Ukraine-EU Meeting, National Guard Deployment Cases, Pentagon Press Corps

Summary

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Up First from NPR

Episode Title: Ukraine-EU Meeting, National Guard Deployment Cases, Pentagon Press Corps
Date: October 23, 2025
Hosts: Steve Inskeep, Amy Martinez
Reporters: Terry Schultz, Kat Lansdorf, David Folkenflik

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Episode Overview

This episode of Up First dives into three of the day's top stories:

1. The European Union’s controversial plan to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine amidst faltering U.S.-Russia peace efforts.
2. Landmark court cases testing the legal limits of the president’s authority to deploy National Guard troops in American cities like Portland and Chicago.
3. The transformation of the Pentagon press corps after most major outlets walked out, objecting to a new restrictive media policy.

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Key Discussion Points & Analysis

1. EU Plan to Use Frozen Russian Assets for Ukraine

[02:04 – 05:33]

• The Plan:
  The EU is considering granting Ukraine a large loan, guaranteed by about €140 billion ($160 billion) in Russian central bank assets immobilized in Europe, mostly held in Belgium.

  • If Moscow pays Ukraine this amount post-war, Ukraine repays the loan and Russia gets assets back.
  • Intended to relieve EU taxpayers from the financial burden.

• Controversy Among EU Leaders:

  • Belgium is hesitant, fearing Russia might demand the assets back and the liability would fall on them unless all EU states share responsibility.
  • The proposal is likely to be greenlit for more detailed planning, but divisions remain.

• Zelenskyy’s Position:
  "We need the decision on frozen assets... Russia will do everything not to give us possibility to have such decision" – President Zelenskyy (in Sweden), [03:54 - 04:07]

• Further Measures:

  • U.S. announced sanctions on Russia's two biggest oil companies, as peace talks have seen little progress.
  • EU’s 19th package of sanctions, including a gradual ban on Russian liquefied natural gas imports, is set to pass after Slovakia secured concessions for its car and energy sectors.
  • A 20th sanctions package is already in discussion.

• Notable Quotes:

  • “So it seems like a very creative way to get a lot of money to Kyiv without it coming out of European taxpayers' pockets.” — Steve Inskeep, [03:37]
  • “The Belgians fear that… it would all be on the Belgians. So they want each of the other EU countries to sign a pledge sharing in backing this loan.” — Terry Schultz, [04:15]

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2. Presidential Authority and National Guard Deployments

[05:41 – 09:13]

• Legal Questions in the Courts:

  • Key issue: Whose facts about the necessity for military deployments in U.S. cities the courts should trust — the president's or local officials'.
  • The rulings are expected to help set standards for when and how the military can be used domestically, though broader decisions could be years away.

• Portland Case:

  • The Ninth Circuit overruled a temporary restraining order, siding with the administration and theoretically allowing troop deployment, though another order still blocks it.
  • Ongoing hearings could overturn that block, while the Ninth Circuit may rehear the case with more judges.

• Legal Expert Perspective:

  • “It authorized blindness to facts. It said, you can decide that there's a war when there's nothing but bluebirds.” — Justin Levitt, Loyola Law School, [07:47 - 07:54]

• Chicago Case:

  • Administration appealed to the Supreme Court after losing in lower courts; this is the first such deployment case to reach the Supreme Court.
  • Supreme Court emergency rulings may be swift but brief and would apply only to Chicago, setting no binding precedent.

• Recent Supreme Court Trends:

  • The Court has often sided with presidential authority in recent emergency decisions but typically offers minimal rationale.
  • “They have generally deferred to the president and generally not said why.” — Amy Martinez, [08:59]

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3. Pentagon Press Corps Shake-up

[09:22 – 13:08]

• New Policy:

  • The Pentagon, led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, required news outlets to sign a restrictive agreement, stating they cannot even ask for information not explicitly authorized for release by the Pentagon.

• Mass Walkout:

  • Major outlets—across the political spectrum (NPR, The New York Times, WSJ, Fox News, Washington Post)—refused and relinquished their credentials.
  • Only right-wing, pro-Trump outlets (like Gateway Pundit, One America News, Lindell TV, Tim Pool) signed on.

• Impacts on Journalism:

  • The new rules bar reporting anything not officially cleared, which NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik described as “prior restraint.”
  • “You heard Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Sean Parnell, his top press aide, say that Pentagon reporters are wandering all over the Pentagon and now they'll be required to wear badges. They were always required to wear badges…” — David Folkenflik, [11:20]

• Consequences for Public Information:

  • The press corps now primarily rebroadcasts administration-vetted narratives without independent reporting.
  • “The so-called independent journalists touted by the Pentagon right now don't feel that independent at all.” — David Folkenflik, [12:29]

• Memorable Insight:

  • “It's about who gets information and who controls it.” — Amy Martinez, [12:55]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the EU’s Plan:
  “Many EU leaders think this is a great idea. Others, particularly Belgium…don't necessarily want it to go ahead.” — Terry Schultz, [02:42]

• On Presidential Authority:
  “The court's rule will at least start to set the bar… and help define what constitutes a situation where the military can be deployed.” — Kat Lansdorf, [06:03]

• On Pentagon Press Corps Shift:
  “News outlets publish national security secrets all the time after weighing it with due care. But nonetheless, here's the Pentagon essentially saying we have to have a rubber stamp of yes or no, what you can publish.” — David Folkenflik, [12:10]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:04] EU's plans to transfer Russian assets to Ukraine
• [03:54] Zelenskyy presses for decision on frozen assets
• [04:49] New US and EU Russian sanctions
• [05:41] Legal challenges to National Guard deployments
• [07:47] Legal expert: “It authorized blindness to facts”
• [08:06] Emergency appeal on Chicago deployment to Supreme Court
• [09:22] Shakeup in the Pentagon press corps
• [11:20] Analysis of new restrictive Pentagon media policy
• [12:29] Impact on public access to military information

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Conclusion

This episode unpacks EU strategies to support Ukraine without direct taxpayer cost and escalating global sanctions on Russia; clarifies the unsettled national legal landscape on the president’s ability to deploy military forces domestically; and dissects the sweeping shift in Pentagon coverage, raising concern about the future of military transparency and independent journalism.

The hosts maintain a clear-eyed, inquisitive tone throughout—balancing breaking news, context, and expert analysis, while foregrounding the stakes for democratic accountability both at home and abroad.

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Transcript

[Steve Inskeep]

European leaders came up with a plan to hand Russian assets to Ukraine.

[Amy Martinez]

They made Ukraine's president to decide on that proposal after U.S. peace efforts went nowhere. President Trump's administration is adding some sanctions of its own.

[Steve Inskeep]

Amy Martinez, that's Steve Inskeep. And this is up first from NPR News. The president's bid to send National Guard troops to Portland and Chicago amounts to a test. Opponents went to court to challenge the president's authority. This week, a federal judge hears one case while the administration appealed another to the Supreme Court.

[Amy Martinez]

Also, the Pentagon welcomed a friendlier press corps. News outlets ranging from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal to Fox News to NPR walked out rather than sign a new policy. Right wing outlets and influencers signed up. Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day.

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[Steve Inskeep]

Are holding a summit in Brussels. They're deciding how much more pressure to put on Russia.

[Amy Martinez]

President Trump, you may recall, has been showing frustration in his own efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine. He told reporters yesterday he has had good conversations with Russia's Vladimir Putin that don't go anywhere. And the U.S. announced sanctions on two Russian oil companies. The Europeans are discussing a much larger move that would send Russian money to the Ukrainian government of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

[Steve Inskeep]

Reporter Terry Schultz will be she joins us now to tell us some more. All right, so tell us about this plan that to me sounds like Russia would have a big problem with.

[Terry Schultz]

That's right. And it's controversial also among EU leaders. So we're talking about a sum of about 140 billion euros. That's a little over $160 billion. That belongs to the Russian Central Bank. But it's been held in Europe, mostly in Belgium, and has been immobilized due to Russia's full scale war on Ukraine. Now boiled down, the European Commission, the EU's executive branch, would like to give Ukraine a loan guaranteed by this Russian money. The reasoning is that Moscow will owe at least that much to Ukraine in an eventual peace settlement. Now the Commission says if Russia pays Ukraine this amount after the war, Ukraine can then pay the loan back and Russia can have its frozen assets back. And many EU leaders think this is a great idea. Others, particularly Belgium, which is worried about repercussions from Russia, don't necessarily want it to go ahead. But what's likely from this meeting is that the European Commission is given the green light to draw up at least the plan for creating this loan to Ukraine.

[Steve Inskeep]

So it seems like a very creative way to get a lot of money to Kyiv without it coming out of European taxpayers pockets.

[Terry Schultz]

Yeah, that's what its advocates say. And Ukrainian President Zelensky will be making that case fervently to the 27 EU heads of state and government. Here's how he put it yesterday in Sweden.

[Kat Lansdorf]

We need the decision on frozen assets.

[Steve Inskeep]

Difficult decisions.

[Kat Lansdorf]

We understand that it's not simple decision.

[Steve Inskeep]

Russia will do everything not to give.

[Kat Lansdorf]

Us possibility to have such decision is.

[Steve Inskeep]

To use money because they understand that they need to decrease financing of Ukraine during the war.

[Terry Schultz]

Now Zelensky suggests it's Russian pressure creating division over this idea. But in the case of Belgium, which again hosts the institution holding most of these assets, the Belgians fear that at some point Russia would have the right to demand this money back and it would all be on the Belgians. So they want each of the other EU countries to sign a pledge sharing in backing this loan. And interestingly, these other EU member states are hesitant to do that so far.

[Steve Inskeep]

Now there are ways, there are other ways to put pressure on Moscow. The US just imposed sanctions on Russia's two biggest oil companies. And I understand an EU sanctions package is also on the table at the summit.

[Terry Schultz]

That's right. And EU leaders and President Zelensky will very much welcome those U.S. sanctions. And the EU's 19th package of sanctions will also go through today. It was approved just last night. So we know this is going to happen. It includes a gradual ban on imports of liquefied natural gas or lng, which has been in the works for months. But Slovakia refused to let this package pass until it got some assurances the EU will help it out into other areas on high energy prices and on the impact of EU climate targets on Slovakian car makers. It's not clear exactly what was promised to Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fitzo, but apparently it was enough. And the next package, the 20th, is already in the works.

[Steve Inskeep]

All right, Terry Schultz in Brussels. Terry, thank you very much.

[Terry Schultz]

Thank you.

[Amy Martinez]

We are finding out how much leeway the courts will allow President Trump as he tries to deploy the National Guard into American cities.

[Steve Inskeep]

Two cases this week involve Chicago and Portland. The administration has also sent extra federal agents to San Francisco amid talk that troops would go there next.

[Amy Martinez]

NPR's Kat Lansdorf is following all this. Kat, good morning.

[Kat Lansdorf]

Hey, good morning.

[Amy Martinez]

What's the central issue here?

[Kat Lansdorf]

Well, at the heart of both of these cases is whose facts to believe about the situation on the ground in these cities, the presidents or local officials and law enforcement experts tell me how the court's rule will at least start to set the bar for that and help define what constitutes a situation where the military can be deployed at the president's will domestically, even against local officials wishes. There will still be a lot left to be decided, likely well into next year. So all of this is just the beginning of what will surely be a long and winding road through the US Court system.

[Amy Martinez]

Yeah, I guess we should just remember the Constitution would seem to forbid the deployment of troops in this ways along with various laws. But the question is when can the president decide to do this and who gets to decide if the conditions are sufficient? That's a crucial thing as well. Well, what are the details, the specific cases?

[Kat Lansdorf]

Yeah, let's start with Portland. So on Monday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a temporary restraining order put in place by a judge in Portland, basically siding with the Trump administration, saying troops could be deployed in Portland. But there's still another temporary restraining order by that same federal judge in place. And so there are no troops in the streets yet.

[Amy Martinez]

Got it.

[Kat Lansdorf]

The federal government has asked that judge to remove that second temporary order. A court hearing has been scheduled for that tomorrow. And at the same time, the Ninth Circuit is also deciding whether or not to revisit the case, with a larger group of judges basically challenging that ruling. The ruling was a big win for the Trump administration. Trump told reporters that he felt empowered by it to send National Guard troops wherever he deems necessary. Meanwhile, a lot of legal experts I talked to were worried by it, saying basically it allows for Trump to claim whatever he wants about the situation on the ground in these places, and courts should believe him. Here's Justin Levitt. He's an expert in constitutional law at Loyola Law School.

[Steve Inskeep]

It authorized blindness to facts.

[David Folkenflik]

It said, you can decide that there's.

[NPR Sponsor Announcer]

A war when there's nothing but bluebirds.

[Kat Lansdorf]

He said he's confident a larger review by the 9th Circuit would disagree with that.

[Amy Martinez]

Okay, so that is the set of cases around Portland. What's going on with Chicago?

[Kat Lansdorf]

Right. Last Friday, the Trump administration filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court on whether or not National Guard troops can be deployed in Chicago after losing an appeal to a lower court. Steve, as you know, there have been a flurry of court cases around these National Guard deployments, and this is the first one to make it to the Supreme Court. So that's one reason why people are really watching it. We don't know when or if the Supreme Court will issue an emergency decision, although it will likely be quick if one is issued. It won't set precedent. It will only apply to Chicago, but it will provide some clarity on how the Supreme Court is thinking about all of this. Only to a point, though. These emergency decisions are usually short, just a few sentences and don't provide a lot of reasoning from the judges. And while lower courts don't have to follow the decision, they will look to it, and it may not provide a whole lot of direction beyond a simple yes or no.

[Amy Martinez]

That's been the case in a bunch of Supreme Court rulings, emerging docket rulings this year. They have generally deferred to the president and generally not said why. So I guess we wait to find out what happens in this case.

[Kat Lansdorf]

Exactly.

[Amy Martinez]

NPR's Kat Lonsdorf, thanks so much.

[Kat Lansdorf]

Thank you.

[Amy Martinez]

The Pentagon press corps has gotten a right wing makeover.

[Steve Inskeep]

The defense secretary rolled out a new policy for covering the military a few weeks ago and told news organizations they had to sign off. By the middle of last week, nearly all the journalists, including npr, chose to turn in their media credentials instead. And now there are new reporters in their places.

[Amy Martinez]

Here to tell us more about that is NPR media correspondent David Folkenflick. David, good morning.

[David Folkenflik]

Good morning, Steve.

[Amy Martinez]

Okay, so the Pentagon had this announcement. We are announcing a new press corps. The military announced this, this group of people. So who are they?

[David Folkenflik]

Well, for some of the president's, you know, strongest fans, these might be familiar names and people to whom they tune for information. For others, they may know them only through headlines and lawsu. If you take a couple of them, think of Gateway Pundit or Lindell tv, founded by the Pillow guy Mike Lindell. Both Lindell and Gateway pundit were successfully sued for defamation over claims they made supporting President Trump's lies about the 2020 race. Tim Pool is a podcaster. His outlet, it's among those credentialed he was found to have he said unknowingly but nonetheless accepted money on behalf of Russian state media. These aren't paragons of independent, hard hitting journalism from at least a conventional standpoint. Others include the list just the News One America News Network, resolute supporters of the president and what they put out.

[Amy Martinez]

I pay attention to the Federalists. They put out some statements essentially saying this press policy is fine. It doesn't limit us at all. We love this press policy we're in. But a lot of news outlets, including NPR News, that have had Pentagon credentials for decades chose to give them up last week rather than sign on to this new policy. And I want to pause to note that is across the political spectrum, whatever you think of the politics of the Wall Street Journal or Fox News or the New York Times or the Washington Post, all the way across, they walked out. These are people who've covered the Pentagon for decades. What did they find so troublesome about the new policy?

[David Folkenflik]

Well, you heard Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Sean Parnell, his top press aide, say that Pentagon reporters are wandering all over the Pentagon and now they'll be required to wear badges. They were always required to wear badges and they were always quite limited in where they could go, although slightly more restricted in in reality, news outlets and reporters were asked to sign something that said essentially they were not entitled to broadcast, print or even ask for information that the Pentagon hasn't authorized for release. And I want to stress that's information that's not simply classified or national security information. It's anything the Pentagon hasn't authorized for release. Now, news outlets publish national security secrets all the time after weighing it with due care. But nonetheless, here's the Pentagon essentially saying we have to have a rubber stamp of yes or no, what you can publish. That's prior restraint that conventional news outlets aren't willing to go for.

[Amy Martinez]

I guess I should note I've covered the Pentagon in the past. You could walk the halls, but you couldn't go everywhere. And sometimes, of course, the military is hiding information from you because they're the military. But other times they could be very open and it was very useful for citizens who are paying for the military. So what does this mean for Americans, access to news and information?

[David Folkenflik]

Well, I think the way to think about it is that what we're going to hear from folks at the Pentagon is what Hegseth and his crew want you to know and little more. The press corps will trade the privilege of being in the Pentagon for that access to be able to beam out what the president's people want. You know, others, including Pete Hegseth's former network, Fox News, say that's not reporting, that's just transcription. They're not willing to accept that the so called independent journalists touted by the Pentagon right now don't feel that independent at all.

[Amy Martinez]

It's interesting. Pete Hegseth berated the Fox News Pentagon correspondent at a press briefing earlier this year. This is not about some kind of conservative ideology. It's about who gets information and who controls it. That's right, David, thanks so much.

[David Folkenflik]

You bet.

[Amy Martinez]

That's NPR's David Falkenflik. And that's Up first for this Thursday, October 23rd. I'm Steve Inskeep and Amy Martinez.

[Steve Inskeep]

Did you know UpFirst is powered by listeners just like you. When you give to your local NPR station, you're supporting the reporters who bring you the news from your community and also from around the world. Now, to support this work, head over to donate.npr.org upfirst and if you want more, more reporting, and I know that you do, listen to our radio show Morning Edition on your local NPR station.

[Amy Martinez]

[e-mail] Today's Up first was edited by Miguel Macias, Alina Hartunian, Emily Kopp, Mohamed Albardisi, Sorry, Mo is laughing in the back, Mohamed El Bardisi and Martha Ann Overland. It was produced by Ziad Buch, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott and our technical director is Carly Strange. Join us tomorrow.

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