President Trump chose Saudi Arabia - again - for the first state trip of his second term. What does that say about his foreign policy? Hamas says it will release the last living American hostage held in Gaza, Edan Alexander. And as Republicans look for massive budget cuts, what could happen to Medicaid?
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 Ryland Barton, Krishnadev Calamur, Carrie Kahn, Kelsey Snell, Ally Schweitzer and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ana Perez, Nia Dumas and Chris Thomas. We get engineering support from David Greenberg, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
WSJ What’s News - Stocks Surge as U.S. and China Slash Tariffs
A.M. Edition for May 12. Washington and Beijing take a major step toward thawing their trade conflict by agreeing to lower tariffs on each other’s goods by 115%. WSJ reporter Jason Douglas recaps the results of weekend talks and explains which issues the two sides still need to sort out. Plus, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order today tying U.S. drug prices to what other countries pay. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him for peace talks this week. Luke Vargas hosts.
Sign up for the WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter.
Ankara is the capital of Turkey. An earlier version of this podcast said Istanbul was the country’s capital. (Corrected on May 13)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Headlines From The Times - Menendez Case Moves Forward, Paramount Gains, and the State Bar Fallout
The Menendez brothers take a major step toward a potential resentencing as legal fights escalate. California’s State Bar faces financial fallout after a failed exam rollout and controversial AI-generated questions. U.S. farmers begin to feel the pinch of Trump’s new tariffs, with equipment delays and profit losses hitting hard. Meanwhile, Paramount Global beats expectations, thanks to growth at Paramount+ and ongoing merger talks with Skydance.
Marketplace All-in-One - The rise of the “Splinternet”
There was a time not so long ago when it seemed like the most consequential conversations in our society were happening on social media. But as the digital commons spawned mobs, performative posturing and rage-baiting, a lot of those conversations went private. That's one takeaway from the recent Semafor report on the private group chats between tech titans, business leaders and public intellectuals. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Amy Webb, founder and CEO of the Future Today Strategy Group, about the growth of what she calls the Splinternet.
Start the Week - History: private, personal and political
The cultural historian Tiffany Jenkins looks at the long history of the private life from Ancient Athens to the digital age. In her new book, Strangers and Intimates: The Rise and fall of the Private Life, she examines how our attitudes to the intimate and personal, have shifted over time. She argues that the challenge of big tech is simply the latest development that has seen our private lives increasingly exposed for public consumption. It is only through understanding the history of the very idea of the private life, that we might protect it.
Homework: A Memoir is Geoff Dyer's new book. In it he tells his own story, that of a boy growing up in a working class family in the 1960s and 1970s. He charts the transformative opportunities afforded by the post war settlement for an eleven year old boy who wins a place at a grammar school. Evoking deep personal memories, he explores the challenges of his childhood and teenage years in the mid twentieth century England.
Lanre Bakare is interested in the stories of the Black Britain we don’t often hear – the one that exists beyond London. In moving his focus outside the capital, he explores the economic and social unrest of 1970s and 1980s from very different perspectives. His new book, We Were There: How Black Culture, Resistance and Community Shaped Modern Britain suggests that we need to incorporate a broader range of the experiences of Black Britons into the fabric of our national story.
Producer: Ruth Watts
Start Here - Scoop: Qatar’s Luxury Jet Offer to Trump
Sources tell ABC News that the Trump administration is poised to accept a gift from Qatar, in the form of a luxury jet known as the “palace of the skies.” Pope Leo XIV calls for concessions in the Gaza Strip as part of his first papal homily. And technical glitches lead to even more delays at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Daily Detail - The Daily Detail for 5.12.25
Alabama
- Bill that un-bans gas water heaters by Congressman Palmer is signed into law
- Governor Ivey signs law to cut state sales tax on groceries by 1%
- Governor Ivey also makes Juneteenth an official state holiday
- A jury finds Michael Davis guilty of murder in 2023 shooting of Jamea Harris
- A man from Brent is charged with child sex trafficking, held without bond
- Comedian Nate Bargatze to perform in Orange Beach this July 16th
- Gulf Shores preparing for new music festival "Sand in My Boots"
National
- President Trump to sign EO mandating low drug prices in federal agencies
- Israeli-American Edan Alexander to be released from Hamas captivity
- Treasury secretary Bessent says progress made with China over tariffs
- DHS says arrests coming of elected officials causing chaos at ICE facility in NJ
- FBI deputy director lists various documents to be released for public viewing
- Russell Vought to step into role of Elon Musk at DOGE as Musk plans to leave
The Daily Signal - Trump’s Three Major Announcements, Democrats Assault Federal Officials | May 12, 2025
On today’s Top News in 10, we cover:
- The White House announces a major trade deal with China.
