Up First from NPR - After The Summit, The Week In Politics

Episode Date: August 16, 2025

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke for more than three hours after landing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, Friday for a summit on Ukraine. Now Trump returns to continuing controversy over his attempts to clamp down on Washington, D.C.,; Democratic pushback against his redistricting demands; and ongoing questions about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

I want to see a ceasefire rapidly. I don't know if it's going to be today, but I'm not going to be happy if it's not today. High stakes in the last frontier. President Trump and Putin meet about Ukraine. I'm Scott Simon. And I'm Ayesha Roscoe. It's up first from NPR News. We haven't quite gotten there, but we've paid some headway. Sorry, should have said, spoiler alert. But we have NPR correspondents in Kiev and Moscow pouring over. for what we know about the meeting in Anchorage and what may come next. And there's more.

Trump returns to the lower 48 with controversies still simmering, a security takeover of Washington, D.C., gerrymandering, and Jeffrey Epstein. So stay with us. We have the news you need to start your weekend. With a red question, you know, carpet rolled out and the world watching, President Trump welcomed Russian leader Vladimir Putin to a U.S. military base in Alaska. They talked for hours yesterday with no breakthroughs on the war in Ukraine, but this morning, word of additional diplomatic efforts. As one of the few news

organizations with correspondence in both Russia and Ukraine, we turn now to NPR's Charles Mains and Moscow. Charles, thanks for being with us. Good morning. And NPR's Greg Myrie and Kiev. Thank you. Hi, Scott. And let's begin there in Kiev, Greg. What's the view on the summit from there? Well, after this, you know, three-hour meeting, the leaders were expected to give a news conference in Alaska at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage. You know, Putin spoke first, and he mentioned the agreement we've reached, so it sounded like a possible breakthrough. And then Trump spoke, and it became clear there was no agreement.

So there's no deal until there's a deal. I will call up NATO in a little while. I will call up the various people that I think are appropriate. And I'll, of course, call up President Zelensky and tell them about today's meeting. It's ultimately up to them. So Trump spoke for just three and a half minutes. He offered nothing concrete and he didn't take any questions. Then both leaders got on their planes and headed home.

So the summit itself was quite underwhelming, Scott. Trump did make the calls he mentioned, right? and we have additional news this morning? That's right. Trump called Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky and extended the invitation as he flew back from Alaska to Washington. European leaders also joined the call. Zelensky wrote on social media that on Monday they'll discuss, quote, all the details regarding ending the killing and the war.

Now, Trump said in his own social media posts that it was best to go, quote, directly to a peace agreement, which would end the war rather than a mere ceasefire, which oftentimes do not hold up. But that's going to be a tall order. Trump has pushed for months without success to get a ceasefire. Ukraine favors this approach and has endorsed Trump's ceasefire call while Russia's Putin has not signed on. So the key takeaway here is that Trump seems to be siding with Putin's position rather than Zelensky's. And Charles Mainz in Moscow, how did the summit look from there? Yeah, sure, Scott. You know, for Russians, I think the moment that really mattered was this red carpet handshake, watching Putin and Trump meet all smiles

and then sharing this ride together in Trump's presidential car, also known as the Beast. You know, those scenes are on loop on state television because it tells Russians Western efforts to isolate them have failed. You know, Putin went from an ostracized leader who Trump was threatening with massive sanctions if he didn't end the war to being given a presidential welcome on U.S. soil in the course of just one week. Nationalist voices here in Moscow are praising Putin's performance in the sense that he got the summit with Trump, but seemingly gave nothing in return. You know, in essence, Putin got his photo up, Trump's revised threats of sanctions against Russia evaporated, and Moscow's free to continue the war.

President Trump did say he'd be disappointed if there was no ceasefire deal. It seems to raise the question, do we know how Vladimir Putin approaches talks with Donald Trump? You know, Putin, like many world leaders, has learned that when it comes to Trump flattery, doesn't hurt. We've heard Putin not only talking about shared history yesterday, in culture, in Alaska, but also calling Trump his dear neighbor. He also went out of his way to embrace Trump's gripes about the 2020 election he lost to Joe Biden, and in effect, blaming Biden for forcing Putin's decision to invade Ukraine. Let's listen. Today, when President Trump saying that if he was the present back then, there will be no war, and I'm quite sure that it would indeed. be so. I can't confirm that. But Putin also tends to try and blur Trump's focus on the Ukraine

issue by offering the possibility of all sorts of bilateral deals, whether it's mineral rights or investment in the Arctic, you know, even suggesting on the verge of the summit they engage in nuclear arms control talks, something it's worth noting that Biden failed to do because Putin wouldn't engage due to U.S. military support for Ukraine. Greg Myrie and Kiev, Ukraine had to stand by Watch as its future was discussed by two superpowers in another country. How is Ukraine responding today? So Ukraine's biggest fear was that Putin and Trump would reach some kind of deal behind closed doors and then Ukraine would feel pressure to accept it. So that didn't happen and Ukrainians will have some sense of relief that the summit hasn't weakened or undermined their

position. Also, Zelensky's visit to Washington on Monday will give him a chance to make Ukraine's case, so that's a positive development from Ukraine's perspective. But if Trump is siding with Putin and his desire for one big agreement to end the war, that suggests Ukraine may again be asked to make all sorts of compromises on territory and other issues that it has long been rejecting. And Charles Mainz in Moscow, any hint of compromise or concession in what you heard in the words of Vladimir Putin last night? You know, not really. You know, he said, what he often says, so that Russia wants peace but on its terms. Once again, we heard Putin talk about threats to Russia's security from Ukraine, as well as this idea that the root

causes of the conflict needed to be addressed for a lasting peace. You know, well, that's Kremlin code for Russian demands that Ukraine formally end its ambitions to join NATO, demilitarize and see territory, including some areas still under the control of the Ukrainian army. And yet, I have to say, I was curious to hear Putin say he hoped that Ukraine and Europe wouldn't undermine the progress that he and Trump had made. The implication there being that Putin is clearly offering something, maybe not peace, but perhaps something Trump could take as a gesture in that direction. We'll have to see, you know, but whatever it is, it seems enough to keep Trump engaged judging by this moment at the end of the evening. We'll speak to you very soon and probably

see you again very soon. Thank you very much, Vladimir. Next time in Moscow. Oh, that's an interesting one. I don't know. I'll get a little heat on that one, but I, uh, I could see it possibly happening. Thank you very much, Vladimir. And thank you all. So, Scott, we'll have to see just how hot it gets for the president. And Greg Myrie and Keev, can you tell us now where things stand on the battlefield this weekend? Yeah, there was some pretty serious fighting this past week on the eastern front, the main front line. Russian troops broke through Ukraine's frontline defenses near the town of Pachrosk. Now, this is the town Russia has been trying to take for more than a year and suffered heavy casualties. Now, Ukraine says it has stabilized this area,

but what it does do, Scott, is reflect Ukrainian vulnerability and its sort of lack of manpower shortages, which tend to keep cropping up. And Russia and Ukraine are both keeping up airstrikes. Russia fired nearly a hundred drones overnight. Ukraine keeps attacking deep inside Russia, often hitting oil refineries. Greg Myrie in Kiev and Charles Mains in Moscow, we want to thank you both for your fine work on behalf of all of us. Thanks so much. Sure thanks, Scott. Thank you, Scott. So President Trump really wanted a ceasefire agreement and isn't coming home with one. How is that going to play here in Washington and beyond?

For that and more on issues facing the president as he returns from Alaska, we turn to NPR's Ron Elving. Ron, thanks for being with us. It's good to be with you, Scott. How does President Trump spin this outcome at the summit? That's a real challenge. President Trump is used to spinning with positive visuals and catchphrases that telegraph a sense of success. He is also used to having something to sell, something that's in line with or even exceeds people's expectations. But in this case, he left Alaska with nothing to show, at least not for the time being. Last night and today, the visuals are highlighting an obviously pleased Putin, and by contrast, Trump looks quite disappointed. So scarcely the dramatic breakthrough, for which it

seemed the stage had been set, and scarcely the big achievement that might crown Trump's recent efforts to secure the Nobel Peace Prize. President Trump, earlier this week, signed the executive order for the temporary federal takeover of the district's police department, and by Friday, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwab filed a lawsuit against him. Why is the District of Columbia so in the federal government? The underlying issue here is whether Trump will respect the federal law that half a century ago gave the district the right to elect its own local leaders, like the rest of the country. Under that law and the Constitution, there are things the president can and cannot do in the federal city, depending in part on the will of Congress. But this week, Trump has assumed emergency powers

saying the city is overrun by criminal gangs, even though crime in D.C. is at a 30-year low. So at one point, it was announced the police chief was being replaced with a federal drug official. But last night, the latest was that the chief, Pamela Smith, could stay on the job, agreeing to cooperate with federal immigration officials and their deportation campaign, even though D.C. has previously declared itself a sanctuary city and resisted such deportation efforts. Governor Newsom in California moving forward with putting redistricting to a vote in a state. The latest poll from Politico and the Citrin Center Possibility Lab shows a quote by nearly a two-to-one margin, voters prefer keeping an independent line drawing panel to determine the state's house.

Now, political costs for both parties, are there, trying to influence redistricting? You have to be glad to see a poll like that. It is possible that all this will bring more public awareness. awareness and public objection to partisan gerrymandering. It's an abuse that's centuries old that deprives millions of Americans of the chance to elect officials from the party they prefer. But right now, the Republican remapping strategy is quite aggressive. Trump is pressuring legislators and not just in Texas, but in other states as well. We've heard talk of Florida, Ohio, Missouri, Indiana. And the Democrats are debating how far to go in reaction. Should it be an eye for an eye or should it be something worse?

any event, both parties should remember that gerrymandering can go too far. A party can spread its vote in a given state too thin and make some of its so-called safe seats vulnerable. A 2026 could be quite a test, and the stakes for Trump are as high as ever as he thinks about what a difference a Democratic House would make in his last two years in office. Fidel Judge this week rejected the Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the investigation in the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's confidant, Gelen Maxwell. Judge said the transcripts wouldn't provide any new information about Epstein and Maxwell's clients or anything else. So what's next?

The big question right now is what happens when Congress returns in September. Now, the House is facing a big vote on releasing all the Epstein files. not transcripts, all the Epstein files. Members are also talking about bringing some of Epstein's victims to Capitol Hill. Now, you remember the speaker, Mike Johnson, had the House start its August recess quite early this summer, rather than have that boat on those files being released. And that is a boat that Trump obviously does not want to have happened, does not want to risk having, so all stops will be pulled out to prevent it. As for the earlier transcripts, controversy, as distinct from the files. At this point, that just looks like a failed stab at distracting attention,

a way to change the subject at a time when Epstein was still everywhere in the media. The White House has been much more successful with other tactics in this regard. Just consider all the other topics we've discussed this morning, pushing for peace deals overseas, taking over the district, and maybe taking over other cities as well. And as always, lots of drama around tariffs and potential trade deals. NPR's Ron Elvin. Thanks so much for being with us today. Thank you, Scott.

And that's up first for August 16th, 2025. I'm Ayesha Roscoe. And I'm Scott Simon. Elena Torg produced today's podcast along with Andy Craig and Crystal Herrera. Our editors were Ed McNulty and D. Parvass. Here in Junior 31, we had director Fernando Naro, who became a U.S. citizen this week. Yay! We are honored.

Technical director is David Greenberg. We also had engineering support from Tom Markito, Zovannganhoven, and Nisha Hines. Shannon Rhodes was our senior supervising editor, Evie Stone, our executive producer, and Jim Kane, our deputy managing editor. Tomorrow on the Sunday story, relationship advice from Dave Franco and Allison Bree. Offscreen, they've been together for more than 13 years on screen as Tim and Millie. Well, they put the two in together. And then the one is some fun and gross and scary stuff. Gross and scary.

Yeah, that's what we do here. And it's also the kind of conversation that you'll hear first on Weekend Edition on your radio. You can go to Stations.NPR.org to find your local station. Well, those are our nicknames, you know, Scott. Gross and scary. I won't say, yeah. I won't say who's who. Yeah.