October 9, 2026

Brittney Melton

up first newsletter writer

Good morning. Have you mailed your midterm ballot yet? If you're returning it close to Election Day, officials recommend that you get it postmarked at the post office to avoid mail delays and the risk of your vote being rejected. Here’s the news we’re following today:

Today’s top stories

Residents fill sandbags that were provided by the city of Orange Beach as they prepare for the possible arrival of Hurricane Isaias.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Hurricane Isaias is set to make landfall on the northern Gulf Coast as early as tonight, marking the first hurricane of the Atlantic season. The National Hurricane Center warns of potentially dangerous winds over 100 miles per hour and life-threatening storm surges of five to seven feet. People along the coastlines of Mississippi, Alabama and northwest Florida are preparing for impact.

🎧 Highways are busy with both people fleeing the region and emergency crews deploying to the coast, NPR’s Debbie Elliot tells Up First. States are pre-staging personnel and emergency supplies — such as generators, food and water — for distribution during power outages and the cleanup process. Elliot says October feels late for the first hurricane of the season, and that this prominent El Niño weather pattern has led many to believe they have escaped the worst. Forecasters predict serious weather across the southeast, including potential flash flooding and tornadoes. But they say they expect the storm to move through quickly and lose its tropical strength.

Ukraine has launched a new offensive against Russian invaders that employs advanced technology. Operation Vivaldi involves Ukrainian soldiers using electronic warfare and aerial drones to blind Russian reconnaissance and eliminate their firepower and supply routes. They then deploy unmanned land robots to weaken Russian positions. Ukrainians say they have reclaimed around 68 square miles — an area about three times the size of Manhattan.

🎧 This operation is significant because it is unfolding in the Donbas region that Russia has sought to control since 2014, NPR’s Joanna Kakissis says. Despite occupying much of the area, Russia demands Ukraine cede the rest in any peace deal, which Ukraine has rejected. Operation Vivaldi demonstrates that a complete Russian takeover of Donbas is not inevitable, and Ukrainian forces can still achieve breakthroughs in a battlefield dense with drones, Kakissis says. Russia continues its attacks on Ukrainian cities, especially in the east. A recent strike on a public bus in Kramatorsk, one of the last Ukrainian-held cities, killed at least 30 people and injured many others, according to local authorities.

President Trump announced on social media that the U.S. will not attack Iran before the midterm elections on Nov. 3. He is aiming to counter reports suggesting the White House is considering airstrikes against Iran before election day.

🎧 Trump's announcement is a bit surprising because ideally, he wouldn't want to make those kinds of promises during a war, NPR's Domenico Montanaro says. He adds that the president's post signals his awareness that the conflict has been politically bad for his party ahead of elections. More strikes and deeper involvement in the conflict are a tough sell to the American public, including his own base. Despite promising to avoid foreign entanglements, Trump has argued that the prolonged, unpopular war is necessary to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon.

At least one U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fired seven rounds during an immigration enforcement operation in New York City yesterday. The officer struck a 28-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic in the neck, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. The man, identified by Tisch as Oscar Belgal, was shot below his left ear and arrived at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital in stable condition. A 5-year-old boy, believed to be Belgal's son, was inside Belgal's vehicle during the incident. Police later located the child safe and in the care of a family member. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Belgal was the target of the operation, but did not explain why the officer fired his weapon. (via Gothamist)

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Today's listen

Youngmoo Kim (left) leads members of the a cappella group the Tonics in singing. They stand around a table that has framed photos of families. Seven men are seen in the image.

Rachel Wisniewski for NPR

An amateur Philadelphia-based a cappella group filled with suburban dads and grandfathers is taking social media by storm with their style and vocal arrangements. The Tonics are nearing 100,000 Instagram followers, up from 500 last year. Their rise is largely due to Emilie Hagen, a millennial influencer and "comedic journalist," who promoted their videos to her 130,000 followers. Hagen tells NPR she believes the group resonates with audiences because they feel authentic and wholesome, and they showcase a different side of how men interact beyond activities like sports. Listen to The Tonics sing and read more about why they are gaining such a following.

Weekend picks

Florence Pugh in “East of Eden,” from the shoulders up, looking to the side with dark brown hair that is pinned up.

Geoffrey Short/Netflix

Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:

🍿 Movies: Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney spent four years researching tech billionaire Elon Musk by reviewing extensive documents and interviewing people close to him. The nearly four-hour film, Musk, is in theaters today ahead of its HBO release.

📺 TV: Netflix's East of Eden, starring Florence Pugh, offers an epic retelling of an American classic that provides a fresh perspective, Pop Culture Happy Hour says.

📚 Books: It’s time to say goodbye to beach reads and welcome cozy autumn books. NPR's Book of the Day host Andrew Limbong shares 10 exciting books coming this fall, featuring titles from Barbara Kingsolver, Chad Harbach, Jasmine Guillory and more.

🎵 Music: Troye Sivan's She's The Best explores darker feelings with a mix of gloom and bright, bombastic moments, all while continuing to honor the legacy of queer dance floors in his music videos, NPR Music's Isabella Gomez Sarmiento says.

🎭 Theater: In the Broadway play School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play, the ladies at Aburi Girls' Boarding School navigate difficult lessons through their friendships, conflicts and the upcoming Miss Ghana 1986 beauty pageant. Playwright Jocelyn Bioh and director Whitney White join It's Been A Minute host Brittany Luse to discuss the story's significance.

❓ Quiz: This week's quiz will test your knowledge on protests, Nobels and even a K-pop superstar. While I may not have a prize for you upon completion, I can provide a hint: at least two of the answers were featured in the "Today's top stories" section of this newsletter this week.

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3 things to know before you go

South African human rights lawyer Navi Pillay wearing a gray-toned blazer, a white shirt and a blue lanyard.

Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

1

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize to human rights lawyer Navanethem "Navi" Pillay. Pillay, who has served as the U.N. human rights chief and a judge on the International Court of Justice, was recognized for her contributions to international justice.

2

Three astronauts and a cosmonaut from NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission have returned to Earth after an almost eight-month trip to the International Space Station, where they conducted spacewalks, science experiments and research.

3

New research reveals surprising similarities in the gut microbiomes of Tanzanian hunter-gatherers and Bolivian horticulturalists, suggesting that their microbial kinship dates back long before human migration separated their ancestors.

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This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.