Up First from NPR
Ukraine Ceasefire Talks, Education Department Layoffs, Spending Bill
Wed, 12 Mar 2025
The U.S. is resuming military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after negotiators agree to a 30-day ceasefire, which Russia is now reviewing. The Trump administration is cutting nearly half of the Education Department's workforce. And, the House passes a stopgap funding bill with just days until a potential government shutdown, now it's headed for a vote in the Senate.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, Nicole Cohen, Jason Breslow, Alice Woelfle and Mohamad ElBardicy.It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Damian Herring, our technical director is Stacey Abbott.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What are the recent developments in Ukraine ceasefire talks?
Ukraine agrees to terms for a 30-day ceasefire, and the U.S. is back to sending weapons and intelligence.
And that's effective immediately. Will Russia agree to the deal, and what's it mean for ending the war if they don't?
I'm Michelle Martin, that's A. Martinez, and this is Up First from NPR News. The Education Department is slashing nearly half of its staff.
Not only are we concerned about how we will now pay our bills, but what impact this is going to have to the American public, families who have students with special needs.
What happens when the agency meant to support quality and fairness in education loses so many of its workers?
And Congress has just days to avoid a government shutdown. The House passed a stopgap bill, but will the Senate get on board? Stay with us. We've got all the news you need to start your day.
Hi, it's Terry Gross, host of Fresh Air. I just talked to comic Bill Burr. He's known for his anger-fueled humor, which he connects to his upbringing. Let's talk a little bit about your childhood.
Oh, Jesus. People are driving to work here. You know, let's try to give them something uplifting.
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Chapter 2: Will Russia agree to the new ceasefire agreement with Ukraine?
He was hilarious and introspective in the interview, and it was a wild ride. You can hear a special extended version of this interview on the Fresh Air podcast from NPR and WHYY.
After nine hours of talks in Saudi Arabia, Ukrainian and American delegations announced an agreement on a 30-day ceasefire last night.
This comes less than two weeks after a string of harsh words by President Trump directed at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky culminated in an Oval Office blowup between the two and the impression that the new administration was taking Russia's side. Now, though, the pressure is on Russia to accept the American-Ukrainian deal.
We go now to NPR's Eleanor Beardsley, who is in Kyiv. So, Eleanor, 30 days. What does that buy Ukraine?
Well, A, that buys them peace, space, and calm to begin real talks about a long-term peace. It would include the cessation of all shooting, bombs, missiles, drones on the Black Sea, the front line, and in Ukraine's cities, of course. And the Trump administration announced it is resuming the sharing of intelligence and delivery of military supplies, which it had temporarily paused. U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the ball is now in Russia's court.
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Chapter 3: What is the impact of the U.S. Department of Education layoffs?
Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking. And now it'll be up to them to say yes or no. I hope they're going to say yes. And if they do, then I think we've made great progress. If they say no, then we'll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here.
So that's an incredible statement, less than two weeks after the Trump administration seemed to blame Ukraine for not wanting peace.
How are Ukrainians reacting to this?
Well, President Volodymyr Zelensky took to social media immediately to herald the agreement. Here he is speaking.
The American side understands our arguments.
He said, the American side understands our arguments, accepts our proposals, and I want to thank President Trump for the constructive conversation between our teams. So, again, a complete turnaround for Zelensky from that disastrous Oval Office meeting. And as for resuming the intelligence, you know, cutting that off was seen as a real low blow to Ukrainians.
I arrived in Kiev last night just as the news of the deal and the renewed intel sharing was breaking, and I spoke to 35-year-old Dima Suhok. Here he is.
I think that's great. We need this information for sure.
And how did you feel when it was stopped?
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Chapter 4: How will the U.S. government avoid a potential shutdown?
Yeah, I heard from multiple employees who were notified yesterday that they will be laid off in coming days. Sharia Smith is an attorney at the Department of Ed's Office for Civil Rights. She's also president of AFGE Local 252, which is a union that represents Ed Department employees.
And Smith, along with all five of the other union officers in her chapter, were told Tuesday that they're being laid off.
Not only are we concerned about how we will now pay our bills, but what impact this is going to have to the American public. Families who have students with special needs, what they've just done today is fire hundreds of the employees that would be enforcing those rights.
So the Office for Civil Rights where Smith works is responsible for making sure students aren't being discriminated against at school, and that includes students with disabilities.
Now, I know this news is pretty fresh, but do we know if these cuts are even legal? I mean, aren't some of these education department offices protected by law?
Yes, they are. So, for example, the Institute of Education Sciences or IES does research on all kinds of topics related to American education. It has a bunch of sub branches that were established in laws passed by Congress as well. But I saw a termination email for an employee of one of those sub branches that I'm talking about that clearly states that their entire unit is being, quote, abolished.
Whether or not that's legal is not clear yet. Say, like, if the Ed Department has retained at least some of the employees at these offices that are protected by law, they could be leaving the door open to say that office hasn't completely been shut down. Kenneth Wong is a professor of education policy at Brown University, and here's what he said.
Now, the executive branch can argue that they are partially implementing the law, and they would probably argue that there is no longer a need for the personnel to fulfill these functions.
So Wong says that will ultimately be up to Congress and probably the courts to decide.
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