Health Care Subsidies, Flooding In Washington, DOJ Under President Trump

Summary

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NPR Up First – December 13, 2025

Main Theme and Purpose:
This episode spotlights three major stories shaping the national conversation: the impending expiration of enhanced health care subsidies and gridlock in Congress; devastating, historic flooding in Washington state; and mounting turmoil within the Department of Justice under President Trump, particularly in relation to its political maneuvers and mass resignations. The Up First team breaks down the political stakes, on-the-ground realities, and broader implications for Americans.

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Key Stories & Discussion Points

1. Health Care Subsidies Set to Expire

[02:35 – 04:02]

• Senate Stalemate: Millions face drastic health insurance premium hikes starting January after the Senate rejected two competing health care bills.
• Disagreement Along Party Lines:
  • Democrats and Republicans remain polarized on how (or even if) to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.
  • Republicans call for Health Savings Accounts and more direct cash to individuals, while Democrats insist on preserving the current subsidy structure.
  • Last-minute GOP proposal would enhance employer health plans; Democrats call it unserious.
• Midterms Loom:
  • Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says the GOP plan is “completely unserious,” indicating Dems will campaign hard on this issue in midterms.
• Notable Quote:
  • Don Gonyea (NPR Nat’l Political Correspondent) on ACA debates:

    “The Affordable Care act has always been a place where Democrats and Republicans butt heads. It's been that way since the law was passed in Obama's first term…We're just at an impasse.” [03:06]

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2. President Trump’s Economic Messaging

[04:02 – 05:02]

• Trump’s Self-Evaluation: In a Politico interview, Trump gives his handling of the economy an “A plus plus plus plus plus.”
• At a Pennsylvania rally, Trump tells Americans to adapt:

  “We can get by with fewer pencils and dolls.” [04:17]

• Polls Don’t Agree: Despite Trump’s claims, most Americans are deeply worried about inflation and rising costs of living. His approval on economic management remains low.
• Gonyea Notes:
  • “The president is...taking a hard line, denying that affordability is anything other than a hoax that Democrats are pushing as a political issue. So he describes one economy. Americans describe a completely different place.” [04:48]

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3. Congressional Pushback: Defense Bill and Strikes on Drug Boats

[05:02 – 06:03]

• $900 Billion Defense Bill Passed: Inside, a requirement for the Pentagon to share unedited videos with Congress of recent military strikes on alleged drug boats, after a contentious September incident where survivors were killed in a second strike.
• Early Signs of Oversight:
  • Gonyea: “Many questions have been raised...particularly the one in September where a second strike killed two survivors…” [05:29]
  • Still, pushback is limited to a subset of Republicans.

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4. GOP Defies Trump on Indiana Redistricting

[06:03 – 06:40]

• Indiana Republicans Reject Trump’s Gerrymandered Map:
  • Despite Trump’s push and threats, they refuse to redraw congressional districts.
  • Lawmakers say: “Look, we just did this four years ago. So it is a setback for the president.” [06:29]

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5. Historic Flooding in Washington State

[06:51 – 09:56]

• Emergency Declared: Torrential rain has caused historically high river levels, especially the Skagit, north of Seattle.
• Hundreds Rescued, Thousands Displaced: Some towns evacuated; not all residents complied.
• Personal Stories:
  • Scott Greenstone for KUOW reports from Burlington, WA:
    • “I saw a barn half submerged in it yesterday...a woman named Jocelyn Alm was standing outside her totally flooded out home…someone had waded in to look in the windows and told her this:

      ‘He goes, all your couches are floating. All your stuff is just floating. He goes, your bananas are floating. And I said, oh, well, God, if we lost our bananas, we lost everything we had.’” [07:57]

    • Jocelyn’s husband Kenneth: worried about family photos, as water may have wrecked them.
  • High risk of landslides due to saturated earth; highways closed.
  • Pedro Cortez, lifelong Skagit County resident since 1966:

    “I looked out the window Thursday night at 10 pm and saw police lights...they said ‘you guys had to move out, because the water’s coming pretty fast.’” [09:46]

• Unique Weather Event:
  • Washington sees lots of rain, but not rapid, massive “atmospheric river” events like this:

    “Many of them have never seen anything like this, even in 1990 when we set the previous records that we're now breaking.” [09:15]

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6. DOJ Turmoil Under President Trump

[10:07 – 14:53]

• Mass Resignations:
  • Over 5,000 staff, including the acting FBI director, top DOJ/FBI officials, civil rights lawyers, and public corruption prosecutors, have departed.
  • At Civil Rights Division, nearly 75% of attorneys have left. [10:36]
• Impact:
  • Kerry Johnson: “The first thing to say is that there have been a lot of mistakes, misstatements of law...even lawyers working for the Texas attorney general, allies of President Trump, called the [DOJ] letter legally unsound, ham fisted and a mess.” [11:10]
  • Reports of misrepresentations to courts, especially in deportation and redistricting cases.
  • DOJ whistleblower Perez Rouvainy:

    “The political leadership in charge of the DOJ didn't care one bit about our oaths to the courts. They had one and only one goal. Put those people on planes. Get them out of the country ASAP.” [12:04]

• Fear of a Less Safe Country:
  • Former FBI officials argue their firing was political;

    Chris Matty: “When you kneecap an organization by getting rid of its leaders, you really compromise the FBI's ability to carry out its mission.” [12:40]

  • Some FBI agents claim they were fired for participating in racial justice protests.
• Supreme Court's Ruling:
  • The Court said the president has “absolute control” over DOJ.
  • Trump leveraging this to clear allies and target critics:
    • High-profile clemency for political supporters and alleged corruption cases; pardons undoing years of prosecution.
    • DOJ now targeting political opponents (e.g., James Comey, Tish James, Adam Schiff). [13:42]
  • Trump, at DOJ HQ (March):

    “Our predecessors turned this Department of Justice into the Department of Injustice. But I stand before you today to declare that those days are over and they are never going to come back.” [13:28]

• What’s Next:
  • Senate maintains some oversight—but its inclination to use that power is unclear.
  • Noted intragovernmental infighting at DOJ and FBI leaders may signal further turnover.
  • Nonprofits are focused on documenting “all the unusual and possibly unlawful things happening at the Justice Department.” [14:53]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Don Gonyea (03:06):

  “The Affordable Care act has always been a place where Democrats and Republicans butt heads. It's been that way since the law was passed in Obama's first term.”

• President Trump (at Pennsylvania rally, 04:17):

  “We can get by with fewer pencils and dolls.”

• Pedro Cortez (09:46):

  “You guys had to move out because the water's coming pretty fast.”

• Carrie Johnson (12:04):

  “The political leadership in charge of the DOJ didn't care one bit about our oaths to the courts. They had one and only one goal. Put those people on planes. Get them out of the country ASAP.” (attributing Perez Rouvainy)

• Trump (DOJ headquarters speech, 13:28):

  “Our predecessors turned this Department of Justice into the Department of Injustice. But I stand before you today to declare that those days are over and they are never going to come back.”

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [02:35] – Health Care subsidies debate and Congressional gridlock
• [04:02] – President Trump’s economic self-appraisal and public perception
• [05:02] – House defense bill and Congressional oversight over military actions
• [06:03] – Indiana redistricting and intra-GOP dissent
• [06:51] – Washington flooding: personal accounts and response
• [10:07] – DOJ upheaval: resignations, politicization, and consequences

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Tone & Language:

• The episode balances factual reporting, direct witness accounts, and political analysis.
• The tone matches NPR’s signature style: informative, analytical, and at times reflective.
• Direct quotes from affected residents and political figures provide both emotional resonance and contextual clarity.

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Summary:
This edition of Up First examines the immediate and longer-term effects of legislative and executive actions, from the cost of health care and natural disaster response, to the reshaping of federal institutions under partisan influence. It highlights the intersection of policy, politics, and personal lives—making clear that even seemingly technical decisions carry enormous weight in households and halls of power across the country.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, Rob. How you doing?

[B]

Hey, Isha. Greetings from Berlin. Hey, I've got a question for you.

[A]

What is that?

[B]

So when you started hosting up first, did you ever think that someday you and your team would be nominated for a Golden Globe Award?

[A]

Never.

[B]

Congratulations.

[A]

Thank you. Thank you. It's an honor to be nominated. It's an honor. Well, I never thought that something I was doing would be in contention with for a Golden Globe. Health care subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year.

[B]

Millions of Americans face dramatic price hikes. But can Congress reach a deal to alleviate the pain?

[A]

I'm Ayesha Rascoe.

[B]

And I'm Rob Schmitz. And this is up first from NPR News.

[A]

Historic flooding in parts of the Pacific Northwest south. Several rivers are at record highs.

[C]

This is something that the people of the state of Washington have not faced.

[B]

Before this level of flooding. Governor Bob Ferguson calls on people to follow evacuation orders. We'll have all the latest.

[A]

Plus, we take a look at the Department of Justice under President Trump and how it's going after some of his most vocal critics.

[B]

So stay with us. We have the news you need to start your weekend.

[D]

This message comes from Superhuman, the AI productivity suite that gives you superpowers everywhere. You work with Grammarly, mail and coda coming together. You get proactive help across your workflow so you can outsmart the chaos experience. AI that proactively helps you go from to do to done faster. Unleash your superhuman potential today. Learn [e-mail] podcast that's superhuman.com podcast.

[E]

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[A]

Health care premiums are likely to rise for millions of Americans early next year after the Senate rejected two dueling health care bills.

[B]

And President Trump faces pushback from within his own party on redistricting and strikes against alleged drug boats. To discuss all this, we're joined now by NPR's national political correspondent Don Gonyea. Thanks for being here.

[C]

It's a pleasure.

[B]

So, Don, on health care, these enhanced subsidies are broadly popular according to polls. Why is it so hard to agree on a fix?

[C]

Well, the Affordable Care act has always been a place where Democrats and Republicans bite butt heads. It's been that way since the law was passed in Obama's first term. But this current fight over whether to extend existing subsidies gets to the core of these differences. And it will have a great impact on how much health insurance costs Americans who rely on the aca. So Republicans would rather have health Savings accounts or give money directly to individuals to use on the health care of their choice. We're just at an impasse. Last night, House Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled a last minute Republican plan. It would enhance employer sponsored health care plans. Democrats skeptical. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called it completely unserious. But I guarantee you Democrats will keep this issue front and center in the midterms.

[B]

Now, President Trump in an interview with Politico this week, graded his own performance on the economy. A plus plus plus plus plus that's good grade. And then at a rally in Pennsylvania, he said Americans can, quote, give up certain products. We can get by with fewer pencils and dolls. Those are two consumer products I would not have thought to put together. Don, is this messaging working?

[C]

Well, Poll after poll shows Americans are worried about inflation and affordability. As a result, Trump's approval ratings on the economy give him very low scores in that area. People are unhappy about the cost of a grocery store visit, about affording daycare on and on. And they see inflation as a big worry. But the president is, as we heard, taking a hard line, denying that affordability is anything other than a hoax that Democrats are pushing as a political issue. So he describes one economy. Americans describe a completely different place.

[B]

The House passed a $900 billion defense policy bill this week. Tucked inside this bipartisan legislation is a provision that would require the Pentagon to share with lawmakers unedited video video of the strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. Now, do you think Congress is starting to show some willingness to push back against this administration?

[C]

It is on certain issues, including this one. Many questions have been raised regarding these strikes on alleged drug boats off the coast of Venezuela, particularly the one in September where a second strike killed two survivors of the initial attack. It's still just a small number of Republicans pushing back and demanding more answers. But still there are some and I should underscore here that these requirements now to share the video Recordings were actually just one piece of that major defense funding bill, and that bill passed by a wide margin.

[B]

Let's go on to redistricting. Indiana Republicans voted down a gerrymandered map favored by Trump despite threats from the president. Does this say something about Trump's hold on the party or is it more specific to that state?

[C]

We've seen some GOP pushback and redistricting elsewhere as well, but this is a deep red state. Republicans hold seven of the state's nine congressional seats. The president wanted them to redraw the district lines to set up a potential clean sweep of all nine in next year's elections. But lawmakers looked at the map and said, look, we just did this four years ago. So it is a setback for the president.

