U.S. allows Ukraine to use long-range weapons in Russia. And, Trump's fentanyl plan

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Today's top stories

President Biden has given Ukraine the green light to use long-range U.S. missiles for strikes inside Russia, a U.S. official told NPR. The missiles, known as the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, can travel about 190 miles. A U.S. official said Biden's decision comes as Russia recently deployed around 10,000 North Korean troops in and around the Kursk region in a bid to push Ukrainian forces out of Russian territory.

White Sands Missile Range, via Associated Press

• 🎧 Biden's concern has been a possible Russian escalation, NPR's Greg Myre tells Up First. But now his priority is signaling that his administration wants to do what it can before leaving office in January. There are real limits to this new policy. Russia is already pulling back warplanes and other key systems from missile range. President-elect Trump has said he wants negotiations to end the war and has expressed opposition to more U.S. military assistance. Ukrainians are concerned they'll face pressure to make concessions, which could include territory, to Russia.

Leaders of the world's largest economies are gathering in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the Group of 20 summit today and tomorrow. It'll be President Biden's last G20 summit and it presents some challenges. Some of the measures he is expected to endorse are not supported by the incoming Trump administration.

• 🎧 Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the host of the summit, remains unfazed by Trump's return to office. He is advocating for progressive proposals, including a tax on the world's wealthiest individuals, according to NPR's Carrie Kahn. Domestically, his leftist party faced significant losses in the recent nationwide elections. He is also dealing with far-right leaders in South America, like former President Jair Bolsonaro and Argentina's ultra-libertarian Javier Milei, who are feeling emboldened by Trump's return to power.
• ➡️ Biden made a stop in the Amazon to pledge new U.S. funds for rainforest protection. He is the first sitting U.S. president to visit the location.

Nearly 100,000 people are killed in the U.S. each year by fentanyl and other street drugs. Although the number of deaths has been decreasing, it remains high. During his campaign, Trump focused on cracking down on fentanyl traffickers and dealers and securing the border to help combat the issue.

• 🎧 Tom Homan, the man Trump named to serve as border czar, has promised military action against Mexican drug cartels. Drug policy and addiction experts who want a tougher response to fentanyl tell NPR's Brian Mann that they're worried Trump's team will go too far. Experts say U.S. military strikes would do little to slow the drug smuggling or save lives but could shatter diplomatic relations and destabilize Mexico.

Picture show

During the summer of 2020, the search for an unknown photographer began after an old photo album was found at a flea market in southern France. Inside it were 377 amateur black-and-white photos taken between 1940 and 1942. They included scenes of civilians and German soldiers everywhere, going about the business of the Occupation of France near recognizable landmarks. Julien Blanc, a Nazi Occupation and French Resistance historian, says the photos show the real city and differ from the propaganda shots taken by Nazi-authorized photographers.

• 📷 See the photos and learn more about how one archivist solved the mystery of the person behind the lens.

Seeking common ground

Over the last few years and through this year's contentious campaign season, there has been a coarsening in the way people talk to each other. Reporters across the NPR Network are looking for examples of people working through their differences. These stories explore how some people are trying to bridge divides.

The members of the North Fork Community Choir in Paonia, Colo., ranging in age from 11 to 87, have varying opinions on big topics. Some believe in God while others don't. Some own guns and some do not. And some members lean far-right while others lean far-left. But they set their differences aside when they sing. When differences arise, they figure out creative solutions to stay in harmony. All 20 or so singers spoke with NPR to express how music-making is a uniting force that helps launch conversations.

3 things to know before you go

AFP via Getty Images

1. One person has died and at least 38 others have become sick from an E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots, according to the CDC. The recalled carrots were sold at retailers such as Walmart, Target, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.
2. In 2015, Emma Carlson Berne was at a restaurant and feeling overwhelmed with her three young children, one of whom was three months old. Then a stranger, her unsung hero, came over with thoughtful words that still impact her nearly 10 years later.
3. Bela Karolyi, a renowned coach who trained notable gymnasts such as Mary Lou Retton, Kerri Strug and Julianne McNamara, died Friday at 82 years old.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.