Up First from NPR
Negotiating Trump's Sweeping Agenda, South Africa's President, DOGE Cuts
21 May 2025
The latest on the president's massive tax and immigration bill as it faces continued resistance from both moderate and hardline Republicans. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will travel to Washington next week as relations between the U.S. and South Africa are at their lowest since the end of apartheid. An NPR analysis finds that the ad hoc Department of Government Efficiency keeps finding new parts of the federal government to try to shrink.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 Ryland Barton, Kevin Drew, Brett Neely, Tara Neill, Ally Schweitzer and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis and our technical director is David Greenburg.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Full Episode
President Trump warns House Republicans to accept a proposal for tax and spending changes along with a lot of borrowing.
He predicts any Republican who resists would be knocked out, so why are some saying no?
I'm Steve Inskeep with Leila Fadal, and this is Up First from NPR News. South Africa's president is coming to Washington. He'll be meeting with President Trump, whose administration has accused South Africa of discriminating against its own white citizens. How does all this look from Johannesburg?
And Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency is trying to expand its reach. Musk has taken a step back, but an NPR analysis found the unit has sought recently to intervene in dozens more entities, even some outside government. Is that legal? Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day.
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President Trump met with House Republicans in the Capitol yesterday, urging them to get behind his massive tax and immigration bill or risk a tax increase.
I mean, what Republican could vote for that to happen? Because there wouldn't be a Republican much longer. They would be knocked out so fast.
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