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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.<br><br><em>Support NPR's reporting by subscribing to Up First+ and unlock sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org/upfirst</em>
- 13 minutes 49 secondsMiddle East War Intensifies, Trump's Rational For War, First Midterm PrimariesThe Middle East war is in its fifth day as the U.S. and Israel keep striking targets across Iran and Lebanon, Iran retaliates into the Gulf, and funeral preparations begin for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
President Trump is offering shifting explanations for why the U.S. struck Iran, as the White House tries to unify its message and Americans remain wary about what the war is meant to achieve.
And the first midterm primary results are in, with Democrats in Texas choosing James Talarico and early races in North Carolina and Arkansas offering a first read on where both parties are headed.
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 Hannah Bloch, Rebekah Metzler, Dana Farrington, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ana Perez and Nia Dumas
Our director is Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.
(0:00) Introduction
(01:55) Middle East War Intensifies
(05:58) Trump's Rational For War
(09:36) First Midterm Primaries
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NPR Privacy Policy4 March 2026, 11:05 am - 13 minutes 10 secondsMiddle East At War, Congress Briefed On War, Texas and North Carolina PrimariesThe State Department is urging Americans in the Middle East to leave as Iranian attacks continue, including a drone strike on the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed Congress on the war and lawmakers walked out split, as both chambers prepare to vote on measures that would curb the president’s war powers.
And voters in Texas and North Carolina are casting ballots in two expensive Senate primaries that could offer an early read on where both parties are headed in November’s midterm elections.
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 Miguel Macias, Kelsey Snell, Padma Rama, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ana Perez and Nia Dumas
Our director is Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
And our Supervising Senior Producer is Vince Pearson.
(0:00) Introduction
(01:55) Middle East At War
(5:51) Congress Briefed On War
(09:35) Texas and North Carolina Primaries
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NPR Privacy Policy3 March 2026, 10:50 am - 15 minutes 34 secondsUS Israeli War With Iran, Trump's War Address, Gulf Countries Bear The BruntIt is day three of the U.S. Israeli war with Iran as the fighting widens with Tehran launching retaliatory attacks across the Middle East, and Israel trading fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
President Trump says the strikes will continue “at full force” and warns Americans there will likely be more U.S. casualties, as the White House still hasn’t spelled out the war's objectives or how long it could last.
And Iran’s retaliation is hitting America’s Gulf partners hard, with missiles and drones turning places like Doha, Bahrain and Dubai into battle zones.
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 James Hider, Tina Kraya, Andrew Sussman, Miguel Macias, Olivia Hampton, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ana Perez, and Nia Dumas.
Our director is Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Zo van Ginhoven. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
(0:00) Introduction
(01:20) Pentagon Update on Iran
(07:18) US Israeli War With Iran
(10:39) Gulf Countries Bear The Brunt
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NPR Privacy Policy2 March 2026, 11:03 am - 26 minutes 39 secondsBet on Anything, Everywhere, All at OnceThe rise of prediction markets means you can now bet on just about anything, right from your phone. Apps like Kalshi and Polymarket have grown exponentially in President Trump’s second term, as his administration has rolled back regulations designed to keep the industry in check. Billions of dollars have flooded in, and users are placing bets on everything from whether it will rain in Seattle today to whether the US will take over control of Greenland. Who’s winning big on these apps? And who is losing? NPR correspondent Bobby Allyn joins The Sunday Story to explain how these markets came to be and where they are going.
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NPR Privacy Policy1 March 2026, 8:00 am - 13 minutes 34 secondsUS/Israeli Strikes Iran, Iran Retaliates on Israel and other Middle East Countries
The U.S. and Israel launch a joint attack on Iran. Iran responds with a missile attack on Israel, Bahrain, the U.A.E. and Qatar. Iran says a girls elementary school suffered a direct hit.
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NPR Privacy Policy28 February 2026, 2:54 pm - 13 minutes 10 secondsUS-Iran Tension, Clinton Deposition, Paramount Wins Warner Bros. BidThe U.S. may be on the cusp of striking Iran, even as President Trump has not laid out clear objectives, asked Congress for authorization, or made a full public case for military action.
Hillary Clinton sat for a six-hour, closed-door deposition in the House Oversight Committee’s Epstein investigation, and now Bill Clinton is set to testify as Republicans say they still have unanswered questions.
And Warner Bros. Discovery abruptly walked away from a deal with Netflix for a sweeter bid from Paramount, setting up a major media merger fight that now heads to antitrust regulators.
