Ex-aide to N.Y. arrested; Russia missile attack : NPR

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Today’s top stories

Ukraine is mourning today after Russian missiles struck a military academy, killing dozens and injuring hundreds of others in Poltava, a central-eastern city. It’s one of the deadliest attacks of the war. This comes as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares a major reshuffle of his government, leading to several resignations. This morning, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, one of the most prominent cabinet members, resigned. If parliament accepts the resignations, it could be the biggest shakeup since the war began.

• 🎧 The explosions were so intense that Danys Kliap, who leads a local rapid response team, could feel them almost two miles away, NPR’s Joanna Kakissis tells Up First. He described the scene at the academy as the worst tragedy he’d witnessed in the war. Zelenskyy wants the White House to allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons from the U.S. to strike at military targets in Russia and says the war would end sooner if Ukraine could strike back. But, the White House says allowing these strikes could escalate the war.

Israelis are pressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a cease-fire deal with Hamas following days of protests over the deaths of six hostages. Hamas killed the hostages just as Israeli troops were approaching the part of Gaza where they were. Netanyahu’s critics blame Hamas for the killings but accuse him of blocking a deal that could have brought the hostages home. Former general Benny Gantz demanded Netanyahu make a deal or quit.

• 🎧 Gantz doesn’t have enough influence to sway Netanyahu, but his voice does add to the growing pressure from inside Israel and the world to accept a deal, NPR’s Hadeel Al-Shalchi says. One of the major sticking points of the proposal currently on the table is the presence of Israeli troops on a strip of land called the Philadelphi corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border. Netanyahu is opposed to withdrawing troops from the area, saying Hamas could smuggle weapons through tunnels under it and rebuild its military capabilities. Hamas wants the Israeli military to withdraw completely from the area, which is something Netanyahu’s defense minister is ready to do.
• ➡️ The U.S. Justice Department announced terrorism charges against six Hamas leaders for the Oct. 7 attack in Israel. Here’s what that means.

Linda Sun, a long-time aide to Democratic governors in New York, is accused of secretly being an agent of the Chinese government. The FBI says she worked in secret for China as early as 2016. Charges filed by the Justice Department allege that she was taking payments from China’s communist party. Sun and her husband Chris Hu pleaded not guilty yesterday at a Brooklyn courthouse.

• 🎧 NPR’s Brian Mann says according to the indictment, one of Sun’s missions was to quietly use her influence to block New York officials from having contact with representatives of Taiwan. Sun also allegedly rewrote official pronouncements issued by former N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and current Gov. Kathy Hochul to be more friendly to China. Millions of dollars in cash were funneled from Beijing into businesses owned by Hu. The couple allegedly disguised the money in part by laundering it through luxury real estate. Hochul tells NPR network station WNYC that she’s absolutely shocked at Sun’s brazen behavior and it was a betrayal of trust.

Life advice

Jasjyot Singh Hans for NPR

If you value empathy and community, it can be normal to lose sleep over social bonds. But if worrying about others is negatively affecting your life, or you have an unhealthy reliance on others for self-worth, that may be a sign of a behavior called co-dependency. Melody Beattie, author of Codependent No More, says codependency can lead to negative emotional consequences including a deep need for approval from others and a pattern of avoiding conflict. If that sounds like you, here are ways to break free:

• 🤝 Talk to a therapist who can help you explore and change your behavior.
• 🤝 Set boundaries around how much physical and mental space you give to others.
• 🤝 Care for yourself before you care for others.
• 🤝 Identify your wants and needs. Knowing this can help start healthier bonds.

Click here for a deeper dive into codependent tendencies.

Picture show

Bolivian skateboarders at Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2024

Ben de la Cruz/NPR

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Ben de la Cruz/NPR

The women of Imilla Skate, an all-female skate collective from Bolivia, are widely known for their unique skateboard attire: skirts called polleras and wide-brim hats. The Indigenous garb is worn to pay homage to the strength of their mothers and grandmothers. Since becoming an internet sensation in 2020, they have attracted over 170,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok and traveled the world. With the newfound popularity, members are working on larger projects to make a difference in their communities.

3 things to know before you go

Hvaldimir pictured in Hammerfest, Norway in 2019. He lived there for much of that year before traveling along Norway’s coast and even surfacing in Sweden.

Al Armiger/Alamy

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Al Armiger/Alamy

1. Hvaldimir, a beloved beluga whale believed to have escaped a past life as a Russian spy, was found dead in the waters of Norway over the weekend. OneWhale, an animal rights organization, says the death wasn’t natural.
2. A long-running Chinese influence operation, known as “Spamouflage,” is posing as American voters on social media in an attempt to exacerbate social divisions ahead of the 2024 election. They post about topics including abortion, Israel and Ukraine.
3. Former President Donald Trump denied Tuesday there was a conflict or “fighting,” during his Arlington National Cemetery visit last week, calling it a “made-up story.” Meanwhile, members of Congress are asking for details about what happened.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.