Ukrainian Drone Strikes, Senate Budget Bill, Colorado Attack

Summary

Up First from NPR – June 2, 2025

Hosts: Leila Fadel, Steve Inskeep, Michel Martin, A Martinez, Ayesha Rascoe, Scott Simon

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1. Ukrainian Drone Strikes Deep Inside Russia

Overview: In a significant escalation of the ongoing conflict, Ukraine launched a series of drone strikes targeting Russian military installations deep within Russian territory. This bold move has intensified tensions and cast a shadow over the impending peace talks scheduled in Istanbul, Turkey.

Key Points:

• Details of the Attack:

  • Timestamp [00:02]: Steve Inskeep reported that a Ukrainian drone attack targeted deep within Russia, resulting in the destruction of over 40 Russian planes and air bases.
  • Timestamp [02:12]: Ian Martinez elaborated that Ukraine executed remote drone strikes on military air bases situated in the Arctic and Siberia, approximately 2,700 miles from Ukraine.

• Methodology:

  • Timestamp [02:37]: Charles Mainz, NPR’s Moscow correspondent, explained that Ukraine smuggled remotely operated drones laden with explosives by concealing them atop flatbed trucks. These trucks were strategically parked near military bases, allowing the drones to take off and attack planes on the runways.

• Scale and Impact:

  • Timestamp [03:10]: President Volodymyr Zelensky took credit for the operation, stating, “In total, 117 drones were deployed, damaging a full third of Russia's strategic cruise missile carriers.”
  • Timestamp [03:34]: Russia’s Defense Ministry acknowledged the strikes but minimized their impact, claiming only several planes caught fire. Nonetheless, the perception of Ukraine’s ability to strike deep within Russia has had a strategic psychological impact.

• Reactions and Implications:

  • Timestamp [03:39]: The attack has been likened by a pro-Kremlin military blogger to a "Russian Pearl Harbor," highlighting its significance.
  • Timestamp [04:05]: The timing of the attack is seen as impactful, coinciding with the scheduled peace talks in Istanbul.

Notable Quotes:

• Charles Mainz [02:37]: “Ukraine smuggled remotely operated drones laden with explosives deep into Russia. And by deep, I mean deep up into the Arctic, also into Siberia, some 2,700 miles away.”

• President Zelensky [03:10]: “In total, 117 drones were deployed, damaging a full third of Russia's strategic cruise missile carriers.”

Conclusion: The Ukrainian drone strikes mark a pivotal moment in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, showcasing Ukraine’s increasing military capabilities and willingness to challenge Russian airspace. This development adds complexity to the upcoming peace negotiations, with both sides reassessing their strategies and positions.

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2. Senate Budget Bill Faces Critical Vote

Overview: The U.S. Senate has returned from recess with the pressing task of approving President Trump's multi-trillion-dollar budget plan. This legislation is pivotal for advancing the president's domestic agenda, but it faces significant challenges within the Republican party and from Democrats.

Key Points:

• Legislative Status:

  • Timestamp [05:38]: The Senate is tasked with passing a budget bill that extends existing tax cuts and introduces new ones, alongside substantial changes to defense, energy, and immigration policies.
  • Timestamp [05:54]: Despite cuts in some areas, the bill proposes increased borrowing, countering deficit reduction efforts.

• Challenges in the Senate:

  • Timestamp [06:23]: Claudia Grisales highlighted that while the House passed the bill by a single vote, the Senate faces a tougher landscape. Republicans need to secure nearly unanimous support, but internal disagreements threaten its passage.
  • Timestamp [07:04]: The bill's provision to lift the federal debt limit adds urgency, with a looming July 4 deadline to prevent a financial default.

