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Greg Myrie

Appearances

Consider This from NPR

Trump's Plan for Gaza: American intervention and mass relocation

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Yeah, the 1948 war was really the critical moment. Israel had just declared statehood and was immediately at war with several Arab countries as well as the Palestinians who didn't have a state then or now. Hundreds of thousands of civilians fled or were driven from their homes, and many are Palestinians who went to Gaza.

Consider This from NPR

Trump's Plan for Gaza: American intervention and mass relocation

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So now you have this large refugee population, and the very young, new United Nations sets up a refugee agency just for the Palestinians, which helps the Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, and neighboring countries.

Consider This from NPR

Trump's Plan for Gaza: American intervention and mass relocation

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This same arrangement has remained in place to this day, and the descendants of those original refugees are still classified as refugees, even if they were born in Gaza and have lived there all their lives.

Consider This from NPR

Trump's Plan for Gaza: American intervention and mass relocation

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Certainly the dream for many has been to return to their former homes, which are now inside Israel's internationally recognized borders. In Gaza and other areas, Palestinians will often show you around their homes and they'll proudly display these large, oversized, rusting keys and yellowing land deed documents to those former family homes.

Consider This from NPR

Trump's Plan for Gaza: American intervention and mass relocation

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But Israel's always rejected a large-scale return of Palestinian refugees, saying it would be swamped demographically. And during periodic peace talks over the years, the focus has been on making Gaza part of a Palestinian state that would also include the West Bank and a capital in East Jerusalem.

Consider This from NPR

Trump's Plan for Gaza: American intervention and mass relocation

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Palestinians in general and the refugees in particular harbor this deep fear of being displaced ever since the trauma of 1948, which they call the Nakba or the catastrophe in And Trump's comments really struck that chord. It's just hard to see how you'd ever get past such a core emotional issue.

Consider This from NPR

Trump's Plan for Gaza: American intervention and mass relocation

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We just seen more than 15 months of a devastating war in Gaza and very few Palestinians left during that time. A couple reasons for this. First, they really couldn't. Israel blocked its borders. Egypt, which is sympathetic to the Palestinians, kept its border with Gaza closed except for aid deliveries.

Consider This from NPR

Trump's Plan for Gaza: American intervention and mass relocation

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A very small number of Palestinians did bribe their way out of Gaza to Egypt at the cost of thousands of dollars, but very few, very little sign that they would want to leave.

Consider This from NPR

Trump's Plan for Gaza: American intervention and mass relocation

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Yeah, I mean, how do you get 2 million people to move when they don't want to? The U.S. would have to consider sending a large number of troops. They'd immediately become targets for Palestinian militants. This would be a massive, complicated, open-ended operation. And on the political side, the U.S.

Consider This from NPR

Trump's Plan for Gaza: American intervention and mass relocation

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simply has no legal authority to take over Gaza, and forcibly removing civilians from their territory violates international law. hard to imagine the U.S. building international support. It would certainly harm relations throughout the Middle East and probably far beyond.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 03-25-2025 5PM EDT

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CIA Director John Ratcliffe and the Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told the Senate Intelligence Committee that they have not shared classified material outside of proper channels. They did not speak on behalf of other officials who were also part of the group on the Signal messaging app.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 03-25-2025 5PM EDT

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Senator Mark Warner of Virginia said national security officials in the Trump administration have already taken a number of actions he described as, quote, sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior. The hearing came just a day after journalist Jeffrey Goldberg wrote that he was inadvertently included in the group chat with other national security officials. Greg Myrie, NPR News, Washington.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 04-24-2025 3PM EDT

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This will actually be, with the current composition of the college, the least European conclave in history.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 04-17-2025 3PM EDT

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Do you think you have ADHD? You're not alone. After the pandemic hit, there was a huge jump in ADHD diagnoses among adults. And at the same time, the internet is more and more obsessed with saying everything is a sign of it. To identify the red flags when a diagnosis goes viral, listen to the It's Been a Minute podcast today.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 04-17-2025 3PM EDT

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The shooting began just before noon near the student union in Tallahassee. Police responded quickly and evacuated students to safety. Tallahassee Memorial Hospital says it's received six patients, one in critical condition and the rest in serious condition.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 01-25-2025 7PM EST

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Hamas presented this highly orchestrated handover. The four Israeli women, dressed in olive military uniforms and oddly wearing lanyards, were paraded onto an outdoor stage in the center of Gaza City. Now, they were surrounded at all times by Hamas fighters dressed head to toe in black, including balaclavas. They also wore their green headbands and carried automatic rifles.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 01-25-2025 7PM EST

