Americans are living longer than ever. For some, these extra years offer a chance at reinvention and the possibility of a third act in life. Today on the show, WBUR reporter Anthony Brooks talks about the people he's met who've made big life-altering changes later in life often with the hope of doing some good before it's too late. To hear more of Anthony's reporting on people who reinvented themselves late in life check out his series The Third Act . Learn more about sponsor message choices: po...
Jan 19, 2025•25 min
Israel's war cabinet gave final approval to a ceasefire deal with Hamas overnight. Five years after the first COVID-19 case in the U.S., there is concern about how well the nation in positioned for the next pandemic. The Federal Trade Commission says Pepsi gave unfair deals to a major retailer. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Jan 18, 2025•14 min
Negotiators have reached a deal for a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, according to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A law banning TikTok starts Sunday, but the Supreme Court is poised to rule on whether it is legal or not, and if it will be delayed. Plus, the wildfires in Los Angeles surfaced an industry that is attracting scorn: private firefighting. For more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First...
Jan 17, 2025•13 min
Israel and Hamas have agreed to pause fighting after 15 months of war. What's in the current ceasefire deal President Biden announced Wednesday, and how are people in Israel and Gaza reacting to it? Plus, Los Angeles has some of the strictest wildfire rules in the country. Why weren't they enough to prevent catastrophe? For more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter . Today's episode of Up First was edited by Neela B...
Jan 16, 2025•13 min
Senate Republicans are promising no drama for Trump's cabinet nominees in hearings this week. Do Democrats have anything to say about that? Plus, L.A. neighborhoods remain on lockdown after wildfires, and anti-corruption officials arrest South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. For more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter . Today's episode of Up First was edited by Ryland Barton, Jason Breslow, Gigi Douban, Ally Schwe...
Jan 15, 2025•13 min
A report on Special Counsel Jack Smith's doomed investigation into Donald Trump's election interference is now in the hands of Congress. Many people affected by L.A.'s wildfires will need long-term emotional support, a health provider says. Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, gets a public job interview on Capitol Hill this week. For more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter . Today's episode of Up Firs...
Jan 14, 2025•14 min
At least two dozen deaths are attributed to the L.A. Wildfires, as more extreme fire weather is in the forecast. Ceasefire negotiations have resumed in Qatar with Israel and Hamas appearing to close in on a deal. As Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas prepares to leave office, he says the incoming Trump administration will face hard choices on immigration. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Jan 13, 2025•13 min
If you've been following the news over the last year, you've likely heard about the rise of the Christian nationalism movement. Today on The Sunday Story , Ayesha Rascoe sits down with journalist Heath Druzin, creator of the Extremely American podcast series, to take a closer look at one group of Christian nationalists. Druzin interviewed leaders of an influential far-right church in the small town of Moscow, Idaho: Christ Church. There, Pastor Doug Wilson has been building what Druzin and his c...
Jan 12, 2025•28 min
New evacuations were ordered overnight as the Palisades fire expanded in Southern California. New reports find 2024 to be the hottest year on record for reasons scientists do not fully understand. At the Supreme Court, lawyers for the video app TikTok argued against a law mandating it be sold or shut down in the U.S. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Jan 11, 2025•14 min
Many evacuated residents in Los Angeles returned to find entire neighborhoods wiped out by destructive wildfires, President-elect Donald Trump will attend his criminal sentencing today in Manhattan, and lawyers for TikTok will be arguing their case before the US Supreme Court. Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter . Today's episode of Up First was edited by Gigi Douban, Anna Yukhananov, Kara Platoni, Janaya...
Jan 10, 2025•13 min
Devastating wildfires in the LA area have leveled entire neighborhoods as firefighting resources are stretched thin, a state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter will be held at Washington's National Cathedral, and President-elect Trump met with Senate Republicans to help chart a course for his top legislative priorities. Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter . Today's episode of Up First was edited by...
Jan 09, 2025•12 min
The parent company of Facebook and Instagram, Meta, is ending a fact-checking feature, the annual winter respiratory virus season is in full force, and the Palisades Fire in Southern California is rapidly spreading. For more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter . Today's episode of Up First was edited by Kara Platoni, Scott Hensley, Denice Rios, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia D...
Jan 08, 2025•13 min
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he is resigning, only 15 detainees remain at the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay and the Minneapolis Police Department is now under federal oversight, nearly five years after the murder of George Floyd. For more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter . Today's episode of Up First was edited by Nick Spicer, Barrie Hardymon, Cheryl Corley, Janaya Williams and A...
Jan 07, 2025•13 min
After protecting the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, retired Capitol Police officer Aquilino Gonell says Donald Trump's re-election feels like a "betrayal." CNN goes to court to fight a defamation lawsuit filed by a security contractor. Reviewing the highlights from the 2025 Golden Globe Awards. For more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter . Today's episode of Up First was edited by Barrie Hardymon, Emily Kopp, Clare...
Jan 06, 2025•13 min
As Congress meets tomorrow to certify the results of the 2024 election, it also marks the 4-year anniversary of the attack on the Capitol. The participants of the riot on January 6, 2021 intended to disrupt the certification process of the 2020 election results. When it was all over four people were dead, 140 law enforcement officers were wounded and there was nearly $3 million in damage. There were people from all walks of life at the Capitol that day, but one thing that many of them had in com...
