Up First from NPR

Israel has lifted its restrictions on humanitarian aid. A new U.S.-aid group is now preparing to bring food to Gaza, where hunger is widespread. But the UN and other groups have raised questions about this new entity. The Trump administration has targeted Harvard University over a number of issues. Steve Inskeep sat down with Harvard President Alan Garber. And thousands of positions in the area of diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) have been eliminated across corporate America. Want more comprehensive 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 Carrie Kahn, Reena Advani, Pallavi Gogoi, HJ Mai and Lisa Thomson. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis and our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Ukrainian officials say Russia launched its largest airstrikes since the start of the conflict. Sunday's attack, which killed 12 people, happened only hours before a prisoner exchange. Memorial Day is considered the unofficial start of summer and the summer travel season, but a deadly midair collision in the nation's capital in January and reports of air traffic control outages have raised safety concerns. Also, government forecasts predict an above normal wildfire risk for some parts of the country yet cuts to the US Forest Service makes fighting fires harder. Want more comprehensive 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 Ryland Barton, Catherine Laidlaw, HJ Mai, Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Lindsay Totti. We get engineering support from Damian Herring and our technical director is David Greenburg. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

A lot has changed in higher education since President Trump took office. This week on The Sunday Story, Ayesha reflects on her own college graduation, and she sits down with three graduating college seniors. They talk about how funding cuts have upended their postgrad plans and how the last semester has made them think differently about what college is all about. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Another major shakeup at the White House National Security Council. Officials tell NPR that dozens of staff were fired yesterday. Also, Sunday marks five years since George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. His death triggered a reckoning with racism. But we explore how Floyd's murder also fueled conspiracies and political extremism. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

The man suspected of killing two Israeli Embassy employees outside a Jewish museum in D.C. has been charged with two counts of murder, among other crimes. The Trump administration has revoked Harvard University's ability to enroll international students, sowing confusion for those who are already enrolled. Plus, the U.S. Supreme Court said President Trump can fire two members of independent agencies — for now. Want more comprehensive 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 Krishnadev Calamur, Nicole Cohen, Russell Lewis, Ally Schweitzer and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Zac Coleman and Josh Sauvagvau. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]