Scott Horsley (2:11)

think that's a better attitude to go in with.

Kevin Warsh (2:13)

But we're ready to go. I mean, the military is raring to go.

Michelle Martin (2:17)

NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordonez has been covering all these fits and starts, and he's with us now. Good morning, Franco.

Franco Ordonez (2:23)

Good morning, Michelle.

Michelle Martin (2:24)

So, you know, another turnaround.

Franco Ordonez (2:26)

Yeah, I mean, it's very stunning turnaround as well, and just hours from when the ceasefire was set to expire. I mean, but as you noted, he's done this before. And despite his significant threats, he's also made very clear through his actions that he's very interested in ending this war. I mean, this time Trump Again, said Pakistan, which is, of course mediating the talks, asked him to hold off on more attacks. He also said the US Military would stick around and that its naval blockade of Iranian ports would continue. Trump argued that the extension actually was warranted due to a, quote, seriously fractured Iranian government, and that he was extending the ceasefire until talks were concluded, quote, one way or the other. So a very different tone from earlier in the day when he warned that he was not going to extend the ceasefire and the bombing would resume.

Michelle Martin (3:18)

It was the middle of the night in Iran when Trump made this announcement. Have we heard from Tehran yet?

Franco Ordonez (3:23)

Yeah, I mean, and they're staying on the offensive. An advisor took to social media where he said the extension means nothing. He said the losing side cannot dictate the terms. And he argued that the continuation of the blockade was basically the equivalent to more bombing. And he actually accused the US of announcing this extension as a ploy to buy more time for a surprise attack.

Michelle Martin (3:46)

You know, President Trump has mentioned so many different objectives for this war. You know, it was helping the protesters there. It was regime change, preventing Iran from getting a nuclear bomb, preventing or diminishing their ballistic missile capability. Do you have a sense from your reporting of what the objective really is at this point?

Franco Ordonez (4:04)

I mean, so much of this right now is about control of the Strait of Hormuz, you know, the critical passageway that Iran has basically maintained a steel grip on over the last several weeks. I mean, the Trump administration has really tried everything to reopen the strait, including its own blockade, preventing Iranian tied ships from entering or leaving. Vice President Vance, of course, was scheduled to travel to Pakistan yesterday for peace talks, and those are now off because the Iranians refused to meet, calling that blockade an act of war. So Iran's nuclear capabilities are clearly an issue. But before the war, there was free passage through the Strait, and that's no longer the case. And it's a really big concern around the world.

Michelle Martin (4:46)

So far, Trump's back and forth rhetoric swinging from saying he's going to wipe out Iran's civilization to twice now not following through on these threats. Is this having an impact on the US Position globally?

Franco Ordonez (4:59)

I mean, I think it's about credibility and certainly the President's credibility. You're seeing that in the reaction from current Iranian leadership. I mean, they did not rush to a meeting yesterday, despite Trump's ongoing threats, where he warned again about more bombing, saying, no more Mr. Nice Guy. I mean, I think the Iranians understand that amid the rhetoric is again, Trump's strong desire to end this war. And it really remains to be seen if all of Trump's vacillating between aggressive threats and forms of diplomacy is going to pay off in the long run.

Michelle Martin (5:30)

That is White House correspondent Franco Ordonez. Franco, thank you.

Franco Ordonez (5:33)

Thank you, Michelle.

Steve Inskeep (5:42)

Voters in Virginia delivered Democrats a significant win for this fall's elections.

Michelle Martin (5:47)

Voters narrowly approved a ballot measure. It allows lawmakers to draw a new congressional map. The map could give Democrats four more seats in Congress.

Steve Inskeep (5:55)

NPR political correspondent Ashley Lopez is following all this. Ashley, good morning.

Ashley Lopez (5:59)

Good morning.

Steve Inskeep (6:00)

Okay, what does this ballot measure do?

Ashley Lopez (6:02)

Yeah, so it basically allows lawmakers to circumvent the state's redistricting commission. Virginia is one of those states that takes the process of drawing political lines partly out of the hands of politicians. But because of this ongoing redistricting battle across the country, Democrats really wanted to skirt that commission so that they could drop some new seats that could favor their party in the fall. But they needed voters permission first, and they got it.

Steve Inskeep (6:25)

Although I was following the results last night, it was pretty close.

Ashley Lopez (6:28)

Yeah, good point. I mean, the Democratic side, the yes side, won by just a few percentage points. If you compare this to Democratic Governor Abigail Spamberger's win last year, this is a much closer result and more clearly resembles a purple state than it does a blue one.

Steve Inskeep (6:41)

Okay, so how then does this affect the voting in November?

Ashley Lopez (6:45)

Yeah, so what they're planning would be a pretty big change. The new proposed map could position Democrats to win 10 out of the state's 11 congressional seats. Right now, the maps are drawn to favor Democrats in about six of the 117 seats. So a four seat boost could play a pretty big role in Democrats efforts to retake the U.S. house this fall because Republicans currently only have an edge. That's about a couple seats.

Steve Inskeep (7:06)

I just want to note, it's April. We're getting right into campaign season. Is this new map now in effect and candidates can run on it and voters can expect it?

Ashley Lopez (7:15)

Yeah, but things are not set in stone. The Virginia Supreme Court has yet to rule on the challenges to this redistricting effort. So, I mean, that could potentially stop any new districts from being used in this year's elections.

Steve Inskeep (7:26)

Okay, so it's not over yet. But let's just assume for purposes of this question that Virginia is settled. Red states have done something. Blue states have done something. Which party ended up with an advantage for November?

Ashley Lopez (7:38)

I mean, believe it or not, with Virginia, this is all pretty much awash or even like maybe a slight edge for Democrats right now. In short, California Democrats were able to offset potential gains that Republicans tried to make in Texas and Virginia was basically offset by some new GOP favored seats in states like North Carolina and Missouri. And I mean, I think it's just worth reflecting on the fact that no party has walked away from this fight with a meaningful edge here. President Trump started this last year by asking Texas to get him some more seats in Congress. And I think the GOP underestimated that Democrats would respond in kind. And I want to stress how much time and resources have been spent on all this. Virginia's election alone brought in millions of dollars worth of ads, not to mention the cost of special elections and special sessions in the various states that redrew their maps.

Steve Inskeep (8:26)

Have all the states finished all their moves now?

Ashley Lopez (8:29)

Yeah. I mean, things could still change. For one, there's Florida. The state's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, called a special session at the end of the month in an effort to get his party some more seats in the state. And then, of course, there's this big case before the Supreme Court that could strike down the Voting Rights act, which could set off some more redraws, particularly in the South. But because of filing deadlines, I will say the more time goes on, the less likely it is that states will change their maps. There just won't be enough time considering primaries have either started or already taken in place in some states. And this summer, most states will have had their primary elections.

Steve Inskeep (9:05)

Ashley, thanks so much for the insights. Really appreciate it.

Ashley Lopez (9:07)

Yeah, thank you.

Steve Inskeep (9:08)

That's NPR's Ashley Lopez. All right, the president's choice to lead the Federal Reserve says he would like the agency to do a little less.

Michelle Martin (9:22)

Kevin Warsh testified before a Senate committee Tuesday. He said the Fed could do a better job of curbing inflation and unemployment if it was more narrowly. One big question is who decides what the Fed does? Warsh was nominated by a president who wants greater control over an independent agency.

Steve Inskeep (9:39)

NPR's Scott Horsley remains independent and joins us now. Scott, good morning.

Scott Horsley (9:43)

Good morning, Steve.

Steve Inskeep (9:43)

What was the hearing like?

Scott Horsley (9:45)

It was quite polarized. A committee, Republicans mostly backed the nominee. Democrats were uniformly opposed. One question that came up again and again was whether Warsh would take marching orders from the president, who's been demanding lower interest rates. Here's GOP Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana.

Kevin Warsh (10:02)

Are you going to be the president's human sock puppet, Senator? Absolutely not. Are you going to be anybody's human sock puppet? No. I'm honored the president nominated me for the position, and I'll be an independent actor if confirmed as chairman of The Federal Reserve.

Scott Horsley (10:17)

Moore says it's not unusual that Trump wants lower interest rates. He says most presidents do. And War says, just because Trump is more outspoken than most other presidents, that's not a threat to the Fed's independence.

Steve Inskeep (10:29)

Although we should mention Trump did more than speak. He's done a lot of things to try to get more control over the Fed. So are Democrats persuaded that this nominee would be independent?

Scott Horsley (10:38)

Well, that was exactly the point that Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren made. She says Trump hasn't just expressed an opinion, he's gone to great lengths to bend the central bank to his will.

Michelle Martin (10:48)

The President has repeatedly and illegally attempted

Ashley Lopez (10:52)

to take over the Fed. His bogus attacks on Governor Lisa Cook

Michelle Martin (10:57)

and Chair Powell were designed to threaten

Ashley Lopez (11:01)

all the members of the Fed.

Scott Horsley (11:03)

Now, so far, those efforts by the President have been blocked in the courts, but Trump's pressure campaign has raised alarms. The Fed is supposed to be insulated from that kind of pressure so that it can do what's best in the long run for the economy, not just, you know, what's good till the next election.

Steve Inskeep (11:19)

Aside from his independence, this is a chance to find out what it is that Warsh would want to do with this agency. How, if at all, does he want to change?

Scott Horsley (11:27)

Yeah, he thinks there is room for lower interest rates, but also a lower profile for the Fed. He suggests that policyholders at the central bank might hold fewer news conferences and give fewer speeches. And he wants to improve the data that they use to measure things like inflation. And he wants the Fed to scale back its investment in government debt.

Steve Inskeep (11:45)

Well, since you said investment, what is Warsh saying about his own personal investments?

Scott Horsley (11:50)

Not a whole lot. He is worth more than $100 million. And that doesn't count his wife, who's heir to the Estee Lauder fortune. But Warsh's financial disclos reform was pretty opaque about how and where that money's invested. Senator Warren grilled Warsh about whether he has financial ties to the Trump family or to China, or even to Jeffrey Epstein.

Kevin Warsh (12:08)

Senator, I have worked tirelessly with the ethics officials at the Office of Government. Yes, and you have not come to an ethics agreement with me and have agreed, Senator, to sell all of my financial assets.

Scott Horsley (12:21)

Worst ducked that question with a promise to sell those undisclosed assets before he starts work at the Fed.

Steve Inskeep (12:27)

How soon would he start work?

Scott Horsley (12:29)

Well, possibly as early as next month. But there's a big hurdle to clear. First, Republican Thom Tillis insists he will not allow a vote on this nomination until the Justice Department drops that investigation of the Federal Reserve which critics, including Tillis, say is just another way for the administration to put pressure on the Fed.

Steve Inskeep (12:45)

NPR Scott Horsley, thanks so much.

Scott Horsley (12:47)

You're welcome.

Steve Inskeep (12:52)

And that's up first for Wednesday, April 22nd. I'm Steve Inskeep.

Michelle Martin (12:56)

And I'm Michelle Martin. Today's episode of up first was edited by Rebecca Metzler, Ben Swayze, Rafael Nam, Mohammed El Bardisi and Lindsay Toddy. It was produced by Zan Butch and Nia Dumas. Our director is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Misha Hyness. Our technical director is Carly Strange. And our supervising producer is Michael Lipkin. We hope you'll join us again tomorrow.

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