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Biden Courts Black Voters, Pope Francis Issues Apology, South Africa's Election

The Biden campaign has launched a summer drive to shore up support from Black voters. Pope Francis has issued an apology for using a slur to refer to gay men during a private meeting with Italian bishops. And South Africans head to the polls in what could be a major political turning point since apartheid ended 30 years ago. Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/news">Subscribe</a> to the Up First newsletter. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Roberta Rampton, Cheryl Corley, John Helton, Lisa Thomson and Claudia Peschiutta. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Lindsay Totty. We get engineering support from Phil Edfors. Our technical director is Zac Coleman. Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

NPR's Up First is the news you need to start your day. The three biggest stories of the day, with reporting and analysis from NPR News — in 10 minutes. Available weekdays at 6:30 a.m. ET, with hosts Leila Fadel, Steve Inskeep, Michel Martin and A Martinez. Also available on Saturdays at 9 a.m. ET, with Ayesha Rascoe and Scott Simon. On Sundays, hear a longer exploration behind the headlines with Ayesha Rascoe on "The Sunday Story," available by 8 a.m. ET. Subscribe and listen, then support your local NPR station at donate.npr.org. Support NPR's reporting by subscribing to Up First+ and unlock sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org/upfirst