Jan 05, 2025•32 min
We'll bring you the latest on the FBI's investigation into the deadly Jan. 1st attack in New Orleans. Also, we'll take a look at the new Congress coming into session, with Republican House Speaker fighting for his job. Plus, we'll bring you the latest from the funereal events held for President Jimmy Carter, who passed away this week at the age of 100. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Jan 04, 2025•15 min
The music returns to New Orleans' Bourbon Street, while investigators say a New Year's attacker acted alone. A new Congress prepares for a House speaker vote. And villagers in the Golan Heights tell NPR about Israeli security operations near Syria's border. For more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter . Today's episode of Up First was edited by Russell Lewis, Kelsey Snell, Martin Patience, Jan Johnson, and Alice Wo...
Jan 03, 2025•13 min
The FBI investigates a New Orleans attack that killed 15 as an "act of terrorism." Bomb techs join the probe at the suspect's Texas home. Law enforcers seek possible connections to a Las Vegas truck explosion. For more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter . Today's episode of Up First was edited by Susanna Capelouto, Gigi Douban, Jan Johnson, and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Kaity Kline, Ben Abrams and Julie De...
Jan 02, 2025•13 min
Ukraine's leader vows to end the fighting in 2025, just before Russian drones attack Kyiv again. A grid failure leaves more than half of Puerto Rico without power. Why resolve to have a "dry January?" For more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter . Today's episode of Up First was edited by Jan Johnson, and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Kaity Kline, Ben Abrams and Julie Depenbrock. We get engineering support from...
Jan 01, 2025•14 min
After a year of on-again, off-again Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations, what will 2025 hold? Israeli raids shut down a North Gaza hospital that aid workers called a lifeline. President Biden ends his political career with a complicated legacy. For more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter . Today's episode of Up First was edited by Didrik Schanche, Carrie Kahn, Dana Farrington, Jan Johnson, and Alice Woelfle. It wa...
Dec 31, 2024•15 min
Former President Jimmy Carter is remembered for peacemaking and humanitarian causes. A high-ranking Syrian official makes unprecedented comments about relations with Israel to NPR. Families seek answers after a fiery airliner crash in South Korea. Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter . Today's episode of Up First was edited by Anna Yukhananov, Andrew Sussman, Ryland Barton, Jan Johnson and Alice Woelfle. I...
Dec 30, 2024•14 min
Former President Jimmy Carter has died at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was 100 years old, a modest man with an unforgettable ear-to-ear grin. Carter was the country's 39th president, serving only one term from 1977 to 1981. His years in the White House were difficult. He faced enormous problems at home and abroad and struggled to prove that he was a strong and capable leader. But once he left office, Carter became an almost unstoppable force for peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts. In this ...
Dec 29, 2024•25 min
In our last episode of 2024, we go for a walk. Earlier this year, NPR's immigration reporter Jasmine Garsd and Code Switch producer Xavier Lopez spent a day in one of their favorite places in the world: Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, New York. It's a place they share with one of the most diverse communities in the world, a place where immigrants from around the globe gather to relax, recharge, and reconnect. Today on The Sunday Story , you'll hear an excerpt of an episode from NPR's Code Switc...
Dec 29, 2024•17 min
President-elect Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to delay implementation of the law banning TikTok. Western officials say North Korean soldiers are dying in high numbers along the Ukrainian front. The FDA says Zepbound is no longer in shortage, raising its cost. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Dec 28, 2024•15 min
South Korea's parliament has voted to impeach the country's acting president. Israel launched its largest and most aggressive attack so far against the Houthis in Yemen. And, the country Georgia is set to swear in a new president while the incumbent has refused to stand down. Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter . Today's episode of Up First was edited by Andrew Sussman, Nick Spicer, Peter Granitz, Lisa Th...
Dec 27, 2024•13 min
A Russian attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure leaves thousands of people without heat. The auto sector is in the midst of two seismic changes and that means existing companies will need to adapt. And, the holiday season in Nigeria is muted this year against the backdrop of one of the country's worst economic crises in decades. Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter . Today's episode of Up First was edi...
Dec 26, 2024•13 min
For the second year in a row, official celebrations have been cancelled in Bethlehem, the city where Christian tradition says Jesus was born. Famine has spread in Sudan where people are experiencing one of the world's worst starvation crises in modern times. And, a look at the year's biggest stories from space. Join the new NPR Plus Bundle to support our work and get perks like sponsor-free listening and bonus episodes across more than 25 NPR podcasts. Want more comprehensive analysis of the mos...
Dec 25, 2024•14 min
Facing a manpower shortage, Ukraine is relying more and more on unmanned flying attack drones. The visas used by foreign-born scientists is an immigration category expected to come under renewed scrutiny under the incoming presidential administration. And, a look at three new species added to the scientific record this year. Join the new NPR Plus Bundle to support our work and get perks like sponsor-free listening and bonus episodes across more than 25 NPR podcasts. Want more comprehensive analy...
Dec 24, 2024•14 min
President Biden uses his clemency authority to commute the sentences of 37 of the 40 men on federal death row to life without parole. The National Institutes of Health recently announced it's investing $300 million dollars to research treatments for long COVID. Antiquities in Lebanon were destroyed during the Israel-Hezbollah war despite protections for cultural sites under the laws of war. Join the new NPR Plus Bundle to support our work and get perks like sponsor-free listening and bonus episo...
Dec 23, 2024•14 min
In part two of our story about Ben Spencer, a man sentenced to life in prison for a crime he said he didn't commit, former NPR correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty begins her own investigation. She returns to the scene of the crime and reinterviews witnesses. Hagerty finds new evidence of Spencer's innocence. And yet, the courts refuse to release him. In this episode of The Sunday Story from Up First, a look at what finally happens to a man who pinned his hopes on the idea that the truth would ...
Dec 22, 2024•29 min
