U.S. Strikes Inside Venezuela, Iran Protests, Flu Cases Surge
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President Trump confirms the first known U.S. strike inside Venezuela, saying it targets drug trafficking as critics warn it risks escalation.
Iranian authorities shut down cities and security forces move in to contain growing protests as anger over inflation and sanctions boils over.
And the flu is spreading fast across the U.S., with a new strain driving cases higher just as vaccination rates slip and hospitals brace for what’s next.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Iranian authorities shut down cities and security forces move in to contain growing protests as anger over inflation and sanctions boils over.
And the flu is spreading fast across the U.S., with a new strain driving cases higher just as vaccination rates slip and hospitals brace for what’s next.
Want more 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 Rebekah Metzler, James Hider, Rebecca Davis, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.
(0:00) Introduction
(03:30) U.S. Strikes Inside Venezuela
(07:25) Iran Protests
(11:22) Flu Cases Surge
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You can join the community of public radio supporters today by signing up for NPR Plus. Yeah signing up unlocks a bunch of perks such as bonus episodes and a lot more from across NPR's podcast and you can support public media while you listen. Join us at plus.npr.org. The US carried out its first known strike inside Venezuela. There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs. President Trump says it sends a message to Nicholas Maduro but critics warn it could escalate the conflict. Are you Martinez that's Michelle Martin this is a first from NPR News. In Iran protests over the economy are spreading security forces are cracking down as anger over inflation and sanctions boil over so is this a short-lived protest or the start of something bigger. And flu cases are surging across the US with millions already sick and hospitals bracing for more. A new strain is spreading fast and fewer people are getting vaccinated which makes this flu season different. How can you prepare? Stay with us we'll give you the news you need to start your day. Stay tuned for the following announcements and messages from our sponsors. This message comes from mattress firm. Sharing a bed should not mean losing sleep every night. Their sleep experts will match you with a bed designed for more uninterrupted sleep like a temper pedic made with unique temper material that absorbs motion so you can rest undisturbed. Right now you can save up to one thousand dollars on select temper pedic split king sleep systems during the Black Friday sale. Visit mattress firm today to find your perfect sleep solution. They make sleep easy. This message comes from prolon. Want to look and feel your best this fall? Prolon's five-day fasting mimicking diet is a clinically developed nutrition program with the goal of promoting fat loss while protecting lean body mass. Developed at USC's longevity institute it aims to assist the body in entering a fasting like state that helps reset metabolism, target visceral fat and support healthy metabolic markers. Get 15% off plus a bonus gift when you subscribe at prolonlife.com/npr. This message comes from Rosetta Stone offering an alternative approach to language learning. Without relying on traditional memorization the platform guides users to intuitively think in a second language. More information at Rosetta Stone.com. President Trump's critics say the American strike on a facility in Venezuela is drawing the U.S. even closer into a more dangerous conflict. Trump gave a few new details this week the attack against a dock in Venezuela where drugs are allegedly being loaded on boats. There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs. They load the boats up with drugs so we hit all the boats and now we hit the area it's the implementation area that's where the implement. It's the first known operation inside Venezuela an escalation of his campaign against the government of Nicolas Maduro. NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordonez is with us now from Palm Beach where president Trump is spending the winter holidays. Good morning Franco. Good morning Michelle. So just give us the big picture here. What is the significance of these latest attacks? Yeah I mean the president has been warning for weeks that he was prepared to launch land strikes and he first mentioned this port strike a week ago on a radio show. While he hasn't been clear about how the strikes were conducted a U.S. official confirmed to NPR's Tom Bowman that the CIA struck the dock. Now until now the U.S. has focused on strikes on boats it claims are trafficking drugs and some oil tankers but both of those operations have been taking place in international waters. So this is a really big deal to strike on land. It's an escalation but also creates more risks of killing innocent Venezuelans who have nothing to do with any of that stuff. Also the lack of congressional input let alone oversight as this campaign has escalated is something that has drawn attention especially some members of Congress as one might imagine. Wouldn't it be considered sort of customary and appropriate to at least brief Congress
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