- A political stunt at an ICE facility by a New Jersey mayor and congressional officials leads to assaults and arrests.
- Sunday shows struggle.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy responds to air traffic control issues.
- President Trump makes two major announcements about an American hostage held by Hamas and an executive order combatting pharmaceutical costs.
Subscribe to The Tony Kinnett Cast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tony-kinnett-cast/id1714879044
Keep Up With The Daily Signal
Sign up for our email newsletters: https://www.dailysignal.com/email
Subscribe to our other shows:
Problematic Women: https://www.dailysignal.com/problematic-women
The Signal Sitdown: https://www.dailysignal.com/the-signal-sitdown
Follow The Daily Signal:
X: https://x.com/DailySignal
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedailysignal/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDailySignalNews/
Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@DailySignal
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DailySignal
Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/TheDailySignal
Thanks for making The Daily Signal Podcast your trusted source for the day’s top news. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and never miss an episode.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Everything Everywhere Daily - Miyamoto Musashi (Encore)
In the early 17th century, Japan was witness to a samurai who was arguably its greatest warrior ever.
He wasn’t just one of the greatest swordsmen in history; he was a philosopher, a writer, an artist, and, in contravention to the samurai code at the time, he was a vagabond.
Today, he is considered a saint of Japanese martial arts, and he has been portrayed in Japanese movies and books.
Learn more about Miyamoto Musashi, Japan’s greatest swordsman on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Sponsors
- Newspapers.com
- Get 20% off your subscription to Newspapers.com
- Mint Mobile
- Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/eed
- Quince
- Go to quince.com/daily for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order!
- Stitch Fix
- Go to stitchfix.com/everywhere to have a stylist help you look your best
- Tourist Office of Spain
- Plan your next adventure at Spain.info
- Stash
- Go to get.stash.com/EVERYTHING to see how you can receive $25 towards your first stock purchase and to view important disclosures.
Subscribe to the podcast!
https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/
--------------------------------
Executive Producer: Charles Daniel
Associate Producers: Austin Oetken & Cameron Kieffer
Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere
Update your podcast app at newpodcastapps.com
Discord Server: https://discord.gg/UkRUJFh
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everythingeverywheredaily
Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip
Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
NBN Book of the Day - Elaine Pagels, “Miracles and Wonder:The Historical Mystery of Jesus” (Doubleday, 2025)
Early in her career, Elaine Pagels changed our understanding of the origins of Christianity with her work in The Gnostic Gospels. Now, in the culmination of a decades-long career, she explores the biggest subject of all, Jesus. In Miracles and Wonder:The Historical Mystery of Jesus (Doubleday, 2025) she sets out to discover how a poor young Jewish man inspired a religion that shaped the world.
The book reads like a historical mystery, with each chapter addressing a fascinating question and answering it based on the gospels Jesus's followers left behind. Why is Jesus said to have had a virgin birth? Why do we say he rose from the dead? Did his miracles really happen and what did they mean?
The story Pagels tells is thrilling and tense. Not just does Jesus comes to life but his desperate, hunted followers do as well. We realize that some of the most compelling details of Jesus's life are the explanations his disciples created to paper over inconvenient facts. So Jesus wasn't illegitimate, his mother conceived by God; Jesus's body wasn't humiliatingly left to rot and tossed into a common grave—no, he rose from the dead and was seen whole by his followers; Jesus isn't a failed messiah, his kingdom is a metaphor: he lives in us. These necessary fabrications were the very details and promises that electrified their listeners and helped his followers' numbers grow.
In Miracles and Wonder, Pagels does more than solve a historical mystery. She sheds light on Jesus's enduring power to inspire and attract.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day