Ethiopian Crash Report; Biden Addresses Accusations; Texas ICE Raid

Plus, the history of opioids in America. [NPR] by Korva Coleman and Jill Hudson First Up [An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 sits grounded in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in March. Ethiopian officials on Thursday released the initial report into last month's crash of a Max 8.]( Mulugeta Ayene/AP Here’s what we’re following today. Investigators have released their findings on the Ethiopian Airlines crash. They say [the crew followed all the manufacturer's instructions]( for the 737 Max plane. Critics of the Federal Aviation Administration say the agency delegated to Boeing much of the testing of its jets — basically allowing the company to certify its own planes through self-regulation. [The FAA isn’t alone in this](. After several women came forward to say close, physical interactions with former Vice President Joe Biden made them uncomfortable, he released a video addressing the issue that threatens to derail his possible 2020 presidential bid. In a tweet posted with the video, Biden promised to “be more mindful” about [respecting personal space](. House Ways and Means Committee chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., formally asked the IRS on Wednesday to turn over six years of President Trump's tax returns. The president told reporters on Wednesday that [he was "not inclined" to adhere to the request](. Members of Robert Mueller's team reportedly say Attorney General William Barr sanitized the special counsel's report. According to The Washington Post and The New York Times, some on the Mueller team say Barr’s four-page summary letter omitted vital information. A Justice Department spokeswoman said today Barr released the bottom-line conclusions of the special counsel report because it contained legally protected or sensitive information. Lawmakers told Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson on Wednesday they're unlikely to support the administration's plan to cut billions of dollars from housing programs. Many of the programs have [bipartisan support]( especially with local officials who say they desperately need money to help their low-income communities. The House approved legislation renewing the Violence Against Women Act with new provisions that restrict gun laws and expand transgender rights. Most House Republicans [opposed renewal of the 1994 law]( in part because it would restrict gun rights for individuals convicted of misdemeanor domestic abuse and stalking charges. An American woman and her driver were kidnapped at Uganda's most popular wildlife park, and four gunmen are holding her for $500,000 ransom. Earlier this week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told families of Americans held overseas that [the U.S. won't pay ransoms](. Australia's parliament passed new legislation on Thursday to criminalize Internet platforms for failing to remove violent videos and audio, after an Australian gunman livestreamed himself shooting mosque worshippers in New Zealand. Social media executives and other online content providers [could be imprisoned for up to three years](. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided a cellphone repair company in Texas on Wednesday, arresting 280 suspected undocumented immigrants. It's [the largest work site raid]( in the country in more than a decade. --------------------------------------------------------------- The 101 The history of opioids in America. Angela Hsieh The opioid crisis is awful, but it’s not entirely new. The latest episode of Throughline looks at the long history of opioid abuse in the U.S. and the first crisis in the 19th century with morphine. Listening time, 6:58) [▶ LISTEN]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Digging Deeper Smoking isn't the biggest global health threat. Bad diets are. [Poor diet is the leading risk factor for deaths from lifestyle-related diseases in the majority of the world, according to new research.]( John D. Buffington/Getty Images A new study published in the Lancet reviewed the diets of people living in 195 countries and found that nearly 11 million deaths a year are linked to poor diet around the globe. [What's driving this]( As a planet, we don't eat enough healthy foods including whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables, and at the same time, we consume too many sugary drinks, too much salt and too much processed meat. Researchers looked at the effect of poor diets on the risk of death from diseases such as heart disease, certain cancers and diabetes. They also looked at the number of deaths related to other risk factors, such as smoking. People eat best in Israel, France, Spain and Japan; the U.S. ranked 43rd and China came in at 140th on the list. The study found that some 800 million people around the world can't get enough to eat while 1.9 billion people weigh too much. Both conditions are considered malnutrition. Another study finds that malnutrition costs $3.5 trillion every year worldwide, and the majority of that cost is associated with overweight- and obesity-related non-communicable diseases. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Listen The tax hero. sorbetto/Getty Images Stanford professor Joe Bankman figured out a way to make filing taxes easy and painless. California taxpayers loved it, and Bankman thought getting ReadyReturn through the state legislature would be smooth sailing. Then the tax lobby found out about it. (Listening time, 22:58) [▶ LISTEN]( --------------------------------------------------------------- The Picture Show Following the path of los Caminantes. [Oscar Martínez rests at a roadside stand near Cúcuta. He wrote a note to Marta Alarcón before continuing his journey.]( Ryan Kellman/NPR As Venezuelans flee their country's deepening economic and humanitarian crisis, Latin America is trying to cope with the largest number of refugees on record. Some 3.4 million Venezuelans are seeking refuge abroad, with the largest number in neighboring Colombia. It used to be primarily migrant men looking for jobs over the border, but now [increasingly whole families feel they have no choice but to go]( relief workers say. Those traveling on foot, as most are, have been given a collective name: los Caminantes, or the Walkers. --------------------------------------------------------------- We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [dailynewsletter@npr.org](mailto:dailynewsletter@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? 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