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The women waved to the Palestinian crowd, and then they were presented to the Red Cross, which drove them a short distance to the Israeli military.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 01-19-2025 6PM EST

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Hamas released the three Israeli women in a chaotic scene in Gaza City. Masked Hamas gunmen drove a van carrying the women to a crowded square packed with Palestinians. The women were handed over to the Red Cross, which in turn delivered them to the Israeli military. They were then whisked back to Israel.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 01-19-2025 6PM EST

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Video footage showed the women, ages 24 to 31, were all able to walk on their own, but there was no word on their overall condition. All three were seized by Hamas in the attack that ignited the war on October 7, 2023. These exchanges of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners are set to carry on for weeks. Greg Myrie, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 04-13-2025 2PM EDT

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Saturday's talks were an important first step. The U.S. and Iran held these talks in Oman's capital, Muscat. mediated by Oman. And the key issues are clear. What will the limits be on Iran's nuclear program? And to what extent will Iran get relief from the tough sanctions imposed by the U.S.? But both sides sounded very serious. The U.S. called the talks positive and constructive.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 04-13-2025 2PM EDT

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Iran struck a similar note, and they've agreed to meet again on Saturday.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 01-25-2025 6PM EST

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Earlier in the day, Hamas released the four female Israeli soldiers held in Gaza for more than 15 months. With the ceasefire intact, Israelis and Palestinians are scheduled to carry out similar swaps over the next several weeks. Greg Myrie, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 01-25-2025 6PM EST

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All of the homes around me were burned, and Altadena is at an angle, and so we're very concerned about the debris flow. and the runoff from the rains.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 01-25-2025 6PM EST

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Palestinians in Gaza gave a rousing welcome to prisoners who arrived in the territory shortly after being freed by Israel. Most of the 200 Palestinians released were sent to their home areas in the West Bank or Gaza. But Israel insisted that 70 be sent into exile elsewhere in the region. Many were serving life sentences after being convicted of killings.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 01-17-2025 7PM EST

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet met into the early hours of Saturday before finally giving approval to the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Hamas has already said it supports the deal. It's now set to take effect Sunday when Hamas is expected to release three Israeli hostages and Israel plans to free 95 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 01-17-2025 7PM EST

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The first phase of the agreement is set to last six weeks. The two sides will then have to hold additional negotiations to work out the release of the remaining Israeli hostages and to free more Palestinian prisoners. The 15 months of fighting has been the deadliest ever between Israel and Hamas. Greg Myrie, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 04-05-2025 7PM EDT

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Carmelo Anthony was part of the Syracuse Orangemen Championship in 2003. He then played 19 years in the NBA and was part of the 2008 Olympic gold medal team. That's also being recognized by the Hall of Fame. Anthony says being elected is his greatest honor.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 04-05-2025 7PM EDT

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Two legendary players from the UConn Huskies in the women's Final Four are also part of the class, Sue Bird and Maya Moore. Enshrinement takes place in Springfield, Massachusetts this September. For NPR News, I'm Greg Eklund.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-27-2025 8PM EST

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The online influencers were held for two years in Romania, where they were investigated and charged with human trafficking. Andrew and Tristan Tate are outspoken supporters of President Trump. The Financial Times newspaper has reported U.S. officials asked Romania to lift their travel restrictions. The two men flew in a private jet to Fort Lauderdale.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-27-2025 8PM EST

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says he only learned of their release and plans to come to Florida through the media.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-27-2025 8PM EST

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DeSantis says the state's attorney general is looking at what jurisdiction Florida may have over any of the charges. Greg Allen, NPR News, Miami.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-27-2025 7PM EST

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The 19 employees at CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said they've worked in the intelligence community for many years and were assigned to diversity issues as part of regular job rotations. They're among some 50 intelligence community employees being fired for work on DEI programs. President Trump wants to eliminate all such programs in the federal government.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-27-2025 7PM EST

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Greg Myhre, NPR News, Washington.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-27-2025 7PM EST

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U.S. District Judge Anthony Tringa in Alexandria, Virginia, said he might have ruled differently if the issue was, quote, fairness and good judgment. But he said CIA Director John Ratcliffe has broad authority to dismiss agency employees.

