Is America sliding towards authoritarianism?

Hundreds of academics say yes.

It is certainly reversible, but we're no longer living in a liberal democracy.

Where is American democracy heading?

Listen now to the Sunday story on the Up First podcast from NPR.

Live for a week. on the Up First podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst.

Former President Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

As NPR's Tamara Keith reports at 82, Biden was America's oldest president to serve. According to a statement from

Biden's personal office, the cancer has metastasized to bone and is a more aggressive form of prostate

cancer. But it appears to be hormone sensitive, which means there are options for effective

management. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in elderly men.

For Biden, the diagnosis came after experiencing urinary symptoms.

The statement goes on to say that the former president and his family are reviewing

treatment options with his physicians.

This comes as media attention has been focused on Biden's decline while in office as documented in a forthcoming book.

Tamara Keith, NPR News.

President Trump will be working the phones tomorrow as he tries to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine now in its fourth year.

As NPR's Charles Mains reports, Trump plans to speak with leaders from Russia, Ukraine, and NATO.

The phone calls come in the wake of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul, Turkey on Friday, their first direct negotiations since the early days of the war.

That led to an agreement for a mass prisoner swap, but fell short of Western demands,

Russia joined Ukraine in signing on to an immediate 30-day ceasefire. Instead, Russia has kept

up the military pressure, launching mass drone attacks over the weekend. Russian president,

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