Up First from NPR - Israel Strikes Gaza, Trump And The Courts, Takeover At US Institute Of Peace

Episode Date: March 18, 2025

Hundreds of Palestinians were killed or injured in surprise Israeli strikes, threatening a tenuous ceasefire. A federal judge ordered the Department of Justice to explain why it ignored a ruling not to deport hundreds of Venezuelans, and the US Institute of Peace was the scene of a hostile takeover by the Trump administration's government efficiency group.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 Gerry Holmes, Roberta Rampton, Russell Lewis, Alice Woelfle and Janaya Williams. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Destinee Adams and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Hundreds of Palestinians were killed or injured in surprise overnight attacks by Israel. The punishing strikes on Gaza come in the midst of fraught ceasefire negotiations. Does this mean the war is back on? I'm Ami Martinez, that's Leila Fadl, and this is Up First from NPR News. A judge is asking the Justice Department to explain why it ignored orders to stop the deportation of hundreds of Venezuelans. So what I see them doing so far is playing footsie with the notion of defying a court order rather than actually defying a court order.

How far will the White House try to stretch its powers? And the Department of Government Efficiency broke into the U.S. Institute of Peace offices with the help of Government Efficiency broke into the U.S. Institute of Peace Offices with the help of police. DC police showed up at my office and said it's time for you to go. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day. This is Tonya Mosley, co-host of Fresh Air. You'll see your favorite actors, directors, and comedians on late-night TV shows or YouTube, but what you get with

Fresh Air is a deep dive. Spend some quality time with people like Billy Eilish, Questlove, Ariana Grande, Stephen Colbert, and so many more. We ask questions you won't hear asked anywhere else. Listen to the Fresh Air podcast from NPR and WHYY. In Gaza overnight, a series of punishing and deadly Israeli airstrikes took Palestinians by surprise. A Palestinian woman in Gaza City there screaming for her children. That was a scene in a hospital in the north. More than 300 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more injured, according to the

Gaza Health Ministry. The strikes are the most intensive violence since a tenuous ceasefire began in January between Israel and Hamas as they negotiated an end to the war. And PR's Hadil Elshalt, she joins us now from Tel Aviv with the latest. Good morning, Hadil. Good morning. So why is Israel launching this attack now? Well, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been threatening this whole time to go

back to war if Hamas did not release more hostages. This time Israel says it is targeting Hamas militant commanders, wants to degrade Hamas's ability to rearm. That's according to an Israeli official who wasn't authorized to speak publicly. But just a reminder, the first phase of the ceasefire ended on March 1st. Over six weeks, Hamas released 33 hostages.

Israel freed almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. The second phase was supposed to see a total withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and a permanent end to the war. But instead of starting those second phase talks, Israel came back and said it wanted an extension of the first phase where Hamas would return half the living hostages still held in Gaza. So, what did Hamas say?

Well, Hamas said that it had held up its end of the first phase of the deal and wanted to start second phase deal talks, refused the extension which has led to these attacks. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that, quote, the gates of hell will open in Gaza if all the hostages are not returned. And then we also know that the White House spokesperson, Caroline Levitt, confirmed that Israel consulted the Trump administration before the strikes. And what are we hearing from inside Gaza? I mean, explosions could be heard across the Strip.

The Gaza Health Ministry says hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, including children. NPR's Gaza producer, Enes Baba, was at Al Ahly Hospital this morning. Dozens of bodies lay in every corner here in front of me, wrapped in winter blankets, hospital this morning. Also an Israeli military spokesman warned residents in several Gaza neighborhoods to start evacuating immediately. So we heard there, Anas, describe really what sounds like war again. Do these strikes mean the ceasefire is done

and the war is back on? So it might be a little too early to tell if the war is fully back on or what these strikes mean exactly for the ceasefire. You know, in recent weeks, Israel has been steadily increasing strikes in Gaza. Hamas hasn't yet responded with its own strikes. But today's assault is, of course, a pressure tactic by Israel to get Hamas to accept that extension.

And they're a huge step back. Israel has blocked all aid, including food and medical supplies, three weeks ago. So aid groups are rationing quickly dwindling supplies. And of course, you know, what does this mean for the fate of the hostages still inside Gaza? Israel says 59 remain held by Hamas, 24 of whom are still believed to be alive. And PR's Hadil El-Shalchi in Tel Aviv, thank you for your reporting, Hadil. You're welcome.

A federal judge wants the Justice Department to explain its actions in deportations that took place over the weekend. A judge asked for a sworn declaration from the DOJ by noon today detailing how planes carrying alleged Venezuelan gang members were flown from the U.S. to El Salvador, despite a judge's orders to turn the planes around. A hearing yesterday saw a heated debate unfold about when exactly the orders were issued and whether they had to be in writing to restrain government action. The incident is bringing the administration closer to a constitutional face-off. NPR's Franco Ordonez is here with more about how President Trump is testing his executive powers.

Good morning, Franco. Good morning, Lula. So this story really blew up over the weekend. What's the controversy here? Well, I mean, the controversy is whether the U.S. government defied a legal court order, which would be a potential breakdown between the executive branch and the judicial branch. And many legal experts say this would create a major constitutional crisis.

Now the White House says they did not ignore the court and they're painting this as a counter-terrorism operation. They say most of the migrants on the plane were members of a Venezuelan gang known as Tren de Agua. Others were from the Salvadoran gang, MS-13. But really, as you noted, part of this debate is over the timing of the order. The White House says the written order was issued after the flights had taken off, but the earlier the judge did give a verbal order. Okay, so before we talk about the legal issues, how does the White House view the politics of

this issue? I mean, politically, they see this as a winning issue. I mean, it's one Trump campaigned on, and they're claiming this operation is him carrying out that promise. I mean, they feel that most Americans care more that violent gang members are being removed from the country. I mean, they even made light of the controversy yesterday and over the weekend, reposting a note by the Salvadoran president who wrote online, quote, oopsie, too late after the judge called back the plane.

And they're also posting on social media video of tattooed migrants with their hands chained boarding planes to different kinds of music. So making light of this really important question of whether or not the Trump administration defied the court order, what did the Trump administration say about that? Well, they say they did not. And I did speak with Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University, who served in the Biden White House.

He said it's clear that Trump administration is attacking the judicial branch in alarming ways, but he said it was not clear whether the administration was actually violating those orders yet. So what I see them doing so far is playing footsie with the notion of defying a court order, rather than actually defying a court order. They're getting cute. They're getting up to the line. You know, he adds that they talk tough on TV and press briefings. Vice President Vance has attacked judges saying they're not allowed to control executive branch.

Just yesterday, the borders are, Tom Homan said on Fox, he didn't care what judges think. But so far, Levitt says the Trump administration has complied with the orders, albeit reluctantly. And how does this test of Trump's power fit with other moves the administration's making? I mean, this is a case that should not be looked at in a vacuum. The question at hand is not whether or not these people are dangerous and should be in the country, but the process of their removal. Is it legal?

And specifically, did the administration knowingly ignore this order? This is just another example, though, of how the White House is working to stretch its powers. And we have seen this with the legislative branch, and we're now seeing it in the judicial branch. Thanks Franco. Thank you. That's White House correspondent Franco Ordonez. The US Institute of Peace was the scene of a hostile takeover by the Department of Government Efficiency.

They were helped by DC police. DC police showed up at my office and said, it's time for you to go. That's George Moose, who had been running the Institute, which is a think tank funded by Congress. NPR's Michelle Kellerman spoke to him on the steps of the Institute just across from the State Department, and she joins us now. Good morning, Michelle. Good morning, Lela. So Michelle, you were right there once Doge forced their way into the building. What did you see?

Yeah, I mean, they tried several times to get in to install a new president, and they finally made it in at the end of the day. The White House says Moose was fired last week, along with most of the board members. Moose is challenging that, and he was holed up in his office for a while yesterday after he says Doge broke in. But police caught up with him and escorted him out. He called it a sad day and he talked about the work that he and his colleagues do there. This building really was built not just as a platform for the work that we do, it was built as a symbol of the

aspiration of the American people to be peace builders in the world. That's why it is as beautiful as it is. And I have to believe that in the long term that purpose, that mission will be reaffirmed and that we will, in one way or another, be allowed to continue it. He says it's a mission that should be in line with the Trump administration. You know, they try to come up with ideas to resolve conflicts and promote peace. Moose, like many of the employees at USIP, is a retired diplomat. He seems really shocked by the way that the Trump administration has been dismantling parts of America's soft power, starting with the lead US aid agency and now coming to the US Institute of Peace.

Michelle, the question I have, and I think so many people have, is, is this legal? Can the Trump administration do this? Because this isn't a government agency, right? It's a nonprofit funded by Congress. Yeah. I mean, Doge says that DC police escorted in his replacement after Moose refused to let in the replacement. A White House official called Moose a, quote, career bureaucrat who wants to be unaccountable to the American people. But a lawyer for USIP says that all of this is being done illegally, that President Trump,

you know, he can fire board members but only for cause. And the lawyer George Foote also explains that USIP is not a government agency. It has a bit of a different legal status and it also owns the building. He spoke to me outside the building yesterday. So the building has been seized by force by police officers with guns acting under the authority of a resolution that we're gonna have a court declare to be invalid. So this seems to be a pattern with Doge, right? An attempt to cut funds without consulting Congress only for it to all land in court. Yeah, I mean, Foote told me that Doge is using their usual

playbook here, but he's convinced that the law is on USIP's side. We'll have to see, though, what the courts decide and see if USIP employees can get back to their building and regain access to their computers. It'll also be interesting, Leila, to see if anyone in Congress steps in. After all, Congress created the US Institute of Peace and funds it. That's NPR's Michelle Kellerman. Thank you, Michelle. Thank you. Today, President Trump will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone.

The US is pursuing a ceasefire deal in Russia's war on Ukraine, the largest armed conflict in Europe since the Second World War. Ukraine has already agreed to a 30-day ceasefire. Kyiv says it wants an exchange of prisoners and a return of the thousands of children. It says Russia has illegally taken, but Russia has its own conditions before it agrees. Among Putin's demands, an end to international sanctions on Russia and no NATO membership for Ukraine. If a ceasefire

is reached the two sides say a more sustainable peace can be discussed. NAAT Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this week that Ukraine wants peace more than anyone but he said we cannot accept peace at any price. And that's a first for Tuesday March 18th. I'm Leila Fadid. And I'm Amy Martinez. There is an easy way to stay connected to news and podcasts from the NPR network, the NPR app. You can hear community coverage from your local stations, stories from around the world, and podcast suggestions based on what you like. So download the NPR app in that app store. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Jerry Holmes, Roberta Rampton, Russell Lewis,

Alice Wolfley, and Janet Williams. It was produced by Ziad Butch, Destiny Adams, and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent, and our technical director is Carly Strange. Join us again tomorrow.