Up First from NPR

War Plans Group Chat, Alien Enemies Act, U.S. Greenland Visit

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Now, Goldberg initially thought this was some sort of hoax. Someone was trying to entrap him. But over the next few days, the text increasingly looked to be genuine with details about U.S. plans to bomb the Houthis in Yemen. Goldberg spoke to All Things Considered yesterday about what then happened on March 15th.

Up First from NPR

War Plans Group Chat, Alien Enemies Act, U.S. Greenland Visit

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And so two hours later, the U.S. bombing begins in Yemen, and Goldberg realizes this is no hoax. These U.S. airstrikes are real, and they're still ongoing. And Hegseth yesterday questioned the credibility of Goldberg, but the National Security Council put out a statement saying the material appeared to be authentic.

Up First from NPR

War Plans Group Chat, Alien Enemies Act, U.S. Greenland Visit

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Well, Layla, it certainly seems so, and they certainly should have known better. Hegseth often talks about his military experience, as does Waltz, and rest assured they were never told as soldiers to share military operations in advance on their preferred messaging app and to include emojis, as Waltz apparently did, with a clenched fist, a flag, and a fire emoji. And this group

Up First from NPR

War Plans Group Chat, Alien Enemies Act, U.S. Greenland Visit

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also included the nation's top two intelligence officials, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Now, those agencies are absolutely fanatical about secure communications, yet based on Goldberg's account, no senior national security official raised concerns about sharing war plans on Signal.

Up First from NPR

War Plans Group Chat, Alien Enemies Act, U.S. Greenland Visit

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Well, those officials are supposed to use a SCIF, which stands for Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility. These secure rooms are built to discuss classified information. You can't take a phone into these rooms. You can't take documents out. And all of these top-ranking national security officials have SCIFs at their offices and at their homes.

Up First from NPR

War Plans Group Chat, Alien Enemies Act, U.S. Greenland Visit

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Well, it can be very impractical, but that's how it's supposed to be done. These airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen began on a Saturday afternoon, so officials may not have been near a skiff, but it doesn't mean they should be discussing the launch of a major U.S. military operation in real time, on their phones, on a messaging app.

Up First from NPR

War Plans Group Chat, Alien Enemies Act, U.S. Greenland Visit

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Well, the editor of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, said he got a notice on the messaging app Signal on March 11th, inviting him to join a group chat regarding the Houthis in Yemen. Now, the invitation came from the National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, and included all the top national security officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Up First from NPR

Intelligence Officials Testify, Trump's Auto Tariffs, DOGE Access

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Now, Democrats said this was a major security failure, providing details of an imminent military strike on the publicly available messaging app Signal. And as we know, they included Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor of The Atlantic. Here's Democrat Jason Crow of Colorado, who served as an army ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Up First from NPR

Intelligence Officials Testify, Trump's Auto Tariffs, DOGE Access

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Well, CIA director John Ratcliffe essentially said there's just nothing to see here.

Up First from NPR

Intelligence Officials Testify, Trump's Auto Tariffs, DOGE Access

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And Defense Secretary Hegseth, writing on X, was also adamant that there was no classified information released. And other officials have said the same. Now, President Trump has been saying the same thing. He was a bit more ambiguous when asked Wednesday evening if he still thought that no classified information was disclosed. He said, quote, that's what I've heard. I don't know. I'm not sure.

Up First from NPR

Intelligence Officials Testify, Trump's Auto Tariffs, DOGE Access

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You have to ask the various people involved.

Up First from NPR

Intelligence Officials Testify, Trump's Auto Tariffs, DOGE Access

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Well, Democrats say they'll keep pressing for details in this particular case, like whether national security officials have been using Signal for other chats, because, you know, it's more convenient, though clearly not as secure as government communication networks. More broadly, the Democrats are questioning Trump's foreign policy.

Up First from NPR

Intelligence Officials Testify, Trump's Auto Tariffs, DOGE Access

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Trump has boasted about efforts to arrange ceasefires in Gaza and the Ukraine war, but the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has collapsed. Russia and Ukraine are still attacking each other despite U.S. mediation efforts. So these haven't been quick successes that Trump had hoped for.

Up First from NPR

Intelligence Officials Testify, Trump's Auto Tariffs, DOGE Access

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Hey, not yet. Now, the U.S. forces have bombed the Houthis now for nearly two weeks, but we're getting relatively little information. Trump's team says the campaign will be much more robust than it was under the Biden administration and that they'll halt the Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, which the Houthis describe as solidarity with the Palestinians.

