by Suzanne Nuyen

March 13, 2025

Good morning. There's a notable debut in this week's pop charts: LISA is the latest member of K-pop group BLACKPINK to crack the top 10 on Billboard's 200. Here's what else we're following today:

The Environmental Protection Agency announced yesterday plans to target more than two dozen rules and policies. The agency is reconsidering rules that limit climate pollution from cars and power plants, regulations that limit soot and mercury in the air, and more. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called it the "most consequential day of deregulation in U.S. history.” It's not yet clear whether the EPA plans to weaken these regulations or eliminate them entirely.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, a man in a gray suit and striped tie, testifying before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on his nomination in January.

Ting Shen/AFP/Getty Images

🎧 NPR's climate desk correspondent Jeff Brady tells Up First that one of the most significant regulations on the list is called the "endangerment finding." The EPA determined in 2009 that human-caused greenhouse gases in the atmosphere endanger public health and welfare. It's the basis for many of the country's climate regulations. Brady adds that this EPA announcement is even more dramatic than what climate groups expected — and certainly more aggressive than the politics President Trump pursued during his first administration. The Environmental Integrity Project said the EPA is driving "a dagger straight into the heart of public health."

The world is waiting for Russia's response to a 30-day ceasefire offer the U.S. and Ukraine brokered earlier this week. Under the proposal, the U.S. has promised to restore military and intelligence support to Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine promising to end air attacks on Russia. Trump officials are expected in Moscow this morning, and Trump said he hopes to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone soon.

🎧 Putin has previously said that he wouldn't accept a temporary ceasefire because he wants peace that addresses "the root of the conflict." NPR's Charles Maynes says that's Kremlin speak for Russia's larger national security concerns regarding NATO near Russia's borders. Polls show a majority of Russians want an end to the conflict.

A SpaceX capsule is scheduled to carry four astronauts to the International Space Station tomorrow, clearing the way for two astronauts who have been labeled as "stranded" to return to Earth. Yesterday's launch attempt was postponed due to an issue with a ground support clamp arm. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams went up to the space station last June and were supposed to spend about a week there. They've remained on the ISS after the experimental Boeing capsule they took into orbit malfunctioned. Trump and his close adviser Elon Musk have claimed there are political motivations behind the decision to leave the astronauts there — allegations former astronauts and NASA officials have denied.

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A child playing in a field with a dog that is jumping into the air, trying to grab the toy in their hand.

Jason Mendez/Getty Images for (BAM) Brooklyn

Author Reginald Dwayne Betts says that Doggerel, the name of his new collection of poems, usually means mediocre poetry. But there's more behind the name. “I wanted to write poems that say, this is for everybody,” Betts tells Morning Edition host Michel Martin during a recent interview. “So, if you're looking for some laughter, there's something here for you. If you're looking for love, there's something here for you.” During the interview, Betts reads his poem Grief from the collection. Listen to it and learn more about his works here.

A cropped photo of a woman typing on a laptop while holding paperwork. The cut-out image is placed on a purple backdrop.

Photograph by Kinga Krzeminska/Getty Images; Collage by Becky Harlan/NPR

It might be time to dust off your resumé and give it an update. Over the past few years, resumé formats have shifted. Elements like your home address have become less important due to the rise in remote and hybrid work. Adding a URL to your LinkedIn profile can help hiring managers as technology plays a larger role in recruiting. Career coach Cynthia Pong shares with NPR's Life Kit tips on how to write a CV that's competitive and up-to-date.

📄 Update your resumé every six months. This way, you will always be ready to share it whenever an opportunity arises.
📄 If you have gaps in your resumé, consider adding in unpaid community work, volunteer service, freelance work and education or skill development you did during that time.
📄You don’t have to put your graduation year from college if it was more than a decade ago, especially if you're worried about age discrimination. Recent grads should include theirs.

Here are more tips to follow for refreshing your resumé. Check out Life Kit's advice for landing a new job, and sign up for Life Kit's newsletter for expert advice on health, money, relationships and more.

The amount of news coming at you can feel overwhelming. But you can’t just ignore it when important, world-changing events are happening. That’s why we make the Up First podcast.

Every morning, in under 15 minutes, we take the news and boil it down to three essential stories. So you can catch up on what’s happening while getting ready, making breakfast, or going to work.

It’s NPR’s signature storytelling, packaged for the morning rush.

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A gold ring with a large blue hexagonal gem surrounded by two small, round, green gems above and below, and two small, round, red gems on either side.

Noonans

A medieval bishop's ring from the late 12th or early 13th century is expected to fetch between $19,000 and $23,000 when it goes up for auction later this month. Retired firefighter Mark Sell found the ring in 2019 while he was out in a field with a metal detector.

Congress has reintroduced the CROWN Act, a bipartisan effort to ban discrimination based on hairstyle or hair texture due to race.

Two high school students have been recognized for their innovative research at this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation’s oldest science and math competition.

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This newsletter was edited by Yvonne Dennis. Brittney Melton contributed.

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