Up First from NPR

The U.S. launched a second day of strikes on Iran after Tehran tried to put sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran firing back at American bases across the Gulf and claiming an American strike hit a wedding.
Trump is under pressure to bring down gas prices before the midterms, touting a Venezuela oil deal and a meeting with energy executives even though neither is likely to deliver relief by November.
And in Massachusetts, Senator Ed Markey held off a younger primary challenger while other races tested whether Democratic voters want to keep incumbents or...

The Supreme Court is allowing construction on the White House ballroom to continue, handing President Trump a victory on the emergency docket without deciding whether the project is legal.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has resigned after 18 months on the job amid growing tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, part of a wider churn at the Pentagon as the war with Iran continues.
Finance ministers from the world’s biggest economies are meeting in North Carolina, where the U.S. is pressing them to tighten the squeeze on Iran even as some countries question whether Washington is a source of...

President Trump announced a new oil partnership that would give the U.S. majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan reserves, even as the deal raises questions about Washington’s goals for democracy there.
The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire for the first time in nearly a month after American forces struck Iranian rocket launchers near the Strait of Hormuz and Iran retaliated against U.S. bases in Jordan and the UAE.
The House is back for one week with midterms approaching, aiming to keep the government funded through Election Day while Republicans look for a...

Country singer and rapper Shaboozey is probably best known for his features on Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” album, or for his viral, chart-topping single, “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” Now he has returned to the scene with a new, star-studded record about an outlaw out to avenge her father’s death. 

It’s a genre-defying concept album that fuses hip hop with country, spoken-word and ballads – and that features Jamie Foxx, Kehlani, Leon Bridges, Gunna and Sam Elliott. On The Sunday Story, Shaboozey joins Ayesha Rascoe to talk about the inspiration – and intentions – behind “The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales.”

An unusually strong El Niño is disrupting the weather around the globe, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr's anti-vaccination crusade is muddled after two deaths from measles complications, and it's been six ugly months since the U.S. and Israel launched a war with Iran. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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The flood disaster on the Nepal-Tibet border is far worse than first known, with hundreds now dead and more than a thousand missing, including dozens of Americans, as a lake swelling behind the debris raises fears of a second flood and rescuers race to reach survivors.
Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh gives a speech in Wyoming today after disappointing investors last month with talk of curbing inflation, leaving markets eager to know what he'll actually do about high prices.
And a federal judge is weighing whether President Trump can put his name on the Kennedy Center, where the...

President Trump has spent the week picking fights with Iran, China, Canada and even his own party, putting Republicans on the ballot in a tough spot ahead of the midterms.
Meta has agreed to settle with states that accused it of making its apps addictive for kids, paying up to 17 billion dollars and agreeing to change how Facebook and Instagram work for minors.
A glacier collapsed on the border of Nepal and Tibet and unleashed a catastrophic flood that buried whole villages in mud and left hundreds missing.

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Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80 after a recent cancer diagnosis. She is remembered as a country legend who became a true American icon.
Canada is striking back in the trade war with the United States, putting tariffs on $20 billion of American goods starting September 8 after talks with Washington collapsed.
And the Trump administration is moving to revoke nearly 200,000 visas by targeting people who came as tourists and later claimed asylum, though some immigration attorneys question whether it will have any real effect.

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The Trump administration rolled out what it calls the biggest economic offensive ever aimed at a country, naming 60 targets while warning others to cut ties with Iran or face U.S. sanctions of their own, though the toughest measures are still being held in reserve.
In the Gulf, the UAE has already cut all trade with Iran while other neighbors remain in a difficult position, and China continues to buy the bulk of Iranian oil even as it criticizes the new pressure campaign.
The Supreme Court handed President Trump a temporary win on his effort to restrict mail-in...

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to unveil new economic pressure measures on Iran today as President Trump pushes an “Economic D-Day” aimed at cutting off any country that still provides Tehran a lifeline.
Iran is vowing to neutralize the United States' economic war and warning neighbors not to get involved, cautioning it could stop oil from leaving the region altogether.
Trade tensions with Canada boiled over this weekend after the U.S. imposed a new 50% tariff when talks broke down, prompting Ottawa to threaten retaliation.

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A thousand miles south of Hawaii, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a series of tiny islands form an atoll, called Palmyra. Palmyra Atoll is part of four protected U.S. marine monuments, forming the country’s largest environmental conservation area. It is also home to a thriving ecosystem of birds, marine life, and one of the most pristine coral reefs in the world.

No people live on Palmyra full time, and it is rare for journalists to be granted access. But the Trump administration is now trying to roll back longstanding protections by opening nearby waters to...

The IndyCar Grand Prix comes to the nation's capital. And, Canada's prime minister suspended trade talks with the U.S., bringing new 50 percent tariffs on a host of Canadian imports. Plus, we'll look at the national debt, which hit $40 trillion earlier this week.


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President Trump is doubling down on economic pressure against Iran, threatening consequences for any country that provides a lifeline as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent prepares to detail the plan next week.
The Supreme Court is expected to weigh in on President Trump’s White House ballroom project, which a lawsuit argues needed congressional approval and the administration is now framing the ballroom as a military complex.
Investors sold off both stocks and bonds as the yield on government debt hit its highest level in nearly two decades, despite efforts by the Treasury to calm the market.

