Up First from NPR
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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. Subscribe and listen, then support your local NPR station at donate.npr.org.Support NPR's reporting by subscribing to Up First+ and unlock sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org/upfirst
Episodes
Mentioned books
166 snips
Feb 4, 2026 • 13min
DHS Funding Negotiations, Russia Attacks Ukraine Power Grid, Nationalizing Elections
Miles Parks, NPR voting correspondent, breaks down constitutional limits on federal election control. Eleanor Beardsley, reporting from Kyiv, describes renewed Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power grid amid harsh cold. Jimena Bustillo, immigration policy correspondent, outlines tense DHS funding talks and contentious enforcement reforms. Short, urgent conversations on law, war-damaged infrastructure, and migration politics.
101 snips
Feb 3, 2026 • 12min
Government Shutdown Day 4, US-Iran Nuclear Talks, Guthrie Investigation
Jackie Northam, an NPR Middle East correspondent, covers renewed U.S.-Iran nuclear talks and regional diplomatic pressure. Claudia Grisales, an NPR congressional reporter, breaks down the funding deal, DHS funding pause, and House maneuvering. They discuss shutdown stakes, tough DHS bargaining points, and why Gulf states are pushing diplomacy. Short, urgent takes on three fast-moving stories.
184 snips
Feb 2, 2026 • 13min
House Shutdown Vote, Minneapolis Immigration Operations, Trump Kennedy Center Closure
Tamara Keith, NPR senior White House correspondent covering presidential decisions and cultural controversies. Kat Lonsdorf, Minneapolis reporter on local impacts of federal immigration operations. Luke Garrett, congressional reporter on shutdown and funding fights. They discuss the partial government shutdown and DHS negotiations. They cover the judicial ruling allowing Minneapolis immigration operations to continue. They detail plans to close the Kennedy Center for a large renovation.
50 snips
Feb 1, 2026 • 26min
Women in the Skilled Trades Face New Hurdles
Andrea Hsu, NPR labor and workplace correspondent who covers employment and workplace issues, reports on women in the construction trades. She visits a large tradeswomen conference and describes apprenticeship paths that bring women into skilled work. She covers training programs, wage equity, unions’ protections, and how recent policy rollbacks threaten hard-won gains for women in trades.
151 snips
Jan 31, 2026 • 15min
More Epstein Files Released; Government Shutdown; New Winter Storm
Victoria Hanson, a Charleston reporter, describes local preparations for a rare Southeast winter storm. Sam Gringlass, an NPR congressional reporter, breaks down the partial government shutdown and the political fight over Homeland Security funding. Stephen Fowler, an NPR political reporter, walks through the Justice Department release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and what the documents reveal and conceal.
166 snips
Jan 30, 2026 • 14min
Senate Funding Deal, Border Czar Homan In Minnesota, Georgia Election Ballots Seized
Stephen Fowler, an Atlanta reporter on Georgia elections, covers the FBI seizure of Fulton County ballots and legal questions. Sergio Martinez Beltran reports from Minneapolis on federal immigration raids, protests, and community impacts. Jimena Bastillo explains the short-term Senate funding deal and the fight over Department of Homeland Security funding. Multiple fast-moving stories unpack national political and legal tensions.
132 snips
Jan 29, 2026 • 14min
Senate Funding Vote, ICE Family Detention Protest, Fed Holds Interest Rates
Joey Palacios, Texas Public Radio reporter who covered the South Texas family detention protest and Liam Ramos’s case. Claudia Grisales, NPR congressional correspondent who explained Senate tactics on DHS funding and ICE limits. They discuss a tense detention-center confrontation and legal hurdles around a child’s removal. They also cover Democrats’ push to block DHS funds and the politics of splitting the spending package.
160 snips
Jan 28, 2026 • 14min
Trump's Economic Message, DC Helicopter Crash Report, New Nuclear Regulations
Joel Rose, an NPR transportation and safety reporter, breaks down the NTSB findings on the DC-area midair collision and where FAA oversight failed. The conversation also covers shifting political economic messaging in Iowa and recent changes to nuclear safety rules. Short, clear takes on aviation risk, regulatory gaps, and policy moves.
228 snips
Jan 27, 2026 • 13min
Bovino Out Of Minnesota, Trump Refocusing On Economy, Social Media On Trial
Shannon Bond, NPR tech and business reporter who covered a Los Angeles trial about social platforms and children. Franco Argenius, White House correspondent on the president’s Iowa push and messaging. Matt Sepik, Minnesota reporter on the removal of a Border Patrol commander and federal-state clashes over two fatal shootings. They discuss the leadership change, political fallout, and the high-stakes social media trial.
131 snips
Jan 26, 2026 • 13min
Minnesota ICE Shooting Aftermath, Senate DHS Funding Vote, Icy Weather
Sam Greenglass, an NPR congressional reporter covering Capitol dynamics, and Jasmine Garst, an on-the-ground Minneapolis reporter, discuss the fallout from a federal agent shooting and local protests. They examine Senate standoffs over DHS funding and the risk of a shutdown. The show also covers widespread icy storms, power outages, and major travel disruptions.
