Congress returns; Brazil’s ex-president on trial : NPR

Good morning. You are studying the Up First publication. Subscribe right here to get it delivered to your inbox, and pay attention to the Up First podcast for all of the information it’s worthwhile to begin your day.

At the moment’s high tales

Congress returns to Capitol Hill at present after taking its August recess. Throughout their time away, pissed off constituents addressed lawmakers at city halls throughout the U.S. about points associated to the financial turmoil and considerations of presidential overreach. Now, lawmakers face those self same challenges in Washington, together with a looming authorities shutdown deadline of Sept. 30.

• 🎧 The events are deeply divided on tips on how to deal with the approaching deadline, NPR’s Claudia Grisales tells Up First. Home Republicans are proposing one other stopgap measure that may keep funding ranges, however Democrats need a common appropriations plan. An underlying issue within the division between the events is that the Republican-led Congress has surrendered its energy of the purse to the president, Grisales says. This previous week, President Trump unilaterally took again billions extra in international help utilizing a “pocket rescission.” This happens when a president asks Congress to cancel funds very near the tip of the fiscal yr. Along with the federal government shutdown deadline, lawmakers may even deal with the Texas redistricting and probably rebranding the One Massive Stunning Invoice Act to deal with advantages for middle-class households.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is on trial at present for allegedly making an attempt to overthrow the federal government after dropping the 2022 election. Bolsonaro’s prices embody making an attempt to violently finish the democratic rule of regulation, plotting a coup and forming a part of an armed legal group. Trump, who helps the previous far-right chief, has referred to as the trial a “witch hunt” and has tried to make use of U.S. energy to cease it. Many Brazilians see the case as pivotal for his or her democracy.

• 🎧 This trial is unprecedented in Brazil, says NPR’s Carrie Kahn. Whereas presidents have been accused of crimes earlier than, an ex-leader has by no means been efficiently dropped at trial for making an attempt to overthrow the federal government. Brazil’s democracy emerged from a brutal army dictatorship simply 40 years in the past. Bolsonaro’s prosecution has been testing the energy of the democratic establishments, significantly the judiciary and the Supreme Courtroom, which deal with legal instances towards politicians. Trump’s intervention within the case is noteworthy, as he has imposed 50% tariffs towards the nation, and the U.S. sanctioned the lead justice overseeing the proceedings.

Rescuers are nonetheless making an attempt to succeed in victims after an earthquake devastated elements of Afghanistan on Sunday. The nation’s catastrophe administration authority says over 950 individuals are useless, they usually count on that quantity to rise. The epicenter of the impacted areas is within the distant mountainous district referred to as Kunar, in line with NPR’s Diaa Hadid.

• 🎧 One help employee knowledgeable Hadid that some locations impacted by the catastrophe had been solely accessible by goat path, together with a village referred to as Dyugal, which seems to have been worn out. Ibrahim Ahmed of the Islamic Aid help group says they’ve taken some injured individuals on foot for 3 hours to their first level to succeed in the assistance they wanted. Remoteness is not the one issue making the disaster probably worse, Hadid says. Heavy rains got here days earlier than, which might have loosened the bottom, making these mountain villages extra weak. The quake additionally comes as most help from the U.S. has been suspended amid claims that the Taliban was siphoning off a few of it.

At the moment’s pay attention

Sabrina Carpenter’s new album Man’s Finest Good friend makes use of humor to deal with heartbreak.

Bryce Anderson

cover caption

toggle caption

Bryce Anderson

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter launched her new album, Man’s Finest Good friend, on Friday, and it’s chock-full of innuendoes and double entendres. She says the tracks inform a narrative, so followers ought to take heed to them so as. Carpenter says the album begins kind of like if you end up in a relationship, then it ends if you end up lastly on the opposite finish of it. Carpenter spoke with Morning Version host Leila Fadel in regards to the challenges of relationships, her controversial album cowl, which depicts her kneeling beside a person who’s pulling her hair, and the brand new songs featured on the album. Hearken to what Carpenter needed to say and snippets of the music, or learn highlights from the interview.

Deep dive

A brand new Nilson Houses growth in Plain Metropolis, Utah, consists of smaller starter houses aspect by aspect with bigger market-rate ones.

Jennifer Ludden/NPR

cover caption

toggle caption

Jennifer Ludden/NPR

Utah is without doubt one of the priciest housing markets within the U.S. This case is pushed by an rising demand from bigger households and extra individuals shifting to the state. Over the previous 5 years, median residence costs within the U.S. have reached file highs, rising practically 50%. To encourage builders to assemble extra reasonably priced housing, Utah lawmakers authorised low-interest building loans for starter houses final yr. However regardless of new incentives, few builders are signing on to construct smaller houses.

• 🏠 Housing specialists counsel that modifying zoning legal guidelines to allow smaller lot sizes is the simplest strategy to creating smaller, reasonably priced houses. A rising variety of states have made this resolution, however Utah lawmakers have opposed this idea.
• 🏠 Utah Gov. Spencer Cox needs starter houses for lower than $400,000. Jed Nilson, who heads Nilson Houses, is taking on the governor’s problem, promoting his three-bedroom mannequin for just below that and a smaller two-bedroom for round $370,000.
• 🏠 Nilson expanded his Plain Metropolis, Utah, growth by negotiating with Weber County, which permitted him to assemble extra starter houses on smaller plots that will sometimes stay vacant.

3 issues to know earlier than you go

Patrick Furlong, his spouse Laura Furlong and their kids in 2024.

Furlong household photograph

cover caption

toggle caption

Furlong household photograph

• Two years after Patrick Furlong’s mother and father divorced and his dad moved out of state, he discovered himself unable to tie a tie for a proper occasion at college. Annoyed, he tucked the tie in his pocket and went to the occasion. As soon as there, his steerage counselor, Clyde Archibeque, pulled him apart, reassured him and tied the tie for him. Now, as an educator, Furlong typically thinks of his unsung hero’s act of compassion.
• Greater than 25,000 individuals gathered on the Anaheim Conference Middle in California for the 2025 Pokémon World Championships, the place skilled gamers of all ages competed towards each other. The turnout reveals how culturally related Pokémon stays in spite of everything these years.
• A slew of beloved Saturday Evening Dwell solid members won’t return for the present’s 51st season. Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker and Emil Wakim are a few of the stars leaving. Here is who else is bidding farewell to the present.

This text was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.