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Today's top stories
Congress returns to Capitol Hill today after taking its August recess. During their time away, frustrated constituents addressed lawmakers at town halls across the U.S. about issues related to the economic turmoil and concerns of presidential overreach. Now, lawmakers face those same challenges in Washington, along with a looming government shutdown deadline of Sept. 30.
- 🎧 The parties are deeply divided on how to handle the approaching deadline, NPR's Claudia Grisales tells Up First. House Republicans are proposing another stopgap measure that will maintain funding levels, but Democrats want a regular appropriations plan. An underlying factor in the division between the parties is that the Republican-led Congress has surrendered its power of the purse to the president, Grisales says. This past week, President Trump unilaterally took back billions more in foreign aid using a "pocket rescission." This occurs when a president asks Congress to cancel funds very close to the end of the fiscal year. In addition to the government shutdown deadline, lawmakers will also focus on the Texas redistricting and possibly rebranding the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to focus on benefits for middle-class families.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is on trial today for allegedly trying to overthrow the government after losing the 2022 election. Bolsonaro's charges include attempting to violently end the democratic rule of law, plotting a coup and forming part of an armed criminal organization. Trump, who supports the former far-right leader, has called the trial a "witch hunt" and has tried to use U.S. power to stop it. Many Brazilians see the case as pivotal for their democracy.
- 🎧 This trial is unprecedented in Brazil, says NPR's Carrie Kahn. While presidents have been accused of crimes before, an ex-leader has never been successfully brought to trial for attempting to overthrow the government. Brazil's democracy emerged from a brutal military dictatorship just 40 years ago. Bolsonaro's prosecution has been testing the strength of the democratic institutions, particularly the judiciary and the Supreme Court, which handle criminal cases against politicians. Trump's intervention in the case is noteworthy, as he has imposed 50% tariffs against the country, and the U.S. sanctioned the lead justice overseeing the proceedings.
Rescuers are still trying to reach victims after an earthquake devastated parts of Afghanistan on Sunday. The country's disaster management authority says over 950 people are dead, and they expect that number to rise. The epicenter of the impacted areas is in the remote mountainous district called Kunar, according to NPR's Diaa Hadid.
- 🎧 One aid worker informed Hadid that some places impacted by the disaster were only accessible by goat trail, including a village called Dyugal, which appears to have been wiped out. Ibrahim Ahmed of the Islamic Relief aid group says they have taken some injured people on foot for three hours to their first point to reach the help they needed. Remoteness isn't the only factor making the crisis potentially worse, Hadid says. Heavy rains came days before, which could have loosened the ground, making those mountain villages more vulnerable. The quake also comes as most aid from the U.S. has been suspended amid claims that the Taliban was siphoning off some of it.
Today's listen
Pop star Sabrina Carpenter released her new album, Man's Best Friend, on Friday, and it is chock-full of innuendoes and double entendres. She says the tracks tell a story, so fans should listen to them in order. Carpenter says the album starts sort of like when you are in a relationship, then it ends when you are finally on the other end of it. Carpenter spoke with Morning Edition host Leila Fadel about the challenges of relationships, her controversial album cover, which depicts her kneeling beside a man who is pulling her hair, and the new songs featured on the album. Listen to what Carpenter had to say and snippets of the music, or read highlights from the interview.
Deep dive
Utah is one of the priciest housing markets in the U.S. This situation is driven by an increasing demand from larger families and more people moving to the state. Over the past five years, median home prices in the U.S. have reached record highs, rising nearly 50%. To encourage developers to construct more affordable housing, Utah lawmakers approved low-interest construction loans for starter homes last year. But despite new incentives, few developers are signing on to build smaller homes.
- 🏠 Housing experts suggest that modifying zoning laws to permit smaller lot sizes is the most effective approach to developing smaller, affordable homes. A growing number of states have made this decision, but Utah lawmakers have opposed this concept.
- 🏠 Utah Gov. Spencer Cox wants starter homes for less than $400,000. Jed Nilson, who heads Nilson Homes, is taking up the governor's challenge, selling his three-bedroom model for just under that and a smaller two-bedroom for around $370,000.
- 🏠 Nilson expanded his Plain City, Utah, development by negotiating with Weber County, which permitted him to construct more starter homes on smaller plots that would typically remain vacant.
3 things to know before you go
- Two years after Patrick Furlong's parents divorced and his dad moved out of state, he found himself unable to tie a tie for a formal event at school. Frustrated, he tucked the tie in his pocket and went to the event. Once there, his guidance counselor, Clyde Archibeque, pulled him aside, reassured him and tied the tie for him. Now, as an educator, Furlong often thinks of his unsung hero's act of compassion.
- More than 25,000 people gathered at the Anaheim Convention Center in California for the 2025 Pokémon World Championships, where experienced players of all ages competed against one another. The turnout shows how culturally relevant Pokémon remains after all these years.
- A slew of beloved Saturday Night Live cast members will not return for the show's 51st season. Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker and Emil Wakim are some of the stars leaving. Here's who else is bidding farewell to the show.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
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