Up First from NPR
Israel Strikes Gaza, Trump And The Courts, Takeover At US Institute Of Peace
Tue, 18 Mar 2025
Hundreds of Palestinians were killed or injured in surprise Israeli strikes, threatening a tenuous ceasefire. A federal judge ordered the Department of Justice to explain why it ignored a ruling not to deport hundreds of Venezuelans, and the US Institute of Peace was the scene of a hostile takeover by the Trump administration's government efficiency group.Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Gerry Holmes, Roberta Rampton, Russell Lewis, Alice Woelfle and Janaya Williams. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Destinee Adams and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What triggered the recent Israeli strikes on Gaza?
Hundreds of Palestinians were killed or injured in surprise overnight attacks by Israel. The punishing strikes on Gaza come in the midst of fraught ceasefire negotiations.
Does this mean the war is back on?
I'm Amy Martinez, that's Leila Fadl, and this is Up First from NPR News. A judge is asking the Justice Department to explain why it ignored orders to stop the deportation of hundreds of Venezuelans.
So what I see them doing so far is playing footsie with the notion of defying a court order rather than actually defying a court order.
How far will the White House try to stretch its powers?
And the Department of Government Efficiency broke into the U.S. Institute of Peace offices with the help of police.
D.C. police showed up at my office and said, it's time for you to go.
Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
Singapore is one of the busiest cities in the world. But biologist Philip Johns is fascinated by a different inhabitant on the island. Otters.
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Chapter 2: Is the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas over?
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In Gaza overnight, a series of punishing and deadly Israeli airstrikes took Palestinians by surprise.
A Palestinian woman in Gaza City there screaming for her children. That was a scene in a hospital in the north. More than 300 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more injured, according to the Gaza health ministry. The strikes are the most intensive violence since a tenuous ceasefire began in January between Israel and Hamas as they negotiated an end of the war.
NPR's Hadil Elshad, she joins us now from Tel Aviv with the latest. Good morning, Hadil. Good morning. So why is Israel launching this attack now?
Well, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been threatening this whole time to go back to war if Hamas did not release more hostages. This time, Israel says it is targeting Hamas militant commanders, wants to degrade Hamas's ability to rearm. That's according to an Israeli official who wasn't authorized to speak publicly.
Just a reminder, the first phase of the ceasefire ended on March 1st. Over six weeks, Hamas released 33 hostages. Israel freed almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. The second phase was supposed to see a total withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and a permanent end to the war.
But instead of starting those second phase talks, Israel came back and said it wanted an extension of the first phase, where Hamas would return half the living hostages still held in Gaza. So what did Hamas say? Well, Hamas said that it had held up its end of the first phase of the deal and wanted to start second phase deal talks, refused the extension, which has led to these attacks.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that, quote, the gates of hell will open in Gaza if all the hostages are not returned. And then we also know that the White House spokesperson, Caroline Leavitt, confirmed that Israel consulted the Trump administration before the strikes. And what are we hearing from inside Gaza? Well, I mean, explosions could be heard across the Strip.
The Gaza Health Ministry says hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, including children. NPR's Gaza producer Enes Baba was at Al-Ahli Hospital this morning.
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Chapter 3: Why is a federal judge questioning the DOJ's deportation actions?
Thank you for your reporting, Hadil.
You're welcome.
A federal judge wants the Justice Department to explain its actions in deportations that took place over the weekend.
A judge asked for a sworn declaration from the DOJ by noon today detailing how planes carrying alleged Venezuelan gang members were flown from the U.S. to El Salvador despite a judge's orders to turn the planes around. A hearing yesterday saw a heated debate unfold about when exactly the orders were issued and whether they had to be in writing to restrain government action. The
incident is bringing the administration closer to a constitutional face-off.
NPR's Franco Ordonez is here with more about how President Trump is testing his executive powers. Good morning, Franco.
Good morning.
So this story really blew up over the weekend. What's the controversy here?
Well, I mean, the controversy is whether the U.S. government defied a legal court order, which would be a potential breakdown between the executive branch and the judicial branch. And many legal experts say this would create a major constitutional crisis. Now, the White House says they did not ignore the court, and they're painting this as a counterterrorism operation.
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Chapter 4: How is the Trump administration testing executive powers?
I mean, they even made light of the controversy yesterday and over the weekend, reposting a note by the Salvadoran president who wrote online, quote, oopsie, too late. After the judge called back the plane, and they're also posting on social media video of tattooed migrants with their hands chained boarding planes to different kinds of music.
So making light of this really important question of whether or not the Trump administration defied the court order, what did the Trump administration say about that?
Well, they say they did not. And I did speak with Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University, who served in the Biden White House. He said it's clear the Trump administration is attacking the judicial branch in alarming ways. But he said it was not clear whether the administration was actually violating those orders yet.
So what I see them doing so far is playing footsie with the notion of defying a court order rather than actually defying a court order. They're getting cute. They're getting up to the line.
You know, he adds that they talk tough on TV and press briefings. Vice President Vance has attacked judges, saying they're not allowed to control executive branch. Just yesterday, the border czar Tom Homan said on Fox he didn't care what judges think. But so far, Levitt says a Trump administration has complied with the orders, albeit reluctantly.
And how does this test of Trump's power fit with other moves the administration's making?
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Chapter 5: What happened at the US Institute of Peace?
I mean, this is a case that should not be looked at in a vacuum. The question at hand is not whether or not these people are dangerous and should be in the country, but the process of their removal. Is it legal? And specifically, did the administration knowingly ignore this order? This is just another example, though, of how the White House is working to stretch its powers.
And we have seen this with the legislative branch, and we're now seeing it in the judicial branch.
Thanks, Franco.
Thank you.
That's White House correspondent Franco Ordonez. The U.S. Institute of Peace was the scene of a hostile takeover by the Department of Government Efficiency.
They were helped by D.C. police.
D.C. police showed up at my office and said, it's time for you to go.
That's George Moose, who had been running the institute, which is a think tank funded by Congress.
NPR's Michelle Kellerman spoke to him on the steps of the Institute just across from the State Department, and she joins us now. Good morning, Michelle. Good morning, Lola. So, Michelle, you were right there once Doge forced their way into the building. What did you see?
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