Up First from NPR
Episodes
Congress Budget Vote, Trump Speaks At DOJ, Federal Workers Reinstated
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Congress faces a shutdown deadline today as Senate Democrats weigh whether to back a Republican spending bill or risk being blamed for closing the gov...
Russia Mulls Ceasefire, EPA Rollbacks, Iran Rebuffs Trump
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump's special envoy is in Moscow for talks as Russia reviews a U.S. backed proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine. The White House ...
Ukraine Ceasefire Talks, Education Department Layoffs, Spending Bill
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. is resuming military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after negotiators agree to a 30-day ceasefire, which Russia is now reviewing. ...
Ukraine Ceasefire Talks, Stock Market Slide, Columbia University Arrest Latest
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As Ukraine begins ceasefire negotiations in Saudi Arabia, the Trump administration signals that aid could resume if Ukraine makes concessions. A steep...
Canada's New Leader, ICE Arrest Columbia Student, Congress and The Budget
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Canada's ruling Liberal Party has a new leader, Mark Carney, a former central banker who now faces the challenge of steering the country through econo...
Who gets to be an American?
09 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On the first day of his second term as President, Donald Trump signed an executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship for children born in...
Limiting Musk's Powers; VA Employees On DOGE Emails; No Cure For Long COVID
08 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump says that his Cabinet secretaries are actually supposed to be the ones to make staffing decisions, not Elon Musk and his DOGE entity. ...
BONUS: America's Shifting Alliances
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump has shaken up America's global alliances with policy reversals and realignments being felt around the world. How are writers, analysts...
Jobs Report, White House Crypto Summit, Gaza Ceasefire Uncertainty
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Labor Department is expected to show a modest uptick in hiring as part of its monthly jobs report card, but layoffs could cast a chill over the jo...
EU Leaders On Ukraine, Auto Tariffs Paused, USDA Workers Return
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
European leaders are meeting for an emergency summit to find ways to raise billions for defense and aid to Ukraine after after the U.S. cut military s...
What Trump Said Last Night, Trump On Immigration, China Tariff Confidence
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In his first address to Congress of this term, President Trump criticized Democrats and highlighted his administration's policy achievements. Trump us...
Ukraine Funds Paused, Trump Addresses Congress, Tariffs Begin
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The White House put a pause on military aid to Ukraine after a heated Oval Office exchange with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump will address Cong...
Zelenskyy in London, Gaza Ceasefire Status, Judicial Accountability
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a warm welcome in London from the British prime minister and other European leaders, after a contenti...
Who Will Win at the Oscars
02 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tonight, big blockbuster films Dune: Part Two and Wicked are competing against critic favorites like The Brutalist, Nickel Boys and The Substance at t...
Zelenskyy-Vance-Trump Blow Up, DOJ Demotions, Feds Plan for Bird Flu
01 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ukrainians react to the stunning events in the Oval Office that ended not with a signed minerals deal, but with shouting. Trump's Department of Justic...
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says She's Fighting President Trump's "Illusion of Power"
01 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, says she thinks Republicans have begun making mistakes... and her party is resolved to s...
Zelenskyy Visits DC, Tate Brothers In Florida, USAID Standoff, AOC and DOJ
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Ukrainian President is arriving in Washington to discuss a deal involving his country's rare earth minerals, social media influencers Andrew and T...
Foreign Aid Terminated, Migrants At Guantánamo, Legal Challenges To Federal Firings
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Trump administration says it will end more than 90 percent of the U.S. Agency for International Development's foreign aid contracts. NPR spoke to...
House Budget Plan, DOGE Resignations, Battle Against Bird Flu
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
House Republicans passed a sweeping new budget plan but disagree on spending cuts. A group of civil servants on Elon Musk's DOGE team resigned, and eg...
Federal Worker Email Confusion, UN On Ukraine, Colorado River, France Surgeon Trial
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Confusion remains after the "What did you do last week?" email that federal workers received, the Trump administration's break with European allies ov...
Federal Worker Confusion, European Leaders In DC, German Election, Greenpeace Lawsuit
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Federal workers are experiencing confusion after receiving an email demanding a list of their work accomplishments, the French President and British P...
Alternate Realities
23 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Conspiracy theories are all over social media. For some, that's as far as they go. But for reporter Zach Mack, conspiracy theories have infiltrated hi...
Pentagon Upheaval, Hamas Releases More Hostages, NY State Prisons
22 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Donald Trump fires the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, plus the Defense Department is set to lose more than 5 thousand personnel. Ham...
Migrants Leave Guantanamo, Israeli Hostages Update, Changes at FEMA
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly all migrants held at Guantánamo Bay have been released, with over 170 Venezuelans flown to their home country. Israeli authorities say a host...
