Gaza War 2024, Gaza Hospital Shutdown, Biden's Complicated Legacy
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 was produced by Kaity Kline, Ben Abrams and Julie Depenbrock. 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
Jimmy Carter Remembered, Syria-Israel Relations, South Korea Plane Crash
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. It was produced by Kaity Kline, Nia Dumas and Julie Depenbrock.. 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
In Memoriam: Jimmy Carter, 1924-2024
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 special episode of Up First, we consider the legacy of the man widely called "America's greatest former president."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
A Sunday in the Park
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 Switch podcast. You can listen to the full episode here.And finally, we have a question for you. What's a place that you visit regularly–a place that lifts you up? We'd love to hear you tell us about it. You can send us a 2-3 minute voice memo at upfirstsunday@npr.org. Bonus points if you include sounds from the space you're in.Make sure to tell us your name and where you're speaking to us from, and we might share it in an episode in 2025.Thanks for spending your Sundays with us this year.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Christmas Attack In Ukraine, Honda-Nissan Merger, Nigeria's Economic Crisis
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 edited by Peter Granitz, Emily Kopp, Miguel Macias, Lisa Thomson and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Ana Perez. We get engineering support from Josephine Nyounai. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Christmas In Bethlehem, Famine In Sudan, The Year In Space
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 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, Miguel Macias, Gisele Grayson, Lisa Thomson and Ally Schweitzer.It was produced by Ziad Buchh , Nia Dumas, Claire Murashima and Ana Perez. We get engineering support from Nisha Heinis. And our technical director is Andie Huether.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Biden Death Row Clemency, Long COVID Research, Lebanon Antiquities Damaged
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 episodes across more than 25 NPR podcasts. 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, Carrie Feibel, Denice Rios, Lisa Thomson and Ally Schweitzer. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Ana Perez. We get engineering support from Nisha Heinis. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
The Luckiest of the Unlucky
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 eventually set him free.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
The Anatomy of a Wrongful Conviction
In 1987, Ben Spencer, a young black man from Dallas, Texas was convicted in the killing of a white businessman. He was sentenced to life in prison by an all-white jury. There was no physical evidence linking him to the crime and he had an alibi. Over the years, eyewitnesses recanted their testimony and a judge, after reviewing all the prior evidence, declared Spencer to be an innocent man. Nonetheless, Spencer remained in prison for more than three decades. For seven of those years, former NPR correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty follows and followed the twists and turns of this case. Her dissection of wrongful convictions and the criminal justice system is at the heart of her new book, Bringing Ben Home: A Murder, A Conviction And The Fight to Redeem American Justice. Today on The Sunday Story from Up First, part one of a two-part series looking at why it is so hard to get a conviction overturned even when evidence of innocence is overwhelming. Part two is also available now on the Up First podcast feed.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Government Shutdown Averted, German Christmas Market Attack, Netflix And The NFL
Congress approved a short-term spending deal to keep government running until mid-March. A man drove a car into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing at least five. Netflix again plans to stream major sporting events live, after a rocky first attempt last month.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Murder As An Act Of Terrorism, Fed's Rate Cut Decision, Female Mass Shooters
Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism. What does that mean? The Federal Reserve considers one last cut in interest rates for the year, and identity of a school shooter in Wisconsin is forcing to reconsider gender stereotypes.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Trump Meets CEOs At Mar-A-Lago, School Shooting In Wisconsin, Pig Kidney Transplant
President-elect Donald Trump has been holding court at Mar-a-Lago since his election victory. CEOs, foreign leaders and lawmakers have all made the trip to South Florida. He talked about his visitors and other issues in a post election news conference yesterday. Two people were killed when a student opened fire at a Wisconsin school. The alleged shooter is also dead. A gene-edited pig kidney has for the first time been transplanted into a human. 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, Cheryl Corley, Scott Hensley, HJ Mai and Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
The Poetic Wealth of Nikki Giovanni
The legendary African American poet Nikki Giovanni passed away this week at the age of 81. Since fiercely coming onto the scene during the Black Power movement of the 1960s, Giovanni established a rich and powerful literary legacy. Her work often celebrated the power of Black joy contained within the fight for civil rights by reminding readers that "Black love is Black wealth".Today on the show, we feature a conversation between Rachel Martin, host of NPR's Wild Card, and Nikki Giovanni from earlier this year.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
S. Korea President, Texas Abortion Lawsuit, Coffee Prices
South Korea's parliament impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol for his attempt to impose martial law on the democracy. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued a New York doctor for prescribing abortion medication to a Dallas-area woman. A drought in Brazil has caused the price of coffee on the futures market to reach a 47-year high.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
The fall of Syria's regime is a blow to Iran. Iranian money and troops propped up former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government. How much do the developments in Syria set back an adversary of Israel and the U.S.? Some American colleges have issued a warning to their international students. They're suggesting students should try to return before Inauguration Day, to avoid any trouble at the border. Also, who's flying drones over New Jersey?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 Didrik Schanche, Steven Drummond, Ally Schweitzer, HJ Mai and Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Ben Abrams. 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
FBI Director Wray To Step Down, U.S. Life Expectancy, DNC Seeks New Leadership
What does a change at the top mean for the FBI? Director Christopher Wray announced he will resign next month. Shooting an insurance executive in the back produced a disturbing response about America's healthcare industry. The Democratic National Committee is meeting in Washington over the next two days to reflect on the election results and hear pitches from candidates for leadership positions.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, Diane Webber, Megan Pratz, HJ Mai and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Ben Abrams. 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
Syria's New Reality, Shooting Suspect's Ideology, Judges Block Grocery Merger
People in Syria are slowly settling in to a new reality. The fall of the Assad regime offers new opportunities, but also creates big challenges. NPR's Ruth Sherlock is reporting from Damascus. The motive of the alleged gunman in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is still unclear. Police have been sifting through Luigi Mangione's online history since his arrest to learn more about his ideology, and the proposed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons hangs in the balance.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 James Hider, Andrew Sussman, Emily Kopp, HJ Mai and Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Ben Abrams. 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
Arrest In UnitedHealthcare CEO Killing, Netanyahu Trial, Jay-Z Rape Allegations
Police arrested 26-year-old Luigi Mangione in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He has been charged with second-degree murder. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will testify on Tuesday in his own corruption trial. The start of his defense comes amid Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. Jay-Z is the latest celebrity to be named in the web of allegations against Sean 'Diddy' Combs. The rapper has been accused of raping a teenage girl more than two decades ago. 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 Andrea de Leon, James Hider, Otis Hart, HJ Mai and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Ben Abrams. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview
After 54 years, the Assad's brutal reign in Syria is over. Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia with his family as rebel forces swept into the capital of Damascus. President Biden called the fall of the Assad regime a "moment of historic opportunity." But he also warned of the potential risks. And President-elect Trump gave his first network TV interview since winning the election. 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 James Hider, Andrew Sussman, Roberta Rampton, HJ Mai and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy