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Today’s top stories

Israel is observing its Holocaust Remembrance Day today, nearly seven months into the war in Gaza and after another round of cease-fire talks fell apart. The Israeli military began dropping leaflets ordering tens of thousands of Palestinians taking refuge in Rafah to evacuate, a move indicating its ground offensive in the area of Southern Gaza could be imminent.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel on Oct. 28, 2023.

Abir Sultan/AP

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Abir Sultan/AP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel on Oct. 28, 2023.

Abir Sultan/AP

• NPR’s Lauren Frayer tells Up First that the impasse between Hamas and Israel on a cease-fire seems to be whether it will be temporary or permanent and whether Israeli troops will withdraw from Gaza altogether.
• Israel raided the Jerusalem offices of Al Jazeera after the country’s cabinet voted to shut down the news network’s operations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long accused the Qatar-based network of being a “mouthpiece of Hamas.” Press freedom advocates were critical of the decision. In a statement, the Foreign Press Association in Israel says Israel has now joined a “dubious club of authoritarian governments.”

Boeing’s airliner division has had a turbulent few months. The company hopes for a smoother ride in outer space tonight when it plans to launch two NASA astronauts from Florida’s Cape Canaveral on a mission to the International Space Station. It will be the first time Boeing’s Starliner capsule will carry people.

• “This is a really big deal,” Brendan rne of Central Florida Public Media says. After NASA’s space shuttle retired in 2011, the space agency needed a way to transport astronauts to and from the ISS. Boeing and SpaceX were given development deals in 2014. SpaceX has flown nine missions since then, but Boeing has been delayed for years. rne says it can be hard to separate the image of Boeing’s safety issues with its 737 jets from this space mission. 

The U.S. House of Representatives could vote this week on a bill that would require counting and excluding non-citizens from the 2030 census. The decennial count determines each state’s share of House representatives and electoral college votes. The bill is among at least a dozen measures filed by Republican lawmakers as they push for an unprecedented change to the country’s election maps.

We, the voters

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Migrants rest for a moment at the Kino Border Initiative shelter in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico on Wednesday, March 27.

Ash Ponders for NPR

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Ash Ponders for NPR

Migrants rest for a moment at the Kino Border Initiative shelter in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico on Wednesday, March 27.

Ash Ponders for NPR

As part of the We, The Voters series, NPR is bringing you stories about immigration reported from the U.S.-Mexico border all week.

Is it easy for migrants to enter the U.S.? The arrival of migrants from across the Americas and the rest of the world has led many to believe it’s as simple as walking through the front door. But when the Morning Edition team visited a border crossing point, they found the opposite to be true. Many migrants wait there every day for a chance to enter the country legally in hopes of being able to claim asylum.

Steve Inskeep spoke with a Venezuelan family that waited and hoped to be selected for a border law enforcement screening that would allow them to enter the country on a conditional basis. Listen to them describe their journey and read about the other challenges migrants face.

Today’s listen

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Courtesy of Jeff Beal

Courtesy of Jeff Beal

You may have listened to Jeff Beal’s work without knowing it. Beal wrote the Emmy-winning theme for the Netflix series House of Cards. For 17 years, he has been living with multiple sclerosis, a chronic condition with no cure that can affect the brain. He credits writing music as the reason why he hasn’t had any significant gray matter loss. His latest collection of deeply personal solo piano works reflects his hopeful outlook on life.

Listen to parts of the album and hear Beal talk about how it came to be and why he believes he’s lucky.

3 things to know before you go

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Thomas Taylor’s original cover illustration for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997) is expected to break auction records at Sotheby’s on June 26.

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Sotheby’s

Thomas Taylor’s original cover illustration for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997) is expected to break auction records at Sotheby’s on June 26.

Sotheby’s

1. The original watercolor illustration for the first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will be auctioned off next month. Its sale is expected to break records for any Harry Potter-related material. 
2. More than 16,000 pounds of ground beef sold at Walmart and produced by Cargill Meat Solutions have been recalled due to a possible E. coli contamination.
3. Have you seen this emotional support alligator? Joie Henney says his beloved Wally, who’s been documented on social media visiting nursing homes in Pennsylvania and splashing around in Philadelphia’s LOVE Park fountain, was kidnapped, recovered and released into a swamp.

This newsletter was edited by Obed Manuel. Anandita Bhaleraocontributed.