Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today's top stories Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana lost his bid for reelection on Saturday.
Wade Hanicker poses for a portrait at his home in Brooksville, Fla., on March 23. Hanicker was diagnosed with silicosis after years of cutting quartz countertops. Tina Russell for NPR hide caption toggle caption Tina Russell for NPR Wade Hanicker lives near Tampa, Fla., and he started making countertops about 15 years ago.
The Czech Republic, which boasts a population of 10 million, is a famously beer-loving nation. Nobody in the world drinks as much beer as the Czechs do — for decades, they have nabbed the top spot for most per capita beer consumption lists, only occasionally ranking second.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda a "public health emergency of international concern." The WHO said the outbreak does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency.
A child cries after his father is detained by federal agents as they left an immigration court hearing at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building on August 26, 2025 in New York City. The Trump administration's immigration crackdown continues nationwide. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Michael M.
Ambulances are parked outside a hospital in Bunia, Congo, Saturday, May 16, 2026. Constant Same Bagalwa/AP hide caption toggle caption Constant Same Bagalwa/AP The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday.
Africa's top public health agency has confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement on Friday that 65 deaths and 246 suspected cases had been recorded so far in the remote Ituri province.
An ambulance enters the Bichat Hospital where a woman who tested positive for hantavirus remains in intensive care, in Paris, Tuesday, May 12, 2026.
The push to contain the recent hantavirus outbreak "is not over" yet, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday. Tedros' comments came soon after it was announced that everyone aboard the virus-struck cruise ship MV Hondius had been evacuated from Spain's Canary Islands.
European Union negotiators on Tuesday reached an agreement on rules that aim to bolster the bloc's supply chains for essential medicines and reduce its dependence on drug manufacturers outside the bloc.
So far, three people have died, with several others taken ill, after a hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius. Hantavirus is a rare rodent-borne illness that has multiple strains of varying severity. With the ship now docked, passengers are being returned to their countries of residence.
"I have this drive and I want to keep going," says Vicky Stinson, 65, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2024. She's pictured here in a park in Charleston, S.C., on a visit in May 2026.