• Contentious Provisions:

  • Timestamp [07:08]: The budget includes extending tax cuts for individuals and businesses, eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay, and making significant campaign promises from President Trump.
  • Timestamp [07:50]: Claudia Grisales anticipates that while approximately 60% of the bill may remain unchanged, significant contention will arise over Medicaid cuts. Senators like Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski oppose drastic reductions, presenting a major hurdle for Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

• Potential Amendments and Negotiations:

  • Timestamp [07:56]: Possible revisions could involve repealing tax breaks for clean energy, though this may not satisfy all factions within the Republican party.
  • Timestamp [08:42]: The use of a special budget rule to bypass a filibuster presents both an opportunity and a risk. Any amendments would require House approval, potentially leading to further delays and conflicts.

Notable Quotes:

• Claudia Grisales [07:08]: “It extends tax cuts for individuals and businesses as part of a package that was passed under Trump's first term.”

• Claudia Grisales [07:50]: “Deficit hawks want to see big reductions that could lead to millions losing coverage. That's a big red line for some senators like Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.”

Conclusion: The Senate faces a delicate balancing act in attempting to pass President Trump's budget bill. Internal party divisions, particularly over Medicaid cuts and environmental tax incentives, pose significant obstacles. The outcome of these negotiations will have profound implications for the U.S. economy and the president’s legislative legacy.

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3. Violent Attack at Pro-Israeli Hostage Awareness Event in Colorado

Overview: A heinous act of violence occurred at an event in Boulder, Colorado, aimed at raising awareness for Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The attack, which involved a makeshift flamethrower, resulted in multiple injuries and has been classified as a terrorist incident by authorities.

Key Points:

• Details of the Attack:

  • Timestamp [09:21]: Steve Inskeep reported that a man attacked attendees at a pro-hostage awareness event using a homemade flamethrower, injuring several individuals who were subsequently hospitalized.
  • Timestamp [10:11]: Megan Verlee, Colorado Public Radio’s editor, described the event organized by Run for Their Lives, where participants gathered to advocate for the hostages. The attacker, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabri Solomon of Colorado Springs, was armed with incendiary devices and yelled "Free Palestine" during the assault.

• Victims and Impact:

  • Timestamp [10:36]: Eight individuals aged between 52 and 88 were injured, including a Holocaust survivor. The attack has deeply affected the Jewish community in Boulder and beyond, instilling fear and sorrow.

• Perpetrator’s Profile:

  • Timestamp [11:05]: Currently, information about Solomon is limited, with authorities suggesting he acted alone. Further investigations are ongoing to understand his motives and background.

• Community and Official Reactions:

  • Timestamp [11:21]: Megan Verlee detailed the swift condemnation from Colorado’s Attorney General, labeling the incident a hate crime. The state governor, himself Jewish, noted the attack’s occurrence just before the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, exacerbating the community’s distress.
  • Timestamp [11:21]: Stephanie Clark from Stop Anti-Semitism Colorado emphasized, “The reason things like this are happening is because we have allowed this climate of hate to fester and today it boiled over.”

• International Response:

  • Timestamp [12:17]: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed solidarity, stating, “He, his wife and the people of Israel are praying for the recovery of the victims.”
  • Timestamp [12:17]: Israel’s UN Ambassador, Danny Dannon, condemned the attack in Boulder, reinforcing that such acts constitute terrorism and not political protest.

Notable Quotes:

• Stephanie Clark [11:21]: “The reason things like this are happening is because we have allowed this climate of hate to fester and today it boiled over.”

• Danny Dannon [12:17]: “The Jewish people marched with a moral and humane demand to return the hostages. In response, the Jewish protesters were brutally attacked. Make no mistake, this is not a political protest. This is terrorism.”

Conclusion: The Boulder attack underscores the increasing volatility and prevalence of domestic terrorism fueled by extremist ideologies. It highlights the urgent need for addressing the underlying climate of hate and ensuring the safety and security of targeted communities. The incident has also intensified international scrutiny and solidarity with affected groups.

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Final Remarks

This episode of Up First from NPR delivered comprehensive coverage of critical global and national issues, including the intensifying Russia-Ukraine conflict, pivotal U.S. legislative battles, and alarming domestic terrorism trends. Through expert insights and firsthand reporting, the program provides listeners with an in-depth understanding of the complexities shaping today's headlines.

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Support NPR's Reporting: Subscribe to Up First+ for an enhanced listening experience without sponsors. Visit plus.npr.org/upfirst to learn more.

Transcript

[Steve Inskeep]

A Ukrainian drone attack struck deep inside Russia and Ukraine says it destroyed more than 40 Russian planes and air bases across the country.

[Ian Martinez]

We're peace talks set to take place today. What message does the attack send?

[Steve Inskeep]

I'm Steve Inskeep with a Martinez. And this is up first from NPR News. The Senate returns from recess with a task of getting President Trump's budget across the finish line. The president's domestic agenda hangs in the balance, but how much will Republicans change a bill that some lawmakers really don't like?

[Ian Martinez]

And a man is in custody after an attack at an event to raise awareness for Israeli hostages being held by Hamas.

[Megan Verlee]

The reason things like this are happening is because we have allowed this climate of hate to fester.

[Ian Martinez]

Stay with us. We've got all the news you need to start your day.

[Jake Kalik]

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[Claudia Grisales]

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[Ian Martinez]

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[Claudia Grisales]

Learn more about Made in Cookware at M A D e I n cookware.com this message comes from BetterHelp. June is Men's Mental Health Month, and every year 6 million men in the US suffer from depression. If you're feeling overwhelmed, the strongest thing you can do is ask for help. And BetterHelp can make it easy. Take a short online quiz and connect from home with a qualified therapist. Visit betterhelp.com NPR today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp. H-E-L-P.com NPR Ukraine hit Russia with a.

[Ian Martinez]

Series of remote drone strikes on military air bases deep inside Russian territory on Sunday.

[Steve Inskeep]

This operation apparently took a long time to plan, and its timing now is meaningful. A new round of Russian Ukrainian peace talks is expected in Istanbul, Turkey, today.

[Ian Martinez]

Joining us to talk about this is NPR's Charles Mainz, who is on the line from Moscow. So, Charles, let's start with the drone attacks. What do we know about them sure.

[Charles Mainz]

You know, Ukraine smuggled remotely operated drones laden with explosives deep into Russia. And by deep, I mean deep up into the Arctic, also into Siberia, some 2,700 miles away. Now, they did this by hiding the drones in the tops of flatbed trucks, which then parked near military bases before lifting off to attack planes on the Runway. And we know this because Russians filmed it. The local authorities shared this witness video saying it was the first Ukrainian drone attack in Siberia.

[Ian Martinez]

And has Ukraine taken credit?

[Charles Mainz]

In fact, they have. President Volodymyr Zelensky said he personally oversaw the operation. Here he is speaking last night. So here Zelenskyy says that in total, 117 drones were deployed, damaging a full third of Russia's strategic cruise missile carriers. In fact, Ukraine claims it destroyed 41 Russian bombers, types of which have been used to attack Ukraine.

[Ian Martinez]

Wow. What's been the Russian reaction and does Moscow agree with those figures?

[Charles Mainz]

Well, we haven't heard from Russian President Vladimir Putin yet. Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed the drone strikes on several bases, but played down their impact, saying only several planes had caught fire. Now, we haven't been able to independently verif any of this, but arguably the perception that Ukraine can strike anywhere is as important as the physical damage. For example, one pro Kremlin military blogger compared Sunday's attack to a Russian Pearl Harbor.

[Ian Martinez]

Russian Pearl Harbor. That's some pretty strong language there. Okay, so the understanding is that these Ukraine drone attacks were far from the only violence over the weekend. So tell us what else happened.

[Charles Mainz]

Yeah, a lot happened. Ukraine said Russia launched more than 470 drones and missiles on targets across Ukraine, the deadliest of which hit a military training base, killing 12 soldiers. Meanwhile, at least seven people were killed and dozens more injured after a bridge collapsed on a Russian passenger train traveling in western Russia Saturday night. And a separate rail bridge collapsed in a neighboring Russian region hours later, derailing a freight train. Now, Russian authorities have launched a terrorism probe and some in Moscow are already blaming Ukraine. That said, we've heard nothing yet from Kyiv about this.

[Ian Martinez]

Now, all this unfolded as both Ukraine and Russia prepare for another round of peace talks. I mean, what can we expect there?

[Charles Mainz]

Well, the idea here is the two sides will discuss proposals outlining their visions for a peace accord. Russia has gone into these talks presenting itself as the one dictating the terms because it's in the stronger position militarily. President Trump, who deserves some credit, I think, for forcing these two sides to the negotiating table, you know, has essentially agreed with that Russian position and argued Ukraine needs to make Major concessions. You know, think back to that moment in the White House earlier this year when Trump told Zelenskyy Ukraine had no cards to play. Well, that narrative was somewhat up by events on Sunday. Ukraine clearly does have some cards to play militarily. The question is what does Trump make of it and how does Moscow respond?

[Ian Martinez]

That's NPR's Charles MAINNES in Moscow. Thanks a lot.

[Charles Mainz]

Thank you.

[Ian Martinez]

The GOP Senate returns from recess today to move a multi trillion dollar budget plan that carries the bulk of President Trump's domestic policy agenda.

[Steve Inskeep]

Senators have been sent a House passed plan that Democrats criticize and that some Republicans doubt. It extends tax cuts and adds some new tax cuts. It makes big changes to defense, energy and immigration policy. It cuts some spending, although overall it calls for even more borrowing than would otherwise be the case.

[Ian Martinez]

NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales is here to tell us all about it. Just one vote, Claudia, just passed by one vote in the Republican led House. What do we expect in the Senate?

[Nadia]

That's right, Eyn. We just expect a lot more of the same. But just multiply the intensity as Republicans in the Senate have a very different, different balancing act than the House and Senate. Republicans can only lose three votes to get this across the finish line. We're hearing some already raising concerns about provisions in this bill. And the upper chamber also faces tougher procedural hurdles that could shape the final version of this plan. So we expect some pretty tough negotiations to get this done by their July 4 deadline, which by the way, is driven in part by the bill's provision to lift the federal debt limit. And that's got to happen this summer to avoid a catastrophic financial default.

[Ian Martinez]

Sounds like a lot riding on this bill, Nadia. So what else is in the package?

[Nadia]

Right. It extends tax cuts for individuals and businesses as part of a package that was passed under Trump's first term. And there's also a lot of his big campaign promises like eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay. But this all comes with a pretty big price tag, more than $4 trillion. So one area they're targeting for savings is cuts to Medicaid. Deficit hawks want to see big reduct that could lead to millions to lose coverage. That's a big red line for some senators like Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. So a balancing act for Senate Majority Leader John Thune to navigate all these competing demands from his party and President Trump.

[Ian Martinez]

Then given those competing demands, how might this bill evolve or maybe even change in the Senate?

[Nadia]

Well, I'm told that about 60% or more of this bill is going to stay intact. But when we talk about these bigger pieces of the plan, such as changes to Medicaid, that's the likely the largest fight that Senate Republicans will face. And given those concerns, we expect to see resistance to deep cuts to Medicaid from more moderate Senate Republicans. At the same time, if Republicans try to cut back on these reductions, that could upset lawmakers who want bigger spending cuts. So another tough fight could come over repealing tax breaks for clean energy passed by Democrats. As it happens, some Republicans want to look at revising this. And another thing to watch out for is under Senate rules, any provision of this bill that doesn't have a budget impact could have to go.

[Ian Martinez]

All right. Tell us about the tea leaves. How can Republicans get this done or if they can get this done right?

[Nadia]

It's going to be tough to pass this bill. Republicans are using a special budget rule to avoid a filibuster by Democrats. But that also means that any changes in the bill need to go back to the House for approval. And getting it through the first time, we saw how brutal that was. So any changes there could mean Republicans could risk another big fight and blowing their deadline.

[Ian Martinez]

That's NPR congressional correspondent Claude Grisales.

[Steve Inskeep]

Thanks a lot.

[Nadia]

Thank you.

[Ian Martinez]

A man is in custody following an attack on people at an event calling attention to Israeli hostages being held by Hamas.

[Steve Inskeep]

Authorities say the man yelled Free Palestine before using a makeshift flamethrower, sending several people to the hospital. He is, of course, expected to face charges. Mark McCulloch is the FBI special agent in charge of the Denver Field held Office.

[Ian Martinez]

As a result of these preliminary facts, it is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism. Sadly, attacks like this are becoming too common across the country. This is an example of how perpetrators of violence continue to threaten communities across our nation. Colorado Public Radio has been covering the attack. With us now is editor Megan Verley. So, Megan, what was happening that led up to this attack?

[Megan Verlee]

So the group that was attacked is the local chapter of what's known as Run for Their Lives. These are groups that walk weekly to keep the attention on the hostages. And in Boulder, they walk up a pedestrian mall and stop at the courthouse to sing and to recite names. And this week when they did that, they were met by a shirtless man holding homemade incendiary devices who yelled at the walkers and apparently set some of them on fire.

[Ian Martinez]

What do we know about the victims?

[Megan Verlee]

Well, eight people were injured by the latest count, too seriously enough to be airlifted to a hospital near Denver. And they were aged 52 to 88. Organizers have told other news outlets that one of them was a Holocaust survivor. And as you can imagine, this has really shaken and horrified the Jewish community in Boulder and the wider community as well.

[Ian Martinez]

Sure. Now the FBI released the name of the person who was arrested last night. What can you tell us about him?

[Megan Verlee]

At this point? Not much more than his name. He's 45 year old Mohamed Sabri Solomon of Colorado Springs. Authorities think that he acted on his own, but we haven't been able to learn all that much more about him so far.

[Ian Martinez]

All right. So what have the reactions been to this attack so far?

[Megan Verlee]

Well, there was swift condemnation, of course. Colorado's attorney general called it a hate crime. Our governor, who's Jewish, noted that it occurred hours before the start of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. And for some of the people we talked to in the Jewish community, what we really heard was this feeling, feeling that they wanted to say they were surprised by what happened. But after the killing of Israeli Embassy workers in D.C. last month and the attack on the governor's mansion in Pennsylvania, they just weren't surprised in that same way. That's certainly what we heard from Stephanie Clark. She's one of the leaders of Stop Anti Semitism Colorado. The reason things like this are happening is because we have allowed this climate of hate to fester and today it boiled over. I'll say the reaction goes way beyond Colorado. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement this morning saying he, his wife and the people of Israel are praying for the recovery of the victims. And Israel's ambassador to the UN Danny Dannon, said in Boulder, Colorado, Jewish people marched with a moral and humane demand to return the hostages. In response, the Jewish protesters were brutally attacked. Make no mistake, this is not a political Protestant. This is terrorism. All right.

[Ian Martinez]

That's Colorado Public Radio's Megan Verlee. Megan, thanks.

[Megan Verlee]

Thank you.

[Ian Martinez]

And that's up first for Monday, June 2nd. I'm Ian Martinez.

[Steve Inskeep]

And I'm Steve Inskeep. For your next listen, consider Consider this from NPR News. Up first gives you three big stories of the day while Consider this drills down on a single news story and what it means to you in less than 15 minutes. Listen now on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcast.

[Ian Martinez]

Today's episode of up first was edited by Jason Breslow, Ryland Barton, Kevin Drew, Lisa Thompson and Adriana Gallardo. It was produced by Ziad Buch, Neo Dumas and Christopher Thomas we get engineering support from Arthur Laurent and our technical directors, Carly Strange. Join us again tomorrow.

[Claudia Grisales]

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