Cornell rape case gets special prosecutor. And, Renee Good's family sues the government
✓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.
A Cornell University sexual assault case that produced no criminal charges is now under state scrutiny. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James' office as special prosecutor after new information raised questions about what campus police shared with the local district attorney. NPR confirmed the woman who reported the assault gave police a detailed account, including that she had been raped.
Students walk on the campus of Cornell University on Wednesday in Ithaca, N.Y. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Tennessee tried to execute Christa Pike on Wednesday. She survived. Pike, who was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, remains in critical condition after receiving two doses of the lethal injection drug pentobarbital. Gov. Bill Lee has now paused executions for the remainder of his term and ordered an independent review of what went wrong.
The monthly jobs report will be released this morning. For many Americans, the math is getting harder: prices are up, wages aren't keeping pace and borrowing costs more.
Renee Good's family filed two civil lawsuits against the federal government yesterday over her death last January. The 37-year-old was fatally shot by a federal agent during an immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota. The first lawsuit alleges ICE officer Jonathan Ross used excessive force. The second alleges that federal officials conspired to interfere with the civil rights of individuals in Minnesota.
Journalist and director Rachel Szor and Israeli journalist and filmmaker Yuval Abraham attend the photocall of Naza presented in competition at the 83rd International Venice Film Festival, at Venice Lido on Sept. 10, 2026. Stefano Rellandini/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Stefano Rellandini/AFP via Getty Images
NAZA features 24 anonymous Israeli intelligence officers and soldiers describing the surveillance and targeting systems they used in Israel's war in Gaza – including AI — and the civilian deaths they say those systems allowed. Palestinian and international journalists have long documented that toll; the film brings testimony from inside the Israeli military system. Its title loosely translates to "collateral damage." The film turns that abstraction back into human lives. NAZA opens in U.S. theaters this week after winning praise abroad, while in Israel it has drawn protests, accusations of treason and threats to revoke the filmmakers' citizenship.
🎧 Morning Edition's Leila Fadel speaks with filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor about what they learned and the backlash that followed. Listen to the full interview here.
Sheryl Crow performs in Nashville on Aug. 19, 2026. Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ACM hide caption
Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ACM
Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
🍿 Movies: Forgotten Island follows childhood friends Jo and Raissa, who are unexpectedly transported to a magical island just before they are about to part ways.
📺 TV: The Spanish-language miniseries My Sad Dead follows an Argentinian doctor who can communicate with ghosts. Fresh Air critic John Powers describes it as a unique blend of creepiness, sarcastic humor and political anger, unlike anything else on TV.
📚 Books: Min Jin Lee's American Hagwon is the third installment in a planned four-novel series about the Korean diaspora. It explores the complexities of immigration, the fragile promise of America and the purpose of education.
🎵 Music: Now in her 60s, singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow says she has aged out of pop music. She describes her latest album, Pick You Up, as exploring questions many of us ask about our identity at this moment in humanity.
❓ Quiz: Bears, Beyoncé, and colleges. This week's news features a mix of serious headlines and lighter moments. Test your memory with this week's quiz.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA's Crew-13 lifts off Thursday from Cape Canaveral, Fla. SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule "Grace" will take NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov to the International Space Station for about six months. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.
New legal action in two closely watched cases: one at Cornell, the other over Renee Good's death. We take a closer look
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
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.
A Cornell University sexual assault case that produced no criminal charges is now under state scrutiny. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James' office as special prosecutor after new information raised questions about what campus police shared with the local district attorney. NPR confirmed the woman who reported the assault gave police a detailed account, including that she had been raped.
Students walk on the campus of Cornell University on Wednesday in Ithaca, N.Y. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Tennessee tried to execute Christa Pike on Wednesday. She survived. Pike, who was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, remains in critical condition after receiving two doses of the lethal injection drug pentobarbital. Gov. Bill Lee has now paused executions for the remainder of his term and ordered an independent review of what went wrong.
The monthly jobs report will be released this morning. For many Americans, the math is getting harder: prices are up, wages aren't keeping pace and borrowing costs more.
Renee Good's family filed two civil lawsuits against the federal government yesterday over her death last January. The 37-year-old was fatally shot by a federal agent during an immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota. The first lawsuit alleges ICE officer Jonathan Ross used excessive force. The second alleges that federal officials conspired to interfere with the civil rights of individuals in Minnesota.
Journalist and director Rachel Szor and Israeli journalist and filmmaker Yuval Abraham attend the photocall of Naza presented in competition at the 83rd International Venice Film Festival, at Venice Lido on Sept. 10, 2026. Stefano Rellandini/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Stefano Rellandini/AFP via Getty Images
NAZA features 24 anonymous Israeli intelligence officers and soldiers describing the surveillance and targeting systems they used in Israel's war in Gaza – including AI — and the civilian deaths they say those systems allowed. Palestinian and international journalists have long documented that toll; the film brings testimony from inside the Israeli military system. Its title loosely translates to "collateral damage." The film turns that abstraction back into human lives. NAZA opens in U.S. theaters this week after winning praise abroad, while in Israel it has drawn protests, accusations of treason and threats to revoke the filmmakers' citizenship.
