Up First from NPR

by NPR

50,606

All Genres #13, News #2, Daily News #2

NPR's Up First is the news you need to start your day. The three biggest stories of the day, with reporting and analysis from NPR News — in 10 minutes. Available weekdays at 6:30 a.m. ET, with hosts Leila Fadel, Steve Inskeep, Michel Martin and A Martinez. Also available on Saturdays at 9 a.m. ET, with Ayesha Rascoe and Scott Simon. On Sundays, hear a longer exploration behind the headlines with Ayesha Rascoe on "The Sunday Story," available by 8 a.m. ET. Subscribe and listen, then support your local NPR station at donate.npr.org.

Support NPR's reporting by subscribing to Up First+ and unlock sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org/upfirst

Recent Episodes

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Recent Reviews

Marcus-Bobby

Defund

“We lay out the facts”….what a joke, I like NPR, but even I know it’s one of the most biased media organizations out there.
jpnugget14

I donated 10$

6 stars
Lyra Silvertongue0922

Thanks but…

I will always love and support NPR, but it’s really troubling to hear ads for Amazon while listening to this podcast. Amazon, really? We’re still cosigning workers’ rights abuses and the damage Amazon does to small businesses and creators? Do better and ditch Amazon for good, NPR!
Scoobsnackage

Thank you

Thank you for being dedicated to free journalism even wirh Trumps illegal threats
5926391637501639639

A long advertisement with a bit of news

Now with 10 minute “previews” of other podcasts, in addition to multiple pre-roll ads and multiple post-roll ads, this is officially more advertising than content.
BigAppleGreg

Daily Excellence

Thoroughly enjoy the short clips of the most pertinent news. Great work!
Magus2012

A Daily Dose of News

Up First is the perfect amount of news content to start the day. Three top stories told in about 15 minutes. The hosts are great and really work well together. My only request is to move the Sunday Story to its own feed as while they are often interesting it doesn’t seem to fit Also please stop pushing Wait Wait - Peter needs to retire.
Fun time to listen

Great show

This gets me up-to-date very quickly in the morning and let me know what I’ve missed the day before or that morning. It is a key part of my start of every day.
Me for heaven

Subjective-one sided-partisan-

Let’s just choose one piece of news and no context to it to push our agenda? This is how this goes? How about we talk about the whole story and present facts from both sides.
db721

More balance!!!

You need more balance and diversity!! Where are the male hosts, reporters and viewpoints?!?
ChaseMSF

Steve Bannon… really?!

I listen every morning, and enjoy the wide range of reporting. Who thought platforming a dangerous, regressive fascist extremist and having a cordial conversation with him that did nothing but give him a wider audience, was a good idea?? This is an absolute disgrace to this program.
Caitlin_e12345

Love it

Thank you for bringing us important and necessary information. I listen every day. Keep it up-I know it must be tough being under relentless attacks. Also I like the new-ish pre show banter. I feel it helps humanize the hosts. Appreciate you all so much🩵
Cincylsn

My Daily Go To

Love this show to quickly update me on the top stories of the moment.
supercoolrevues

Ban trump

Trump is not letting my grandma go to the us…why?
Che Block

The protests re Gaza

Helped to elect trump
AmericannMan

Slam

It would be nice if NPR spoke positive about America, instead of slamming it all the time.
Regular_UpFirst_Listener

Please stop adding other pods to this podcast

The news is delivered quickly and efficiently but they keep adding in other NPR podcasts into Up First - two in past 2 weeks - to advertise those podcasts. I’ve got the ad-free version of the podcast but inserting more of your own broadcasts into this show so I will subscribe to those pods is effectively an ad. Very frustrating.
Ocramama

Just the news, please

5 stars for News; 0 stars for pre-show banter between hosts. Just stop. It’s off-putting. No one wants this.
Ivan2gus

Very biased against Trump’s admin and report fake news

Ever since Trump’s admin defunded them I noticed they did a lot of fake news against Trump. I don’t enjoy them anymore.
Tkotoo

A Whistleblower Takes on DOGE

I just don’t know what all the fuss is about, and why some just can’t see he BIG PICTURE! It’s quite simple. KINGS need to control. They are absolutely nothing w/o CONTROL. Or only a man with a fancy hat that’s worthless. - s.jxn - ga
thisgameissofunnnn123

great BUT

i listen to this pod every morning and have for years. overall love it. BUT please stop with the pre-show banter pls this isn’t that type of podcast… it’s cringe tbh :/
Cole@andrus

Its good!

Good news, a bit biased but not too bad. Hey everyone has bias! This isn’t as bad as some other people say it is on these reviews. And it is not a leftist cult, these MAGA people are their own cult.
—-SG——

Morning news

Love this format to receive the top stories each day while I make my coffee. Thank you! One thing—I absolutely hate the new addition of the pre-show banter by the hosts.
fmsdxt

No intro thank

It’s not cute it’s unprofessional
Eclectic Music Lover 123

Leftist Cult

You people are sick and demented leftist cult members.
Keith 124

Stop already

For the live of god stop leading the show with the “cute” blooper intros. I’m not signed up for the witty banter. I’d like a professional rendition of the news. If you feel the need to air this material seemingly every day run it at the end. Sheesh. So self-absorbed. It’s about the news, not the anchors.
-seattleG-

Be serious

This is generally a good podcast. I love to start my day hearing the few issues that they talk about. The reason I’m giving it four stars instead of five is because they started doing this preshow banter and frankly it’s not very professional and I don’t care. I don’t care what kind of coffee you have. I don’t care how tired you are Just get to the show.
BasketballMama

