August 24, 2026

Brittney Melton

up first newsletter writer

Good morning. Tropical Storm Moke is expected to cause more flooding in Hawaii as the state continues to recover from last week’s hurricane. Here’s the news we’re following today:

Today’s top stories

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent speaks to members of the press outside the White House. He is wearing a gray suit and tie.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Today, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to announce a new round of economic pressure on Iran to force it back into negotiations. President Trump has called the expected actions an “economic D-Day.” In response, Iran’s new security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, said Iran would retaliate against Trump’s economic plan in a “seismic manner.”

🎧 Trump has suggested that the U.S. will increase pressure on countries that do business with Iran, NPR’s Emily Feng tells Up First. Longtime U.S. diplomat Alan Eyre is skeptical that the economic sanctions playbook will change Iran’s regime, saying the war has instead strengthened hardliners.

🎧 Rezaei also warned that Iran could target Gulf states that implement the new economic restrictions. NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi says the sanctions could worsen conditions for Iranians already struggling with high inflation. A 30-year-old woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from the Iranian government, told her that many people are buying food on credit and lifesaving medicines such as insulin are increasingly unaffordable.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports starting Sept. 8. The move comes after the Trump administration imposed 50% tariffs on various Canadian goods. Trade negotiations between the U.S. and Canada collapsed shortly before a Friday midnight deadline, triggering tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products.

🎧 Carney has warned that the U.S. is increasingly seen as an unreliable economic partner, NPR's Scott Horsley says. The prime minister, who is backed by strong public support, has vowed that Canada will fight back. The latest tariffs affect only about 5% of U.S.-Canada trade. Horsley notes that retaliation can be effective: China’s response to U.S. tariffs last year helped lead to a de-escalation.

A federal judge has struck down a Trump administration ban on immigrant visas for people from 75 countries, ruling that it violated federal immigration law by discriminating on the basis of nationality. Earlier this year, the State Department halted immigrant visas for individuals from Afghanistan, Brazil, Yemen and other countries. The new ruling vacates the ban and sets aside visa denials made solely on the basis of the policy.

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Life advice

A woman lying on a mat with her knees raised up as a blue ball is positioned in between them.

Footage: Expecting and Empowered. Video: CJ Riculan/NPR

Pregnancy can sometimes come with physical discomfort, such as hemorrhoids and leg cramps, as the body grows and changes. Building balance and strength in a few key areas of the body may help ease common aches. Here are some exercises that can help:

🤰 Side-to-side exercises such as banded walks may help ease hip pain. Lateral lunges and glute bridges can also strengthen hip muscles.
🤰 In the first trimester, exercises such as bear crawls and side planks can build strength that may help with pain later in pregnancy, including “lightning crotch,” a sharp pain in the lower pelvic area.
🤰 In the third trimester, movements such as child’s pose and cat-cow can stretch the pelvic floor in preparation for delivery.

For more advice during pregnancy, listen to this episode of NPR's Life Kit. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.

Picture show

A child running with a red flag on a long stick chases after a small yellow bear.

Illustrated by Faith Pray

One hundred years after the first collection of Winnie-the-Pooh stories was published, a new children’s book celebrates the beloved works and the celebration that brought them to life. How a Bear Became a Book: The Collaboration That Created Winnie-the-Pooh explores the relationship between author A.A. Milne and illustrator Ernest H. Shepard. The new book, written by Annette Bay Pimentel and illustrated by Faith Pray, pays homage to the originals by echoing Winnie’s original voice and Shepard's artistic style. Check out some pages of the new book.

3 things to know before you go

Smoke billows in the distance as a wildfire burns in Reno, Nev.

Haven Daley/AP

1

A fast-growing wildfire in Reno, Nev., has forced around 42,000 people to evacuate, with thousands more told to prepare to leave.

2

Dozens of American cities have canceled their contracts with Flock Safety over privacy concerns about its automated license plate readers.

3

More than 20,000 people in northwest Indiana are still without power, nearly two weeks after severe storms.

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This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.

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