Up First from NPR - Zelenskyy Sacks Defense Minister, Putin Meets Erdogan, Americans Celebrate Labor Day

Episode Date: September 4, 2023

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is replacing his defense minister. Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet his Turkish counterpart to revive the suspended grain deal. And Americans have the day off to celebrate Labor Day. 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 Rafael Nam, Mark Katkov and Peter Granitz. It was produced by Shelby Hawkins, Chad Campbell, Taylor Haney and Ziad Buchh. We get engineering support from Carleigh Strange . And our technical director is Neisha Heinis.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is shaking up the top ranks of his government. He says it's time for a new approach and a new leader of Ukraine's defense ministry. What's this mean for the ongoing counteroffensive against Russia? I'm Daniel Estrin, that's Leila Fadil, and this is Up First from NPR News. Russian leader Vladimir Putin will meet with his Turkish counterpart today. Could the meeting revive a vital deal that allows Ukraine to export its grain to the world? And workers in the U.S. are celebrating this Labor Day with a day off. And Americans say unions are stronger today than they were five years ago.

It's been a long time since this country has seen workers united like this. A long time. So stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has sacked the country's defense minister. The move comes after corruption scandals involving military contractors. It also comes near the end of a grinding and costly summer counteroffensive that so far has failed to bring major victories against Russia. NPR's Brian Mann is following developments in Kyiv and joins us now. Hi, Brian. Hey, good morning. Good morning. So this is being called

the biggest shakeup in Kyiv since the Russia invasion. Why this shakeup now? You know, Leila, in making this announcement, Zelensky wasn't specific about the timing, but he said change is needed. He says there the current defense minister, Alexei Reznikov, served during the first 550 days of this war. Then Zelensky says, I believe the ministry needs new approaches and other forms of interaction with the military and society at large. So clearly acknowledging some of that public dissatisfaction.

So new approaches. Let's talk about these corruption scandals. What were they? There have been two big scandals here. Journalists and government investigators found numerous cases where military contractors were inflating the prices of food procured for the military, often charging two to three times the market price for basics like eggs and cabbages. And there's been evidence some defense ministry officials were involved in that scheme. The government's also investigating a large number of cases where men allegedly paid bribes to avoid military service. Zelensky didn't blame Rezhnikov for those scandals, but he did make this announcement right after talking about the need for Ukraine

to keep cleaning up corruption and implementing better policies to root out crooked officials. And who will replace Rezhnikov? Well, this is interesting. Zelensky tapped a guy named Rustem Umarov. He's a member of parliament. He's also a Muslim Ukrainian, an ethnic Tatar with deep roots in Crimea. That's one of the regions occupied by Russia since 2014. Umarov's been involved in international negotiations surrounding the treatment of Tatars and Ukrainians living in occupied territories for years. Some of those talks apparently involved back-channel negotiations with Russians. He also took part in failed peace

talks that happened right after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. I should say this appointment needs approval by Ukraine's parliament, but that's expected to be a formality. Very interesting. It may really signal a new approach here. As we mentioned, this change also comes near the end of the summer's big counteroffensive. Ukraine hoped to score big gains pushing Russia back out of occupied lands in the east and south. But as we mentioned, progress has been slow. Did that play into this decision? Yeah, you know, everything here does ultimately come back to what's happening on the battlefield. Zelensky's been doing a lot of cheerleading lately, telling Ukrainians their army is gaining ground, promising that these sacrifices will pay off.

But there's anxiety over the pace of the war and the huge loss of Ukrainian lives. I spoke late yesterday with Oleksandr Shtupun, a spokesman for the Unified Military Command, where most of the heavy fighting is happening. He said Ukraine is gaining ground, but slowly and at a steep price. This isn't going to be an easy walk for our soldiers, Stepun said. The enemy's defensive structures are quite dense and a large amount of ammunition is needed to destroy them. So this is what Yumarov is going to face when he takes over a situation where progress is really slow. And we are close now

to the autumn rains that are going to turn this battlefield to mud, which means the chances for breakthroughs going forward will be even harder. NPR's Brian Mann with us from Kyiv. Thanks, Brian. Thank you. Global grain supplies are at stake in a meeting today between the leaders of Russia and Turkey. Yeah, Ukraine is among the world's top producers, but it faces Russia's invasion and a de facto sea blockade. For about a year, grain and fertilizer shipments were allowed to continue in a deal mediated by Turkey and the United Nations. In July, Russia canceled the deal, and now they're back at the table. NPR's Peter Kenyon joins us from Istanbul to discuss this. Hi, Peter.

