Israel on the brink; Nashville grieves after a shooting; Fort Myers after Ian

Plus, colleges consider getting rid of letter grades. [View this email online]( [NPR]( by Suzanne Nuyen Good morning. Go outside and look at the sky tonight! [Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Mars]( are aligning in a planetary parade of sorts. Here’s what else we’re following today. 🥇 First Up [School buses with children arrive at Woodmont Baptist Church to be reunited with their families after a mass shooting at The Covenant School on Monday in Nashville.]( Seth Herald/Getty Images Families are grieving after a former student of a private Christian elementary school in Nashville shot and killed three children and three staff on campus. Police have [not shared a motive]( but called it a targeted attack. On the Up First podcast today, WPLN’s Tony Gonzalez said the Nashville community is feeling fear, anguish, anger and dread, but they’re also trying to “[show some kind of resilience]( Multiple vigils have already taken place and more are planned. Multiple vigils have already taken place and more are planned today. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed his plan to take some control over the judiciary after widespread protests shut down roads and closed schools. He postponed yesterday’s vote for a month to attempt to mend the rift in his country. [Catch up on everything that’s happened so far](. ➡️ NPR’s Daniel Estrin tells Up First that "Israelis really see this as a [battle for the soul of their country]( He says there’s a lot of uncertainty, and it’s unclear if Netanyahu will actually pass his legislation. ➡️ Former Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will speak to [Morning Edition]( later today about his opposition to Netanyahu’s plans. What went wrong at Silicon Valley Bank? A Senate panel meets today to discuss the second-biggest bank failure in U.S. history. NPR’s Scott Horsley [previews the hearing on Up First]( calling the bank failure a "collision of some very old-fashioned banking mistakes with the fast-moving tech that Silicon Valley is famous for." He says "none of this came out of the blue," and government supervisors flagged problems to the bank in 2021. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell says they weren’t addressed until it was too late. Sara McLin believed she was mistakenly billed for an emergency room visit to treat her young son’s burns. But she couldn’t dispute the charges, because the bills were in her now 5-year-old son’s name. [Then the bill went to collections](. Her frustrating and sometimes farcical story provides some lessons on how parents can protect their children when it comes to hospital debt. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- 🤿 Deep Dive [ An illustration of people demolishing monoliths of letters representing the academic letter grading system.]( LA Johnson/NPR For many college students, learning to be an adult is harder than any coursework they’re assigned. But the pressure of balancing school and life can take a toll on grades and mental health, and threaten to unravel a student’s college experience. A growing "un-grading" movement at universities proposes [getting rid of traditional A through F letter grading](. 🎒 The momentum behind the movement is fueled by a mental health crisis on college campuses. The number of students with one or more health problems has doubled since 2013. 🎒 Pressure to get good grades is the biggest source of stress for students. But advocates for the un-grading system say students have become so focused on grades that they are not actually learning. 🎒 But critics of the system say taking away grades is coddling students, and faculty should instead focus on helping less well-prepared students succeed. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🎧 Today’s listen [Rubble and broken wood is shown in front of a house in Florida. ]( Greg Allen/NPR It’s been six months since Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc on Florida. Fort Myers Beach was hit particularly hard. Town hall was destroyed, and many government officials are still working out of tents and trailers. 🎧 Listen to [how residents are slowly rebuilding]( or [read their stories](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🛑 Before You Go [ Michelangelo’s David statue. ]( Franco Origlia/Getty Images - Art or porn? The principal at a Florida school has resigned after parents complained they were [not given prior notice]( that their children would be shown Michaelangelo’s David statue in art class. - Panera is bringing palm reading to stores. No, they can’t tell you your future. But the biometric technology will access your [Panera loyalty card]( and credit card info. - “Demon dog” Ralphie the French bulldog has [found a forever home]( at last. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. 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