Up First from NPR

Senate Republicans worked through the night to pass President Trump's $72 billion immigration enforcement bill, but voted not to block the president’s anti-weaponization fund.
A handful of Republicans are breaking with President Trump over the war in Iran, his anti-weaponization fund, and his pick to lead national intelligence, raising the question of whether his grip on the party is starting to slip after a decade of dominance.
And former national security adviser turned Trump critic John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of mishandling classified information, a case that prosecutors and intelligence officials say has real legal merit unlike other cases against the president's perceived enemies.

Want more 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 Kelsey Snell, Rebecca Metzler, Anna Yukhananov, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Taylor Haney.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.

Our director is Christopher Thomas.

We get engineering support from Zo van Ginhoven. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

And our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor.

(0:00) Introduction
(01:55) Immigration Bill Passes
(05:51) Trump's Grip On Republicans
(09:16) John Bolton To Plead Guilty

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President Trump says he'll nominate acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to permanently lead the Department of Justice, even as his now-scrapped anti-weaponization fund continues to complicate a major immigration enforcement bill in Congress.
President Trump confirms he cursed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called him crazy in a heated call that halted planned strikes on Beirut, exposing growing tension between the two longtime allies over the direction of the war.
And Russia's political and business elite have gathered in St. Petersburg for President Putin's showcase economic forum, which Ukrainian drones struck just hours before it began.

Want more 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 Kelsey Snell, Tina Kraja, Tara Neill, Mohamad ElBardicy, and John Stolnis.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.

Our director is Christopher Thomas.

We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

And our deputy Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens.

(0:00) Introduction
(02:01) Trump's Party Problems
(05:53) Trump & Netanyahu Tension
(09:57) Russia Economic Forum

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Republican voters in Iowa rejected President Trump's pick for governor in last night's primary, a rare moment of pushback as voters in six states set up key November matchups including House races that could decide control of Congress.
The Justice Department is scrapping President Trump's nearly $1.8 billion dollar anti-weaponization fund after sustained bipartisan backlash, though the DOJ says part of the IRS settlement shielding Trump and his family from past tax investigations still stands.
And President Trump has named Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence despite his complete lack of intelligence experience, drawing skepticism even from Senate Republicans.

Want more 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 Megan Pratz, Anna Yukhananov, Rebekah Metzler, Mohamad ElBardicy and Lindsay Totty.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.

Our director is Christopher Thomas.

We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

And our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.

(0:00) Introduction
(01:59) Primary Results
(05:58) DOJ Scraps Anti-Weaponization Fund
(09:40) Trump Appoints Acting DNI

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The Justice Department says it will abide by a court order temporarily blocking President Trump's anti-weaponization fund, even as Senate Republicans push the White House to abandon the nearly two billion dollar program entirely amid bipartisan backlash.
The ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is barely holding as Israel keeps expanding its war in Lebanon, with Gulf states watching nervously as President Trump's diplomatic push faces its biggest test yet.
And it's primary day in six states including California, where Democrats hope new congressional maps will help them flip up to five Republican-held House seats and the Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi's seat is up for grabs.

Want more 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 Jason Breslow, Tina Kraja, Megan Pratz, Mohamad ElBardicy and Taylor Haney.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.

Our director is Christopher Thomas.

We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

And our Supervising Senior Producer is Vince Pearson.

(0:00) Introduction
(02:11) DOJ Pauses Anti-Weaponization Fund
(05:52) Iran Deal Complications
(09:40) California Primary

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Anti-establishment candidate Graham Platner seemingly came out of nowhere to become the presumptive Democratic nominee for the Senate seat in Maine. But his campaign has been dogged by controversies.

There were the old, deleted Reddit posts in which he made racist comments and blamed sexual assault on victims. There was a now-covered tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol. And most recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that Platner exchanged sexually explicit messages with multiple women early in his marriage.

Taken together, they raise a big question. Does he have too much baggage to carry on? Or can his anti-establishment political message — that has generated SO much enthusiasm among the democratic base — carry him through?

In this episode of NPR’s Newsmakers, Platner addresses earlier controversies, the failures of his own party and calls Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “insecure.” Platner says he aspires to a version of masculinity different from the one embodied by Hegseth. “This idea that you're supposed to use your strengths to use power over other people or to offend people, be mean to people — that somehow that's manly. That's not masculinity,” he says. “That's the act of a coward.”

Platner sat down with host Leila Fadel before news broke of the explicit sexual messages.

NPR's Newsmakers is where you'll find NPR's biggest interviews. New episodes drop as soon as they're available -- any day of the week. To stay caught up, follow the show on Spotify, subscribe on YouTube, or find Newsmakers on the NPR app.

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