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Up First from NPR: Daily Summaries Delivered
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NPR's Up First is the news you need to start your day. The three biggest stories of the day, with reporting and analysis from NPR News — in 10 minutes. Available weekdays at 6:30 a.m. ET, with hosts Leila Fadel, Steve Inskeep, Michel Martin and A Martinez. Also available on Saturdays at 9 a.m. ET, with Ayesha Rascoe and Scott Simon. On Sundays, hear a longer exploration behind the headlines with Ayesha Rascoe on "The Sunday Story," available by 8 a.m. ET.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- Todaynarrative12 min5-min read
Democrats' First 100 Hours, Outstanding Midterm Races, Trump Doubles Down On Policies
NPR's Up First breaks down Democrats' historic midterm sweep, which hands them control of the House and Senate, and examines whether the party can deliver on its core promise to lower costs, root out corruption, and check President Trump — who, defiant after the losses, is promising to be 'Mr. Veto.'
- Yesterdaynarrative12 min4-min read
Democrats' Midterm Blowout, Trump Blames Candidates For Losses, Democratic Agenda
NPR's Up First breaks down a Democratic wave in the midterm elections, in which the party flipped the Senate and House, with correspondents attributing the Republican collapse largely to Trump himself and exploring what comes next for both parties.
- 2 days agonarrative12 min5-min read
Election Day, Trump's Closing Message, Iran War And The Midterms
This Election Day edition of NPR's Up First surveys a midterm that has defied expectations: record retirements, the most expensive campaign in U.S. history, and President Trump's popularity at near-historic lows, with Democrats favored to take the House. The episode pairs the domestic political picture with a report from Iran, where Tehran is watching the vote as a possible off-ramp — or trigger — for renewed war.
- 3 days agonarrative13 min3-min read
Michigan Democrats Feud, Midterm Map Shifts, US-Iran Diplomacy Efforts
Michigan Democrats are in open conflict on the eve of the election after Haley Stevens revoked her endorsement of Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and backed his Republican opponent.Republicans are defending unexpectedly competitive races across traditionally red territory, from Alaska to Kansas and South Carolina, as the political map continues shifting toward Democrats.Qatar is pushing a new diplomatic plan to stop Iranian attacks on ships and reopen talks with the U.S. as Gulf states try to prevent another round of war.Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.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.Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Jason Breslow, Brett Neely, Tina Kraja, Miguel Macias, Mohamad ElBardicy and Taylor Haney.It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.Our director is Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis.Our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Introduction Michigan Democrats Feud Midterm Map Shifts US-Iran Diplomacy EffortsSee 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
- 4 days agonarrative26 min5-min read
Who decides the future of America?
NPR's Sunday Story host Aisha Roscoe interviews senior political correspondent Tamara Keith for a midterm election primer, covering redistricting blowback, swing voter discontent, record ad spending, culture war messaging, and the risk that President Trump contests the results.
- 5 days agonarrative15 min5-min read
Oil Earnings, Binance Heist, A MAHA Update
This Saturday, October 31, 2026 edition of NPR's Up First delivers three substantial news segments: oil majors' record war-driven profits, the $6.3 billion Binance hack attributed to North Korean hackers, and a two-year report card on the MAHA movement's promises to make America healthy again.
- 6 days agonarrative12 min6-min read
Final Days Of Midterm Campaigning, Alaska Senate Race Controversy, Iran War Plans
This Friday, October 30th edition of NPR's Up First, hosted by Steve Inskeep and A. Martinez, delivers three major stories four days before the midterm elections: President Trump's abrupt shift from in-person rallies to tele-rallies, allegations that Alaska Democrats recruited a same-name spoiler candidate against Senator Dan Sullivan, and warnings from Senator Chris Murphy that a planned military strike on Iran is, in his words, 'insane.'
- 1 weeks agonarrative12 min6-min read
Midterm Spending Blitz, GDP & Inflations Reports, Israel Election Deadlock & Iran War
This episode of NPR's Up First covers three stories in the final stretch before the U.S. midterms: record-breaking campaign spending and unexpected Democratic competitiveness in Republican-leaning states, the last pre-election economic data showing strong growth but persistent inflation, and Israel's deadlocked election where a potential new war with Iran could break the coalition impasse.
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About Up First from NPR
NPR's Up First is the news you need to start your day. The three biggest stories of the day, with reporting and analysis from NPR News — in 10 minutes. Available weekdays at 6:30 a.m. ET, with hosts Leila Fadel, Steve Inskeep, Michel Martin and A Martinez. Also available on Saturdays at 9 a.m. ET, with Ayesha Rascoe and Scott Simon. On Sundays, hear a longer exploration behind the headlines with Ayesha Rascoe on "The Sunday Story," available by 8 a.m. ET.
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Up First from NPR covers topics including Citizen confrontation with law enforcement, Civil liberties and surveillance, Geopolitical conflict, Geopolitical conflict in Iran, ICE enforcement operations. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
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