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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 Fi...
As heard by us
Based on 4 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Up First pairs firm questioning of political leaders with reported stories that show how public policy works once it reaches people's lives.
Up First shifts between pointed political interviews and reported Sunday features. Steve Inskeep presses Maryland Governor Wes Moore on military force, public investment and philanthropy, while Leila Fadel questions New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani about President Trump, ICE…
Why you'd press play
A cafeteria slide gets a funding question; a mayor gets a follow-up. You get more than talking points.
Press play if you want
- to hear Wes Moore reckon with his former unit's deployment and what a military mission needs
- to hear Ayesha Rascoe ask how a Cedar Rapids charter school affords its slide while public schools close
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Episodes
- 1
In one Iowa city, public schools compete in the free market. Are students better off?
NPR education correspondent Corey Turner reports from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where public schools compete for students against a new charter school funded by TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts and private Catholic schools that now enroll nearly all students using Iowa's $8,000-per-student education savings account.
Apr 19, 2026·32m·2 clips - 2
Hormuz Latest, Trump Rallies Amid Sinking Approval, Tariff Refunds
NPR's Up First covers the latest on Middle East ceasefires, Iran's Strait of Hormuz restrictions, and President Trump's rally in Arizona.
Apr 18, 2026·15m - 3
Lebanon-Israel Ceasefire, Hegseth On Blockade, Trump Nominates New CDC Director
A daily news podcast covering the top stories of the day, including a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Defense Secretary's comments on Iran, and a new CDC nominee.
Apr 17, 2026·13m - 4
Zohran Mamdani on NYC as a blueprint for Democrats | NPR's Newsmakers
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani sits down with NPR's Laila Fadil at City Hall for a wide-ranging interview covering his first 100-plus days in office, the war in Iran, and his relationship with President Trump.
Apr 17, 2026·29m·2 clips - 5
Trump's Iran War Timeline, Iran Blockade And Peace Talks, GOP And Trump Pope Feud
NPR's Up First covers the latest on the Iran war, including Trump's claims of nearing an end, Pakistan's mediation efforts, and Vice President Vance's defense of the pope's criticism.
Apr 16, 2026·13m - 6
Dave Chappelle on free speech and the purpose of comedy | NPR’s Newsmakers
Apr 15, 2026·39m - 7
Middle East War Negotiations, War And The Global Economy, New Swalwell Allegations
A daily news podcast covering the top stories of the day, including U.S.-Iran talks, Israel-Lebanon negotiations, and global economic impacts.
Apr 15, 2026·13m - 8
Swalwell Resignation, Strait Of Hormuz Standoff, Trump Feuds with Pope Leo
Apr 14, 2026·13m - 9
Trump's Blockade, Israel-Lebanon Talks, Hungary's Orbán Out
Apr 13, 2026·12m - 10
Dozens of Black pilots disappeared during WWII. Who are the men still lost?
Apr 12, 2026·17m - 11
US/Iran Peace Talks, Hungary Election Preview, Congress Returns Monday
Apr 11, 2026·16m - 12
Vance Iran Negotiations, Israel-Lebanon Talks, Artemis II Return To Earth
Apr 10, 2026·13m - 13
Trump and NATO, Shaky Ceasefire In Middle East, Lebanon's Day Of Mourning
Apr 9, 2026·12m - 14
Trump-Iran Ceasefire, Iran On Trump's Reversal, Markets React To Reopening Of Hormuz
Apr 8, 2026·14m - 15
Jamie Dimon on Iran, Trump and why he’s optimistic about AI | NPR’s Newsmakers
Apr 7, 2026·32m - 16
Iran Deadline, Middle East War Escalation, Artemis II Trip Home
Apr 7, 2026·13m - 17
Trump Issues Profane Threats, Trump's War Politics, Artemis II Lunar Flyby
Apr 6, 2026·13m - 18
The Americans caught in ICE’s web of surveillance
Apr 5, 2026·24m - 19
Jet Down in Iran, Voter Privacy, Dietary Guidelines
Apr 4, 2026·15m - 20
Pam Bondi Out, Iran Charges Strait Tolls, International Meeting on Hormuz
Apr 3, 2026·13m - 21
Trump's Speech On Iran, Reactions To Trump's Remarks, SCOTUS Birthright Case
Apr 2, 2026·13m - 22
Trump's Iran Endgame, War Economy, SCOTUS Birthright Citizenship Case
Apr 1, 2026·13m - 23
Iran War Week 5, Trump's Mixed Messages, TSA Back Pay
Mar 31, 2026·13m - 24
Lebanese Warfront, US Troops Deployed To Middle East, TSA and Travel
Mar 30, 2026·13m - 25
RFK Jr lauds Italy's addiction treatment. Can it work here?
