Episodes

  • The Luckiest of the Unlucky

    The Luckiest of the Unlucky
    Dec 22 2024
    In part two of our story about Ben Spencer, a man sentenced to life in prison for a crime he said he didn't commit, former NPR correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty begins her own investigation. She returns to the scene of the crime and reinterviews witnesses. Hagerty finds new evidence of Spencer's innocence. And yet, the courts refuse to release him.

    In this episode of The Sunday Story from Up First, a look at what finally happens to a man who pinned his hopes on the idea that the truth would eventually set him free.

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    29 mins
  • The Anatomy of a Wrongful Conviction

    The Anatomy of a Wrongful Conviction
    Dec 22 2024
    In 1987, Ben Spencer, a young black man from Dallas, Texas was convicted in the killing of a white businessman. He was sentenced to life in prison by an all-white jury. There was no physical evidence linking him to the crime and he had an alibi. Over the years, eyewitnesses recanted their testimony and a judge, after reviewing all the prior evidence, declared Spencer to be an innocent man. Nonetheless, Spencer remained in prison for more than three decades. For seven of those years, former NPR correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty follows and followed the twists and turns of this case. Her dissection of wrongful convictions and the criminal justice system is at the heart of her new book, Bringing Ben Home: A Murder, A Conviction And The Fight to Redeem American Justice.

    Today on The Sunday Story from Up First, part one of a two-part series looking at why it is so hard to get a conviction overturned even when evidence of innocence is overwhelming. Part two is also available now on the Up First podcast feed.

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    27 mins
  • Government Shutdown Averted, German Christmas Market Attack, Netflix And The NFL

    Government Shutdown Averted, German Christmas Market Attack, Netflix And The NFL
    Dec 21 2024
    Congress approved a short-term spending deal to keep government running until mid-March. A man drove a car into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing at least five. Netflix again plans to stream major sporting events live, after a rocky first attempt last month.

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    16 mins
  • GOP Stopgap Bill Fails, Battle For Ukrainian Town, Syria's Interim Government

    GOP Stopgap Bill Fails, Battle For Ukrainian Town, Syria's Interim Government
    Dec 20 2024
    Congress has a midnight deadline to fund the federal government. Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump instructed Republicans to kill a bipartisan plan. Then the House rejected Trump's preferred alternative. Russia's army has lost thousands of soldiers trying to capture a strategic Ukrainian town, and in Syria, the rebel group that toppled former dictator Bashar al-Assad is now is now tasked with building a new government that includes everyone in a divided country.

    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 Kelsey Snell, Carrie Kahn, Ryland Barton, HJ Mai and Olivia Hampton. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Our executive producer is Kelley Dickens.

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    14 mins
  • Supreme Court Hears TikTok Case, Syrians Return Home, French Rape Trial Verdicts

    Supreme Court Hears TikTok Case, Syrians Return Home, French Rape Trial Verdicts
    Dec 19 2024
    TikTok's U.S. future is up to the Supreme Court. The Chinese-owned company wants the high court to stop a ban of the app from taking effect next month. Many Syrian refugees say they want to go home, now that the Assad regime is gone — but what will wait there for them? In France, judges delivered verdicts in a rape case that has shocked the nation and the world.

    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 Kara Plantoni, Arezou Rezvani, Ryland Barton, HJ Mai and Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Nisha Heinis, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

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    13 mins
  • Murder As An Act Of Terrorism, Fed's Rate Cut Decision, Female Mass Shooters

    Murder As An Act Of Terrorism, Fed's Rate Cut Decision, Female Mass Shooters
    Dec 18 2024
    Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism. What does that mean? The Federal Reserve considers one last cut in interest rates for the year, and identity of a school shooter in Wisconsin is forcing to reconsider gender stereotypes.

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    13 mins
  • Trump Meets CEOs At Mar-A-Lago, School Shooting In Wisconsin, Pig Kidney Transplant

    Trump Meets CEOs At Mar-A-Lago, School Shooting In Wisconsin, Pig Kidney Transplant
    Dec 17 2024
    President-elect Donald Trump has been holding court at Mar-a-Lago since his election victory. CEOs, foreign leaders and lawmakers have all made the trip to South Florida. He talked about his visitors and other issues in a post election news conference yesterday. Two people were killed when a student opened fire at a Wisconsin school. The alleged shooter is also dead. A gene-edited pig kidney has for the first time been transplanted into a human.

    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 Roberta Rampton, Cheryl Corley, Scott Hensley, HJ Mai and Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

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    13 mins
  • Syrian Minorities Fear Retribution, Israel-Hamas Talks, ABC Settles Trump Lawsuit

    Syrian Minorities Fear Retribution, Israel-Hamas Talks, ABC Settles Trump Lawsuit
    Dec 16 2024
    Some people in Syria aren't so sure what the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government means for them. We hear from Syrians who ask if the collapse of the old regime might bring retribution against them. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is trying one more time for a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. What could make this time any different? ABC News settled a defamation lawsuit with President-elect Trump. The network will donate millions to his presidential library, even though experts felt ABC had a strong legal defense.

    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 Arezou Rezvani, Carrie Kahn, Emily Kopp, HJ Mai and Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Taylor Haney, Nia Dumas and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Zac Coleman.

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    14 mins