What is NPR's flagship daily news podcast called?

NPR's flagship daily news podcast is called Up First. NPR launched the podcast on April 5, 2017, to give listeners a concise briefing on the day's most important stories. Weekday episodes generally run about 10 to 15 minutes and summarize several major developments rather than examining one story at length.

The program grew out of Morning Edition, NPR's much longer weekday morning broadcast. Up First was designed for listeners who wanted a quick, on-demand update without committing to the full radio program. Its weekday hosts have included Morning Edition journalists Steve Inskeep, A Martínez, Leila Fadel, and Michel Martin. The feed later expanded with Saturday and Sunday editions.

Readers sometimes confuse Up First with Morning Edition because the two share hosts and editorial material. They are related but distinct: Morning Edition is a multi-hour broadcast, while Up First is a short podcast briefing. The Daily is another frequent comparison, but The Daily belongs to The New York Times and generally spends an entire episode exploring one major story. Up First instead aims for a broad snapshot of the news.