Wa...

President Trump is warning of economic consequences for any country that supports Iran as he tries to wind down the war, leaving Gulf allies worried about their future with their powerful neighbor.
The U.S. national debt has topped 40 trillion dollars, with the government now spending more on interest than on defense and driving up the cost of everything from mortgages to small business loans.
U.S. oil companies are signing deals in Venezuela for the first time in nearly two decades, eight months after American forces captured Nicolás Maduro, even as the country’s politics remain uns...

Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming held primaries last night, with a mixed showing for progressives in Florida, including a surprise win in the Democratic Senate primary.
President Trump pushed back new tariffs on Canada by three days after saying the two countries may restart a controversial oil pipeline, though the bigger North American trade deal is still up in the air.
A major trial against Meta began in California, with states accusing the company of designing its platforms to be addictive for young users and of misrepresenting the risks.

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Jared Kushner and Prime Minister Netanyahu met for hours in Jerusalem over the future of Gaza and came out sounding hopeful, though Israel still hasn't committed to the U.S. peace plan that Hamas has already agreed to, with an Israeli withdrawal the main sticking point.
The war with Iran is draining America's military and it's being felt across the world, as the U.S. runs low on warships and interceptor missiles and no American aircraft carrier in the Pacific for the first time in years.
It's primary day in Alaska, Florida and Wyoming, with a high-stakes Senate ra...

The USS Washington aircraft carrier is on its way to the Middle East to relieve the USS Lincoln which has been at the center of concerns over crew mental health and a lack of fresh food and supplies on the ship.
Ukraine launched one of its largest attacks on Russia since the war began, sending more than 800 drones toward Moscow and other areas. At least twenty people have been killed in the fire between both sides.
President Trump's Middle East negotiator, Jared Kushner, is in Israel for talks on the future of Gaza, right after a rare face-to-face w...

Four hundred years ago, the last of Britain’s native beavers were hunted to extinction. But in 2009, scientists began a grand experiment to bring the furry, buck-toothed rodents back. They relocated a pair of Norwegian beavers to a remote rainforest in Scotland, hoping they’d become the Adam and Eve of a new line of British beavers. Today on The Sunday Story, NPR’s Lauren Frayer travels from the wilds of Scotland to a tube station in London, to explore how these animals – beloved by some humans and loathed by others – are transforming the British landscape.

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Paychecks aren't keeping pace with rising prices, and households are feeling the squeeze. Sailors on the ships deployed to the Middle East are straining without enough clean water and fresh food. In the thick of primary season for the midterms, how reliable is polling? Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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Lawmakers want the Pentagon to investigate reports of food shortages, poor sanitation and lack of mental health care for sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been out at sea for nearly 9 months. And the Trump administration says it’s gearing up for economic warfare against Iran. What will it mean for ordinary Iranians already suffocating under high inflation? Plus, Ukraine is using drones to challenge Russia’s grip on Crimea. Can Ukraine win back territory it lost more than a decade ago?

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Congressman Ro Khanna says America needs an “economic realignment.”

Fresh off a tour through his birthplace of Pennsylvania, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said he is “thinking seriously” about running for president in 2028 — a race he called a “breaking point in America” that could lead to a destructive revolution or a new economic order. 

“If we don't do something dramatically different, we may break,” Khanna tells NPR’s Steve Inskeep in this episode of Newsmakers.  “Have you met these folks in their 30s? They want pitchforks and torches. They want your scalps … politically.” 

The California lawmaker — who acknowledged h...

Recent primary results were supposed to offer clues on voters’ appetite for progressive candidates. But the results — so far — paint a muddled picture. What does that mean for the party’s midterm strategy? And new inflation numbers are out and lettuce was a highlight. How are the leafy greens impacting the cost of living? Plus, rescue teams in Colombia are racing to find the nearly 500 earthquake victims still buried under rubble.

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Results are in from primary races in six states. How did progressive candidates fare against more moderate Democrats in this run-up to the midterm elections? And President Trump has confirmed he secretly swapped planes as he left a NATO summit in Turkey last month. How unusual was this ruse? Plus, Iraq’s new leader wants to disarm the country’s Iran-backed militias that have hit U.S. military installations across the region in recent months. How challenging will that be?

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A self-described democratic socialist is shaking up the race for Wisconsin governor and a progressive is up against a moderate in Minnesota. How much of an appetite do voters have for non-mainstream candidates going into the midterm elections? Primary races in six states today will offer clues. And Iran’s demand for war reparations has prompted President Trump to make a reparation demand of his own. Can Trump afford a stalemate that will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed? Plus the view from Colombia, where rescue workers and volunteers are digging through rubble for survivors of a major earthquake.

Negotiations with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz are dragging. Is Iran stalling to sabotage the midterm elections for President Trump and his party? And new data about the cost of living comes out this week. It's expected to show the cost of living is rising faster than wages. What can the Federal Reserve do about it? Plus, a new report reveals decades of sexual misconduct at an elite arts school in Michigan.

