Rebecca Metzler
Person
An audio-news editor associated with NPR productions, including the Up First podcast.
22 episodes featuring Rebecca Metzler
Huberman Lab Essentials
Pollan asks whether the brain creates consciousness
The conversation tests human-centered ideas of awareness against evidence from plants, animals, microbes, psychedelics, and artificial intelligence.
Sep 28, 2026 · 2h 3m
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
Global News Podcast
AI breach, Tigray fighting and pressure on global power
The episode connects a delayed disclosure of an AI security breach with renewed war, media-access disputes and mounting US-China and Russia-Ukraine tensions.
Sep 24, 2026 · 29 min
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
Global News Podcast
Merz faces a rightward surge after German election losses
The results test Friedrich Merz’s authority while showing how far-right gains are reshaping Germany’s political choices.
Sep 21, 2026 · 30 min
Global News Podcast
Typhoon exposes Japan’s fragile urban routines
The episode connects a dangerous storm in Tokyo with wider stories about political control, displacement, public safety and institutional failure.
Sep 21, 2026 · 29 min
Letters from an American
Trump’s Kennedy Center takeover faces legal and public resistance
The dispute tests whether a president can reshape a national cultural institution—and its identity—without meaningful oversight.
Sep 21, 2026 · 12 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
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
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
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
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
Primaries test party coalitions as Trump’s secrecy raises security questions
The episode connects electoral signals, presidential transparency, and Iraq’s struggle to contain Iran-backed militias without widening regional conflict.
Aug 12, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Primaries test Democrats as Trump’s foreign-policy claims face setbacks
The episode connects domestic party contests with stalled diplomacy and a disaster response strained by geography, damaged infrastructure, and insecurity.
Aug 11, 2026 · 15 min
Up First from NPR
Trump’s Iran claims collide with unresolved Hormuz talks
The episode connects a constitutional fight over citizenship with a war-driven crisis testing U.S. credibility, economic pressure, and control of a vital waterway.
Aug 7, 2026 · 14 min
Up First from NPR
Hormuz talks collide with Michigan’s Senate fight and Trump’s economic pitch
The episode connects a potentially consequential shipping crisis with two political tests of whether leaders can persuade voters amid economic and cultural pressure.
Aug 6, 2026 · 16 min