Trump Pressures Ukraine, Trump's Midterm Priorities, Saudi Arabia Airport Attacks
This episode appears to contain dynamically inserted ads. Transcript timestamps may be approximate.
President Trump is increasing pressure on Ukraine over its strikes on Russian oil refineries while again calling on Ukrainians to hold wartime elections and threatening to cut off U.S. intelligence support.
President Trump is trying to show voters he is focused on affordability as record fuel prices and a controversial Russian diesel deal collide with his familiar political grievances just weeks before the midterms.
Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have killed at least 20 people in the past week and repeatedly struck Riyadh’s main airport, raising new questions about the kingdom’s security and the role of its allies.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Tina Kraja, Brett Neely, Miguel Macias, 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 David Greenburg.
(0:00) Introduction
(01:52) Trump Pressures Ukraine
(05:48) Trump's Midterm Priorities
(09:27) Saudi Arabia Airport Attacks
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
President Trump is trying to show voters he is focused on affordability as record fuel prices and a controversial Russian diesel deal collide with his familiar political grievances just weeks before the midterms.
Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have killed at least 20 people in the past week and repeatedly struck Riyadh’s main airport, raising new questions about the kingdom’s security and the role of its allies.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Tina Kraja, Brett Neely, Miguel Macias, 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 David Greenburg.
(0:00) Introduction
(01:52) Trump Pressures Ukraine
(05:48) Trump's Midterm Priorities
(09:27) Saudi Arabia Airport Attacks
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
President Trump disapproves of Ukraine's attacks against Russian oil refineries. He wants President Vladimir Zelensky out of power. Ukrainians say that is a call for them to make. I'm Steve Inkscape with Michelle Martin, and this is up first from NPR News. The president is looking to Russia to bring down fuel prices before the midterms. He lifted sanctions on Russian diesel. Will that help the president convince voters he's focused on affordability? And the main airport in Saudi Arabia's capital is still shut down after it was hit by Houthi attacks. At least 20 people have been killed in the last week, including an American citizen. Can Saudi Arabia stop the attacks without more help from its allies? Say with us, we'll give you news you need to start your day. Stay tuned for the following announcements and messages from our sponsors. This message comes from Prolon. Want to look and feel your best this fall? Prolon's five-day fasting mimicking diet is a clinically developed nutrition program with the goal of promoting fat loss while protecting lean body mass. Developed at USC's Longevity Institute, it aims to assist the body in entering a fasting-like state that helps reset metabolism, target visceral fat, and support healthy metabolic markers. Get 15% off plus a bonus gift when you subscribe at prolonlife.com/npr. This message comes from IXL. IXL provides personalized learning and powerful insights that help teachers boost achievement and understand student progress in real time. Learn more at IXL.com/npr. This message comes from Midi Health. Most women never get real answers about their hormonal health. Midi is changing that, with virtual care covered by most major insurances. And your hormones, visit joinmidi.com to book your first visit today. President Trump is once again telling Ukrainians to hold wartime elections and ditch their President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump blames Zelensky for not ending the war. He also blames Ukraine's long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries for rising global fuel prices. Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel and claimed both sides have agreed to quote an energy ceasefire. Joining us now to talk about the latest is in Piers Joanna Kekisis, in Kyiv. Joanna, good morning. Good morning, Michelle. How are Ukrainians reacting to Trump's call to remove Zelensky? Well, Michelle, every time Trump does this, it seems to make Zelensky more popular here. Just having conversations with Ukrainians in Kyiv yesterday and also reading comments online. One theme clearly emerged that Ukrainians say Zelensky is far from ideal, but outsiders don't get to decide whether we should hold elections or who we should get rid of. I spoke with Oleksandr Mireshko, he's from Zelensky's party, and he leads the Foreign Affairs Committee in Parliament. And he says this idea actually comes from Russian President Volodymyr Putin. Putin understands that if he manages to remove somehow Zelensky, maybe with the help of Trump, it will weaken seriously, Ukraine during the war. That's a very dangerous idea, and the key question is whether President Trump will align
Transcription truncated.