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Rates of black lung disease amongst Appalachia’s coal miners are at the highest they’ve been in 50 years. Recent data shows that a third of veteran miners have the disease. The epidemic is also striking younger workers, too. 

On The Sunday Story, Howard Berkes investigates the devastating human cost on Appalachian families, decades of regulatory failures, and why life-saving protections from toxic silica dust remain stalled in federal court.

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Todd Blanche squeaks past a confirmation vote from the Senate. Private prison companies are making record profits from ICE detentions. Regal Cinemas announces support for the mega merger of Paramount and Warner Brothers. 

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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The Supreme Court struck down the last attempt by the president to limit birthright citizenship. Now President Trump is trying again. This time with two executive orders that are narrower in scope. Iran has released details of an agreement it is finalizing with Oman, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The critical waterway wouldn’t be open to American and Israeli ships. And Trump’s public messaging about what happens next in Iran is simply not matching reality.

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President Trump has claimed several times that a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is close. Now Iran is saying it too, but in a deal that is being negotiated directly with Oman. Progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed eked out a primary victory for a Michigan Senate seat. He now faces former GOP Congressman Mike Rogers in November. And President Trump traveled to Las Vegas, where he claimed the economy was fine and blamed Democrats for high prices. 

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Votes in Michigan’s highly anticipated Democratic Senate primary are still being counted. But what do the results in Tuesday's other races tell us about November's election? The U.S military is running short of ammunition. NPR has learned that the Army is running out of long-range attack missiles. And the Food and Drug Administration is deciding whether to approve the first flu vaccine using mRNA technology.

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The Senate Judiciary Committee votes today on Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general. What concerns lawmakers about the record of the president’s former personal lawyer? And five states hold primaries today. Voters in Michigan must decide between two Democrats vying for a Senate seat. What does the race reveal about the direction of the Democratic party? Plus, a man is arrested on arson charges in connection to one of the wildfires ripping through Spokane, Washington.

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Todd Blanche, President Trump’s nominee for attorney general, is rescinding an order to create a $1.8 billion fund for Trump’s political allies. Is that enough to persuade senators who blocked his nomination to back him? And President Trump is backing off additional attacks on Iran as negotiations resume today. Why is Trump willing to give diplomacy another go? Also, are progressive candidates poised to win big in this year's midterm election? Upcoming primaries may offer clues.

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President Trump has repeatedly warned that the communists are coming for America. And he’s not talking about China or North Korea. He’s talking about Democratic Socialists like Zohran Mamdani and recent Congressional candidates.

This week on The Sunday Story, we bring you a conversation from our colleagues at The NPR Politics Podcast. They argue that as the midterms near, crying “communism” may be a key Republican strategy. They discuss whether there’s any legitimacy to the claim, what Republicans hope to achieve by making it, and whether voters will be convinced.  

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The president’s media company is offering investors early access to his Truth Social feed for up to $100,000 a month. Arizona, California, and Nevada share steep cuts to Colorado River water over the next decade. FIFA's plan to sell stakes in the World Cup collapses.


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President Trump claims to have reached a breakthrough in efforts to disarm Hamas in Gaza. Hamas says it will only give up its weapons if Israel withdraws first. On the domestic front, Trump floated the idea of temporarily withdrawing his nominee for attorney general until two Republicans holdouts leave office. And a new report from the Commerce Department shows that economic growth slowed in the second quarter.

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The U.S. launched a wave of airstrikes on Iran overnight. This was in retaliation to a foiled surprise attack on U.S. forces in Jordan. Dr. Anthony Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment during a contentious Senate hearing on Wednesday. And a new Trump administration rule is making it even harder to seek asylum.

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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Miguel Macias, Amina Khan, Anna Yukhananov, HJ Mai and Alice Woelfle.

President Trump hosted two foreign leaders at the White House on Tuesday. Both, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are dealing with war at home. While Trump’s relationship with Netanyahu has been increasingly strained, his ties with Zelenskyy have steadily improved. And in France, raging wildfires have force hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Miguel Macias, Rebekah Metzler, Tina Kraja, HJ Mai an...

President Trump is meeting with two world leaders separately at the White House on Tuesday. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu are seeking Trump’s support amid ongoing conflicts. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians and thousands of Syrians who are in the U.S. legally are facing deportation. And new research shows that an increasing number of Americans say corruption is a problem in politics.

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At least three people are dead after a shooting at a food festival in Seattle. Four others are injured, including a 2-year-old boy.  Police say a suspect is in custody, while another is on the loose. After nearly two weeks of intense airstrikes, the U.S. and Iran have paused their attacks and started exchanging messages again. And with fewer than 100 days left until election day, some key races across the country are heating up. We'll take a look at the current state of play.

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Thirty-six years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, guaranteeing civil rights for millions of Americans. But the movement that made that day possible began years earlier. One pivotal victory was won by a small, often-forgotten group of activists in Denver known as the "Gang of 19."

On The Sunday Story, NPR’s Joseph Shapiro and Colorado Public Radio’s Stephanie Wolf trace the history of the disability rights movement—from the protests that secured accessible public transit to the modern-day fight to protect the hard-won right to live independently. 

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