The 9 Best Morning Podcasts (2026)

Up First is NPR's daily morning briefing, and it does exactly what the name promises. Three stories, roughly ten minutes, ready to go by 6:30 a.m. Eastern every weekday. A Saturday edition lands at 9 a.m. for anyone who wants a weekend catch-up. The rotating host lineup includes Leila Fadel, Steve Inskeep, Michel Martin, and A Martinez, each bringing a slightly different interviewing style but all sharing that distinctly NPR ability to distill complex stories without condescending. The format is ruthlessly efficient. Each story gets a correspondent's report -- someone who actually covered it, not a studio anchor reading a summary -- followed by a few lines of host context, and then you move on. No extended banter, no filler segments. It respects your time in a way that few shows do. That tight structure is what makes it perfect for mornings. You can listen while brushing your teeth and walk out the door knowing the three things everyone will be talking about that day. NPR's global correspondent network means you're getting real reporting from real places, not repackaged wire copy. The production is clean and professional without being flashy. With well over a thousand episodes and tens of thousands of positive reviews, this is one of the most popular podcasts in America for a reason. There's a paid Up First+ tier that removes sponsor messages, but the free version works perfectly fine. If you want headlines with substance before your first cup of coffee, this is the gold standard.

Today, Explained takes the Vox philosophy -- explain things clearly, not just report them -- and turns it into a daily podcast that runs about 25 minutes. Sean Rameswaram and Noel King share hosting duties, and the chemistry works. Rameswaram has a knack for asking the follow-up question you were thinking. King, who came over from NPR, brings a directness that keeps conversations moving. Each episode picks a single story and pulls it apart with reporters, academics, and people on the ground. If tariffs go up on Chinese goods, they won't just read the announcement. They'll bring on an economist to walk through the supply chain effects, then talk to a factory owner in Ohio, then explain why this particular trade mechanism was chosen over alternatives. It's news for people who want to understand the machinery behind headlines, not just scan them. The production has a recognizable Vox polish -- clean editing, thoughtful pacing, occasional sound design that adds texture without being distracting. Episodes drop daily, usually late enough in the afternoon to catch the day's biggest developments, but many listeners save them for the next morning's commute. That next-morning approach actually works well because the explanatory format ages better than a straight headline recap. With around 2,000 episodes since its 2018 launch, the archive alone is a solid education in recent history. Great choice if your reaction to most news is "okay, but why is this happening?"

Morning Brew started as a wildly popular email newsletter that made business news feel like something a normal human would actually want to read. The podcast version carries that same energy. Each episode runs about 15 minutes and covers the top business, tech, and economic stories of the day in a tone that's informative without being stuffy. The hosts keep things moving fast and inject enough personality to make earnings reports and Fed decisions genuinely engaging. Think of it as your financially literate friend giving you a morning rundown over coffee. The show covers everything from stock market moves and startup funding rounds to retail trends and global trade news, but always with a focus on why it matters to regular people, not just Wall Street. If a major company announces layoffs, they'll explain the business strategy behind it and what it signals about the broader industry. If oil prices spike, they connect it to what you'll pay at the pump. That practical angle is what separates it from drier financial news programs. Episodes hit early enough to brief you before the market opens. The pacing is tight -- no segment overstays its welcome, and the show wraps before you finish your commute. The humor is dry and knowing rather than forced, like inside jokes for people who read the business section. For anyone working in business, tech, or finance who wants to start the day informed without sitting through a 45-minute economics lecture, this is the move.

The FT News Briefing packs global financial news into under ten minutes. That compression is the entire point. The Financial Times has one of the most respected international business newsrooms on the planet, and this podcast distills their daily output into a brisk morning segment you can finish before your train reaches the next stop. The show covers market movements, central bank decisions, corporate earnings, geopolitical developments that affect trade -- the full scope of what the FT reports on, condensed to its essentials. What makes this stand out from other business briefings is the global perspective. American business podcasts tend to orbit the S&P 500 and Silicon Valley. The FT News Briefing treats London, Tokyo, Frankfurt, and Mumbai as equally important datelines. If something is happening in European energy markets or Asian supply chains, you'll hear about it here before most U.S. outlets pick it up. The correspondents reporting in are specialists who cover their beats year-round, so you're getting genuine expertise rather than generalist summaries. The tone is crisp and professional -- no forced jokes, no extended small talk, just clear reporting with enough context to make sense of the numbers. Episodes drop on weekday mornings. The host rotates between several FT journalists, but the quality stays consistent across presenters. For anyone whose work involves international markets, currency movements, or global trade, this is the most efficient way to start the day informed. Even for non-finance listeners, the international coverage fills gaps that domestic shows leave open.

What A Day comes from Crooked Media, the same company behind Pod Save America, and it functions as a fast, sharp daily news show with a clear progressive editorial lens. Host Jane Coaston anchors the current version, bringing a rapid-fire delivery and a genuine curiosity that makes even well-covered stories feel fresh. Each episode runs roughly 15 to 20 minutes and tackles the biggest headlines of the day, with particular emphasis on American politics, policy, and culture. Coaston is good at cutting through spin. She'll take a political announcement, strip away the messaging, and explain what's actually changing for real people. The show doesn't pretend to be neutral -- Crooked Media has always been upfront about its perspective -- but it also doesn't devolve into pure opinion. There's actual reporting here, actual context, and a willingness to call out failures across the political spectrum when the facts demand it. The weekday format keeps things tight, and the show frequently features Crooked Media's other reporters and correspondents who add depth on specific topics. New episodes arrive early enough to be a solid morning listen, covering both the previous day's breaking stories and setting up what's ahead. The tone is smart and occasionally funny without trying too hard. Production quality is consistently strong -- clean audio, good pacing, no dead air. If you want a daily briefing that doesn't dance around political realities and comes with enough analytical muscle to explain the stakes, What A Day delivers. Just know what editorial perspective you're signing up for.

NPR News Now is the fastest way to get a news fix that still counts as real journalism. Five minutes. That's it. A new episode drops every hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, giving you the absolute latest headlines from NPR's newsroom whenever you press play. No other major podcast matches that refresh rate. The format is essentially a traditional radio news bulletin translated to podcast form -- a single anchor reads through the top stories with brief correspondent clips mixed in. There's no analysis, no interviews, no deep context. Just the facts, clearly delivered, in five minutes flat. That extreme brevity is a feature, not a limitation. It makes NPR News Now the perfect podcast for moments when you need information and nothing else. Waiting for coffee to brew? Five minutes. Walking from the parking lot to the office? Five minutes. The hourly updates mean you're never listening to stale news -- if something breaks at 2 p.m., the 3 p.m. edition will have it. Compare that to daily shows that record once and might be outdated by afternoon. The production is minimal and professional. Clean audio, clear enunciation, no music stings or transition effects. It sounds like what it is: a well-run newsroom delivering the news. The show draws from NPR's full correspondent network, so international stories get the same attention as domestic ones. For people who want headlines without commentary, this is the purest version of that idea. Many listeners pair it with a longer morning show for the quick facts they can build on later.

Morning Wire is the Daily Wire's entry into the daily news podcast space, hosted by John Bickley and Georgia Howe. Each episode runs about 15 to 20 minutes and covers the top headlines in U.S. politics, culture, and policy from a right-of-center perspective. The show launched as a direct alternative to NPR and other mainstream morning briefings, and it quickly climbed to the top of the Apple Podcasts charts, regularly sitting in the top 10 overall. The format is straightforward: Bickley and Howe trade off presenting stories, each one getting a few minutes of explanation with relevant soundbites from newsmakers. They cover the stories that conservative audiences care most about -- border policy, government spending, cultural controversies, legal battles -- while also hitting the major national headlines everyone is talking about. The delivery is professional and measured, more traditional broadcast journalism than political talk radio. That's a deliberate choice that sets it apart from more combative conservative commentary shows. You get the news, framed from a particular viewpoint, without constant outrage or sarcasm. Production quality is high -- the audio is clean, the editing is tight, and the pacing keeps you engaged without rushing through important details. New episodes drop on weekday mornings, timed for the commute. For listeners who feel that mainstream morning news skews left and want a daily briefing that reflects their perspective, Morning Wire fills that gap with competent execution. It's straightforwardly a news show, not an opinion show wearing a news show's clothing.

CNN This Morning is the podcast companion to CNN's morning television block, repackaging the strongest segments into an audio format that works without the screen. Each episode pulls highlights from the day's live broadcast -- interviews with newsmakers, correspondent reports from the field, panel discussions on breaking developments -- and edits them into a cohesive listening experience that runs roughly 20 to 30 minutes. The advantage CNN brings is access. When a senator makes news at 7 a.m., CNN often has them on camera by 7:30. When a story breaks overseas, they have correspondents already positioned. That institutional weight translates to the podcast as well. You get interviews and sourcing that smaller outlets simply cannot replicate. The show covers the full spectrum of the news cycle -- politics, international affairs, business, health, culture -- with a slight emphasis on Washington and policy given CNN's traditional strengths. Multiple hosts and correspondents rotate through, which gives you a variety of perspectives and reporting styles in a single episode. The production takes the best of television news -- the immediacy, the access, the live energy -- while trimming the parts that don't translate to audio, like extended anchor desk chatter. Sound quality is broadcast-grade, as you'd expect. Episodes drop on weekday mornings. For listeners who already trust CNN's reporting and want their morning show in podcast form, this is a natural fit. It hits harder on breaking news than most pure-podcast competitors because it's pulling from a live broadcast infrastructure.

The Morning Show Podcast with Carla Marie and Anthony is the lightest entry on this list, and that's exactly its purpose. Not every morning needs to start with geopolitics and market data. Sometimes you want the energy of a fun radio morning show -- celebrity gossip, pop culture debates, funny listener calls, and the kind of easygoing banter that pairs well with a second cup of coffee. Carla Marie and Anthony have the chemistry of hosts who've been working together long enough that the conversation flows naturally. They riff on trending stories, react to viral moments, discuss entertainment news, and occasionally bring in guests from the worlds of music, TV, and social media. The format is loose and personality-driven, closer to a classic drive-time radio show than a structured news program. Episodes tend to be longer -- 30 minutes or more -- giving you plenty of content for a full commute or morning routine. What makes this work is that the hosts are genuinely entertaining without relying on shock value or manufactured controversy. The humor is warm and inclusive. They disagree sometimes, joke at each other's expense, and bring real opinions to pop culture topics without taking themselves too seriously. Production is solid, with clean audio and smooth transitions between segments. The show updates regularly on weekday mornings. For people who want their morning podcast to feel like hanging out with funny, informed friends rather than sitting through a news briefing, this is a strong pick. It complements the harder news shows on this list nicely.