Whoopi Goldberg is an icon of entertainment. She's played many roles in Hollywood, and she has perhaps been most inspirational for the way she has shown up as herself. But before the acclaim, Whoopi Goldberg was known as Caryn Johnson and in her own words, "A little bit different.. and out there."

In her new memoir, "Bits and Pieces," she dives into her upbringing with her mother, Emma, and brother, Clyde, and how her relationships with them shaped her sense of herself. In this episode of The Sunday Story, Goldberg sits down with host Ayesha Rascoe to talk about the previously untold stories that made her who she is today. They discuss family, love, and coping with loss.

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President Biden continues to work to overcome calls from within his own party to step aside. A Hezbollah spokesman says the Lebanese militant group will follow Hamas' acceptance or rejection of any potential ceasefire agreement with Israel. Two major international soccer tournaments electrify fans this Sunday.

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President Biden held a press conference on the sidelines of the NATO summit and his performance was closely watched by Democratic lawmakers, European allies and the American public. A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll measured public opinion about President Biden post-debate, and Israel ordered hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza City to evacuate.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Dana Farrington, Roberta Rampton, Mark Katkov, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

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President Biden is facing more calls to step down, putting Vice President Kamala Harris under fresh scrutiny from Republicans and others. Donald Trump is attempting to distance himself from Project 2025, a controversial plan for the conservative overhaul of government. And Houston residents are recovering after Hurricane Beryl knocked out power to more than two million homes and businesses.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Roberta Rampton, Megan Pratz, Eric Westervelt, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Hannah Gluvna. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

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President Biden spoke to world leaders at the NATO summit in Washington and sought to reassure them about the strength of the alliance and of his Presidency. Ukrainians are condemning a deadly missile strike on a children's hospital in Kyiv, and an NPR investigation tracked down one source of execution drugs in Texas.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Roberta Rampton, John Helton, Robert Little, Janaya Williams, and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. And our technical director is Stacey Abbott.

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The Republican Party has released its Trump-inspired platform for 2024. European leaders are meeting in Washington, D.C. for the 75th NATO summit, and a new method for organ harvesting is raising legal and ethical concerns.

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 Nick Spicer, Will Stone, John Helton, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent. And our technical director is Stacey Abbott.

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More Congressional Democrats have called for President Joe Biden to step down, but he is receiving unwavering support from others in his administration. France's far right party fell short in legislative elections yesterday, Boeing has agreed to plead guilty to fraud charges stemming from the crashes of two 737 Max jets, and Hurricane Beryl makes landfall in Texas.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Russell Lewis, Roberta Rampton, Mark Katkov, Janaya Williams, and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Carleigh Strange. And our technical director is Stacey Abbott.

An earlier version of this episode mistakenly identified the four members who called for President Joe Biden to step aside as House committee chairs. They are House committee ranking members.

The earlier version also mistakenly identified Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) as House speaker. He is House minority leader.

In addition, the earlier version indicated that the French far-right was routed by a coalition of parties from the center and the left. It was a coalition of leftist parties on the one hand and the French president's centrist allies on the other.

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This week on The Sunday Story, a new series from NPR's Embedded podcast that explores what happens when one political party has near-complete control. Supermajority, hosted by WPLN reporter Meribah Knight, follows three conservative moms in Tennessee over the course of a year as they learn to navigate their Republican-controlled state legislature.

Reeling from a mass shooting at their kids' school, the three moms become advocates for gun control. But this isn't a story about gun control. It's about what they find when they step inside their state capitol for the first time in their adult lives. These political newcomers confront powerful lawmakers, a dizzying legislative process and most importantly – their own long-held beliefs. What can the women accomplish? How will the work change them? And what might it all reveal about democracy?

Listen to the full series on the Embedded podcast from NPR.

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At a rally in Wisconsin and in an interview with ABC News, President Biden pushed back against calls for him to step down; Kansas' top court affirms the right to abortion in that state; Iranians elect a reformist presidential candidate.

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Britain's Labour Party won the UK general election by a landslide, ending 14 years of Conservative Party rule. The US government is using new tactics to address the problem of critically low water levels in the Colorado River, and Republican voters in Florida reject the idea of man-made climate change despite Florida being among the states most vulnerable to climate disasters.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Mark Katkov, Eric Whitney, Matthew Schuerman, Janaya Williams and Olivia Hampton. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Lindsay Totty. We get engineering support from Hannah Gluvna. And our technical director is Zac Coleman.

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