Up First briefing: Trump fights protective order; FDA approves postpartum pill

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

Former President Donald Trump's attorneys have until 5:00 p.m. today to respond to a request by prosecutors for a protective order in his criminal case related to Jan. 6 and his attempts to overturn the 2020 election. The order would limit what Trump and his lawyers could say publicly about the case

• Trump's attorney John Lauro told CNN that Americans have a "right to know" about the evidence in the case, but NPR's Franco Ordoñez says on Up First thatprosecutors are worried his public statements could have a "chilling effect" on witnesses. He adds that Trump's team's goal has been to delay the case, and he expects that "push and pull" between the defense and prosecution to be a centerpiece of the case.

A regional bloc called the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) gave coup leaders in Niger an ultimatum: Reinstate the ousted president by Sunday or face military intervention. The deadline has passed, and Niger's military leaders have cut diplomatic ties with the U.S., Nigeria and France and aligned with leaders in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea to defend themselves.

• NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu says a military intervention looks "less and less likely." The ultimatum backed military leaders into a corner, and "they've come out swinging," which Akinwotu says raises the stakes for a regional conflict.

The FDA has approved the first pill to treat postpartum depression. The pill is taken once a day for 14 days, and two studies from the pill's manufacturer, Sage Therapeutics, showed results appeared in as little as three days for many patients. Pricing information for the pill has not been released.

• Jamille Nagtalon-Ramos, assistant professor of nursing at Rutgers University, tells Morning Edition the rapid response for the new medication is very different from current treatments, which could take 1-2 months to take effect. But she's concerned that the trial was completed in 45 days and wants to know the long-term effects of the drug. She also hopes the price won't be a barrier, as financial constraints are a risk factor for postpartum depression.

Since 2011, Juneau, Alaska, has seen glacial outburst flooding called jökulhlaup every summer when an ice dam from a nearby mountain releases water downstream. But this year's flooding has been the worst by far, destroying homes and catching residents off guard. (via KTOO)

From our hosts

This essay was written by Michel Martin. She's Morning Edition's newest host. She's previously hosted Weekend All Things Considered, the Consider This Saturday podcast and Tell Me More.

Today marks the 25th anniversary of al-Qaeda's bomb attacks on the American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was the first time most of us outside the intelligence community had heard of the group, but it obviously would not be the last; 9/11 came three years later.

The East Africa Embassy bombings killed 224 people and injured more than 4500, but I reported on the attack from Nairobi when I was at ABC News, and that's not what sticks with me.

I remember the blood-stained folders on a floor of what was left of the office building next to the embassy, which housed a school for aspiring office workers. Many of them kept the books for family ventures and weddings, especially weddings, which were traditionally large.

Budgets for décor, food and attire were all over the floor, smeared with blood or ripped by shattered glass — a stand-in for shattered lives. Of course, I wondered: Which of these hoped-for, saved-for weddings would actually take place? Which families would now have to take these savings and pay for a funeral instead?

It was a particular kind of sorrow — a mundane day at the office turned to unimaginable horror — that we would soon come to know ourselves.

I'm really into

DUN DUN! NPR's TV critic Eric Deggans can't get enough of the iconic Law & Order sound effect. But it's not the show he's really into — it's the short excerpts of the episodes on YouTube. He writes that it's like "gorging on an endless stream of televised potato chips," with a new scenario offered just as you're bored with the last one. As long as the videos keep on playing, he doesn't even need to know how the story ends.

What are you really into? Fill out this form or leave us a voice note at 800-329-4273, and part of your submission may be featured online or on the radio.

3 things to know before you go

1. This is the clearest image of the Ring Nebula ever. The intricate, colorful details of the new images come from the James Webb Space Telescope. 
2. Barbie has surpassed $1 billion worldwide, making Greta Gerwig the first solo female director with a $1 billion hit.
3. Elon Musk says he'll pay your legal costs if your actions on X, formerly known as Twitter, get you in trouble at work — and there's "no limit" to how much he's willing to dole out.

This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.