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Today’s top stories
President Trump scolded Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday after Russia launched a deadly strike on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. The attack killed at least 12 people and injured more than 70. It’s one of the deadliest attacks on the city since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine over three years ago. Trump says he wants peace quickly, and Ukraine must accept concessions.
- 🎧 NPR’s Joanna Kakissis, who is in Kyiv, tells Up First there is a lot of anger and grief there after the Russian attack. Kakissis spoke with Maria Rumiantseva, who evacuated with her elderly mother after a Russian missile destroyed their home. She said Russian attacks on Ukraine seemed to escalate after Trump started accommodating Russia in peace talks. Most Ukrainians, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, refuse to recognize the Ukrainian land occupied by Russia as part of Russia. Zelenskyy says his country wants peace, and his team is finalizing a minerals deal that could make the U.S. a lot of money. In return, Ukraine wants the U.S. to provide security guarantees.
The Trump administration is working to quickly arrest, detain and remove people from the U.S. as part of the president’s campaign promise to implement mass deportations. Critics of the administration’s tactics say that such fast action skirts the due process that everyone in the country should receive. The administration is making several changes that impact due process, including increasing the number of people who can be removed without a court hearing and terminating contracts that provide legal services to minors without legal status.
- 🎧 The administration seems to be banking on Americans believing that noncitizens don’t get the same due process as citizens, Muzaffar Chishti of the Migration Policy Institute tells NPR’s Ximena Bustillo. Chishti says the Constitution “does not make any distinctions between citizens and noncitizens for the application of protections of due process and judicial review.” He adds that the ultimate concern is that stripping due process for one group could be a slippery slope for others.
The outside world is getting a glimpse of the state of Sudan’s capital city of Khartoum for the first time since the Sudanese army liberated the city after two years of civil war. The once-vibrant city has been systematically destroyed and hollowed out by the brutal fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. NPR is one of the few Western news outlets that has made it into the city.
- 🎧 “It’s utterly devastating and surreal,” NPR’s Emmanuel Akinwotu says. After returning from Khartoum, he described the city as “almost eerie.” Khartoum is without power, there’s a water shortage, and there are virtually no state services. Tractors are clearing debris, but the city is mostly uninhabitable. Still, some people are returning, mostly to find out what happened to their property and belongings. Bakery owner Yusuf Aldy told Akinwotu that the RSF looted his home above his shop. Aldy said the RSF lived there for a period and even kept his bakery open, running it like it was their own.
Life advice
The art of writing letters is not dead. Finding a pen pal and getting creative with snail mail can be easier than you think. Rachel Syme, author of Syme’s Letter Writer: A Guide to Modern Correspondence, shares with Life Kit whimsical ways to start a letter-writing habit.
- 💌 When looking for a pen pal, start with family and friends. If you want to make new connections, try asking your social media followers if they want a letter from you.
- 💌 Don’t be afraid to talk about the weather. Syme says people think it’s a “boring” topic, but mentioning it can be very telling.
- 💌 Try giving yourself a writing prompt. You could share your favorite life hack, recount an impulse buy, or get creative and draw a map of a stroll you often take in your neighborhood.
- 💌 Sneak flat gifts into your letters. Options include stickers, pressed flowers and tea bags.
For more ways to kickstart your letter-writing habit, listen to this episode of NPR’s Life Kit. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.
Weekend picks
Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
🍿 Movies: In theaters this weekend is the romantic drama On Swift Horses. And, Ben Affleck reprises his role in the action thriller The Accountant 2.
📺 TV: The final season of the Star Wars show Andor is here. It stars Diego Luna as rebel operative Cassian Andor, and focuses on the ruthless, dangerous work of average people building a movement against an Empire run by powerful wizards.
📚 Books: I’ve been highly anticipating Emily Henry’s Great Big Beautiful Life, which released this week. The book pits two journalists against each other to cover the story of an aging heiress. Check out NPR’s list of other new releases.
🎵 Music: From rising R&B star Coco Jones to revered saxophonist David Murray, there is a plethora of new music to add to your playlists and vibe to this weekend.
🎮 Gaming: Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, a new installment of the fast-paced 2D fighting game series, released yesterday with playable characters including soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and Bosnian-Swedish DJ Salvatore Ganacci.
❓ Quiz: If you have paid attention to this newsletter this week, I can almost guarantee you will do fine on today’s test. One of the answers is even in the section below.
3 things to know before you go
- When Garden State Tortoise, a New Jersey-based reptile rehabilitation center, took in an eastern box turtle named Rockalina in February, it worried about her survival. Rockalina had lived in a New York home since 1977 and experienced an environment vastly different from living in the wild.
- ROMEO, or Retired Older Men Eating Out, is helping men in one Maine town get out of the house and socialize over a free lunch. They discuss everything from avoiding scams to fishing.
- Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland says he is selling the brand. The announcement comes days after the postponement of Fyre Festival 2, which was scheduled for May.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.