[B]

NPR's Don Gagne. Don, thanks.

[C]

All right. It's my pleasure.

[A]

Washington state is under a state of emergency after torrential rain caused historic flooding.

[B]

Rivers north of Seattle such as the Skagit river were at their highest levels ever recorded.

[A]

Hundreds of people have been rescued from their homes while evacuation orders are affecting thousands of others.

[B]

Kuow Scott Greenstone joins us now from Burlington, Washington. Thanks for being with us.

[F]

Hey, thanks, Rob.

[B]

So, Scott, you're in a town where people were told to evacuate yesterday. Did they?

[F]

Some did, you know, some did not. The river here is still really high. I saw a barn half submerged in it yesterday in a piece of like barn siding floating by in the river. But the water levels have begun to recede in the neighborhoods. And so some people are, you know, returning to check on the damage even, you know, just, just see if they can come back to their homes. I went down one street and I met a woman named Jocelyn Alm who was standing outside her totally flooded out home. And there was a crowd gathered and someone had waded in to look in the windows and told her this.

[C]

He goes, all your couches are floating.

[G]

All your stuff is just floating. He goes, your bananas are floating. And I said, oh, well, God, if we lost our bananas, we lost everything we had.

[B]

In this back bedroom, there was pictures that we had forever.

[F]

And that's her husband Kenneth. So they were worrying about family pictures. They had put them up high and, you know, they're just kind of considering. Are those totally gone?

[B]

Yeah. That's tough. I mean, you've got the Washington National Guard there. And now there's been a declaration of an emergency. Federal resources like FEMA can help. What are officials saying about the damage so far?

[F]

They are saying it's still a little early to tell or give many numbers. And it could be, unfortunately, that more damage is coming because right now with all the deeply saturated earth from all this rainfall. Right. There's a high risk of landslides across the region. A couple landslides have already closed some regional highways for periods of time.

[B]

Wow. I mean, Washington is a state that is, of course, known for its rain. What makes these storms unusual?

[F]

You know, it's a common misconception. I think the Seattle area has many drizzly days, but is not so used to a big dumping of water during these so called atmospheric rivers that we are experiencing multiple of right now. So people around here, you know, many of them have never seen anything like this, even in 1990 when we set the previous records that we're now breaking. So I talked to Pedro Cortez, who's worked in farms and flower fields here in Skagit county his whole life. Since 1966, he's lived here, never evacuated. He looked out the window Thursday night at 10pm and saw police lights.

[C]

I wonder who they pulled over. But he was, I see he got.

[B]

Out of the car, came in to.

[C]

My house and knocked on the door. You guys had to move out because the water's coming pretty fast.

[F]

And he and his wife had less than an hour to get out of their home.

[B]

That is kuow. Scott Greenstone, thank you, Scott.

[F]

Thanks for having me.

[B]

The U.S. justice Department is an institution in turmoil.

[A]

This year federal prosecutors have followed the president's lead to pursue criminal charges against some of his most vocal critics.

[B]

NPR's Carrie Johnson has been covering the Justice Department for nearly two decades and she joins us now. Thanks for being here, Carrie.

[G]

Oh, happy to do it.

[B]

Now, Kerry. In your reporting since President Trump took office this year, you've talked about the brain drain at the doj. Give us a sense of the scale of that.

[G]

More than 5,000 workers have left the Justice Department this year by some estimates. That includes the acting director of the FBI and many of the other top FBI officials. At the Justice Department, the pardon attorney is gone. The ethics advisor is gone. Most of the prosecutors who took on public corruption are gone, as well as people who worked on cases involving the Capitol riot nearly five years ago. And at the Civil Rights Division, nearly three out of four lawyers are gone.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

And how is all of that turnover impacting the work of the Justice Department?

[G]

The first thing to say is that there have been a lot of mistakes, misstatements of law. Like in a big Texas redistricting case, a Trump appointed judge says the DOJ civil rights letter in that case contains so many factual, legal and typographical errors that even lawyers working for the Texas attorney general, allies of President Trump, called the letter legally unsound, ham fisted and a mess. Then there are these alleged misrepresentations to courts and deportation cases. In D.C. judge Jeb Boasberg is demanding to hear from the Justice Department about whether lawyers intentionally flouted his order this year to turn planes around carrying Venezuelan migrants. Perez Reuveni spent 15 years at the DOJ. He later blew the whistle on what he saw as misconduct in immigration cases. Here's what he told me this year.

[B]

The political leadership in charge of the DOJ didn't care one bit about our oaths to the courts. They had one and only one goal. Put those people on planes. Get them out of the country asap.

[G]

The attorney general has called Rouvainy a disgruntled employee and a leaker.

[B]

So, Kerry, what is the cost of all of this turmoil?

[G]

People who've worked at the DOJ and the FBI really worry it's making the country less safe. The former acting director of the FBI and two other top officials there say they were fired for improper political reasons this year. Chris Matty's a lawyer for some of those fired officials.

[E]

When you kneecap an organization by getting rid of its leaders, you really compromise the FBI's ability to carry out its mission.

[G]

Then another bunch of FBI agents who had nearly 200 years of experience got fired for taking a knee during racial justice protests five years ago.

[B]

So, Carrie, the Supreme Court said in an immunity case last year that that a president has absolute control over the Justice Department. How is President Trump using some of that newfound authority?

[G]

President Trump has been pretty clear about his intentions. He's been angry ever since the Biden DOJ charged him with federal crimes and cases that wound up being dropped after the election. Here's Trump delivering a major speech at the Justice Department headquarters in March.

[C]

Our predecessors turned this Department of Justice into the Department of Injustice. But I stand before you today to declare that those days are over and they are never going to come back.

[B]

They're never coming back.

[G]

There's now a pattern of the Justice Department going out of its way to help allies of the president and other people accused of political corruption. For instance, the president has granted clemency to several members of Congress, George Santos of New York, Henry Cuellar of Texas among them. He's also issued pardons of the former president of Honduras and other convicted drug kingpins that undid a lot of work by federal prosecut and agents. And at the same time, the Justice Department seems to be targeting Trump's political opponents, people like the former FBI director Jim Comey, New York Attorney General Tish James and California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff.

[B]

So, Kerry, there's just so much to cover here. What are you going to be following in the weeks to come?

[G]

The Senate still has advise and consent power and some oversight power if the Republicans in charge now want to use that power. And there are some signs of infighting between DOJ leaders and the people at the top of the FBI, FBI Director Cash Patel, his deputy Dan Bongino. That could produce some turnover in the coming weeks or months. And some nonprofit groups suggest accountability for now may be simply documenting all the unusual and possibly unlawful things happening at the Justice Department.

[B]

That is NPR's Carrie Johnson, busy as ever. Thank you so much for joining us.

[G]

Thanks for having me.

[A]

And that's up first for Saturday, December 13th, 2025. I'm Aisha Rascoe.

[B]

And I'm Rob Schmitz.

[A]

Fernando Naro produced today's podcast along with Andy Craig and Gabe o'. Connor. It was edited by Jacob Finston, Anna Yukonanoff, Ravenna Koenig, Jerry Holmes and Martin Patience. Michael Radcliffe is our patient and fearless director.

[B]

And our technical director was David Greenberg with engineering support from Nisha Hynes, Zovan Genhoven and Ted Mebane.

[A]

Our senior supervising editor is Shannon Rhodes. Evie Stone is our executive producer and Jim Cain is our deputy managing editor.

[B]

Tomorrow on the Sunday story, what is the biggest change you've had this year? Well, Aisha here bought a house with her best friend, meaning there are now five kids under one roof. But it gives us a chance to revisit Aisha's conversation with NPR producer and editor Raina Cohen. She wrote a book, the Other Significant Reimagining Life With Friendship at the Center. In the book, Cohen shares stories about friends who own homes together, raise kids with each other and care for one another in old age.

[A]

You know, that's a great story. And for all the other news you need and the stories you had no idea that you needed, tune into NPR, find your local station at stations.NPR.org and, you know, just, just listen. I think it's good for you.

[B]

It is. It's very good for you.

[A]

It is.

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