Up First from NPR - Ukraine on Prigozhin's Fate, US Official to China, More Songs of Summer

Episode Date: August 26, 2023

Ukrainians greet the apparent death of mercenary leader with gallows humor. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo seeks to reassure U.S. investors. Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus release new singles.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Ukrainians cheer the apparent death of mercenary leader Yevgeny Prokhozhin. His Wagner group carried out some of the heaviest attacks on their land. And now he's the butt of jokes and memes. I'm Aisha Roscoe. And I'm Scott Simon, and this is Up First from NPR News. We'll bring you the reaction from Kiev to the Wagner leader's apparent death. Plus, another top U.S. official heads to China. We'll bring you the reaction from Kiev to the Wagner leader's apparent death. Plus, another top U.S. official heads to China.

This time it's to reassure U.S. businesses shaken by recent investment restrictions. Plus, two pop sensations sing goodbye to summer. So please stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your weekend. 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. The Wagner Group supplied strong and determined fighters at the outset of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Now its leader, Yevgeny Prokosin, appears to be dead. President Zelensky of Ukraine pointed the finger at the Kremlin. He said at a press conference, quote, we had nothing to do with it. Everybody knows who did it. NPR's Brian Mann is in Kyiv this morning. Thank you for joining us. Thanks for having me. So Moscow's denying that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Prokoshen's death. What are you hearing from officials and civilians in Ukraine?

You know, I guess the best way to describe it, Ayesha, would be kind of gallows humor. There are a lot of darkly funny memes circulating on social media making fun of Prokosian's apparent fate. Remember, he's a guy who's viewed here with loathing. His Wagner forces often made up of freed prison inmates and criminals. They've been used as shock troops against Ukraine, accused of savage war crimes. with loathing his Wagner forces, often made up of freed prison inmates and criminals. They've been used as shock troops against Ukraine, accused of savage war crimes. So Progozhin's death is seen as a moment of real victory here. Here's President Zelensky joking about it with reporters. You know, when Ukraine said and addressed the countries of the world about planes,

we didn't mean that. You can hear him getting a laugh there. He says, when Ukraine asks the people of the world for help with airplanes, this isn't what we had in mind. He then went on to say more seriously that Prokosin's death would help Ukraine. If Prokosin is dead and that's not yet been confirmed, how much of a difference will that make on the battlefield? Well, Wagner troops were among the most effective units fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

They have been off the battlefield since Prokofiev's brief mutiny in June. So it's not like this is going to open a big new gap in Russia's defensive lines. But this does point again to the continuing disarray and infighting in Russia's top military leadership. There were also reports this week that Sergei Sorovikin, a top Russian Air Force general, may have been purged because of his ties to Prokhorin. By contrast, Ukrainians and their military command still appear really unified and really focused on winning this war. But at the same time, we've heard that Ukraine's counteroffensive is moving slowly. Is that still the case?

Yeah, I think that's right. The big picture is a slow and grim and bloody fight. Ukraine does appear to be pushing forward. Some military analysts believe they've opened some gaps in Russia's first big defensive line, especially in the south. But Russia laid these vast minefields and set up artillery batteries that have really slowed the Ukrainian advance. It stifled any big breakthrough. NPR has also reported this week that some U.S. officials are impatient with Ukraine for not concentrating their forces more, you know, trying to punch through in one chosen place. But Ukrainian officials right now are asking for patience. They insist, again, that they're making progress.

How's the morale among the Ukrainian people that you're talking to? Yeah, this is really interesting to me. I'm back in Ukraine, Aisha, after a full year away, and I expected to come back and find things a lot more grim, more exhaustion, more dissatisfaction with the pace of the war. And there is some of that. But overall, I've been surprised by how enthusiastic and driven Ukrainians still are. I just visited Shevchenkovo, a town near the Russian front lines, and even there where missiles hit regularly, where things are really dangerous. People told me they're 100% convinced Ukraine will win. They looked at moments like Prokosian's

death as hopeful signs. And, you know, for the first time, there have also been Ukrainian commando raids and concentrated drone attacks on Russian military bases in occupied Crimea. So people here point to all those as signs that Ukrainian forces are still on the attack, being creative and landing real blows. That's NPR's Brian Mann in Kyiv. Thank you so much, Brian. Good talking to you. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is flying to Beijing and Shanghai this weekend. Her trip's a sign the Biden administration still wants to encourage trade with China. Even though the president imposed additional restrictions on U.S. investments in that country just weeks ago. NPR's David

Gurra joins us now. David, thanks so much for being with us. Thanks for having me, Scott. What do U.S. business leaders hope to see as the Commerce Secretary travels to Beijing and Shanghai? So this relationship really started to sour during the last administration when the Trump White House imposed a raft of new trade restrictions. And President Biden has kept those tariffs in place and things have only gotten frostier as China has taken a more aggressive tack. Companies have been trying to navigate this. And what they want, first and foremost, Scott, is more clarity about Washington's approach. They also want to know more about what the rules of the

road are for businesses doing business in China. Right now, there's a lot of uncertainty and, frankly, a lot more risk. Business leaders hope Gina Raimondo will make good on something she promised them in a big speech on the White House's approach to China last year. It is on us and the government to provide clear guidance, consistent guidance, to be constantly in touch with you, to be transparent, to take your feedback, and to minimize the disruptive change. So this is a chance for the Secretary to do that at a time, Scott, when there's a lot of hawkish rhetoric from Congress suggesting the administration should take a harder line on China. David, what are some of the challenges that U.S. businesses have to contend with in China?

