results.
--:-- A. Martinez: Also, the penalties for doing so are very severe.
--:-- Ho Jing Nan: OK, so what is the cumulative effect of gathering all of these claims and concerns and evidence, things that may have happened, but they're taken out of context?
--:-- Steve Inskeep: It is building an impression that voter fraud is everywhere when, in fact, it is very rare and usually caught quickly by authorities.
--:-- A. Martinez: I've got to say that this laundry list of claims on X is very overwhelming to look at.
--:-- Ho Jing Nan: It is very dense and lots of it appears to be technical.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: is very challenging because the real voting process is also very nerdy, technical, and as you said, localized.
--:-- A. Martinez: So for people who doesn't know the process, well, it's hard to tell what is credible and what it's not, right?
--:-- Ho Jing Nan: So when you see a stream of content like that, it just gives you an impression that something must be up, that there's so much supposed evidence, like how can it be all made up, you know?
--:-- Steve Inskeep: But the impression is just one aspect of it.
--:-- A. Martinez: Like all of these materials, they lay the groundwork for Trump supporters to contest the results in lawsuits if they don't like it, just like what we saw four years ago.
--:-- Ho Jing Nan: But the difference is that this time the challengers are geared up and they're ready to go.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: And Piers Ho Jingnan, thanks so much.
--:-- Ho Jing Nan: Thank you.
--:-- A. Martinez: Nearly 40 percent of women voters under the age of 30 now say abortion is the most important issue this election.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Abortion access is directly on the ballot in 10 states.
--:-- A. Martinez: It is also at stake in a less direct way when it comes to who the next president might be and what they might do.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Vice President Harris says that if she's elected, she would restore reproductive freedom and sign a bill enshrining the right to an abortion.
--:-- A. Martinez: When Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: You'll note that she says when Congress passes a bill, that would have to come first.
--:-- A. Martinez: So how much power does a president actually have here?
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Joining us now to discuss is NPR correspondent Alyssa Nadwerny.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerny: So how likely would it be that a president, Harris, if she becomes president, could actually get that bill on her desk?
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Well, just like I said, she's not going to be able to pass legislation expanding abortion access without Congress.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerny: And, you know, that depends on what party controls it.
--:-- A. Martinez: Now, Harris could try and repeal a law first enacted in the 1970s called the Hyde Amendment, which generally prohibits federal money from being used for abortions.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: But she can't do that alone either.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerny: And look, even if she did get something passed, there would no doubt be legal challenges, and there is a conservative Supreme Court now.
--:-- A. Martinez: Now, so does that mean passing a federal law banning abortion could also then be a challenge?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerny: Well, former President Trump and his allies have talked about passing national abortion limits, sometimes called a minimum national standard, but it's not a very popular idea.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: And just weeks ago on the campaign trail, Trump rolled that idea back saying he would actually veto a federal abortion ban.
--:-- A. Martinez: All right, so a new nationwide law on abortion might not be in the cards, but could the next president then use existing federal law to change abortion access?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerny: Yeah, so one of the ways a Trump presidency could limit abortion is by deciding to enforce something called the Comstock Act.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: It's an anti-obscenity law from the 1800s that could be used to criminalize abortions.
--:-- A. Martinez: You could ban abortion pills or medical instruments needed for an abortion.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerny: What about just bypassing Congress and just simply going with executive power?
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Yeah, a president could use executive authority to do a lot of things like strengthen privacy laws that would protect women from prosecution or they could for example create abortion tracking requirements in the other direction.
--:-- A. Martinez: The president also nominates who's in charge of the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates abortion pills.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerny: Nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. are medication abortions, so getting pills through the mail has been a key way for people who live in states with bans.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: A new leader at the FDA could roll back that access and make it harder for providers to send pills.
--:-- A. Martinez: Got a feeling, though, no matter what happens, it's all going to wind up at the courts.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerny: Exactly. And another critical presidential power is the authority to appoint judges, not just to the Supreme Court, but to federal and appellate courts.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Sonia Suter, a law professor at George Washington University, says courts are where abortion policy is being decided.
--:-- A. Martinez: Questions about the right to travel, for example. Can providers tell people in banned states about access to abortion, where they can get abortion in non-banned states?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerny: Can laws restrict that? These are questions that are being addressed at the federal court level.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: And you'll remember during Trump's presidency, he appointed a number of justices and judges who have had a big impact on the whole abortion debate.
--:-- A. Martinez: All right, that's NPR's Alyssa Nadwerny. Thank you very much.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerny: Thank you.
--:-- A. Martinez: Okay, finally. It's hard for me to say this as someone who follows the New York Yankees, but A. Martinez, congratulations to you and Dodgers fans everywhere.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Swing and a miss! And the Dodgers are World Series champions!
--:-- A. Martinez: So, Steve, I had to be asleep, but I was recording the game, but I woke up around 8.30 Pacific to the sounds of what I hope were only fireworks.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Oh, my goodness. That must have been really something to wake to.
--:-- A. Martinez: I hope you got a little bit of sleep afterward.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: I'm just not that bitter.
--:-- A. Martinez: But we do have this clip from Dodger fan Lester Singer, who came all the way from Pasadena near Los Angeles to watch his team win it all at Yankee Stadium.
--:-- Lester Singer: I feel amazing! Let's go Dodgers!
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Seems kind of happy.
--:-- A. Martinez: Yeah, you'll probably be at that victory parade through downtown LA that's scheduled for Friday morning.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: I will be there, so if anyone sees me, say hello.
--:-- A. Martinez: All right! Hey, Martinez will be reporting live.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: I guess we should mention the actual score. The Dodgers won four games to one.
--:-- A. Martinez: In the final game last evening, the Yankees were up five to nothing and then gave up five runs in a single inning, ended up losing the game seven to six.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Congrats to the Dodgers once again.
--:-- A. Martinez: And that's up first for Thursday, October 31st.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: I'm E. Martinez. And I'm Steve Inskeep.
--:-- A. Martinez: For your next listen, consider, consider this from NPR.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Vice President Harris's final pitch to voters argues that former President Trump poses an existential threat to democracy.
--:-- A. Martinez: Will that win the White House? Listen to Consider This from NPR News.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Today's episode of Up First was edited by Lauren McGaughy, Brett Neely, Catherine Laidlaw, Olivia Hampton, and Alice Wolfley.
--:-- A. Martinez: It was produced by Ana Perez, Nia Dumas, and Christopher Thomas.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: We get engineering support from Carly Strange, and our technical director is Zach Coleman.
--:-- A. Martinez: Join us again tomorrow.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Transcription by CastingWords security podcast from NPR.
--:-- A. Martinez: Military commanders, intelligence officials, diplomatic power players, they know things you may not about where the world is headed.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: And we will pull back the curtain on what they're thinking on Sources and Methods, NPR's new national security podcast.
--:-- A. Martinez: Our team will help you understand America's shifting role in the world.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Listen to Sources and Methods from NPR.
--:-- A. Martinez: What's made you happy as of late?
--:-- Steve Inskeep: On Pop Culture Happy Hour, we've been talking about the things that have made us happy in the pop culture universe for the past 15 years.
--:-- A. Martinez: Whether it's a blockbuster or deliciously bad reality TV, the newest shows, dramas, and reboots, we're here to keep your spirits high.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
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