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Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is expected to announce new financial sanctions against individuals and organizations involved in fentanyl trafficking. Amid heightened cross border attacks, the leader of Hezbollah threatens all out war if Israel conducts military operations in Lebanon. And a growing number of teens in America, especially young boys, are falling victim to sexual extortion online.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Catherine Laidlaw, Tara Neill, Hannah Block, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Christopher Thomas and Taylor Haney.Our technical director is Zac Coleman, with engineering support from Carleigh Strange.

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Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is expected to announce new financial sanctions against individuals and organizations involved in fentanyl trafficking. Amid heightened cross border attacks, the leader of Hezbollah threatens all out war if Israel conducts military operations in Lebanon. And a growing number of teens in America, especially young boys, are falling victim to sexual extortion online.

Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.

Today's episode of Up First was edited by Catherine Laidlaw, Tara Neill, Hannah Block, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Christopher Thomas, Claire Murashima and Taylor Haney.Our technical director is Zac Coleman, with engineering support from Carleigh Strange.

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Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun apologized to families of 737 Max victims during a Senate hearing and admitted that the company retaliated against whistleblowers in the company. Tribal, state and federal officials in New Mexico are scrambling to save homes and lives as two rapidly growing fires threaten the village of Ruidoso. And Ascension hospitals, one of the country's largest health systems, is still recovering from a massive ransomware attack that caused dangerous mix ups and serious complications with patient care.

Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.

Today's episode of Up First was edited by Russell Lewis, Eric Whitney, Diane Webber, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Christopher Thomas and Taylor Haney.Our technical director is Zac Coleman, with engineering support from Carleigh Strange.

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President Biden is set to announce a plan to protect hundreds of thousands of undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation. A coalition of environmental, labor and health professionals are petitioning the Federal Emergency Management Agency to treat extreme heat as a "major disaster." And Russian President Vladimir Putin makes a rare trip to North Korea for a two-day state visit.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Alfredo Carbajal, Nick Spicer, Sadie Babits, Lisa Thomson and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Chris Thomas and Taylor Haney. We get engineering support from Carleigh Strange. And our technical director is Zac Coleman.

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Cross border fighting intensifies between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon as the Israeli military pauses daytime military operations in Southern Gaza's Rafah city. 80 of the 90 countries at a peace summit in Switzerland called on Russia to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity. And, An NPR Ivestigation finds that 50% of US military bases are located in areas where healthcare is hard to find.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Hannah Block, Nick Spicer, Andrew Sussman, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Christopher Thomas and Taylor Haney.Our technical director is Zac Coleman, with engineering support from Carleigh Strange.

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What does a comedian know about baseball? And what can America's oldest baseball field tell us about the civil rights movement?

Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama is America's oldest ballpark. It's older than Wrigley Field and Fenway park. But its history is full of contradictions. In its heyday, Rickwood was home to both the Birmingham Barons and the Birmingham Black Barons, one of the most talented teams in the Negro Leagues. The field hosted a women's suffrage event, but the stadium's owner also allowed a KKK rally to take place there.

Comedian Roy Wood Jr. hosts a new podcast called Road to Rickwood from WWNO & WRKF, which takes a closer look at the field's history as a microcosm of the civil rights movement itself. Wood Jr. grew up in Birmingham playing baseball at Rickwood. In the podcast, he speaks to historians, civic leaders, major league baseball executives, former Negro Leaguers, and members of Alabama's first integrated sports team. For himself and those he interviewed, baseball was an oasis. It was also a space where racism shaped the lives of some of the nation's best baseball players.

In today's episode of The Sunday Story, Wood Jr. sits down with host Ayesha Rascoe to talk baseball, Birmingham, and race in America.

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