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.<br><br><em> Support public media by joining NPR+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org</em></a><em>. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-free listening for Up First, NPR News Now, and more.</em>
47 episodes
Episodes
Up First from NPR
Storms, redistricting and mortgage rates test the country
The episode connects immediate weather threats and a consequential court ruling with economic pressure already reshaping the housing market.
Sep 26, 2026 · 16 min
Up First from NPR
Trump-Xi summit yields symbolism over substance
The episode connects a narrowly defined U.S.-China trade pause with escalating fights over press access and Israel’s growing diplomatic isolation.
Sep 25, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Carlson breaks with Trump over Iran and Republican power
The interview tests whether Carlson’s opposition to the Iran war signals a durable realignment on the American right or another media-era rupture.
Sep 24, 2026 · 1h 1m
Up First from NPR
Judge restores White House press access as Trump courts Xi
The episode links a constitutional fight over press access with high-stakes U.S.-China diplomacy and fragile negotiations over global conflicts.
Sep 24, 2026 · 16 min
Up First from NPR
Trump pairs Iran threats with diplomacy as Democrats lead midterm poll
The episode connects foreign-policy brinkmanship, a strong Democratic polling advantage, and a constitutional fight over presidential press access.
Sep 23, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Media outlets challenge White House access limits as Trump weighs diplomacy and media deals
The episode connects press-access restrictions, uncertain diplomacy, and a proposed media merger to broader questions about accountability, power, and independence.
Sep 22, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Global conflict tests diplomacy and presidential power
The episode connects a war-shadowed U.N. gathering with disputes over executive authority, national security, and press freedom in Washington.
Sep 21, 2026 · 16 min
Up First from NPR
Regime collapse opens a perilous search for Austin Tice
The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government may create the first real chance in years to investigate claims that Austin Tice survived in detention.
Sep 20, 2026 · 33 min
Up First from NPR
Trump’s media restrictions test executive power on three fronts
The episode connects press access, Russian pressure on Europe, and college sports regulation to broader questions about institutional limits and government power.
Sep 19, 2026 · 17 min
Up First from NPR
Trump’s power faces tests at home and on NATO’s eastern flank
The episode connects legal and institutional resistance in Washington with a security warning that Russia could probe NATO’s unity through deniable attacks.
Sep 18, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Rate hikes, oil shocks and Canada’s European pivot
The episode connects central-bank independence, energy disruption and shifting alliances as economic and geopolitical pressures converge.
Sep 17, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
War costs collide with rate hikes and Kennedy Center turmoil
The episode connects wartime inflation, mounting military costs and institutional upheaval to decisions affecting the economy, national security and public culture.
Sep 16, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Trump dismisses AI risks as court protects mail-in voting
The episode connects a high-stakes technology race, election rules, and a national cultural institution confronting financial and legal peril.
Sep 15, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
AI safety warnings collide with Trump’s race against China
The episode connects AI governance, threats to vital shipping routes, and Republican electoral risks to a broader test of American power and credibility.
Sep 14, 2026 · 16 min
Up First from NPR
Clancy mistrial exposes the stakes of postpartum psychosis
The deadlocked case tests how courts and society understand criminal responsibility, postpartum mental illness, and the care available to new mothers.
Sep 13, 2026 · 32 min
Up First from NPR
BRICS challenges dollar dominance as crash probes expose aviation risks
The episode connects shifting global power, contractor accountability in air cargo, and a political effort to reverse the decline of U.S. production jobs.
Sep 12, 2026 · 17 min
Up First from NPR
9/11 remembrance meets a pivotal fight over political power
The episode connects the enduring human toll of 9/11 with battles over Republican strategy and congressional representation.
Sep 11, 2026 · 16 min
Up First from NPR
Trump centers midterms on himself as maps and iPhone reshape stakes
The episode connects Trump’s personal political strategy, a consequential Missouri map fight, and Apple’s costly bet on foldable hardware and on-device AI.
Sep 10, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
U.S.-Iran strikes widen risks from the Gulf to Washington
The episode connects military escalation, pressure on Israeli settlements, and political strain at the Smithsonian to broader questions about regional security and public institutions.
Sep 9, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Canada retaliates as Trump-centered GOP convention tests party strategy
The episode connects a worsening U.S.-Canada trade dispute, a Republican effort built around Donald Trump, and a deadly airport crash investigation.
Sep 8, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Three crises test aviation safety, Ukraine diplomacy and Germany’s far right
The episode connects a deadly transportation disaster with stalled diplomacy and an election result that could reshape Germany’s political system.
Sep 7, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Sunscreen science exposes gaps in testing and research
The episode shows why sunscreen can reduce some skin cancers while still falling short as a universal, fully tested solution across skin types.
Sep 6, 2026 · 29 min
Up First from NPR
Diplomacy stalls as Trump advances arch and wildfires spread
The episode connects an uncertain Ukraine peace effort, a contested monument project, and a wildfire season reshaping communities across the West.
Sep 5, 2026 · 17 min
Up First from NPR
Administration tests voting rules, school diversity and ICE accountability
Three federal actions could reshape ballot access, tax-exempt education and oversight of immigration enforcement.
Sep 4, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Military shake-up tests wartime readiness
The episode connects senior military departures, Venezuelan oil diplomacy, and a contested mental-health defense to questions of institutional stability and accountability.
Sep 3, 2026 · 16 min
Up First from NPR
Hormuz tensions collide with gas-price politics and Democratic divisions
The episode connects a volatile confrontation over a critical oil route with domestic affordability pressures and a Democratic Party still debating its direction.
Sep 2, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Court lets Trump ballroom rise as Pentagon tensions deepen
The episode connects an unresolved constitutional fight, a senior military resignation, and global economic anxiety over the Iran conflict.
Sep 1, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Oil access tests Washington’s Venezuela strategy
The episode connects a high-stakes oil agreement to questions about democracy, military escalation, government funding, and Republican strategy before the midterms.
Aug 31, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Shaboozey turns Black cowboy history into a revenge saga
The conversation connects a cinematic concept album to questions of artistic risk, personal loss, and the overlooked Black roots of cowboy culture.
Aug 30, 2026 · 27 min
Up First from NPR
El Niño, vaccine failures and Iran’s wartime strain
The episode connects a climate threat, public-health breakdown and prolonged conflict to the pressures shaping everyday life and policy.
Aug 29, 2026 · 18 min
Up First from NPR
Flood rescue worsens as Fed weighs inflation and AI
The episode connects an unfolding humanitarian emergency with consequential questions about monetary policy and a legal fight over a national memorial.
Aug 28, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Trump’s foreign-policy turmoil tests Republicans before midterms
Conflicts, tariffs, inflation and climate-linked disasters are converging with a major child-safety case to expose political and social vulnerabilities.
Aug 27, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Canada Escalates Tariffs as Administration Targets Visitor Visas
The episode connects a cultural loss with two policy fights that could reshape trade, immigration enforcement, and relations between the United States and Canada.
Aug 26, 2026 · 16 min
Up First from NPR
Trump escalates Iran pressure as court tests mail-voting limits
The episode connects a widening foreign-policy pressure campaign with a domestic voting dispute that could affect states preparing for the midterm elections.
Aug 25, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Iran pressure collides with a widening trade war
The episode connects escalating economic pressure on Iran with threats to global energy flows and a tariff fight that could raise costs across North America.
Aug 24, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Palmyra’s thriving reef faces a new protection fight
Palmyra shows what strong conservation can restore, while proposed commercial fishing threatens to test how much protection these ecosystems need.
Aug 23, 2026 · 29 min
Up First from NPR
Debt hits $40 trillion as tariffs and power reshape Washington
The episode connects a record national debt and rising interest costs with trade conflict, presidential power, and the politics of federal spending.
Aug 22, 2026 · 17 min
Up First from NPR
Iran pressure, White House fight test Washington’s economic limits
The episode connects foreign-policy escalation, presidential power, and rising borrowing costs to the risks facing governments and households.
Aug 21, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Iran pressure, $40 trillion debt and Venezuela’s oil gamble
The episode connects foreign-policy pressure, rising borrowing costs and politically uncertain energy investment to the economic choices facing the United States and its partners.
Aug 20, 2026 · 16 min
Up First from NPR
Florida primary upends Senate race as Meta faces addiction trial
The episode connects volatile election results and trade uncertainty with a consequential legal test of how social platforms affect young users.
Aug 19, 2026 · 16 min
Up First from NPR
Gaza talks stall as Iran war tests U.S. readiness
The episode connects unresolved Gaza negotiations and stretched military resources in Asia with high-stakes primary contests that could reshape congressional politics.
Aug 18, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Carrier relief follows USS Lincoln’s strained deployment
The episode connects military readiness, escalating Russia-Ukraine attacks, and unresolved political obstacles to Gaza’s postwar governance.
Aug 17, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Britain turns beavers into flood-control engineers
The episode examines whether restoring beavers can address climate risks without shifting unacceptable costs onto farmers, fishers, and landowners.
Aug 16, 2026 · 30 min
Up First from NPR
Consumers retrench as warships strain and polls miss late shifts
The episode connects household pressure, military readiness, and polling uncertainty to broader questions about how institutions respond to rapid change.
Aug 15, 2026 · 19 min
Up First from NPR
Prolonged conflict strains sailors, civilians and supply lines
The episode connects military overextension, economic pressure and drone warfare to the people and infrastructure absorbing their costs.
Aug 14, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Democrats confront coalition strains as prices and disaster dominate
The episode connects Democratic divisions, uneven inflation, and Colombia’s earthquake response to the political and human pressures shaping the moment.
Aug 13, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Ro Khanna pitches a multiracial New Deal for 2028
Khanna’s possible presidential bid tests whether Democrats can turn economic renewal, tech accountability, and democratic reform into a governing agenda.
Aug 13, 2026 · 49 min