Underwater noises heard in Titan search; Americans disagree with 'Roe' ruling; judge strikes down ban on gender-affirming care

Plus, why you should get screened for anxiety. [View this email online]( [NPR Up First Newsletter]( by [Suzanne Nuyen]( June 21, 2023 Good morning. The winners of the Student Podcast Challenge for middle schools share [school's ups and downs]( — and it can get dark. Check npr.org later today for the high school winners. Here's what else we're following today. A surveillance plane detected underwater noises early this morning as crews raced against the clock to [search for Titan]( the missing submersible carrying five passengers. [This photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions shows a submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic.]( AP 🎧 WBUR's Walter Wuthmann tells Up First this morning that OceanGate's former director of marine operations [raised concerns]( about the [vessel's safety]( in 2018. He adds that U.S. and Canadian plans are searching a patch of water the size of Connecticut, and officials estimated yesterday the submersible had about 40 hours of air left. ➡️ Catch up on everything you need to know about [who was on board]( why Titan may have sunk and more. 🎧 CBS Sunday Morning correspondent David Pogue went in the Titan in November. Listen to him describe [what it's like to trave]( in the vessel, or [read the interview highlights](. ➡️ This isn't the first time a missing submersible has captivated the public. In 1973, two occupants spent three days trapped in a lost sub off the coast of Ireland, and were rescued with [12 minutes of oxygen to spare](. Nearly a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a majority of Americans say they oppose the decision, according to a [new NPR poll](. 🎧 While three-quarters of Democrats opposed the Supreme Court's ruling, [two-thirds of Republicans supported it]( according to NPR's Domenico Montanaro. He reports there is also a partisan divide in opinions about affirmative action and gender identity, and the numbers "tell you why people continue to have little confidence in this conservative-majority court: It's out of step with the majority of the population." ➡️ The divide on abortion rights is also playing out economically. While many states are restricting abortion, other states and local municipalities are [spending millions]( to fund it. Your next annual checkup should include screening for anxiety and depression, regardless of whether you have symptoms, according to the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force. 🎧 Primary care physicians can often overlook anxiety because it can [masquerade as other issues]( like chest pain or trouble sleeping, according to NPR's Michaeleen Doucleff. She adds that people who get treatment after being screened via a questionnaire have a better outcome than those who weren't screened. A federal judge has struck down Arkansas' 2021 ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The state's ban was the first of its kind in the U.S. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge James Moody Jr. said the state's experts were [motivated by ideology, not science]( and depriving trans minors of treatments like hormone therapy would cause them irreparable harm. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- [Items for sale at the North Carolina Republican Party Convention in Greensboro, N.C., on June 9. ]( Allison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images The Republican presidential primary is shaping up to be both crowded and expensive. Early projections predict candidates will [spend close to or more than $1 billion]( — a first for Republicans. 💰 The price to become president has skyrocketed: Candidates spent roughly four times as much money on the 2020 presidential race as they did two decades ago. 💰 The candidates this year have deep pockets, and the maximum amount of money people can donate to the campaign has increased. 💰 The money goes to the most expensive part of campaigning: ads. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Illustrations representing different lullabies that NPR readers submitted.]( Leif Parsons for NPR Earlier this month, we reported on the science behind [why lullabies work]( and asked listeners to share their best ones. Nearly 200 of you responded. 🎧 Listen to [some of our favorite lullabies]( crooned by listeners from around the world. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Two cotton-top tamarin monkeys are seen with their newborn twins at Walt Disney World.]( Aaron Wockenfuss/Walt Disney World Walt Disney World is welcoming two rare cotton-top tamarin monkeys. Their births were the [first for the species]( at the resort since 2001. Abraham Verghese is a physician and author of multiple books. He credits his unsung hero, one of his terminally ill patients, for [reminding him to follow his dreams]( of writing a novel. When loved ones die, they often leave behind unfinished crafts. A group of volunteers from Loose Ends is dedicated to [finishing those hats, quilts and rugs]( for families experiencing loss. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. 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