Hello. So why does Turkey play such an important role in this? Well, there's a few reasons. Geographically, Turkey has long seen itself as a regional power, one that follows its own path. For instance, Turkey never joined the international sanctions against Russia after it invaded Ukraine. Turkey continues with relatively good ties to Moscow. It's continued trade and other contacts. The Russian tourists are back in droves here. In addition, Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has long sought to portray Turkey as a regional mediator. He took some credit for the agreement reached last year, the one Moscow pulled out of in July. So as things stand, Turkey remains a loyal, if sometimes difficult, NATO ally,

supporting a UN plan to ease this crisis while at the same time maintaining ties with Russia. I think the big question is what's possible here? What does it seem like Russia wants, and what can Turkey and the West offer? Yes, Moscow has been quite clear about what it sees as the problematic implementation of this grain deal. Russia had high expectations that the deal would provide a big boost to its own agricultural and other exports, which had been curtailed by sanctions. But Russian officials have complained that even under the deal, sanctions against Russia engaging in certain financial transactions, other restrictions like shipping, insurance, things like that, they've continued. Some people point out that Russian exports are in fact quite a bit higher than they were when the deal kicked in, but that doesn't seem to be good enough for Russia.

Now we know this grain is vital for global food supplies. So what happens if it and other commodities don't get moving again? Well, this grain deal has been a big benefit, not just to Ukrainian grain farmers, but also to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The United Nations has called it a major success in reducing the spike in prices we saw at the beginning of the war. So should this deal somehow collapse, should Russia resume a tougher blockade of Ukrainian cargo ships in the Black Sea? Experts say the prospect of food shortages in those regions would increase significantly. And then beyond that, some wonder if this grain deal breaks down, what else could that trigger?

A push for more sanctions against Moscow? Could Russia double down on its drive to occupy Ukraine or part of it? In that light, some analysts say a credible move to increase Russian exports beyond where they stand now could be seen as a sensible course of action. Others, of course, warn against appeasing Moscow. So we'll have to see how that plays out. So a lot at stake today and a lot at stake for people who need these food supplies. That's NPR's Peter Kenyon in Istanbul. Thank you so much for your reporting. Thanks, Leila.

On this Labor Day, organized labor is on the move. Walking picket lines in Hollywood, signing up new members, and in some cases celebrating wins at the bargaining table. Polls show public support for unions is close to its highest level in more than half a century. Organized labor still faces big obstacles, though. And for people who do not belong to a union, their bargaining power depends in large part on the overall health of the job market. We're going to spend a few minutes this morning talking about the state of labor with NPR's Andrea Hsu. Good morning, Andrea. Good morning, Leila. So during the pandemic, a lot of workers became newly interested in forming a union,

and we've seen high-profile efforts to organize workers at Starbucks cafes, Amazon warehouses. So what's been the result? Well, there has been a lot of organizing activity, but with mixed results. Workers petitioned for more than 2,500 union elections last year, the highest level in seven years. And it has slowed down a little bit this year. But last year, less than half of the union elections ended up in wins for the unions, and even fewer resulted in collective bargaining agreements, a union contract. And you know, Leila, unionizing efforts at Starbucks first got underway two years ago, and even fewer resulted in collective bargaining agreements, a union contract. And you know, Leila, unionizing efforts at Starbucks first got underway two years ago.

Since then, more than 300 stores have unionized, but not one of them has a contract. And I think that is one reason we have seen some slowdown in new organizing at Starbucks, because baristas just aren't seeing that there's been much gain for all their efforts. And meanwhile, they have seen the lengths that the company has gone to to dissuade people from unionizing. We've seen baristas fired, stores have been closed. And while this is illegal, the penalties are so minimal, they don't seem to be a deterrent. So a big risk and not much of a reward, it sounds like so far, a lot of roadblocks for those trying to form new unions. So what explains this continued enthusiasm? Well, public perception of unions has shifted a lot in the last few years. Not only are unions popular again, but a new Gallup poll found 34% of respondents believe unions are getting more powerful.

And that's a huge jump from just five years ago when only 19% thought unions were gaining strength. And you can kind of see what's behind the shift. This summer alone, pilots won big raises. UPS drivers got what the Teamsters calls the most lucrative contract in UPS history. And of course, the Biden administration is happy about this. Workers are gaining not only historic raises, but also big quality of life improvements. Here's Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su. I think that is continuing to inspire, you know, what people have called like a hot labor summer, right? You know, workers standing up. And the more we see that, I think the more we will see

the benefits of real worker power. Now, we should point out, though, that now is the perfect time for unions to be putting up big demands as these companies have been enjoying record profits. Unions have been feeling good about their wins, but how long their leverage lasts is unclear. The vast majority of workers in this country actually don't belong to a union. So what kind of leverage do non-union workers have? Yeah, nine out of 10 workers in this country don't belong to unions. But the thing that workers all over the country have going for them right now is the strong job market. Unemployment did rise a little bit last month, but it's still very low. Employers are still adding jobs, 187,000 jobs in August.

And competition for workers has pushed up wages, especially for low-wage workers. And all of that's good. But, Leila, it's proving to be not really any match for the power of collective bargaining. The Treasury Department issued a report last week that found, on average, unionized workers earn 10 to 15 percent more than workers who aren't part of a union, and they have better benefits. And of course, as industries are undergoing so much change, workers who are unionized are more likely to have a say in how those changes are made. So whether it's the transition to electric vehicles or the adoption of AI, you know, these are all things being discussed in union negotiations going on right now. And by the way, that same Gallup poll I mentioned found broad support for the union workers in these negotiations. And PR's Andrea Hsu. Thanks, Andrea.

You're welcome. Torrential rains put a serious damper on the Burning Man festival this year. Tens of thousands of revelers are stranded in the Nevada desert after heavy rainfall turned the annual week-long arts and countercultural event into a mud fest. Authorities are also confirming one death, which is under investigation. It's Daniel Vandenbark's second Burning Man, and he says unexpected weather is just part of the experience. I was here for the crazy heat, and now I'm here for the crazy rain, wind, and mud. Vandenbark, who's from Los Angeles, compared the wet soil in the Nevada desert to mixing concrete. It starts to get wet, and it just gets sticky.

It's a really unique experience. It sticks to your shoes, it sticks to your feet. It's very difficult to get off. You can't ride a bike on it, you can't really drive on it. It just, whatever it touches, it sticks on. The festival grounds were hit by over half an inch of rain on Friday night. Organizers closed access into and out of the temporary site for the remainder of the event, which officially ends today. 29-year-old Mimi Doe from Los Angeles was pitching in by frying up some bacon.

Seeing everybody come, like, doing something, I was like, well, I'm not going to be in my tent all day and just, like, you know, mope around. So I decided to just, like, yeah, make some food. It really encouraged me to, like, you know what, like, let's be a part of this and help everyone out. And even though her first Burning Man didn't exactly turn out as she hoped, Doe is certain that she will be back. It's the third Burning Man for Denver resident Gordon Graham.

He agrees the festival's sense of community sets it apart. I was not alerted of the rain. That was not in the brochure. But helping out your neighbors and being here for everybody, that was in the brochure. We know that. And I think everyone's really able to do that and excited to do that. 52-year-old Zachy Rubenstein said being stuck in the desert will make her grateful for the little things.

Well, I'm really, really going to appreciate bathrooms. And mine in particular. You know, when you live without them, you realize, oh, modern plumbing, that is a marvel. Yeah, this is why I don't camp. With more rain and thunderstorms drenching the festival area yesterday, organizers have asked attendees to conserve water and food and shelter in place for now. But there is one sliver of good news. A social media account associated with the Burning Man Project's website says the traditional climax of the festival,

the burning of a giant man-like structure, will happen tonight. And that's Up First for Monday, September 4th, Labor Day. I'm Leila Faldin. And I'm Daniel Estrin. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Raphael Nam, Mark Katkoff, and Peter Granitz. It was produced by Shelby Hawkins, Chad Campbell,

Taylor Haney, and Ziad Butch. We get engineering support from Carly Strange, You come to Up First for the news you need to know every morning. For a deeper dive on one big story, listen to Consider This in the Consider This feed right now. What to expect as tens of millions of federal borrowers begin paying back their student loans for the first time in more than three years. Listen to Consider This wherever you get your podcasts.