Up First from NPR - Trump’s Economic Message, DC Helicopter Crash Report, New Nuclear Regulations

President Trump takes his economic message to Iowa, trying to refocus on affordability after weeks of distractions ranging from Greenland to Venezuela and fallout from federal shootings in Minnesota.
Nearly a year after a deadly midair collision near Washington, D.C., investigators say deep, systemic failures at the FAA allowed known risks to go unaddressed until it was too late.
And NPR has obtained documents showing the Trump administration quietly loosened nuclear safety and environmental rules to fast-track new reactors, raising concerns about oversight and public trust.

Want more 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 Rebekah Metzler, Russell Lewis, Brett Neely, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas, Ava Pukatch and Christopher Thomas.

We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Stacey Abbott.

Our Supervising Producer is HJ Mai.

(0:00) Introduction
(01:55) Trump Economic Message
(05:43) DC Helicopter Crash Report
(10:02) New Nuclear Regulation

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NPR's Book of the Day - Looking back at ‘Normal People,’ before Sally Rooney’s rise to fame

In 2019, Sally Rooney was promoting Normal People, the novel that would become her breakout hit. The book inspired a popular Hulu adaptation and positioned the author as one of the leading literary voices of her generation. In today’s episode, we revisit an interview between Rooney and NPR’s Rachel Martin, in which they reflect on the shifting nature of the novel’s central relationship.


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Short Wave - How scientists predict big winter storms

This past weekend, Winter Storm Fern struck the States. Sleet, snow and ice battered Americans all the way from New Mexico to New York. Scientists predicted its arrival in mid-January, and in anticipation of the storm, more than 20 state governors issued emergency declarations. But how did scientists know so much, so early, about the approaching storm? NPR climate reporter Rebecca Hersher says it has to do with our weather models… and the data we put into them. Which begs the question: Will we continue to invest in them?

Interested in more science behind the weather? Check out our episodes on better storm prediction in the tropics and how the Santa Ana winds impact the fire season this time of year. 


Have a question we haven’t covered? Email us at shortwave@npr.org. We’d love to consider it for a future episode! 


Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.


This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn. It was edited by our showrunner Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones and Rebecca Hersher checked the facts. The audio engineer was Robert Rodriguez. 

News clips were from CBS Boston, Fox Weather, Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, and PBS Newshour.

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The Indicator from Planet Money - Why isn’t corporate America standing up to Trump?

President Trump has been storming through corporate America — taking a stake in Intel, demanding a cut of Nvidia’s sales, restricting skilled workers, among other big footed policies.

Meanwhile, corporate leaders have mostly just … rolled over.

Today on the show: As Trump rewrites the rules of doing business, why aren’t business leaders doing more to speak up?

Related episodes: 

How close is the US to crony capitalism? 

Davos drama, credit card caps and tariff truths 

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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Consider This from NPR - Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro on resisting Trump

Pennsylvania democratic Governor Josh Shapiro on resisting Trump policies, his faith and whether he plans to run for president.


Shapiro is one of the most prominent Jewish officeholders in the US.  In a new memoir “Where we Keep the Light” Shapiro explores his faith, as well as his career in politics… one that's taken him from state representative, to Pennsylvania attorney general to a swing state governor.


For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.


This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam, with audio engineering from Becky Brown. 

It was edited by Sarah Handel.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.




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Up First from NPR - Bovino Out Of Minnesota, Trump Refocusing On Economy, Social Media On Trial

Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, the public face of the Trump administration’s immigration operations, is no longer leading enforcement efforts in Minnesota after two fatal shootings and escalating legal battles over who gets to investigate them.
President Trump heads to Iowa trying to sell his economic agenda, even as backlash grows from within his own party over his immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
And a landmark trial begins in Los Angeles that will test whether major social media companies knowingly designed their platforms in ways that harm kids, a case that could force the tech industry to rethink how its apps are built.

Want more 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 Andrea de Leon, Rebekah Metzler, Brett Neely, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas, Ava Pukatch and Christopher Thomas.

We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Stacey Abbott.

Our Supervising Senior Producer is Vince Pearson.

(0:00) Introduction
(01:55) Bovino Out of Minnesota
(05:57) Trump Refocusing on Economy
(09:38) Social Media on Trial

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NPR's Book of the Day - ‘Emergency Contact’ explores love in the age of modern technology

Content warning: this episode contains discussions of sexual assault.


It’s not breaking news that technology has seeped into modern dating culture. Screens make it easier for us to meet people, but does this convenience trigger a loss of genuine connection? In Mary H.K. Choi’s Emergency Contact, two young lovers are put to the test when their devices become an unwanted third party in their relationship. In today’s episode, Choi joins NPR’s Lulu Navarro for a conversation about her debut novel, and how teenagers can seek meaningful connections with each other beyond a phone screen.


To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday


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Short Wave - What drives animals to your yard? It’s complicated

Listener Shabnam Khan has a problem: Every time she works in her garden, she’s visited by lizards and frogs. Shabnam has lived in the metro Atlanta area for decades, and she says this number of scaly, clammy visitors has exploded over the past few years. Frogs croak at night; lizards sun on the cement. And she wants to know, where did all of these animals come from? It turns out, there are a number of potential answers – from small-scale environmental changes like natural plants and new water sources to large-scale shifts like urbanization and development displacing local wildlife. On this month’s Nature Quest, host Emily Kwong and producer Hannah Chinn discuss the possibilities – and impacts – of these changes.

If you live in the Atlanta area and are interested in volunteering with MAAMP (the Metro Atlanta Amphibian Monitoring Program), you can sign up for training here.

This episode is part of Nature Quest, our monthly segment that brings you a question from a fellow listener who is noticing a change in the world around them.

Send a voice memo to shortwave@npr.org telling us your name, location and a question about a change you’re seeing in nature – it could be our next Nature Quest episode!

Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.

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The Indicator from Planet Money - Can Europe sell America?

“Sell America.” There’s new talk of how Europe could turn the economic screws on the U.S. after President Trump’s play for Greenland. Selling U.S. Treasury bonds is one way. Another is a legal tool. It’s been called the EU’s bazooka.

On today’s show, taking stock of Europe’s financial arsenal. How could America’s largest foreign lender lighten Americans’ wallets?

Planet Money wrote a book and is going on tour, come see us: tickets and tour dates here

Related episodes: 
Davos drama, credit card caps and tariff truths
Why Trump resurrected the Monroe Doctrine
Lunch with the man who coined TACO

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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