--:-- [Up First theme music fades out]
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: The Constitution guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the United States. President Trump tried to overturn that right and asked the Supreme Court to limit the power of judges to stop him. What are the arguments?
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: President Trump basked in the luxury offered by foreign governments. He also used U.S. troops as the audience for a campaign rally-style speech. What did his Mideast trip accomplish for the United States?
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: Franco Ordonez traveled with him and has an assessment. Also, Sean Combs' former girlfriend testified about their 11-year relationship. Cassie Ventura described a pattern of violence and control. What's the evidence that the record executive abused his power?
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day.
--:-- [Up First theme music continues]
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: This message comes from BetterHelp. President Fernando Madeira describes how BetterHelp Online Therapy has helped him.
--:-- President Fernando Madeira: For me, sometimes I just need to go and talk to somebody that is not going to judge me, right? It's going to be there and they're going to listen to me. And I can't start just saying, look, I'm not feeling right today. And it feels natural. I love it.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: To get matched with a therapist, visit BetterHelp.com slash NPR for 10% off your first month.
--:-- [Up First theme music continues]
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: This message comes from NPR sponsor AARP. Where do you see your career in 12 years? What are you doing now to help you get there?
--:-- AARP Representative: The sooner you start enhancing your skills, the sooner you'll be ready. That's why AARP has management, finance, and small business reskilling courses, all to help your income live as long as you do.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: Because the steps you choose to take today will help you love what you do in the future. Learn more at aarp.org slash skills.
--:-- [Up First theme music continues]
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: This message comes from NPR sponsor Adobe. Introducing the all-new Adobe Acrobat Studio, now with AI-powered PDF spaces.
--:-- Adobe Representative: Need to turn 100 pages of market research into five insights with a click? Templates for a sales proposal that'll close that deal, or an AI specialist to tailor the tone of your market report. You can do all that with the all-new Adobe Acrobat Studio.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: Learn more at adobe.com slash do that with Acrobat.
--:-- [Up First theme music fades out]
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: Judging by their questions in oral arguments, the Supreme Court seemed divided yesterday.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: Yeah, they went back and forth with lawyers for more than two hours about birthright citizenship. Lower courts have found it was unconstitutional for President Trump to try and erase that constitutional right by executive order.
--:-- Nina Totenberg: Hi there, Steve. So, Nina, what was the president trying to do, or his lawyers anyway?
--:-- Nina Totenberg: The Supreme Court ruled unanimously 127 years ago that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which was enacted after the Civil War, says unambiguously that all babies born in the United States are automatically U.S. citizens.
--:-- Nina Totenberg: President Trump, however, has always had his own interpretation. So on his first day in office this year, he issued an executive order declaring that the children of parents who entered the U.S. illegally or on a temporary visa are not entitled to automatic U.S. citizenship.
--:-- Nina Totenberg: Three different district court judges ruled that the executive order violated the Constitution In addition they issued temporary nationwide orders called universal injunctions that temporarily barred the enforcement of the Trump order anywhere in the country while the case is litigated in the appeals courts
--:-- Nina Totenberg: The Trump administration claiming that the judges had exceeded their authority, then went to the Supreme Court, asking it to block those nationwide injunctions.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: Yeah, I guess the argument is that the ruling in a lower court should only apply to the case that's in front of them. And in fairness, some justices do not seem to have liked nationwide injunctions in the past.
--:-- Nina Totenberg: Correct. But yesterday, they didn't seem so certain, especially after Trump's Solicitor General, John Sauer, reiterated the president's view that the 14th Amendment only applies to former slaves and their children.
--:-- Nina Totenberg: Justice Sotomayor asked whether if a new president ordered the military to confiscate all guns in the country, would the courts have to sit back and wait until every person whose gun is taken files a lawsuit?
--:-- Nina Totenberg: Justice Kagan then followed up asking Sauer about Trump's birthright executive order known as an EO. Let's just assume you're dead wrong. How do we get a single rule of citizenship that is not the rule that we've historically applied rather than the rule that the EO would have us do?
--:-- Nina Totenberg: Later, when Solicitor General Sauer hedged on whether the administration is committed to abiding by any court ruling, Justice Barrett leaned forward in her chair asking him whether the administration would abide by appeals court orders.
--:-- Nina Totenberg: Sauer responded this way. There are circumstances when it is not a categorical practice. Interesting that he is questioned there by a Trump appointee.
--:-- Nina Totenberg: He says maybe we would follow appeals court orders, maybe not. How did the justices respond to that? I don't think that answer went down very well.
--:-- Nina Totenberg: Here's Justice Kavanaugh, for instance, asking a series of practical questions. What do hospitals do with a newborn? What do states do with a newborn? The federal officials will have to figure that out, replied Sauer. We just don't know.
--:-- Nina Totenberg: Justice Jackson then interjected. Your argument seems to turn our justice system into a catch-me-if-you-can kind of regime where everybody has to have a lawyer and file a lawsuit in order for the government to stop violating people's rights.
--:-- Nina Totenberg: When Sauer suggested that litigants could bring class actions instead of individual lawsuits, lawyer Jeremy Feigenbaum, representing the state, said that would produce, quote, unprecedented chaos on the ground.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: Nina, sometimes you can listen to the justices' questions and predict how they're going to rule. Are you able to predict this time?
--:-- Nina Totenberg: Nope. We'll just have to keep listening then.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: What did the United States gain from President Trump's first state trip overseas in a second term? He's returning from a tour through the Persian Gulf region.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: Franco Ordonez traveled with him and has an assessment. Also, Sean Combs' former girlfriend testified about their 11-year relationship. Cassie Ventura described a pattern of violence and control. What's the evidence that the record executive abused his power?
--:-- Franco Ordonez: I've been doing this for four days. I leave now and get onto a 42-year-old Boeing. But new ones are coming. New ones are coming.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: President Trump has talked about accepting a luxury Boeing aircraft from the Qatari royal family to use until a new fleet of planes is ready for Air Force One, raising concerns about ethics and security back home.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: He's also coming back without much to show on the biggest diplomatic challenge in the region, the war in Gaza.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordonez has been traveling with the president. And such a whirlwind trip, Franco, that when I asked you a moment ago, where are you, it took you a couple seconds to recall, which is perfectly understandable.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: But we're glad you're with us from where? I am in Abu Dhabi in the UAE Got it
--:-- Franco Ordonez: And what struck you from this trip Well I mean what struck me from this trip is just how dramatically the leaders pulled out all the stops for Trump.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: I mean, you had the fighter jets escorting Air Force One as it landed in Riyadh and later in Doha. You had the military receptions, the Arabian forces, you had the camels. And the president really signed to love it all.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: But I was also struck by how little discussion there was about the crisis in Gaza, where Israel really keeps escalating its strikes and is promising an even greater offensive once Trump leaves.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Well, what did the president focus on? Well, he focused on business. I mean, in his first big speech on the trip, he said he was not there to lecture the region on how it should handle its affairs.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: But Trump ultimately could not entirely avoid the Gaza crisis, which I just noted is the biggest issue affecting the region right now. And yesterday, he again suggested that the U.S. take over Gaza and develop the land.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: He was actually at a business roundtable in Doha, and he told reporters that there was nothing left to save in Gaza. I think I'd be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone, let some good things happen, put people in homes where they can be safe, and Hamas is going to have to be dealt with.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Now, Steve, it's an idea that Arab nations, including his host this week, have strongly opposed. And I'll just add that he did offer an olive branch to Syria, a diplomatic one, agreeing to lift sanctions at the request of the Saudi's crown prince.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: OK, so there's Gaza, there's Syria, a separate issue. And then there's the matter of the war in Ukraine, because the president said he might go to Turkey, where some of his officials are trying to negotiate an end of the war.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Is he going to stop there? Well, I mean, it doesn't look like it. Russian President Vladimir Putin didn't show up, and Trump said he doesn't think anything will happen until he meets with Putin directly.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Trump did say this morning that they will meet as soon as a time can be set up. He mentioned, actually, that he may have gone today to Turkey, but he needs to get back and meet the newest member of the Trump family. His daughter, Tiffany, just had a baby.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Any other lasting takeaways for you? I mean, one thing I'm really still processing is this speech that Trump gave yesterday to service members at an Air Force base outside Doha.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: You know, usually presidents don't get too political when they're talking to troops, but Trump gave what amounted to a campaign speech.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: I mean, he called the Biden administration evil. He said the troops were making America great again, you know, using his slogan. He walked onto the stage to his campaign music. He walked off his stage to the campaign music. So it was just very unusual for a president.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: Franco, thanks so much for the insights and safe travels home. Thanks always, Steve. And Pierre's Franco Ordonez in Abu Dhabi.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: In this country, the sex trafficking trial of Sean Combs began this week. So far, three witnesses have taken the stand. One of them, Combs' ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, testified that their relationship was marked by violence and blackmail.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: NPR's Isabella Gomez Sarmiento has been in the courthouse and joins us. We will be getting into allegations of physical and sexual assault in the next three and a half minutes.