NPR's Sunday Story examines San Patrignano, a 700-acre addiction treatment community in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, which U.S.
Mar 29, 2026·30m·2 clips - 26
Iran War, TSA Funding, No Kings Marches
Mar 28, 2026·14m - 27
Trump Cabinet, DHS Funding, CPAC, Trump and Iran
Mar 27, 2026·14m - 28
Gov. Wes Moore on Iran, pardon power, and his future | NPR's Newsmakers
Maryland Governor Wes Moore speaks with NPR's Steve Inskeep in the Maryland Statehouse about the Iran war, the Key Bridge rebuild, AI and democracy, and his political future.
Mar 27, 2026·36m·2 clips - 29
Iran Rejects US Peace Proposal, Troop Deployment, Social Media Trial
Mar 26, 2026·13m - 30
82nd Airborne Deployment, Israel Threatens Lebanon Invasion, DHS Funding Negotiations
Mar 25, 2026·13m - 31
Negotiations With Iran, Trump On Deal With Iran, ICE Impact On Airport Lines
Mar 24, 2026·13m - 32
Trump's Hormuz Deadline, Congress DHS Funding, ICE In Airports
Mar 23, 2026·13m - 33
The Betrayal of Trans Troops
Mar 22, 2026·30m - 34
On the Iranian Border, More Military on the Way, Warm Western Winter
Mar 21, 2026·16m - 35
Israel and Iran Trade Airstrikes, Trump Meets Japan PM, Kharg Island Future
Mar 20, 2026·13m - 36
Iran Attacks Energy Targets, DHS Confirmation Hearing, Cesar Chavez Abuse Allegations
Mar 19, 2026·14m - 37
Life Inside Iran, Trump and Cuba, Fed Interest Rates
Mar 18, 2026·14m - 38
Israel's Incursion Into Lebanon, NATO and Strait Of Hormuz, Cuba's Blackout and Trump
Mar 17, 2026·13m - 39
Middle East War Week 3, Trump Messaging 'Winning', Voting Act
Mar 16, 2026·13m - 40
Emotional Abuse in College Sports
A daily news podcast covering the top three stories of the day with reporting and analysis from NPR.
Mar 15, 2026·45m - 41
Iran War, Political Violence in US, New Action on Housing Affordability
Mar 14, 2026·15m - 42
Israel Bombs Beirut, Attacks In Michigan And Virginia, Housing Bill
Mar 13, 2026·13m - 43
Strait Of Hormuz Crisis, Gas Price Politics, Iranian School Strike Investigation
Mar 12, 2026·14m - 44
Intense Strikes On Iran, Trump Approval Poll, Georgia Special Election Runoff
Mar 11, 2026·14m - 45
Trump Declares Early Victory, Lebanon Asks Israel To Talk, New York Protest Attack
Mar 10, 2026·14m - 46
Iran War Escalates, Kurds Stay Out, Global Shipping Crisis
Mar 9, 2026·14m - 47
The Human Egg Sellers
An investigative report on India's underground market for human eggs, tracing how eggs from impoverished women reach couples through a chain of agents and clinics.
Mar 8, 2026·30m - 48
Iran One Week On, Oil Prices Spike, Latin America Meeting
Mar 7, 2026·15m - 49
Trump Fires Kristi Noem, Middle East War Latest, Venezuela-US Diplomacy
Mar 6, 2026·14m - 50
Iran War Expanding, Khamenei Successor, China Mediates Middle East War
Mar 5, 2026·13m