Up First from NPR - Trump Zelensky Meeting, Netanyahu Mar-a-Lago Meeting, Rough Year For Poverty Aid

Episode Date: December 29, 2025

President Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy signal momentum on peace talks, but fighting continues and key disputes remain.Israel’s prime minister is in Mar-a-Lago today as pressure mounts over Gaza, Iran, and what comes next in Trump's ceasefire deal. And anti-poverty groups warn funding chaos is forcing cuts just as more Americans need help.Want 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 Dana Farrington, Miguel Macias, Catherine Laidlaw, Mohamad ElBardicy, Adriana Gallardo.It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Simon-Laslow Jansen. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.(00:00) Introduction(03:26) Trump Zelensky Meeting(07:17) Netanyahu Mar-a-Lago Meeting (10:53) Rough Year For Poverty Aid Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Good morning, Layla. Good morning. How was your Christmas? It was great. Exhausting. So we're almost at the end of 2025. Hard to believe, right? Yeah, I mean, it feels like it passed so quickly because it's been a tough year, busy year in the news, a tough year for NPR and local stations. You know, but despite that loss of federal funding for public media, despite continued attacks on the free press, we are still here and we are here for you. Up first, and NPR will keep reporting the news without fear or favor. Yeah, we're committed to being. here to bringing you in the news. You need to start your day every morning, but we need your

support now more than ever. And right now, before the end of the year, it's the best time to make your gift. Thank you to our NPR Plus supporters who help sustain NPR and to everybody who has already stepped up to donate. That includes Sarah in Georgia, who says up first is a great start to the day. I even smile at A's jokes, even though it's too early for them. I know. We feel her pain. Whoops. My headphones fell out. Oh, no. Ouch. Reacting to Sarah. I agree with you, Sarah. Too early for them, but he's on specific time.

So is it too late for them? Either way, whether you love the jokes or don't love them so much, please join the community of public radio supporters today by signing up for NPR Plus. It's a simple recurring donation that gets you perks to a whole bunch of NPR podcasts, including up first. And you support public media while you listen. Join us at plus.npr.org. President Trump met with Ukraine's president on Sunday after he had spoken with the Russian leader. Trump insisted Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed, but Russia kept up attacks over the weekend,

so is Moscow really willing to make peace? I'm Leila Fadil. That's Michelle Martin, and this is up first from NPR News. Israel's prime minister is meeting President Trump today. At a time where there's still so much to be done to get to peace in Gaza, will the meeting lead to the next phase in the plan to permanently end the war? And after a year of government funding freezes and policy reversals, groups that help millions of Americans say they are operating in constant uncertainty. When we got that news, we were in immediate emergency response mode. Like, what are we going to do?

What does that mean for people who rely on those programs? Stay with us. We'll give you news you need to start your day. This week on Trump's terms, a special report, five years in the making. I've got a president that pardoned all the people that assaulted me. January 6th, why the story isn't over. I get death threats every single day. We're still living in the midst of my trauma. Listen to a special report on January 6th from NPR's investigations team.

This week on the Trump's Terms podcast from NPR. President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky say they are making progress toward peace in Ukraine. The two leaders met on Sunday at Mar-Lago where the president has been spending the holidays. Meanwhile, Russian attacks continued over the weekend, and key issues remain unresolved. NPR White House correspondent Daniel Kurtzleben is here to give us the latest on the negotiations. Good morning, Danielle. Good morning, Michelle. So what was your takeaway from this meeting? Is a peace deal coming? Well, the very fact that they met seems to be a sign of momentum. Zelensky had put forward this 20-point peace proposal this past week, and the two men met shortly after

and said they agreed on most of it. But when they talked to reporters after their meeting, a peace deal certainly didn't seem imminent. Both men came out saying, essentially, we're optimistic and we'll keep talking, but that's roughly where they seem to be before the meeting. To put it another way, before the meeting Zelensky had said they were at 90% agreement. And after the meeting, he said they were at 90% agreement. And what about President Trump? What did he say? Well, Trump had a lengthy phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin before his in-person meeting with Zelensky and came away optimistic. And in that optimism, he was trying to make it

sound like Russia could eventually be on board with all of this. At one point, Trump said that, quote, Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed. But then Russia bombarded Kiev over the weekend. So there's a big question as to how ready Russia really is to stop fighting. Now, all of this is another shift in Trump's hot and cold feelings towards Putin. Trump has gone from saying earlier this year he could easily convinced Putin to end the war to being pretty frustrated with him, and now Trump seems to feel more warmly again. But there was one more thing that really stood out to me. A reporter asked Trump how long it might be before all of the final disagreements are ironed out, and Trump said this. So if it went really well, you know, maybe a few weeks, and if it went poorly longer and if it went

really poorly, it's not going to happen. That would be a shame. Now this is Trump talking. He loves hyperbole. He loves talking up his own abilities. The very fact that he's lukewarm on success could signal that there's still some distance to go here. So tell us more about that. What are the hangups? Well, one question is how to deal with the Donbos region in eastern Ukraine, which Russia wants to control. Zelensky wants it to be a demilitarized zone. And he says that Ukraine will withdraw troops if Russia does.

Trump said that on Dombas, he and Zelensky do not agree, but they're getting closer. On that note, Ukraine also wants security guarantees. This morning, Zelensky told Ukrainian press that he asked Trump for a 30-to-50-year guarantee. Now, Zelensky wants to know that the U.S. and other allies in Europe will defend Ukraine if Russia attacks again. A reporter asked Trump how much he and Zelensky agree on all of that, and Trump said they're close, but added that there are what he called very tough issues to still work out. Finally, there's a nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine that Russia took control of early in this country, conflict. The fate of that plant has been a big sticking point. And it was unclear yesterday what

progress Trump and Zelensky made. And what comes next? Well, Trump said he would talk to Putin after this meeting, but we haven't heard more from the White House about any type of conversation. Beyond that, he said he and Zelensky would be talking more. Zelensky said Trump will host a Ukrainian delegation and European leaders in January. But the big question, of course, is if and when Trump and Zelensky can agree, can Putin agree with them? We don't know. much about that at all. For example, whether Russia is willing to withdraw from Dunbass or accept security guarantees. That is. And Paris, Daniel, Kurtzleben. Daniel, thank you. Thank you.

There is a lot left to do on President Trump's 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza. Yeah, he still needs to appoint what he's calling a Board of Peace and get an international force up and running. And there are still pretty regular and fatal attacks. in Gaza. But Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is visiting Trump in Florida today and trying to get him focused on some other things like Iran and its proxies. And Paris, Michelle Kellerman is with us now from Jerusalem to talk us through Netanyahu's pitch to Trump today. Hi, Michelle. Hi, Michelle. So first, would you just remind us of where things are at the moment with the Gaza peace plan? Yeah, they're in stage one. The shaky ceasefire and getting more aid in.

Israel has set up what it calls a yellow line, so it controls a large. part of Gaza, and it does strike across that yellow line when it sees threats. Now, the deal was that they would go to phase two once all the Israeli hostages are out, but there is still the body of one Israeli police officer who was killed in the October 7th attack. Hamas says the people who knew where that body was have since been killed. The Israelis say they don't think Trump should move forward until the body is returned, and Hamas agrees to disarm. So that's where things are kind of stuck for the moment. What does Netanyahu want out of this meeting with President Trump? Well, Israeli officials say that there's no signs that Hamas is ready to disarm. So that's

one thing they want is to keep the pressure on Hamas, to keep its end of the bargain. The same is true in Lebanon, where Hezbollah remains a threat. And then there's Iran. You can remember that President Trump ordered massive strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities this year. Well, the Israelis now say that Iran is building up its ballistic missile stockpile. So Netanyahu wants to to keep Trump on his side on all three of these fronts. Are we expecting any announcements today from President Trump? Well, one thing to watch is whether he's going to announce his Board of Peace or any of the steps toward getting an international force into Gaza.

One Israeli analysts who was a national security advisor under previous prime ministers, A. Al Hulata, says that, you know, Trump's approach has been in the past, announce big things before there are reality. Trump first says what needs to be done. and then declares that it has been done, and then things happen. We got all the hostages out in this way. So, you know, sometimes we're a bit critical and cynical about this, but so far, it has done the trick in Gaza. Maybe it will do it in the future.

So we'll see if it can do that trick again. The Israelis are also very conscious of the criticism they're facing from parts of Trump's MAGA movement. So that's something else that's driving Netanyahu to speak directly to Trump today. He needs this relationship for his own domestic purpose. One more quick question for you. Israel just recognized Somaliland as a country. Would you just tell us about the region and why Israel made this move? Yeah, I mean, the Israelis say that that's a stable Muslim region that's been autonomous for more than 30 years. It's a strategic place. If you look at threats coming from Yemen, now a lot of countries in the Arab world, though, are worried about something else that the Israelis may be looking for a place to send Palestinians from Gaza. Somaliland and Israel are downplaying that. Somalia and 20 other countries are protesting Israel's recognition. And this is going to be a topic for an emergency security council meeting later today. Somalia is on the Security Council

and taking over the presidency in January. That is NPR's Michelle Kellman from Jerusalem. Michelle, thank you. Thank you. poverty. For example, a network of local groups called Community Action Agencies connects about 15 million people with a long list of safety net programs. But the Trump administration's cutbacks and funding chaos have left them scrambling. NPR's Jennifer Ludden is here to tell us. Good morning, Jennifer. Hi, Michelle. So we've certainly heard all year about how this administration is trying to scale back one program or another. Where do these local groups fit into that? You know, they are on the front line of all of it. And we're talking about a thousand

local anti-poverty groups that date back to the 1960s, and they sign people up for, you know, housing, healthcare, food, heating aid, on and on, you name it. I visited one called Hapcap. It's in southeastern Appalachian, Ohio. And executive director Kelly Hadd has told me for her the chaos started in January. She called it the worst day in her career. It was when President Trump ordered a freeze on all spending. 80% of our funding comes from federal grants. When we got that news, we were in immediate emergency response mode. Like, what are we going to do? Michelle, they were about to lay off everyone at six Head Start centers when the White House then said head start was exempted. So it was a relief, but that whiplash, she says, really broke people's

trust. And the hits just kept coming. There were more funding cuts or pauses, sometimes reversals after legal action. The White House even proposed ending the block grant that funds these groups directly, even though they have had long-head bipartisan support. And at this point, Hadda says their biggest challenge is just sheer uncertainty, having no idea what might be targeted next. What has the Trump administration said about why it's doing this? So in a statement to NPR, the Office of Management and Budget said these anti-poverty programs fund, quote, radically partisan activities. It cited teaching toddlers to be anti-racist and using clean energy for environmental justice. It said President Trump ran on fiscal responsibility and ending wasteful DEI spending.

Have these anti-poverty groups been able to keep operating through all of this funding turmoil? Mostly, yes, they have. Haddis says the states really helped shift funding around to fill these gaps. But they've definitely had to pull back on some things, including plans to create a badly needed homeless shelter in Ohio. They're also losing staff who've gotten nervous about job cuts. and they have had to lay people off or cut back on their hours. And that includes Kelsey Sexton. She manages the front desk at Hapcapcap.

It cut my paychecks completely in half. You know, we have a mortgage, a car payment with Christmas coming. My husband was like, what are we going to do? And I'm like, I don't know. You know, these layoffs can be an extra blow in rural areas like this without a lot of other jobs. So these anti-pravity groups are a real driver for some local economies. Looking ahead, do we have any sense of whether this,

this is over, I mean, for these groups. After a year of all this turmoil, is there any sense that, you know, the worst might be over and things might calm down? I did not hear that from anyone. Again, just deep uncertainty and fear. And, you know, there are changes underway that could leave even more people in need. A major cuts to Medicaid and snap food aid will take hold next year. The Trump administration wants to scale back on rental aid, help for people leaving homelessness. And we see prices going up. and unemployment going up, right? One advocate who helps oversee these groups called this year's whole scramble so wasteful, she says it feels like reinventing the wheel just to keep things going, but she says that's what they'll keep doing as long as they have to. That is NPR's Jennifer Lutton. Jennifer, thank you. Thank you. And that's up first for Monday, December 29th. I'm Michelle Martin. And I'm Leila Faldin. The news you hear on Up First is possible because of support from listeners.

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