Up First from NPR - First Presidential Debate, Biden Pardons LBGTQ+ Veterans, Failed Coup In Bolivia

Episode Date: June 27, 2024

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will face off tonight at the first presidential debate in Atlanta. The candidates are expected to discuss a range of issues that have already surfaced on the campaign trail including inflation, the border, abortion and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. President Biden is also pardoning nearly 2,000 LGBTQ+ veterans. And a dramatic failed coup in Bolivia ended with a top military commander in prison. Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Megan Pratz, Lisa Thomson, Tara Neill and HJ Mai. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Chris Thompson and Nina Kravinsky. We get engineering support from Robert Rodriguez. And our technical director is Zac Coleman. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

I feel like I'm yelling. I'm going to try not to yell. I don't think you're yelling. Oh, I mean, for me. But then again, to me, that's like normal speech. Like, I'm from New York. So, you know, that's like, I love you. You will hear the news! Okay. Tonight will be the first time a president and a former president debate each other. And it's the first presidential debate of the election season.

What will the two candidates try to do on that debate stage? I'm Michelle Martin, that's Layla Fadl, and this is Up First from NPR News. Aside from preparing for tonight's debate, President Biden is also pardoning nearly 2,000 veterans. They're U.S. vets who were criminally charged or removed from service because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Why is this happening more than a decade after Don't Ask, Don't Tell was repealed? Plus, there was a dramatic failed coup in Bolivia yesterday that ended with a top military commander in prison.

We'll get into the details and what it means for the South American nation. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day. Now Our Change will honour 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. We all hear things differently,

and that can be tough when there's so much noise. This election year, we're a space to speak up and to listen. Listen to 1A for the latest on election 2024, only from NPR. When President Biden and former President Donald Trump take the stage tonight, it will mark the first time a sitting president and a former president have ever debated. CNN is hosting the first presidential debate of this election season at its Atlanta studios. The candidates are expected to discuss a range of issues that have already surfaced on the campaign trail, including inflation, the border, abortion, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordonez is here to talk about the politics, policies, and personalities. Good morning. Good morning, Leila. So, Franco, let's start with the big picture, the debate. What do each of the campaigns hope to get out of it, which is happening pretty early this election season? Very early. And, you know, each of them is really trying to kind of shake up the trajectory of this election. I mean, that really not many Americans are enthusiastic about. I mean, Biden really wants to show that he can still command the stage and his team really wants to draw a clear contrast between him and Trump. I mean, they want Americans to see this race less as kind of a referendum on his own policies and more of a clear choice between his vision

and that of Trump's. So what about Trump's vision? What is he selling the American people tonight? Well, Trump, I mean, he also wants a contrast that, but for him, it's about his four years in office versus how people now feel under Biden. His team sees this as a chance to kind of show Trump as a vigorous leader while painting Biden as older and weaker. And again, he also understands the power of TV, and he's looking for a physical contrast as well as a mental one and one about policy. Yeah, even though they're a few years apart here, where do you expect Biden and Trump to attack each other?

Well, Trump's going to attack Biden on the economy, particularly inflation. Trump will also zero in on the border. Biden wants more of a conversation on protecting democracy as well as abortion and reproductive rights, which has really been a big issue for Democrats ever since Roe v. Wade was overturned two years ago. Now, there's a bit of a new format, no audience. Muted mics play into the debate. Trump feeds off an audience. I imagine a muted mic might hurt him as well.

Yeah, I mean, most political strategists agree that the format will largely hurt Trump because of those reasons about how he feeds off large crowds. But some Republicans actually tell me that the mute button could actually help Trump temper some of his worst instincts. They really feel Trump kind of lost his first debate four years ago because he kind of bulldozed over Biden, and he won't be able to do that this time. John McHenry, a pollster with North Star Opinion Research, told me that many Americans really like Trump's policies, but just not his abrasiveness. That's sort of the hangup, and if he can overcome that in this first debate, that makes this a very long climb back for Joe

Biden heading into the fall. Will he overcome that? Will Trump hold back? I mean, it might be wishful thinking. I mean, he sure wasn't indicating that he'd play along when he was talking this weekend in Philadelphia. How should I handle him? Should I be tough and nasty? Or should I be? Should I be? She said, no. Should I be tough and nasty and just say you're the worst president in history? Or should I be nice and calm and let him speak? And I can tell you that Biden campaign is preparing for a more disciplined Trump this evening. How is the Trump team preparing? I mean, look, they are almost praising Biden right now, calling him a worthy debater, which is really a clear effort to kind of flip

the script after setting the bar so low for Biden. I mean, for months, Trump has been charging that Biden can barely walk or even stitch two sentences together. And now they're claiming the media is lowering the bar. So really a lot of mudslinging. NPR's Franco Ordonez. Thanks, Franco. Thank you. Join us tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Pacific for live special coverage of the CNN presidential debate simulcast on NPR News. President Biden is pardoning thousands of American veterans. Yes, the pardons affect LGBTQ plus veterans who had been criminally charged and removed from service because of their sexual orientation. In a statement, President Biden said he was, quote, writing an historic wrong by using my clemency authority to pardon many former service members who were convicted simply for being themselves, unquote.

With me now for more on this is Anne Marshall Chalmers, an investigative journalist at The War Horse, a nonprofit newsroom that covers the military. Thanks for being here. Good morning. Thank you. Good morning. So I want to start with the why now. It's been over a decade since part of a federal law known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell, which made it a crime to be openly LGBTQ in the military, that was repealed. So why is Biden taking this step now? Yeah, I think that's a question on a lot of people's minds because, as you said, this sort of the latest anti-LGBTQ policy that was within the military, do not tell, was repealed long ago.

Administration officials would only say that this is something he's been thinking about for a very long time. It is Pride Month. So that could have been something that spurred his decision to do this. But it's still a little unclear as to why now. And for people who might not remember, just remind us what exactly changed in federal law in 2013. Right. So prior to that, in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, there was this one article in there called Article 125 that outlawed sodomy or, quote, unnatural copulation even in consensual relationships. And in 2013,

as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, that language around consensual same-sex relationships was taken out. But before that, you know, for 60 years, even in same-sex relationships, if someone was discovered as gay, that could lead to convictions, even prison time and a lifetime being blocked from veterans' benefits. Now, you've spoken to gay veterans who were hurt by this law. When they heard this announcement, what did they think? You know, initially, there's an excitement, right? I mean, this is a historic move.

This is something that acknowledges, you know, a very painful, discriminatory past within the military. At the same time, you know, it should be noted that this pardon is pretty narrow. It only applies to veterans who were convicted under that Article 125. I've looked through court-martial cases going back to the 1950s, and a lot of times, veterans who were discovered in a same-sex relationship were charged under things like lewd and lascivious acts or indecent acts, and that pardon doesn't apply to them. Those folks will have to actually apply for a pardon through the Department of Justice in an individual manner. So this sort of blanket clemency does not apply for them. And really quickly, what has the military said about the clemency announcement, or how has it responded?

Yeah, you know, they haven't really provided any sort of comment. They did point reporters to a newly created website, as of yesterday, that has all sorts of resources for veterans interested in a pardon and how to go about that. And so that is the most that they've said about this. Anne Marshall Chalmers, an investigative journalist with The War Horse, thank you so much. Thank you. Up next, we go to the South American country of Bolivia, where a top military general attempted to overthrow the government. Yes, the chaotic episode unfolded yesterday over a period of about three hours, armed soldiers stormed the governmental palace in the administrative capital, La Paz, at one point ramming the front door with an armored vehicle. The failed coup was put down quickly and a top general was arrested. For more on the turmoil, we turn to NPR's South America correspondent, Carrie Khan.

Hi, Carrie. Hi. So, sounds like a fast and furious turn of events in Bolivia. What do we know about this general and his attempts to oust the current president and government? His name is Juan Jose Zuniga, and until recently, he was the top military commander of the armed forces, and he was just stripped of that command. He came to the main governmental plaza in La Paz late yesterday. He was flanked by soldiers, mass security personnel, and several armored vehicles. He was asked if he was overthrowing the government, and he rambled on about saving the country, releasing political prisoners, and vowing to install a real democracy.

He said the people have no future, and the army does not, quote, lack the balls to fight for our children's tomorrow. This is all being broadcast live on TV. And at one point, this armored vehicle just started ramming the front door of the palace. There was also a tense confrontation between the general and the president, Luis Arce, who ordered the general out of the public square and called the people to the streets. Wait, so did the general just turn around and leave? Pretty much so. The president held a brief ceremony, appointed a new commander. Arce criticized what he called bad soldiers and praised the new leader. As soon after, the general was arrested again live on TV, and Arce came out

and rallied supporters. He thanked the people of Bolivia for supporting democracy, and the crowd began singing the national anthem. Wow, I'm just trying to get my head around all of these turns in just three hours. Were there any indications that such drama and attempted coup was going to take place? Bolivia has been wracked by protests, mostly about the dismal economy that's struggling. There's a scarcity of dollars and food shortages. Arce is unpopular and has been accused of making some undemocratic moves, especially with the opposition. Some are in jail. And he's locked in this very public political fight with his once mentor, the former leftist president of Bolivia, Evo Morales.

They're fighting over control of the ruling party and who will be next year's presidential candidate. Eduardo Gamara, a Bolivia expert at Florida International University, says this win over the failed coup will probably boost the president's popularity, but just temporarily. He still has the worst economy in the last at least 25 years. And now there's a crisis of basic food supplies, and especially in the city of La Paz. And the president still has to deal with the very popular Evo Morales, who can mobilize large groups of supporters. And so what happens now, especially with that general? The attorney general has opened an investigation into the coup and says there will be more arrests

of those who participated. There's already a lot of speculation and conspiracies milling about who ordered the coup and why did the general and his troops back down so quickly. And given Bolivia's history of coups and attempted coups, this run-up to the presidential elections will undoubtedly be a rocky one. And PRS South America correspondent Carrie Conn. Thank you so much, Carrie. You're welcome. Before we let you go this morning, we do have one more story for you. A Supreme Court opinion, which was briefly posted on the court's website yesterday, indicated that the court will temporarily allow abortions in medical emergencies in Idaho. It's unclear, however, whether the inadvertently posted opinion, which was first reported by Bloomberg News, is the court's final decision. More Supreme Court opinions are expected

to be released today. While we wait for a final confirmation from the court, you can follow up on this story and others at NPR.org. And that's a first for Thursday, June 27th. I'm Layla Faldin. And I'm Michelle Martin. And how about giving Consider This from NPR a listen? That's a deep dive into one story. Today, we'll talk about the Trump-Biden debate. For a lot of voters, the Trump-Biden rematch is not exciting, to say the least. But with the candidates nearly even in the latest polls and undecided voters on the line, the debate could offer the candidates opportunities and risks.

Listen to Consider This. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Megan Pratt, Lisa Thompson, Tara Neal and H.J. Mai. It was produced by Ziad Butch, Chris Thompson and Nina Kravinsky. We get engineering support from Robert Rodriguez and our technical director is Zach Coleman. Join us again tomorrow.