Health officials track dozens who left hantavirus-stricken ship after first fatality

Download

Embed

<iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/g-s1-121064/nx-s1-mx-5815876-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

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

The U.S. military says three Navy ships came under attack yesterday while navigating through waters near Iran. U.S. Central Command says it responded by launching strikes on Iranian missile and drone sites. Iran says that the U.S. started Thursday's violence by attacking one of its oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. This incident marks the first report of U.S. airstrikes on Iranian soil since the ceasefire began a month ago.

Malta-flagged oil tanker Odessa arrives near Daesan Port in Seosan City on May 8.

Shin Yong-ju/AFP via Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Shin Yong-ju/AFP via Getty Images

🎧 Despite the recent violence, neither Iran nor the U.S. seems inclined to return to war, NPR's Aya Batrawy tells Up First. President Trump told reporters yesterday that the ceasefire remains in effect. But Trump continues to threaten Iran with more bombing if it doesn't agree to a U.S. proposal to end the conflict. Iran says it's reviewing the proposal and will deliver a response to mediator Pakistan.

Republicans in Tennessee passed a new congressional map yesterday that would divide Shelby County — home to the majority-Black Memphis — into three districts. The action aims to eliminate the state's only remaining Democratic-held seat. Currently, Tennessee is represented by eight Republicans and one Democrat. The state is the first to redraw its congressional map after the U.S. Supreme Court last week weakened the Voting Rights Act's protections against racial discrimination in redistricting.

🎧 Protesters from Tennessee's blue cities argue that the new map will silence the voices of voters who support Democrats. These voters make up roughly a third of the state's population, according to Marianna Bacallao from NPR network station WPLN in Nashville. The NAACP has filed a petition to challenge the map, arguing that it is too close to the election to make changes. The organization says it could cause confusion about which district people are in. Over the last few days, Republicans in the Southern states of Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina have also rushed to redraw congressional maps. Currently, California and Virginia are the only states that have adjusted their district boundaries to support the Democrats.

Global public health authorities are working to contain a hantavirus outbreak that began on a cruise ship early last month. There have been eight cases reported, including three fatalities. The ship is currently off the coast of Africa, but dozens of passengers have already disembarked and flown to destinations in Turkey, New Zealand and the United States. Despite a series of alarmist headlines, the World Health Organization emphasizes that the risk to the general public remains very low. Here's what else you should know about the hantavirus outbreak, including what the symptoms are, how it spreads, how the U.S. has responded and more.

🎧 Epidemiologists are racing to identify individuals who've come into contact with those infected in the outbreak. Their goal is to ensure that those exposed get treated if needed. NPR's Ari Daniel speaks with the disease detectives about the challenges they face in this race compared to their work with other outbreaks.

The Court of International Trade struck down a second round of worldwide tariffs that Trump ordered to replace the import levies that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled were unlawful. The international court's decision was limited to two importers who contested the tariffs, as well as the state of Washingt