Passengers recount chaos on Tel Aviv flight.
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Passengers → recount → flight
And, FBI probes employee-data hack
Good morning.
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FBI → probe → hack
You're reading the Up First newsletter.
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You → read → 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.
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you → subscribe → day
A flydubai plane headed to Tel Aviv yesterday made an emergency landing after one pilot stabbed the other in a possible attempt to crash the plane.
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pilot → head → plane
Some passengers entered the cockpit and subdued the attacker after the injured pilot unlocked the door.
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pilot → enter → door
Another flight crew on board then helped land the plane safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
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crew → help → Tabuk
The motive remains unknown.
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motive → remain → ?
NPR's Kat Lonsdorf was at the Tel Aviv airport as passengers returned.
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passengers → return → airport
She tells Up First the arrivals area was packed with journalists and family members as passengers came through: some crying, some smiling and many looking exhausted.
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many → tell → journalists
One passenger told Lonsdorf he tried to keep his young son calm during the ordeal.
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he → tell → ordeal
Another, a plumber, said he helped subdue the attacker and pulled up on the plane's controls after remembering something he had seen on TV.
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he → say → TV
The incident comes less than a month before Israel's national election and is likely to become part of the campaign conversation in the weeks ahead.
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incident → come → weeks
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he wants fewer generals and admirals — and a military built around drones, AI and what he calls a "warrior ethos."
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he → say → what
In a speech at Quantico yesterday, Hegseth said he has already cut the number of senior officers by about 10% and wants to reach 20%.
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he → say → %
He also announced a new military command focused on drones and other emerging technologies, even as the U.S. remains at war with Iran.
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U.S. → announce → Iran
NPR's Quil Lawrence says the issue is less about shrinking the top ranks than about who Hegseth is removing and why.
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Hegseth → say → who
Hegseth has blocked some colonels from becoming generals without publicly explaining the decisions and has fired several senior officers.
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Hegseth → block → officers
Lawrence also notes that the Pentagon has not held a news briefing since May, which is a stark contrast to the previous two decades of sometimes intense warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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which → note → Iraq
The FBI says it is "aggressively" investigating a cyberattack claimed by ShinyHunters after the group said it stole sensitive FBI employment data.
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it → say → data
It is still unclear how much information was taken or whether hackers got in through third-party software or the bureau's own systems.
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hackers → take → software
Some current and former employees told NPR the stolen files may include job applications, promotion records, family details and medical information.
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files → tell → applications
President Trump is traveling to Oklahoma today — not a battleground state but a place where he can test-drive his midterm message with a friendly crowd.
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he → travel → crowd
Trump promised to campaign for Republicans in 35 competitive races, but his first stops are in reliably red states like Oklahoma and Alabama.
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stops → promise → Oklahoma
NPR's Franco Ordoñez says that the trips are partly about energizing voters who reliably turn out for Trump but may be harder to motivate when he isn't on the ballot.
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who → say → ballot
Oklahoma also gives Trump a lower-risk place to try out campaign lines before heading to more competitive states, where his presence could just as easily motivate Democrats and independents.
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presence → give → Democrats
The U.S. has drawn heavily from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve since the war with Iran began, shrinking the stockpile by more than 30% in six months.
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war → draw → months
The reserve, stored in underground salt caverns in Louisiana and Texas, is one of the government's main tools for easing pressure on gas prices.
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reserve → store → prices
Here's what to know:
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Here → know → what
- 🛢️ Rapid drawdowns can damage the reserve itself, putting stress on the salt caverns and other infrastructure.
- 🛢️ The Trump administration is exploring a possible oil swap with Venezuela, though much of the crude under discussion is heavy and difficult to extract.
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much → damage → discussion
China has also tapped its reserves, but less aggressively as electric vehicles make up a larger share of transportation there.
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vehicles → tap → transportation
Behind the story
by Geoff Brumfiel, NPR's senior editor and correspondent
OpenAI says its AI helped solve one of math's hardest problems.
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AI → say → problems
Mathematicians weren't quite sure how it got there.
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it → get → ?
That's what I discovered when I started talking to mathematicians about what was supposed to be one of the biggest discoveries this century.
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what → discover → discoveries
It turned out OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra model was not some machine supergod that outstripped human intellect – it was just that it was really bad at showing its work.
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it → turn → work
Suddenly, a very abstruse and vague math story felt pretty relatable.
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story → feel → ?
Who hasn't been scolded by a teacher for skipping the steps?
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Who → scold → steps
And who hasn't gotten an AI answer that sounds impressive but leaves you wondering what on earth it just said?
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it → get → earth
Mathematicians believe the answer is correct, but the AI-generated proof runs 166 pages, and they say it may take weeks to untangle what actually matters.
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what → believe → weeks
Despite the lack of clarity, they're excited about the possibility of using AI to solve more problems in the future.
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they → use → future
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
