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Today's top stories
Investigators have found that the co-pilot who attempted to take control of a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv last week aimed to crash it into Israel's Ben Gurion airport, according to a person familiar with the matter but not authorized to speak publicly. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates who are leading the investigation say the incident has been classified as a terrorist attack. They have not identified a clear motive, and the investigation is ongoing.
- 🎧 The co-pilot likely acted alone, according to the source. He carried out the attack with a crash axe, which is an emergency tool meant for breaking through panels or doors in the event of a crash. Israeli officials report that the co-pilot is from Oman. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf tells Up First that the co-pilot's origins have raised concerns about how he was allowed to fly in Israel, as the country prohibits pilots from nations with which it doesn't have diplomatic relations to fly in its airspace. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel checks the backgrounds of pilots flying into the country, and this pilot must have gotten through a "loophole." While people in Israel are praising the passengers and the captain as heroes for averting disaster, a broader debate is emerging over government failures that allowed something like this to happen, Lonsdorf says.
A new Supreme Court term starts today with arguments in a significant climate change case. Boulder, Colo., is suing Suncor and Exxon Mobil, arguing that the companies misled the public about the harms of fossil fuels and caused costly disasters that cost the city time and money. This case could impact other states seeking to hold companies accountable for allegedly harming local communities.
- 🎧 The energy companies argue that this case should not be in state court, saying climate change is a global issue best addressed by the federal government, according to NPR's Carrie Johnson. Only eight justices will hear the case after Justice Sam Alito's surprising recusal last week, Johnson says. Alito has no stock in the two companies involved, but he has investments in other energy companies that could be impacted by the court's ruling. His recusal raises the risk of a tie, which would uphold the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling allowing the case to continue in state court.
Brazil's presidential race will go to a runoff later this month between left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. In the tight first round, Bolsonaro, the son of Brazil's former far-right president, led with about 47% of the vote, while Lula followed closely with 45%.
- 🎧 Lula must close the runoff gap by attracting new voters, particularly among the millions who sat out yesterday's election, NPR's Carrie Kahn says. Winning over the 8% who supported other candidates will be challenging, as the people they backed are right and far-right candidates who will align with Bolsonaro. Disillusioned with politics, many Brazilians wanted new, younger candidates. Yasmin Soares, a Lula supporter, told Kahn that Bolsonaro's strong performance is scary and that the right brings hatred. Kahn says she heard similar sentiments from many Lula voters who fear a Bolsonaro conservative back in power.
Life advice
Tech companies are "reinventing the rip-off," according to Lindsay Owens, head of the consumer advocacy group Groundwork Collaborative. She says corporations try to hide pricing schemes, such as using browsing data or a customer's geo-location to determine the cost of goods and services. In her book Gouged: The End of a Fair Price — And What That Means for Your Wallet, she uncovers these schemes and offers advice on how to protect yourself from being overcharged. In an interview with Life Kit, Owens explained steps you can take to get the best possible deal.
- 💸 Avoid shopping through retailer apps. When signed in, they might experiment with your data, potentially manipulating prices against you.
- 💸 Comparison shop by checking the product's price across multiple devices while logged in, logged out and with and without incognito mode.
- 💸 Regularly clear your browsing data and cookies to protect your information. Consider using a VPN to conceal your location, which may help avoid higher charges.
- 💸 Try shopping the old-fashioned way in person, but keep in mind that big-box retailers and grocery stores are increasingly using electronic shelf labels to change prices at any time.
For more advice on how to avoid being ripped off, listen to this episode of NPR's Life Kit. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.
Behind the story
by Andrew Limbong, Society & Culture Reporter
In a town not far from Barbara Kingsolver's house in southwestern Virginia is a historic marker noting Marion, Va., as "the birthplace of modern Mountain Dew." I came across it on the drive down I-81 to interview the Pulitzer-Prize winning author. It took me by surprise — I didn't expect such a momentous event here, in Appalachia. After all, isn't this the middle of nowhere?
There's some quibbling — the drink's roots trace back to Knoxville, Tennessee, which is why the word "modern" is in the designation. But it's here, in Marion, where the Dew truly realized both its potential and its propensity for change.
When I first encountered Kingsolver's work (The Poisonwood Bible, in high school AP English class), I was more partial to Mountain Dew Code Red — the version most associated with hardcore gamers. That didn't end up being my life, though.
Contested memories, an overlooked and condescended-to town, expectations of the future that go awry, how things change (but do they, really?) — we get into all of that in my interview with Kingsolver about her new novel, Partita. It's about a young classical pianist from Appalachia who has the chops to really make it, until her life gets upended. Kingsolver grew up loving classical music, and even went to college on a music scholarship. But that didn't end up being her life, either.
Give the full interview a listen in NPR's Book of the Day podcast feed.
3 things to know before you go
- Contemporary art world titan Theaster Gates is taking his career in a new direction by acquiring Pickard China, the last remaining manufacturer of fine china in the United States.
- Philadelphia's historic Academy of Natural Sciences closed just short of its 200th birthday last week amid an intense effort by local residents, politicians and scientists to save it.
- The U.S. Coast Guard says searchers have found debris off Nantucket, Mass., from a Canadian air ambulance that disappeared Saturday while carrying six people from Bermuda to Boston.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen. Majd Al-Waheidi contributed.
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