Podcast: Up First

Former President Jimmy Carter is remembered for peacemaking and humanitarian causes. A high-ranking Syrian official makes unprecedented comments about relations with Israel to NPR. Families seek answers after a fiery airliner crash in South Korea.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 Yukhananov, Andrew Sussman, Ryland Barton, Jan Johnson and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Kaity Kline, Nia Dumas and Julie Depenbrock.. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Former President Jimmy Carter has died at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was 100 years old, a modest man with an unforgettable ear-to-ear grin. Carter was the country's 39th president, serving only one term from 1977 to 1981. His years in the White House were difficult. He faced enormous problems at home and abroad and struggled to prove that he was a strong and capable leader. But once he left office, Carter became an almost unstoppable force for peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts. In this special episode of Up First, we consider the legacy of the man widely called "America's greatest former president."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In our last episode of 2024, we go for a walk.Earlier this year, NPR's immigration reporter Jasmine Garsd and Code Switch producer Xavier Lopez spent a day in one of their favorite places in the world: Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, New York.It's a place they share with one of the most diverse communities in the world, a place where immigrants from around the globe gather to relax, recharge, and reconnect.Today on The Sunday Story, you'll hear an excerpt of an episode from NPR's Code Switch podcast. You can listen to the full episode here.And finally, we have a question for you. What's a place that you visit regularly–a place that lifts you up? We'd love to hear you tell us about it. You can send us a 2-3 minute voice memo at upfirstsunday@npr.org. Bonus points if you include sounds from the space you're in.Make sure to tell us your name and where you're speaking to us from, and we might share it in an episode in 2025.Thanks for spending your Sundays with us this year.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President-elect Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to delay implementation of the law banning TikTok. Western officials say North Korean soldiers are dying in high numbers along the Ukrainian front. The FDA says Zepbound is no longer in shortage, raising its cost.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

South Korea's parliament has voted to impeach the country's acting president. Israel launched its largest and most aggressive attack so far against the Houthis in Yemen. And, the country Georgia is set to swear in a new president while the incumbent has refused to stand down. 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, Nick Spicer, Peter Granitz, Lisa Thomson and Alice Woefle. It was produced by Ziad Butch, Nia Dumas and Milton Guevara. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange. And our Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A Russian attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure leaves thousands of people without heat. The auto sector is in the midst of two seismic changes and that means existing companies will need to adapt. And, the holiday season in Nigeria is muted this year against the backdrop of one of the country's worst economic crises in decades. 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 Peter Granitz, Emily Kopp, Miguel Macias, Lisa Thomson and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Ana Perez. We get engineering support from Josephine Nyounai. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For the second year in a row, official celebrations have been cancelled in Bethlehem, the city where Christian tradition says Jesus was born. Famine has spread in Sudan where people are experiencing one of the world's worst starvation crises in modern times. And, a look at the year's biggest stories from space. Join the new NPR Plus Bundle to support our work and get perks like sponsor-free listening and bonus episodes across more than 25 NPR podcasts. 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, Miguel Macias, Gisele Grayson, Lisa Thomson and Ally Schweitzer.It was produced by Ziad Buchh , Nia Dumas, Claire Murashima and Ana Perez. We get engineering support from Nisha Heinis. And our technical director is Andie Huether.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Facing a manpower shortage, Ukraine is relying more and more on unmanned flying attack drones. The visas used by foreign-born scientists is an immigration category expected to come under renewed scrutiny under the incoming presidential administration. And, a look at three new species added to the scientific record this year. Join the new NPR Plus Bundle to support our work and get perks like sponsor-free listening and bonus episodes across more than 25 NPR podcasts. 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 Miguel Macias, Gisele Grayson, Lisa Thomson and Alice Woefle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas, Claire Murashima and Ana Perez. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Biden uses his clemency authority to commute the sentences of 37 of the 40 men on federal death row to life without parole. The National Institutes of Health recently announced it's investing $300 million dollars to research treatments for long COVID. Antiquities in Lebanon were destroyed during the Israel-Hezbollah war despite protections for cultural sites under the laws of war. Join the new NPR Plus Bundle to support our work and get perks like sponsor-free listening and bonus episodes across more than 25 NPR podcasts. 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 Dana Farrington, Carrie Feibel, Denice Rios, Lisa Thomson and Ally Schweitzer. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Ana Perez. We get engineering support from Nisha Heinis. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In part two of our story about Ben Spencer, a man sentenced to life in prison for a crime he said he didn't commit, former NPR correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty begins her own investigation. She returns to the scene of the crime and reinterviews witnesses. Hagerty finds new evidence of Spencer's innocence. And yet, the courts refuse to release him. In this episode of The Sunday Story from Up First, a look at what finally happens to a man who pinned his hopes on the idea that the truth would eventually set him free.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In 1987, Ben Spencer, a young black man from Dallas, Texas was convicted in the killing of a white businessman. He was sentenced to life in prison by an all-white jury. There was no physical evidence linking him to the crime and he had an alibi. Over the years, eyewitnesses recanted their testimony and a judge, after reviewing all the prior evidence, declared Spencer to be an innocent man. Nonetheless, Spencer remained in prison for more than three decades. For seven of those years, former NPR correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty follows and followed the twists and turns of this case. Her dissection of wrongful convictions and the criminal justice system is at the heart of her new book, Bringing Ben Home: A Murder, A Conviction And The Fight to Redeem American Justice. Today on The Sunday Story from Up First, part one of a two-part series looking at why it is so hard to get a conviction overturned even when evidence of innocence is overwhelming. Part two is also available now on the Up First podcast feed.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Congress approved a short-term spending deal to keep government running until mid-March. A man drove a car into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing at least five. Netflix again plans to stream major sporting events live, after a rocky first attempt last month.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Congress has a midnight deadline to fund the federal government. Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump instructed Republicans to kill a bipartisan plan. Then the House rejected Trump's preferred alternative. Russia's army has lost thousands of soldiers trying to capture a strategic Ukrainian town, and in Syria, the rebel group that toppled former dictator Bashar al-Assad is now is now tasked with building a new government that includes everyone in a divided country.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 Kelsey Snell, Carrie Kahn, Ryland Barton, HJ Mai and Olivia Hampton. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Our executive producer is Kelley Dickens.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

