Up First from NPR - Healthcare Subsides Expire, Trump and Minnesota, Mamdani Takes Office In NYC

Health insurance costs jump for millions after pandemic-era Affordable Care Act subsidies expired overnight.
The Trump administration freezes child care funding nationwide after targeting Minnesota over unproven fraud claims tied to Somali-run day care centers.
And New York City’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is sworn in at midnight as he prepares to take office.

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 Carrie Feibel, Cheryl Corley, Andrea De Leon, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.

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

We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

Our deputy Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens.

(0:00) Introduction
(02:33) Healthcare Subsidies Expire
(05:53) Trump and Minnesota
(10:06) Mamdani Takes Office in NYC

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NPR's Book of the Day - ‘Feeding Ghosts’ is a graphic memoir grappling with generational trauma

As 2025 comes to a close, we're revisiting interviews with this year's nominees and winners of some of the biggest prizes in literature. Tessa Hulls’ grandmother, Sun Yi, was a dissident journalist in Shanghai who faced intense political persecution during the Chinese Communist Revolution. In today’s episode, Hulls tells Here & Now’s Scott Tong that her grandmother’s trauma often cast a shadow over their family – one she decided to finally face in her new graphic memoir, Feeding Ghosts. It’s a reexamining of Hulls’ matriarchal lineage, of Chinese history and of generational love and healing.

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1A - Best Of: Finding Agency In Chaos

If you've been following the news lately — including with 1Ait can be a lot to take in.

We've heard from many of you about how the news makes you feel. But what can we do in chaotic moments of history to build a sense of control in our lives? Maybe it's organizing in your community, starting a new hobby, or picking up that TV show from 10 years ago that you promised you'd get around to watching.

What can finding agency in the chaos look like? Why should we actively focus on something rather than simply react to what's happening?

Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

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Consider This from NPR - What Bad Bunny means to Puerto Ricans

This summer, the island of Puerto Rico was under the thrall of Bad Bunny. His 31-concert residency at a stadium in San Juan was a homecoming for the global superstar.



It's also a homecoming for many thousands of people who left home – but are flocking back for the shows.

NPR’s Adrian Florido reports on how the concerts resonated with Puerto Ricans on and off the island.

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 Kathryn Fink, Elena Burnett, Liz Baker and Marc Rivers. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon and Gigi Douban. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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State of the World from NPR - Looking Back: Uncovering the Secrets of an Irish Home for Unwed Mothers

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year, we revisit a story about families from Ireland learning their full history. There, the Catholic Church once ran homes for unwed mothers. Until recently the church dominated life in Ireland and pregnancy outside marriage was considered shameful. Behind one of these homes a ghastly discovery has recently been made. It was a secret most people in the town knew about, but no one took any action until recently. And through reporting the story, our correspondent learned of a personal connection to this history.

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Planet Money - Indicators of the Year, Past and Future

2025 is finally over. It was a wild year for the U.S. economy. Tariffs transformed global trading, consumer sentiment hit near-historic lows, and stocks hit dramatic new heights! So … which of these economic stories defined the year?


We will square off in a family feud to make our case, debate, and decide it. 


Also, as we enter 2026, we are watching the trends and planning out what next years stories are likely to be. So we’re picking  which indicators will become next years most telling. 


On today’s episode, our indicators of this past year AND our top indicator predictions for 2026.


Related episodes:


The Indicators of this year and next (2024)


This indicator hasn’t flashed this red since the dot-com bubble 


What would it mean to actually refund the tariffs?


What AI data centers are doing to your electric bill 


What indicators will 2025 bring? 

Pre-order the Planet Money book and get a free gift. / Subscribe to Planet Money+


Listen free: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.


Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.


This episode of Planet Money was produced by James Sneed. The indicator episodes were produced by Angel Carreras, edited by Julia Ritchey, engineered by Robert Rodrigez and Kwesi Lee, and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Kate Concannon is the editor of the Indicator. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. 


For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator and Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

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Up First from NPR - U.S. Strikes Inside Venezuela, Iran Protests, Flu Cases Surge

President Trump confirms the first known U.S. strike inside Venezuela, saying it targets drug trafficking as critics warn it risks escalation.
Iranian authorities shut down cities and security forces move in to contain growing protests as anger over inflation and sanctions boils over.
And the flu is spreading fast across the U.S., with a new strain driving cases higher just as vaccination rates slip and hospitals brace for what’s next.

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, James Hider, Rebecca Davis, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.

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

We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

Our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.

(0:00) Introduction
(03:30) U.S. Strikes Inside Venezuela
(07:25) Iran Protests
(11:22) Flu Cases Surge

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Up First from NPR - U.S. Strikes Inside Venezuela, Iran Protests, Flu Cases Surge

President Trump confirms the first known U.S. strike inside Venezuela, saying it targets drug trafficking as critics warn it risks escalation.
Iranian authorities shut down cities and security forces move in to contain growing protests as anger over inflation and sanctions boils over.
And the flu is spreading fast across the U.S., with a new strain driving cases higher just as vaccination rates slip and hospitals brace for what’s next.

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, James Hider, Rebecca Davis, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.

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

We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

Our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.

(0:00) Introduction
(03:30) U.S. Strikes Inside Venezuela
(07:25) Iran Protests
(11:22) Flu Cases Surge

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The Indicator from Planet Money - Why Americans don’t want to move for jobs anymore (Encore)

Americans are moving at record lows for work. What’s driving people to, well, not drive cross-country for jobs? On today’s episode, we explore the rising homebody economy. 

This episode originally aired Oct. 3, 2025. 

Related episodes: 
Why moms are leaving their paid jobs 
How the end of Roe is reshaping the medical workforce 

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 Corey Bridges. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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Short Wave - Science In 2025 Took A Hit. What Does It Mean?

Science in the United States took some big hits this year. The Trump Administration disrupted federal funding for all kinds of scientific pursuits. Administration officials say those changes were a step towards reinvigorating federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health. But many scientists disagree. NPR health and science correspondents Rob Stein and Katia Riddle chat with host Emily Kwong about what these cuts could mean for the future of science.

Interested in more stories on the future of science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

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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