Federal Worker Surveillance, Trump's Team In Europe, Elon Musk And Mars
Employees at the General Services Administration are facing massive staff cuts and threats of near-constant monitoring, three top Trump administration officials are in Europe this week talking with European leaders about transatlantic issues, and proponents of going to Mars see an opportunity in Elon Musk's close relationship with President Trump. 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 Brett Neely, Ryland Barton, Gisele Grayson, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from David Greenberg. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jordan's King In Washington, New Tariffs, NYC Mayor's Corruption Charges
Jordan's King Abdullah will meet with President Trump in Washington after rejecting Trump's plan to move Palestinians out of Gaza. President Trump announced new tariffs on steel and aluminum, and the Justice Department has asked prosecutors to dismiss corruption charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams. 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 Nishant Dahiya, Roberta Rampton, Gerry Holmes, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from David Greenberg. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Trump At The Superbowl, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Turmoil, Air Aid To Gaza
In a pre-Superbowl interview on Fox News, President Trump talked about his plans for the Department of Education and Gaza, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been targeted for closure, and details from an NPR reporter's flight into Gaza with one of Jordan's humanitarian flights into the territory. 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 Roberta Rampton, Emily Kopp, Nishant Dahiya, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Mansee Khurana, Kaity Kline and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent. And our technical director is David Greenburg.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
When Chatbots Play Human
Increasingly, tech companies like Meta and Character.AI are giving human qualities to chatbots. Many have faces, names and distinct personalities. Some industry watchers say these bots are a way for big tech companies to boost engagement and extract increasing amounts of information from users. But what's good for a tech company's bottom line might not be good for you. Today on The Sunday Story from Up First, we consider the potential risks to real humans of forming "relationships" and sharing data with tech creations that are not human.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Trump Administration Latest, USAID Ruling, Super Bowl Preview
Federal judges temporarily block several Trump Administration moves aimed at reshaping the government. One order halts efforts to dramatically reduce the personnel of the U.S. Agency for International Development, but USAID is at a standstill. The Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles at the Super Bowl on Sunday.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Trump's Justice Department, Disappearing DEI, Flu Peaks Again
The Justice Department is moving to implement President Trump's agenda for the agency, some large companies in the US are deleting or softening DEI language from their investor disclosures and influenza is peaking twice this winter.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, Rafael Nam, Scott Hensley, Janaya Williams, Alice Woelfle and Ben Adler. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Patrick Murray, our technical director is Zac Coleman. And our Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Deadline For Federal Workers, Reaction To Trump's Gaza Plan, Future Of US Foreign Aid
Federal workers must decide today whether to accept an offer to resign. After calling for the US to take over Gaza, President Trump has also promised an announcement about the West Bank, and humanitarian programs around the world are being shut down as most USAID workers have been put on leave. 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 Emily Kopp, Nishant Dahiya, Rebecca Davis, Janaya Williams and Ally Schweitzer. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Trump And Gaza, Migrants At Guantanamo, USAID Staff On Leave
President Trump has laid out a new vision for US ownership of the Gaza Strip, the first planeload of migrants from the US has arrived in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and all staff members at the foreign aid agency USAID have been put on administrative leave.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 Nishant Dahiya, Barrie Hardymon, Rebecca Davis, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Simon-Laslo Janssen. And our technical director is Neisha Heinis.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Canada Tariffs, Education Department Targeted, DOGE
At the last moment the US paused its trade wars with Canada and Mexico, the Trump administration is reportedly targeting the US Department of Education for closure and questions are being raised about the amount of government access given to Elon Musk and his DOGE entity.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 Tara Neill, Brett Neely, Steven Drummond, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
USAID Programs Halted, Netanyahu in Washington, Rubio Visits Panama, Cannabis Safety
Nearly all foreign aid programs delivered by the US Agency for International Development, or USAID, have been halted, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington, D.C. and Sec. Marco Rubio is in Panama following up on President Trump's statements about the Panama Canal. Also, a new NPR series is helping consumers find safely-sourced cannabis products.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 Dana Farrington, Nishant Dahiya, Sami Yenigun, Andrea De Leon, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Lilly Quiroz, Nia Dumas, and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent. And our technical director is Neisha Heinis. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Time to Leave
