Up First from NPR

The Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates for the first time in three years as the Iran war pushes inflation higher and borrowing costs are already climbing. Two new government reports put the cost of the Iran war at more than $30 billion and reveal extensive damage to U.S. bases and growing strain on key weapons stockpiles. The Kennedy Center board voted to close the building for re...

President Trump dismissed warnings from leading AI companies that the technology is advancing too fast, calling fears of machines taking over a hoax and framing AI development as a race with China. The Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s bid to impose new Postal Service requirements on mail-in ballots, meaning voting by mail that has already started in several states will continue un...

Leaders of some of the biggest AI companies say it is time to slow the pace of development after a string of incidents in which their systems went off script, even as President Trump says the United States should not ease up in the race with China. Talks between Iran and Gulf Arab states aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz were postponed as Iran-backed Houthis expand their control near another...

Last week, a judge declared a mistrial in the murder case of Lindsay Clancy, leading the public to wonder: What really went on in the jury room? On this episode of The Sunday Story, Ayesha Rascoe talks to WBUR’s Deborah Becker, who was at the courthouse for the duration of the trial. She explains why this trial ended without a verdict – and what the public interest in the case says about an evolvi...

India hosts the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi this weekend. The crash of an Amazon cargo jet in Miami is raising concerns about the safety culture at the retail giant's air operations. Congress weighs in on potential federal tax incentives to keep film production in the United States. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include spon...

Communities across the country will gather today to mark 25 years since the September 11 attacks, remembering the nearly 3,000 people who died that day and those later killed by illnesses from the toxic air at Ground Zero. President Trump closed the Republican midterm convention last night by urging supporters to vote as if he were on the ballot, even as large sections of the arena sat empty and h...

President Trump spoke on the first night of the Republican midterm convention, asking voters to pretend he is on the ballot and promising every adult $5,000 if Republicans keep Congress. Missouri election officials are caught between conflicting state and federal court rulings over which congressional map to use in November, with a Republican-drawn map that could help the party flip a Kansas City...

The U.S. has destroyed eight Iranian oil tankers since Saturday, as Iran fires back at American forces and Gulf countries reconsider the risks of hosting U.S. bases. Britain, Canada and France are moving to restrict trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, with Britain accusing settlers of ethnic cleansing and Israel responding with diplomatic retaliation. And Smithsonian Secretar...

Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion worth of U.S. goods took effect at midnight, matching President Trump’s latest duties after talks collapsed last month. Republicans are gathering in Dallas this week for an unusual midterm convention headlined both nights by President Trump, who wants voters to pretend he is on the ballot as the party looks to energize voters ahead of the midterm e...

Authorities in Florida are investigating why an Amazon cargo plane overran the runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, killing five people and injuring five more. President Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, made their first wartime visit to Kyiv after talks in Moscow, offering no breakthrough as Ukraine pushes for renewed peace talks and more air defenses. And Germany’s far...

Sunscreen may seem simple: slather it on, stay protected. But the science is more complicated than the label suggests. Why is it so hard to stay safe in the sun? On The Sunday Story, we dig into the surprisingly high-tech world of sunscreen and the questions swirling around it. Justine Paradis of New Hampshire Public Radio breaks down the new ingredients, dispels SPF myths, and points to updated g...

U.S. envoys arrived in Moscow today to revive efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The administration is rushing to build a triumphal arch overlooking Arlington National Cemetery despite legal efforts to stop it. Wildfires have burned more than 8,000,000 acres this season. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listen...

The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow new Postal Service requirements for mail ballots just as midterm voting begins, despite warnings from election officials that the plan could disrupt voting. The I.R.S. is proposing to revoke the tax-exempt status of private schools and universities with programs designed to benefit students based on race, potentially affecting thousands...

The Pentagon is losing experienced leaders under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, raising concerns about depleted weapons stockpiles and the military’s ability to manage a prolonged war with Iran. President Trump says Venezuela isn't ready for elections, while his Energy Secretary signs new oil deals in Caracas with the unelected government. In Massachusetts, jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial told...

The U.S. launched a second day of strikes on Iran after Tehran tried to put sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran firing back at American bases across the Gulf and claiming an American strike hit a wedding. Trump is under pressure to bring down gas prices before the midterms, touting a Venezuela oil deal and a meeting with energy executives even though neither is likely to deliver relief by...

The Supreme Court is allowing construction on the White House ballroom to continue, handing President Trump a victory on the emergency docket without deciding whether the project is legal. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has resigned after 18 months on the job amid growing tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, part of a wider churn at the Pentagon as the war with Iran continues. Finance ministe...

President Trump announced a new oil partnership that would give the U.S. majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan reserves, even as the deal raises questions about Washington’s goals for democracy there. The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire for the first time in nearly a month after American forces struck Iranian rocket launchers near the Strait of Hormuz and Iran retaliated agai...

Country singer and rapper Shaboozey is probably best known for his features on Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” album, or for his viral, chart-topping single, “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” Now he has returned to the scene with a new, star-studded record about an outlaw out to avenge her father’s death.  It’s a genre-defying concept album that fuses hip hop with country, spoken-word and ballads – and that feature...

An unusually strong El Niño is disrupting the weather around the globe, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr's anti-vaccination crusade is muddled after two deaths from measles complications, and it's been six ugly months since the U.S. and Israel launched a war with Iran. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free lis...

The flood disaster on the Nepal-Tibet border is far worse than first known, with hundreds now dead and more than a thousand missing, including dozens of Americans, as a lake swelling behind the debris raises fears of a second flood and rescuers race to reach survivors. Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh gives a speech in Wyoming today after disappointing investors last month with talk of curbing...

President Trump has spent the week picking fights with Iran, China, Canada and even his own party, putting Republicans on the ballot in a tough spot ahead of the midterms. Meta has agreed to settle with states that accused it of making its apps addictive for kids, paying up to 17 billion dollars and agreeing to change how Facebook and Instagram work for minors. A glacier collapsed on the border of...

Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80 after a recent cancer diagnosis. She is remembered as a country legend who became a true American icon. Canada is striking back in the trade war with the United States, putting tariffs on $20 billion of American goods starting September 8 after talks with Washington collapsed. And the Trump administration is moving to revoke nearly 200,000 visas by targeting...

The Trump administration rolled out what it calls the biggest economic offensive ever aimed at a country, naming 60 targets while warning others to cut ties with Iran or face U.S. sanctions of their own, though the toughest measures are still being held in reserve. In the Gulf, the UAE has already cut all trade with Iran while other neighbors remain in a difficult position, and China continues to...

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to unveil new economic pressure measures on Iran today as President Trump pushes an “Economic D-Day” aimed at cutting off any country that still provides Tehran a lifeline. Iran is vowing to neutralize the United States' economic war and warning neighbors not to get involved, cautioning it could stop oil from leaving the region altogether. Trade tension...

A thousand miles south of Hawaii, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a series of tiny islands form an atoll, called Palmyra. Palmyra Atoll is part of four protected U.S. marine monuments, forming the country’s largest environmental conservation area. It is also home to a thriving ecosystem of birds, marine life, and one of the most pristine coral reefs in the world. No people live on Palmyra full...