--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Leila Fadel: I feel like I'm yelling. I'm going to try not to yell.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Oh, I don't think you're yelling. But then again, to me, that's like normal speech. Like, I'm from New York.
--:-- Leila Fadel: So, you know, that's like I love you. You will hear the news! Okay. Tonight will be the first time a president and a former president debate each other. And it's the first presidential debate of the election season.
--:-- Michelle Martin: What will the two candidates try to do on that debate stage?
--:-- Leila Fadel: I'm Michelle Martin, that's Leila Fadel, and this is Up First from NPR News.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Aside from preparing for tonight's debate, President Biden is also pardoning nearly 2,000 veterans. They're U.S. vets who were criminally charged or removed from service because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Why is this happening more than a decade after Don't Ask, Don't Tell was repealed?
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Plus, there was a dramatic failed coup in Bolivia yesterday that ended with a top military commander in prison.
--:-- Leila Fadel: We'll get into the details and what it means for this South American nation.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
--:-- Announcer: This message comes from BetterHelp. President Fernando Madeira describes how BetterHelp online therapy has helped him.
--:-- 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.
--:-- Announcer: To get matched with a therapist, visit betterhelp.com slash NPR for 10% off your first month.
--:-- Announcer: This message comes from NPR sponsor Adobe. Introducing the all-new Adobe Acrobat Studio, now with AI-powered PDF spaces.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: When President Biden and former President Donald Trump take the stage tonight, it will mark the first time a sitting president and a former president have ever debated.
--:-- Michelle Martin: CNN is hosting the first presidential debate of this election season at its Atlanta studios.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: The candidates are expected to discuss a range of issues that have already surfaced on the campaign trail, including inflation, the border, abortion and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
--:-- Leila Fadel: NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordonez is here to talk about the politics, policies, and personalities.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Good morning. Good morning, Leila. So Franco, let's start with the big picture, the debate. What do each of the campaigns hope to get out of it, which is happening pretty early this election season?
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Very early. And, you know, each of them is really trying to kind of shake up the trajectory of this election. I mean, that really not many Americans are enthusiastic about.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: I mean, Biden really wants to show that he can still command the stage. And his team really wants to draw a clear contrast between him and Trump. I mean, they want Americans to see this race less as kind of a referendum on his own policies and more of a clear choice between his vision and that of Trump's.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: So what about Trump's vision? What is he selling the American people tonight?
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Well, Trump, I mean, he also wants a contrast. But for him, it's about his four years in office versus how people now feel under Biden His team sees this as a chance to kind of show Trump as a vigorous leader while painting Biden as older and weaker
--:-- Franco Ordonez: And again he also understands the power of TV and he's looking for a physical contrast as well as a mental one and one about policy.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Yeah, even though they're a few years apart here, where do you expect Biden and Trump to attack each other?
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Well, Trump's going to attack Biden on the economy, particularly inflation. Trump will also zero in on the border.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Biden wants more of a conversation on protecting democracy as well as abortion and reproductive rights, which has really been a big issue for Democrats ever since Roe v. Wade was overturned two years ago.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Now, there's a bit of a new format, no audience. Muted mics play into the debate. Trump feeds off an audience. I imagine a muted mic might hurt him as well.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Yeah. I mean, most political strategists agree that the format will largely hurt Trump because of those reasons about how he feeds off large crowds.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: But some Republicans actually tell me that the mute button could actually help Trump temper some of his worst instincts.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: They really feel Trump kind of lost his first debate four years ago because he kind of bulldozed over Biden, and he won't be able to do that this time.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: John McHenry, a pollster with North Star Opinion Research, told me that many Americans really like Trump's policies, but just not his abrasiveness. That's sort of the hang up.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: And if he can overcome that in this first debate, that makes this a very long climb back for Joe Biden heading into the fall.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Will he overcome that? Will Trump hold back? I mean, it might be wishful thinking. I mean, he sure wasn't indicating that he'd play along when he was talking this weekend in Philadelphia.
--:-- Michelle Martin: How should I handle him? Should I be tough and nasty or should I be?
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Should I be tough and nasty and just say you're the worst president in history or should I be nice and calm and let him speak?
--:-- Franco Ordonez: And I can tell you that Biden campaign is preparing for a more disciplined Trump this evening.
--:-- Michelle Martin: How is the Trump team preparing? I mean, look, they are almost praising Biden right now, calling him a worthy debater, which is really a clear effort to kind of flip the script after setting the bar so low for Biden.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: I mean, for months, Trump has been charging that Biden can barely walk or even stitch two sentences together. And now they're claiming the media is lowering the bar. So really a lot of mudslinging.
--:-- Leila Fadel: NPR's Franco Ordonez. Thanks, Franco.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Thanks, Leila.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Join us tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Pacific for live special coverage of the CNN presidential debate simulcast on NPR News.
--:-- Michelle Martin: President Biden is pardoning thousands of American veterans.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Yes, the pardons affect LGBTQ+ veterans who had been criminally charged and removed from service because of their sexual orientation.
--:-- Anne Marshall Chalmers: In a statement, President Biden said he was, quote, writing an historic wrong by using my clemency authority to pardon many former service members who were convicted simply for being themselves, unquote.
--:-- Michelle Martin: With me now for more on this is Anne Marshall Chalmers, an investigative journalist at the War Horse, a nonprofit newsroom that covers the military.
--:-- Anne Marshall Chalmers: Thanks for being here. Good morning.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Good morning. So I want to start with the why now. It's been over a decade since part of a federal law known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell, which made it a crime to be openly LGBTQ in the military, that was repealed.
--:-- Anne Marshall Chalmers: Yeah, I think that's a question on a lot of people's minds, because as you said, you know, this sort of the latest anti-LGBTQ policy that was within the military Don Ask Don Tell was repealed long ago.
--:-- Anne Marshall Chalmers: Administration officials would only say that this is something he been thinking about for a very long time. It is Pride Month so that could have been you know something that spurred his decision to do this, but it's still a little unclear as to why now.
--:-- Michelle Martin: And for people who might not remember, just remind us what exactly changed in federal law in 2013.
--:-- Anne Marshall Chalmers: Right, so prior to that, in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, there was this one article in there called Article 125 that outlawed sodomy or, quote, unnatural copulation, even in consensual relationships.
--:-- Anne Marshall Chalmers: And in 2013, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, that language around consensual same-sex relationships was taken out.
--:-- Anne Marshall Chalmers: But before that, you know, for 60 years, even in same-sex relationships, if someone was discovered as gay, that could lead to convictions, even prison time, and a lifetime being blocked from veterans' benefits.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Now, you've spoken to gay veterans who were hurt by this law. When they heard this announcement, what did they think?
--:-- Anne Marshall Chalmers: You know, initially there's an excitement, right? I mean, this is a historic move. This is something that acknowledges, you know, a very painful, discriminatory past within the military.
--:-- Anne Marshall Chalmers: At the same time, you know, it should be noted that this pardon is pretty narrow. It only applies to veterans who were convicted under that Article 125.
--:-- Anne Marshall Chalmers: I've looked through court-martial cases going back to the 1950s, and a lot of times veterans who were discovered in a same-sex relationship were charged under things like lewd and lascivious acts or indecent acts, and that pardon doesn't apply to them.
--:-- Anne Marshall Chalmers: Those folks will have to actually apply for a pardon through the Department of Justice in an individual manner. So this sort of blanket clemency does not apply for them.
--:-- Michelle Martin: And really quickly, what has the military said about the clemency announcement, or how has it responded?
--:-- Anne Marshall Chalmers: Yeah, you know, they haven't really provided any sort of comment. They did point reporters to a newly created website as of yesterday that has all sorts of resources for veterans interested in a pardon and how to go about that.
--:-- Michelle Martin: And Marshall Chalmers, an investigative journalist with The War Horse, thank you so much.
--:-- Anne Marshall Chalmers: Thank you.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Up next, we go to the South American country of Bolivia, where a top military general attempted to overthrow the government.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Yes, the chaotic episode unfolded yesterday over a period of about three hours.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: Armed soldiers stormed the governmental palace in the administrative capital, La Paz, at one point ramming the front door with an armored vehicle.
--:-- Leila Fadel: The failed coup was put down quickly and a top general was arrested.
