Up First from NPR - Antony Blinken in Israel, George Santos Expulsion Vote, US-India Tensions

Episode Date: November 30, 2023

Israel and Hamas agree to extend a temporary truce by another day. The House weighs whether to expel first-term Republican Congressman George Santos. And the Department of Justice indicts an Indian intelligence officer for allegedly ordering the assassination of a Sikh separatist in New York. Up First is produced by Ana Perez, Ben Abrams, and Julie Depenbrock. Our editors are Michael Sullivan and Kelsey Snell. We get engineering support from Phil Edfors and Arthur Laurent. And our technical director is Stacey Abbott.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Israel and Hamas have extended their pause in fighting. So what does that mean for releasing Israeli hostages and detained Palestinians? Secretary of State Antony Blinken wants Israel to look ahead. I'm Steve Inskeep with Leila Fadl, and this is Up First from NPR News. George Santos is defiant. The first-term Republican congressman contends that federal charges against him are bogus. All of a sudden, George Santos is the Barry Magdalene of United States Congress. We're all going to stone this because it's just politically expedient.

It's what he said. Will members of the House expel him? An Indian national has been indicted by the DOJ for allegedly taking part in a murder for hire scheme on U.S. soil. How has the Indian government responded? Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day. Now, Our Change will honor 100 years of the Royal Canadian Air Force and their dedicated service to communities at home and abroad. From the skies to Our Change, this $2 commemorative circulation coin marks their storied past and promising future. Find the limited edition Royal Canadian Air Force $2 coin today.

Israel and Hamas have agreed on another day's pause in fighting. Yeah, day by day, as part of the agreement, Hamas is freeing more of the Israelis taken hostage October 7th. Israeli authorities are also releasing Palestinians from Israeli jails. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is there to try to build momentum. We have seen over the last week the very positive development of hostages coming home, being reunited with their families, and that should continue today. It's also enabled an increase in humanitarian assistance

to go to innocent civilians in Gaza who need it desperately. NPR's Michelle Kellerman is traveling with the Secretary in Tel Aviv. HeyPR's Michelle Kellerman is traveling with the Secretary in Tel Aviv. Hey there, Michelle. Hi, Steve. Wow, listening to that, I think I can hear some weariness in the Secretary of State's voice. He's been back and forth to Israel a lot, but where does his diplomacy go from here? Well, he says he's been relentlessly focused on this issue of the hostages for a start. The Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who was the first to meet Blinken today, says there are still about 150 hostages held by Hamas, and that includes some Americans. The Biden administration's point person on hostage diplomacy is here in Israel as well,

and the administration is really just trying to keep this deal going as long as possible to get as many hostages out. So day by day, they try to extend it another day. But what happens when this pause is over, whenever it's over, and Israel resumes the attack as it has said it wants to do? Yeah, I mean, Blinken is privately pushing Israel to do much more to protect Palestinians in Gaza once the pause in fighting ends. The real concern is how they operate in the south, which is where Israel told Palestinians to go. You know, thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed so far in Israel's response to the October 7th attack by Hamas. And, you know, while there has been some relief during this pause,

everyone does expect the fighting to resume. What are some of the pressures working against a longer pause? Well, I mean, just today you had two gunmen opening fire at an Israeli bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The Israelis say that three civilians were killed. President Herzog called this just another example of what he described as the endless war that Israel is fighting against terrorist organizations like Hamas. Those were his words again. continues or not. Michelle, I want to ask about one other thing. Former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger has died at the age of 100. I'll note that he was central to delivering USAID to Israel during a war 50 years ago in 1973, one of many controversies and wars and conflicts around the world he was involved in in some way. What are people saying about him now? Well, Secretary Blinken said that he often sought out Kissinger's advice over the years, including just a month ago. He said that Kissinger set the standard for everyone who followed him in the job. Few people were better students of history. Even fewer people did more to shape history than Henry Kissinger. So this was a man, for all his

controversies, continued to really be a player in diplomacy right up to the end and into his 100th year. And Pierce, Michelle Kellerman traveling with the Secretary of State, the current Secretary of State, Tony Blinken. Thanks so much. Thank you. New York Congressman George Santos, time in Congress could be coming to an end. The House is expected to vote as soon as today to expel the first-term Republican congressman. He remains defiant, though, refusing to resign. And here's how he portrayed himself in a conversation that streamed on X over the Thanksgiving holiday. All of a sudden, George Santos is the Mary Magdalene of United States

Congress. We're all going to stone this because it's just politically expedient. He's comparing himself to a biblical character there, a follower of Jesus. NPR congressional correspondent Eric McDaniel has been following this story. Reporter is your title, Eric, but I just promoted you. Correspondent's the next one. I appreciate it. Okay. Congratulations on that promotion. Hopefully it lasts. Hopefully it lasts. So what is it that has Santos in such trouble, such additional trouble with his colleagues? I mean, look, he's facing more than 20 federal criminal charges.

And if you're looking for something to read with your coffee this morning, might I recommend a breezy 50-page House Ethics Committee report that ticks through all of this. The charges include, drumroll please, wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, conspiracy against the United States, aggravated identity theft, and credit card fraud. Basically, the easiest way I can explain something from all of this is according to the report. Santos said that he loaned his campaign money but apparently didn't actually. But the report said he did pay himself back for those fake loans, essentially stealing money from his donors. He evidently did a lot of colorful personal spending and, of course, lying about his background, which he has admitted to. But I think it's fair to say what's gotten him in hot water is mostly the crimes. And a lot of bad press, which a lot of Republicans have not been happy about. But how common is it for the House to expel one of its own members?

So far in American history, not very. It's happened five times so far. Three of those folks were folks who supported the Confederacy. There have also been two members expelled more recently. They were both convicted of crimes. So if Santos is expelled, he'll be the first who has only been indicted. But as I mentioned before, a lot of what federal prosecutors are alleging has also been backed up by a House Ethics Committee report put together by lawmakers. I'm sure there are colleagues of this congressman who would wish he would just resign. Yes, quite a few. Santos says it would set a bad precedent. He says it would be tantamount to admitting guilt for crimes that he says are basically

bogus. The man is pretty strident. He's giving a press conference later today. He claims it's also his second wedding anniversary. A lot of emotions tied up in the day. Speaker Mike Johnson, a constitutional lawyer himself, says he personally doesn't like the precedent. He's been in touch with Santos often and said that they weren't going to strong arm Republicans to vote either way, calling it a vote of conscience. But as you mentioned, lots of his fellow lawmakers do want him to lead, including a number of vulnerable first term Republicans, fellow New Yorkers like Anthony Desposito and Mike Lawler.

Are there colleagues who do not want to see George Santos expelled? There are a few, a number who've said so, including Clay Higgins. He's a Louisiana guy, a Republican. He said in a letter to his colleagues over the weekend that the report from the Republican-led Ethics Committee, I should say, is biased, that it engages in character assassination of Santos. So that's one line of reasoning. But it's also worth noting there are some political concerns for Republicans here. They've got a razor thin majority in the House. This district that Santos represents is one that Biden won by 10 points in 2020. A special election could very well send a Democrat back to fill that seat. Santos, for all of his baggage, is a consistent conservative vote.

And I imagine some Republicans will weigh the pragmatic political needs pretty heavily here. But given how many Republicans have already announced they'll vote for expulsion and Democrats are also overwhelmingly likely to boot him, it seems that he may be here at the end of his time in Congress pretty soon. Okay. NPR's Eric McDaniel. Thanks so much. Thank you. The United States has been working to improve relations with India and now faces a challenge. The Justice Department announced charges against an Indian national for allegedly taking part in a murder-for-hire scheme on U.S. soil. The indictment alleges this was orchestrated by an Indian government employee. NPR's Dia Hadid is on the line from Mumbai. Hey there, Dia. Hi, Steve. What is India's government saying about these allegations effectively against

the government or certainly against its own people by the U.S. Department of Justice? First, it's worth noting that the American citizen targeted in this alleged plot has been identified as Gripatwant Singh Panon. He's a prominent advocate for a separate Sikh nation carved out of India. A government spokesman has just spoken to Indian media and he says the alleged plot was a matter of concern and, quote, contrary to government policy. That spokesman had also released a statement hours before the indictment was unsealed,

saying the government had constituted a high-level committee and would take necessary follow-up action. What exactly does that mean, necessary follow-up action? The Indian government hasn't provided more details, but if this incident sounds somewhat familiar, it comes two months after the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a similar accusation against India in Parliament. Have a listen. Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link

between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen. Hardeep Singh Nidra was killed in June. The Indian government denied it was involved and described the allegations as absurd. These are allegations, but they have soured relations between the two countries. I want to understand a little bit better who it is who is allegedly being targeted here. You said something about someone who wanted to carve out a separate nation from part of India. Is that what's

going on? They're members of a group that advocates for a separate Sikh nation carved out of Punjab, a state they dominate in northern India. This was an issue that violently engulfed India in the 80s, but these days it's largely a fringe movement in the diaspora. I'm interested in a difference there because you mentioned this Canadian case where Canada made these allegations. And my memory is that India retaliated and was very angry publicly about it. But this time with the United States Department of Justice making similar claims, India says, let's take this seriously and look into it. Observers tell me this comes down to the strength of the relationship between the U.S. and India. Have a listen to Michael Kugelman. He's the South Asia Institute Director at the Wilson Centre.

There's very strong support for the idea here in Washington that India is essentially one of America's best strategic bets for working with the US to counter China, which is one of the core US foreign policy goals. People I've spoken to say precisely because of that, the Indian government may have calculated that it could get away with this. There's another element here. Sushant Singh is a lecturer at Yale, and he says India's right-wing nationalist government hasn't recently faced serious repercussions from the US for other matters, like its treatment of its Muslim minority or its perceived democratic backsliding.

The Biden administration has not taken any action or admonished India in any way. So that has also emboldened India into believing that it can get away by doing anything. But that was before this indictment. Let's see what they do next. NPR's Diya Hadid in Mumbai. Diya, thanks so much. You're welcome. We're also following this news story. Henry Kissinger has died at the age of 100. He was influential for most of those years. He served as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State under two presidents, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

And that put him at the center of one dramatic event after another. He was involved in escalating and negotiating an end to the Vietnam War, credited with Nixon's opening to China. He delivered aid to Israel in the 1973 war, and he was portrayed as a stabilizing force as Nixon's presidency collapsed. He also was reviled for his real politic approach to foreign policy, but became a kind of celebrity. And in later years, presidents and secretaries of state from both parties came to Kissinger for advice. And that's Up First for Thursday, November 30th. I'm Leila Faldil. And I'm Steve Inskeep.

Up First is produced by Ana Perez, Ben Abrams, and Julie Deppenbrock. Our editors are Michael Sullivan and Kelsey Snell. And we get engineering support from Phil Edfors and Arthur Laurent. Our technical director is Stacey Abbott. Join us tomorrow. And you can listen to this podcast sponsor-free while financially supporting public media with Up First Plus. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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