Palestinian detainees return to Gaza; ICE tactics : NPR

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

Today's top news

Yesterday Israel released about 2,000 prisoners as part of an initial ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Hamas also released the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages. Palestinians who returned to Gaza included journalists, doctors and first responders who had been taken from hospitals and the streets by soldiers. NPR's Aya Batrawi reports. Up first that some of the returning Palestinians showed signs of torture and severe malnutrition on their bodies, and some had difficulty walking.

• 🎧 NPR's Anas Baba witnessed people returning to Gaza and said he saw a mixture of joy and survival as many hugged their loved ones. But many of them have nowhere to return and have found their families gone. Israeli troops still occupy Gaza and will not leave until Hamas disarms. Batrawi says it's still not sure Hamas agree to the storage or transfer of offensive weapons. As Gaza seeks reconstruction, President Trump's peace plan does not address the West Bank or the creation of a Palestinian state, leaving the root of the conflict unresolved.
• 🎧 Trump returned from a trip to the Middle East and is getting a lot of credit for the ceasefire agreement, says NPR's Tamara Keith. Earlier during the war there were short-term truces. The question now is whether this time will be different. Keith emphasizes that this is only the first phase of a multi-phase peace plan for Gaza. By traveling to the Middle East, Trump invested political capital in lasting peace. To ensure that the agreement is respected, the President I can't just move on; According to Keith, he will have to keep practicing and keep the pressure on.
• ➡️ Here's a look at the war in GazaTo numbers.

Countless videos show federal immigration officials using increasingly aggressive tactics when detaining immigrants. Most Americans say they I don't approve of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics.according to a recent survey conducted New York Times and the University of Siena.

• 🎧 Ed Yonka of the ACLU of Illinois tells NPR's Meg Anderson that officers are pulling people out of cars. and it's rude to pick up people who are just walking down the street. Yonka and other observers say federal agents tear-gassed people and shot pepper balls at them, targeting immigrants, protesters and journalists. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says its officers act in accordance with the law and policy. Gil Kerlikowski, former commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, tells Anderson that immigration officials not ready to control the urban environmentand good urban policing is about getting the public to trust you.

New 2025 testing data shows that American students in third through eighth grades performed below 2019 levels in reading. The data comes from the spring 2025 MAP growth assessment conducted by NWEA, a K-12 testing and research organization. The results show that there is a little more room for optimism when it comes to mathwhere some evaluations showed improvement. All estimates remain behind pre-pandemic levels.

Cost of living

NPR series Cost of Living: The Price We Pay explores what drives rising prices and how people cope with years of stubborn inflation.

If you have a pet, chances are you've experienced an increase in pet care costs. Indicator from Planet Money talks to veterinarian Adam Geczko about why prices are rising. Here what should he say:

• 🐶 The cost of running a veterinary practice has risen due to things like medications, partly due to tariffs. Gechko says the cost of a box of examination gloves is more than double what it was a year ago.
• 🐶 For many practices, labor costs exceed 50% of total operating costs, as wages in these areas are expected to increase over time.
• 🐶 People are willing to spend more money on pet care. Gechko says this noticeable shift in pet ownership culture is due to pandemic lockdowns. The only social interaction or source of companionship for some people during this time was their pets. Gechko believes this is why more people are willing to pay more for better care to keep their pets healthy.

Listen to what else Gechko wants talk about the cost of caring for a petor read the transcript from an interview. This week's episode will focus on the rising costs of healthcare. Stay up to date with the latest news Here.

How does rising prices change your lifestyle? Fill in this form share your story with NPR.

Picture show

Cumbia throughout Latin America is a visual reportage highlighting the people, places and cultures that support this genre of music in six countries.

The members of Spaghetti Cumbia grew up listening to Latin music in their Los Angeles homes, including cumbia. While living in Los Angeles, the band was heavily influenced by classic rock, punk rock and hip hop. They created their own style by mixing cumbia with their influences and adding a spaghetti western sound. The band members credit their love of music for keeping them from mixing with the wrong crowd in the '90s, when gang violence was at its peak on the city's east side, which was a popular destination for immigrants. Spaghetti Cumbia said he doesn't have time to spend on the streets between rehearsals and studio sessions. Learn more about how Los Angeles helped shape cumbia music and see photos from the band's concerts. You can also read the article in spanish.

3 things you need to know before your trip

1. Former President Barack Obama was the latest guest on actor and comedian Marc Maron's biweekly podcast. which ended yesterday in episode 1686. Obama gave insight into the current state of politics and reflected on WTF with Marc Maronheritage.
2. The Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded awarded yesterday Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt for their research on how cycles of technological innovation drive economic growth and lead to creative destruction.
3. After graduating from high school in 1971, Sylvanas Clarke attended a community college under the guidance of her drama teacher, George Meschke, who took a job there. Facing financial difficulties the following semester, she reported it to Meschke, who then helped her obtain a scholarship. By the end of the school year, Clarke discovered that her unsung hero was actually the one responsible for paying her feesan act she says she will never forget.

This newsletter has been edited Suzanne Nuyen.