--:-- Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: So basically, prosecutors are alleging that Combs forced two of his ex-girlfriends into these highly orchestrated sexual performances that were fueled by drug use.
--:-- Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: They're saying he ran a criminal enterprise that not only enabled but concealed those sex crimes along with other illegal activities.
--:-- Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: A mentioned Cassie Ventura What have you heard from her She has shared a lot She really painted a picture of pervasive control and violence over the 11 relationship that she shared with Combs
--:-- Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: So first she testified that Combs demanded that she participate in sexual encounters with male escorts that Combs would choreograph, watch, and film.
--:-- Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: Ventura said that he would allegedly blackmail her with these videos. And then she also testified about how Combs was physically abusive towards her for years.
--:-- Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: The government showed photos of bruising and other injuries that Ventura said resulted from his beatings.
--:-- Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: So she said she loved Combs, but that he could also be scary. And she just didn't feel like she could safely leave that relationship.
--:-- Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: I would imagine that is a key part of any prosecution case, not just what you did, but how you did it. Did someone feel coerced or overcome by someone's power?
--:-- Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: How does this testimony relate to the formal charges, which are sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation for prostitution?
--:-- Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: Yeah. I mean, so like you were saying, Ventura testified that Combs wielded a lot of power over her, that power was professional, it was financial, emotional, physical, and that he used that to coerce her into this sex that she didn't want to participate in.
--:-- Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: She also spoke a lot about how Combs requested that she hire male escorts and arrange travel for them, so that connects to those prostitution charges.
--:-- Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: And she detailed how his employees were allegedly at his beck and call to help commit and cover up these crimes.
--:-- Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: What happened when Combs' defense lawyers had an opportunity to cross-examine her? So, I mean, off the bat earlier this week, the defense admitted that Combs has been violent, but they say he didn't coerce or traffic anyone.
--:-- Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: So when they began cross-examining Ventura, they relied heavily on text message evidence. They had her read out loud these loving, caring texts she exchanged with Combs over the years.
--:-- Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: The defense is really trying to establish grounds for consent. So they also had her read texts in which she was agreeing to, or at least planning logistics for those sexual performances.
--:-- Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: Basically, they're trying to suggest she was doing all of this willingly. And if she wanted to, she could have walked away.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: Isabella, thanks for the update. Really appreciate it.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: That's NPR's Isabella Gomez-Sarmiento. And that's Up First for this Friday. Friday, May 16th.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: I'm Steve Inskeep. And I'm A. Martinez. Don't forget, Up First airs on the weekend, too. Aisha Roscoe and Scott Simon have all the news.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: You can find it wherever you find podcasts. Today's Up First was edited by Krishnadev Kalamer, Jacob Gantz, Roberta Rampton, Ali Schweitzer, and Alice Wolfley.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: It was produced by Anna Perez, Nia Dumas, and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Hines.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: Our technical director is Carly Strange. And our executive producer is Jay Shaler.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: Join us Monday.
--:-- [Up First theme music fades in]
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: This message comes from ZipRecruiter. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Unless you use ZipRecruiter.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: ZipRecruiter doesn't depend on candidates finding you. It finds them for you. That's why four out of five employers who post a job on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day.
--:-- Host: Steve Inskeep: And right now, you can try ZipRecruiter for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash zip. That's ZipRecruiter.com slash Z-I-P.
