President Biden's move to pardon his son Hunter has been met with criticism from opponents and some allies. The rapid advance by rebel fighters in Syria is linked to a series of conflicts in the Middle East. And, protesters in Georgia are calling for elections as the government suspends talks for membership to the European Union. Join the new NPR Plus Bundle to support our work and get perks like sponsor-free listening and bonus episodes across more than 25 NPR podcasts. 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 Roberta Rampton, Andrew Sussman, Nick Spicer, Lisa Thomson and HJ Mai. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Since its inception in 1973, the Endangered Species Act has been credited with helping to bring numerous species back from the brink of extinction. But as the country has continued to grow and develop it has also forced us to grapple with balancing the needs of endangered wildlife with the needs of humans. Today on The Sunday Story from Up First, host Ayesha Rascoe is joined by Montana Public Radio's Nick Mott to talk about his reporting on the Endangered Species Act, in a new podcast called The Wide Open, and how we navigate our complicated relationship with nature. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy