Christmas in Bethlehem is somber this year. In the wake of the war in Gaza, church leaders are canceling traditional celebrations. The 2024 presidential election year is upon us and it's promising to be unlike any we've seen before. And, although little legislation was passed this year, Congress has seen plenty of action.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Michael Sullivan, Roberta Rampton, Kelsey Snell and Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Julie Depenbrock and Mansee Khurana. We get engineering support from Phil Edfors. And our technical director is Zac Coleman.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy