The White House is continuing its mission to hollow out the federal workforce.
The Trump administration has signaled that it will use the government shutdown to prompt and encourage mass resignations and layoffs.
More than 150,000 federal employees plan to leave the U.S. government payroll this week. It’s the largest single-year exodus of federal workers since World War II.
For workers who opted into the deferred exit program, those resignations began on Tuesday. Workers who didn’t take the buyouts were recently threatened with dismissal.
We check in on the state of the federal workforce.
What happens now that tens of thousands of these employees are leaving? And what’s life like for those who remain?
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Up First from NPR - Government Shutdown Begins, Impact Of Shutdown, Trump Hegseth Military Meeting
The federal government has shut down for the first time since 2019, with President Trump threatening mass layoffs and facing criticism for using government resources to blame Democrats. More than two million federal workers are bracing for uncertainty as the shutdown drags on, with some agencies warning employees they may not be brought back once it ends. And President Trump told top military commanders he wants to use troops against “enemies within” and plans to deploy National Guard forces to Democratic-led cities.
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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, Emily Kopp, Krishnadev Calamur, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Lindsay Totty
We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
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Short Wave - Why Animal Scavengers Protect Your Health
Worldwide, populations of scavenging animals that feed on rotting carcasses are declining. Scientists are finding that this can seriously hurt human health. NPR science reporter Jonathan Lambert has been looking into how human health is intertwined with scavenging animals and why these animals’ decline could lead to more human disease. Today, he brings all he learned, including how conservation could help, to your earholes.
Check out more of Jon’s reporting on scavengers and human health.
Interested in more science behind skincare products? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
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Check out more of Jon’s reporting on scavengers and human health.
Interested in more science behind skincare products? 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.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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NPR's Book of the Day - Angela Flournoy’s ‘The Wilderness’ focuses on a Black, female ‘chosen family’
The group of friends at the center of Angela Flournoy’s new novel, The Wilderness, are figuring out how to navigate life as they enter middle age. NPR’s Juana Summers spoke with the author about the evolving journey of her characters and what their ups and downs say about the dynamics of long-term friendships.
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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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The Indicator from Planet Money - Why is everyone buying gold?
Gold is on fire right now with some gold ETFs outperforming the major stock indexes over the past 12 months. Gold is supposed to be boring, an inflation hedge. But right now, it's responding to something else. Today on the show, we talk to a finance professor about what’s behind the current gold rush and if gold’s hot streak is built to last.
Understanding Gold by Claud B. Erb and Campbell R. Harvey
Related episodes:
A new-ish gold rush and other indicators
Gold Rush 2.0
A secret weapon to fight inflation
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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Understanding Gold by Claud B. Erb and Campbell R. Harvey
Related episodes:
A new-ish gold rush and other indicators
Gold Rush 2.0
A secret weapon to fight inflation
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.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Planet Money - We make a board game
We want to make a board game. It must, of course, teach the world about economics. It must be fun. It’d be nice if it sold lots of copies! How hard could that be!? (Monopoly and Catan are hugely popular and basically little economy simulators, after all.)
Well, turns out, it’s quite hard!
We’re in a golden age of tabletop games. Thirty years ago there were around 800 new games each year. Now it is more like 5,000. Just a handful of those get to be hits.
In the first episode of our new series, Planet Money sets forth on an epic quest to beat the odds.
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 was hosted by Kenny Malone and Erika Beras. It was produced by James Sneed with help from Emma Peaslee and edited by Marianne McCune. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Gilly Moon and Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
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Well, turns out, it’s quite hard!
We’re in a golden age of tabletop games. Thirty years ago there were around 800 new games each year. Now it is more like 5,000. Just a handful of those get to be hits.
In the first episode of our new series, Planet Money sets forth on an epic quest to beat the odds.
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 was hosted by Kenny Malone and Erika Beras. It was produced by James Sneed with help from Emma Peaslee and edited by Marianne McCune. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Gilly Moon and Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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1A - How Spending Time In Nature Helps Our Health
Many of us know that being outside feels good.
Maybe it’s for a short walk to the store. Maybe for a hike at a nearby mountain. Or maybe spending time at the beach with loved ones for a holiday.
But did you know that a short walk in nature can improve your attention span by 20 percent? And that even fake plants have been shown to deliver health benefits?
There are real benefits to surrounding yourself with the natural world.
We sit down with the pioneer of environmental neuroscience, Marc Berman. He’s out with a new book all about the science behind the benefits spending time outside called “Nature and the Mind.”
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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Maybe it’s for a short walk to the store. Maybe for a hike at a nearby mountain. Or maybe spending time at the beach with loved ones for a holiday.
But did you know that a short walk in nature can improve your attention span by 20 percent? And that even fake plants have been shown to deliver health benefits?
There are real benefits to surrounding yourself with the natural world.
We sit down with the pioneer of environmental neuroscience, Marc Berman. He’s out with a new book all about the science behind the benefits spending time outside called “Nature and the Mind.”
Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Consider This from NPR - Ukraine’s scrappy wartime innovation
NPR’s National Security Correspondent Greg Myre spent the summer reporting on the war in Ukraine. He saw the devastation of the conflict. But he also saw something else: the country leveraging its resources at home to meet the moment…including in Lviv where they’re racing to make as many of their own weapons as fast as they can.
And at a hospital near the frontlines in central Ukraine where Ukraine's neurosurgeons are conducting state-of-the-art operations with cutting-edge technology.
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 David West and Matt Ozug. It was edited by Andrew Sussman. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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State of the World from NPR - Ukraine’s Flourishing Arms Industry
The United States is no longer providing weapons to Ukraine directly in their fight against Russia, so Ukraine is building their own as fast as they can. Ukraine’s president has suggested their weapons industry is advanced enough export their goods to like-minded countries. Our correspondent explores Ukraine’s arms industry and views Ukrainian-made weapons on display at a conference held in an unusual place.
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1A - Why Are Russian Aircraft Violating NATO Airspace?
NATO’s airspace is busy these days. And not in a good way. That’s especially true for member nations on the alliance’s eastern flank.
It’s not supposed to be that way. In recent weeks, states like Poland, Estonia, Romania, and Denmark have seen drones or other aircraft violate their airspace. In some cases, these airborne craft clearly identify they’re Russian in origin.
Multiple countries have called on NATO to consult about what to do next. So, what’s going on? What is Russia up to?
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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It’s not supposed to be that way. In recent weeks, states like Poland, Estonia, Romania, and Denmark have seen drones or other aircraft violate their airspace. In some cases, these airborne craft clearly identify they’re Russian in origin.
Multiple countries have called on NATO to consult about what to do next. So, what’s going on? What is Russia up to?
Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy