Syrian Minorities Fear Retribution, Israel-Hamas Talks, ABC Settles Trump Lawsuit
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Some people in Syria aren't so sure what the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government means for them. We hear from Syrians who ask if the collapse of the old regime might bring retribution against them. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is trying one more time for a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. What could make this time any different? ABC News settled a defamation lawsuit with President-elect Trump. The network will donate millions to his presidential library, even though experts felt ABC had a strong legal defense.
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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Arezou Rezvani, Carrie Kahn, Emily Kopp, HJ Mai and Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Taylor Haney, Nia Dumas and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Zac Coleman.
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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 Arezou Rezvani, Carrie Kahn, Emily Kopp, HJ Mai and Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Taylor Haney, Nia Dumas and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Zac Coleman.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
[MUSIC PLAYING] Some people aren't sure how much to celebrate the fall of Syria's government. We've heard people dance in the streets. Now we hear from Syrians who ask if the collapse of the old order might bring retribution against them. I'm Leila Falsal in Damascus with Steven Skeep in Washington, and this is up first from NPR News. [MUSIC PLAYING] Secretary of State Antony Blinken is trying one more time for a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. This is a moment to bring this to an end, which is something American diplomats have said many times before. What makes this time any different? Also, ABC News settled a defamation lawsuit with President-elect Trump. The network will donate millions to his presidential library, even though experts felt ABC had a strong legal defense. So why pay? Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] The fall of Syria's longtime president means different things to different people there. In the past few days, we've watched many Syrians break into impromptu dance parties in the street. [CHEERING] But in that joy over their newfound freedom, there is also grief and desperation for the families of the tens of thousands of people who disappeared under Bashar al-Assad's rule and the hundreds of thousands killed in a civil war. And then there are people who are worried what the new leadership might do to them. OK, Layla, let's follow up on this. Who would be concerned about life not improving or even getting worse after this regime is gone? Yeah, I mean, Assad really leaned on religious and ethnic minorities and marginalized communities to shore up support against the opposition, stoking fears that they would be even more oppressed if the most extreme within his opponents rose to the top. And because alawites are of the same sect as Assad-- it's an offshoot of Shia Islam-- they dominated the top ranks of the military and intelligence. There's this assumption that the community was more loyal to Assad than others in Syria. So now they feel like they could pay the price for Assad
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