Up First from NPR

Intelligence Officials Testify, Trump's Auto Tariffs, DOGE Access

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But the Houthis have proved very tough, and it's just not clear whether a U.S. bombing campaign, even if it's sustained for a while... can end these attacks and return shipping to normal levels.

Up First from NPR

Intelligence Officials Testify, Trump's Auto Tariffs, DOGE Access

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Yeah. Shortly before the hearing, The Atlantic magazine published details of the group chat on March 15th among the top security officials. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave the timing for the attacks two hours before they began. And he laid out a timeline for the warplanes and the drones and how they would take off and when.

Up First from NPR

Economy In The Next 100 Days, Ukraine Minerals Deal, India And Pakistan Tension

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We did see a bit of a step back in spending on restaurants and bars. And with income trends starting to cool quite significantly, that is an additional headwind for many families across the country in terms of their ability to spend on discretionary items.

Up First from NPR

More Hostages Go Free, Trump Halts Foreign Aid, RFK Jr.'s Confirmation

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As you noted, all were seized at an Israeli military base just outside of Gaza back in October of 2023 in the Hamas attack that ignited the war.

Up First from NPR

More Hostages Go Free, Trump Halts Foreign Aid, RFK Jr.'s Confirmation

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Yeah, a dramatic contrast. Last Sunday in the first exchange under the ceasefire, Hamas drove three Israeli civilian women into the middle of a very unruly crowd in a central square in Gaza. Lots of pushing and shoving and the three women clamored into a Red Cross van. Hamas clearly wanted a more orderly exchange this time.

Up First from NPR

More Hostages Go Free, Trump Halts Foreign Aid, RFK Jr.'s Confirmation

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So just a couple hours later after that, the Israelis freed 200 Palestinians. This included many convicted of serious crimes. Media reports say about 120 of those released are Palestinians serving life sentences after being convicted of killings. Also, about 70 of those being freed are not being allowed to return to Palestinian areas.

Up First from NPR

More Hostages Go Free, Trump Halts Foreign Aid, RFK Jr.'s Confirmation

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Israel says they are being deported to Egypt and then on to other countries in the region.

Up First from NPR

More Hostages Go Free, Trump Halts Foreign Aid, RFK Jr.'s Confirmation

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Yes, Scott, it's absolutely a good sign that the ceasefire is now wrapping up its first full week and still holding. These releases are incredibly important to both Israeli and Palestinian societies as they welcome their people home. We're seeing additional developments as well.

Up First from NPR

More Hostages Go Free, Trump Halts Foreign Aid, RFK Jr.'s Confirmation

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Hundreds of truckloads of aid are now flowing daily into Gaza, far exceeding anything we saw during the 15 months of fighting. We should note there are some very hard questions that are still ahead. The first phase of the ceasefire lasts six weeks. The two sides will then have to negotiate some very hard questions like,

Up First from NPR

More Hostages Go Free, Trump Halts Foreign Aid, RFK Jr.'s Confirmation

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When will all the Israeli troops leave Gaza and will Hamas be allowed to remain in charge of Gaza?

Up First from NPR

More Hostages Go Free, Trump Halts Foreign Aid, RFK Jr.'s Confirmation

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Hi, Scott. What was that moment like? Yeah, Hamas presented this highly orchestrated handover. The four Israeli women dressed in olive military uniforms and oddly wearing lanyards were paraded onto an outdoor stage in the center of Gaza City. Now, they were surrounded at all times by Hamas fighters dressed head to toe in black, including balaclavas.

Up First from NPR

More Hostages Go Free, Trump Halts Foreign Aid, RFK Jr.'s Confirmation

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They also wore their green headbands and carried automatic rifles. The women waved to the Palestinian crowd, and then they were presented to the Red Cross, which drove them a short distance to the Israeli military. The four women are now in a hospital outside Tel Aviv.

Up First from NPR

National Security Council Shakeup, George Floyd Murder and Political Extremism

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So dozens of staffers at the National Security Council were abruptly dismissed on Friday afternoon. They were informed at 4.30 p.m. and told to leave by 5. This comes from sources who spoke with our NPR colleagues Tom Bowman and Franco Ordonez. Now, the White House has not commented, so we don't have details or know the precise motive, but attention is certainly focused on Marco Rubio.

Up First from NPR

National Security Council Shakeup, George Floyd Murder and Political Extremism

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He was and is Secretary of State. Then at the beginning of this month, as you noted, Trump dismissed his national security advisor, Mike Waltz, and gave Rubio that job as well. This means Rubio is responsible for this National Security Council, and we're seeing this shake up just three weeks after he was put in charge.