Trump and Zelenskyy Feud, DOGE Savings Claims, Hamas Releases Four Hostage Bodies
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A look at the roots of the difficult relationship between President Trump and President Zelenskyy. DOGE says its saved taxpayers billions of dollars. ...
Measles Outbreak, Foreign Aid Cuts, Bolsonaro Charges
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Health officials are warning about a measles outbreak in Texas. Trump administration efforts to shrink the federal government have temporarily cut of...
Ukraine Talks, U.S. Health Agency Cuts, NYC Mayor Eric Adams Fallout
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
American and Russian officials meet in Saudi Arabia for talks on negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine. The Trump administration has started makin...
Paris Emergency Summit, Marco Rubio in the Middle East, Trump's First Month
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
European leaders meet in Paris to discuss an emerging transatlantic chasm over security and the war in Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio i...
A Home But Not A Cure
16 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thirty years ago, housing activists began an unusual experiment to help people struggling with homelessness and chronic addiction. They decided to get...
The Future of Ukraine ... and a US Consumer Agency. More on Black Hawk Crash
15 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeals to Europe for support as President Trump changes U.S. foreign policy. A tumultuous week at the Consumer ...
Justice Department Shakeup, Guantanamo Migrants Lawsuit, Immigration Crackdown Poll
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Multiple prosecutors have resigned from the Justice Department after refusing to drop a corruption case against the New York City mayor and legal aid ...
Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Trump to meet India's Prime Minister after he says the two nations have an unfair trade relationship. After a long call with President Putin, Trump sa...
Federal Worker Surveillance, Trump's Team In Europe, Elon Musk And Mars
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Employees at the General Services Administration are facing massive staff cuts and threats of near-constant monitoring, three top Trump administration...
Jordan's King In Washington, New Tariffs, NYC Mayor's Corruption Charges
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jordan's King Abdullah will meet with President Trump in Washington after rejecting Trump's plan to move Palestinians out of Gaza. President Trump ann...
Trump At The Superbowl, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Turmoil, Air Aid To Gaza
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a pre-Superbowl interview on Fox News, President Trump talked about his plans for the Department of Education and Gaza, the Consumer Financial Prot...
When Chatbots Play Human
09 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Increasingly, tech companies like Meta and Character.AI are giving human qualities to chatbots. Many have faces, names and distinct personalities. So...
Trump Administration Latest, USAID Ruling, Super Bowl Preview
08 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Federal judges temporarily block several Trump Administration moves aimed at reshaping the government. One order halts efforts to dramatically reduce ...
Trump's Justice Department, Disappearing DEI, Flu Peaks Again
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Justice Department is moving to implement President Trump's agenda for the agency, some large companies in the US are deleting or softening DEI la...
Deadline For Federal Workers, Reaction To Trump's Gaza Plan, Future Of US Foreign Aid
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Federal workers must decide today whether to accept an offer to resign. After calling for the US to take over Gaza, President Trump has also promised ...
Trump And Gaza, Migrants At Guantanamo, USAID Staff On Leave
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump has laid out a new vision for US ownership of the Gaza Strip, the first planeload of migrants from the US has arrived in Guantanamo Ba...
Canada Tariffs, Education Department Targeted, DOGE
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At the last moment the US paused its trade wars with Canada and Mexico, the Trump administration is reportedly targeting the US Department of Educatio...
USAID Programs Halted, Netanyahu in Washington, Rubio Visits Panama, Cannabis Safety
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly all foreign aid programs delivered by the US Agency for International Development, or USAID, have been halted, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin ...
Time to Leave
02 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The recent wildfires around Los Angeles are just the most recent example of how extreme weather driven by climate change is affecting housing across t...
Tariffs Come Due, Chopper Traffic After Crash
01 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The White House says President Trump will implement tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China on Saturday. Also, the FAA prohibits most helicop...
Plane Crash Latest, German Far Right, Nuclear Testing
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cockpit recordings have been recovered from the jet involved in a collision just outside of Washington, DC, a German far-right party is participating ...
D.C. Plane Crash, Migrant Housing At Guantanamo, January 6th Criminal Records
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
An American Airlines plane collided with a military helicopter in the skies over Washington, DC, President Trump says the US will send deported migran...
Trump Remaking Government, RFK Jr. Confirmation Hearings, US Education Report Card
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump's actions this week show the scope of his bid to reshape the federal government, Senate confirmation hearings begin for RFK Jr. and re...
Justice Department Firings, Humanitarian Parole Ends, China And AI
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At least a dozen Justice Department employees involved in prosecuting President Trump received dismissal notices, humanitarian parole programs are end...
