National Security Council Shakeup, George Floyd Murder and Political Extremism

Summary

Up First from NPR – May 24, 2025

Episode: National Security Council Shakeup, George Floyd Murder and Political Extremism
Hosts: Leila Fadel, Steve Inskeep, Michel Martin, and A Martinez
Description: NPR's Up First provides the three biggest stories of the day, offering in-depth reporting and analysis to start your day. This episode delves into the recent upheaval within the National Security Council, the five-year anniversary of George Floyd's tragic death, and the ensuing political extremism that has shaped the current socio-political landscape.

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1. National Security Council Shakeup

Hosts: Scott Simon and Ayesha Rascoe
Key Guests: Marco Rubio, NPR’s Greg Myhre

The episode opens with a significant announcement concerning the National Security Council (NSC). Scott Simon introduces the topic, highlighting a major shakeup at the White House where dozens of NSC staff members were dismissed abruptly.

Marco Rubio, the newly appointed National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, provides insights into the situation:

Marco Rubio [02:28]: "Dozens of staffers at the National Security Council were abruptly dismissed on Friday afternoon. They were informed at 4:30 pm and told to leave by 5."

Rubio elaborates on the role and recent changes within the NSC, explaining that the organization, which typically houses 200 to 300 staffers, is experiencing a dramatic restructure aimed at eliminating bureaucracy and duplication. Despite the lack of official comments from the White House, Rubio suggests that this move is part of an ongoing effort to streamline national security processes under his dual role.

Greg Myhre, NPR’s national security correspondent, further explains:

Marco Rubio [03:23]: "The NSC works out of the White House. It plays a key role in developing and implementing the President's foreign policy..."

Rubio also touches upon the new restrictions imposed by Defense Secretary Hegseth, which require reporters to be escorted when leaving Pentagon media areas. This marks a significant shift in Pentagon's media policy, perceived by many as an attack on press freedom:

Marco Rubio [05:10]: "Hegseth has taken a number of moves to limit contact between journalists and military officials."

This restructuring comes just three weeks after Rubio assumed his role, indicating possible ongoing adjustments within the administration’s approach to national security.

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2. Five Years Since George Floyd's Murder: Rise of Conspiracies and Political Extremism

Hosts: Ayesha Rascoe and Scott Simon
Key Guests: Odette Youssef, Pete Simi

Five years after George Floyd's murder, the United States remains deeply divided on issues of race and policing. The episode explores how what began as a moment of national unity transformed into a breeding ground for conspiracies and political extremism.

Pete Simi, a sociology professor at Chapman University, provides a retrospective:

Pete Simi [06:54]: "I think it's fair to say that [radicalizing forces] won."

Simi attributes the shift to factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which heightened public uncertainty and frustration. The lockdowns led to increased emotions and limited outlets for expression, making communities more susceptible to extremist influences.

He recounts the transformation of protests following Floyd's death, where initially peaceful demonstrations faced interference from groups like the Proud Boys, as shared by Kimmy Hull:

Kimmy Hull [08:58]: "We needed help and protection from... racist Ku Klux Klans."

The episode delves into the AutoZone arson incident, which marked a turning point from peaceful protests to lawlessness. Although a suspect linked to white supremacist groups was identified, no arrests have been made, fueling narratives that frame the violence as predominantly left-wing, despite data suggesting otherwise.

Pete Simi highlights the misrepresentation of events by authorities:

Pete Simi [10:19]: "The Department of Homeland Security... stated that the violent protesters in Portland were connected to or motivated by antifa, even though his analysts had no evidence of that."

Joe Kent, now appointed by Trump to direct the National Counterterrorism Center, is cited for promoting the narrative that groups like Antifa and Black Lives Matter (BLM) are threats:

Joe Kent [12:22]: "We need to treat antifa and BLM like terrorist organizations."

The discussion underscores the decline in support for BLM, referencing a Pew survey indicating a 15-point drop in support since Floyd's death. Concurrently, the Department of Justice's decision to end consent decrees on police misconduct is examined as part of the broader debate on racial issues and policing.

Pete Simi warns against the dangers of ignoring systemic racism:

Pete Simi [13:45]: "People see social inequity... and if we're not talking about the history and current factors, it just leaves explanations that are pseudoscientific, disproven and racist."

The episode concludes by addressing the Trump administration's stance on race, including an executive order challenging the concept of race as a social construct, a move criticized for echoing eugenic ideologies:

Pete Simi [14:24]: "This is the stuff of eugenics and it goes against decades of scientific consensus."

Odette Youssef summarizes the enduring impact of Floyd's legacy amidst ongoing racial and political tensions.

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Conclusion

This episode of Up First offers a comprehensive exploration of the current shifts within the National Security Council and the long-term societal impacts following George Floyd's murder. Through expert interviews and thorough analysis, listeners gain a nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between national security policies and the evolving landscape of political extremism in America.

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For more in-depth discussions and the latest news, subscribe to Up First+ and support your local NPR station at donate.npr.org.

Transcript

[Scott Simon]

Another major shakeup at the White House.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

National Security Council officials tell NPR that dozens of staff were fired yesterday afternoon. I'm Ayesha Raska.

[Scott Simon]

And I'm Scott Simon. And this is up first from NPR News.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

The National Security Council provides advice to the president on the biggest diplomatic and.

[Scott Simon]

Security decisions, but these firings are seen as a way to eliminate bureaucracy and duplication. What might be the impact on national security?

[Ayesha Rascoe]

And tomorrow marks five years since George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. His death triggered large scale protests across the country and a reckoning with racism in the US but how did a.

[Scott Simon]

Moment of apparent national unity generate a backlash? We'll have reporting on how George Floyd's death fueled conspiracies and political extremism. So please stay with us. We have the news you need to start your weekend foreign.

[Greg Myhre]

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[Odette Youssef]

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[Ayesha Rascoe]

Trump revamped his national security team at the start of this month when he named Marco Rubio as his national security advisor.

[Scott Simon]

Now, the National Security Council, which Rubio oversees in addition to remaining secretary of state, is undergoing a dramatic restructure. NPR's Greg Myhre joins us. Greg, thanks for being with us.

[Marco Rubio]

Hi, Scott.

[Scott Simon]

Now, the Trump administration hasn't made any announcement, but NPR has been reporting this story. What do we know?

[Marco Rubio]

So dozens of staffers at the National Security Council were abruptly dismissed on Friday afternoon. They were informed at 4.30pm and told to leave by 5. This comes from sources who spoke with our NPR colleagues Tom Bowman and Franco Ordonez. Now, the White House has not commented, so we don't have details or know the precise motive. But attention is certainly focused on Marco Rubio was and is secretary of State. Then at the beginning of this month, as you noted, Trump dismissed his national security adviser, Mike Waltz, and gave Rubio that job as well. This means Rubio is responsible for this National Security Council and we're seeing this shake up just three weeks after he was put in charge.

[Scott Simon]

And, Greg, remind us of the role of the National Security Council.

[Marco Rubio]

Yeah. So the NSC works out of the White house. It has 200 to 300 staffers, depending on the presidential administration. It plays a key role in developing and implementing the President's foreign policy, even though we don't hear a lot about it. Many of these staffers are on loan from other departments. The Pentagon, the State Department, the CIA. The NSC has grown over the years. There are periodic calls to scale it back. One of Trump's national security advisors in his first term, Robert o' Brien, recently wrote this in an op ed. One source, for example, told that the Middle east section at the NSC is being reduced from 10 staffers to five. So it appears to be an attempt to streamline the national security process, though again, we don't know precisely because it was done without notice or explanation.

[Scott Simon]

Now, there was a lot of reshuffling among the national security team during President Trump's first term. Is this that all over again?

[Marco Rubio]

Well, Scott, I think at this point we can say what we're seeing is very unusual arrangements on the national security team. Marco Rubio has these dual roles, which is very rare. His stock seems to be on the rise with Trump. Yet some of the biggest foreign policy matters, Trump has turned to Steve Witkoff, his longtime friend from his New York real estate days. Witkoff had no national security experience, and yet he's the point man on the Iran nuclear negotiations. He's also the main negotiator in the US Efforts to end the Russia, Ukraine war. So at this point, the Trump administration still feels like it's working out some of these arrangements on the fly.

[Scott Simon]

Also Friday, Defense Secretary Hegseth announced new restrictions for reporters who covered the Pentagon. What can you tell us about that?

[Marco Rubio]

Yeah, Hegseth said reporters must now be escorted by Pentagon officials when they leave the area inside the Pentagon designated for the media. This reverses decades of policy where reporters could move about in the non classified parts of the Pentagon and generally had pretty good access to officials. Hegseth has taken a number of moves to limit contact between journalists and military officials. The Pentagon Press association, which represents journalists covering the Pentagon, said it, quote, appears to be a direct attack on the freedom of the press and America's right to know what its military is doing. I'll note the Pentagon has had only one formal press briefing in four months under this new administration, and Hegseth didn't take part in that one.

