--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- E. Martinez: The World Food Program says famine in Gaza is unlike anything seen this century. It's clear that we need urgent action now, so this is definitely not a warning. This is a call to action.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: The UK says it will recognize a Palestinian state if Israel doesn't act. I'm E. Martinez, that's Steve Inskeep, and this is Up First from NPR News.
--:-- E. Martinez: The Environmental Protection Agency says carbon dioxide is not pollution. That opinion goes against decades of scientific research. But what does it mean for the auto industry and the future of low emission vehicles?
--:-- Steve Inskeep: And Republicans want to stop talking about Jeffrey Epstein, but that's not likely to happen anytime soon. Jeffrey Epstein's associate, Glenn Maxwell, says she would answer questions from lawmakers in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Stay with us. We've got all the news you need to start your day.
--:-- E. Martinez: 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? Is going to be there and going to listen to me. And I can start just saying, look, I'm not feeling right today. And it feels natural. I love it.
--:-- E. Martinez: To get matched with a therapist, visit BetterHelp.com slash NPR for 10% off your first month. This message comes from Doctors Without Borders.
--:-- A Martinez: People are living through a moment defined by unrelenting crises and need. Civilians are caught in the crossfire of violence and war. Malnutrition threatens the lives of children. Communities depend on life-saving humanitarian aid. Doctors Without Borders is meeting this moment of overwhelming need with action. But they can't do it alone. Help provide life-saving care around the world. Learn how to donate today at doctorswithoutborders.org slash NPR.
--:-- E. Martinez: This message comes from Mint Mobile.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills, bogus fees, and free perks, Mint Mobile might be right for you with plans starting from $15 a month. Shop plans today at mintmobile.com slash switch.
--:-- E. Martinez: Upfront payment of $45 for a 3-month 5-gigabyte plan required. New customer offer for first 3 months only. Then full-price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Less than a week ago, France became the first G7 nation to signal its intention to recognize the state of Palestine. Now the United Kingdom has taken a step toward recognition, too. This is definitely something Israel does not want. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has for years opposed a fully independent Palestinian state. The U.K. action is framed as a move to put pressure on Israel's government.
--:-- [Music transitions]
--:-- A Martinez: Joining us now to discuss this is NPR international correspondent Ayy Batraoui. So let's start with this announcement by the UK that comes with a bit of a catch.
--:-- Ayy Batraoui: Yeah. So the Prime Minister Keir Starmer conditioned the recognition. He said the UK would do this at the UN General Assembly in September, joining more than 100 countries that have already recognized Palestine. But he says the UK could hold back if Israel takes real steps to end what he called appalling conditions in Gaza, ends the war there and revives efforts towards Israel and a Palestinian state existing side by side.
--:-- A Martinez: But have a listen to Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar laying out clearly his government's rejection of this.
--:-- Gideon Saar: Establishing a Palestinian state today is establishing a Hamas state, a jihadist state. It ain't gonna happen.
--:-- A Martinez: So while recognition of a Palestinian state by France, the UK, and possibly others that could follow like Canada and Australia certainly does carry weight. It's significant, but it does little to change realities on the ground.
--:-- Ayy Batraoui: Israel government is expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank Top ministers openly call for displacing Palestinians from Gaza These are territories Palestinians need for a state And there still not even a ceasefire in Gaza where by the way yesterday the death toll from Israeli attacks surpassed 60 people killed in the war according to its health ministry.
--:-- A Martinez: And Israel is also being urged to let more aid into Gaza. So what can you tell us about conditions there? I mean, hunger is worse at this point than ever in the war.
--:-- Ayy Batraoui: There's been a dramatic spike in deaths from hunger this month, and this comes after an Israeli blockade on all food entering Gaza that's really only slightly eased in recent weeks. And independent experts backed by the UN warned back in May that Gaza was at risk of famine unless more food reached people there. And now they say those thresholds for famine have been reached.
--:-- A Martinez: Here's the World Food Program's Director of Emergencies, Ross Smith, talking about that.
--:-- Ross Smith: This is unlike anything we have seen in this century. It reminds us of previous disasters in Ethiopia or Biafra in the past century. And it's clear that we need urgent action now. So this is definitely not a warning. This is a call to action.
--:-- A Martinez: You know, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he did acknowledge yesterday that, quote, the situation in Gaza is difficult, but he denies their starvation. He says Israel is allowing large amounts of aid into Gaza.
