Gaza aid distribution; COVID vaccine guidelines : NPR

Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.

Today’s top stories

The federal government removed COVID-19 vaccines from the list of recommended shots for healthy pregnant women and children yesterday. Federal health officials say the change makes sense at this point in the pandemic. The move will make it harder for parents to get their children vaccinated and for pregnant people to get the shots because insurance companies will likely no longer pay for them.

• 🎧 One big concern surrounding the decision is that it was made without going through the normal process of getting input from the CDC’s independent advisers, NPR’s Rob Stein tells Up First. Beyond that, outside experts are worried about what this could mean for the health and safety of pregnant people, kids and their families. Pregnant women are at high risk of serious complications from the virus and their newborns are in danger of getting really sick from COVID. The only way to protect newborns is to vaccinate their moms while they’re pregnant so the babies can get antibodies in the womb.

NPR and three Colorado public radio stations filed suit yesterday in federal court against the Trump administration over the president’s executive order seeking to ban the use of federal funds for NPR and PBS. The lawsuit says the administration is usurping Congress’ power to direct how federal money will be spent and to pass laws. PBS is not a party in the lawsuit. Read the lawsuit here.

• ➡️ NPR CEO Katherine Maher spoke with All Things Considered about the decision to sue the administration. Here are the highlights.

Yesterday, Israel launched a new U.S.-backed plan to manage the distribution of aid in Gaza. However, the implementation was mired in chaos. Witnesses say people were shot by Israeli forces as hungry crowds swarmed a site where food was being distributed. Israel stated it fired warning shots.

• 🎧 Two fenced-in areas were opened in southern Gaza for people to pick up parcels of foodbut thousands of people overran the area, NPR’s Aya Batrawy reports. Witnesses say an Israeli helicopter opened fire on the area to disperse the crowd. Hospital officials informed NPR that nearly 50 people were wounded and three were killed in the chaos. Hamas said what happened reflects Israel’s failure to manage the humanitarian crisis it deliberately created. Israel said its aim is to keep aid from Hamas. However, witnesses say there was no screening at the site.

Living better

Living Better is a special series about what it takes to stay healthy in America.

Food apps that can scan the barcode on a package and rank nutrition are becoming more popular. However, different apps can give very different results for the same products because each uses its own methodologywith varying degrees of transparency and scientific grounding.

• 📱 If you use an app, opt for one that assesses food’s overall nutrient content, not just its individual ingredients.
• 📱 Look for apps that can clearly explain their data sources and rating methods.
• 📱 If apps feel confusing, check the ingredient list. Looking at the top three ingredients on the list can be a useful way to decide what is most prominent in your food.

Today’s listen

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is celebrating its 100th anniversary this week, with preliminaries kicking off last night. The very first competition had only nine spellers. Since then, millions of spellers have competed for the title. Morning Edition caught up with three generations of winners as they reflect on how the competition impacted their lives. Nupur Lala, who won in 1999, is getting married next month, and during the vows portion of the wedding, there will be a spelling component. The groom has to spell to win his bride. The spelling bee has continued to have an impact on Lala’s and many other winners’ lives years later. Listen to them tell the stories of how they have been affected and hear them spell their winning words from the competition.

3 things to know before you go

1. We are Rita Sherpa, 55, broke his own record for climbing to the summit of Mount Everest yesterday. He has now reached the peak for the 31st time.
2. Yesterday, a Manhattan federal judge barred the U.S. Department of Transportation from retaliating against the MTA over its decision to continue imposing congestion pricing tolls, despite a federal directive to shut down the program. (via Gothamist)
3. Susan Brownmiller, author of the landmark book Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rapehas died at age 90. The book examined the history of rape and helped debunk the view that victims were partly to blame.

This newsletter was edited by Yvonne Dennis.