[Scott Simon]

NPR national security correspondent Greg Myhrey. Thanks so much, Greg.

[Marco Rubio]

Sure. Thanks, Scott.

[Scott Simon]

It was a moment that changed the course of US History. A video showing George Floyd being murdered by a Minneapolis police officer went viral and triggered massive demonstrations across the country.

[Kimmy Hull]

Say his name. George Floyd. Who'd they kill?

[Greg Myhre]

George Floyd.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

But now, five years later, the country is deeply divided on issues of race and policing. NPR's domestic extremism correspondent Odette Youssef is here to talk about how such a dramatic change has happened. Good morning.

[Pete Simi]

Good morning.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

It's kind of amazing to think about where we are now and that Floyd was killed five years ago. When you look back, how do you see that time?

[Pete Simi]

It's interesting, Aisha, because, you know, the size of the protest, the reach into places across the country, I think it felt like a rare moment of broad consensus. You know, at that time, the Pew Research center found that 2/3 of US adults supported the Black Lives Matter movement. It found that almost 70% of Americans were talking about racial justice issues with their families and friends, and 70% were recognizing general tensions between police and black Americans.

[Marco Rubio]

And.

[Pete Simi]

And so it felt like these difficult issues were finally out in the open, and people were ready to discuss change, to address them. But what I think what we didn't see clearly at that time was that deeply radicalizing forces were also organizing. And in many respects, I think it's fair to say that they won.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Well, say more about that. What was brewing at that time that you say helped lead to the divisions that we see today?

[Pete Simi]

Well, the pandemic. You know, I was in Minneapolis about six months ago, meeting with a local named Kimmy Hull. One morning, Kimmy and I were at what's now called George Floyd Square, where he died. And she said she thinks the movement wouldn't have launched if the country hadn't been sheltering in place.

[Bobby Hull]

Everybody's at home. Everybody can't leave anything. People are getting a lot of feelings just from being locked, you know, locked in your own home and stuff. And then this happens in your community, and it's happened so often. But now you have a large group of people that are like, you know what? We got nothing to do. We're coming out here, dude. We're gonna protest because we're sick of this. We're in quarantine, and you're still killing us.

[Pete Simi]

The thing that gets Kimmy and many others is. The earliest days of protest were peaceful when it was largely locals, many who lived in and were invested in the neighborhood. But two days after Floyd's death, there was a change.

[Kimmy Hull]

It was the Proud Boys that came in here. We needed help from and protection from.

[Pete Simi]

Kimmy's uncle, Bobby Hull lives down the street and around the corner.

[Kimmy Hull]

The community was safe until they started coming in here. Until all these racist Ku Klux Klans.

[Greg Myhre]

And Aryan nations and proud boys, whoever.

[Kimmy Hull]

You want to call them, they're racist.

[Marco Rubio]

People that don't belong here.

[Pete Simi]

One of the gaping holes that remains five years after Floyd's murder is the Autozone auto parts store arson. This was the very first structure in the area to burn. It's been cited as the trigger event that turned peaceful protests into lawlessness. The police named a suspect from a suburb of Minneapolis. An arson investigator's affidavit identified him as an affiliate of organized white supremacist groups, including the Hells Angels and and a prison gang called the Aryan Cowboys. To this day there has been no arrest. The details of it all have faded. For some locals, what hasn't faded is the conviction nurtured among many Americans that summer that actually the violence came only from the left, the side that in this case did not set off the chaos.

[Kimmy Hull]

The memory of George Floyd is being dishonored by rioters, looters and anarchists. The violence and vandalism is being led by antifa and other radical left wing groups.

[Pete Simi]

Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project find that at least 27 people were killed during the demonstrations across the nation. Most of them were not tied to any obvious ideological motivation. Instead they appear to have just been criminal in nature. But of those where the perpetrators had an identifiable ideology, only one was a self identified anti fascist. Six, by comparison, were far right actors. Still, an internal report from the Department of Homeland Security suggests top officials were interested in a single predetermined narrative focusing on the drawn out rioting in Portland, Oregon. The head of intelligence gathering, quote, stated that the violent protesters in Portland were connected to or motivated by antifa this, even though his analysts had no evidence of that. But it wasn't just Trump and some administration officials who manipulated public perceptions of the unrest that summer.

[Joe Kent]

There was a lot of talk on places like Telegram where some of the more far right extreme fringe were talking about the protests as a real opportunity to radicalize the MAGA folks.

[Pete Simi]

Pete Seemey is a sociology professor at Chapman University. He says extremists did what they always do they clocked the high level of uncertainty among the public and swooped in. Simi says the movement for racial justice also created its own problems. In retrospect, the defund the police slogan ultimately wasn't helpful. And experiments with so called autonomous zones, areas with no police produced troubling stories, including a 16 year old fatally shot in Seattle's.

[Joe Kent]

You know, it was something else the right could point to and say, look, this is ultimately, when they talk about police reform, they don't really mean just a little bit of change here. What they really mean is, you know, having this kind of lawless, no control. They, they really mean something far more darker, sinister.

[Pete Simi]

And that the argument that these protesters were part of a larger sinister plot has endured.

[Joe Kent]

We need to treat antifa and BLM like terrorist organizations.

[Pete Simi]

The claim that Black Lives Matter is a Marxist or terrorist organization is now common on the right. It was expressed in a podcast three years ago by Joe Kent, a man who is now Trump's pick to direct the National Counterterrorism Center.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Odette, We've also heard from the Trump administration and others who feel like the fixation on diversity, equity and inclusion was divided, divisive in and of itself, and that if Americans focus less on issues like the country's history of slavery and Jim Crow, that people would relate better to each other.

[Pete Simi]

Yes, and survey numbers suggest that many Americans may agree. You know, a Pew survey this month finds that support for the Black Lives Matter movement has fallen 15 percentage points from where it was five years ago. And on policing, the pendulum has swung as well. You know, just last week, the Department of Justice announced that it was ending consent decrees and investigations of police misconduct in multiple cities, including Minneapolis. But this assertion that maybe racism will go away if we stop talking about race, you know, it could be very dangerous.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Well, talk to me about that.

[Pete Simi]

People see social inequity. You know, people observe the differences that we live with with health outcomes, educational opportun, income attainment. And if we're not talking about the history and current factors, Pete Simi says that this just leaves explanations that are pseudoscientific, disproven and racist.

[Joe Kent]

Well, wait a second. Maybe there's something about their individual behavior that's different, right? Maybe there's something biologically that's different about different racial groups. Maybe they have certain kind of cultural traits that make them more prone to criminality.

[Pete Simi]

And this isn't just a theoretical concern. Aisha, we've seen the White House issue an executive order aimed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum that posits race is not a social construct, but a biological reality. This is the stuff of eugenics and it goes against decades of scientific consensus.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

That's NPR's Odette Youssef. Thank you so much for joining us.

[Pete Simi]

Thank you.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

And that's up first for Saturday, May 24, 2025. I'm Ayesha Rascoe.

[Scott Simon]

And I'm Scott Simon. But wait, wait. We've got one more thing for you. Today here at up first, we take keeping you informed very seriously.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Meanwhile, our friends at NPR's Wait, Wait, don't tell me. Take making fun of the news very seriously. Each week they create a news quiz and we want to give up first listeners the chance to play along.

[Scott Simon]

Test your knowledge of the week's news against the show's panelists by listening every weekend. And here is this week's Lightning Fill in the Blank news quiz.

[Kimmy Hull]

Now onto our final game, Lightning Fill in the Blank. Each of our players will have 60 seconds in which to answer as many fill in the blank questions as they can. Each correct answer is worth two points. Bill, can you give us the screen? Hardy and Tom each have three. Dulce has two. All right. That means, Dulce, you are in second place. You're going to go first, Dulce. The clock will start when I begin your first question. Fill in the blank. On Thursday, the House of Representatives voted to pass President Trump's so called big beautiful blank mega bill. Right. Voting four to four. The Supreme Court declined to allow state funding for a religious blank in Oklahoma charter school. Exactly right. This week, the FDA hinted they would soon crack down an off brand version of blank and other GLP1s.

[Bobby Hull]

Oh, semi glue Tides.

[Kimmy Hull]

Oh, Ozempic. Yeah. Ozempic. Yeah, that's right. This week, a teenager in Oklahoma who was caught cashing $500,000 in fraudulent checks said he was doing it to pay for blank.

[Bobby Hull]

Roblox?

[Kimmy Hull]

No. His lawyer in another fraud case.

[Bobby Hull]

Come on, young man.

