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Up First from NPR

Up First from NPR

By: 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/upfirstCopyright 2015-2026 NPR - For Personal Use Only Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Dana White on Trump, men and UFC at the White House | NPR's Newsmakers

    Dana White on Trump, men and UFC at the White House | NPR's Newsmakers
    May 18 2026
    In this special episode of Up First, we’re sharing the latest episode of NPR’s Newsmakers, featuring UFC president Dana White.

    When Donald Trump celebrated his imminent return to the White House on election night in November 2024, a parade of high-profile supporters joined him on stage. They included White, the president and CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the multibillion-dollar mixed martial arts organization. White calls Trump "a friend." This June 14, UFC will host a fight on the South Lawn of the White House -- commemorating the nation's 250th birthday. That day happens to be President Trump's birthday, too.

    White sat down with Steve Inskeep to discuss the growth and success of UFC, political polarization, and masculinity in the Trump era.

    NPR's Newsmakers is where you'll find NPR's biggest interviews. New episodes drop as soon as they're available -- any day of the week. To stay caught up, follow the show on Spotify, subscribe on YouTube, or find Newsmakers on the NPR app.


    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    25 mins
  • Cassidy Loses Louisiana Primary, Ebola Outbreak, Musk Sues Altman Over OpenAI

    Cassidy Loses Louisiana Primary, Ebola Outbreak, Musk Sues Altman Over OpenAI
    May 18 2026
    Senator Bill Cassidy became the latest Republican casualty in President Trump’s campaign against disloyal members of his party, losing his primary in Louisiana after voting to convict Trump following the January 6th insurrection.
    The World Health Organization has declared an international public health emergency over a deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has already killed more than 80 people and spread to neighboring Uganda.
    A jury in California has begun deliberating in Elon Musk’s high-profile lawsuit against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, with Musk claiming he was misled when he helped found the company as a nonprofit.

    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 by Anna Yukhananov, Carmel Wroth, Kara Platoni, Mohamad ElBardicy and HJ Mai.

    It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.

    Our director is Christopher Thomas.

    We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

    (0:00) Introduction
    (01:54) Cassidy Loses Louisiana Primary
    (05:35) Ebola Outbreak
    (09:14) Musk Sues Altman Over OpenAI

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    13 mins
  • The human cost of building the Dubai of Africa

    The human cost of building the Dubai of Africa
    May 17 2026
    For many of the poorest residents in Lagos, Nigeria, the land their families have lived on for generations is now being violently seized by the government to build luxury condos. The communities are fighting back, but even court injunctions haven’t stopped the bulldozers. This week on The Sunday Story, NPR’s Emmanuel Akinwotu goes to these sites of destruction and talks to those who have lost everything in this race to develop one of the world’s fastest-growing megacities.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    29 mins
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Featured Article: Stay Up to Date and Informed with the Best News Podcasts of All Time


In a world where breaking news headlines change hourly and we're inundated with constant notifications, articles, news blasts, and think pieces, it can be difficult to simply keep up with what's going on in the world—let alone make sense of it. That’s where podcasts come in. Ranging from global and breaking news to politics, art, and finance, these shows are hosted by experts in their fields. No matter what your interests, there's a podcast for you.

Featured Article Stay Up to Date and Informed with the Best News Podcasts of All Time
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So much of what people think of as news is just talking heads who try to appease their followers with whatever will make them angry or excited so that they continue to watch. This then feeds the talking head more money and power. There are not many true news channels left. This is one of them. It actually gathers the information and does its research And lets the listener decide.

Actual news not talking heads

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he title was good enjoyed listening to the audiobook. the story line was interesting. nice

good

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I always learn something listening to this program. It is my daily must-listen program to catch up on important news & insightful analysis. I greatly appreciate their fair-minded reporting.

Reporting with honesty & integrity

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Up first is the best way for me to know what fresh hell we are in now. I look forward to better leadership and news that is hopeful and future focused.

What Now??

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I am so glad to hear Ayesha Roscoe hosting this show. I have been a fan of her reporting for some time. Up First is my favorite morning news podcast and it is great to hear her as a host.

Yay! Ayesha’s here!

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