Displaced Lebanese Return Home, Thanksgiving Travel, Holiday Health Tips

0:00Hi, it's Rob Schmitz. A quick word this Thanksgiving morning. First off, thank you for spending it with us. Listeners like you make Up First and everything you hear from NPR possible. NPR is public media. That means we're here to serve you and we're here because of you. But we also know it takes time and energy to follow the news. That's why we work hard every day to make Up First as smart and as brief as we can. To help you understand the world's biggest stories, fact check information, and provide context. And an extra special thank you if you support our work either with a donation to your local station or through NPR+.

0:35Your generosity fuels one of the most trusted news sources in America today. And if you haven't made the leap to contributing yet, it's easier and more rewarding now than it's ever been. With the new NPR Plus bundle, you can support us and get perks like sponsor-free listening and bonus episodes across more than 25 NPR podcasts. Join us at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org. That link is in our episode notes. Okay, on to the show. As a ceasefire to suspend fighting between Israel and Hezbollah appears to be holding, thousands of displaced Lebanese are returning home. But after months of devastating attacks, will they recognize what they find?

1:18I'm Rob Schmitz, and this is Up First from NPR News.

1:24Chances are you've heard this before. This will be the busiest Thanksgiving ever in terms of air travel. Between new rules for airlines and long security lines, we've got you covered with what to keep in mind if you're heading to the airport. And whether or not you'll be hitting the pavement for a turkey trot, don't forget to also take a little post-turkey walk. When we move our muscles, they become sponges for the blood glucose that our gut is absorbing into the bloodstream. More on the science behind the after-meal constitutional. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.

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3:03Get a new Dell PC at dell.com slash ai dash pc. Tens of thousands of Lebanese are returning to the country south, where they're discovering entire villages that have been destroyed by the fighting with Israel. A ceasefire has halted the fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah militants. And under the agreement, both sides now have 60 days to withdraw to their respective borders. So civilians are being warned to stay away from certain areas to avoid possible confrontations. With me now is NPR's Lauren Frayer, who visited some of those border areas yesterday and is now in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

3:39Good morning, Lauren. Good morning. So first, we're a day into this ceasefire. I'm curious, were there any confrontations yet? There have been. Today, the Israeli military issued a map of 10 border villages where it says civilians are prohibited from going, even if they're residents going home. But people have been going home nevertheless and posting video of themselves with Israeli tanks in their villages. The Israeli military confirms it has fired on people who have gone into this zone. It accuses them of violating the conditions of this ceasefire. A handful of people have been wounded by either tank or gunfire in different areas and different incidents, including journalists who say they, too, were shot at by Israeli soldiers.

4:23Incidentally, there's also been a lot of celebratory gunfire, which in itself is dangerous and could certainly lead to misunderstandings. So there have been several incidents, but so far they don't appear to be jeopardizing the wider ceasefire agreement. Okay, so remind us of what that agreement actually says. What are the terms of the ceasefire? So this is a 60-day truce. Within that time, Israeli troops have to withdraw from Lebanon, and Hezbollah has to withdraw its fighters and weapons from a zone close to the Israeli border. The Lebanese army is moving in alongside UN peacekeepers, and those movements are underway.

4:59At one point yesterday, I was at a gas station in southern Lebanon, and someone told me, take a right, not a left, up here, because Hezbollah is moving some of its weapons around the corner. Whoa. I mean, what else did you see in southern Lebanon? This is an area that journalists have had difficulty reaching until yesterday because of Israeli airstrikes and ground fighting with Hezbollah. Yeah, so I drove south from Beirut, where the mood has been jubilant here. People celebrating the ceasefire, piling into cars, heading home, singing victory songs. And as I drove south, the destruction became more and more apparent and the mood became more somber.