The recent wildfires around Los Angeles are just the most recent example of how extreme weather driven by climate change is affecting housing across the country. Millions of homes are at risk of flooding, fire or drought. Increasingly, local municipalities are facing hard decisions about whether to tear homes down or ban new construction altogether. Today on The Sunday Story, we share an episode that originally aired last year in which reporters Rebecca Hersher and Lauren Sommer visit three communities in the US trying to balance the need for housing with the threat of climate-driven disaster.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Tariffs Come Due, Chopper Traffic After Crash
The White House says President Trump will implement tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China on Saturday. Also, the FAA prohibits most helicopters from flying near Reagan Washington National Airport.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Plane Crash Latest, German Far Right, Nuclear Testing
Cockpit recordings have been recovered from the jet involved in a collision just outside of Washington, DC, a German far-right party is participating in mainstream politics for the first time since World War Two and researchers are studying nuclear weapons at an underground facility in Nevada.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 Denice Rios, Ryland Barton, Gisele Grayson, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas, Claire Murashima and Chris Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent and our technical director is Stacey Abbott. Our executive producer is Kelley Dickens. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
D.C. Plane Crash, Migrant Housing At Guantanamo, January 6th Criminal Records
An American Airlines plane collided with a military helicopter in the skies over Washington, DC, President Trump says the US will send deported migrants to a temporary facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and an NPR investigation finds lengthy criminal records for some January 6th defendants who received pardons.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 Russell Lewis, Monika Evstatieva, Barrie Hardymon, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas, Claire Murashima, and Chris Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis and our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Trump Remaking Government, RFK Jr. Confirmation Hearings, US Education Report Card
President Trump's actions this week show the scope of his bid to reshape the federal government, Senate confirmation hearings begin for RFK Jr. and results are in from a national assessment of reading and math, nearly five years since the start of the pandemic.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 Dana Farrington, Diane Webber, Nicole Cohen, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas, Claire Murashima, and Chris Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Mideast Ceasefire, Florida Immigration Session, Congolese City Captured
Palestinians are returning to their homes in northern Gaza, a proposal by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis would give local law enforcement officials the power of immigration agents, and rebels backed by Rwanda have captured a key city in the Congo.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 Jerome Socolovsky, Larry Kaplow, Russell Lewis, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Claire Murashima. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Reckoning with the Assad Regime's 'Machinery of Death'
The fall of Syria's leader in December opened the doors to a vast network of detention centers and prisons across the country, uncovering further evidence of the true scale of killings under former president Bashar al-Assad. On this episode of The Sunday Story, NPR's Ruth Sherlock takes us to a notorious prison where thousands were detained and killed, and she visits a suspected mass gravesite outside Damascus. She meets former prisoners and those forced to play a role in what has been called the regime's "machinery of death."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
More Hostages Go Free, Trump Halts Foreign Aid, RFK Jr.'s Confirmation
Hamas releases four Israeli soldiers as part of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza. The U.S. State Department halts most foreign aid. Physicians line up against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination for health secretary.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Trump Visits Disaster Zones, DEI and the Military, London Hacking Hearing
President Trump visits disaster zones; the Trump administration wants to end the military's diversity and anti-extremism programs; and an Israeli private eye is wanted by the U.S. for hacking.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 Jason Breslow, Diane Webber, Clare Lombardo, Olivia Hampton and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas, Milton Guevara and Claire Murashima. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Immigration Crackdown, Health Officials Muted, Oscar Nominations
Congress passes an immigration crackdown in President Trump's first legislative win, the Trump administration temporarily silences health officials and the Oscar nominations are announced.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 Jason Breslow, Diane Webber, Clare Lombardo, Olivia Hampton and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Chris Thomas, Milton Guevara and Claire Murashima. We get engineering support from Zachary Coleman, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy