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Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader, again froze suddenly during a press conference. Funding the war in Ukraine, funding the government, responding to natural disasters, and investigating President Biden are all inter-related dilemmas as Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy walks the high rope.

Concerns rise over Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's health, Florida picks up the pieces after Idalia swept through the Gulf Coast and Gabon coup triggers fears of destabilization.
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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Padma Rama, Russell Lewis,...

Researchers in Korea claim they’ve identified a material that could unlock a technological revolution: the room temperature superconductor. Material scientists are skeptical, but enthusiasts on Twitter are enthusiastic. Why is the internet so excited about superconductors?

Then, the Kids Online Safety Act is headed to the Senate floor. Would it actually keep children safe? And how would it change the internet?

Plus: Kevin and...

The House and Senate are on radically different paths to approving the annual spending bills, setting up an anticipated September clash that could lead to another government shutdown. What to look out for as extreme temperatures cause more cases of dangerous heat exhaustion. And Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defends the overhaul of his country's judicial system.
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The House passed the National Defense Authorization Act, leaving Senate to fight over its policies on transgender health care, diversity and abortion. Also, two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court shut down President Biden's student loan relief program, the Education Department has approved another relief program, one that targets certain low-income borrowers. Plus, we bring you the latest on the deadly floods and landslides...

Last week, golf’s premier circuit, the PGA Tour, announced it was partnering with its rival circuit LIV Golf, an upstart league backed by Saudi Arabia, giving the country a powerful new seat at the table of international sports.

Alan Blinder, who covers golf for The New York Times, explains what was behind the deal and what it means for the business of sports.

Guest:...

The Senate has passed the debt ceiling bill that will prevent the country from defaulting, but it comes with some changes to work requirements. A Wisconsin mom is taking on YouTube shareholders after her son died of what is called a "Blackout Challenge" he found on the platform. Global defense leaders meet at the international defense summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore today.

The House of Representatives passed the debt ceiling bill and now the legislation heads to the Senate. Former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie are set to enter the Republican presidential race next week. And, the Atlantic hurricane season starts today, but climate change could be making the effects of these storms much worse.

Since 2016, the cardinal rule of Republican politics has been to defend Donald J. Trump and his allies at all costs, no matter the allegation. That appeared to change last week, when Texas lawmakers issued 20 articles of impeachment against their state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, a powerful Trump supporter.

J. David Goodman, the Houston bureau chief for The New York Times, explains what...

This episode is a bonus episode for NPR Politics Podcast+ supporters. Join us on an audio tour of the U.S. Capitol complex. This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, reporter Barbara Sprunt.