Public Media Cuts, Trump And Fed Chair, Israel Strikes Syria

Summary

Up First from NPR – Episode Summary: July 17, 2025

NPR's "Up First" podcast delivers a comprehensive overview of the day's most pressing news stories in a succinct and engaging format. In the July 17, 2025, episode titled "Public Media Cuts, Trump And Fed Chair, Israel Strikes Syria," hosts Michelle Martin and Steve Inskeep delve into three major topics: Senate Republicans' decision to rescind funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting, President Trump's ongoing conflict with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, and the latest developments in the Middle East involving Israeli airstrikes in Syria. Below is a detailed summary of each segment, enriched with notable quotes and insights from NPR correspondents.

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1. Senate Republicans' Funding Cuts for Foreign Aid and Public Broadcasting

Overview: The episode opens with Senate Republicans voting to retract $9 billion in federal funding directed at NPR, PBS, their member stations, and various foreign aid programs. This move marks a significant, albeit incremental, effort towards what Republicans term "fiscal sanity."

Key Points:

• Legislative Action: Senate Majority Leader John Thune emphasized the necessity of reducing federal spending, aligning with voter expectations. The proposed rescission targets nearly $8 billion in foreign assistance and $1.1 billion allocated for public broadcasting.

• Historical Context: Deirdre Walsh, NPR’s congressional correspondent, notes that such a rollback of already approved and law-signed funding is unprecedented in over three decades. "It's been more than 30 years since a rescission package passed," Walsh states (04:11).

• Bipartisan Efforts and Opposition: While the final bill excludes a proposed $400 million cut to PEPFAR—a widely recognized global health initiative—Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, alongside all Democrats, opposed the overall cuts. Murkowski highlighted the essential role of public radio during emergencies, citing an earthquake alert as a critical function of NPR-funded stations.

• Republican Strategy: The effort to defund public media is rooted in longstanding Republican criticism of perceived ideological biases within NPR and PBS. Despite resistance from some Republicans like Murkowski, the majority proceed with the cuts, reflecting alignment with President Trump's broader spending reduction goals.

• Public and Institutional Response: NPR's president responded by asserting the indispensable nature of public radio, noting that "three out of four Americans rely on public radio stations" and urged the House to reject the bill (05:38). The Senate-approved legislation awaits a House vote, with a looming deadline to present it to the president for signature.

Notable Quote: Deirdre Walsh encapsulates the political maneuvering, stating, "It's a win for President Trump and his doge effort to slash spending" (02:59).

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2. President Trump's Threats to Fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell

Overview: A significant portion of the episode addresses President Trump's persistent frustration with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The administration contends that Powell's maintenance of high interest rates is detrimental to the economy, prompting threats to remove him before his term concludes in May next year.

Key Points:

• President's Stance: Trump has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with Powell's cautious approach to interest rates. He argues that lowering rates more aggressively is necessary to curb economic stagnation, despite Powell's concerns over inflation influenced by Trump's tariffs.

• Potential for Dismissal: While Trump has not definitively decided to fire Powell, he has not ruled it out either. Recent statements indicate discussions with Republican lawmakers who appear supportive of such an action. A senior White House official revealed that Trump assured GOP lawmakers of his intent to "fire Powell soon," though specifics remain vague (06:31).

• Legal Implications: According to Deepa Shivaram, NPR White House correspondent, the legal grounds for firing Powell are tenuous. Powell has maintained that termination without legitimate cause, such as fraud, would be unlawful. Trump has hinted at potential fraud related to Federal Reserve building renovations, a claim Powell disputes by highlighting the impact of inflation on project costs (07:38).

• Supreme Court's Role: Should Trump attempt to remove Powell, the Supreme Court's response remains uncertain. Legal experts, including Professor Paul Schiff Berman from George Washington University, suggest that the Court might evaluate the legitimacy of the grounds provided. However, Berman contends that the move would irrevocably damage the Federal Reserve's independence regardless of the outcome (08:24).

• Future Implications for the Fed: Even if Powell remains in his position, his eventual replacement is anticipated to be more closely aligned with Trump's economic agenda, potentially undermining the Fed's historical independence and its critical role in maintaining economic stability (09:15).

• Potential Successors: Names such as Kevin Hassett, an economic adviser to the president, and Scott Besant, the Treasury Secretary, have been floated as possible replacements, signaling a shift towards a Fed more attuned to presidential preferences (09:47).

Notable Quotes: Deepa Shivaram emphasizes the gravity of the situation: "However this goes, Berman thinks the damage is already done to keep the Federal Reserve as an independent entity, even" (09:35).

Steve Inskeep adds perspective on long-term implications: "If he doesn't fire Powell. Now, when Powell does step down in the spring and someone else is appointed to replace him, it's very clear that that person will be totally at the service of the president. And so already the Fed chair will have lost independence" (09:15).

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3. Israel's Airstrikes in Syria and the US Diplomatic Response

Overview: The final major segment covers Israel's recent airstrikes targeting Syrian military positions in Damascus, ostensibly to protect the Druze minority amidst escalating conflict between local militias and the Syrian military.

Key Points:

• Nature of the Conflict: The airstrikes were directed at strategic locations, including near the Syrian presidential palace. The immediate trigger was intense clashes in southern Syria's Sueda region between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes, drawing Israeli intervention.

• Israeli Motivation: Ruth Sherlock, NPR’s Middle East correspondent, explains that Israel's actions are twofold: defending the Druze community—a group with ties to Israel—and preventing the Syrian military from gaining a foothold near its borders. Israel aims to establish a demilitarized zone in southern Syria, mirroring its strategic positioning in Lebanon against Hezbollah (11:48).

• Syrian Government's Response: Interim President Ahmed Al Shada condemned Israel's actions, accusing it of exacerbating internal divisions and attempting to destabilize Syria. Al Shada reaffirmed the Druze community's integral role within Syria while denouncing external interference (11:20).

• Impact on U.S. Diplomacy: The U.S., represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, finds itself in a delicate position. While striving to mend U.S.-Israel and U.S.-Syria relations, Rubio has labeled the airstrikes as a "misunderstanding" and facilitated a fragile ceasefire. However, repeated attempts at peace have been unsuccessful, highlighting the volatility of the situation (12:33).

• Local Perspectives: On-the-ground voices, such as Hossam Kutrab, an English teacher in Syria, provide personal insights into the conflict's human toll. Kutrab expressed a resolute stance: "If I want to pass away, I will pass away in my home, in my house, and I will defend to the last breath" (11:05).

• Ceasefire Efforts: Despite announcing a ceasefire and reports of Syrian troop withdrawals, the stability of the region remains precarious. Ruth Sherlock notes that this is the third ceasefire attempt in recent days, underscoring the difficulty in achieving lasting peace (13:22).

Notable Quote: Ruth Sherlock summarizes the precarious state of negotiations, stating, "This is clearly very fragile. And you know, this is already the third attempt at a ceasefire in recent days" (13:22).

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Conclusion: The July 17, 2025, episode of "Up First" provides listeners with an in-depth analysis of significant political and international developments. From domestic fiscal policies impacting public media to high-stakes threats against central economic institutions, and escalating conflicts in the Middle East, the podcast encapsulates the complexities shaping today's global landscape. By incorporating expert insights and firsthand accounts, "Up First" ensures that listeners are well-informed and equipped to understand the nuances of each story.

Transcript

[Steve Inskeep]

Senate Republicans vote to take back funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting. It's a small but important step toward fiscal sanity that we all should be able to agree is long overdue.

[Michelle Martin]

What will be the impact where you live?

[Steve Inskeep]

I'm Steve Inskeep with Michelle Martin, and this is up first from NPR News. The president has been threatening to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell before his term ends next year. He contends the interest rate is too high. Even if Powell finishes his term, the next Fed chair is expected to be less independent. What does that mean for the economy?

[Michelle Martin]

And Israel launches airstrikes into Syria's capital, Damascus. Israel's military says they acted to defend the minority Druze sect in their clashes with the Syrian military. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.

[Jake Kalik]

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[Deepa Shivaram]

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[Deepa Shivaram]

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[Michelle Martin]

Senate approved legislation early this morning that will claw back $9 billion in federal funding for NPR and PBS, their member stations and foreign aid programs.

[Steve Inskeep]

Senate Mater Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, argued that voters elected Republicans to rein in federal spending. It's a small but important step toward fiscal sanity that we all should be able to agree is long overdue. Days earlier, Republicans approved a tax and spending bill that drastically increases federal borrowing, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The rescission makes little difference in that overall picture, but does advance some of President Trump's preferences.

[Michelle Martin]

NPR congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh was up all night watching this. She's with us now. And I want to mention that we should note that no NPR corporate or news executive had a hand in this report. With that being said, good morning, Deirdre.

[Deirdre Walsh]

Good morning, Michelle.

[Michelle Martin]

So it is rare for Congress to roll back funding for programs that's already approved and were signed into law. When is the last time this happened?

[Deirdre Walsh]

It is. You know, Thune noted early this morning, it's been more than 30 years since a rescission package passed. The final bill the Senate passed included nearly 8 billion in cuts to foreign assistance programs and 1.1 billion DOL and federal money for public broadcasting, assuming it passes the House. This is a win for President Trump and his doge effort to slash spending. He's threatened to pull endorsements for any Republicans who voted no. 2 did. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine joined all Democrats opposing it. Democrats after the vote called it a dark day and said the bill is going to hurt Americans who rely on public broadcasting and hurt the US's reputation as a global leader. They also argued Republicans were seating Congress's constitutional power of the purse and instead we're just taking orders from President Trump.

[Michelle Martin]

So Senate Republicans did take out one of the cuts that the administration requested. Would you just remind us which program was spared?

[Deirdre Walsh]

Right. They removed a proposed $400 million cut to PEPFAR. That's a global public health program created by former President George W. Bush to combat HIV and aids. Lawmakers from both parties say it's successful, saved millions of lives. So leaders and the Trump administration did agree to pull that cut out. So the overall package slimmed down from 9.4 billion to 9 billion.

[Michelle Martin]

So Republicans on Capitol Hill have tried to strip federal funding for public media for decades. Some Republicans, I should say not all. So say more about their strategy and their thinking around this.

[Deirdre Walsh]

Right. This effort to defund NPR and PBS goes back to the 1990s. A lot of Republican lawmakers have criticized what they view as ideologically biased news coverage from public media outlets. NPR executives, I should say, have pushed back at those claims. But once Republicans gain control of Congress and the White House, they had the votes to roll back two years of money Congress already approved just back in March for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Senator Murkowski tried to restore this funding, and she cited an emergency alert that she got on her phone just hours before the vote from an Alaska public radio station warning about an earthquake, saying that's an example of what's at stake if stations lose federal money. But her effort failed.

[Michelle Martin]

So. And what's been the reaction to this?

[Deirdre Walsh]

I mean, NPR's president has released a statement saying three out of four Americans rely on public radio stations, say it can't be replaced, and called on the House to reject the bill.

[Michelle Martin]

And what's next?

[Deirdre Walsh]

The House is scheduled to vote later today. The clock is ticking. They have a midnight deadline on Friday to get it to the president for his signature.

[Michelle Martin]

That is NPR's Deirdre Walsh. Deirdre, thanks for staying up with us after a very long night. I appreciate it.

[Deirdre Walsh]

Thanks, Michelle.

[Michelle Martin]

President Trump has been frustrated with the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell. For months now.

[Steve Inskeep]

He's been urging Powell to lower interest rates more rapidly than the Fed has been doing because of concerns about inflation. For weeks, the president has been attacking Powell, and now he is musing about firing him ahead of the end of Powell's term, which comes in May of next year.

[Michelle Martin]

NPR White House correspondent Deepa Shivram is with us now to tell us more about this. Good morning, Deepa.

[Deepa Shivaram]

Good morning, Michelle.

[Michelle Martin]

As Steve just said, Trump has made it clear that he's frustrated with Powell and he's been hinting for a while now that he wants to fire Powell. Has he made a decision?

[Deepa Shivaram]

Yeah, not quite, but you are right. He has been talking about this for several, several weeks. Trump's actually been calling Powell too late as his nickname, as in Powell is too late on lowering the interest rates. But the Fed has been cautious on interest rates because it's assessing the impact of Trump's tariffs on inflation. Trump, though, thinks that Powell not lowering the rates is hurting the economy, so that's why wants him gone. And he says he's not planning on firing Powell. But Trump also says he hasn't ruled it out. And yesterday, Trump told reporters that he spoke with Republican lawmakers about firing Powell, and he says they were supportive of it. A senior White House official who was not authorized to discuss that meeting said that Trump told those GOP lawmakers that he would fire Powell soon, though of course, soon doesn't really provide a specific timeline.

[Michelle Martin]

You know what, From a legal standpoint, is it even possible for Trump to fire Powell?

[Deepa Shivaram]

Well, Powell has said that Trump firing him would be against the law. Trump could fire Powell, but only if there's legitimate Cause like fraud, for example, which is something that Trump actually mentioned yesterday, that it's unlikely he'd fire Powell unless there was an instance of fraud. And lately, Trump has been suggesting that these renovations to the Federal Reserve building could be considered fraud because that project costs about $2.5 billion. It's pretty exp. Trump said earlier this week that he didn't think Powell needed a, quote, palace, though Powell has defended the renovations as necessary and said the Reserve is reviewing some of the costs, which have been higher in part because of inflation.

[Michelle Martin]

If Trump does go ahead and fire Powell, could the Supreme Court weigh in?

[Deepa Shivaram]

It could. So the court ruled in May that Trump could fire heads of independent agencies without cause, which is a huge boost to executive power. But the court kind of put the Federal Reserve in a different category than other independent agencies. They called the Reserve a, quote, uniquely structured, quasi private entity. So if Trump does decide to fire Powell, it's not exactly clear how the Supreme Court would weigh in, even though they have been very friendly to Trump so far. Right. I talked to Paul Schiff Berman. He's a professor of law at George Washington University, and he said it's possible that the Supreme Court decides whatever cause Trump does provide as grounds for firing Powell. If they say it's good enough, that's possible. But however this goes, Berman thinks the damage is already done to keep the Federal Reserve as an independent entity, even.

