Up First from NPR - Government Shutdown Looms, UNGA: Trump Slams Russia, Jimmy Kimmel Returns

Episode Date: September 24, 2025

President Trump cancels a meeting with Democratic leaders as a government shutdown looms, with both sides refusing to budge on health care demands. At the U.N., Trump calls Russia a “paper tiger” and signals Ukraine could reclaim its territory with European help. And Jimmy Kimmel returns to ABC after nearly a week off the air, using an emotional monologue to defend free speech and respond to critics of his comments on Charlie Kirk’s killing.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 Kelsey Snell, Tara Neill, Kevin Drew, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle.It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Damian Herring. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

That's, yeah, I think it's roughly right. Good enough. I mean, in terms of time, obviously. With the facts, we're always exactly right. That's what I'm going to say. Absolutely correct. President Trump cancels talks with Democrats as a shutdown deadline nears. Democrats say their demands are simple.

Cancel the cuts, lower the costs, save health care. How does the standoff end? I'm Michelle Martin. That's Steve Inskeep. and this is up first from NPR News. The president changed his stance on Russia saying they are losing on the battlefield and the U.S. will keep sending weapons for Ukraine.

It could be that Russia's a paper tiger. How could he back that up? And also, Jimmy Kimmel returned to ABC. You understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. He said the president mocked him for low ratings, but that just guaranteed big ratings for him last night. Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day.

This message comes from Rince, who knows that greatness takes time. So does laundry. So Rinse will take your laundry and hand-deliver it to your door, expertly cleaned. And you can take the time pursuing your passions. Time once spent sorting and waiting, folding and queuing, now spent challenging and innovating and pushing your way to greatness. So pick up that Irish flute or those calligraphy pens or the daunting Beef Wellington recipe card and leave the laundry to rinse. Rinse, it's time to be great. We have not said much up to now about the threat of a government shutdown at the end of the month. There is so often a threat at this time of year and it doesn't always happen, but we have reached the point where we need to pay attention.

That's in part because President Trump canceled a meeting with Democratic leaders to discuss a possible government funding deal. Negotiations seem to be stuck. The top House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, insists any funding bill must address health care. Our position is not complicated. Cancel the cuts, lower the costs, save health care. NPR congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh joins us once again. Deirdre, good morning. Good morning, Steve.

Okay, so they should have been passing a one-year appropriations. They're not doing that. They're talking about a short-term extension. Democrats want to add this thing on health care? And why did the president pull out of the meeting? Well, he posted a lengthy message on social media, as he does, saying the demands from Democrats about attaching those health care provisions were, quote, unsurious. And he said no meaning could possibly be productive. Hill Republicans propose what Democrats have voted for in the past, a straight extension of current funding levels through November 21st to get to this broader

spending deal. That narrowly passed in the House last week. But it didn't get the 60 votes it needs in the Senate. Oh, yeah. Thanks for the reminder. Republicans have the majority, but in the Senate, you need more than a majority. So what are the demands that Democrats are making? Well, they put out an alternative bill that also failed to advance last week. They want to extend tax credits that are part of the Affordable Care Act. Those help middle and working class Americans buy health care plans, and they expire on December 31st. Democrats also want to roll back the Medicaid changes that were part of the President's tax bill that he signed in July.

The president says those are all non-starters. Okay. Is there any way to avoid a shutdown then? It seems unlikely. You know, Congress can work sometimes at the very last minute facing a deadline to get something done, but there are no talks at this point. Republicans insist Democrats just have to back the seven-week funding bill without other policy demands on it. Congress is on recess this week, but next Monday when they get back in the Senate, the majority leader, John Thune says he's going to bring up that stopgap bill again for a vote. They need seven Democrats to get to 60 votes.

So far, they only have one. There are some Republicans who agree with Democrats that Congress needs to do some kind of extension of health care subsidies. But since those don't expire until December, they say that debate shouldn't be linked to this funding bill. That issue could be some kind of off-ramp to this stalemate. Oh, okay. Well, thanks for telling us there might be something, even though we don't exactly know. But let's talk this through. The dynamic in recent years, many recent years, is that Republicans,

seem eager to shut the government down or partial shutdown. Sometimes they actually go through with it and they do it. They lead the way. Sometimes they even say they like it. They've even done it when they had full control of government. But this time it is the Democrats who are making an extra demand and saying they might be willing to shut it all down. What changed? I mean, the politics are really the driving factor right now for Democrats. Back in March, the top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer infuriated the base when he helped Republicans avoid a shutdown. Now he's arguing that Democrats are fighting to protect health care. The base really does want this fight. And denying Republicans the vote they need to advance a bill in the Senate is really the only power they have in the minority.

So I anticipate we're going to just see this continued messaging war. Republicans are branding this a Schumer shutdown. If a shutdown happens, both sides are pretty hard line in their different positions. So it's going to be difficult to see how we could get out of it. And Pierce, Deirdre Walsh. Thanks for insights, as always. Thanks, Steve. The president has again adjusted his stance toward Russia. He has sometimes reached out and sometimes threatened President Vladimir Putin before backing off. At the United Nations yesterday, Trump seemed to revert to the old bipartisan approach taken by President Biden, get weapons to Ukraine, and let them fight it out with Russia. He called Russia, quote, a paper tiger, unquote, and says he now believes Ukraine with European help can win back all of its terror.

territory. NPR diplomatic correspondent Michelle Kellerman has been covering the United Nations meeting in New York. Michelle, good morning. Good morning, Steve. What changed here? Well, mostly who he was meeting with. He met with Ukrainian president, Vladimir Zelensky, and European leaders at the UN. And, you know, it wasn't so long ago that Trump invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to a summit in Alaska and told the world that they made progress and he touted this fantastic relationship with Putin that he had. Since then, Putin has ramped. up attacks on Ukrainian cities, sent drones and fighter jets over Poland and Estonia, both NATO countries. And the Europeans have said that this clearly shows that Russia is not

interested in diplomacy. Trump seemed to take in that message. He also seems to realize that Russia is not winning. It's taking a lot of losses on the battlefield and Russia's economy is suffering. Well, it's very interesting. So Trump ends up closer to Zelensky's view of the situation after meeting with Zelensky. And I guess the Ukrainian president also spoke in public yesterday, right? Yeah, he was at the UN Security Council, and he too painted Putin as the obstacle to peace. Let's listen to just part of his remarks to the Security Council.

One of the prominent members of this Council is doing everything to prolong the largest war in Europe since World War II. Russia does this with impunity using its veto power, buying influence, peace on hold. And he said he thinks Russia would listen to the U.S. He said he had good talks with Trump about that. Secretary of State Marker Rubio was also there at the council, and he said, well, Trump is a very patient man. That patient is not infinite. He said the U.S. might impose more sanctions on Russia or might sell more weapons, including offensive weapons, Rubio said,

to Ukraine. And that might be some of what Trump was hinting at in that social media post when he called Russia a paper tiger and said that Ukraine could fight to get back all of its territory, or even more, he hinted. What are you hearing from the Russians about all of this? Well, Vladimir Putin doesn't come to the UN. He sent his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, who will be addressing the General Assembly later this week, and he's expected to meet with Rubio today. Okay, so one of the thing Michelle to ask about, you're there at the United Nations.

Leaders from all over the world show up, even if Vladimir Putin does not. Who else are you paying attention to? Well, today, for the first time, since 1967, a Syrian leader is going to be addressing the General Assembly. That's Ahmed al-Shara. He's a rebel leader who actually set up the Syrian affiliate of Al-Qaeda before rebranding himself as more moderate. And he took over after Bashar al-Assad was ousted and fled to Moscow. And he's been kind of on a charm offensive here. So all eyes are going to be on him today.

Well, we'll listen for more of your reporting then as the days go on. Michelle, thanks so much. Thank you. NPR's Michelle Kellerman is covering the United Nations in New York. Jimmy Kimmel returned to the airwaves last night.

At least he did in most cities. ABC brought back the comic a week after suspending his show over remarks after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. There was so much anticipation, even fellow late-night host Stephen Colbert joked on his.

show that everyone but his wife was watching Kimmel. And Beers Mandelie Del Barco was watching Kimmel from Los Angeles. Hi there, Mandelie. Hello. I should note two major groups of affiliates refused to air this in some cities, so people need to know what happened. Well, at times, Jimmy Kimmel was very emotional. He thanked the network and also those who supported his free speech rights,

including those he doesn't always agree with, like Senator Ted Cruz. Kimmel also thanked his fellow late-night hosts past and present, and he said some comedians and other people, countries don't enjoy America's freedoms. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this. That was part of the criticism of the criticism here. He was attacked by the FCC, which pressured ABC. But what did he say about the lines that made people angry?

Well, Kimmel said that he wanted to clear up what he had said about Charlie Kirk and his alleged assassin last week. You understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder. of a young man. I don't think there's anything funny about it. I posted a message on Instagram on the day he was killed, sending love to his family and asking for compassion. And I meant it, and I still do.

Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what it was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make. But I understand that to some that felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both. And for those who think I did point a finger, I get why you're upset. And Kimmel choked up about Charlie Kirk's grieving widow. On Sunday, Erica Kirk forgave the man who shot her husband. She forgave him.

That is an example we should follow. Okay, so Kimmel is back. Although President Trump had celebrated his departure and seemed to want other lay night hosts out. How's he responding? Yeah, well, on truth social, Trump posted that he couldn't believe ABC let Kimmel back on the air. He thought the show had been canceled. Last year, ABC settled a defamation lawsuit with Trump. And now the president seemed to be threatening the network again. He wrote, quote, last time I went after them, they gave me $16 million. This one sounds even more lucrative. But, you know, Steve, for his part, Jimmy Kimmel continued to mock Trump. He tried it as best to cancel me.

Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired, Bigley. He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now. And Steve, I want to mention one other thing that happened last night. It was a nod to the past. In 1960, Jack Parr was hosting the Tonight Show. And the story goes that he made a joke that NBC didn't like. The executives edited it out.

And Parr was so furious about being censored that he walked off the set of his next show. Three weeks went by, NBC reportedly apologized to Parr, and when he returned to the show, he said this. As I was saying before I was interrupted. Those were also the first words Jimmy Kimmel said when he came back. As I was saying before I was interrupted. And there's Mandalay Del Barco, thanks so much. Thank you. A lot of people have been asking me if there are conditions for my return to the air, and there is one.

Disney has asked me to read the following statement. and I agreed to do it. Here we go. To reactivate your Disney Plus and Hudo account. And that's a first for this Wednesday, September 24th. I'm Steve Inskey. And I'm Michelle Martin. There's an easy way to stay connected to news and podcast from the NPR network.

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Join us tomorrow. Thank you.