Democrats won two governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey, victories they call a rejection of President Trump’s policies and a sign that economic issues are resonating with voters. New York City elected Zohran Mamdani as its first Muslim mayor, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo in a race that drew record voter turnout. And California voters approved a new congressional map that could give Democrats up to five more House seats in next year’s midterms.
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 Larry Kaplow, Acacia Squires, Miguel Macias, Ben Swasey, 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, Republican senators meet at the White House this morning as the government shutdown becomes the longest in history. And we look at the competition facing weight-loss giant Novo Nordisk. Caitlin McCabe hosts.
Today, we are another episode in our series, sponsored by our good friends at Railsware. Railsware is a leading product studio with two main focuses - services and products. They have created amazing products like Mailtrap, Coupler and TitanApps, while also partnering with teams like Calendly and Bright Bytes. They deliver amazing products, and have happy customers to prove it.
In this series, we are digging into the company's methods around product engineering and development. In particular, we will cover relevant topics to not only highlight their expertise, but to educate you on industry trends alongside their experience.
In today's episode, we are talking again with Sergiy Korolov, Co-CEO of Railsware and Co-founder of Mailtrap. In my conversation with Sergiy, we dive into how Railsware delivers value - not just features - by following their BRIDGeS framework, enabling their team to focus on value delivery.
Questions:
Railsware is proud of its product development approaches, so let’s pave the way to our topic through one of your prominent cases. In its early days, Calendly reached out to you to deliver their product – with a tight budget and a large set of requirements. You’ve said earlier that several of those initial expected features remained unfulfilled. This leads me to the question: to you, what's the difference between shipping features and delivering value, and why do so many product teams get this wrong?
You’ve been working on several client products, as well as on Railsware’s own. How do you identify what "value" actually means for different stakeholders?
Railsware is known for its BRIDGeS framework, a useful tool to bring the team on the same page and set the product process straight. Can you walk us through the BRIDGeS framework and how it helps teams focus on value delivery?
What role does user research and validation play in the BRIDGeS approach?
Can you share a specific example where applying BRIDGeS helped a team pivot from building the wrong features to delivering real value?
What's the biggest challenge teams face when transitioning from feature delivery to value delivery?
Rya Jetha, tech culture reporter at The San Francisco Standard, spends a lot of time thinking about the industry’s internal dynamics. Gone are the computer programmers, self-proclaimed nerds of an era mostly focused on software development. Jetha says the new tech bro is of the “hard tech” era, with emphasis on the charisma needed to raise huge sums of money for expensive hardware innovations and AI technologies.
A couple of pilots have made forced landings on DuSable Lake Shore Drive. What makes a road or any other non-airport spot the best option in an emergency?
Former Vice President Dick Cheney has died at 84 after a long career that shaped U.S. foreign policy and national security. The Supreme Court begins hearing arguments on Trump’s tariffs, a case that could redefine presidential power. Since July, USC has cut more than 900 jobs amid a $200 million budget deficit. A federal judge orders the Trump administration to release millions for school counselor grants. Californians vote on Prop 50, Governor Newsom’s redistricting measure. In business, Gold’s Gym sells most of its Southern California locations to EōS Fitness, and Meta opens a new flagship store in West Hollywood to showcase its latest AI glasses and VR tech.
In the first big elections of the new Trump era, Democrats triumphed in New York City, Virginia and New Jersey. They also won up and down the ballot across the country.
Shane Goldmacher, a national political correspondent, explains what the voting tells us about President Trump’s status and discusses whether Democrats have finally found their footing.
Guest: Shane Goldmacher, a national political correspondent for The New York Times.
On an anticipated election night, Democrats cruise to victories up and down the ballot. The Supreme Court prepares to hear a challenge to President Trump’s tariff policies. And the case of a “sandwich-thrower” raises questions in Washington over protests and police.
Tyler O'Neil, senior editor at The Daily Signal, joins Tony Kinnett for a roundup of the sweep by Democrats in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York City.
