Up First from NPR - Trump Announces 'Golden Fleet', Judge Rules Deportations Illegal, Heritage Exodus

Episode Date: December 23, 2025

President Trump has announced the Navy will begin building a new class of warship named after himself. A federal judge has ruled the deportations of more than 100 Venezuelan men to El Salvador were illegal. And, a number of staff members have left the think tank behind Project 2025 to join a group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence. (00:00) Introduction(04:00) Trump Announces 'Golden Fleet'(07:48) Judge Rules Deportations Illegal(11:36) Heritage Foundation ExodusWant more 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 Andrew Sussman, Anna Yukhananov, Jason Breslow, Lisa Thomson and Alice Woefle.It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Zo van Ginhoven. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange. And our Supervising Senior Producer is Vince Pearson.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Steve. Yes, good morning. It's almost the end of the year. That's right. Yeah. And what's our favorite thing to talk about? At the end of the year, all year. I don't know.

How about if we talk about the value of public media? My favorite topic. There you go. It's what makes up first and everything you love from NPR unique. Yeah, and the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 said that local public media stations should be responsive to their communities. and that's what NPR member stations do all the time. They're at town council meetings at the state house. And in all of these city council meetings,

county meetings, where local newspapers aren't publishing anymore. It's really been inspiring to me over the last few decades of being in public media to see how local coverage has expanded. And as digital paywalls rise elsewhere, NPR and its member stations provide news and information to everybody for free regardless of their ability to pay. Yeah. So everybody has access. And this is a commitment that will never change at NPR. But you all know, federal funding was eliminated for public media. True. And so now we rely on your support more than ever to bring you up first and all of the other things that we do. It is really inspiring also that people have stepped up. People like Beth in Texas who says, this is a quote, I listened up first every morning. This free resource was with me through my year.

as a student, and I'm giving back so that other students and young people have an approachable way to learn about the world and current events. I love this because I run into students more than one. Yeah. And I love that Ben realizes it's a resource for him, but all these other people as well, and he's the one can help. And he's doing it. It's enlightened self-interest, as they say. You can help keep this free public service available to everyone by signing up for NPR Plus. It's a simple recurring donation that gets you perks to NPR. PR's podcasts. Join us at plus.npr.org. President Trump announced a new class of warships named after President Trump. He also

issued a threat to the leader of Venezuela. If he plays tough, it'll be the last time he's ever able to play tough. What is the U.S. plan if they force a regime change? I'm Stevenskeep with Laila Faddle, and this is up first from NPR News. A federal judge says the Trump administration illegally denied due process. to a group of Venezuelans deported to El Salvador. What's next for the men who's rights were stripped? And what's driving an exodus from the conservative think tank behind Project 2025? I think what's happening right now is that a movement that has oriented it around political personalities

and specific political leaders is starting to realize that those leaders are not going to be here forever. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day. This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe. When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit Wise.com. Tease and Cs apply. President Trump says the U.S. Navy will spend money to build new warships. The president announced he will name those ships after himself. Days after a board that he leads put his name on the Kennedy Center. The Navy's taxpayer-funded tribute to Trump is expected to cost billions of dollars per ship.

Trump announced his plan for the U.S. Navy to honor him during a rambling press event as top aides stood by. NPR National Security correspondent, Quill Lawrence, is here to break this down. Good morning, Quill. Good morning, Lila. So why was the president talking about shipbuilding in the first place? There's a general consensus that the U.S. has lost its ability to build ships quickly, if at all. Also, this announcement about ramping up production has kind of been anticipated. But Trump talked quite lyrically about this new class of battleship that would have guns and missiles and high-powered lasers. There were artist renderings that were shooting lasers. He mentioned a sea-launched nuclear missile capability, and he said they'd be a hundred times more powerful than previous ships.

And he said they would be built with robots, but also with American workers. that president said he would start by building two of these battleships and then ramp up to 10. And then he said there would be 20 or maybe 25. Didn't give a real time frame. And as, you know, is his habit, he mentioned a lot of different numbers as his Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State, Secretary of the Navy stood by for this hour-long press event. Okay, so a lot of big claims there about lasers and being so powerful. When we first heard of yesterday's press event, people expected some announcement about

the U.S. pressure campaign against Venezuela. Did that come up at all? Yeah, a reporter asked if U.S. sanctions and military action have been about forcing Maduro out, and here's what Trump said. We have a massive armada formed, the biggest we've ever had, and by far the biggest we've ever had in South America, he could do whatever he wants. It's all right. Whatever he wants to do. If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it'll be the last time he's ever able to play Trump didn't answer when the journalist asked what his endgame was. What happens if Maduro does fall? And I have to say it was reminiscent of moments 20 some years ago when people were asking what the end game plan was for Iraq post-in invasion. But Trump also defended the lethal attacks on these small boats the U.S. says are carrying drugs. We're now at over two dozen of those strikes. They've killed over 100 people. There was another one announced just last night, killed one more person. And now we're talking about bigger boats, not the battleships, but massive oil tankers that the U.S. Coast Guard has started seizing.

Yeah, and on that note, what about the third oil tanker we've been hearing about Quill, the one that the Coast Guard is chasing? Already twice this month, the U.S. has boarded and seized a tanker. One's now docked in Texas. And one of the tankers was on the list of sanctioned ships. The other wasn't, so it's not clear what the legal framework is for taking them. And now there's this third possibility of, well, what if a ship refuses to be boarded? Do you blow that up as well?

But what exactly are the rules of engagement here? Do you kill the crew? We're really in uncharted territory. But the president wasn't really focused on those details or really focused on Venezuela. Over the hour, he made threats toward the president of Colombia. He was dismissive but talked at length about the Epstein files. He talked about Obamacare subsidies, health care subsidies. And he revived his assertion that the U.S. needs to take

Greenland for national security reasons. And PR's Quill, Lawrence. Thank you, Quill. My pleasure, Lina. A federal judge has ruled the deportations of more than 100 Venezuelans to El Salvador were illegal. Judge James Bosberg found the U.S. government violated due process rights and that the men deserve a hearing. Early in the Trump administration, the United States deported numerous men to a prison in El Salvador after President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act. The judge's ruling against that comes just as the detainees have received extra attention.

The new head of CBS News, Barry Weiss, stopped the network from broadcasting interviews with former detainees on 60 minutes over the weekend. The story still streamed in Canada and on Monday. The block story showed up on social media across the United States. NPR immigration correspondent Humana Bastillo is covering the ruling about SICOT detainees and is with me now in studio. Good morning. Good morning, Leila. So just break down exactly what this order said from Judge James Bowesberg. Essentially, he has ordered the administration to return the men to the United States or provide some sort of due process hearings for them, even if that's abroad. And it's not necessarily clear how the government would facilitate this. The original lawsuit was brought by six men. in that group mentioned earlier. And Bozberg certified the class in his order.

And by doing that, they can represent the entire group of about 137 men who were removed to El Salvador. Remember, these were Venezuelan men that the Trump administration quickly removed from the country overnight back in the spring. Bozberg says that any government can't be, quote, secretly spiriting individuals to another country without any oversight. Yeah, and it's been very shocking to see the treatment these men say they would. went through in a foreign anti-terrorism prison. We'll get into that treatment later. Just remind us, though, and we mentioned the Alien Enemies Act. What legal authority the Trump administration alleged that allowed them to do this here? Right. They say that they can use this 18th century law. Steve mentioned earlier the Alien Enemies Act. That's a wartime power. You know, the White

House has accused the men without evidence presented in court of being members of the Venezuelan gang Trendera Agua. The deportations prompted several legal fights over the use of this law. And it brought to the forefront. Also, the administration's clashes with judges, Bozberg was among the judges to first question the use of the alien enemies act to deport Venezuelans in this way. And the judge has threatened the government with contempt for disobeying his order to stop the planes. There's been a lot of legal back and forth here over the fate of these men. What do we know about where they are now? You know, the men, again, were originally from Venezuela, not El Salvador, and they have since been returned to their home country after four months in the prison. And,

you know, this was done as a part of a prisoner exchange with the United States. Since they've recounted to NPR and other news outlets, what they experienced in Seco, and this includes poor nutrition, unsanitary conditions, even sexual abuse. One man spoke to my colleague Sergio Martinez Beltran and described Seqot as, quote, hell on her. And where does the case go from here? You know, it's likely that the government will move forward with appealing the decision, though we have not received an immediate respond to a request for comment. Lawyers for the men say this ruling makes it, quote, clear the government can't just send people off.

You know, one other thing to watch for is the Trump administration's political rhetoric around this case because Bozberg has been among the judges to receive the ire of Trump, and this is among the cases where the Trump administration has accused judges of being activists and wielding a partisan agenda. And PIR is Jimenez-Bustillo. Thank you, Jimenez. Thank you. Some leaders at the influential think tank behind Project 2025 have left. Yeah, the think tank is the Heritage Foundation and the former staff are joining a different group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence.

This marks a division within the Republican Party as it debates who should speak for them and what they should stand for. NPR political correspondent Sarah McCammon has been following all this and what it means for the GOP. Good morning, Sarah. Good morning. So who are these Heritage Foundation staff members and why are they leaving? Well, so far, at least 13 former Heritage staffers have exited the organization. They're joining Advancing American Freedom, which is the think tank founded by former Vice President Mike Pence. And among that group are three senior leaders who were in charge of the legal, economic, and data teams at Heritage.

And Leila, this is really just the latest chapter in what's been an ongoing battle over the future of the conservative movement and the MAGA movement around issues like the role of far-right online influencers who've promoted anti-Semitism and other extremist ideas. And you may remember those tensions were on display recently at Heritage after its president, Kevin Roberts, released a video defending Tucker Carlson's friendly interview back in October with Nick Fuentes, who is an avowed white nationalist. and has previously praised Adolf Hitler, among other things. Robert's statement at that time sparked controversy inside Heritage that later prompted him to apologize for it. And then, Layla, just a few days ago, there was a very public clash between some prominent conservatives at Turning Point USA's annual conference in Phoenix. So this mass exodus from Heritage is just another signal of how divisive these issues have become. And tell us about where they're going. So Pence's group, Advancing American Freedom, has been a relatively small organization, but they appear to be making a play here for a bigger leadership role at a moment when the movement is divided.

This move dramatically expands the organization's size. They're going from 18 employees to more than 30. And the group's president, Tim Chapman, told me this is a battle to define the future of conservatism and the Republican Party. I think what's happening right now is that a movement that has oriented it around political persons. personalities and specific political leaders is starting to realize that those leaders are not going to be here forever. Whether it's President Trump or other leaders, there is an end date on their leadership. And he says Pence's group hopes to bolster support for traditional conservative ideas like free trade and a less isolationist foreign policy. And what about the Heritage Foundation? How are they responding to all of this? I mean, Heritage is still a large and

influential group. They, of course, are the organization behind Project 2025, as we heard, the plan that's helped shape many Trump administration policies. But it has been a tumultuous time for Heritage. Their chief advancement officer, Andy Olavastro, argues that Heritage is under scrutiny precisely because it's relevant. It's crystal clear to me that Mike Pence is still waiting for a train back to relevance, and that isn't coming. Heritage is already down the tracks, and we're leading and we're building something that will last. And as a reminder, unsuccessfully challenged Trump and others for the GOP nomination in 24, and he's been at odds with the MAGA movement since January 6th, 2021 when he certified the results of the 2020 election.

So there are significant fissures, which appear likely to widen as Republicans start thinking about their future after Donald Trump. NPR Sarah McCamond, thank you. Thank you. And that's up first for Tuesday, December 23rd. I'm Leila Faulted. Indeed you are, and I'm Steve Inskeep. Your next listen is, consider this, or it can be.

You can consider it. It's from NPR News. Up First gives you three top stories of the day. Consider this drills down on one. Listen now on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Today's episode of at first was edited by Andrew Sussman, Anna Yukoninov, Jason Breslo, Lisa Thompson, and Alice Wolfeley. It was produced by Ziad Butch, Nia Dumas, and... Sorry, Chris.

Christopher is a very hard name for me to say. Exactly. It's like, I cannot pronounce it. Isn't it Tomas? Isn't that right? Right, exactly. It was produced by Zad Butch, Nia Dumas, and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Zo Van Genhoeven. Our technical director is Carly Strange, and our supervising senior producer is Vince Pearson. Join us again tomorrow.