President Trump's special envoy is in Moscow for talks as Russia reviews a U.S. backed proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine. The White House is rolling back more than two dozen environmental protections regulations, a move critics warn could lead to more pollution and health risks. And, Iran's Supreme Leader rejects President Trump's effort to start nuclear talks, calling it a deceptive attempt to pressure Tehran.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, Neela Bannerjee, Kevin Drew, Alice Woelfle and Mohamad ElBardicy.It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis, our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What is the main discussion regarding the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire proposal?
Russia is reviewing a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire with Ukraine.
This as an American envoy is in Moscow to negotiate the plan Ukraine has already accepted. Will he seal the deal or will Russia press for more concessions?
Ami Martinez, that's Michelle Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News. The Trump administration is gutting environmental rules, calling it a win for business. But critics say the EPA rollbacks could lead to more pollution and health risks.
They're going to take our country back to a time when rivers caught on fire and kids couldn't go outside without seizing up from an asthma attack.
And the president sent a letter to Iran proposing nuclear talks. Can't let them have a nuclear weapon. But the Supreme Leader is not buying Trump's offer. He calls it a deception. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
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Hey, I'm Scott Schaefer.
And I'm Marisa Lagos.
We host Political Breakdown. With the 2024 election over and President Trump in the White House, there's going to be a lot to keep up with this year.
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Chapter 2: What are the implications of the EPA rollbacks under the Trump administration?
Meanwhile, Putin's advisor, Yuri Shakov, said he'd been in direct telephone contact with U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Waltz was one of the key U.S. negotiators in talks with the Ukrainians, and Ushakov made clear Moscow found the U.S.
proposal lacking.
So here Ushakov says Russia saw the ceasefire as simply an opportunity for Ukraine to regroup and rearm. And he went on to repeat that Moscow wants a long-term end to the conflict that takes into account Russia's security interests, something the Kremlin has said often, frankly.
Okay, so look, it's a negotiation, but does this mean, does this, I don't know what you want to call this, sort of signaling mean that the ceasefire proposal has already failed, that the talks are over before they began?
Not necessarily. I mean, that's what Witkoff is in Moscow to discuss. But clearly, these two sides are far apart. Keep in mind, Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously said quite explicitly he would not accept a temporary ceasefire because he wanted a peace that addressed, in his words, the root of the conflict.
Now, that's Kremlin speak for Russia's demands that NATO retreat from Russia's borders and, of course, forego Ukraine. There's also this. So last night, Putin dressed in military camouflage with state media cameras in tow, visited army headquarters in the Russian region of Kursk.
Now, that's where Russian troops appear to be finally on the verge of driving out occupying Ukrainian forces who've been there for months. So this was essentially a propaganda tour. And while Putin made no mention of the Ukrainian ceasefire offer, it certainly felt like he was signaling he preferred a military solution. He told his generals to essentially crush the enemy.
So is the message here, or is the message what he's trying to signal, is why bother negotiating over what you're winning anyway?
Well, that's certainly the point made by more nationalist voices inside Russian society. They say this proposal by Ukraine is really an attempt to use diplomacy to stave off defeat militarily. The catch is that while that may be true in Kursk, where it seems as though Russian forces are genuinely making big gains, it's a harder slog in actual occupied Ukraine.
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Chapter 3: Why did Iran's Supreme Leader reject Trump's proposal for nuclear talks?
What are some of the other regulations the EPA is reconsidering?
Zeldin said the agency will reconsider rules that limit climate pollution from power plants and from cars and trucks. Also regulations that limit soot and mercury in the air. Other rules that Zeldin claims are hurting the economy and costing trillions of dollars. But that leaves out the fact that pollution also costs the country, you know, and health costs and cleanup costs.
It's not clear whether EPA plans to get rid of these rules or weaken them. Those details should come later. And what are environmental groups saying about this? You know, this is even more dramatic than what they expected and certainly more aggressive than the policies Trump pursued during his first administration.
One group, the Environmental Integrity Project, said the EPA is driving, quote, a dagger straight into the heart of public health. I talked with Matthew Tejada at the Natural Resources Defense Council. He called this an all-out assault on the law, science, and the administrative part of the government that keeps people safe.
They're going to roll these things back, and they're going to take our country back to a time when rivers caught on fire and kids couldn't go outside without seizing up from an asthma attack.
Just as the country is making this big transition from fossil fuels that are heating the planet to cleaner energy, Tejada says the Trump administration is tying the country to oil and gas for another century.
And what about the oil industry? How's the oil industry responding to this EPA announcement?
Well, they're pretty happy. The American Petroleum Institute said voters picked Trump for cheaper energy. And now his administration is answering that call. And much of this fits with API's policy priorities. And we've already seen some of the biggest oil and gas companies reorient themselves from climate change concerns and back to fossil fuels.
And Jeff, before we let you go, what are the next steps here?
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