Minneapolis shooting victims; New CDC director : NPR

Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today’s top stories The names of the two children who were shot and killed on Wednesday at Annunciation Church and School in Minneapolis have been … Read more

NPR wants to know if you’re a new grandparent : NPR

Eileen and Doug Flockhart look at a chalkboard announcing the birth of their seventh grandchild on the porch of their home in Exeter, N.H., Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011. Elise Amendola/AP hide caption toggle caption Elise Amendola/AP Mothers and fathers have had their days. On Sep. 7, it’s the grandma and grandpa’s turn. In 1978, President … Read more

Long-elusive Mexican drug lord Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada pleads guilty in U.S. : NPR

“El Mayo” Zambada speaks to Judge Brian Cogan (not pictured) in Brooklyn federal court, as his defense attorney Frank Perez looks on, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, in New York. Jane Rosenberg/AP hide caption toggle caption Jane Rosenberg/AP NEW YORK — Former Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada will spend the rest of his life … Read more

U.K. migrant protests spark angry confrontations : NPR

Mounted police officers scuffle with demonstrators during a protest by anti-migrant Abolish Asylum System and counter protesters at Castle Park in Bristol, England on Saturday. Ben Birchall/PA hide caption toggle caption Ben Birchall/PA LONDON — Opponents and supporters of migrants faced off in angry confrontations at demonstrations held around Britain over the holiday weekend as … Read more

Where does Russia’s opposition stand today, with shifting U.S.-Russia relations? : NPR

Now that multiple countries are talking about negotiating an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, where does the Russian opposition movement stand today after Alexei Navalny’s death in 2024? AILSA CHANG, HOST: Five years ago this week, the leader of the Russian opposition movement, Alexei Navalny, was poisoned with a nerve agent developed by a … Read more

Massacres in eastern Congo cast doubt on U.S. mediated peace deal : NPR

M23 rebel soldiers board pickup truck in Goma on May 18, 2025. JOSPIN MWISHA/AFP hide caption toggle caption JOSPIN MWISHA/AFP KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo — Rwandan backed M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo killed 141 villagers in July, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday, despite hopes that President Trump-backed peace talks would end … Read more