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March Madness is here. The high-stakes, sudden-death college basketball tournament is a beloved tradition in American sports. For the players, it’s a chance to showcase the skills they’ve developed through years of hard training of the body and mind. In many cases, that push produces incredible feats of athletic performance. But an investigation by reporters Julia Haney and Elizabeth Santos has found instances in which athletes allege that the push from coaches goes too far. Emotional abuse by c...
More strikes against Iran, including an island crucial to the country’s oil exports. Three separate domestic attacks in the U.S. do not appear to have direct links to Iran. President Trump signs two executive orders geared toward making housing more affordable, as Congress works on legislation. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy...
Israel struck central Beirut overnight and issued the first ever evacuation order for part of the capital, as Israel vows it will not stop until Hezbollah is defeated and nearly a million people are displaced in Lebanon alone. The FBI is investigating two separate attacks as acts of terrorism — an armed man drove a car into a Michigan synagogue, and a gunman with a prior ISIS conviction opened fire in a Virginia university classroom, killing one person. And the Senate passed the largest housing ...
NPR's Up First covers the escalating crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian attacks on oil tankers are disrupting global markets and driving up oil prices. The Trump administration is tapping the strategic petroleum reserve to mitigate rising gas costs, a move facing political scrutiny. The episode also investigates the Pentagon's preliminary finding that the US is responsible for a missile strike on an Iranian girls' school, highlighting issues of outdated intelligence and civilian harm mitigation.
NPR's Up First reports on escalating US strikes against Iran, detailing the impact on residential areas, historical sites, and global energy markets as gas prices surge. A new poll reveals a majority of Americans oppose the war, impacting President Trump's approval ratings and raising concerns for the upcoming midterm elections. Additionally, the special election in Georgia to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene is heading to a runoff, with Trump's endorsed candidate facing challenges amidst a shifting political landscape and questions about the power of his endorsements.
President Trump declared victory in Iran at his first press conference since the war began, but said the U.S. could still go further and compared the endgame to Venezuela, walking back earlier calls for unconditional surrender. The war is widening as Israel keeps striking Tehran and Beirut, Iran continues to hit back in the Gulf, and Lebanon's president publicly accuses Hezbollah of betraying the country while signaling he's ready for direct talks with Israel. And in New York City, two Pennsylva...
Israel struck Tehran's oil facilities as Iran named a new supreme leader, the hardline son of the Ayatollah Israel killed on day one, and a senior Israeli military official tells NPR the war needs three more weeks. President Trump reversed course on Kurdish fighters entering Iran, and Iraq's Kurdish deputy prime minister tells NPR in his first interview with western media since the war began that the Kurds will not be part of the fight and are not guns for hire. And the war is strangling the Str...
For years, India was thought of as the Wild West of the fertility industry. But in 2021, a new law in India made it illegal for women to sell their eggs or serve as paid surrogates. That law clashed with a growing demand for human eggs within the country. The result: a thriving black market for human eggs. Today, some of the most marginalized Indian women and girls are supplying reproductive material, often with little compensation and at great personal risk. This week on The Sunday Story , NPR ...
More countries in the Middle East reported incoming fire from Iran over the week. Oil prices spike as shippers avoid the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump is attending a summit for Latin American leaders. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy...
President Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and named Senator Markwayne Mullin as his pick to take over, in the first cabinet shakeup of his second term. The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is widening again, with Israel striking Beirut’s southern suburbs as Lebanon says tens of thousands have been displaced. And two months after U.S. forces seized Venezuela’s president, Washington and Caracas are suddenly cutting deals on oil and critical minerals and moving to restore diplomatic r...
Iranians are fleeing as Israel and the U.S. keep striking Iran, the fighting continues in Lebanon, and the war’s spillover is rattling Gulf countries. President Trump is offering shifting explanations for why the U.S. struck Iran, as the White House tries to line up its message and Americans remain wary about what the war is meant to achieve. And China says it will send a special envoy to the Middle East as Beijing’s annual “Two Sessions” get underway, with leaders warning the world is getting m...
NPR's Up First details the fifth day of intensified Middle East conflict, with U.S. and Israeli strikes hitting Iran and Lebanon while Iran retaliates in the Gulf. President Trump provides varying explanations for the U.S. attack on Iran amidst public skepticism and concerns over oil prices. Additionally, the episode analyzes the outcomes of the initial midterm primaries in Texas, North Carolina, and Arkansas, offering insights into the political mood ahead.
The State Department urges Americans to leave the Middle East as Israel expands attacks on Iran and Lebanon, and the US reports casualties in Gulf strikes. Congress receives a briefing on the war, raising questions about presidential authority and the administration's shifting justifications. Meanwhile, voters in Texas and North Carolina cast ballots in critical Senate primaries offering early insights into both parties' strategies for the November midterm elections.
It is day three of the U.S. Israeli war with Iran as the fighting widens with Tehran launching retaliatory attacks across the Middle East, and Israel trading fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon. President Trump says the strikes will continue “at full force” and warns Americans there will likely be more U.S. casualties, as the White House still hasn’t spelled out the war's objectives or how long it could last. And Iran’s retaliation is hitting America’s Gulf partners hard, with missiles and drones tur...
This episode delves into the explosion of prediction markets, where users can bet on diverse outcomes beyond sports, facilitated by apps like Kalshi and Polymarket. It explores their origins, the profiles of those winning and losing, and the ethical dilemmas of insider trading. The discussion highlights how deregulation and a pivotal court decision have fueled their growth, leading to ongoing legal battles with states questioning their status as non-gambling entities and the future challenges of controlling this pervasive trend.
The U.S. and Israel launch a joint attack on Iran. Iran responds with a missile attack on Israel, Bahrain, the U.A.E. and Qatar. Iran says a girls elementary school suffered a direct hit. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
The U.S. may be on the cusp of striking Iran, even as President Trump has not laid out clear objectives, asked Congress for authorization, or made a full public case for military action. Hillary Clinton sat for a six-hour, closed-door deposition in the House Oversight Committee’s Epstein investigation, and now Bill Clinton is set to testify as Republicans say they still have unanswered questions. And Warner Bros. Discovery abruptly walked away from a deal with Netflix for a sweeter bid from Para...
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt leads a state that gave President Trump 66% of the vote in 2024. He is also charting his own course and has publicly differed with the president. Stitt sat for an interview with NPR’s Steve Inskeep and talked about his vision for the Republican Party’s post-Trump future. Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter. This bonus episode of Up First was was produced by Adam Bearne. We get en...
U.S. and Iranian officials are meeting in Switzerland for another round of high-level talks. The talks will focus on Iran’s nuclear program, but the U.S. also wants ballistic missile restrictions. Harvard professor and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is resigning from his university positions over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Also, Cuban border agents shot and killed four alleged terrorists on a boat registered in the U.S. Want more analysis of the most import...
During his State of the Union, President Trump touted an "American revival" and economic boom, though fact-checks reveal discrepancies in his claims about inflation, GDP, and job growth. He proposed a new retirement plan and doubled down on tariffs, while facing congressional pushback. Separately, a bipartisan aviation safety bill failed to pass after the Pentagon unexpectedly withdrew support, citing budgetary and security risks, despite widespread backing from safety experts and crash victims' families.
Republican strategists say President Trump needs a reset in his State of the Union tonight, with new NPR polling showing 60% of Americans think the country is worse off than a year ago. Mexico is still reeling from cartel violence after a military operation killed the country's biggest drug lord, El Mencho, and triggered a wave of retaliation, raising questions about whether the government can take on the cartels without fueling even more violence. And an NPR investigation finds the Justice Depa...
President Trump says he’s raising global tariffs to 15% under a different authority after the Supreme Court blocked his emergency tariff power, forcing Congress to decide how closely they want to own the policy in a midterm election year. China is weighing what the court ruling actually changes on the ground for exporters and how it could reshape Trump’s leverage ahead of his trip to Beijing in a few weeks. And a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds most Americans say the state of the union is not...
Two of this year’s top contenders for the Academy Awards were filmed using a technology from the 1950s: VistaVision. Filmmakers are reviving this visually stunning yet finicky film format at a time when movie theaters are struggling to get audiences back into theaters. Today on The Sunday Story , NPR’s culture correspondent Mandalit Del Barco tells the story of the changing movie industry through the lens of VistaVision technology. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use...
The Supreme Court says President Trump cannot use the economic emergency he declared as a rationale for his import tax regime. The U.S. military buildup in the Mideast over the past month gives Trump options for striking Iran. The U.S. and Canada will compete Sunday for the gold medal in men's Olympic ice hockey. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy...
President Trump says he will make a decision in ten days on whether or not to attack Iran as the U.S. military buildup in the Middle East is now large enough to support a sustained bombing campaign. President Trump is widening the scope of his new Board of Peace after a Gaza-focused gathering, pitching it as a tool for other global conflicts as world leaders warn it could sideline the United Nations and the Gaza ceasefire remains fragile. And British police are searching royal properties after t...
Delve into the exciting U.S. Men's Hockey team's overtime win against Sweden and the intense US-Canada rivalries. The episode also highlights Jordan Stolz's speed skating prowess and Mikaela Shiffrin's poignant gold medal moment. Discover the surprising reasons behind breaking Olympic medals and explore the science identifying cross-country skiers as top athletes based on VO2 Max, and its implications for general fitness and longevity.
President Trump convenes the first meeting of his Board of Peace, touting $5 billion in reconstruction pledges for Gaza as Israel gives Hamas 60 days to disarm or face renewed war. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. And Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg takes the stand in the first-ever social media addiction trial, defending accusations that the company knew kids under 13 were using Instagram and built its platforms to hook ...
U.S. and Iranian negotiators agree to keep talking after meetings in Geneva, even as President Trump threatens military force and Tehran warns it could retaliate. Stephen Colbert says CBS blocked a political guest from his late-night show, adding to a wave of upheaval involving Anderson Cooper and corporate maneuvering at the network’s parent company. And Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg takes the stand in a landmark trial testing whether social media companies can be held legally responsible for harmin...
Up First reports on critical US-Iran talks in Geneva, where nuclear program limits are discussed against a backdrop of military buildup and economic pressure on Tehran. The episode also delves into the federal trial of nine individuals involved in a Texas ICE detention center shooting, highlighting the controversial 'Antifa terrorist' designation. Additionally, it explores China's rapid advancements in AI, its focus on widespread adoption, and the implications of US chip restrictions. Finally, the podcast pays tribute to the enduring legacy of civil rights icon Jesse Jackson upon his passing at 84.
If enjoyed this, check out the Up First Winter Games Video Podcast. You'll find it at youtube.com/npr. This bonus episode of Up First was edited by Eric Whitney. Our visual editors include Nicole Werbeck, Elizabeth Gillis, Grace Raver and Pablo Valdivia. It was produced by Lauren Migaki, Brianna Scott, Ana Perez, Barry Gordemer and Elizabeth Baker. We get engineering support from Jay Czys, Andie Huether, Becky Brown and Josephine Nyounai. Our Executive Producers are Adam Verdugo, Jay Shaylor and...
