Up First Up First

Seven Republican candidates will be on stage for the second presidential debate in California on Wednesday. Former President Donald Trump will skip the event. U.S. regulators and 17 states have filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, accusing the online retail giant of harming competition. And the rollout of the latest COVID-19 vaccines has been plagued with issues.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 Megan Pratz, Emily Kopp, Scott Hensley and HJ Mai. It was produced by Shelby Hawkins, Ziad Buchh and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Zac Coleman.

President Biden will join striking auto workers in Detroit on Tuesday. He has a chance to be the first sitting president to stand on a picket line. Lawmakers in Congress have only days to avoid another government shutdown. But with some right-leaning Republicans continuing to play hardball, can they? And a new report shows that in some states, more than half of election workers have left their jobs since 2020. What does this mean for 2024?

TV and movie writers have reached a tentative deal with Hollywood studios that could soon end a nearly five-month strike. Union members still have to ratify the deal. Other negotiations, however, aren't go so well. In Washington, a deal to keep the government open beyond the end of this month appears less and less likely. How would a government shutdown affect the U.S. economy? And what's happening inside a North Carolina federal prison?

Today on The Sunday Story, NPR's Daniel Estrin talks about his four-year long investigation into the night that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, founder of ISIS, died. The Pentagon maintains troops did not harm noncombatants. But Estrin's investigation challenges that account. Now the Pentagon says it will review new information brought to light about the incident.

President Biden is going to Michigan to support the United Auto Workers' union strikes. A government shutdown looms large after members of the House GOP couldn't agree on a temporary spending plan. The Census Bureau plans to test asking people about their sexual orientation and gender identity next year; it says the information will help to fight discrimination.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells NPR's Steve Inskeep that more foreign aid is necessary to beat back Vladimir Putin's ambitions to expand Russia's influence across Europe.