5:35I saw a lot of buildings burned, destroyed. I saw a crater the size of a swimming pool on a promenade along the Mediterranean coast. And then I headed inland to the city of Nabatia, where not a single building is still standing on the main street in town. I met a business owner named Hamada Mansour. He showed me what's left of his store called Mansour Nuts. He sells nuts and dried fruit. And here he is taking me through the destruction. Glasses broken here. Yes, and Monique. Did a strike hit here? He said an Israeli airstrike hit right across the street from his shop and destroyed everything for a block in either direction.

6:18I also saw a funeral underway in a cemetery in Nabatia, presumably for what we hope will be one of the last victims of fighting there. What's the situation on the Israeli side of the border? So while there's been this rush back to homes on the Lebanese side, there has been no similar rush on the Israeli side. The Israeli government says there will be a one or two month period of rebuilding before people will return. Many local mayors on the Israeli side opposed this ceasefire agreement. They thought it was a bad deal. They still feel unsafe. They're worried about the resumption of Hezbollah rocket fire or worse.

6:56So finally, Lauren, what does a ceasefire with Lebanon mean for the other war that Israel is fighting in Gaza? I mean, the hope is that all efforts now can go toward getting a similar truce with Hamas in Gaza. Israel is staying hush about reports today that an Egyptian delegation is there trying to kickstart ceasefire talks for Gaza, and we'll be watching those. That's NPR's Lauren Freyer in Beirut. Thanks, Lauren. You're welcome. Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to you.

7:31This Thanksgiving holiday is expected to be the busiest ever for air travel, and that's not all that's different this year. There are also new rules in place about how airlines have to treat their customers, but it's not clear if those rules will survive or if the incoming Trump administration will try to roll them back. Joel Rose is NPR's transportation correspondent. He joins us now with more. Hey, Joel. Hey, Rob. So, Joel, I feel like we say busiest ever every year. around this time of year. You know, put these numbers into context for us. How big is the Thanksgiving rush this year? Well, the TSA, the Transportation Security Administration, is forecasting that 18 million people will pass through its checkpoints this week.

8:08That is a 6 % increase over last year. And that's on top of what has already been a record-setting year for the TSA. Here's Administrator David Pekoski at a recent press conference. This will be the busiest Thanksgiving ever in terms of air travel. That's not a surprise, given the incredible recovery in air travel in the United States since the pandemic. Pekoski says the 10 busiest days ever in the history of the TSA have happened this year. Oh, wow. Yeah. And I think it's easy to forget, you know, how precarious things were just a couple of years ago. There were questions about how quickly the airline industry would rebound from the pandemic.

8:42Clearly, that demand to fly is back. So at the same time, there are some new rules that airlines have to follow. What are they? Yeah, there's been a real push at the Department of Transportation, with Secretary Pete Buttigieg at the helm, to pass new rules that are aimed at protecting consumers, particularly after the big winter holiday meltdown back in 2022. The department issued a record fine to Southwest Airlines over that incident. And since then, it has pushed for other rules about how airlines have to treat their customers. For example, requiring airlines to automatically provide cash refunds instead of travel vouchers for flights that are canceled or seriously delayed.

9:18And Buttigieg argues that these rules are popular. The passenger protections we have put in place deservedly enjoy broad public bipartisan support. The feedback we've gotten from the public has been universally supportive. I just don't run into a lot of people who are against the idea that you ought to get an automatic refund without any hassle. And Buttigieg says, you know, he hopes that these rules will be durable. So what about the airlines? What are they saying? The industry has already fought some of these new rules in court, and it has had some success. For example, suing to block a rule that would have required greater transparency from the airlines about the fees that they charge.

9:57Several airline CEOs have already expressed the hope that DOT will be more pro-business when President-elect Trump returns to office next year. Here's Ed Bastian, the head of Delta, speaking to Bloomberg earlier this month. We were quite frustrated with the amount of regulatory overreach that we saw continuously through the last four years. And we hope there's a new sentiment that's pro-employee, pro-consumer, pro-business, and a good balance between the three. It's not clear exactly what kind of regulatory overreach Bastion is talking about here, but we should note the DOT is conducting an investigation of Delta, which canceled more than 5 ,000 flights after a technology outage back in July.

