Up First from NPR

Most senators didn't question Todd Blanche's qualifications to lead the Justice Department at his confirmation hearing, they questioned whether the man who spent years as President Trump's personal lawyer would serve the president or the country. President Trump notified Congress that the U.S. is back at war with Iran, starting a new 60-day clock for military action, though the clock that may matt...

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will be on Capitol Hill today for his high-stakes confirmation hearing to lead the Justice Department permanently.  President Trump has talked about the US fully controlling the Strait of Hormuz. But for the US military that means much more than imposing yet another blockade on the key waterway.  The third fatal ICE shooting in a week is now prompting a policy...

The US and Iran have resumed hostilities, despite last month's memorandum of understanding. President Trump says the military will once again blockade the Strait of Hormuz. For the second time in a week, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed an immigrant. A 26-year-old Colombian man was killed yesterday in Maine. Some Maine elected officials say the victim wasn't the targe...

The U.S. and Iran are continuing to fight over control of the Strait of Hormuz after a weekend of heavy strikes, with the U.S. hitting dozens of Iranian targets and Iran firing at American bases in the Middle East. Senator Lindsey Graham has died at the age of 71, the South Carolina Republican was a committed advocate of U.S. military intervention abroad and a close ally of President Trump. And as...

From climate change to the rise of AI - it’s hard not to feel like human civilization could be nearing the end. What threats are really worth worrying about? And what can we do to survive a global catastrophe? Today on The Sunday Story , Ben Bradford, host of the new NPR Network podcast Are We Doomed?, tells us what he’s learned about the end of the world. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about...

Kalshi's new plan to prevent political campaign staffers from betting on their own campaigns is hardly foolproof. The disability community has concerns about moving special education oversight from the Education Department to the Department of Health and Human Services. Influencers are questioning the guidance to throw away leftover breast milk in a bottle after two hours. See pcm.adswizz.com for...

It's not clear if peace talks are still on as the funeral for Iran's former supreme leader wrapped up after days of mourning, and the tit-for-tat strikes appear to have stopped in what could be another lull, though Israel says it's ready to go back to war at any moment. More than 300,000 Haitians and thousands of Syrians are about to lose their right to work in this country, and with the work perm...

President Trump keeps swinging between threats and flattery, calling Iran's leaders rational and smart three weeks ago and scum this week, and he's a similar tactic with NATO allies, going from freeloaders to friends in a single summit. The U.S. struck Iran for a second straight night, hitting some 90 military targets near the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran fired back at American bases in Kuwait and B...

President Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran over at the NATO summit this morning, after the two sides traded heavy strikes overnight. Maine Democrats appear ready to move on from Graham Platner, who still hasn't said whether he'll drop his Senate bid after an accusation of sexual assault he denies, as party leaders scramble to line up a replacement before a fast-approaching deadline. And the...

Maine Democrat Graham Platner is facing growing calls to drop out of his Senate race after Politico published a former girlfriend's allegation of sexual assault, which he denies, in a blow to a party that saw the seat as key to retaking the Senate. NATO leaders are gathering in Turkey with President Trump among them, as he presses allies to spend more on their own defense while they look for reass...

America celebrated its 250th birthday against a backdrop of deep division, with white nationalists marching in Washington DC, counter protesters filling the Mall, and President Trump delivering a speech attacking Democrats as communists. Huge crowds are marching through Tehran for the funeral of Iran's former supreme leader as U.S.-Iran talks sit frozen until the mourning ends, while Israel's prim...

Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Declaration of Independence was signed, marking the birth of a new nation. But if you read the Declaration closely, it’s not just about creating something new;  it’s about ridding itself of something unwanted. It’s a break-up text, announcing secession from the British Crown. Today, that same spirit is fueling a modern-day movement in Illinois. A growing number...

President Trump’s speech at Mount Rushmore turns dark. Despite the heat, Americans are finding ways to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary. Two former Trump allies want to start a new political party. And after four months, Iranians officially mourn Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei, killed in Israeli/U.S. airstrikes. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of per...

The United States turns 250 tomorrow, but a brutal heat wave is already forcing cities to cancel parades and fireworks, and Washington D.C. will decide this morning whether the public can even attend its July Fourth events. Russia hit Kyiv with one of the deadliest strikes of the war overnight, firing nearly 600 missiles and drones that killed at least 27 people, Moscow says it's payback for Ukrai...

President Trump and his family brought in more than a billion dollars last year, much of it from cryptocurrency ventures that have dwarfed his real estate business and raised questions about potential conflicts of interest. Democratic socialists scored another big win in Colorado as Melat Kiros upset longtime Congresswoman Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary, the latest in a string of progress...

The Supreme Court closed out its term with a major loss for President Trump, upholding birthright citizenship, though the justices handed him plenty of power elsewhere over the course of the year. Democratic socialist Melat Kiros pulled off a stunning upset in Colorado's primary, unseating a 15-term congresswoman in the third such win for the left in a week, while an anti-Washington mood also cost...

The U.S. Supreme Court wrapped up its term with three consequential decisions, upholding birthright citizenship guarantees, striking down campaign finance limits and allowing trans athlete bans. Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter. This bonus episode of Up First was produced by Ana Perez, Lilly Quiroz, and...

The U.S. and Iran are set to meet in Qatar today after a weekend of trading fire that strained their fragile ceasefire, though the two sides can't even agree on whether the meeting is happening, while in Lebanon a deal meant to end the fighting is drawing fierce backlash from people who say their government sold them out. It's the last day of the Supreme Court's term, with a long-awaited ruling on...

The ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is barely holding after a weekend of strikes, with the U.S. hitting Iran and Iran firing back at American bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, though talks are still set to resume and Israel and Lebanon have reached a deal of their own. Search and rescue efforts continue across Venezuela five days after two powerful earthquakes, with the death toll approaching 1,500...

What happens to famous works of art when they are stolen from museums and private art collections? In the Netherlands, museums and collectors reach out to Arthur Brand, a self-styled art detective who works to track down art that has gone missing and fallen into the criminal underworld.   This week on The Sunday Story , when a famous Van Gogh painting is stolen from a museum, Brand teams up with a...

Three days after twin earthquakes hit Venezuela, rescue teams race against time, President Trump's interest in overhauling elections is not shared by all of his Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill, and New Mexico tries to provide free childcare for all residents. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorsh...

Rescuers in Venezuela are racing to reach thousands still missing after two powerful earthquakes struck seconds apart, with at least 235 people confirmed dead, hundreds still trapped, and U.S. search teams now heading to help. The Supreme Court handed President Trump two big immigration wins, clearing the way for his administration to strip legal status from hundreds of thousands of immigrants and...

Venezuela got hit by two of the most powerful earthquakes in its history, striking seconds apart near the capital and collapsing buildings as the government braces for a high death toll and the U.S. rushes in aid. President Trump blew up a popular bipartisan housing bill both parties wanted, refusing to sign it until the Senate passes his own elections bill that doesn't have the votes, it's the la...

President Trump is having lunch on Capitol Hill today with Senate Republicans, after four GOP senators broke with him to advance a resolution pushing to end the war with Iran and Trump's clashes with Majority Leader John Thune over the filibuster, voter ID, and the president's handling of the war with Iran. Congress passed the largest housing bill in decades last night with strong bipartisan suppo...

The U.S. has lifted oil sanctions on Iran for the first time in decades, letting Tehran sell its oil openly at higher prices meant to push Iran to comply on its nuclear program, even as the two sides are already split over whether Iran agreed to let inspectors back in. President Trump heads to Pennsylvania today to talk up the economy and his promise that gas and grocery prices will fall now that...