May 4, 2026

Brittney Melton

up first newsletter writer

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Today’s top stories

President Trump waves while wearing a black suit and a white button-up shirt. He is seen from the chest up.

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President Trump announced that the U.S. will "guide" stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz starting today. The president called the operation “Project Freedom” and described it as an effort to free hundreds of ships and crews trapped in the crucial waterway since the start of the war with Iran. Trump says he is also evaluating a new offer from Iran, but has not ruled out the option of war.

🎧 The U.S. Central Command said the mission would include guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft and 15,000 service members. Iran says Project Freedom violates the ceasefire agreement. Little is known about the new offer the president is reviewing, NPR's Mara Liasson tells Up First. Trump says he's been briefed on the concept of a deal, and Iranians will give him the exact wording soon. Liasson says the economic impact of the war is weighing on Trump politically. His approval rating is down across the board, and Republicans want the war to end.

Republicans are quickly working to redraw and pass new congressional maps in time for the midterms, after a recent Supreme Court ruling weakened the Voting Rights Act. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry suspended the primaries for the U.S. House races to allow the state legislature to create a new map. Early voting started there this past weekend.

🎧 Aubri Juhasz of NPR network station WWNO visited a polling site on the first day of early voting in Louisiana. She said many voters were unsure what to do because House races are still on the ballot. It was too late to remove them, but officials said the votes cast won't be counted. Some voters told Juhasz that they cast votes just in case. Several voters, voting groups and candidates have filed lawsuits in state and federal court over the House primaries suspension. They argue that the governor doesn't have the right to cancel elections, and that it's too late to do so because absentee ballots have already been sent out.

🎧 Republicans face a tough political environment in this year's midterms. They have a razor-thin House majority, and Democrats have good odds of taking control of the lower chamber. But the Democrats' chances of taking a Senate majority will be an uphill climb. At the outset of this election cycle, the prospect seemed highly unlikely, NPR’s Domenico Montanaro says. Republicans hold a three-seat majority, which may seem small, but the competitive seats largely fall within traditionally Republican turf. Here are the key races to watch.

➡️ In 23 states, including five presidential swing states, candidates who have denied election results are running for positions that will directly impact certifying future elections. That is according to a new analysis, shared exclusively with NPR ahead of its release, by States United Action, a nonprofit that seeks to protect elections.

➡️ Seven incumbent Republican state senators in Indiana who are up for re-election voted against Trump's mid-decade redistricting push in their state last year. It was a rare political defeat for the president at the hands of his own party. Trump said those Republicans should be ashamed of themselves. Now, with the primary tomorrow, the results will be a test of Trump's power of political retribution.

After an NPR investigation, lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill in Congress aiming to stop "claim sharks" from targeting disabled veterans. Lawmakers say these companies use predatory collection practices to charge veterans large sums for help claiming benefits with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., and two of their Republican colleagues, would prevent companies from using auto-dialers to call federal agencies. Pappas said the legislation was prompted by a 2025 NPR investigation that revealed how a Florida company called Trajector Medical used an auto-dialer to access a VA benefits hotline meant for veterans. The company would connect to the system to monitor benefit payments for thousands of clients, often without their knowledge, and then automatically send a bill to the veteran if their payments increased.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is hospitalized and in critical but stable condition yesterday, according to his spokesperson Ted Goodman. Goodman said on social media that Giuliani, 81, is receiving treatment, but did not share details on what led to his hospitalization. It was not immediately clear how long Giuliani had been hospitalized or where his treatment was taking place. (via Gothamist)

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Today's listen

Moglai Bap (left), DJ Provai (middle) and Mo Chara (right), members of Irish band Kneecap, pose for a photo at the National Hotel in Havana.

Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

In Kneecap’s new album, Fenian, the Irish hip-hop trio reclaim a word from their native language. “Fenian” originally meant an ancient Irish warrior, but has evolved into a pejorative term. “If you're Irish and you're called a Fenian, it was kind of like that you are backwards or uncivilized,” says Kneecap's Móglaí Bap. Power and politics have always been at the center of the group's work. They are probably best known for their pro-Palestinian activism and for being outspoken critics of Israel. They've faced backlash for their viewpoints. Several countries, including Canada and Hungary, have banned them from entering or performing there. While recording Fenian, Mo Chara faced a terrorism charge for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a show. He denies the charge, and the court ultimately dismissed the case. Mo Chara says his legal problems disrupted and shaped this album's creation. NPR's Juana Summers sat down with Moglai Bap and Mo Chara, two-thirds of the group, to learn more about their earliest influences and what drives them to make music. Listen to the interview or read more about the group here.

Living better

A young woman who's lying in bed under a blanket reaches out her arm to press the snooze button on a digital clock radio that's on a nightstand that's next to the bed.

Elenathewise/iStockphoto/Getty Images

Living Better is a special series about what it takes to stay healthy in America.

Adults should get at least seven hours of sleep each night, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. But 30.5% of Americans surveyed in 2024 are getting less than the recommended amount of sleep a night, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data brief. James Rowley, a pulmonologist and the program director of the Sleep Medicine Fellowship at Rush University Medical Center, considers sleep to be just as essential as diet and exercise for a healthy life. Capture that well-rested feeling and improve your sleep quality with these science-based tips:

🛏️ Establish a nightly wind-down ritual that features a cool, dim environment and soothing activities. Dim the lights in your home and consider taking a warm shower or bath before bedtime.
🛏️ Make up for temporary sleep deficits with midday naps and sleeping in on the weekends.
🛏️ Good sleep is tied to your daytime habits. Boost your circadian rhythm by getting morning sunlight, staying active during the day to feel physically tired and giving up afternoon coffee to promote deeper, restorative sleep.

For more ways to improve your sleep, sign up for Life Kit's special newsletter, Guide to Better Sleep, and get advice sent straight to your inbox.

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3 things to know before you go

A bright yellow Spirit Airlines aircraft lifting up into the air.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

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Low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines announced Saturday that it will cease operations immediately after failing to secure a $500 million federal bailout from the White House.