--:-- Michelle Martin: For more on the turmoil, we turn to NPR South America correspondent Carrie Kahn.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: Hi, Carrie.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Hi. So, sounds like a fast and furious turn of events in Bolivia. What do we know about this general and his attempts to oust the current president in government?
--:-- Carrie Kahn: His name is Juan Jose Zuniga, and until recently he was the top military commander of the armed forces, and he was just stripped of that command.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: He came to the main governmental plaza in La Paz late yesterday. He was flanked by soldiers, mass security personnel, and several armored vehicles.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: He was asked if he was overthrowing the government, and he rambled on about saving the country, releasing political prisoners, and vowing to install a real democracy.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: He said the people have no future, and the army does not, quote, lack the balls to fight for our children's tomorrow.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: This is all being broadcast live on TV. And at one point this armored vehicle just started ramming the front door of the palace.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: There was also a tense confrontation between the general and the president Luis Arce who ordered the general out of the public square and called the people to the streets.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Wait so did the general just turn around and leave?
--:-- Carrie Kahn: Pretty much so.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: The president held a brief ceremony, appointed a new commander. Arce criticized what he called bad soldiers and praised the new leader.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: As soon after, the general was arrested again live on TV, and Arce came out and rallied supporters.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: He thanked the people of Bolivia for supporting democracy, and the crowd began singing the national anthem.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Wow, I'm just trying to get my head around all of these turns in just three hours.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: Were there any indications that such drama and attempted coup was going to take place?
--:-- Carrie Kahn: Bolivia has been wracked by protests, mostly about the dismal economy that's struggling. There's a scarcity of dollars and food shortages.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: Arce is unpopular and has been accused of making some undemocratic moves, especially with the opposition. Some are in jail. And he's locked in this very public political fight with his once mentor, the former leftist president of Bolivia, Evo Morales.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: They're fighting over control of the ruling party and who will be next year's presidential candidate.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Eduardo Gamara, Bolivia expert at Florida International University, says this win over the failed coup will probably boost the president's popularity, but just temporarily.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: He still has the worst economy in the last at least 25 years. And now there's a crisis of basic food supplies, and especially in the city of La Paz.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: And the president still has to deal with the very popular Evo Morales, who can mobilize large groups of supporters.
--:-- Michelle Martin: And so what happens now, especially with that general?
--:-- Carrie Kahn: The attorney general has opened an investigation into the coup and says there will be more arrests of those who participated.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: There's already a lot of speculation and conspiracies milling about who ordered the coup and why did the general and his troops back down so quickly.
--:-- Michelle Martin: And given Bolivia's history of coups and attempted coups, this run-up to the presidential elections will undoubtedly be a rocky one.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: NPR South America correspondent Carrie Kahn. Thank you so much, Carrie.
--:-- Carrie Kahn: You're welcome.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Before we let you go this morning, we do have one more story for you. A Supreme Court opinion, which was briefly posted on the court's website yesterday, indicated that the court will temporarily allow abortions in medical emergencies in Idaho.
--:-- Michelle Martin: It's unclear, however, whether the inadvertently posted opinion, which was first reported by Bloomberg News, is the court's final decision.
--:-- Leila Fadel: More Supreme Court opinions are expected to be released today.
--:-- Michelle Martin: While we wait for a final confirmation from the court, you can follow up on this story and others at NPR.org.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And that's up first for Thursday, June 27th.
--:-- Michelle Martin: I'm Leila Faldin.
--:-- Michelle Martin: And I'm Michelle Martin.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And how about giving Consider This from NPR a listen?
--:-- Michelle Martin: That's a deep dive into one story. Today, we'll talk about the Trump-Biden debate.
--:-- Leila Fadel: For a lot of voters, the Trump-Biden rematch is not exciting, to say the least.
--:-- Michelle Martin: But with the candidates nearly even in the latest polls and undecided voters on the line, the debate could offer the candidates opportunities and risks.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Listen to Consider This.
--:-- [Theme music starts]
--:-- Michelle Martin: Today's episode of Up First was edited by Megan Pratz, Lisa Thomson, Tara Neill and HJ Mai.
--:-- Leila Fadel: It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Chris Thompson and Nina Kravinsky.
--:-- Michelle Martin: We get engineering support from Robert Rodriguez.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And our technical director is Zac Coleman.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Join us again tomorrow.
