I spent the majority of the past year reporting on water in Central Asia for NPR -- specifically in the region surrounding the former #AralSea I wanted to see how communities were living in the wake of its shrinking and what the future holds for them.

Something I keep hearing is journalists of color who have been laid off, feeling undervalued, etc, wanting to leave being told “but journalism needs you.” The reality is newsrooms don’t want to confront the systemic, institutional + structural problems that cause us to leave.

We Committee to Protect Journalists are pushing for al-Attar’s immediate evacuation. He is in a critical condition and needs urgent treatment that cannot be supplied in Gaza because of the destruction by Israel of Gazan medical facilities. The US - a defender of press freedom - should urge this.

As for the gender gap, the Yale Youth Poll finds that young women registered voters under 30 back Harris by a 32-point margin. Meanwhile, young men registered voters under 30 back Harris by just a 5-point margin. Women < 30: Harris 62% Trump 30% Men < 30: Harris 48% Trump 43%

NEW: VP Harris’ small transition team is quietly developing plans a potential Harris admin. She’s getting weekly updates. And already, names are starting to fly and Democrats are rushing in to suggest names for key roles. And we name them. NOTUS notus.org/harris-2024/ka…

There is a very important distinction between "We've decided our paper shouldn't endorse in presidential races," which is perfectly defensible, and sweaty last-second moves made at the top when owners have government interests.

An apparent act of arson in a ballot drop box in Vancouver, Washington, a blue area home to a swing House district. Local officials expect hundreds of mail (anything deposited since Sunday at 8am) ballots were destroyed: katu.com/news/local/van…

The Clark County Elections ballot drop box at the Fisher's Landing Transit Center was lit on fire this morning. Clark Co. Auditor Greg Kimsey says hundreds of ballots were inside at the time, the last pickup being 11AM Saturday. Full story here katu.com/news/local/van… KATU News

How many of those folks cancelled their Prime subscriptions?

Important from the US Postal Service: Mailing in your ballot? USPS recommends you put it in the mail **TODAY** if it needs to arrive by Election Day. More info here: about.usps.com/newsroom/natio…

WSJ created new X accounts with interests only in topics like crafts, sports and cooking, But they were fed a steady diet of posts that lean toward Donald Trump and that sow doubt about the integrity of the Nov. 5 election wsj.com/politics/elect…

NEW: The memo sent to government employees this evening offering them buyouts very closely mirrors an email Musk sent to Twitter employees in 2022 — down to the same subject line "A Fork in the Road."

Some personal news! 🎉🥳🎊 I’m ecstatic about this new opportunity — and I won’t be going far. I’ll be staying on Capitol Hill to cover Congress with the stellar NOTUS team.

Vance scorches European allies in Munich speech, lecturing them about democracy. Story from my colleague Deepa Shivaram npr.org/2025/02/13/nx-…

Some pretty stunning answers here from DHS Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar in today's interview with NPR's Michel Martin, in which Edgar equates pro-Palestinian protests with terrorist activity and can't point to any crime committed by Mahmoud Khalil: npr.org/2025/03/13/nx-…

This is your must-listen for today. Michel was polite and persistent. Relentless sharp follow-ups. npr.org/2025/03/13/nx-…

.⁦Julie Pace⁩: "... it’s nothing less than a brazen attempt to punish the AP for using words the president doesn’t like. It’s also meant to show other media outlets what will happen if they don’t fall in line." wsj.com/opinion/the-ap…

“Per population, the death toll of Palestinian journalists is roughly equivalent to the killing of 8,500 U.S. newsroom employees.”

The war in Gaza has killed more journalists than the U.S. Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the wars in Yugoslavia, and the post-9/11 war in Afghanistan combined, according to a new report. foreignpolicy.com/2025/04/01/gaz…

The Institute of Museum and Library Services said the grant highlighting Black history and culture “no longer serves the interest of the United States.” wwno.org/politics/2025-…