Ending a months-long stalemate, Congress passes a $900 billion coronavirus relief bill. What to know about the U.K.'s COVID-19 variant. Plus, how should the U.S. respond to the massive computer hack?

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

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The New York jury weighing criminal charges against Donald Trump has now heard from the trial's first witness. Elon Musk's Tesla is running into a whole lot of red lights: slumping sales, mass layoffs, and now a 55 percent drop in profits. And more than 100 people who reported being abused by former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar will share a nearly $140 million settlement. 

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Krishnadev Calamur, Emily Kopp, Cheryl Corley, Jan Johnson and Ben Adler. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Nina Kravinsky. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Zac Coleman.

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First Trump Trial Witness, Tesla's Tough Spot, Nassar Victims' Settlement

Protests against the war in Gaza on college campuses now stretch from coast to coast. The United Kingdom is ready to pay a country thousands of miles away to take its unwanted refugees. And a years-long labor battle at Starbucks reaches the U.S. Supreme Court, which could set a precedent for future union building efforts.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Alfredo Carbajal, Emily Kopp, Nick Spicer, Ally Schweitzer and Ben Adler. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Nina Kravinsky. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis, and our technical director is Stacey Abbott.

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Campus Protests Spread, UK Asylum Law, Starbucks at SCOTUS

Opening arguments begin today in Manhattan: the People of the State of New York vs Donald J. Trump. As the House passed foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan over the weekend, it tucked in a bill that threatens the future of Tiktok in the U.S. And the U.S. Supreme Court takes up homelessness – specifically, the question of whether people can be punished for sleeping outside.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Krishnadev Calamur, Julia Buckley, Catherine Laidlaw and Ben Adler. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Nina Kravinsky. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Zac Coleman.

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Trump Opening Arguments, TikTok Bill, SCOTUS Homelessness

Historical markers dot the American landscape. They are on the sides of roads, in parks, rest areas, in the middle of nowhere. They purport to offer a glimpse into the past, marking a moment or place of significance worth remembering. But a year-long investigation by NPR's Laura Sullivan found some of these markers present a fractured and confused telling of the American story. Some share humor and joy but many present a version of history that's been distorted or outright fictionalized with offensive lies.

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The Sunday Story: Off The Mark, an NPR investigation into America's historical markers

Congress is expected to vote Saturday on aid for U.S. allies over the objections of some Republicans. Volkswagen workers at a Tennessee plant have voted overwhelmingly to join the United Auto Workers. There are new guidelines to safeguard melatonin overuse by children.

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Tuesday, December 22, 2020

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