Well, the pandemic was so disorienting and disruptive for U.S. companies doing business in China. The country's zero COVID policy made travel all but impossible and led to these unpredictable lockdowns that disrupted manufacturing and disrupted trade. Beyond that, we've seen these tit-for-tat protectionist policies. The U.S. banned the export of certain microchips to China. Then China imposed restrictions on two rare elements that are used in high-tech manufacturing. All that's had a chilling effect, but the White House continues to argue the relationship between the U.S. and China is still incredibly important. How do companies and

investors navigate all the uncertainty? Well, the pandemic prompted many companies to take another look at supply chains. Apple and Google have reportedly encouraged suppliers to shift manufacturing elsewhere. And while that's continuing, according to a recent survey of U.S. companies doing business in China, almost three-quarters of them say they intend to stay put. And that showcases another reality. Despite the toughening rhetoric, these two countries still need each other, which is a big reason why we've seen so many high-level trips recently. Raimondo's trip comes after the Secretary of State, the Treasury Secretary, and the U.S. Climate Envoy have traveled to China. And executives are also making the pilgrimage, including Elon Musk and Tim Cook. Musk met with several high-ranking officials, and

Cook met with Raimondo's counterpart. David, how much does China really need the U.S. right now? Well, China's economic recovery post-pandemic has not been as strong as many economists expected. And we've seen a lot of warning signs lately about the health of the Chinese economy. This country has a huge middle class and it's forecast to grow by 300 million over the next decade. And there's also a transition underway, according to Gabriela Santos, a global strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. It's a fundamental change, she says, in the way U.S. companies approach China. They want to be there to sell their goods and services to Chinese consumers. It's no longer this idea of made in China for the rest of the world.

It's made in China for China. Hundreds of public companies in the U.S. have just updated investors on how they've performed recently, and many of them noted how much opportunity there is to sell all kinds of things, cosmetics, athleisure, exercise equipment, to this growing middle class. And one of Raimondo's goals is to make sure U.S. companies have access to that market. And there's David Gurra. Thanks so much. Thank you. August is winding down, but there's still time to hear a few more hit songs of the summer.

On Friday, two huge pop stars released new songs. Selena Gomez put out a track called Single Soon. I'm taking out this dress, trying on these shoes, cause I'll be single soon. I'll be single soon. And Miley Cyrus put out a song called Used to Be Young. I know I used to be crazy. I know I used to be fun. You say I used to be wild. I say I used to be young. So the song is called Used to Be Young. Miley Cyrus is now 30 years old.

Oof! Ouch! Sing! Stephen Thompson from NPR Music, who is, by the way, also aging gracefully, joins us now. Stephen, thanks so much for being with us. Thank you, Scott. It is a pleasure to be here. What do these songs have in common, do you think, in addition to the fact that they were released on the same day? Well, both Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus are former child stars. Both have been active since the early aughts.

Both of them have careers spanning more than 20 years, even though they themselves are only, you know, Miley Cyrus is 30 and Selena Gomez is 31. But they are industry veterans. And as pop stars, they're kind of both looking to make pivots to more adult sounds, not adult like raunchy, but adult like appealing to adult audiences. Let me ask you what you think about both of these songs and let's begin with Selena Gomez. Well, Single Soon is kind of a down-the-middle pop banger. You can imagine just like hearing it on the radio, listening to it while you're pre-gaming to go out. It's like a pre-breakup song

as she's preparing to dump someone. I know he'll be a mess when I break the news But I'll be single soon, I'll be single soon Music you can use, huh? Music you can use, huh? Music you can use. I mean, for me, listening to the song, one of the first things that popped into my head is how easy it is to imagine this song having a major presence on TikTok. It's got those kind of big going-out-to-night vibes, and that's always a really sturdy frame to hang a big hit pop song on.

And let me ask you about the Miley Cyrus song, which I will say in advance, I found quite moving. Yeah, I really love this song. I think it's easy for us to sit here and kind of laugh about somebody who's 30 singing a song called Used to Be Young, but that's a really universal part of being that age. You know, the first time I was lamenting how old I was, I was probably 26. But it's also specific to Miley Cyrus, who's been a tabloid fixture. And, you know, the song is addressing kind of the moments in her past that people have talked about. And, you know, she's always had such a rich, lustrous kind of belter's voice. I really like the fact that this song doesn't feel like it's trend-hopping. It feels really personal and real, like she's kind of seizing control of her own narrative. You even hear some of the echoes of kind of her country

roots in the arrangement. It feels relatable in a way that I think has a lot of power. If I may, I find she was singing in so many words. I used to be young. And you know what? Now I'm more wise. That's growing up. Exactly. Stephen Thompson, aging gracefully in place for NPR Music, joins us. Stephen, thanks so much for taking your vitamin B and joining us. We are all aging gracefully. Thank you, Scott. And that's Up First for Saturday, August 26, 2023. I'm Scott Simon.

And I'm Aisha Roscoe. Andrew Craig, Hiba Ahmad, and Fernando Naro-Roman produced this Saturday version of Up First. Mark Katkov, Rafael Nam, Lucy Perkins, and Matthew Sherman edited. Our director is Michael Radcliffe, with engineering support from Anna Glovna. Evie Stone is our senior supervising editor. Sarah Oliver is our executive producer and Jim Kane is our deputy managing editor. And thanks to all those wonderful people who also lend their talents to Weekend Edition. Up First is back tomorrow with a story about an Afghan mountain climber who immigrated to the U.S. And there's more news,

interviews, books, and music this weekend on the radio. Weekend Edition airs every Saturday and Sunday morning. You can find your NPR station at stations.npr.org.