🎧 Morning Edition's Leila Fadel speaks with filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor about what they learned and the backlash that followed. Listen to the full interview here.
Sheryl Crow performs in Nashville on Aug. 19, 2026. Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ACM hide caption
Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ACM
Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
🍿 Movies: Forgotten Island follows childhood friends Jo and Raissa, who are unexpectedly transported to a magical island just before they are about to part ways.
📺 TV: The Spanish-language miniseries My Sad Dead follows an Argentinian doctor who can communicate with ghosts. Fresh Air critic John Powers describes it as a unique blend of creepiness, sarcastic humor and political anger, unlike anything else on TV.
📚 Books: Min Jin Lee's American Hagwon is the third installment in a planned four-novel series about the Korean diaspora. It explores the complexities of immigration, the fragile promise of America and the purpose of education.
🎵 Music: Now in her 60s, singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow says she has aged out of pop music. She describes her latest album, Pick You Up, as exploring questions many of us ask about our identity at this moment in humanity.
❓ Quiz: Bears, Beyoncé, and colleges. This week's news features a mix of serious headlines and lighter moments. Test your memory with this week's quiz.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA's Crew-13 lifts off Thursday from Cape Canaveral, Fla. SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule "Grace" will take NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov to the International Space Station for about six months. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.
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.
A Cornell University sexual assault case that produced no criminal charges is now under state scrutiny. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James' office as special prosecutor after new information raised questions about what campus police shared with the local district attorney. NPR confirmed the woman who reported the assault gave police a detailed account, including that she had been raped.
Students walk on the campus of Cornell University on Wednesday in Ithaca, N.Y. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Tennessee tried to execute Christa Pike on Wednesday. She survived. Pike, who was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, remains in critical condition after receiving two doses of the lethal injection drug pentobarbital. Gov. Bill Lee has now paused executions for the remainder of his term and ordered an independent review of what went wrong.
The monthly jobs report will be released this morning. For many Americans, the math is getting harder: prices are up, wages aren't keeping pace and borrowing costs more.
Renee Good's family filed two civil lawsuits against the federal government yesterday over her death last January. The 37-year-old was fatally shot by a federal agent during an immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota. The first lawsuit alleges ICE officer Jonathan Ross used excessive force. The second alleges that federal officials conspired to interfere with the civil rights of individuals in Minnesota.
Journalist and director Rachel Szor and Israeli journalist and filmmaker Yuval Abraham attend the photocall of Naza presented in competition at the 83rd International Venice Film Festival, at Venice Lido on Sept. 10, 2026. Stefano Rellandini/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Stefano Rellandini/AFP via Getty Images
NAZA features 24 anonymous Israeli intelligence officers and soldiers describing the surveillance and targeting systems they used in Israel's war in Gaza – including AI — and the civilian deaths they say those systems allowed. Palestinian and international journalists have long documented that toll; the film brings testimony from inside the Israeli military system. Its title loosely translates to "collateral damage." The film turns that abstraction back into human lives. NAZA opens in U.S. theaters this week after winning praise abroad, while in Israel it has drawn protests, accusations of treason and threats to revoke the filmmakers' citizenship.
🎧 Morning Edition's Leila Fadel speaks with filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor about what they learned and the backlash that followed. Listen to the full interview here.
Sheryl Crow performs in Nashville on Aug. 19, 2026. Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ACM hide caption
Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ACM
Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
🍿 Movies: Forgotten Island follows childhood friends Jo and Raissa, who are unexpectedly transported to a magical island just before they are about to part ways.
📺 TV: The Spanish-language miniseries My Sad Dead follows an Argentinian doctor who can communicate with ghosts. Fresh Air critic John Powers describes it as a unique blend of creepiness, sarcastic humor and political anger, unlike anything else on TV.
📚 Books: Min Jin Lee's American Hagwon is the third installment in a planned four-novel series about the Korean diaspora. It explores the complexities of immigration, the fragile promise of America and the purpose of education.
🎵 Music: Now in her 60s, singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow says she has aged out of pop music. She describes her latest album, Pick You Up, as exploring questions many of us ask about our identity at this moment in humanity.
❓ Quiz: Bears, Beyoncé, and colleges. This week's news features a mix of serious headlines and lighter moments. Test your memory with this week's quiz.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA's Crew-13 lifts off Thursday from Cape Canaveral, Fla. SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule "Grace" will take NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov to the International Space Station for about six months. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · NPR ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- New legal action in two closely watched cases: one at Cornell, the other over Renee Good's death.
- We take a closer look