What turns a playful debate into an angry, tearful argument? Or a cheerful Thanksgiving feast into a frosty dessert? America is heading into the holiday season after a divisive election season. So we're featuring an episode from NPR's science podcast Short Wave about what happens in our brains during conflict: Why it tempts us to shut down, and how we can navigate difficult conversations—political or otherwise—without losing control. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

President-elect Donald Trump swiftly replaced his controversial pick for Attorney General, Matt Gaetz, with his former lawyer, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the right to strike NATO countries supplying Ukraine with weapons, as Moscow escalates its military efforts in the war. And, a massive atmospheric river is drenching the West Coast, fueling concerns about the impact of climate change on extreme weather events. 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 Jason Breslow, Andrew Sussman, Neela Banerjee, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Ally Schweitzer.It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Milton Guevara.We get engineering support from Robert Rodriguez. And our technical director is Zac Coleman. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy