Up First

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel recommends booster shots for those who got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The killing of a British lawmaker is called an act of terrorism, and is prompting a review of security protocols. Ethiopia's civil war is entering a new phase, with civilians not only in the path of violence but also facing famine.

FDA advisors are unanimous in endorsing more COVID-19 vaccine boosters. A former high-profile Trump advisor is first to face criminal contempt proceedings in Congress for defying Jan. 6 attack investigators. And three white men go to trial next week in Georgia in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was shot while jogging.

A study suggests Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients could benefit from another booster brand. Also, investigators looking into the Jan. 6 riot await answers from four former Trump administration officials. And the White House calls on ports and private industry to help unstop shipping bottlenecks and rescue the holiday shopping season.

Oil prices and a tangled supply chain are top inflation predictors for today's consumer price snapshot. Thirty countries join a virtual White House cybersecurity summit. And the FDA for the first time is authorizing an e-cigarette product.

A new poll confirms Americans are behind and on edge because of the pandemic. Raiders Coach Jon Gruden resigns after NFL officials found racist, misogynistic and homophobic language in his emails. And a U.S. Navy nuclear engineer and his wife head for federal court to answer espionage charges.

FDA advisors meet to consider Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine boosters. Poor turnout mars Iraq's parliamentary elections. And Taiwan tells China it will not bow to pressure to reunify.

In this episode of NPR's Book of the Day, authors Joshua Prager and Leni Zumas each explore the real world implications of abortion politics, through fiction and non-fiction. First, in a conversation with Michel Martin, Prager talks through his book The Family Roe: An American Story, centered on the woman who was the baby at the center of the landmark Roe v. Wade trial. Then Leni Zumas and Scott Simon discuss Zumas' novel Red Clocks, set in a time where fetal personhood legislation has...

A federal appeals court allows Texas SB-8 to go back in effect. Iraqis are about to head to the polls to vote for the next parliament after protests against the government in 2019 triggered new elections. In Afghanistan, a branch of the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a mosque. It's the worst attack since US forces left the country.

Texas abortion providers wait to see whether an appeals court reinstates a ban on most abortions. Congress clinches a deal to defer action on the debt limit while all eyes are on whether the September jobs report will signal an improving economy. And the CIA trains a mission priority on China.

A federal judge orders Texas to suspend one of the country's toughest anti-abortion laws. Senate leaders say they're closer to a deal to keep the U.S. government paying its bills for the next few weeks. And a new study finds COVID-19 has robbed some 140,000 kids of at least one parent or caregiver.

Revelations brought to light from a former data scientist at Facebook have led to what may be the most threatening scandal in the company's history. Also, officials are still trying to contain a major oil spill off the coast of Southern California that dumped more than 120,000 gallons of crude oil from an offshore pipeline into the Pacific Ocean. And, a new report in France says hundreds of thousands of children have been abused by priests and others working in the Catholic Church over the...

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testifies before Congress today about the safety of teens on the social media giant's platforms. Also, a massive leak of financial documents of the rich and powerful showed many U.S. states are also used to hide and shield wealth from scrutiny, including South Dakota. And, a trial is underway in Ohio against some of the nation's largest pharmacy chains accused of contributing to the opioid crisis there.

A leak of millions of documents reveals a financial universe where the global elite shields riches from taxes, criminal probes and public accountability. Also, a Facebook whistleblower says the company chooses profit over safety and should face regulation. And, the Biden administration is expected to lay out some of its initial steps to address the China trade policy set by the previous administration.

Based on early estimates, as many as 10,600 large sequoias were killed in last year's Castle Fire — up to 14% of the entire population. The world's largest trees are one of the most fire-adapted to wildfires on the planet. But climate change is making these fires more extreme than sequoias can handle. It's also worsening drought that is killing other conifer trees that then become a tinder box surrounding the sequoias, reports climate correspondent Lauren Sommer in this episode of NPR's...

A new antiviral drug for COVID-19 appears to halve the risk of hospitalization and death in people diagnosed with the disease. And Democrats say they still need more time to resolve differences within the party on a spending plan that would advance much of President Biden's legislative agenda. Plus, sexual misconduct accusations trouble the National Women's Soccer League.

Lawmakers voted to avoid a government shutdown, but Democratic leaders delayed a crucial vote on a bipartisan infrastructure bill. What's the way forward? And what are the Biden administration's new immigration guidelines? Plus, a look at how Afghanistan has changed under the Taliban, one month since the US withdrew its troops.

The government will shut down if a spending bill isn't passed by midnight. Will lawmakers pull it off? And lawmakers will ask Facebook about the platform's effect on kids. Is it as harmful as some critics claim? Plus, what's next for Britney Spears now that her father is suspended as her conservator?

Top U.S. military officials will testify before House lawmakers today on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. What do they hope to learn? And Japan is on track to get a new Prime Minister. What kind of challenges will the incoming leader face? Plus, a year after former President Donald Trump acknowledged the Proud Boys during a presidential debate, how active is the far-right extremist group?

Can Democrats do anything to prevent a government shutdown? And now that R&B star R. Kelly has been convicted of sex trafficking and racketeering, what kind of prison sentence is he facing? Plus, why did murder rates in the U.S. surge during the pandemic?

What do Germany's preliminary election results tell us about where the country's headed? And will Democrats be able to avoid a government shutdown and avert a debt crisis? Plus, what's the roll-out plan for Pfizer's COVID-19 booster shot?