Up First from NPR

President Trump proposes major cuts to several federal agencies in next year's budget, but he wants defense and border security spending to increase. The budget plan comes after the economy shrank during the first three months of this year. We'll have the latest on the state of the economy. Plus, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has added the title of national security adviser to his growing roster of roles. But will he have the bandwidth to do both jobs? Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

A new executive order aims to cut federal subsidies to PBS and NPR. President Trump is nominating national security adviser Mike Waltz as his ambassador to the United Nations, and a federal judge ruled that the use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan immigrants from is "unlawful." 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 Gerry Holmes, Roberta Rampton, Eric Westervelt, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange. And our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Steve Inskeep speaks with War Room Podcast Host and Trump ally Steve Bannon about the changes the U.S. President has introduced in his first months in office in 2025 and where he sees things heading. 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 Reena Advani and produced by Barry Gordemer. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

The US economy shrank in the first three months of the year and economists say the months ahead could also be challenging. Ukraine signed a deal with the US to jointly invest in Ukraine's minerals and natural resources, and tensions are high between India and Pakistan after last week's deadly attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir. 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 Rafael Nam, Ryland Barton, Vincent Ni, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. 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. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

President Trump celebrated 100 days of his second term at a rally in Michigan and called his policy changes the "most profound" in generations. Steve Bannon weighed in on the first 100 days of the Trump presidency, and Congressional Republicans return from recess aiming to pass the President's so-called "big beautiful bill" before Memorial Day. 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 Roberta Rampton, Reena Advani, Kelsey Snell, Vincent Ni, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. 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. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

In a new poll, voters graded President Trump's first 100 days in office. An NPR analysis finds more than 100 people and groups the President targeted for retribution in his second term, and NPR traveled to Vermont to speak with a Columbia University student detained by the Trump administration. 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 Megan Pratz, Barrie Hardymon, Jan Johnson, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle.It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

The Trump administration continues to crack down on US immigrants without legal status, even the Canadian election has been dominated by President Trump, and a measles outbreak is especially bad in Texas, where two of every three people with the virus live. 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, Tara Neill, Alfredo Carbajal, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. get engineering support from David Greenburg. And our technical director is Zac Coleman. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

NPR's cybersecurity correspondent Jenna McLaughlin recently broke a story about a whistleblower inside the federal government who says DOGE representatives appear to have taken sensitive data, then covered their tracks. Daniel Berulis works for the National Labor Relations Board and he has shared evidence that DOGE engineers disabled security protocols, exported reams of sensitive data and used a "hacker's toolkit" to hide their activities. And he thinks his agency is not alone. Today on The Sunday Story, what this possible breach could mean for the private data of millions of Americans. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

We report live from St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, where Pope Francis's funeral is taking place. Plus, the U.N.'s food agency says it is running out of food to distribute to people in Gaza two months into an Israeli blockade. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Ukraine says a ceasefire must be in place first before it will accept a peace deal with Russia, President Trump claims it's not possible for all of the people he wants to deport to get a trial, and after two years of brutal fighting, Sudan's once-vibrant capitol city of Khartoum is in ruins. 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 Tara Neill, Anna Yukhananov, Ryland Barton, Janaya Williams and Jan Johnson. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange. And our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

President Trump is now saying tariffs on China will come down substantially, striking a very different tone from the tough talk of a few weeks ago. The President lashed out at Ukrainian President Zelenskyy after he rejected U.S. terms to end the war with Russia, and in a series of executive actions President Trump targeted foreign funding and DEI initiatives at universities and K-12 schools. 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 Roberta Rampton, Ryland Barton, Steve Drummond, Janaya Williams and Arezou Rezvani. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Zac Coleman. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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. 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 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. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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. 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 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. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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. 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 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. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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. President Trump says he is looking into whether the US can detain citizens who commit crimes in overseas prisons, and experts say tariffs will soon affect consumer spending. 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 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. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele says he has no plans to return a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador, an NPR report details unusual data events at the National Labor Relations Board, and Harvard University says that it won't comply with a list of demands from the Trump administration. 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 Roberta Rampton, Brett Neely, Steven Drummond, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Janaya Williams. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Carla Estevez, Ashley Montgomery, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent. And our technical director is David Greenburg. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy