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Today's top stories
Former President Donald Trump made a rare appearance yesterday before three U.S. Court of Appeals judges in Washington to make the case that he is immune from federal prosecution on charges related to the Jan. 6 insurrection. Trump's lawyers argued his official acts as a president shouldn't be prosecuted unless he is impeached and convicted first.
Charlie Neibergall / AP
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AP
Former President Donald Trump reacts to supporters during a commit to caucus rally, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Waterloo, Iowa.
All three judges seemed dubious about siding with Trump, NPR's Carrie Johnson tells Up First. One asked Trump's attorney, Dean John Sauer, if he believed a president could be charged with a crime for selling pardons and military secrets or ordering the assassination of a political rival. Johnson adds the court didn't give a timetable for when they would make their decision. Trump has more court appearances coming up. Closing arguments for the New York civil fraud trial against him and his company begin tomorrow.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spent the last week at the hospital. Until yesterday, no one knew why. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center says Austin was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer last month. He was hospitalized on Jan. 1 due to complications from a procedure to remove his prostate gland.
NPR's Greg Myre says it's "really not clear" why the White House and other national security leaders were not made aware of Austin's condition until now. The White House says he will stay in his position. White House chief of staff Jeff Zients said yesterday Cabinet secretaries must now submit in writing their protocols for delegating authority.
Medical ethicist Keisha Ray speaks with Morning Edition to discuss the privacy rights of public officials and whether the public has a right to know why Austin was hospitalized.
As a potential government shutdown looms nine days away, House Republicans are focused on two other issues: impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayoraks and holding President Biden's son Hunter in contempt of Congress.
GOP representatives have singled out Mayorkas, arguing he's failed to address the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border and isn't enforcing current immigration laws, NPR's Deirdre Walsh says. The move to hold Hunter Biden in contempt is related to the impeachment inquiry into President Biden. They say Hunter Biden has defied requests to testify in a closed-door testimony. Hunter Biden says he will only testify in public.
Today's listen
/ Pat Davis
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Pat Davis
Millions of monarch butterflies migrate down the east coast of the U.S. each year to spend the winter in Mexico. But Sofi Gratas, a journalist and longtime volunteer at Monarchs Across Georgia, says their patterns are changing, with many staying in the U.S. rather than migrating. Scientists are relying on citizens to help determine what this means for the butterflies' future.
Listen to Gratas tell All Things Considered how you can report monarch sightings and what to look out for.
Life Kit resolutions planner
This month, we are highlighting some of the most popular New Year's resolutions. Find a resolution and stick to it for the entire year with Life Kit's planner.
Getting in shape is a common goal for the new year. Life Kit's best health advice will help you find a routine you like and stick to it, whether you love cardio, prefer weights or don't know where to start:
Tiger Woods celebrates on the 18th green after winning the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 14, 2019 in Augusta, Georgia.
Tiger Woods and Nike Golf announced Monday that their partnership was ending. Take a look at five of the most iconic ads from the three-decade-long brand partnership.
Many Mohawk people are raving about Kahhori, a new Indigenous superhero introduced in the animated series What If... that reimagines what it would have been like if Mohawks rejected their Spanish colonizers. (via NCPR)
Researchers at Columbia and Rutgers University have found roughly 240,000 detectable plastic fragments in a typical liter of bottled water — an amount in concentrations 10 to 100 times more than previously estimated.
The Paris Olympics opening ceremony wowed Parisians, fans and most everyone who was able to catch a glimpse of thousands of athletes floating down the Seine to officially begin the Games.
As Vice President Kamala Harris ramps up her campaign for president, Republicans are trying out new — and old — attacks focused on her race and gender, including calling her a "DEI candidate."
The Food Safety and Inspection Service made the announcement Friday. There are 34 cases of Listeria from deli meat across 13 states, including two people who died of Thursday, according to the CDC.
On the day that former President Donald Trump is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, we look at the Republican nominee's relationship with Israel.
Ashleigh Johnson is one of the best water polo goalkeepers in the world. NPR's Juana Summers talks to her about her barrier-breaking role in the sport and her expectations for her third Olympic games.
After a decades long man hunt the defacto head of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel is arrested just outside El Paso. What more do we know about his capture and what impact, if any, will this have on the fentanyl crisis here.
The territory hasn't had any polio cases for 25 years but this suggests the virus is spreading. Polio experts are scrambling to figure out the origins and whether or not there are active cases.
The opposition is united against longtime leftist President Nicolas Maduro, who is seeking a third term in this Sunday's election amid the country's gravest economic and political crisis in decades.