Mideast Ceasefire, Florida Immigration Session, Congolese City Captured
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Palestinians are returning to their homes in northern Gaza, a proposal by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis would give local law enforcement officials the...
Reckoning with the Assad Regime's 'Machinery of Death'
26 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The fall of Syria's leader in December opened the doors to a vast network of detention centers and prisons across the country, uncovering further evid...
More Hostages Go Free, Trump Halts Foreign Aid, RFK Jr.'s Confirmation
25 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hamas releases four Israeli soldiers as part of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza. The U.S. State Department halts most foreign aid. Physicians line up ...
Trump Visits Disaster Zones, DEI and the Military, London Hacking Hearing
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump visits disaster zones; the Trump administration wants to end the military's diversity and anti-extremism programs; and an Israeli priv...
Immigration Crackdown, Health Officials Muted, Oscar Nominations
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Congress passes an immigration crackdown in President Trump's first legislative win, the Trump administration temporarily silences health officials an...
New ICE Policies, Hegseth Claims, West Bank Attacks
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Immigration enforcement will now be able to arrest migrants at sensitive locations like schools and churches ; new misconduct allegations emerge again...
Trump Day One, Immigration, January 6 Pardons
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump begins his first full day in office, kicks off a slew of immigration-related executive actions and grants clemency to all defendants char...
Inauguration Day, Israel-Hamas Ceasefire, TikTok
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump becomes the 47th president of the United States; the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel is in effect; and TikTok is back after going offl...
Can Old Age Be a New Beginning?
19 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Americans are living longer than ever. For some, these extra years offer a chance at reinvention and the possibility of a third act in life. Today on...
Ceasefire On Track, Pandemic Preparedness, Pepsi Sued
18 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Israel's war cabinet gave final approval to a ceasefire deal with Hamas overnight. Five years after the first COVID-19 case in the U.S., there is conc...
Gaza Ceasefire Deal Reached, Next Steps For TikTok, Anger Over Private Firefighters
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Negotiators have reached a deal for a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, according to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A l...
The Contours of a Ceasefire in Gaza, Preventing Future Wildfires In LA
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Israel and Hamas have agreed to pause fighting after 15 months of war. What's in the current ceasefire deal President Biden announced Wednesday, and h...
Smooth Sailing For Trump's Nominees?, LA Fire Outlook, South Korea President Arrested
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Senate Republicans are promising no drama for Trump's cabinet nominees in hearings this week. Do Democrats have anything to say about that? Plus, L.A....
Election Interference Report Goes Public, Wildfires and Mental Health, Pete Hegseth
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A report on Special Counsel Jack Smith's doomed investigation into Donald Trump's election interference is now in the hands of Congress. Many people a...
Dozens Dead in L.A. Fires, Middle East Ceasefire Talks, Homeland Security Chief
13 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At least two dozen deaths are attributed to the L.A. Wildfires, as more extreme fire weather is in the forecast. Ceasefire negotiations have resumed i...
Theocrats on the Doorstep of Power
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you've been following the news over the last year, you've likely heard about the rise of the Christian nationalism movement. Today on The Sunday St...
Palisades Fire Expands, 2024 Hottest On Record, TikTok Arguments Pro And Con
11 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
New evacuations were ordered overnight as the Palisades fire expanded in Southern California. New reports find 2024 to be the hottest year on record f...
LA Fires Latest, Trump's Sentencing, TikTok At The Supreme Court
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Many evacuated residents in Los Angeles returned to find entire neighborhoods wiped out by destructive wildfires, President-elect Donald Trump will at...
LA Wildfires, Carter's State Funeral, Trump's Agenda
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Devastating wildfires in the LA area have leveled entire neighborhoods as firefighting resources are stretched thin, a state funeral for former Presid...
Facebook And MAGA, Winter Virus Season, LA Palisades Fire
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The parent company of Facebook and Instagram, Meta, is ending a fact-checking feature, the annual winter respiratory virus season is in full force, an...
Trudeau Resigns, Guantanamo Prisoner Release, Minneapolis Police Reform
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he is resigning, only 15 detainees remain at the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay and the ...
Ex-U.S. Capitol Police Officer Remembers Jan. 6, CNN Defamation Trial, Golden Globes
06 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After protecting the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, retired Capitol Police officer Aquilino Gonell says Donald Trump's re-election feels like a "betray...
Does the Military Have an Extremism Problem?
05 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As Congress meets tomorrow to certify the results of the 2024 election, it also marks the 4-year anniversary of the attack on the Capitol. The partici...
Latest On New Orleans Attack; New Congress Comes Into Session; Carter's Funeral
04 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We'll bring you the latest on the FBI's investigation into the deadly Jan. 1st attack in New Orleans. Also, we'll take a look at the new Congress com...
