The economic cost of the government shutdown is mounting, as workers miss paychecks and contracts stall. President Trump’s feud with Colombia is deepening, with threats to cut aid testing a decades-long alliance. And in France, outrage is growing after the Louvre jewel heist, with political backlash and a security crackdown underway.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Raphael Nam, Tara Neil, Miguel Macias, Mohamad ElBardicy and Martha Ann Overland.
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.
Plus: The Treasury Department tells staff not to share photos of construction taking place on the new White House ballroom. And, the world’s largest EV battery maker posts solid earnings on the back of strong demand. Caitlin McCabe hosts.
Takaichi Sanae, Japan’s new prime minister, rode motorbikes and plays heavy-metal drums. Will her political ambitions be as bold? America, a nation of immigrants, is turning against new arrivals. Our correspondent explains the consequences. And a fast-growing chain of coffee shops creates a stir in Germany.
Ryan Wang has had a winding set of paths to get to where he is today. He studied economics and statistics, with the intent of going to grad school and becoming a professor. After talking with his boss at the time, Steven Levitt (also one of the authors of Freakonomics), he was convinced that was not the best path. Eventually, he joined stripe via nepotism, and became a software developer via data science. Outside of tech, he loves to read about different topics. Right now, he is reading about owls, and also loves to read fiction and poetry. In fact, he drops poetry occasionally at his current venture.
While at Stripe, back when it was an 80 person company, Ryan noticed people doing support tickets on their own. After he spent some time there, he and his now co-founder started to tinker in machine learning for support. As he made progress, a leader pointed out that the real problem was around workforce management.
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AI chatbot adoption is moving rapidly. We can already ask the tools to help us find local restaurants, a good deal on an item we’re looking to purchase. And soon, we’ll even be able to buy products from Walmart through ChatGPT. But as more people turn to AI for search and shopping, what happens to small businesses that traditionally depend on web searches and online reviews?
“Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal needs a bit of help doing his classic “The Numbers” stock market segment so Ryan jumps in to save the day. The only problem is, he has no idea what any of it means. Ryan and Bridget head to Wall Street to learn about the stock market and answer Aditya’s question: how do stocks make money? Things get competitive as the duo try investing in stocks for themselves and see who can make more money.
If your family is interested in learning even more about today’s question, check out our website. We’ve got conversation starters and a tip sheet!
This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. Sign up for Greenlight today at greenlight.com/million.
A California judge blocks federal layoffs during the government shutdown. Governor Newsom unveils a new plan to sell low-cost insulin statewide. Federal prosecutors charge two executives with misusing homelessness funds. California sues over the cancellation of the Solar for All program. Waymo expands its driverless cars to London in its first European rollout. And Spotify teams up with Netflix to bring video podcasts to streaming audiences starting in 2026.
During his second term, President Trump has upended 60 years of civil rights, largely under the guise of attacking diversity, equity and inclusion.
Nikole Hannah-Jones, who covers racial injustice and civil rights for The New York Times Magazine, discusses the end of an era, and the growing fears of what a post-civil rights government will mean for Black Americans.
Guest: Nikole Hannah-Jones, a domestic correspondent for The New York Times Magazine covering racial injustice and civil rights.
As Senate Democrats block the GOP’s government funding bill for an 11th time, Washington eyes November for a potential resolution. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rules that President Trump can deploy the National Guard to Portland. And, U.S. envoys meet in Israel to discuss the fragile Gaza ceasefire after a weekend of flare-ups.