TikTok's U.S. future is up to the Supreme Court. The Chinese-owned company wants the high court to stop a ban of the app from taking effect next month. Many Syrian refugees say they want to go home, now that the Assad regime is gone — but what will wait there for them? In France, judges delivered verdicts in a rape case that has shocked the nation and the world. 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 Kara Plantoni, Arezou Rezvani, Ryland Barton, HJ Mai and Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Nisha Heinis, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism. What does that mean? The Federal Reserve considers one last cut in interest rates for the year, and identity of a school shooter in Wisconsin is forcing to reconsider gender stereotypes.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President-elect Donald Trump has been holding court at Mar-a-Lago since his election victory. CEOs, foreign leaders and lawmakers have all made the trip to South Florida. He talked about his visitors and other issues in a post election news conference yesterday. Two people were killed when a student opened fire at a Wisconsin school. The alleged shooter is also dead. A gene-edited pig kidney has for the first time been transplanted into a human. 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, Cheryl Corley, Scott Hensley, HJ Mai and Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Some people in Syria aren't so sure what the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government means for them. We hear from Syrians who ask if the collapse of the old regime might bring retribution against them. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is trying one more time for a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. What could make this time any different? ABC News settled a defamation lawsuit with President-elect Trump. The network will donate millions to his presidential library, even though experts felt ABC had a strong legal defense.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 Arezou Rezvani, Carrie Kahn, Emily Kopp, HJ Mai and Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Taylor Haney, Nia Dumas and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Zac Coleman.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The legendary African American poet Nikki Giovanni passed away this week at the age of 81. Since fiercely coming onto the scene during the Black Power movement of the 1960s, Giovanni established a rich and powerful literary legacy. Her work often celebrated the power of Black joy contained within the fight for civil rights by reminding readers that "Black love is Black wealth".Today on the show, we feature a conversation between Rachel Martin, host of NPR's Wild Card, and Nikki Giovanni from earlier this year.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

South Korea's parliament impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol for his attempt to impose martial law on the democracy. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued a New York doctor for prescribing abortion medication to a Dallas-area woman. A drought in Brazil has caused the price of coffee on the futures market to reach a 47-year high.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The fall of Syria's regime is a blow to Iran. Iranian money and troops propped up former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government. How much do the developments in Syria set back an adversary of Israel and the U.S.? Some American colleges have issued a warning to their international students. They're suggesting students should try to return before Inauguration Day, to avoid any trouble at the border. Also, who's flying drones over New Jersey?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 Didrik Schanche, Steven Drummond, Ally Schweitzer, HJ Mai and Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Ben Abrams. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy