Up First from NPR

Up First from NPR

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

Episodes

January 16, 2026 12 mins
Protests intensify in Minneapolis after a second ICE-related shooting, as President Trump threatens to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota.
Venezuela’s top opposition leader brings her Nobel Peace Prize to Washington to press her case with President Trump, even as the U.S. signals support for an interim leader.
And President Trump unveils what he calls a new healthcare plan, leaning on cheaper insurance with limited bene...
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The FBI searches the home of a Washington Post reporter as part of a leak investigation, raising concerns among press advocates about an escalation against press freedom.
U.S. talks with Denmark and Greenland end without a deal on Greenland’s future, but a new working group forms as allies push back on President Trump’s security-driven claims.
And after widespread confusion and backlash, the Trump administration reverses cour...
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Veteran federal prosecutors in Minnesota resign after pressure from Justice Department leaders to investigate the widow of Renee Macklin Good, the woman killed by an ICE agent, raising new questions about political interference.
President Trump takes his economic message on the road, pitching affordability as voters remain frustrated by high prices.
And while gas prices have dipped, rising heating costs, grocery prices, and s...
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Minnesota officials sue the Trump administration, accusing federal immigration agents of unconstitutional conduct, as protests and enforcement intensify after an ICE officer killed 37 year-old Renee Macklin Good.
President Trump is weighing options, including military action, as Iran’s largest protests in years grow deadlier as the regime cracks down on nationwide demonstrations.
And the Supreme Court hears arguments in two c...
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Tension is mounting in Minneapolis as the Trump administration sends hundreds of additional federal agents into Minnesota and anger grows over last week's ICE shooting that killed 37 year old Renee Good.
Deadly protests in Iran intensify as President Trump warns the U.S. could strike the regime if the crackdown continues.
And the Justice Department subpoenas the Federal Reserve, prompting Chair Jerome Powell to accuse Preside...
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January 11, 2026 25 mins
Since President Trump’s second inauguration, more liberals, people of color and LGBTQ folks say they are buying guns and getting training. This is the latest in a trend that researchers, gun clubs and trainers say they’ve been watching for years. No longer do firearm buyers fit the old stereo-type of being white, rural and Republican. Today on The Sunday Story, NPR’s Frank Langfitt shares his reporting on the changing face of Ameri...
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Protests continue in Minneapolis after ICE agents kill a local woman, Renee Good, with more protests planned this weekend. Plus, Iranians have been taking to the streets in cities across the country, protesting against the government there. We'll look at what's behind the protests as well as the government's response. Also, the U.S. federal government might want to get involved with upcoming elections in several ways. We'll look at...
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Protesters in Minneapolis return to the streets as federal agents take over the investigation into the killing of a Minnesota woman by an ICE agent, while Portland officials condemn another immigration-related shooting.
A review of immigration related shootings under President Trump shows a rising pattern of violence as federal agents carry out increasingly aggressive and public operations in U.S. cities.
And President Trump ...
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Minnesota state law enforcement officials are working with the FBI to investigate the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officer. 
U.S. forces boarded a tanker carrying sanctioned oil after a two-week chase across the Atlantic, as the Trump administration expands plans to take control of Venezuela’s oil sales indefinitely.
And Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new dietary...
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President Trump talks about next steps for Venezuela, calling for U.S. companies to help rebuild the economy even as much of the existing power structure remains in place.
Facing tough midterm elections in 2026, Trump tells House Republicans he’s struggling to understand voters and leans into culture-war issues rather than cost-of-living concerns.
And European leaders rally around Greenland, pushing back on Trump’s renewed cl...
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Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife plead not guilty in New York, after a U.S. military operation brought them out of Venezuela and into a federal courtroom.
Lawmakers are divided after a classified congressional briefing on Venezuela, with Republicans insisting the president acted within the law and Democrats asking what comes next.
And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scales back routine ch...
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President Trump says the United States will run Venezuela after U.S. forces seized Nicolás Maduro and his wife in Caracas.
Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez shifts from defiance to calls for cooperation as the White House ramps up pressure and threatens further action.
And Nicolás Maduro is set to appear in a New York courtroom, facing drug trafficking, weapons, and narco-terrorism charges that could test the reach...
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is in a federal prison in Brooklyn, New York, awaiting trial on charges of narcoterrorism, cocaine-importation conspiracy and weapons charges. The operation to capture Maduro happened in the middle of the night as U.S. troops enjoyed the element of surprise. The U.S. says Maduro is not the legitimate president of Venezuela and accuse him of being the leader of a violent drug c...

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The U.S. bombed the Venezuelan capital Caracas and other areas of the country, and captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump said Maduro is being flown to the U.S. and Attorney General Pam Bondi says he will be indicted in the Southern District of New York. The events come after months of escalating U.S. pressure, sending troops and warships to the Carribean.

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Somali-run day care centers in Minnesota report threats and vandalism after a viral right-wing video accusing them of fraud prompts federal action with nationwide consequences.
The Justice Department misses its deadline to release the Epstein files, fueling confusion and conspiracy theories as heavily redacted and unreliable documents trickle out.
And Switzerland begins days of mourning after a deadly New Year’s Eve fire rips...
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Health insurance costs jump for millions after pandemic-era Affordable Care Act subsidies expired overnight.
The Trump administration freezes child care funding nationwide after targeting Minnesota over unproven fraud claims tied to Somali-run day care centers.
And New York City’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is sworn in at midnight as he prepares to take office.

Want more analysis of the most important news of the da...
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President Trump confirms the first known U.S. strike inside Venezuela, saying it targets drug trafficking as critics warn it risks escalation.
Iranian authorities shut down cities and security forces move in to contain growing protests as anger over inflation and sanctions boils over.
And the flu is spreading fast across the U.S., with a new strain driving cases higher just as vaccination rates slip and hospitals brace for w...
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President Trump doubles down on demanding Hamas disarm after meeting with Israel’s prime minister, and warned Iran not to rebuild its nuclear program.
Ukraine’s president presses the White House for decades-long U.S. security guarantees as part of a proposed peace deal with Russia.
And a year after DOGE’s push to shrink government, agencies are smaller, spending is higher, and millions of Americans’ data remains in play.
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President Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy signal momentum on peace talks, but fighting continues and key disputes remain.
Israel’s prime minister is in Mar-a-Lago today as pressure mounts over Gaza, Iran, and what comes next in Trump's ceasefire deal.
And anti-poverty groups warn funding chaos is forcing cuts just as more Americans need help.

Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a lit...
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December 28, 2025 24 mins
At the end of every year, many of us resolve to make small changes in our lives. But what would it take to make a radical change–and can it still be done if you’ve reached retirement age? Today on The Sunday Story, WBUR reporter Anthony Brooks shares stories about people he’s met who’ve done just that. 


To hear more of Anthony’s reporting on people who reinvented themselves late in life, check out his series "The Third...
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