Up First

Investigating the destruction of a hydroelectric dam in a war zone proves difficult. Former Vice President Mike Pence set to join a growing pool of 2024 GOP presidential candidates. An unexpected merger of two competing golf tournaments has huge implications for the game, and for the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia.

A hydroelectric dam in Russian-occupied Ukraine collapsed causing those downstream to flee. Chris Christie is set to announce his 2024 run, and isn't afraid to take on Trump. Regulators unveiled thirteen charges against cryptocurrency firm Binance, as they seek to regulate the industry.

A signal error appears to be the reason for the train crash that killed 275 people in India. Hundreds of journalists strike as their employer guts newsrooms across the country. GOP election deniers are pushing states to withdraw from a system that helps voter roll accuracy.

For nearly a decade, the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, quietly helped to clean up voter databases and catch fraud. It was a rare bipartisan success story, with Democrats praising it and Republicans calling it a "godsend." But recently, it has become the target of a Trump-allied lawyer and the far right. NPR Voting Correspondent Miles Parks and NPR's Investigations Team trace how conspiracy theories, secret meetings, and grassroots pressure are dismantling this obscure elections tool and giving election deniers their biggest policy victory yet.

A train derailment in India leaves more than 200 dead and many more injured. Biden delivers an Oval Office speech praising the bipartisan debt ceiling legislation. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin addresses a security conference in Singapore amid rising tensions with China.

The Senate has passed the debt ceiling bill that will prevent the country from defaulting, but it comes with some changes to work requirements. A Wisconsin mom is taking on YouTube shareholders after her son died of what is called a "Blackout Challenge" he found on the platform. Global defense leaders meet at the international defense summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore today.

The House of Representatives passed the debt ceiling bill and now the legislation heads to the Senate. Former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie are set to enter the Republican presidential race next week. And, the Atlantic hurricane season starts today, but climate change could be making the effects of these storms much worse.

The House of Representatives is set to vote on the deal to suspend the nation's debt limit. A federal appeals court ruled that the Sackler family be sheltered from opioid lawsuits linked to their company Purdue Pharma and Oxycontin painkillers. And, a trial is underway in the case of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting which left eleven worshippers dead.

Officials in Moscow blamed Kyiv for the drone attacks the Russian capital faced on Tuesday. China's Shenzhou-16 spacecraft took off with the first civilian astronaut on board. And, Republican presidential hopefuls will be campaigning in Iowa this week.

President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have reached a deal to raise the debt ceiling. Turkey's President Recep Tayyib Erdogan won the runoff election on Sunday, and is set to extend his two decade rule. And Kyiv is under Russian attack as Ukraine prepares for a counter-offensive.

When Stephanie Foo turned 30, she learned she had complex PTSD. Her efforts to heal from an abusive childhood and intergenerational trauma drove her to write What My Bones Know, a book that combines memoir with the rigorous reporting she'd honed as a journalist. Stephanie talks with producer Justine Yan about the initial shame upon hearing her diagnosis, lessons she learned when she went home to San Jose, California, and the fierce love she's practicing as she expects her first child.

If the US government defaults, the world's financial system would be affected, but some experts say that would actually increase demand for US government debt. An obstacle in the debt ceiling negotiations is tougher work requirements for social safety-net programs. New data shows the US is doing well in preventing new HIV infections, but the gains are happening unevenly across racial and ethnic groups.

Indiana doctor Caitlin Bernard, who spoke out publicly about providing an abortion to a 10-year-old girl from Ohio, faces disciplinary action for violating privacy laws. Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton might be impeached in a vote by members of his own party for allegedly abusing his power. And, voters will head to the polls in Turkey this weekend to decided if President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will continue his 20-year rule.

Ukraine has been preparing for months to launch a counteroffensive against Russia's invasion, but the high stakes operation has seen many delays. Scientists are using a new method known as in vitro gametogenesis, or IVG, that could revolutionize the way babies are made. And if the government defaults on its debt, people will have a harder time borrowing money.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is set to announce his bid for the Republican nomination live on Twitter with CEO Elon Musk. Relations between Washington and Beijing have been tense lately, but China's new ambassador to the U.S. says he wants to get the two sides back on track. And, the United States is at risk of downgrading its AAA credit rating as debt ceiling negotiations drag on.

The Treasury department is preparing for the possibility of a national default by deciding which bills to pay first if President Joe Biden fails to strike a deal with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on raising the debt limit. California, Arizona and Nevada are proposing new cutbacks to their use of the drought-stricken Colorado River to keep it from running dry. And, TikTok is suing the state of Montana to block a law that would put an outright ban on the popular video-sharing app.

President Joe Biden spoke with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on his way back from Japan as they prepare to meet at the White House today to discuss the debt ceiling. Senator Tim Scott is announcing his bid for the Republican nomination for president in the 2024 race. And while gun regulations are being argued in court, the mayor of Columbus, Ohio is instating a curfew after a deadly month in the city.

The Colorado River has more dams on it than any other river in the United States. They were built to harness water high in the mountains and across the arid desert so people could build cities, industries and farms. But the visionaries of the past didn't account for the kind of population growth the southwest has experienced, and they didn't make a plan for what to do if there wasn't enough water to go around. Now, as the region suffers through a second decade of a mega drought, residents are scrambling to find solutions that will preserve their way of life. Today on The Sunday Story from Up First, we head to Las Vegas, where water conservation has a new starring role. This episode comes from a new podcast from Colorado Public Radio and reporter Michael Elizabeth Sakas. It's called Parched.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Hiroshima, Japan. Markets don't seem very concerned about political wrangling over the debt ceiling. Greek voters head to the polls Sunday for elections clouded by a deadly train crash.

Ukraine's president is planning on attending the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan in an effort to convince world leaders to offer more support against Russia. After a 12-year ban for his brutal civil war in Syria, President Bashar Al Assad is being welcomed back to the Arab League meeting in Saudi Arabia. And, Disney is canceling a $1 billion investment plan in Florida amid an ongoing feud with Governor Ron DeSantis.