New Orleans Answers, House Speaker Vote, Golan Heights Tensions
03 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The music returns to New Orleans' Bourbon Street, while investigators say a New Year's attacker acted alone. A new Congress prepares for a House speak...
New Orleans Attack, Suspect's Texas Home, Las Vegas Truck Explosion
02 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The FBI investigates a New Orleans attack that killed 15 as an "act of terrorism." Bomb techs join the probe at the suspect's Texas home. Law enforcer...
Ukraine's New Year's Agony, Puerto Rico Power Outages, Dry January Tips
01 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ukraine's leader vows to end the fighting in 2025, just before Russian drones attack Kyiv again. A grid failure leaves more than half of Puerto Rico w...
Gaza War 2024, Gaza Hospital Shutdown, Biden's Complicated Legacy
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After a year of on-again, off-again Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations, what will 2025 hold? Israeli raids shut down a North Gaza hospital that aid w...
Jimmy Carter Remembered, Syria-Israel Relations, South Korea Plane Crash
30 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Former President Jimmy Carter is remembered for peacemaking and humanitarian causes. A high-ranking Syrian official makes unprecedented comments about...
In Memoriam: Jimmy Carter, 1924-2024
29 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Former President Jimmy Carter has died at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was 100 years old, a modest man with an unforgettable ear-to-ear grin. Carte...
A Sunday in the Park
29 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In our last episode of 2024, we go for a walk.Earlier this year, NPR's immigration reporter Jasmine Garsd and Code Switch producer Xavier Lopez spent ...
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
28 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
President-elect Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to delay implementation of the law banning TikTok. Western officials say North Korean soldier...
South Korea Impeachment, Israel Attacks Houthis, Georgia's Political Crisis
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
South Korea's parliament has voted to impeach the country's acting president. Israel launched its largest and most aggressive attack so far against th...
Christmas Attack In Ukraine, Honda-Nissan Merger, Nigeria's Economic Crisis
26 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A Russian attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure leaves thousands of people without heat. The auto sector is in the midst of two seismic changes an...
Christmas In Bethlehem, Famine In Sudan, The Year In Space
25 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the second year in a row, official celebrations have been cancelled in Bethlehem, the city where Christian tradition says Jesus was born. Famine h...
Ukraine's Drone Use, H-1B Visa Uncertainty, New Species In 2024
24 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Facing a manpower shortage, Ukraine is relying more and more on unmanned flying attack drones. The visas used by foreign-born scientists is an immigra...
Biden Death Row Clemency, Long COVID Research, Lebanon Antiquities Damaged
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
President Biden uses his clemency authority to commute the sentences of 37 of the 40 men on federal death row to life without parole. The National Ins...
The Luckiest of the Unlucky
22 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 B...
The Anatomy of a Wrongful Conviction
22 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Government Shutdown Averted, German Christmas Market Attack, Netflix And The NFL
21 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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, Germa...
GOP Stopgap Bill Fails, Battle For Ukrainian Town, Syria's Interim Government
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Congress has a midnight deadline to fund the federal government. Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump instructed Republicans to kill a bipartisa...
Supreme Court Hears TikTok Case, Syrians Return Home, French Rape Trial Verdicts
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Murder As An Act Of Terrorism, Fed's Rate Cut Decision, Female Mass Shooters
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Trump Meets CEOs At Mar-A-Lago, School Shooting In Wisconsin, Pig Kidney Transplant
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 tr...
Syrian Minorities Fear Retribution, Israel-Hamas Talks, ABC Settles Trump Lawsuit
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Poetic Wealth of Nikki Giovanni
15 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The legendary African American poet Nikki Giovanni passed away this week at the age of 81. Since fiercely coming onto the scene during the Black Power...
S. Korea President, Texas Abortion Lawsuit, Coffee Prices
14 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
South Korea's parliament impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol for his attempt to impose martial law on the democracy. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton s...
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The fall of Syria's regime is a blow to Iran. Iranian money and troops propped up former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government. How much do th...
FBI Director Wray To Step Down, U.S. Life Expectancy, DNC Seeks New Leadership
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What does a change at the top mean for the FBI? Director Christopher Wray announced he will resign next month. Shooting an insurance executive in the ...
Syria's New Reality, Shooting Suspect's Ideology, Judges Block Grocery Merger
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
People in Syria are slowly settling in to a new reality. The fall of the Assad regime offers new opportunities, but also creates big challenges. NPR's...
Arrest In UnitedHealthcare CEO Killing, Netanyahu Trial, Jay-Z Rape Allegations
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Police arrested 26-year-old Luigi Mangione in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He has been charged with second-degree murder...
Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After 54 years, the Assad's brutal reign in Syria is over. Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia with his family as rebel forces swept into the capital of Da...