Up First from NPR - U.S. Air Strikes in Middle East, Tech Testimony, Texas Border Dispute

Episode Date: February 3, 2024

The U.S. attacked 85 targets in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for the deaths of three American servicemembers last weekend. Tech executives were grilled at a Capitol Hearing. And the scene at a park in Eagle Pass, Texas, where federal and state authorities are each seeking control over the border.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The U.S. has begun its retaliation for a drone attack that killed three soldiers in the Middle East last weekend. A massive rocket barrage hit more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria yesterday. I'm Alyssa Nadwarny. And I'm Scott Simon, and this is Up First from NPR News. The Biden administration says it's trying to deter future attacks while also avoiding escalating the conflict. But will it? Meanwhile, anti-immigrant protesters gather this weekend at Eagle Pass, Texas. It's the scene of a legal battle between the federal government and the Texas National Guard, which has cordoned off a city park.

They've basically taken over our property. This is our community. That's our park. They've basically taken over our property. This is our community. That's our park. Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your weekend. Now, Our Change will honor 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. U.S. missiles targeted Iran-backed forces that are thought to be behind attacks on U.S. bases. The bombs fell on Syria and Iraq.

NPR's Jane Araf joins us from Baghdad. Jane, thanks for being with us. Thank you, Scott. What do we know about the 85 targets the Pentagon says it attacked, some in Iraq? Well, there were Iran-linked sites that were near the Iraq-Syria border. That's more than a couple of hundred miles from Baghdad. So not a huge reaction here, the way there would have been had they hit bigger cities. Almost all of them were related to members of the loose coalition of Iran-backed militias that calls itself the Resistance. The Iraqi government, of course, in a difficult position in between pressure from Iraq-backed

partners, Iran-backed partners rather, to get rid of U.S. forces and that fear that they'll be sucked into a war between Iran and the United States. Where did the strikes actually hit? They were focused on a strategic area in Iraq's western al-Anbar province and across the border into Syria. Strategic because it's where Iran-backed militias and Iranian forces set up bases, both to counter a large ISIS presence there and to maintain a corridor between Iraq and Syria, whose government is allied with Iran. We reached the mayor of the city of Al-Qaim, near the Syrian border, where many of the targets were.

He spoke to us on a rather scratchy phone line. Turkey's Mohammad Khalaf, the mayor, says 21 people were taken to the Al-Qaim Hospital for injuries sustained in the bombings. He says at least one civilian was killed and three injured. But he did say that since they were expecting the airstrikes, a lot of the residents had evacuated. An Iraqi government spokesman, Scott, says 16 fighters and civilians were killed in the strikes on the Iraqi side of the border and about 25 more people injured. And Jane, what reaction from the Iraqi government? Well, there's strong statement from the prime minister's spokesman saying, contrary to what the U.S. has said, it did not tell the Iraqi government in advance of the airstrikes.

Bassam al-Awadi called the strikes a blatant aggression, which puts Iraq and the region, quote, on the brink of abyss. And importantly, he says the presence of U.S.-led forces in Iraq is itself now a threat, which means even more pressure on U.S. troops to leave. But Scott, we have to remember this is not happening in isolation from the war in Gaza. This coalition of groups that calls itself the Islamic Resistance have intensified their attacks since that war between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas began. The militias say they'll stop attacks when the Gaza war stops. What happens now? Well, everyone says they don't want a wider war, but there are

so many flashpoints now in the region that the worry is, even if no one necessarily wants that wider conflict, continued large attacks and the demand to respond could have unintended consequences. And here's Jane Araf in Baghdad. Jane, thanks so much. Thank you. Just hours before the announcement of the retaliatory strikes yesterday, President Biden traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The president joined the families of three U.S. soldiers who were killed last weekend as their remains arrived on U.S. soil. NPR political correspondent Susan Davis joins us now. Sue, thanks for being with us. Good morning. Hey, good morning. President

Biden said in a statement, quote, the United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world, but let all those who might seek to do us harm know this. If you harm an American, we will respond. So how do you walk that line between a retaliation that is a deterrent, but also doesn't set off a huge escalation? Yeah, I mean, the administration is clearly trying to send a message that they do not want to see an escalation in the Middle East. And there is no indication that there's public support in the US for that either. But as our national security team reported, this was the deadliest attack on American troops in the Middle East in about a decade. And that simply is not going to happen without a U.S. military response. All told, U.S. officials say there were 85 targets hit across

seven locations in Iraq and Syria, but notably, Alyssa, not in Iran, despite that being the nation that has trained and supported the very militia groups that targeted U.S. soldiers. So that's a pretty clear indication that Biden is trying to limit the escalation. There are Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill who would like to see him strike Iran, but there is reluctance to do that. I would note that administration spokesman John Kirby last night on a call with reporters said that the response began last night, but that quote, it would not end tonight. So there obviously could be more coming. And are there skeptics on both sides of the aisle about the president exceeding his war making powers? Sure. I mean, there is long simmering discontent on Capitol Hill from both the right and left that the president is continuing to

use those 2001 and 2002 era war authorizations to justify these kind of strikes. But the reality is Congress has the power to repeal them, and they haven't because they don't have the majorities to do so. So until that happens, this president, like every president since George W. Bush, has the legal authority to conduct this exact type of military operation. So the president was in Michigan on Thursday. I mean, Michigan has union members, black voters, white working class voters, American Muslims. That is a state that displays some of the political complexities that the president is going to confront this fall, right, in the election. Oh, absolutely. And keep in mind this, Michigan is one of the seven states that was decided by

three points or less in 2020. Biden won it in 2020, but it's likely to be that close again. And Donald Trump's really competitive there. These are states that are one on the margin. So shifts within any number of those groups you mentioned is critical to the outcome. But Biden got a big lift this week. He was endorsed by the United Auto Workers. It's maybe not a shock that they're endorsing a Democratic president, but it's an indication of the kind of support he's building on the ground. Because it's not the endorsement itself that matters. It's what it carries. And that's money, voter mobilization, door knocking campaigns, get out the vote operations, all of those structural advantages that can make a really big difference in the closing weeks of a tight race. But to be clear, Biden has a lot of work to do in a state like Michigan.

Donald Trump has a deep reservoir of support in the state, especially among white working-class voters. He's won more labor support than past presidents. And frankly, he's been leading in many of the early polls in the states to date. Let's turn now to tech executives. They got grilled on Capitol Hill on Wednesday for the effect of social media on children and young people. Are Mark Zuckerberg and other social media executives now in the same position as tobacco executives, kind of accused of marketing a product that they know is harmful? You know, that's probably a fair comparison. This is an industry that has no friends

in Washington right now. It was almost a public shaming of these executives, which is really rare to see of any industry. But this is an issue that connects with American families in a really visceral way. Anyone with school-age kids in their home is feeling the effects of social media in some capacity. But look, this is like the war authority debate.

Congress is not powerless here. They could play a role. They have the ability to pass laws and tougher regulations on this industry, and they've chosen not to. So senators were certainly channeling a bit of public rage this week, but unless and until they pass laws, it's still going to be up to these industries to essentially police themselves. Yeah, fascinating. What is the latest on negotiations concerning legislation to secure the U.S.-Mexico border? Well, they have a deal, but it's unclear if they have the votes. The deal was reached by Senators Chris Murphy. He's a Democrat from Connecticut and James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma. They haven't released the terms of it yet, but the Senate's expected to vote on it this week. This is going to be a put up or shut up moment for Republicans. They provoked this negotiation. They've made demands and Democrats have ceded to a lot of those demands to secure the border. But Donald Trump doesn't like it and doesn't think it's going to help him win. So his allies in Congress are going to have to make a call this week whether they want to try to fix a border problem that they say is a severe threat to national security or keep the political fight going and try to win an election this

November. Wow, a lot going on. Thank you so much, NPR's Susan Davis. Oh, you're very welcome. A city park in Eagle Pass, Texas has become the center of a dispute over who controls the U.S.- Mexico border. Texas Governor Greg Abbott says Texas does and has deployed the Texas National Guard to patrol the park and keep out federal agents. Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies joins us from Eagle Pass. David, thanks for being with us. Good morning, Scott. What does Eagle Pass look like now? Well, it's a border town, 150 miles southwest of San Antonio, overwhelmingly Mexican-American. Shelby Park is where the community gathered for festivals and soccer and softball, but now that park is off limits to the public. It's been militarized. There are

members of the Texas National Guard patrolling in armored vehicles there. They're there because the park fronts about two and a half miles of the Rio Grande. Governor Abbott has sealed the park off from the rest of the city with razor wire, and on the riverside, he's made a wall of steel cargo containers. The park has become a command center for the state's Operation Lone Star, a multi-billion dollar anti-migration effort. The entrance of the park has now a patrol of well-armed members of the Texas National Guard, and they're keeping the U.S. Border Patrol out of the park, except they can still use the boat ramp that's in the U.S. Border Patrol out of the park, except they can still use the boat ramp that's in the park, but the Border Patrol agents are prevented from

operating inside the park, so asylum-seeking migrants can't surrender to them right there. David, what do some of the residents of Eagle Pass with whom you've been able to speak think about this dispute and the sudden attention in their community? Well, they're not happy about it for a number of reasons. I've heard some say this attention and anti-migrant rhetoric makes them feel very unsafe as it's attracting a lot of anti-Biden protesters. Jesse Fuentes lost his river outfitting business to the park takeover. He says Abbott has turned Shelby Park into a fort. They've basically taken over our property. This is our community. That's our park. And look, look at that. I see tents. I see they're fortifying. There's tons of new panels out there.

The fence panels that he's referring to are for adding more razor wire. The U.S. Supreme Court last week cleared the way for federal agents to be able to cut their state's razor wire. Governor Abbott, though, has so far signaled that he will defy that court ruling. And Flint has told me the community wants their park back. This is a place families go for special events. David, this dispute's been called a standoff between the Biden administration and the state of Texas. Is it from what you've been able to see? Well, there's been a lot of over-the-top language used to describe what's going on, and the Border Patrol still has access to everywhere else on the Texas border, so it's not keeping

them from protecting the southern border. And that's important because the migrants are not crossing here at Shelby Park in the large numbers that they were before the new year. But this is not a civil war or a battle. It's a dispute that's working its way through the courts. And that's happening now. It's largely symbolic and political. There are people on the

right who want the TV cameras pointed at the border, and this does just that. But that's not stopping the claim that this is a big showdown over the border. And that's why this big convoy of pro-Trump, anti-illegal immigration activists are here this weekend. Well, what do you know about the convoy who's taking part? What are their objectives? Well, the organizers claim there are thousands of them here. I haven't seen that. Maybe there's hundreds. These are militia types, Christian nationalists, a mix of conspiracy theorists and election deniers. It's not clear what they're trying to achieve other than draw attention to themselves. And tomorrow, Governor Greg Abbott is having an event with 14

other Republican governors in Shelby Park. They claim Biden is deliberately not securing the border, and that gives them the constitutional authority to take matters into their own hands. Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies in Eagle Pass, Texas. David, thanks so much. Thank you so much. And that's Up First for Saturday, February 3rd, 2024. I'm Alyssa Nadwarny. And I'm Scott Simon. Michael Radcliffe produced today's podcast with Andrew Craig and Gabe O'Connor. Our editors include Jerry Holmes, Ed McNulty, Eric Westerfeld, and Matthew Sherman. Our director is Danny Hensel. Our technical director is Hannah Glovna. And we've had engineering support from Carly Strange, Nisha Hynes, and Phil Edfors.

Evie Stone is our senior supervising editor. Sarah Lucy Oliver is our executive producer. Steve Drummond and Sierra Crawford are our deputy managing editors. Tomorrow on Up First, a look behind NPR's beloved Tiny Desk series. Over the past 16 years, the series has introduced listeners to numerous emerging artists, as well as some well-established ones like Taylor Swift and Alicia Keys. Oh, I'd say they're established. And of course, for more news, interviews, books, music, and just plain fun, you can tune into Weekend Edition this very weekend.

Find your NPR station at stations.npr.org.