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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
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...
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.
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...
To hear more of Anthony’s reporting on people who reinvented themselves late in life, check out his series "The Third...
NPR’s Ron Elving has been thinking about the state of U.S. politics since President Donald Trump returned to power. Also, several countries in South America elected conservative and even far right leaders in 2025, marking a political and ideological shift in the region. And, we’ll have the highlight reel from the year in sports.
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President Trump has announced the U.S. launched a number of strikes against Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria. Congress started 2025 with an ambitious legislative agenda, but 12 months later has ceded much of its power to President Trump and has passed a record low number of bills. And, shoppers spent a record amount of money this holiday season even as polling finds Americans are feeling glum about the e...
After two years of not celebrating because of the war in nearby Gaza, Christmas festivities have returned to Bethlehem. Election officials in Honduras have named the winner of the country’s presidential election, after more than three weeks of counting the votes. And, in a year of record breaking immigration enforcement, deportations and detentions are separating families and in some cases that means the oldest childre...
The Justice Department released about 30,000 pages of new documents related to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against the Trump administration to block the deployment of National Guard troops to the Chicago area. And, the U.S. economy grew faster than economists had predicted, in July through September.
(00:00) Introduction<...
President Trump has announced the Navy will begin building a new class of warship named after himself. A federal judge has ruled the deportations of more than 100 Venezuelan men to El Salvador were illegal. And, a number of staff members have left the think tank behind Project 2025 to join a group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence.
(00:00) Introduction
(04:03) Trump Announces 'Golden Fleet'
The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing an oil tanker in the Caribbean that it says has links to Venezuela. The Department of Justice has released a limited number of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And, an analysis by NPR finds thousands of immigrants without legal status aren’t showing up to immigration court, leading to a rise in deportation removals.
(00:00) Cold Open
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The Justice Department releases a vast trove of documents relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Also, Congress left Washington D.C. for its holiday break without reaching a deal on health care. Millions of Americans will face price hikes on their insurance premiums. And surviving the holiday season, we’ll have tips on what can be a stressful time of the year.
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The suspected gunman behind the shooting at Brown University and the killing of an MIT professor has been found dead. The Justice Department faces a deadline to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And the board of the Kennedy Center has voted to change the name of the cultural hub to the Trump Kennedy Center.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Su...
In a nationwide address, President Trump says the U.S. is poised for an economic boom and that high prices are falling rapidly. Four Republicans joined Democrats to force a vote on a three year extension of the enhanced healthcare subsidies. And, President Trump has ordered a ban on all sanctioned oil tankers going to and from Venezuela.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little f...
Congress has two days to take action on health care subsidies, before lawmakers head home for the holiday recess. Vanity Fair has published a story featuring rare interviews conducted over more than a year with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. And, the Trump administration is fast-tracking construction of new nuclear reactor designs.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a l...
A son of filmmaker Rob Reiner and producer Michele Singer Reiner has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is being held without bail. Authorities in Rhode Island are asking for the public’s help in identifying the gunman behind the shooting at Brown University. And, Australian authorities say the two suspected gunmen behind the mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach were inspired by Islamic State.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, p...
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