Up First from NPR
Zelenskyy in London, Gaza Ceasefire Status, Judicial Accountability
Mon, 03 Mar 2025
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a warm welcome in London from the British prime minister and other European leaders, after a contentious meeting with President Trump in Washington. Israel and Hamas are at loggerheads over the next phase of the six-week-old Gaza ceasefire. And, an NPR investigation finds gaps in the systems to report misbehavior by federal judges and a widespread culture of fear about reporting abuse.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 Miguel Macias, Didi Schanche, Krishnadev Calamur, Alice Woelfle and Mohamad ElBardicy.It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Claire Murashima and Chris Thomas.We get engineering support from Zac Coleman, our technical director is David GreenburgLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What happened during Zelenskyy's visit to London?
After Ukraine's president was berated at the White House, he gets a very different reception in London.
You're very, very welcome here in Downing Street.
With the U.S. possibly turning on its ally, can Europe hold off Russia? I'm Michelle Martin, that's Leila Fadl, and this is Up First from NPR News. Israel stops all aid to Gaza as the first phase of the ceasefire agreement ended this weekend. Israel wants to continue the hostage for prisoner exchanges, but Hamas wants to move to phase two, Israeli troop withdrawal. Can the ceasefire hold?
And an NPR investigation finds major gaps in the system used to report misconduct in
by federal judges. The judge was the HR department. The judge was my boss. The judge was a colleague. The judge was everything. He had all the power. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
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When Ukraine's president visited the White House, it devolved into this.
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Chapter 2: How did Europe respond to the White House meeting with Zelenskyy?
You're not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now.
That's President Trump scolding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Friday.
A day later, though, Zelensky got a very different reception in London.
You're very, very welcome here in Downing Street.
And as you heard from the cheers on the street outside... That's British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcoming Zelensky and telling him Europe has his back. They were joined yesterday by nearly 20 other global leaders, mostly from Europe, who pledged to work together to stop Russia's war in Ukraine.
NPR's Lauren Frayer joins us now from London to discuss all this. Good morning, Lauren.
Good morning.
Okay, has Friday's meltdown at the White House spurred Europeans into action?
Well, we're going to have to see whether hugs and cheers outside and words of shock and support translate into action. After this summit, I hopped on the phone with Lord Peter Ricketts. He's a member of the House of Lords, a former UK ambassador to France and NATO. And I asked him to gauge the mood among leaders.
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Chapter 3: What is the current status of the Gaza ceasefire?
Chapter 4: What are the challenges in reporting misconduct by federal judges?
And an NPR investigation finds major gaps in the system used to report misconduct in
by federal judges. The judge was the HR department. The judge was my boss. The judge was a colleague. The judge was everything. He had all the power. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
This message comes from Wealthfront. Get 4% APY on your cash from partner banks with Wealthfront's cash account. Go to Wealthfront.com slash first for a $50 bonus with a $500 deposit when you open your first cash account. This has been a paid message from Wealthfront. Cash account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC. Member FINRA SIPC. Not a bank.
APY on deposits as of December 27, 2024 is representative, subject to change, and requires no minimum. Funds are swept to partner banks where they earn the variable APY. This message comes from Wise, the app for doing things in other currencies. Sending or spending money abroad? Hidden fees may be taking a cut. With Wise, you can convert between up to 40 currencies at the mid-market exchange rate.
Visit wise.com. TNCs apply.
When Ukraine's president visited the White House, it devolved into this.
You're not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now.
That's President Trump scolding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Friday.
A day later, though, Zelensky got a very different reception in London.
Want to see the complete chapter?
Sign in to access all 13 segments of this chapter and more.
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Chapter 5: How is Europe planning to handle its defense amid US policy changes?
Okay, has Friday's meltdown at the White House spurred Europeans into action?
Well, we're going to have to see whether hugs and cheers outside and words of shock and support translate into action. After this summit, I hopped on the phone with Lord Peter Ricketts. He's a member of the House of Lords, a former UK ambassador to France and NATO. And I asked him to gauge the mood among leaders.
They were glad to be doing something, not just wringing their hands about what looked like a terrible car crash in the Oval Office. And I heard a lot of expressions of determination that Europe must do more.
Europe must do more. So what more do the Europeans say they're going to do?
Well, Britain and France say they're working with Ukraine on their own ceasefire plan, which they'll present to the U.S. It may entail deployment of British peacekeepers. Here's what Prime Minister Starmer said last night.
The U.K. is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air together with others. Europe must do the heavy lifting.
And by heavy lifting, he means funding Europe's defence. You know, since World War II, the US has basically guaranteed Europe's security. But if that's no longer the priority under President Trump, European leaders say they're going to have to step up. Starmer has hiked British defence spending. He said other countries have pledged to do the same.
Yesterday, Starmer also announced another $2 billion in financing for Ukraine to buy more air defence missiles. But can Europe do that without U.S. support? Well, Europe has already actually given more aid to Ukraine than the U.S. has. But in terms of ending the war, they're using the phrase coalition of the willing and they want it to be backed by the U.S.
Prime Minister Starmer is really trying to sell Trump on security guarantees. And I asked Lord Ricketts what that could mean.
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Chapter 6: What is Israel's new plan for the Gaza ceasefire?
Aid groups have warned that this blocking of aid violates international law. Other Arab countries have condemned it. The block comes as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan just started over the weekend. Hamas called the decision to stop a, quote, cheap blackmail in an attempt to get the group to agree to this new plan.
OK, so does this mean the ceasefire is broken?
For now, it still appears to be holding. You know, it's fragile and talks are continuing. An official familiar with the details but not authorized to speak publicly told NPR that Israel is, quote, giving it a few days to see where negotiations lead and that Israel is not rushing to return to fighting in Gaza. Wyckoff is expected in the region in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech last night in English where he thanked President Trump several times. In that speech, he said that Israel will, quote, take further steps if Hamas continues to hold the hostages. He ended saying that he knows America and President Trump have Israel's back to do so. That's NPR's Kat Lonsdorf in Tel Aviv.
Thank you, Kat.
Thank you.
A new NPR investigation has found problems with the system for policing bad behavior by federal judges and a pervasive culture of fear about blowing the whistle.
Justice correspondent Carrie Johnson interviewed dozens of people who worked in the judicial branch, and she's here now to talk more about what she's uncovered.
A warning, this investigation and Carrie's reporting mentions sexual assault. Carrie, thanks for being here. Thanks, Layla. Okay, so tell us a little bit more about the scope of what you found and when you started looking into this.
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