10:34So, Joel, I'm curious, how is the aviation system keeping up with this record demand? There are signs of strain. I mean, there is still a shortage of air traffic controllers. It is so acute in some places that it is causing delays in the system. Newark, New Jersey, for example. United Airlines, which has a hub there, has complained about significant delays this month. Federal Aviation Administration has acknowledged that problem and says it's working to hire more controllers. But that's going to take a while. And airlines will likely continue to push on this as a priority during the Trump administration.

11:05NPR's Joel Rose. Thank you. You're welcome.

11:14It is Thanksgiving, which probably means a very big meal is in your immediate future. But when you've finished feasting, instead of rolling from the table to the television, consider taking a walk. NPR health correspondent Maria Godoy is here to explain why. Good morning, Maria. Good morning, Rob, and happy Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to you. So a lot of people do the turkey trot before the big meal. So are you telling me we should be doing one after the big meal as well? Yeah, so exercise is always a good idea. But we're talking specifically about walking after meals, which has specific benefits for your gut and your blood sugar.

11:52And it's actually something people have done for centuries. They were once called constitutionals. I assume that refers to inner constitution, these constitutionals. What are the specific benefits of a constitutional? So for starters, when you walk, you jumpstart digestion, and basically it gets things moving in your gut. And, you know, it can help clear the air. And this is actually one reason why we're talking about it now. The idea has gone viral recently on TikTok as a fart walk. But really, there's a lot more to it than that. Okay, you just said fart walk on NPR. In the spirit of moving this conversation forward, I'm going to ask you, tell us more, Maria.

12:30Yeah. So actually, the big benefit is for your blood sugar. When you eat, your body converts food into glucose, and that sugar is going to flood your bloodstream. But when you walk, it can blunt that sugar spike. Here's Dr. Chris Damon. He's a gastroenterologist and professor at the University of Washington. When we move our muscles, they become sponges for the blood glucose that our gut is absorbing into the bloodstream. And so it basically just pulls all that glucose out of the blood and into the muscles. And you know, that means your body doesn't have to make as much insulin to clear that sugar, which is good because then your pancreas doesn't have to work as hard to make insulin.

13:09And over time, that can lower your risk of diabetes. That's interesting. So how long do I have to walk before I can watch the big game? Not long at all. Research shows just two to five minutes can help regulate your blood sugar, although longer is better. You want to head out within about a half hour after eating. So as you're digesting and that sugar is hitting your bloodstream, your muscles can use it up right away. And this is great to do after any meal, but especially after dinner, it tends to be our biggest meal and our bodies produce less insulin at night. So it's kind of a double whammy of more sugar hitting your bloodstream and less insulin to help clear it.

13:44A walk can counteract that. Okay, I am reminded here that it is November, and in a lot of places it's cold, dark, maybe even wet or snowy. Yeah, well, you don't actually have to go outside. You don't even have to pause Netflix. Loretta DiPietro is an exercise researcher at George Washington University, and she says just move at home. When you're watching television, stand up during commercials and march in place. Wave your arms and legs. Walk upstairs. walk, those muscle contractions will help store the glucose. Yeah, because who doesn't march in place and wave their arms during commercials, right?

14:22I literally do this. You do. All right. Well, that is NPR's health correspondent, Maria Godoy. Thanks, Maria, and happy Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving, and my pleasure.

14:38And that's up first for Thursday, November 28th. I'm Rob Schmitz. While I still have you, don't forget there's still time to take our audience survey. Your feedback will help us make this podcast better for you. It gives you a chance to tell us more about what you like or don't like. Go to npr.org slash upfirstsurvey. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Diedrich Skanky, Russell Lewis, Jane Greenhalgh, Lisa Thompson, and Mohamed Elbardisi. It was produced by Adam Bearn, Ziad Batch, Nia Dumas, and Lily Quiroz. We get engineering support from Ted Meebane and our technical director is Carly Strange.

15:12Join us again tomorrow and happy Thanksgiving. Gobble, gobble.

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