Up First from NPR

National Security Council Shakeup, George Floyd Murder and Political Extremism

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Yeah, so the NSC works out of the White House. It has 200 to 300 staffers, depending on the presidential administration. It plays a key role in developing and implementing the president's foreign policy, even though we don't hear a lot about it. Many of these staffers are on loan from other departments, the Pentagon, the State Department, the CIA. The NSC has grown over the years.

Up First from NPR

National Security Council Shakeup, George Floyd Murder and Political Extremism

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There are periodic calls to scale it back. One of Trump's national security advisors in his first term, Robert O'Brien, recently wrote this in an op-ed. One source, for example, told NPR that the Middle East section at the NSC is being reduced from 10 staffers to five.

Up First from NPR

National Security Council Shakeup, George Floyd Murder and Political Extremism

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So it appears to be an attempt to streamline the national security process, though, again, we don't know precisely because it was done without notice or explanation.

Up First from NPR

National Security Council Shakeup, George Floyd Murder and Political Extremism

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Well, Scott, I think at this point we can say what we're seeing is very unusual arrangements on the national security team. Marco Rubio has these dual roles, which is very rare. His stock seems to be on the rise with Trump. Yet some of the biggest foreign policy matters, Trump has turned to Steve Witkoff, his longtime friend from his New York real estate days.

Up First from NPR

National Security Council Shakeup, George Floyd Murder and Political Extremism

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Witkoff had no national security experience, and yet he's the point man on the Iran nuclear negotiations. He's also the main negotiator in the U.S. efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. So at this point, the Trump administration still feels like it's working out some of these arrangements on the fly.

Up First from NPR

National Security Council Shakeup, George Floyd Murder and Political Extremism

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Yeah, Hegseth said reporters must now be escorted by Pentagon officials when they leave the area inside the Pentagon designated for the media. This reverses decades of policy where reporters could move about in the non-classified parts of the Pentagon and generally had pretty good access to officials. Hegseth has taken a number of moves to limit contact between journalists and military officials.

Up First from NPR

National Security Council Shakeup, George Floyd Murder and Political Extremism

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The Pentagon Press Association, which represents journalists covering the Pentagon, said it, quote, appears to be a direct attack on the freedom of the press and America's right to know what its military is doing. I'll note the Pentagon has had only one formal press briefing in four months under this new administration, and Hegseth didn't take part in that one.

Up First from NPR

President Trump's 2026 Budget, Gloomy Economic Outlook, Secretary of State's New Role

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So Trump plans to nominate Waltz to become the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Now, Vice President J.D. Vance tried to downplay any sense of turmoil. In an interview on Fox News, he said Waltz was being given a new position for which he seemed better suited.

Up First from NPR

President Trump's 2026 Budget, Gloomy Economic Outlook, Secretary of State's New Role

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So still, Trump wouldn't be doing this if he wasn't unhappy with Waltz's performance in some way. And this U.N. job is seen as a bit of a consolation prize. Now, Waltz took responsibility for accidentally adding a journalist to that now infamous Signal group chat back in March. And that was probably one contributing factor to his move. And yet, did he make the same misstep this week?

Up First from NPR

President Trump's 2026 Budget, Gloomy Economic Outlook, Secretary of State's New Role

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At Tuesday's cabinet meeting, a Reuters photographer was there. He took a photo sort of over the shoulder of Waltz, and it showed Waltz using Signal on his phone. And in addition to this, Waltz has had some policy positions that seem a bit out of sync with Trump. Before he joined Trump's team, he was very tough on Russia and supportive of Ukraine in contrast to Trump.

Up First from NPR

President Trump's 2026 Budget, Gloomy Economic Outlook, Secretary of State's New Role

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Yeah, I think the first thing Rubio is going to need to do is clone himself because he's going to have to be in two places at once. The Secretary of State is in constant motion, traveling from one foreign capital to the next. In contrast, the national security advisor is usually quite close to the president. His natural habitat is the White House and the Situation Room in particular.

Up First from NPR

President Trump's 2026 Budget, Gloomy Economic Outlook, Secretary of State's New Role

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His job is to work with various agencies, the Pentagon, the CIA, the State Department, and help the president sort through policy options. So it's not a natural fit to do both jobs simultaneously necessarily. This is likely a temporary arrangement, and it does suggest Trump is putting a lot of trust in Rubio for now.

Up First from NPR

President Trump's 2026 Budget, Gloomy Economic Outlook, Secretary of State's New Role

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One other note, the last time this happened was under President Nixon when he put Henry Kissinger in both those roles. Rubio seems to have Kissinger beat. He has two other jobs as well, the acting head of USAID and the acting head of the National Archives.

Up First from NPR

President Trump's 2026 Budget, Gloomy Economic Outlook, Secretary of State's New Role

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Well, given Trump's unpredictability, nothing is certain. But Hegseth looks to be safe for the moment. He's still facing a lot of criticism. His hand-picked advisers have been dismissed. So it seems there's still some turmoil at the Pentagon. And as you noted, Scott, there's unprecedented churn in Trump's national security team in his first term. He had four separate national security advisors.

Up First from NPR

President Trump's 2026 Budget, Gloomy Economic Outlook, Secretary of State's New Role

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The first one, Mike Flynn, lasted less than a month. He also had four defense secretaries and four directors of national intelligence.

Up First from NPR

President Trump's 2026 Budget, Gloomy Economic Outlook, Secretary of State's New Role

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So Trump still wants a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war. That's proving elusive. He's been more supportive of Russia in general. But this week, the U.S. signed an agreement with Ukraine on natural resources. So this may keep Trump a bit more engaged with Ukraine. Trump came into office just as the Israel-Hamas truce was taking effect. That's now collapsed.

Up First from NPR

President Trump's 2026 Budget, Gloomy Economic Outlook, Secretary of State's New Role

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The war in Gaza grinds on amid a major humanitarian crisis. And today marks seven weeks since the U.S. launched a bombing campaign against the Houthis in Yemen. And we're still getting minimal information. We do know the U.S. has lost at least a half dozen drones at $30 million apiece.

Up First from NPR

President Trump's 2026 Budget, Gloomy Economic Outlook, Secretary of State's New Role

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And a jet fighter, which cost more than $60 million, fell off the deck of an aircraft carrier this week and sank in the Red Sea.

Up First from NPR

Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview

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After 54 years, the Assad's brutal reign in Syria is over. Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia with his family as rebel forces swept into Damascus and Syrians emerged into a new reality. What kind of Syria is born in this moment?

Up First from NPR

Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview

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President Biden said Sunday the U.S. is prepared to work with Syrians as they try to create a new government. Yet President-elect Trump is sounding a different note. To hear more on this, NPR's Greg Myrie is with us. Good morning, Greg.

Up First from NPR

Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview

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First, the U.S. carried out numerous airstrikes in Syria. What can you tell us about that?

Up First from NPR

Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview

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With a Trump administration coming in, how will he approach a new Syria? Trump also gave his first network TV interview since winning the election.

Up First from NPR

Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview

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But what about Hayat Al-Sham or HTS? That is the group that is now believed to be in power in Syria. They're still designated as a terrorist group by the U.S., aren't they? Yes.

Up First from NPR

Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview

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So that's what President Biden is saying. President-elect Trump is striking a different tone. Tell us more about that and what should we expect from him?

Up First from NPR

Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview

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So Iran and Russia were both big backers of Bashar al-Assad. What does this mean for them?

Up First from NPR

Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview

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What did we learn about his approach for his second term? Stay with us. We'll tell you what you need to know to start your day.

Up First from NPR

Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview

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And now we have another window into how President-elect Donald Trump says he plans to govern.

Up First from NPR

Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview

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For more on this, we are joined by NPR senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith. Good morning, Tam. Good morning. OK, so you covered Trump's first term. You followed him and his time in office very closely. What did this interview tell you about how he is approaching his second term?

Up First from NPR

Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview

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The Assad family came to power in 1970 when Richard Nixon was still in the early days of his first term as US President. On Sunday, Russia confirmed that President Bashar al-Assad had fled to Moscow, while in Damascus, the capital, the rebels who seized control were led by an Islamist group still designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization.

Up First from NPR

Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview

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Okay, so let's go back to policy. Immigration, a signature issue for him since his first run for office. Did he make some news here?

Up First from NPR

Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview

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And that's Up First for Monday, December 9th. I'm Michelle Martin.

Up First from NPR

Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by James Heider, Andrew Sussman, Roberta Rampton, H.J. Mai, and Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Ziad Butch, Katie Klein, and Ben Abrams. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott and our technical directors, Carly Strange. We hope you'll join us again tomorrow.