Russia Rejects Peace Proposal, Hegseth Defends Boat Strikes, Tennessee House Election

Summary

Up First – December 3, 2025

Podcast: NPR’s Up First
Episode: Russia Rejects Peace Proposal, Hegseth Defends Boat Strikes, Tennessee House Election
Date: December 3, 2025
Host(s): Steve Inskeep, A Martinez

Episode Overview

This episode of NPR’s Up First dives into three major stories shaping U.S. and global headlines:

1. The collapse of U.S.-Russian peace efforts in Ukraine, with the Kremlin rejecting a Western-backed proposal.
2. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defending controversial follow-up strikes on a drug boat in the Caribbean, as Congress launches an investigation.
3. Analysis of a Tennessee House special election, where both Republicans and Democrats claim victory after Republicans win by a narrower margin than usual.

---

1. Russia Rejects Peace Proposal on Ukraine

Key Points & Reporting

• U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (Trump’s son-in-law) attended high-level talks in Moscow regarding a Ukrainian peace proposal.
  • Meeting lasted about five hours, started late, with no concrete progress.
• The U.S. and Russia worked from a draft proposal amended by Europeans and Ukrainians—one already rejected by Europe for favoring Moscow.
• Putin accused the Europeans of deliberately sabotaging peace, claiming amendments made Russian agreement impossible.
  • Putin issued veiled threats toward Europe, saying Russia didn’t want war but was “ready if Europe brought it on.”
  • Zelensky, speaking from Ireland, affirmed Ukraine’s support for the amended proposal and called for sustained European pressure on Russia.

Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Putin’s warning to Europe:

  “He [Putin] said such a war wouldn’t be, quote, like the surgical one that Russia's conducting in Ukraine.” (Eleanor Beardsley, 05:02)

• Ukrainian analyst, Mykhailo Samuz (on negotiations):

  "No withdrawing forces from Donbas, no recognizing that the Russian occupying forces will be legal on Ukrainian territory. Of course not." (Eleanor Beardsley paraphrasing Samuz, 06:30)

• On Putin’s priorities:

  "In the month of October alone, 25,000 Russian soldiers died in Ukraine. That doesn't affect Putin. They hide it from the Russian public." (Eleanor Beardsley, 07:05)

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s take:

  “The conflict in Ukraine is not our war. And President Trump has a million other things to focus on.” (Eleanor Beardsley quoting Rubio, 07:17)

Timestamps:

• [03:45] – Setup of U.S.-Russian talks
• [04:14] – Details from Eleanor Beardsley in Kyiv
• [05:25] – President Zelensky speaks from Europe
• [06:00] – Ukrainian analysis on Russia's intentions

---

2. Hegseth Defends U.S. Boat Strikes; Congress Launches Probe

Key Points & Reporting

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced questions for approving initial strikes on an alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean in September.
  • He confirmed giving the initial order but denied involvement or awareness of the subsequent strike that killed survivors.
  • Admiral Frank Bradley, head of U.S. Special Operations Command, took responsibility for the second strike.
• Hegseth’s narrative contrasts with his earlier denials and criticisms of media reporting.
• President Trump stated he knew the military “took out the boat” but wasn’t involved in or aware of details.
• Congressional leaders from both parties back investigations into whether U.S. law or international norms were violated.
  • Committees seek video/audio evidence, with potential hearings (public or classified) pending.
  • Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demands public testimony and video release from Hegseth.

Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Hegseth’s defense of Admiral Bradley:

  “And by the way, Admiral Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat.” (Pete Hegseth, 08:42)

• On changing stories:

  “Hegseth's comments yesterday are different from his initial response when the Washington Post first reported on these strikes and he criticized their reporting. Now he's acknowledging there was this second strike.” (Deirdre Walsh, 08:48)

• On Congressional concerns:

  “Questions on the Hill really center around whether the second strike broke U.S. law or would be considered a war crime if the administration's claim to be at war with narco traffickers is accepted.” (Deirdre Walsh, 09:33)

• Sen. John Thune’s careful support:

  “Well, I think that the fundamental question is, is the country safer than it was under the Biden administration? I think the answer to that is unequivocally yes.” (John Thune, 10:03)
  “But he also added that Hegseth, quote, serves at the pleasure of the president. Not exactly an endorsement.” (Deirdre Walsh, 10:18)

Timestamps:

• [07:40] – Introduction to the boat strikes
• [07:55] – Hegseth describes his involvement
• [08:21] – Congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh’s summary & analysis
• [09:13] – Top Republicans and next steps
• [10:28] – Oversight plans and Democratic demands

---

3. Tennessee House Election: GOP Holds Seat as Dems Narrow Margin

Key Points & Reporting

• Republican Matt Van Epps won a special House election in Tennessee’s 7th congressional district.
  • Trump previously took the district by 22 points (2024); Van Epps wins by only 9 points.
• Both parties claim the outcome as a victory:
  • For Republicans: Retaining the seat and energizing the base despite Trump’s absence from the ballot.
  • For Democrats: A significant swing (+13% improvement over 2024 margins) hints at energized turnout and possible realignment for 2026.
• Both parties spent millions, signaling the race’s importance as a bellwether for upcoming midterms.
• Campaign messaging from both sides focused on affordability and economic issues, with little mention of Trump—suggesting both parties are recalibrating.
• Evidence of Democrats reversing turnout drop-offs, especially among young and nonwhite voters, as seen in other 2025 specials.

Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Van Epps on Trump:

  "Running from Trump is how you lose. Running with Trump is how you win." (Stephen Fowler, relaying Van Epps’ remarks, 12:43)

  • Despite this, Van Epps rarely invoked Trump in his actual campaign.
• On campaign messaging:

  "If you're wondering which one was a Republican and which was a Democrat, you're not alone. It was pretty hard to tell them apart on this issue, which was also notable for the candidate's lack of talking about Trump." (Stephen Fowler, 13:28)

• On political trends:

  “Looking at the election results, the drop-off in turnout in deep blue areas that we saw last year is nowhere to be found. And the rightward leap of young voters and non white voters has snapped back towards Democrats.” (Stephen Fowler, 14:40)

Timestamps:

• [11:17] – Introduction to the election results
• [11:46] – Stephen Fowler on campaign and turnout dynamics
• [12:43] – Both sides claim victory and analysis of messaging
• [14:21] – Implications for 2026 midterms

---

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• Putin’s Threat:

  “…such a war wouldn’t be, quote, like the surgical one that Russia's conducting in Ukraine.”
  —Eleanor Beardsley, [05:02]

• Ukrainian Analyst on Peace:

  "No withdrawing forces from Donbas, no recognizing that the Russian occupying forces will be legal on Ukrainian territory. Of course not." —Mykhailo Samuz (via Eleanor Beardsley), [06:30]

• Hegseth on Boat Strikes:

  “And by the way, Admiral Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat.”
  —Pete Hegseth, [08:42]

• Matt Van Epps, on Trump:

  “Running from Trump is how you lose. Running with Trump is how you win.”
  —Stephen Fowler quoting Van Epps, [12:43]

---

Key Takeaways

• Diplomatic Impasse: Attempts at brokering peace in Ukraine are stalled, with Russia publicly dismissive, the U.S. sidelined, Europe divided, and Ukraine pessimistic about Putin’s intentions.
• Domestic Scrutiny: The Trump administration faces bipartisanship pressure over military conduct in the Caribbean, with Defense leadership on the defensive and lawmakers seeking transparency.
• Political Signals: The Tennessee special election suggests a more competitive landscape for Democrats in 2026, with voter turnout trends and economic messaging overshadowing the Trump factor—at least, for now.

---

For listeners seeking quick, clear context on today’s news:

• The global effort to end the Ukraine war is faltering.
• U.S. military actions abroad are under the microscope.
• The political battleground at home is shifting, as parties recalibrate for a new campaign cycle.

Transcript

[Steve Inskeep]

Did you actually say good morning yesterday?

[Enemy Martinez]

I did, just because Laila constantly wants one. So I figured on giving Tuesday would be the best day to do well.

[Steve Inskeep]

Hold on. I want to hear this before we I want to hear how this went.

[Enemy Martinez]

Good morning, Layla.

[Eleanor Beardsley]

What did you just say?

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Good morning.

[Steve Inskeep]

Yeah. It's getting Tuesday.

[Enemy Martinez]

I figured I'd give you a good morning.

[Steve Inskeep]

Thank you. And I'm glad you remember. Congratulations. You did it.

[Pete Hegseth]

I did it.

[Enemy Martinez]

I think hopefully sarcastically.

[Steve Inskeep]

I hope everyone heard was nice. Good morning. I could hear the eye roll. So that was giving Tuesday for you. Yes.

[Enemy Martinez]

Handing out good mornings all over the world. That's what I did.

[Steve Inskeep]

Yes. Congratulations. Well done. So let's think of this now as Giving Wednesday. It is not too late to support up first and everything that you love from NPR News.

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Yeah.

[Enemy Martinez]

And we're also thanking up first listeners who have already stepped up to donate, listeners just like Lauren in Maryland. Lauren says I listen to up first every morning. Public radio connects so much of our country to the news. They and I can't imagine losing it. Thank you for your resilience through this challenging time.

[Steve Inskeep]

Losing it. I like that phrase because sometimes I hear from people who say this keeps me from losing it. NPR News keeps me from losing it. So thanks to Lauren and everybody else. We're thankful for supporters like you who help us stay strong after federal funding for public media was eliminated earlier this year, hurting a lot of local stations.

[Enemy Martinez]

Yeah. And you can join Lauren and the growing community of public radio supporters by signing up for npr. Sign up today.

[Steve Inskeep]

It's a simple recurring donation that gets you purchased. When you're listening to NPR podcasts, you can join us at plus.NPR.org U.S. envoy.

[Enemy Martinez]

Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner sat with Russia's president for five hours.

[Steve Inskeep]

They came away with no deal. So what is the United States gaining from its repeated appeals to Vladimir Putin?

[Enemy Martinez]

I'm a Martinez. That is Steve Inskeep, and this is a first from NPR News. Congress was obedient to the administration for months, but now supports an investigation. Want to examine follow up strikes on a boat in the Caribbean. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth first denied the story and now says the strikes were appropriate.

[Pete Hegseth]

And by the way, Admiral Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat.

[Steve Inskeep]

Also, a Republican won a Tennessee election, but by far less than Trump won the same area last year. What do the results reveal? Stay with us. We've got the news. You need to start your day.

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[Steve Inskeep]

US special envoy Steve Witkoff smiled as he strolled through Red Square in Moscow yesterday that was on his way in to talks between Russian and American officials over the war in Ukraine.

[Enemy Martinez]

On the way out, it became clear the two sides did not break through to a peace agreement. They were working from a draft proposal amended by European and Ukrainian negotiators. Europeans had already rejected a plan skewed toward Russia.

[Steve Inskeep]

We Go now to NPR's Eleanor Beardsley, who's covering all this from Kyiv, Ukraine. Hey there Eleanor.

[Eleanor Beardsley]

Hello Steve.

[Steve Inskeep]

How was the meeting?

[Eleanor Beardsley]

They lasted about five hours and started three hours late because they were waiting to meet President Vladimir Putin. And that's when Steve Witkoff and Trump's son in law Jared Kushner, who was also in attendance, got their tour of Red Square. By the way, this is Witkoff's sixth visit to Moscow. He has not visited Ukraine. The talks broke up late last night with nothing concrete. Both sides called them constructive and productive. And this morning the Kremlin says it's ready to sit down with the Americans as many times as necessary. Actually, the most telling comments came from President Putin himself, speaking separately to the media before the talks concluded. Let's listen. He accuses the Europeans of thwarting President Trump's attempts to bring peace in Ukraine. He says they amended the document knowing it would be unacceptable to Russia just so they could block the process and blame it on Moscow. Putin also made veiled threats to Europe, saying Russia didn't want war with Europe, but it was ready if Europe brought it on. And he said such a war wouldn't be, quote, like the surgical one that Russia's conducting in Ukraine. Well, European news outlets went wild over that comment. It was the main topic on primetime news.

[Steve Inskeep]

Well, what are the Ukrainians saying?

[Eleanor Beardsley]

Well, yesterday, President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke from Ireland. He's been bathing in European support over the last few days. He was in Paris before that. Zelensky has agreed in principle to this amended document. He didn't comment on the negotiations, but said Europe must keep the pressure on Russia.

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Here he is.

[Steve Inskeep]

So that Russia does not believe it.

[Deirdre Walsh]

Will be rewarded for this war with.

[Enemy Martinez]

Stolen Ukrainian land or thousands kidnapped Ukrainian children.

[Eleanor Beardsley]

So, Steve, that's a far cry from the big business deals with Russia that President Trump has been talking about.

[Steve Inskeep]

Where does this actually leave the effort for peace, Eleanor?

[Eleanor Beardsley]

Well, Ukrainians never thought Putin would ever sign any deal. They say he doesn't want peace. He continues to bomb Ukraine and kill civilians on a near nightly basis. And I spoke with Mykhailo Samuz, director of a geopolitical research network in Ukraine. He says not only will Putin never stop, but Ukraine will never give away territory in the eastern Donbas region that the Russians are demanding. He says there is no possibility of a long term peace document. Here he is all of these negotiations.

[Steve Inskeep]

Only about ceasefire on the front line.

[Enemy Martinez]

No withdrawing forces from Donbass, no recognizing.

[Steve Inskeep]

That the Russian occupying forces will be legal on Ukrainian territory. Of course not. I'd like to find out here, Eleanor, if there's a mistaken assumption. The President of the United States has assumed that Russia wants to stop the killing. He wants to. Obviously they must. That leaked phone conversation by Bloomberg with Steve Witkoff contains in it an assumption that Russia wants to end this and the deal is obvious. That's the U.S. assumption. Has Russia shown it actually sees it that way?

[Eleanor Beardsley]

No, Putin, the dying doesn't affect him. In fact, Zelensky and analysts confirm this, that in the month of October alone, 25,000 Russian soldiers died in Ukraine. That doesn't affect Putin. They hide it from the Russian public. Anyway, I think Secretary of State Marco Rubio's comments yesterday from Washington are the most telling. Rubio said the conflict in Ukraine is not our war. And President Trump has a million other things to focus on. So there you go.

[Steve Inskeep]

And Perez, Eleanor Beardsley, thanks so much.

[Eleanor Beardsley]

You're welcome, Steve.

[Enemy Martinez]

The Trump administration continues to face questions about a US Attack on an alleged drug boat in September in the Caribbean.

[Steve Inskeep]

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at the White House on Tuesday, he did not witness the second round of strikes that killed survivors on the boat.

[Pete Hegseth]

I watched that first strike live, as you can imagine, at the Department of War. We got a lot of things to do. So I didn't stick around for the hour and two hours, whatever, where all the sensitive site exploitation digitally occurs. So I moved on to my next meeting.

[Steve Inskeep]

Lawmakers now say they want to look into what happened.

[Enemy Martinez]

NPR congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh is with us. So we just heard Haig say that he had a lot on schedule today that strike. What other details did he talk about Tuesday?

[Deirdre Walsh]

He said he gave the initial order to strike the boat and then said he learned the details about the second strike a couple of hours later and said it was a decision made by Admiral Frank Bradley, who leads U.S. special Operations Command. While Hegseth stressed he personally didn't make the call for a follow on strike, he said Bradley had the complete authority to do so.

[Pete Hegseth]

And by the way, Admiral Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat.

[Deirdre Walsh]

You know, it's worth noting that Hegseth's comments yesterday are different from his initial response when the Washington Post first reported on these strikes and he criticized their reporting. Now he's acknowledging there was this second strike. President Trump, for his part, said he knew the military took out the boat, but he didn't know whether it was one strike or two or three, and he wasn't involved in it.

[Enemy Martinez]

All right, so what are top Republicans on Capitol Hill saying about the attack?

[Deirdre Walsh]

Both House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune say they back the move by House and Senate Armed Services Committees to review the boat strikes and expect to get answers. The speaker said he wouldn't prejudge anything. Before they get the facts, committees are expected to seek video and audio of the operation. Questions on the Hill really center around whether the second strike broke US Law or would be considered a war crime. If the administration's claim to be at war with narco traffickers is accepted and members of both both parties want to review evidence in this timeline, Majority Leader Thune said he backed current US Policy, saying he agreed the administration had the authority for these attacks in the Caribbean. But when Thune was asked directly about whether he has confidence in Hegseth, he sidestepped the question.

[Pete Hegseth]

Well, I think that the fundamental question is, is the country safer than it was under the Biden administration? I think the answer to that is unequivocally yes.

[Deirdre Walsh]

Thune said the Trump administration's peace through strength policies are working. And Hegseth is part of the team that put those in place. But he also added that Hegseth, quote, serves at the pleasure of the president. Not exactly an endorsement of the secretary.

[Enemy Martinez]

All right, so it seems like both GOP leaders of the House and Senate want at least some answers. Any word on how they'll try to get them?

[Deirdre Walsh]

You know, we haven't seen a lot of oversight from Republican committee chairman in the first year of the Trump administration. But I will say on this issue, both chairs in the House and Senate came out really quickly and vowed vigorous oversight of these boat strikes. It's unclear if they're going to have public hearings or classified sessions. Admiral Bradley's in town and is expected to brief lawmakers later this week. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wants Hegseth to release the video of the attack and he's demanding that he testify publicly.

[Stephen Fowler]

All right.

[Enemy Martinez]

That's NPR congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh. Thanks a lot.

[Deirdre Walsh]

Thanks a lot.

[Steve Inskeep]

Okay. Republican Matt Van Epps has won a special election for a U.S. house seat in Tennessee. That means the Republican edge in the House of Representatives doesn't get any narrower. But Democrats are also claiming victory after Tuesday night's results.

[Enemy Martinez]

That's because last year President Trump won Tennessee's 7th congressional district by about 22 percentage points. Yesterday, Van Epps won by 9. Both parties millions of dollars in the final weeks of this race to try and test their campaign message ahead of the 2026 midterms.

[Steve Inskeep]

NPR's Stephen Fowler has been following the campaign. Stephen, good morning.

[Stephen Fowler]

Good morning.

[Steve Inskeep]

Why did this race receive so much attention?

[Stephen Fowler]

Well, it's math. Republicans have a narrow House majority and fractious coalitions. This gives them one more vote until Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene resigns in a few weeks. Here's more math. In 60 state legislative and congressional special elections this year, Democrats have improved from their 2024 margins by an average of 13%. Those elections were typically low turnout, low profile contests where Democrats were more likely to vote. So given Trump's margins in this Tennessee district, super PACs from both parties poured more than $6.5 million in recent weeks into making this a high turnout, high profile contest where Democrats still ended up improving their margins by 13%.

[Steve Inskeep]

Oh, really interesting result then. And it seems that Democrats turned out a lot of vot. Who's right in declaring victory then?

[Stephen Fowler]

Well, the final margin of the race means both parties can, with a straight face, declare a victory moving forward. That's because Republicans motivated their base without Trump being on the ballot. Van Epp said in victory remarks that, quote, running from Trump is how you lose. Running with Trump is how you win. But he actually didn't campaign much using the president's name or accomplishments. And Democrats are putting 2024's losses behind them and have also motivated their base, who's been pretty sour on the party as a whole. And, and they seem to also have persuaded independents that Republican governance won't solve key issues.

[Steve Inskeep]

So in last month's elections, we heard a lot about affordability. I'm thinking about that as a political slogan. Six syllables, lots of syllables. But anyway, the economy is what that was about. How did it factor in?

[Stephen Fowler]

Well, Steve, one candidate decried career politicians and promised to bring down prices, create good paying jobs and lower health care costs for working families. The other candidate promised to shake up Washington by making health care more affordable, bringing down the cost of living and protect workers and small businesses. If you're wondering which one was a Republican and which was a Democrat, you're not alone. It was pretty hard to tell them apart on this issue, which was also notable for the candidate's lack of talking about Trump.

[Steve Inskeep]

Oh, this is really interesting. The Democrat maybe didn't talk about Trump so much because she wanted the votes of former Trump voters and the Republican didn't talk about Trump so much because he's not so popular at this moment. But with all, all of this said, I mean, we're reading all of this to look at 2026 and trying to find how we can forecast the future. Is there anything about Tuesday's result that truly matters when thinking about the midterms where things will be different?

[Stephen Fowler]

Well, clearly the economy is top of mind. Republicans are figuring out how to address those concerns about costs without explicitly crossing Trump. And Democrats are also workshopping ways to win back key parts of their coalition. Looking at the election results, the drop off in turnout in deep blue areas that we saw last year is nowhere to be found. And the rightward leap of young voters and non white voters has snapped back towards Democrats. In a midterm year, the dynamics typically see the party out of power do well. So this is another data point in favor of that trend continuing.

[Steve Inskeep]

NPR's Stephen Fowler, thanks so much.

[Stephen Fowler]

Thank you.

[Steve Inskeep]

And that's up first for this Wednesday, December 3rd. I'm Steve Inskeep.

[Enemy Martinez]

Enemy Martinez. Up first gets you caught up. And then MORNING EDITION takes you deeper. We're live every morning on your local NPR station with reports, interviews and the context behind all the headlines. And if you want to listen in the afternoon, you can do that too. Download the NPR app and listen whenever you want. There are so many options to get the news you need to start your day.

[Steve Inskeep]

Today's up first was edited by Rebecca Rossman, Jason Breslow, Megan Pratts, Mohamed El Bardisi, and Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Ziad Buch, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacy Abbott and our technical director is the amazing Carly Strange. Our supervising producer is Michael Lipkin. Also kind of amazing. Join us again tomorrow.

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