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 Rebekah Metzler, Megan Pratz, Gerry Holmes, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.
Our director is Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor
(0:00) Introduction
(01:57) US-Iran Tension
(05:47) Clinton Deposition
(09:30) Paramount Wins Warner Bros. Bid
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NPR Privacy Policy27 February 2026, 10:59 am - 30 minutes 23 secondsOklahoma’s governor on Trump, immigration and tribal landsOklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt leads a state that gave President Trump 66% of the vote in 2024. He is also charting his own course and has publicly differed with the president. Stitt sat for an interview with NPR’s Steve Inskeep and talked about his vision for the Republican Party’s post-Trump future.
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 was produced by Adam Bearne. We get engineering support from Margaret Luthar, David Greenburg and Tiffany Vera Castro.
Our Deputy Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens and our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor.
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NPR Privacy Policy26 February 2026, 5:53 pm - 13 minutes 11 secondsUS-Iran Talks, Summers Resigns Over Epstein Ties, Cuba Kills Four In Boat Strike
U.S. and Iranian officials are meeting in Switzerland for another round of high-level talks. The talks will focus on Iran’s nuclear program, but the U.S. also wants ballistic missile restrictions.
Harvard professor and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is resigning from his university positions over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Also, Cuban border agents shot and killed four alleged terrorists on a boat registered in the U.S.
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 James Hider, Tina Kraja, Elissa Nadworny, Tara Neill, HJ Mai and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.
Our director is Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Our Deputy Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens.
(0:00) Introduction
(02:13) US-Iran Talks
(06:02) Summers Resigns Over Epstein Ties
(09:59) Cuba Kills Four In Boat Strike
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NPR Privacy Policy26 February 2026, 11:19 am - 12 minutes 36 secondsTrump Delivers State Of The Union, Economic Focus, Aviation Safety Bill
President Trump touted the beginnings of an American revival during his State of the Union address. He talked about a “turnaround for the ages,” in a record-length speech filled with exaggeration.
And a bipartisan aviation safety bill failed to advance in Congress after the Pentagon withdrew its support.
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 Rebekah Metzler, Rafael Nam, Russell Lewis, HJ Mai and Adriana Gallardo.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas.
Our director is Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Neisha Heines. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
And our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.
(0:00) Introduction
(01:54) Trump Delivers State Of The Union
(05:34) What Trump Had To Say About The Economy
(09:34) Aviation Safety Bill
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NPR Privacy Policy25 February 2026, 10:52 am - 13 minutes 36 secondsTrump State of the Union Strategy, Mexico Cartel Violence, Epstein Files Naming TrumpRepublican strategists say President Trump needs a reset in his State of the Union tonight, with new NPR polling showing 60% of Americans think the country is worse off than a year ago.
Mexico is still reeling from cartel violence after a military operation killed the country's biggest drug lord, El Mencho, and triggered a wave of retaliation, raising questions about whether the government can take on the cartels without fueling even more violence.
And an NPR investigation finds the Justice Department removed or withheld dozens of pages from the Epstein files database that include allegations mentioning President Trump, even as the administration says it has released everything.
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 Rebekah Metzler, Rebecca Rosman, Megan Pratz, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.
Our director is Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Our Supervising Senior Producer is Vince Pearson.
(0:00) Introduction
(02:16) Trump State of the Union Strategy
(05:57) Mexico Cartel Violence
(09:43) Epstein Files Naming Trump
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NPR Privacy Policy24 February 2026, 11:08 am - 13 minutes 44 secondsTrump's New Tariffs, China Reacts To Tariff Ruling, State Of The Union PollPresident Trump says he’s raising global tariffs to 15% under a different authority after the Supreme Court blocked his emergency tariff power, forcing Congress to decide how closely they want to own the policy in a midterm election year.
China is weighing what the court ruling actually changes on the ground for exporters and how it could reshape Trump’s leverage ahead of his trip to Beijing in a few weeks.
And a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds most Americans say the state of the union is not strong, as President Trump heads into Tuesday night’s address facing deep divides over the country’s direction.
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 Krishnadev Calamur, Vincent Ni, Dana Farrington, Mohamad ElBardicy, and HJ Mai.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.
Our director is Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
(0:00) Introduction
(02:13) Trump's New Tariffs
(05:55) China Reacts To Tariff Ruling
(09:37) State Of The Union Poll
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NPR Privacy Policy23 February 2026, 10:59 am - More Episodes? Get the App