Up First (NPR) – Episode Summary: "National Guard Powers, Marking October 7th, SCOTUS: Conversion Therapy"
Date: October 7, 2025
Hosts: Steve Inskeep, Michel Martin

Brief Overview

This episode addresses three major national and international stories:

1. Debate over Presidential Power to Deploy the National Guard: President Trump orders the Texas National Guard into Democratic-led cities to help with crime and immigration policy, facing legal resistance and controversy over executive authority.
2. Two Years Since October 7th Hamas Attack on Israel: Palestinians and Israelis mark two years since the Hamas attack, reflecting on loss, lingering hostages, devastation, and uneasy hopes of a cease-fire.
3. Supreme Court Hears Challenge to State Bans on Conversion Therapy: The court takes up a pivotal case testing the limits of state regulation on talk therapy for minors regarding sexual orientation and gender identity, weighing medical consensus against free speech claims.

1. Presidential Powers and the National Guard

[02:02–06:02]

• Governor Abbott’s Announcement

  • Texas Governor Greg Abbott releases photos of guard troops deploying at President Trump's direction, but without disclosing their exact destination.
  • President Trump targets Democratic-led cities like Portland and Chicago, citing crime and immigration as justification.
  • Democratic officials in the cities view it as politically motivated "provocation."

• Legal Battles Over Deployment

  • Illinois (Chicago) and Oregon (Portland) challenge the president’s federalizing of their National Guard in court.
    • A federal judge temporarily blocks the deployment to Portland.
    • Meanwhile, a Chicago judge declines to halt deployment to that city for now.
  • President Trump, when asked about the Insurrection Act—which allows presidential use of domestic military force—comments:

    "I’d do it if it was necessary. So far, it hasn’t been necessary, but we have an Insurrection Act for a reason. If I had to enact it—if people were being killed and courts were holding us up or governors or mayors were holding us up—sure I’d do that."
    — Donald Trump, [03:26]

• Historical Context and Legal Analysis

  • The Insurrection Act—last used after the Rodney King riots in L.A.—is considered a "third rail politically," according to Stephen Vladeck, Georgetown Law. [04:58]
  • Instead, the White House relies on a different, obscure law (Section 12406 of Title 10) to justify deployment if there’s a “rebellion or danger of rebellion.”
  • Retired Major General William Enyart expresses skepticism:

    "It’s an appropriate use of the guard to use them for civil disturbances, but these aren’t civil disturbances… So [what] Trump is doing now is not an appropriate use of that power."
    — Wm. Enyart, [04:24]

• Mixed Legal Outcomes

  • The courts deliver split decisions, complicating the administration’s nationwide strategy.

2. Two Years Since October 7th: Israel and Gaza

[06:12–09:46]

• In Israel: Raw Grief and Anger

  • Nationwide ceremonies mark the massacre’s anniversary; 1,200 Israelis were killed.
  • Many hostages taken on October 7 remain in Gaza (48, with about 20 believed alive).
  • Emily Feng reports from the kibbutz of Nir Oz, one of the hardest-hit communities.
    • Many feel doubly betrayed: both by the initial lack of defense and by the government’s inability to secure hostage releases.

    "Obviously the people from that community feel that the government kind of deserted them not just once but twice."
    — Rotom Cooper, resident of Nir Oz, [07:31]

• In Gaza: Humanitarian Catastrophe

  • The anniversary marks three years of the most devastating war Gaza has endured.
  • The Health Ministry counts over 67,000 deaths, 30% of them children; 78% of all buildings are either damaged or destroyed.
  • A 22-year-old Gaza resident, Ahmed Abu Sayf, describes how daily life now revolves around basic survival and constant displacement.
    • He accuses world powers, especially the US, of failing to intervene and calls for an end to the conflict.

    "[He] says the world has let this happen by being silent and cowardly in his words, and he now wants the US to stop this war."
    — Emily Feng summarizing Ahmed Abu Sayf, [08:46]

• Peace Prospects

  • Negotiators meet in Egypt to discuss a potential exchange: all remaining Israeli hostages for ~2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
  • Both Israel and Hamas face mounting international and regional pressure, making these talks the most significant breakthrough yet.

    "These Egypt talks are the biggest diplomatic breakthrough yet in this terrible conflict."
    — Emily Feng, [09:44]

3. SCOTUS: Bans on Conversion Therapy

[09:59–13:47]

• Background:

  • The Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding state laws that ban "conversion therapy" for minors.
    • Defined as attempting to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
    • All major medical groups have condemned the practice as ineffective and dangerous (linked to depression and suicidal thoughts).
    • Roughly half of U.S. states have imposed such bans.

• The Legal Challenge

  • Led by Alliance Defending Freedom, representing Kaylee Chiles, a Colorado therapist, who claims the bans impede her speech.

    "I want to be able to operate genuinely and create therapeutic relationships that are not hindered by the values and position of our state, and that's what my clients want as well."
    — Kaylee Chiles, [11:24]

  • Her attorney argues:

    "What the states can’t do is come in and say, you can have a conversation about a topic but not if you’re going to talk about it from this perspective. It's just blatant viewpoint discrimination."
    — James Campbell, attorney, [11:52]

• States’ Arguments

  • Colorado’s Attorney General, Philip Weiser, asserts:
    • The law is tailored, affecting only licensed therapists treating minors, but not religious counseling.
    • Bans are grounded in established medical standards, ensuring safe practice.

    "What Colorado law doesn't allow is a discredited and harmful practice which is now condemned by all the major medical associations. If you take away the ability of states to protect patients from substandard care, then you're opening the door to all sorts of discredited treatments."
    — AG Philip Weiser, [12:47]

  • He likens the medical consensus against conversion therapy to the shift on tobacco dangers.

Noteworthy Quotes & Moments

• President Trump on Insurrection Act:
  "If I had to enact it—I didn’t—I’d do that if people were being killed and courts were holding us up or governors or mayors were holding us up. Sure I’d do that." [03:26]

• Israeli Grief and Disillusionment:
  "[The government] kind of deserted them not just once but twice." — Rotom Cooper, Nir Oz resident [07:31]

• Gaza Viewpoint on Prolonged War:
  "[He] says the world has let this happen by being silent and cowardly..." — Ahmed Abu Sayf, via Emily Feng [08:46]

• On Free Speech and Therapy:
  "You can have a conversation about a topic but not if you're going to talk about it from this perspective. It's just blatant viewpoint discrimination." — James Campbell, attorney [11:52]

• State’s Defense of Bans:
  "What Colorado law doesn't allow is a discredited and harmful practice..." — AG Philip Weiser [12:47]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• National Guard/Washington Power Struggle: [02:02–06:02]
• Israel-Hamas War Anniversary: [06:12–09:46]
• Supreme Court – Conversion Therapy Case: [09:59–13:47]

Tone:
Matter-of-fact, empathetic, and analytical – balancing reporting with poignant on-the-ground voices.

For Listeners:
This episode distills three critical stories shaping national and global debate: the role of presidential power in domestic military deployment, the ongoing trauma and politics two years after the October 7th attacks in Israel and Gaza, and the Supreme Court’s consideration of states’ authority to regulate harmful talk therapies. Essential listening for anyone seeking concise, nuanced reporting to start their day.