[Steve Inskeep]

If he doesn't fire Powell. Now, when Powell does step down in the spring and someone else is appointed to replace him, it's very clear that that person will be totally at the service of the president. And so already the Fed chair will have lost independence.

[Deepa Shivaram]

And Berman says that could have really negative effects for the economy in the long run, because historically, there's always been a buffer between politics and these really critical economic decisions that move global markets.

[Michelle Martin]

Briefly, if Trump says he's thinking about Powell's replacement, has he floated any names?

[Deepa Shivaram]

Yeah, Kevin Hassett, who's one of the president's economic advisers, and also Scott Besant, who's the Treasury Secretary.

[Michelle Martin]

That is NPR's Deeper Shivaram Deepa. Thank you.

[Deepa Shivaram]

Thank you.

[Steve Inskeep]

Some other news now. The United Nations Security Council meets today to discuss the situation in the Middle East.

[Michelle Martin]

Yesterday, Israel hit the Syrian military headquarters with airstrikes, as well as areas close to the presidential palace in Damascus. It is a significant escalation against the country's new government that took power at the end of a long civil war. U.S. secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the U.S. is, quote, concerned and is trying to negotiate a solution.

[Steve Inskeep]

NPR's Ruth Sherlock has been following this situation. Ruth, good morning.

[Ruth Sherlock]

Good morning.

[Steve Inskeep]

Okay, our colleague Daniel Estrin tried to bring us up to date on this. Something of a surprise here. I get the sense that there was some confused fighting near Israel, but in Syria, what happened?

[Ruth Sherlock]

That's right. Well, the Syrian military got drawn into what started as a local fight in southern Syria and sueda between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes there. And the clashes there have been intense. As you can hear when we spoke with Hossam Kutrab, an English teacher there.

[Steve Inskeep]

Well, okay, you hear the bombing. If I want to pass away, I will pass away in my home, in my house, and I will defend to the last breath.

[Ruth Sherlock]

And Israel intervened on behalf of the Druze minority, bombing Syrian military positions, including those that you mentioned in Damascus. Interim President Ahmed Al Shada was on Syrian state television today trying to repair relations with the Druze community in Syria, saying their an integral part of the country. And he accused Israel of sowing division and trying to turn Syria into a theater of chaos.

[Steve Inskeep]

Okay, well, if there is this conflict within Syria, it seems, why is Israel intervening?

[Ruth Sherlock]

Well, one reason is, you know, there are Druze in Syria and there are Druze communities in, in Israel too, and they're seen as being a loyal community. Some serve in the military. But Steve, I want to be clear that this is also really strategic for Israel. At the heart of it, Israel doesn't trust Shader's government, which is Islamist, doesn't want Shader's Syri army to get any closer to the Israeli border. An Israeli military official speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, has said that Israel is trying to enforce a demilitarized zone in southern Syria near Israeli controlled territory. And that sounds similar to what it's been doing in Lebanon following clashes with the Hezbollah militia there.

[Steve Inskeep]

Well, I want to figure out where the United States fits here because the United States has tried to bring Israel and Syria's new government closer together. What's the US Doing now?

[Ruth Sherlock]

Well, it puts the US in quite a tough position. You know, there does seem to be some daylight here between the US And Israeli positions on Syria. Israel often characterizes Syria's new rulers, as I said, as being kind of Islamists. They think of them as barely disguised jihadists. Ahmed Al Sharia, the interim president, was in an organization previously linked to Al Qaeda, but now the US administration is working with him. While the Israelis remain deeply mistrustful. Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, has tried to frame this latest escalation as a, quote, misunderstanding, understanding. And yesterday there was a ceasefire deal announced to end the fighting in southern Syria. And there are reports that the Syrian troops are withdrawing from these parts of Syria as Israel wants. But this is clearly very fragile. And you know, this is already the third attempt at a ceasefire in recent days.

[Steve Inskeep]

Really complicated and confusing situation, but you made it less so. NPR's Ruth Sherlock, thanks so much.

[Ruth Sherlock]

Thank you so much.

[Michelle Martin]

And that's up first for Thursday, July 17th. I'm Michelle Martin.

[Steve Inskeep]

And I'm Steve Inskeep. There's an easy way to stay connected to news and podcasts from the NPR network, the NPR app. You hear podcast suggestions based on what you like, community news from your local station, stories from around the world. We're still with you. Download the NPR Aperture App Store.

[Michelle Martin]

Today's episode of up first was edited by Jerry Holmes, Dana Farrington, Miguel Macias, Janaya Williams and Mohamed El Bardisi. It was produced by Ziad Butch, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from David Greenberg. And our technical director is Carly Strange. We hope he'll join us again tomorrow. We'll be here.

[Steve Inskeep]

Yep.

[Deepa Shivaram]

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[Jake Kalik]

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