--:-- Ayy Batraoui: Oh, so has that happened? And has it made a difference? There's some movement, but the short answer is no. The World Food Program, the backbone of food aid in Gaza, says only half of the minimal amount of aid they're asking to bring in has been approved for entry.
--:-- A Martinez: So only about 50 trucks a day carrying mostly flour have been coming in in recent days from them. And when these trucks enter, they're all looted, mostly either by armed gangs or people risking their lives just to feed their families. That's according to our own reporting and testimony on the ground.
--:-- Ayy Batraoui: But look, you know, on Monday, for example, all 150 aid trucks from the World Food Program, UNICEF, Egypt, Emirates, the Charity Kitchen aid trucks, all of them were looted right near the border where Israeli troops are.
--:-- A Martinez: Now, our producer there, Anas Bhabha, he reports markets are bear gangs are stealing aid and selling some of it at really jacked up prices. So for example, he found a merchant yesterday selling two pounds of apples for $180.
--:-- Ayy Batraoui: Wow, that's NPR's international correspondent, Ayah Batraoui. Thanks a lot.
--:-- A Martinez: Thanks a lot.
--:-- [Music transitions]
--:-- E. Martinez: For years now, the Environmental Protection Agency has sought to limit the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in order to reduce the effects of climate change. Yesterday, the Trump administration announced plans to reverse course and stop considering carbon dioxide a pollutant.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Now, this has huge implications for rules that push automakers to make cleaner cars. NPR's Camila Dominovsky covers the auto industry, so we called her up.
--:-- Camila Dominovsky: Good morning.
--:-- E. Martinez: What exactly did the EPA do?
--:-- Camila Dominovsky: They laid out a plan to get rid of the endangerment finding. That was the EPA determination that they should regulate greenhouse gases as pollutants because climate change threatens human health.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: The Trump administration says that the EPA doesn't have the authority to regulate greenhouse gases and that there's not a strong reason to regulate them at all. And that's in part based on a report from five scientists who reject the scientific consensus on climate change.
--:-- Camila Dominovsky: If finalized, this proposal would mean that all the EPA standards based on fighting climate change would not be valid. Now, there would still be rules on some chemicals like ozone and particulates that are bad for human health very directly, but the rules about carbon dioxide would be wiped out.
--:-- E. Martinez: This is a proposal. It's not a done deal. It's currently open for public comment, and it's likely, if finalized, to face litigation.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Well, let's say it becomes final. You said it underlies a bunch of rules about the auto industry. What are those rules?
--:-- Camila Dominovsky: Well, these are rules about greenhouse gases that in their current version are so strict that carmakers who only make traditional gas cars would eventually not be able to meet them. So the only realistic way to comply would be to make fewer gas cars and more electric and plug hybrids.
--:-- E. Martinez: If these rules go away carmakers could and many probably would make fewer EVs And this was a major campaign promise for President Trump right He promised to go after EV mandates.
--:-- Camila Dominovsky: And he's gone farther than that. He's also targeted rules that encourage EVs or even just cleaner gas cars. If you're looking at things like the tax credits incentivizing electric vehicles, which are being eliminated soon. California also had rules requiring electric vehicles. The federal government revoked their ability to do that. And then there are rules about fuel economy, how many miles per gallon cars have to get. And those rules no longer have any penalties associated with them.
--:-- E. Martinez: So the EPA regs are really the last ones left standing.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: I'm trying to think of the implications of this. This is a global industry, the auto industry. China is huge in EVs. The United States is lagging behind, but there are some versions that are popular. So what does this mean for anybody who's shopping for a car?
--:-- Camila Dominovsky: Well, first, nothing would change right away, right? Obviously, cars being sold next year are already being made right now. Automakers had warned that the current rules were not achievable, so it is likely that they would take advantage of the ability to make fewer EVs. But on the other hand, they're not going to abandon efficient cars entirely. People like getting better gas mileage, or not having to get gas at all, right?
--:-- E. Martinez: To the extent that they change course, looser rules could lower sticker prices a bit because it's expensive to engineer EVs or super efficient gas cars. But for drivers, that would be outweighed by having to buy more gasoline over time, over the life of the cars.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: And as long as we're talking about implications, we should acknowledge this is a big setback for efforts to fight climate change. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. And health advocates also warn that rolling back these rules could mean worse air quality, which hurts health.
--:-- Camila Dominovsky: NPR's Camilla Domenoski, thanks for the update.
