Up First from NPR

Project Freedom Strait Of Hormuz, Louisiana Redistricting, Senate Midterm Landscape

President Trump announced the U.S. military will begin escorting commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz in an operation he calls Project Freedom, even as he reviews a new offer from Iran and keeps the option of renewed strikes on the table. Louisiana’s governor suspended U.S. House races so lawmakers can draw new congressional maps after the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act, part of a broader Republican push for aggressive redistricting ahead of the midterms. With President Trump’s approval ratings near new lows, Democrats see a narrow but real opportunity to flip the Senate this fall in several key races including North Carolina, Ohio and Alaska. Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/news] to the Up First newsletter. Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Kelsey Snell, Susanna Capelouto, Mohamad ElBardicy and Arezou Rezvani. It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas. Our director is Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange. (0:00) Introduction (02:52) Project Freedom Strait Of Hormuz (07:39) Louisiana Redistricting (11:01) Senate Midterm Landscape See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

'The Bible is not a policy manual’: Christians reckon with immigration under Trump

Evangelicals in America are divided over immigration enforcement. So who gets to claim the side of God? This week on The Sunday Story, NPR’s Brittany Luse sits down with two people who think a lot about the separation of church and state: NPR’s religion correspondent, Jason DeRose, and the Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero, president and founder of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition. DeRose and Salguero unpack the rhetoric of conservative white Evangelicals and discuss what happens when the government uses scripture to justify policy. How does the Christian tenet of “welcoming the stranger” come to bear on current debates about U.S. immigration enforcement and war? This conversation was originally published as an episode of NPR’s It’s Been A Minute [https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510317/its-been-a-minute] podcast: “Christians are having a Trump-sized reckoning.” See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Spirit Airlines Folds, Abortion Pills, Government Debt

Spirit Airlines ceased operation overnight, as jet fuel prices are pinching airlines. A panel of federal judges in Louisiana has ended telemedicine access to the abortion pill mifepristone for the entire country. And the federal debt has outgrown the entire U.S. economy.  See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Stalemate In The Strait Of Hormuz, DHS Shutdown Ends, Trump's Surgeon General Nominee

President Trump is facing growing political pressure over the war in Iran as gas prices hit new highs and European allies accuse him of being humiliated by Tehran in the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz. The longest government shutdown in U.S. history is over. The House passed a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security after weeks of bitter partisan fighting over immigration enforcement. President Trump has nominated his third pick for Surgeon General after his previous two nominees failed to win Senate confirmation. Dr. Nicole Saphier is a breast cancer radiologist and frequent Fox News contributor. Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/news] to the Up First newsletter. Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Rebekah Metzler, Kelsey Snell, Kris Husted, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Ally Schweitzer. 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 Zac Coleman. And our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor. (0:00) Introduction (02:40) Stalemate In The Strait Of Hormuz (06:33) DHS Shutdown Ends (10:27) Trump's Surgeon General Nominee See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Hegseth Defends Iran War, Powell Stays On As Fed Chair, SCOTUS Voting Rights Case

The Pentagon estimates the war with Iran has already cost 25 billion dollars as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the cost of the war in a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says he will remain on the central bank’s board after his term ends next month to shield the agency from political pressure. The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the Voting Rights Act only prohibits congressional maps intentionally drawn to discriminate based on race, a decision that could make it much harder to challenge aggressive Republican-led redistricting efforts. Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/news] to the Up First newsletter. Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Andrew Sussman, Rafael Nam, Ben Swasey, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Ally Schweitzer. 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. And our deputy Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens. (0:00) Introduction  (02:18) Hegseth Defends Iran War (06:07) Powell Stays On As Fed Chair (09:55) SCOTUS Voting Rights Case See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]