[Kimmy Hull]

On Tuesday, Kid Cudi took the stand at the trial of disgraced hip hop mogul Blank P. Diddy. Yes. After 46 days, a blank match between Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and 150,000 online opponents working together ended in a draw.

[Bobby Hull]

Chess.

[Marco Rubio]

Yes.

[Kimmy Hull]

Chess match. This week, visitors to an amusement park in Louisiana are suing after their kids were injured by blank alligators. No, by a prosthetic leg that flew off someone during a ride. According to the parents, the prosthetic leg came flying off one of the roller coasters way up there, hit two of their kids, bounced off the ground and then hit a third. They're fine. But this is why they always tell you to keep your arms and legs inside the ride. Bill, how did Dulci do on our quiz? 5 rifes 10 more points, total of 12 puts her in the lead. Right. All right, very well done. Let's arbitrarily pick Hari Kondabolu to go next. So hurry, fill in the blank. On Sunday, Blank revealed he had been diagnosed with with prostate cancer. Joe Biden. Right. During a meeting at the White House, President Trump ambushed the president of Blank with false claims about white genocide in his country, South Africa. Right. On Wednesday, the blank dropped 800 points. Dow. Yes. This week, Louisiana authorities said they're searching for 10 inmates who escaped through a hole and left a note that said blank. See ya. No, it said that would have been good. What they actually said was too easy. Lol. After being banned in 2020, hit game Fortnite has been returned to Blank's app store. IPhone. Yeah, yeah. Apple. Very good. Best known for playing Norm Peterson on Cheers, actor Blank passed away at George's 20th cent. Yes. Chicago's own. For the second time in two years, a man in Texas is suing a fast food chain for a million dollars because they blanked. They got his order wrong. I'm gonna give it to you because they put onions on his burger. The man is suing Whataburger after he asked for no onions in his burger and got onions. He claims the mix up caused him personal injuries. Meanwhile, the employee responsible for cutting the onions is like, if he's the one with injuries, why am I the one crying? Bill, how did Hurry do in our quiz?

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Six.

[Kimmy Hull]

Right. 12 more points. Total of 15 puts him in the lead. All right, how many then does Tom Poppa meet? 6 to tie and 7 to win. Tom. Okay, here we go. Tom, this is for the game. Citing their continued military offensive in Gaza, the UK paused trade negotiations with Blank. Israel. Right. On Tuesday, the White House announced plans for a new $175 billion blank defense system. Dome. Yeah, Nuclear dome. To guard against missiles only the golden dome. On Thursday, the Treasury Department announced it would phase out the Blank by next year. The penny. Right. On Tuesday, scientists warned that melting ice could lead blanks to rise by 12 inches every decade. Seas. Yes. This week, the Indy Motor Speedway held a race between six souped up blanks. Souped up. Oh, I knew this one. Pass.

[Marco Rubio]

I don't know.

[Kimmy Hull]

Souped up. Wienermobiles. Oh, it was Wienermobiles. It was Wienermobiles. On Thursday, the first blood test to diagnose Blank was approved. Cancer, Alzheimer's. On Tuesday, the NFL decided against banning the controversial blank play. Statue of Liberty? No, the controversial Tush push play. After being reunited with the class ring he lost on a trip to Spain over 50 years ago, a man in Georgia blanked. Lost it? Yes. He immediately lost it again. Tom it just proves the old saying, if you love someone, let it go. If it comes back immediately, let it go again. Bill Did Tom do well enough to win? Well, Tom got close five right. 10 more points total of 13 means he's in second place. And guess who is the winner today. Hari.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

See how closely you followed the week's news and have some fun by listening to the podcast Wait, wait, don't tell me. The NPR News Quiz every Saturday. It's available in the NPR app and wherever you get your podcast.

[Greg Myhre]

This message comes from Jackson Seek clarity in retirement [e-mail] Jackson is short for Jackson Financial, Inc. Jackson National Life Insurance Co. Lansing, Michigan and Jackson National Life Insurance Co. Of New York, Purchase, New York.

[Odette Youssef]

This message comes from Bombus. Socks, underwear and T shirts are the top three requested clothing items by people experiencing homelessness. Bombas makes all three and donates one item for every item purchased. Go to bombas.com NPR and use code NPR for 20% off. This message comes from Warby Parker. What makes a great pair of glasses at Warby Parker? It's all the invisible extras without the extra cost, like free adjustments for life. Find your [e-mail] or visit one of their hundreds of stores around the country.