Disappointed

This is the first time I have wanted to call you. Jonathan Turley….do you research. Mom’s for Liberty…you have been hoodwinked. It takes barely 15 minutes to find out the truth about them and who funds them. Today you are a disappointment to journalism.
Mac an tSionnaigh

Torturous Screeching Voice April 2025

You need to remove Ayesha Rascoe from the radio. Her screeching voice has ruined Sunday morning.
Windy13007

The Future: 1984-2073 Democracy Out

Reading and listening are my preferred learning modes BUT I came across a movie that deserves attention from all forms of media and journalistic integrity enthusiasts and First Amendment alarmist. The movie is “2073”, streaming now; watch real current and historical factual events and news clips woven into the story with alarming current day happenings, clearly written precise and accurate. I sat wide mouthed and out of breathe, unable to believe the clarity of mind. It’s not a warning. It’s not futuristic. It’s here now. Helpless to act, defeated. Democracy, Free Speech is dead!
ric mcdic

Left of left

It’s left, way left. Too left. I had to leave so I left
Gina B from IL

Name the reality

I have been listening to your show and felt compelled to stop recently. The primary reason was your coverage of President Trump’s notion of a third term. Your reporting treated it as a very real possibility without naming the traditional constitutional understanding that presidents are limited to two terms. My frustration is your reporting feeding into Trump’s mania and rhetoric in a way that does not put it into question the lack of validity of the lies that he is telling.
Eloso26

Half Liberal Propaganda/News

It’s a good source of news, but read between the lines. It’s a very heavily left leaning podcast. They will always present the story from the ultra liberal point of view.
rG559

Left leaning news!

I listen to you guys every morning because I want to get a balanced view of the news but lately you guys have been leaning so left thats It’s becoming hard to listen to. Report the news! Not your opinions or push your views.
Each1-Teach1

NPR Up First

In a time when fact-based journalism is under systematic attack, the importance of independent media like NPR cannot be overstated. I rely on it daily, starting each morning with the Up First podcast to stay connected to reality in a culture increasingly dominated by propaganda and manufactured consent. Supporting NPR is not a matter of charity; it is an act of solidarity with the project of an informed public. If more people incorporated reliable sources like NPR into their media habits, the country would be in far better condition than it is today.
KC_LBC

Reliably newsworthy

Since riding in a car seat while my dad drove, to weekend mornings watching him laugh, to now as a father myself ; NPR and the various shows have been providing me and my family smart, newsworthy content and entertainment for over 43 years. Keep it going for the future generations.
55colorandol

Up First

Re Mexico Tariff story- is it too much to ask to give a concrete example? If rather than talking about these theoretical Mexican ‘products’, why don’t you tell us what a bottle of tequila might cost ? Or a margarita in a bar? Overall I like the daily format as an NPR summarized view of what’s transpired in the last 24 hours.
Romanijoe

What happened?

Kinda sad it’s so obviously slanted. Why aren’t they covering their own investigation. Or the turmoil in the Dem Party?
nellas04

You hit the nail on the head about who pays tariffs

I own a manufacturing company and we import raw materials. We are charged immediately at the port the full amount. The foreign company that sends us the materials has no intentions of lowering their cost because they know we need it. One supplier went so far as to ask us how we were going to pay him in cash if he had to pay the tariff.
Kenobi610

Lies and half truths.

Democrat paid propaganda, nothing else.
Jbev4

3 Stories is Just Right - Love the pre-production banter

This is a nice way for my day to start. Three stories is just right. A couple minutes on each gives me enough of a summary to decide if I want to research more. I enjoy the hosts and really like the preproduction banter that makes it into the show opening occasionally. The banter from Leila Fadel and A Martinez this week had me laughing (nice on a news show)! And the show does a nice job of trying to get multiple views when helpful or at least offer opposing viewpoints to comment and telling listeners if no response - or if story is on a financial supporter.
i <3 you

Good content, annoying banter

Don’t love the banter at the top of the show. Up First is supposed to be a succinct news briefing to start your day, and wasting time with awkward banter at the top is cringey. It’s not cute or funny or endearing - it’s annoying and obnoxious.
Tattyfoes

Misleading Information

It’s frustrating and misleading that every time NPR reports on the facts and figures coming out of Gaza, they present the numbers as-is, without immediately clarifying that they come from Hamas—a designated terrorist organization. This approach feels misleading and makes it really difficult to trust the accuracy of their broader reporting.
Nickypoo 14189

Consistently middling.

Boy do they hate Arabs
Activite Pop User

Remarkable Reporting

Thank you for deep, consistent, & moving reporting of stories that the television news does not provide time for. The Return to Gaza story is heartbreaking.
shikawgo

Screeching Sundays

I don’t know how or why Ayesha Roscoe was hired for a radio show. She possibly has the most annoying voice I’ve ever heard. I know I’m not alone with this annoyance, as it’s all over internet complaints. Seriously, NPR, there are countless other voices that could’ve been hired. Whoever thought she’d make for a good radio host is tone deaf and clueless.
thetrueaaronrogers

Awful

Terrible voices. Who gave these people access to a microphone?
rewfitbit

One-sided

This podcast is a great example why I don’t give these npr $$$
JayEss17M

Sourcing

Love fairness and typically enjoy knowing I can trust the information. Today’s show references Trump’s claims from Trump’s own social media - basic rules for integrity of information and trusting news don’t follow those standards. Very disappointing.
sydkidd02

I used to really like NPR..

I just want two sides to things. I am a democrat/liberal even but I want to hear two sides to the story. This podcast is overly biased and hard to listen to now. It’s not reporting news anymore it’s perpetuating a DNC agenda.