Good morning. This is the Up First newsletter. Subscribe to get this in your inbox and listen to the Up First podcast for the day’s top stories.
Today’s top stories
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana lost his bid for reelection on Saturday, finishing last in a three-way Republican primary. Cassidy was one of seven GOP senators who voted to convict former President Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. His defeat underscores Trump’s continuing influence over large segments of the Republican electorate. Cassidy had argued the campaign should look forward rather than dwell on the past and tried to mend fences with Trump supporters while keeping an independent streak — a balancing act many observers say proved impossible. With Cassidy and other recent losses, at least five of the seven senators who voted to convict Trump will be out of office after this cycle, a development that may further deter Republican senators from breaking with the former president. Tomorrow’s primary in Georgia will feature heated Republican contests for governor and U.S. Senate, while Democrats hope higher turnout will help flip two state supreme court seats.
The World Health Organization declared a new Ebola outbreak in Central Africa an international public health emergency. The outbreak began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has spread to Uganda; more than 80 deaths have been reported so far. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the designation is not a pandemic-level emergency and advised countries against closing borders. The strain involved, Bundibugyo, is relatively rare and can evade some standard rapid field tests, which has complicated detection. At least two cases, including a death, have already been reported in Kampala. Ebola spreads less easily than airborne diseases like COVID-19, but if it reaches more densely populated or highly connected urban areas it could spread more rapidly.
A jury in California began deliberations today in a high-profile case between Elon Musk and leaders of OpenAI, including CEO Sam Altman. Musk helped found OpenAI in 2015 as a nonprofit but later left amid disputes. He is suing Altman and others, alleging they diverted the nonprofit’s mission to enrich a for-profit arm. Musk seeks the rollback of the for-profit entity, roughly $150 billion in related gains to be redirected to the nonprofit foundation, and the removal of Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman from leadership. A central legal question is whether Musk filed the lawsuit within the three-year statute of limitations for breach of charitable trust; the jury will have to decide when Musk knew or should have known about the alleged misconduct.
Four Navy pilots were found safe and are in stable condition after a midair collision at an air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. Bystander video showed two jets colliding and four parachutes above the crash site. The base canceled the remainder of the two-day Gunfighter Skies Air Show and an investigation is underway.
Climate Solutions Week
NPR is running a week of coverage on how communities are pursuing climate solutions despite political obstacles. With some state governments stepping back from climate plans, other actors — cities, regions, neighborhoods and sovereign Native nations — are moving ahead. In Montana, Republican leadership shelved a state climate plan and passed laws limiting state action on emissions unless the federal government leads. By contrast, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have developed their own climate action plan, pursuing projects like wind energy, water conservation, ecosystem restoration, and measures to reduce wildfire risk and provide clean-air safe havens for the reservation’s roughly 33,000 residents. Tribal climate coordinators say Indigenous stewardship and traditional knowledge have long guided landscape care, and tribal leaders are sharing approaches to make communities more resilient.
Watch this
NPR’s Newsmakers video podcast sat down with UFC president Dana White, who is staging cage matches on the White House South Lawn on June 14, President Trump’s birthday. White, a longtime Trump ally, said the diverse lineup of fighters represents America’s immigrant roots. The interview covers the event, the UFC’s place in culture, fighter health and other topics. The conversation is available on NPR’s video and audio channels.
3 things to know before you go
1) After an 11-year run, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end this Thursday. Critics are reflecting on Colbert’s impact as a TV host.
2) New York magazine is reviewing the past work of writer Ross Barkan amid accusations that at least three of his stories contain similarities to others’ reporting.
3) A new Amnesty International report finds worldwide executions reached a 44-year high in 2025, and state executions in the U.S. nearly doubled in a single year.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.