Members of the United Nations Security Council met virtually Sunday to deliberate on the escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians. U.N. Secretary General António Guterres expressed concerns that the situation will spiral out of control if a cease-fire isn't reached soon.

 

View this email online by Korva Coleman and Jill Hudson First Up Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images Happy Tax Filing Day. May the odds be ever in your favor. Here's what we're following today. Members of the United Nations Security Council met virtually Sunday to deliberate on the escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians. U.N. Secretary General António Guterres expressed concerns that the situation will spiral out of control if a cease-fire isn't reached soon. Over the past week, more than 180 Palestinians and 10 people in Israel have been killed.  Many Americans are baring their faces in public again, following the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention recommendation that fully vaccinated people don't need masks in most settings. But there are critics who say it's too soon. Hear the latest update.  Newsletter continues after sponsor message Today's Listens Kevin Myles When your company is named Covid, you've heard all the jokes. So says Norm Carson, CEO of the Tempe, Ariz.-based company, Covid, Inc., which sells cables and audiovisual equipment around the world. Listen here or read about it.  The price of lumber has more than doubled over the past year, and economists warn things may stay this way for a while. Consumers with home improvement projects are looking for ways to save, and some are turning to extreme DIY for building projects: Instead of buying boards, they're buying their own sawmills. Have a listen or read about the new trend. Americans have very different views when it comes to race, discrimination and trusting the police. A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll details just how deep these divides are. Listen here or read the details.  NPR Student Podcast Challenge Arden Barnes for NPR When these 8th-grade Kentucky students needed a subject for their podcast, they looked to the bright blue office around the corner, where their school's buildings and grounds team is based. Listen to the podcast or read the backstory. You can listen to the high school winner and college winners on the Student Podcast Challenge homepage. And check out this year's honorable mentions while you're at it! The Picture Show Seydou Keïta/SKPE—Courtesy CAAC—The Pigozzi Collection In the fashion world, a "lookbook" is a collection of photos highlighting the work of a designer or a model. In her book, The African Lookbook, author Catherine McKinley collected vintage photos of fashionable African women and reexamines how the Western world sees them. McKinley's book also dissects how Africans were able to quickly democratize the sewing machine when it arrived to the continent in the mid-1800s. Before You Go Elaine Thompson/AP Microsoft's board of directors hired a private law firm to investigate a decades-old "intimate relationship" Bill Gates had with a company employee. A spokeswoman for Bill Gates denied on Sunday that the probe had anything to do with him leaving Microsoft's Board of Directors last year. After seven years, Palm Springs, Calif., is bringing back the 26-foot-tall statue of the screen icon. But some folks aren't happy about it. Damon Weaver, the kid reporter who interviewed then-President Obama in 2009, died May 1 at age 23. His sister, Candace Hardy, told The Palm Beach Post that Weaver died of natural causes. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from Illinois Public Media - WILL (edit station). Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Music, Politics, Health and more!