The Colorado River has more dams on it than any other river in the United States. They were built to harness water high in the  mountains and across the arid desert so people could build cities, industries and farms. But the visionaries of the past didn't account for the kind of population growth the southwest has experienced, and they didn't make a plan for what to do if there wasn't enough water to go around. Now, as the region suffers through a second decade of a mega drought, residents are scrambling to find solutions that will preserve their way of life. Today on The Sunday Story from Up First, we head to Las Vegas, where water conservation has a new starring role. This episode comes from a new podcast from Colorado Public Radio and reporter Michael Elizabeth Sakas. It's called Parched.

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The Sunday Story: Parched

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.

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President Biden says he'll stop the shipment of U.S. military aid to Israel if it launches a major offensive in Rafah. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has survived a leadership threat, thanks in part to Democrats. And when House Republicans questioned public school leaders about antisemitism, the superintendents pushed back.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Vincent Ni, Kelsey Snell, Nicole Cohen, Ben Adler, Lisa Thomson and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams, Destinee Adams and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Phil Edfors, and our technical director is Stacey Abbott.

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Biden Warns Israel, Democrats Save Speaker Johnson, House Anti-Semitism Hearing

The Biden administration is weighing how hard to push back on Israel's conduct of its war against Hamas. Stormy Daniels testifies in Donald Trump's New York trial about an affair that the then-presidential candidate is accused of covering up in 2016. And TikTok wants a federal court to throw out Congress's new "sell-or-be-banned" law.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Vincent Ni, Dana Farrington, Kevin Drew, Lisa Thomson, Alice Woelfle and Ben Adler. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Hannah Gluvna. And our technical director is Stacey Abbott.

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Israel-Rafah Latest, Stormy Daniels Testifies, TikTok Sues U.S.

After seven months of war and nearly 35,000 deaths, a pause in the fighting in Gaza seemed in sight — and then it wasn't.
Russian President Vladimir Putin takes his fifth oath of office, which if he serves the full term would give him a longer tenure than Joseph Stalin. And the House could vote on another motion to oust a Republican speaker — but this time, Democrats might save Mike Johnson.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Vincent Ni, Nick Spicer, Kelsey Snell, Lisa Thomson, Alice Woelfle and Ben Adler. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Phil Edfors. And our technical director is Stacey Abbott.

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The Gaza Ceasefire That Wasn't, Putin's Fifth Inauguration, House Speaker Vote?

The Gaza ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas appear to have hit a roadblock. China's president heads to France for a state dinner — hoping to drive a wedge between Europe and America. Boeing is hoping it has better success in space than it's lately had inside the atmosphere.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Vincent Ni, Nick Spicer, Russell Lewis, Lisa Thomson, Elana Perl and Ben Adler. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Phil Edfors. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

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Gaza Ceasefire Talks Stall, Xi In Europe, Boeing Starliner Launch

In recent years, high profile cases of police brutality across the U.S. have brought increased attention and scrutiny to police misconduct and use of force incidents. When something happens, the police often say "we're investigating." But what's really being done to ensure police are held accountable for their actions?

Sukey Lewis is a criminal justice reporter at KQED. As part of the multi-newsroom California Reporting Project, she has spent years obtaining previously-sealed police internal affairs records, to find out what happens when law enforcement agencies investigate themselves.

In this episode of The Sunday Story, host Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Lewis about the new season of her podcast, On Our Watch, which focuses on correctional officers. Lewis talks about her reporting on New Folsom, one of the most dangerous prisons in California. And she shares the stories of two whistleblowers who worked as correctional officers within the prison and ultimately died while fighting to expose its secrets.

You can listen to all eight episodes of season 2 of On Our Watch at kqed.org/onourwatch.

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The Sunday Story: Parched

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