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Chapter 1: What is the Up First podcast and who hosts it?
Hey, it's A. Martinez. I work on a news show, and yeah, the news can feel like a lot on any given day, but you just can't ignore las noticias when important world-changing events are happening. So that is where the Up First podcast comes in. Every single morning in under 15 minutes, we take the news and boil it down to three essential stories so you can keep up without feeling stressed out.
Listen to the Up First podcast from NPR.
Chapter 2: What are the key outcomes of the U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia?
Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. Talks between top U.S. and Russian officials got underway in Saudi Arabia a short time ago. The talks are the first face-to-face between the two countries since Russia invaded Ukraine. But neither Ukraine nor any European allies are participating.
Chapter 3: How did first responders handle the Delta Airlines crash?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he will not recognize any agreements made without Ukraine at the table. The president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Deborah Flint, is giving credit to first responders for the absence of fatalities stemming from Monday's crash of a Delta Airlines jet that flipped on its roof while landing at Pearson International Airport.
No airport CEO wants to have these type of press conferences, but this is exactly what our emergency, our operations, and our first responder partners are all practiced and trained for. And again, this outcome is in due part to their heroic work, and I thank them profusely.
Chapter 4: Why is Southwest Airlines laying off 15% of its employees?
Officials say 18 passengers out of 80 people on board the flight were taken to hospital. The NTSB is sending investigators to Toronto to assist their Canadian counterparts in the investigation. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines laying off 15% of its corporate employees. Caroline Love of member station KERA reports on this part of the company's restructuring after recent turmoil.
The layoffs affect more than 1,700 employees. CEO Robert Jordan said in a statement it was a difficult and monumental decision. The airline has faced challenges in recent months, including declining profit margins and a civil lawsuit over alleged mismanagement of an employee retirement plan.
Southwest also restructured its board in October as part of a settlement with an investment firm that tried to oust Jordan, but he refused to resign. The airline announced several changes last fall to boost revenue, including the end of its open seating policy next year. Eligible employees impacted by the layoffs will receive salary and benefits through late April.
For NPR News, I'm Caroline Love in Dallas.
Chapter 5: What actions are being considered in New York due to the corruption scandal?
New York Governor Kathy Hochul plans to meet with New York City officials Tuesday to discuss a path forward for the city as a corruption scandal engulfs the mayor. Bruce Convisor reports the governor appears to be considering drastic action.
In making her announcement late Monday, Governor Hochul indicated that she's considering removing Mayor Eric Adams from office. Earlier in the day, four of the city's eight deputy mayors announced they're resigning from the mayor's administration. It was the latest blow for the embattled mayor who has vowed to fight on.
Last week, at least seven federal prosecutors in New York and Washington resigned rather than ask a judge to dismiss the five-count indictment against Mayor Adams. The New York State Constitution gives the governor the power to remove the mayor from office, but in announcing the meeting, Governor Hochul noted that in the state's 235-year history, no governor had ever taken such action.
For NPR News, I'm Bruce Kahnweiser in New York.
This is NPR. Forecasters are warning of life-threatening cold in the Rockies and Northern Plains, saying temperatures in parts of North Dakota could drop to 60 below. Extreme cold warnings have been posted across 11 states, stretching from Canada to Oklahoma and Central Texas. The cold follows deadly weekend flooding. At least 14 people were killed, including 12 in Kentucky.
and one in West Virginia. The White House says it will nominate political activist Ed Martin as the top federal prosecutor to serve in Washington, D.C. NPR's Kerry Johnson reports that Martin's record has come under scrutiny.
Martin has no prosecutorial experience, but he has defended people accused of crimes at the U.S. Capitol four years ago. As interim U.S. attorney in D.C., Martin's attracted attention for bombastic social media posts where he promised to investigate people who intimidated billionaire Elon Musk and his Doge team.
Martin's already fired a couple of dozen prosecutors who worked on Capitol riot cases and launched a review of how the office used an obstruction statute against January 6th defendants. The U.S. Attorney's Office in D.C. is one of the largest in the country. It often handles sensitive cases about political corruption and national security. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.
To Maryland now, where police have arrested the apparent leader of a cult-like group known as the Zizians. Maryland State Police say 34-year-old Jack Lasota was arrested Sunday, along with another member of the group. Investigators say the Zizians are tied to the shooting death last month of a Border Patrol agent in Vermont and may be linked to five other deaths in three states. This is NPR News.
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