Up First from NPR

A U.S. fighter jet went down in Iran and there's been a shakeup of Army leadership. The retirement of a privacy officer at the Department of Justice shines a light on the Trump Administration's interest in voter information. And, the American Heart Association releases its guidance on the pattern of eating that promotes good health and helps fend off disease. Please help us out by completing a sho...

Attorney General Pam Bondi is out after facing backlash for the Justice Department's mishandling of the Epstein files and failing to deliver the prosecutions of President Trump's enemies. Iran is formalizing a toll system for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, charging up to two million dollars per vessel, as the energy crisis deepens and critical goods remain stuck at sea. And more than...

President Trump says the war in Iran will end shortly, promising to hit Iran extremely hard over the next two to three weeks but offering few specifics on how the Strait of Hormuz will reopen. The UK is hosting talks today on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran keeps a stranglehold on the waterway and threatens U.S. tech companies in the Gulf. And Trump became the first sitting president to at...

President Trump says the U.S. mission in Iran is almost over, walking back his demands on the Strait of Hormuz and saying other countries can deal with it themselves. Iran's closure of the strait has sent gas prices to their highest level in years, with U.S. truck drivers, farmers and brewers all feeling the ripple effects on their bottom line. And the Supreme Court hears President Trump's challen...

Pakistan says it is ready to host U.S.-Iran talks in the coming days, but Iran is still attacking U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia and other targets across the Gulf as the war enters its fifth week. President Trump is sending mixed messages on the war, claiming Iran agreed to most of his demands while threatening to obliterate its energy infrastructure if a deal isn't reached soon. And TSA workers are...

Israeli airstrikes killed three journalists in southern Lebanon this weekend, as Netanyahu orders the military to expand its offensive as millions are displaced by the war. Iran agreed to let 20 Pakistani-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz as a diplomatic gesture, but thousands more U.S. troops are arriving in the region, raising questions about whether a deal is close or the war is wideni...

As many as 50 million people in the United States are thought to struggle with an addiction to drugs or alcohol. The majority don’t get treatment for it, and of those who do seek treatment, about half relapse within the first year.  Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has his own story of addiction and credits Alcoholics Anonymous with keeping him sober. But Secretary Kennedy...

The Iran War enters its second month with no clear ceasefire talks. Gas prices and airport chaos weigh down President Trump's approval numbers. Protesters against the president gather around the country for a third No Kings march.   See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Polic...

In this special episode of Up First, we're sharing the premiere of NPR's newest podcast, Newsmakers , featuring Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.  Moore has turned aside speculation that he might seek the presidency in 2028. He is seeking re-election to his current job in 2026. But in this interview with Steve Inskeep, Moore says he's put a lot of thought into the challenge that President Trump’s successor...

The Senate reaches an agreement to open most of the Department of Homeland Security. Trump sets a deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, then extends it twice. GOP faithful gather for CPAC conference over mixed approval of the Iran war. Want more 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...

Iran rejects a U.S. proposal to end the war and offers a different peace plan. Thousands more U.S. troops are deployed to the Middle East as President Trump considers seizing Iranian oil infrastructure. An unprecedented verdict against Meta and Google finds the tech giants responsible for mental health issues like anxiety and depression.  Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, p...

NPR has confirmed the U.S. is sending thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne to the Middle East, raising questions about whether this is an escalation in the war or a pressure tactic to force Iran to the negotiating table. Lebanon expelled Iran's ambassador as Israel threatens to move the country's border northward and use the "Gaza model" in the south of Lebanon, with more than a millio...

After postponing attacks on Iranian powerplants, President Trump says a deal with Iran could come within days and NPR has confirmed backchannel efforts are underway through regional allies. Trump says he believes a deal is possible but is not guaranteeing anything, as the political clock ticks with midterms approaching and gas prices rising. And ICE agents are now in more than a dozen airports acr...

President Trump has given Iran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on its power plants and Iran is threatening to close the vital shipping waterway indefinitely if he follows through. Congress returns this week with airport lines growing and TSA agents going unpaid, as President Trump links any DHS deal to a long list of new demands including voter ID and ending mail-in voting....

In his first term, President Trump required transgender service members to register with the diagnosis of gender dysphoria in order to continue serving openly in the military. Now, amidst Middle East deployment plans, that documentation is being used to find and separate thousands of highly trained troops. This week on  The Sunday Story , how the Pentagon’s push to remove trans troops is affecting...

As the war in Iran enters its fourth week, Iranian civilians remain in the crossfire and the Pentagon is sending at least two Marine units to the region. In the American West, states reported their hottest and driest winter on record. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Pol...

Iran and Israel are trading airstrikes as the Israeli prime minister pushed back against claims he forced the U.S. into the war with Iran. Japan’s prime minister visited President Trump at the White House, where they talked about Iran and China, and 2,200 Marines are on their way to the Persian Gulf. Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun?  Subscribe  to the Up...

Iran attacked energy targets around the Persian Gulf in response to an Israeli strike as the war escalates. President Trump's pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), faced a tense confirmation hearing. Allegations that the late labor leader Cesar Chavez sexually abused girls are leading to a re-examination of his legacy. Want more analysis of the most imp...

Iran is retaliating for the killing of its top security chief with strikes across the region overnight, and Iranian are crossing into Iraq just to buy food they can no longer afford at home. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Cuba needs new people in charge, raising questions about what the Trump administration is actually planning for the island. And the Federal Reserve meets today facing a scra...

Israel intensified its air and ground operations in Lebanon overnight, with airstrikes hitting southern Beirut and millions displaced as the war shows no signs of letting up. President Trump is scolding NATO allies for not doing more to protect the Strait of Hormuz — as European leaders remain hesitant to get involved in the war with Iran. And Trump says he expects to "take Cuba" just as the islan...

Israeli officials say the man who attacked a Michigan synagogue last week had family killed in an airstrike in Lebanon, Israel says they targeted a Hezbollah commander in the home. President Trump is repeating one message as the war enters its third week  'the U.S. is winning', even as gas prices soar and Americans grow more skeptical of the Middle East war. And Senate Republicans are pushing a bi...

March Madness is here. The high-stakes, sudden-death college basketball tournament is a beloved tradition in American sports.  For the players, it’s a chance to showcase the skills they’ve developed through years of hard training of the body and mind. In many cases, that push produces incredible feats of athletic performance. But an investigation by reporters Julia Haney and Elizabeth Santos has f...

More strikes against Iran, including an island crucial to the country’s oil exports. Three separate domestic attacks in the U.S. do not appear to have direct links to Iran. President Trump signs two executive orders geared toward making housing more affordable, as Congress works on legislation.  See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and t...

Israel struck central Beirut overnight and issued the first ever evacuation order for part of the capital, as Israel vows it will not stop until Hezbollah is defeated and nearly a million people are displaced in Lebanon alone. The FBI is investigating two separate attacks as acts of terrorism — an armed man drove a car into a Michigan synagogue, and a gunman with a prior ISIS conviction opened fir...

Three commercial oil tankers were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz as U.S. and Israeli airstrikes continue on Tehran — Iran may be losing the war in the air, but it is strangling one of the world's most vital waterways and shaking global markets.  President Trump, who campaigned on bringing gas prices down, is now tapping the strategic petroleum reserve as the war drives prices up. And the Pentago...