Episodes

  • Global Economic Forecast Dims, Ukraine Peace Talks, Pope Francis Lies In State

    Global Economic Forecast Dims, Ukraine Peace Talks, Pope Francis Lies In State
    Apr 23 2025
    Economists warned about an economic slowdown on the horizon for most countries around the world in the wake of century-high US tariffs. European, Ukrainian and U.S. officials meet in London for peace talks on Russia's war on Ukraine, and crowds began lining up at Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican to pay their last respects to Pope Francis.

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    Today's episode of Up First was edited by Rafael Nam, Kevin Drew, Ryland Barton, Janaya Williams and Arezou Rezvani.
    It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Damian Herring. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

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    12 mins
  • Defense Department Leak, Mourning Francis, SCOTUS Considers Opting Out

    Defense Department Leak, Mourning Francis, SCOTUS Considers Opting Out
    Apr 22 2025
    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth continues to find himself mired in controversy. Also — tributes have poured in from around the world remembering Pope Francis as a leader who advocated for the poor and the dispossessed, and the Supreme Court considers a case brought by parents who want to pull their kids out of public school classes because of objections to some learning materials.

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    Today's episode of Up First was edited by Andrew Sussman, Ryland Barton, Krishnadev Calamur, Arezou Rezvani and Janaya Williams.

    It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.

    We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

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    14 mins
  • Pope's Life And Legacy, What Happens Now In Rome, Reaction From South America

    Pope's Life And Legacy, What Happens Now In Rome, Reaction From South America
    Apr 21 2025
    Pope Francis, the first non-European head of the Roman Catholic Church in more than a millennium, died at age 88. A look at funeral plans, the selection process for the next Pope, what happens next in Rome, and reaction from South America.

    Want more comprehensive 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 by Russell Lewis, James Doubek, Miguel Macias, Arezou Rezvani and Janaya Williams.

    It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.

    We get engineering support from Damian Herring. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

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    13 mins
  • The Girls Who Were Sent Away

    The Girls Who Were Sent Away
    Apr 20 2025
    Before Roe v. Wade, when a young, unmarried girl got pregnant, she was often sent away – to a place called a maternity home. There, she would give birth in secret, surrender her baby, and return to her life as if nothing had happened. That shadowed history is the setting of Grady Hendrix's latest horror novel, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls. Today on The Sunday Story from Up First, Ayesha Rascoe talks with Hendrix about the truth that inspired his timely fiction — and what happens when people with little choice, discover a new kind of power.

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    20 mins
  • Supreme Court Blocks Deportations; Imprisonment in El Salvador; US-Iran Nuclear Talks

    Supreme Court Blocks Deportations; Imprisonment in El Salvador; US-Iran Nuclear Talks
    Apr 19 2025
    The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting a group of Venezuelans. Also, President Trump this week raised the possibility of sending US citizens convicted of crimes to prison in El Salvador. And we'll hear the latest on the second round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran.

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    19 mins
  • US Senator Visits Abrego Garcia, Florida State University Shooting, Fed Independence

    US Senator Visits Abrego Garcia, Florida State University Shooting, Fed Independence
    Apr 18 2025
    A US Senator from Maryland met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia — the man illegally deported by the Trump administration — in El Salvador. Two people were killed and six wounded in a shooting on the campus of Florida State University, and economists say it could backfire if President Trump pressures the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates.

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    Today's episode of Up First was edited by Willem Marx, Susanna Capelouto, Rafael Nam, Janaya Williams and Mohamad ElBardicy.
    It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Damian Herring. Our technical director is Zac Coleman. And our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor.

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    14 mins
  • Trump Wants Powell Out, Administration Risks Contempt, and Homegrowns Are Next

    Trump Wants Powell Out, Administration Risks Contempt, and Homegrowns Are Next
    Apr 17 2025
    President Trump is feuding with Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell. This all comes as Americans are feeling gloomier about the economy. Also, a judge found probable cause to find the government in criminal contempt, ruling that the Trump administration willfully disregarded an order to turn back airplanes carrying deported migrants to El Salvador, and President Trump says he is looking into whether the U.S. can detain citizens who commit crimes in overseas prisons.

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    Today's episode of Up First was edited by Gerry Holmes, Eric Westervelt, Rafael Nam, Janaya Williams and Mohamad ElBardicy.
    It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. And our technical director is David Greenburg.

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    13 mins
  • Hearing For Wrongly Deported Man, Prescription Drug Prices, Harvard Battle Continues

    Hearing For Wrongly Deported Man, Prescription Drug Prices, Harvard Battle Continues
    Apr 16 2025
    A federal judge in Maryland questioned the Trump administration about its continued refusal to retrieve a mistakenly deported man from an El Salvador prison, President Trump signed an executive action that aims to lower drug prices for Americans, and the President threatened to remove Harvard's tax exempt status.

    Want more comprehensive 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 by Anna Yukananov, Scott Hensley, Steven Drummond, Janaya Williams and Mohamad ElBardicy.
    It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent. And our technical director is David Greenburg.

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    14 mins