Up First from NPR

Super Tuesday is here — with more voters casting ballots than any other day. The Supreme Court says states like Colorado can't kick Donald Trump off the primary ballot for his actions on January 6. And a United Nations report has found "reasonable grounds to believe" Israelis were victims of sexual violence during the October 7 Hamas attack.

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Up First was edited by Megan Pratz, Krishnadev Calamur, James Hider, Lisa Thomson and Ben Adler. It was produced by Julie Depenbrock, Ben Abrams and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Zac Coleman.

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Vice President Kamala Harris calls for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as the U.S. begins airdropping food into Gaza. In an apparent effort to depose Haiti's prime minister, armed gangs stormed two prisons and let thousands of inmates escape. And France moves to not just bolster the right to an abortion, in contrast to the U.S., but to enshrine that right into the country's constitution.

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Today's episode was edited by Hannah Bloch, Mark Katkov, Miguel Macias and Ben Adler. It was produced by Julie Depenbrock, Ben Abrams and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Zac Coleman.

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Why is it so complicated to save the Everglades?

The Everglades is home to the largest mangrove ecosystem in the western hemisphere and a sanctuary for over three dozen endangered and threatened species. It also provides fresh water, flood control, and a buffer against hurricanes and rising seas for about 9 million Floridians.

But climate change, pollution, agriculture and rapid development are causing potentially irreversible damage.

In 2000, the state of Florida and the federal government struck an extraordinary deal to save the Everglades. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan was the largest ecosystem restoration project in the world.

But from the moment it was signed into law, things got complicated.

Now almost 25 years later, the Everglades is as endangered as ever, and the problems have become even more difficult—and expensive—to solve.

Today on The Sunday Story, Ayesha Rascoe talks with WLRN's Jenny Staletovich. Jenny has a new podcast series out called Bright Lit Place that tells the dramatic story of the Everglades, what's been done to the ecosystem, and what needs to happen to save it.

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The latest in U.S. politics, from presidential border visits to an averted government shutdown. Oregon's state legislature votes to recriminalize drug possession, overhauling what may be the U.S.'s most progressive drug policy yet. Thousands vied for a seat in Iran's parliament on Friday, but voter turnout was low.

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Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is being laid to rest after dying in prison for charges widely seen as politically motivated. Gaza health authorities say more than 100 civilians were killed trying to get food from aid trucks, though Israel says that number is much lower. And scientists have started cloning genetically modified pigs with organs designed to be transplanted into people.

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Today's episode was edited by Mark Katkov, Hannah Bloch, Scott Hensley, HJ Mai and Ben Adler. It was produced by Claire Murashima, Ben Abrams and Julie Depenbrock. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, our technical director is Zac Coleman and our executive producer is Erika Aguilar.

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The Supreme Court will decide if Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for his official actions as president. Mitch McConnell plans to step down as Senate Republican leader at the end of the year. And the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 30,000.

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Today's episode was edited by Krishnadev Calamur, Kelsey Snell, Hannah Bloch, HJ Mai and Ben Adler. It was produced by Claire Murashima, Ben Abrams and Julie Depenbrock. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Zac Coleman.

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President Joe Biden celebrated an easy win in Tuesday's Michigan primary. But it came with a warning on Gaza. Hunter Biden testifies today in the House GOP impeachment probe into his father. And could the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that gave fertilized eggs the same rights as children spur other states to do the same?

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Today's episode was edited by Megan Pratz, Kelsey Snell, Barbara Sprunt, HJ Mai and Ben Adler. It was produced by Claire Murashima, Ben Abrams and Julie Depenbrock. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis, and our technical director is Stacey Abbott.

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Michigan is holding its presidential primaries today, and some Democrats say they're voting uncommitted instead of President Biden. Some Michigan voters warn Biden to change course on the Israel-Hamas war. What's the president hearing from voters who delivered the state in 2020? Also, the United States goes to court to stop a grocery megamerger. Kroger and Albertsons propose to combine. What does it mean for your neighborhood supermarket?

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Today's episode was edited by Reena Advani, Emily Kopp, HJ Mai and Ben Adler. It was produced by Claire Murashima, Ben Abrams and Julie Depenbrock. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Zac Coleman.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to move ahead with a ground offensive in the border city of Rafah, even though a ceasefire deal may delay the operation. The battle over free speech on social media reaches the U.S. Supreme Court, and Congress faces yet another government shutdown deadline this week.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Krishnadev Calamur, Mark Katkov, Ben Adler and HJ Mai. It was produced by Claire Murashima, Ben Abrams and Julie Depenbrock. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Zac Coleman.

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In the sleepy town of Asebu, a few miles inland from the Atlantic along Ghana's Cape Coast, a serene 5,000 acre rural settlement is rising out of the palm forests and farmland.

Pan-African Village is envisioned as an idyllic haven for settlers from the African diaspora. It was established in 2019, after a local chief announced that anyone from the diaspora could have plots for free. Hundreds of people, largely from North America and the Caribbean, have accepted the offer and are in the midst of building large homes.

They regard themselves as the first wave of settlers, carving a new life in their ancestral homeland, devoid of racism and repression. But while locals have tentatively welcomed returning diaspora, Ghana is also experiencing some of the worst economic conditions in decades. In Pan-African Village, brewing tensions over ownership and privileged access to the land are threatening to spill over into violence and unravel the promise of this diaspora haven.

This week on The Sunday Story, producer Andrew Mambo speaks with Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR's West Africa Correspondent, about the complicated relationship between the diaspora settlers and the place they see as their ancestral home.

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