--:-- E. Martinez: Thanks a lot.
--:-- [Music transitions]
--:-- E. Martinez: President Trump has returned from Scotland to face more questions about Jeffrey Epstein. This is a story the president says he would like to die down. He even called his own supporters, quote, weaklings for focusing on his administration's decision to stop releasing information about the late sex offender with past ties to many rich and famous people, including Trump.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: But Trump himself keeps discussing this story he says he doesn't like. On Air Force One yesterday, the president told reporters about his falling out with Epstein some two decades ago.
--:-- E. Martinez: And he said he kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago in Florida for stealing employees from the club's spa.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: When I heard about it, I told him, I said, listen, we don't want you taking our people, whether it was spa or not spa. I don't want him taking people. And he was fine. And then not too long after that, he did it again. And I said, out of here. To spa or not to spa. All of this came as imprisoned Epstein associate Glenn Maxwell told lawmakers that she would speak with them in exchange for immunity.
--:-- E. Martinez: NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales has been following this. So let's start with Maxwell and her potential testimony before Congress.
--:-- Claudia Grisales: Good morning.
--:-- E. Martinez: Her lawyers wrote to the House Oversight Committee yesterday saying she would invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination or not testify at all. But they said there was a path to make this testimony happen. First, to give her immunity and second, delay the testimony to after Supreme Court action on her case.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Now, the Supreme Court does not reconvene again until October, and it's not even clear they'll take up her case. Committee Chairman James Comer issued the subpoena last week, saying he wanted to conduct the interview about two weeks from today.
--:-- Claudia Grisales: The committee, however, quickly responded to Maxwell's attorneys yesterday to say immunity is off the table, but they did not rule out a delay.
--:-- E. Martinez: So that Comer subpoena then how does that play into the controversy around the Epstein case Well as we know Republicans are eager to put this behind them After all the House left early for their August recess to avoid votes on this issue That said, they hope new efforts like the Maxwell interview will appease these demands for more information from their base.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: But we should note this subpoena for Maxwell already came with a lot of internal turmoil for the party, and they've struggled to move past this Epstein story.
--:-- Claudia Grisales: Yeah, President Trump can't seem to shake questions about Jeffrey Epstein. They've fallen to Scotland and all the way back. So what else did he say yesterday?
--:-- E. Martinez: Right. Our colleague, White House correspondent Frank Ordonez, asked Trump if the workers Epstein hired away from Mar-a-Lago were young women.
--:-- Claudia Grisales: Initially, Trump said he wouldn't answer, but then did confirm this was the case. That story's been pretty well out there. And the answer is yes, they were.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: It's unclear exactly when Trump's fallout with Epstein over these employees took place, but he's repeatedly said their friendship ended before Epstein's 2006 indictment.
--:-- Claudia Grisales: Yeah, and President Trump was also asked about one victim in particular, Virginia Giuffre.
--:-- E. Martinez: What can you tell us about that?
--:-- Claudia Grisales: Right. He shared that the young women taken by Epstein were spa workers and may have included Giuffre, who died by suicide earlier this year. Giuffre advocated for sex trafficking victims. She marked one of the more high-profile victims who escaped and fought Epstein in the courts. And we know she worked at Mar-a-Lago because she talked about it during a 2016 deposition. She said she worked there in 2000 when she was 16.
--:-- E. Martinez: And she said she was a locker room attendant in the spa area and wanted to be a masseuse.
--:-- Claudia Grisales: So Trump, for the first time, confirmed that connection between her and Epstein. And it came after the Scotland trip that was hounded with questions and related protests.
--:-- E. Martinez: So it's clear even though the president would like to move on, it's also triggered a new wave of questions that will continue to plague the party.
--:-- Claudia Grisales: That's NPR's Claudia Grisales. Thanks a lot.
--:-- E. Martinez: Thanks a lot.
--:-- [Music transitions]
--:-- E. Martinez: And that's Up First for Wednesday, July 30th. I'm E. Martinez. And I'm Steve Inskeep. Consider this. Your next listen could be Consider This from NPR News. We here at Up First give you the three big stories of the day, while Consider This drills down on one. Listen now on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Today's episode of Up First was edited by Hannah Block, Jason Breslow, Cara Plattoni, Mohamed Elbardisi, and Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Zia Butch, Nia Dumas, and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Carly Strange.
--:-- E. Martinez: Join us again tomorrow.
