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

March 17, 2025 12 mins
The Trump Administration invoked a wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act to deport hundreds of Venezuelans accused of being gang members, several legal immigrants living in the US were denied reentry into the country, and a powerful storm system killed dozens in the Midwest and South.

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Anas Baba is NPR's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. He's also one of the only Palestinian journalists working full time for an American news organization in Gaza. Israel has banned international journalists from independent access to the territory throughout this war. But Baba is from Gaza City, and he chose to stay and report when the war began. Today on The Sunday Story, what it's like to cover the war while also living throu...
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The partisan, Republican stopgap budget was narrowly passed by the Senate with the help of a few Democrats. Some Congressional Democrats view that vote as a betrayal. Plus, we look at how the conservative news media, often favorable of President Trump, is covering the economic consequences of his policies. Plus, we hear from Noor Abdalla, wife of Palestinian student and activist Mahmoud Khalil, who is now facing deportation over hi...
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Congress faces a shutdown deadline today as Senate Democrats weigh whether to back a Republican spending bill or risk being blamed for closing the government. President Trump makes a rare visit to the Justice Department, delivering a speech on law and order while his administration purges career prosecutors. And, federal judges order thousands of fired government workers to be reinstated, but legal battles could delay their return....
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President Trump's special envoy is in Moscow for talks as Russia reviews a U.S. backed proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine. The White House is rolling back more than two dozen environmental protections regulations, a move critics warn could lead to more pollution and health risks. And, Iran's Supreme Leader rejects President Trump's effort to start nuclear talks, calling it a deceptive attempt to pressure Tehran.

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The U.S. is resuming military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after negotiators agree to a 30-day ceasefire, which Russia is now reviewing. The Trump administration is cutting nearly half of the Education Department's workforce. And, the House passes a stopgap funding bill with just days until a potential government shutdown, now it's headed for a vote in the Senate.

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As Ukraine begins ceasefire negotiations in Saudi Arabia, the Trump administration signals that aid could resume if Ukraine makes concessions. A steep sell-off on Wall Street followed new tariffs from China and Canada, as investors worry that Trump's trade policies could tip the U.S. into a recession. And, after an ICE arrest at Columbia University, the U.S. Education Department is warning 60 universities they could face penalties ...
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Canada's ruling Liberal Party has a new leader, Mark Carney, a former central banker who now faces the challenge of steering the country through economic turmoil and a tense trade relationship with the United States. Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student and pro-Palestinian activist, has been arrested by ICE agents. And, House Republicans unveil a stopgap funding bill to keep the government running through Septembe...
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March 9, 2025 29 mins
On the first day of his second term as President, Donald Trump signed an executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. whose parents are in the country illegally. The Trump Administration asserts that the children of noncitizens are not "subject to the jurisdiction of the United States" and therefore are not entitled to citizenship. But birthright citizenship is a Constitutional guarantee, e...
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President Trump says that his Cabinet secretaries are actually supposed to be the ones to make staffing decisions, not Elon Musk and his DOGE entity. Also, we hear from employees at the Veterans Health Administration about how they feel about DOGE emails asking them to spell out what they did last week. Plus, a look at where things stand on the treatment of Long COVID.

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March 7, 2025 11 mins
President Trump has shaken up America's global alliances with policy reversals and realignments being felt around the world. How are writers, analysts, and leaders making sense of it all?

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This bonus episode of Up First was edited Lisa Thomson, Arezou Rezvani, Reena Advani and Olivia Ham...
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The Labor Department is expected to show a modest uptick in hiring as part of its monthly jobs report card, but layoffs could cast a chill over the job market in coming months. The White House meets with founders and investors in the crypto industry to discuss how to grow the sector. And, rival ceasefire plans create uncertainty in Gaza, the Trump administration is demanding Hamas release hostages immediately, while holding secret ...
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European leaders are meeting for an emergency summit to find ways to raise billions for defense and aid to Ukraine after after the U.S. cut military support. President Trump has granted a one-month exemption on new auto tariffs for Canadian and Mexican imports. And, a federal board has ordered the USDA to reinstate nearly 6,000 fired workers, ruling their dismissals were likely unlawful.

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In his first address to Congress of this term, President Trump criticized Democrats and highlighted his administration's policy achievements. Trump used his address to Congress to highlight his administration's aggressive immigration policies, including designating certain gangs as terrorist organizations. And, China's premier outlined the nation's economic priorities and Beijing's retaliation against new U.S. tariffs.

Wan...
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The White House put a pause on military aid to Ukraine after a heated Oval Office exchange with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump will address Congress tonight, outlining his agenda on immigration, tax cuts, and his approach to Ukraine. And, Trump's new tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China have sparked retaliation, escalating a trade war that could impact the global economy.

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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a warm welcome in London from the British prime minister and other European leaders, after a contentious meeting with President Trump in Washington. Israel and Hamas are at loggerheads over the next phase of the six-week-old Gaza ceasefire. And, an NPR investigation finds gaps in the systems to report misbehavior by federal judges and a widespread culture of fear about reporting abus...
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March 2, 2025 31 mins
Tonight, big blockbuster films Dune: Part Two and Wicked are competing against critic favorites like The Brutalist, Nickel Boys and The Substance at the Academy Awards. With so many films out there it's hard to keep up, but the team at Pop Culture Happy Hour has seen them all and they are joining us today to share their predictions for who will be the big winners at this evening's ceremony.

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Ukrainians react to the stunning events in the Oval Office that ended not with a signed minerals deal, but with shouting. Trump's Department of Justice demotes career lawyers who were involved in prosecutions of Trump allies and January 6th rioters. The Department of Agriculture announces plans to fight bird flu and high egg prices.

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Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, says she thinks Republicans have begun making mistakes... and her party is resolved to strike back.

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This bonus episode of Up First was edited by Susan Davis, Kelsey Snell and Reena Advani. It was produced by Adam Bearne. We ge...
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The Ukrainian President is arriving in Washington to discuss a deal involving his country's rare earth minerals, social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate were charged with human trafficking in Romania and have now arrived in Florida, and the Supreme Court weighed in on a case involving frozen funds at USAID. Also, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez asks the Justice Department if she is under investigation.

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