Anas Baba is NPR's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. He's also one of the only Palestinian journalists working full time for an American news organization in Gaza. Israel has banned international journalists from independent access to the territory throughout this war. But Baba is from Gaza City, and he chose to stay and report when the war began. Today on The Sunday Story, what it's like to cover the war while also living through it.

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The partisan, Republican stopgap budget was narrowly passed by the Senate with the help of a few Democrats. Some Congressional Democrats view that vote as a betrayal. Plus, we look at how the conservative news media, often favorable of President Trump, is covering the economic consequences of his policies. Plus, we hear from Noor Abdalla, wife of Palestinian student and activist Mahmoud Khalil, who is now facing deportation over his role in campus protests.

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Congress faces a shutdown deadline today as Senate Democrats weigh whether to back a Republican spending bill or risk being blamed for closing the government. President Trump makes a rare visit to the Justice Department, delivering a speech on law and order while his administration purges career prosecutors. And, federal judges order thousands of fired government workers to be reinstated, but legal battles could delay their return.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Kelsey Snell, Anna Yukhananov, Ben Swayse, Alice Woelfle and Mohamad ElBardicy.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis, our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor

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President Trump's special envoy is in Moscow for talks as Russia reviews a U.S. backed proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine. The White House is rolling back more than two dozen environmental protections regulations, a move critics warn could lead to more pollution and health risks. And, Iran's Supreme Leader rejects President Trump's effort to start nuclear talks, calling it a deceptive attempt to pressure Tehran.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Ryland Barton, Neela Bannerjee, Kevin Drew, Alice Woelfle and Mohamad ElBardicy.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis, our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

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The U.S. is resuming military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after negotiators agree to a 30-day ceasefire, which Russia is now reviewing. The Trump administration is cutting nearly half of the Education Department's workforce. And, the House passes a stopgap funding bill with just days until a potential government shutdown, now it's headed for a vote in the Senate.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Ryland Barton, Nicole Cohen, Jason Breslow, Alice Woelfle and Mohamad ElBardicy.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Damian Herring, our technical director is Stacey Abbott.

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As Ukraine begins ceasefire negotiations in Saudi Arabia, the Trump administration signals that aid could resume if Ukraine makes concessions. A steep sell-off on Wall Street followed new tariffs from China and Canada, as investors worry that Trump's trade policies could tip the U.S. into a recession. And, after an ICE arrest at Columbia University, the U.S. Education Department is warning 60 universities they could face penalties over antisemitism investigations.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Kevin Drew, Rafael Nam, Alice Woelfle and Mohamad ElBardicy.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Chris Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis, our technical director is Stacey Abbott.

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Canada's ruling Liberal Party has a new leader, Mark Carney, a former central banker who now faces the challenge of steering the country through economic turmoil and a tense trade relationship with the United States. Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student and pro-Palestinian activist, has been arrested by ICE agents. And, House Republicans unveil a stopgap funding bill to keep the government running through September, but with Democrats opposing it, passing the bill will require almost every GOP vote.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Tara Neill, Kevin Drew, Krishnadev Calamur, Alice Woelfle and Mohamad ElBardicy.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Chris Thomas.
We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent, and our technical director is David Greenberg.

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On the first day of his second term as President, Donald Trump signed an executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. whose parents are in the country illegally. The Trump Administration asserts that the children of noncitizens are not "subject to the jurisdiction of the United States" and therefore are not entitled to citizenship. But birthright citizenship is a Constitutional guarantee, explicitly laid out in the 14th Amendment. On this episode of The Sunday Story, we look at the origins of this right through a 1898 court case that would transform the life of one Chinese American and generations to follow. You can listen to the full episode from NPR's Throughline here or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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President Trump says that his Cabinet secretaries are actually supposed to be the ones to make staffing decisions, not Elon Musk and his DOGE entity. Also, we hear from employees at the Veterans Health Administration about how they feel about DOGE emails asking them to spell out what they did last week. Plus, a look at where things stand on the treatment of Long COVID.

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President Trump has shaken up America's global alliances with policy reversals and realignments being felt around the world. How are writers, analysts, and leaders making sense of it all?

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This bonus episode of Up First was edited Lisa Thomson, Arezou Rezvani, Reena Advani and Olivia Hampton. It was produced by Claire Murashima, Nia Dumas, Chris Thomas, Paige Waterhouse, Adam Bearne, Milton Guevara and Ana Perez.

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The Labor Department is expected to show a modest uptick in hiring as part of its monthly jobs report card, but layoffs could cast a chill over the job market in coming months. The White House meets with founders and investors in the crypto industry to discuss how to grow the sector. And, rival ceasefire plans create uncertainty in Gaza, the Trump administration is demanding Hamas release hostages immediately, while holding secret talks with the group.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Rafael Nam, Roberta Rampton, Russell Lewis, Alice Woelfle and Mohamad ElBardicy.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Chris Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis, our technical director is Stacey Abbott.
And our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor.

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