Government shutdown; Russia-Ukraine war; Syria : NPR

Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.

Today’s top stories

Federal agencies will run out of money tonight at midnight after House Republicans weren’t able to pass a stop-gap funding measure yesterday. House Speaker Mike Johnson crafted a Plan B proposal in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s demands to replace an original bipartisan bill that was killed on Wednesday. Plan B failed last night. The original plan was derailed when Trump and his top advisers, including Elon Musk, demanded that Congress kill the deal.

• 🎧 A significant number of the speaker’s Republican colleagues joined Democrats to tank the new plan even after Trump endorsed itNPR’s Deirdre Walsh tells Up First. Many House conservatives criticized the decision to add — at Trump’s request — a two-year increase to the U.S.’ borrowing authority without spending cuts. Currently, there is no Plan C or clear path to avoid a government shutdown, but Johnson said he is regrouping to develop a new solution. Walsh says this shows how hard it will be for Republicans to move their agenda through when they are so divided over the spending bill.

The Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk is facing one of the fiercest battles in the country’s eastern region. It’s a transportation hub and coal mining center. An independent estimate finds that over 3,000 soldiers in Russia’s army have been killed or wounded trying to capture it — so far unsuccessfully.

• 🎧 If Pokrovsk falls, other cities like Dnipro, which is home to nearly a million people, will be more vulnerable. NPR’s Brian Mann said people he spoke to in the region yesterday expressed that this battle is crucial and the fighting is grim. As Mann walked through Pokrovsk, he saw empty gray streets, houses, shops and hotels shattered by Russian bombs. Most military analysts have stated that Russia’s army is simply much larger and has more men, artillery and shells than Ukraine’s. Mann says Ukraine has been able to hold on so far by being creative, in part by using attack drones. If Russia can take the city, it’ll be its most significant victory in months.

The rebel group that toppled former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime now faces the challenge of replacing it. They’ve set up an interim government. Many people are waiting to see what the rebel group HTS will do differently than Assad. The challenge: governing a devastated country with many ethnic and religious groups.

• 🎧 HTS, which has roots in al-Qaeda, has informed Syrians it won’t turn the country into another Afghanistan. Still, some in the country are worried about whether they will impose a very stringent form of Islamic rule, NPR’s Hadeel Al-Shalchi says. HTS is using bureaucrats from Assad’s regime to get things up and running, as the rebels don’t have the expertise needed to run a country. Senior U.S. diplomats are in Damascus now meeting with HTS. The rebel group is currently designated as a terrorist organization, but they are desperate for the U.S. to drop that designation so they can get aid to rebuild the country.

Life advice

If you think you can’t dance, you would be wrong. Anyone can dance, and you don’t need special shoes or skills to do it. Great music is a plus, though. Check out this comic’s step-by-step guide with advice from experts on how to move and groove with confidence.

• 💃 Start by playing your favorite song and move your body any way you like. If it feels awkward, that’s OK. Don’t worry about whether you look good.
• 💃 Incorporate different movements to try to translate what emotions or images the music stirs up in you.
• 💃 If all else failsremember you can always bop your head to the beat.
• 💃 Find the beat and let it lead you. When you move your limbs or switch moves, try to clap or count along to the beat.
• 💃 Try not to watch yourself dance in front of the mirroras it may make you feel more self-conscious.

Weekend picks

Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:

🍿 Movies: The Room Next Door explores the inevitability of death and its intertwined ties to life. It follows Martha, who asks her friend Ingrid to accompany her during her last days after a cancer treatment failed.

📺 TV: The new ensemble dark comedy No Good Deed follows several couples and families that get tangled up in the sale of a home that holds a secret. Lisa Kudrow, Ray Romano, Luke Wilson and more are in the cast.

📚 Books: Whether you are a young reader or young at heart, here are 10 young adult novels you should add to your list of must-reads. The books are part of this year’s Books We Love series.

🎵 Music: Jazz Night in America gets a little more mellow and cozy with a special holiday edition featuring The Yule Log — an album by Philadelphia-born pianist George Burton.

🍛 Food: The rare cookbook Dalit Kitchens of Marathwada explores the culinary traditions of two groups of Dalits, a group of people who broadly occupy the lowest rungs of South India’s ancient caste system. Some dishes include ingredients you might not traditionally find in your kitchen. Here are some recipes from the book.

3 things to know before you go

1. The Federal Aviation Administration announced yesterday that it’s temporarily barring drone flights over critical infrastructure at 22 New Jersey locations. The decision comes amid mounting concerns about a flurry of reported drone sightings.
2. Calling all students: NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge is back for its seventh year, giving students from all across the country a chance to record their stories. Here’s everything teachers, educators and students need to know about the contest.
3. Bob Zimmerman piloted one of United Airlines’ annual fantasy flights during the holiday season, allowing terminally ill children to take immersive trips to the North Pole with elves on board. Zimmerman says the kids’ joy was palpable. (via WBUR)

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.