President Trump defends Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a White House visit, even as the two leaders unveil sweeping military, nuclear, and investment agreements.

Congress overwhelmingly passes a bill compelling the Justice Department to release its Epstein files, setting up a 30-day countdown that could spark new political fights over redactions.

And a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll shows Trump at his lowest approval rating of his second term, with voters demanding that he focus on lowering prices as Democrats gain a significant edge heading into 2026.

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 Dana Farrington, Kelsey Snell, Megan Pratz, Rebecca Rossman, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.

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.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy