--:-- Michelle Martin: Six states, all with Republican governors, plan to send National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., but many have cities with higher crime rates than the Capitol.
--:-- A Martinez: So exactly how might these deployments reduce crime?
--:-- Michelle Martin: I'm Michelle Martin, that's A. Martinez, and this is Up First from NPR News.
--:-- President Trump: [Audio clip] President Trump wants Europe to take the lead on security in Ukraine, although he said that the U.S. will help provide security guarantees for the country.
--:-- Michelle Martin: The stakes are high for the EU.
--:-- A Martinez: I want that we face a difficult road ahead.
--:-- Michelle Martin: How are European leaders responding?
--:-- A Martinez: And Texas Republicans are about to redraw the state's voting map. How might that help their party in the midterms and which states might follow suit?
--:-- Michelle Martin: Stay with us. We've got all the news you need to start your day.
--:-- Michelle Martin: This message comes from Satva, official mattress and restorative sleep provider for Team USA.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: This message comes from BetterHelp. President Fernando Madeira describes how BetterHelp Online Therapy has helped him.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: 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.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: And I can start just saying, look, I'm not feeling right today. And it feels natural. I love it.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: To get matched with a therapist, visit BetterHelp.com slash NPR for 10% off your first month.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: This message comes from the NPR Wine Club, which has generated over $1.75 million to support NPR programming.
--:-- [Music transitions]
--:-- Michelle Martin: A total of six states have now promised to send their National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. That will bring more than 1,100 additional soldiers to patrol the streets.
--:-- A Martinez: The deployments follow President Trump's declaration of what he has called a, quote, crime emergency, unquote, in the Capitol.
--:-- Michelle Martin: All the states sending troops are led by Republicans, and that has raised concerns that the Guard is being politicized.
--:-- A Martinez: NPR criminal justice reporter Meg Anderson joins us to explain.
--:-- Meg Anderson: So as Michelle just mentioned, the deployments are from states with Republican governors. I mean, that can't be a coincidence, is it?
--:-- A Martinez: Yeah, yeah, it's not.
--:-- Meg Anderson: So, so far, the states are West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Ohio, and as of yesterday, Tennessee.
--:-- Meg Anderson: And, you know, in their statements, they echoed what Trump has said about crime in D.C.
--:-- Meg Anderson: South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said the troops were there to, quote, support President Trump and his mission to restore law and order.
--:-- Meg Anderson: And this really is falling mostly on partisan lines.
--:-- Meg Anderson: Yesterday, Governor Laura Kelly of Kansas, she's the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, put out a statement urging state leaders to, quote, reject the temptation to use their soldiers to reinforce a dangerous, politically motivated agenda.
--:-- Meg Anderson: And I should note, Vermont Governor Phil Scott, he's a Republican. He said he's not going to send his troops. He didn't feel like it would be an acceptable and appropriate use of them.
--:-- Meg Anderson: Okay. Now, the thing I think a lot of people find puzzling is that many of the states are sending troops to D.C. have cities with crime rates that are higher than the Capitol Don they need them
--:-- A Martinez: Yeah I mean so that true I looked at last year murder rates and in Jackson Mississippi the murder rate was more than four times the rate in D In Memphis, it was nearly triple. In New Orleans, it was nearly double.
--:-- Meg Anderson: I spoke about this with Incha Rahman. She's with the advocacy group, the Vera Institute of Justice. They work to end mass incarceration.
--:-- Meg Anderson: Trump enlisting Republican governors to send National Guard troops signals one thing very clearly, that this is about a political power grab and political theater, not about making cities safer.
--:-- Meg Anderson: To be clear, D.C. still has had higher violent crime rates than many other major cities, but the numbers are falling.
--:-- A Martinez: Did you reach out to any of those governors who are deploying troops?
--:-- Meg Anderson: I did. I only heard back from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's office.
--:-- Meg Anderson: They said they've sent their troops outside the state before, including the inaugurations of both President Trump and former President Joe Biden, and also to protests in Minneapolis and natural disasters in Florida, North Carolina, and Louisiana.
--:-- A Martinez: So how well-suited is the National Guard at actually policing streets?
--:-- Meg Anderson: Yeah. So, you know, the National Guard usually is engaged in crowd control or helping in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
--:-- Meg Anderson: They are not experienced in doing local police work.
--:-- Meg Anderson: Policing expert Mark Krupansky noted that, too.
--:-- Meg Anderson: He's with Arnold Ventures, a group that funds criminal justice initiatives, and he says he suspects using the guard like this is not going to reduce crime.
--:-- Meg Anderson: This is kind of described as like the grenade effect, where they throw a considerable amount of resources at a problem over a short period of time.
--:-- Meg Anderson: And that might help to drive that number down in the short term, but it doesn't actually help address the problem over the long run.
--:-- Meg Anderson: And, you know, he stressed that there are long-term strategies that we do know work in lowering crime, things like community policing and boosting social services in neighborhoods, like adding employment opportunities and mental health resources.
--:-- Michelle Martin: That is NPR's Meg Anderson. Meg, thanks.
--:-- Meg Anderson: You're welcome.
--:-- [Music transitions]
--:-- Michelle Martin: Following meetings with President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, European leaders have been urgently trying to figure out what they need to do next to end Russia's nearly four-year war in Ukraine.
--:-- Terry Schultz: Well, quickly is the best way I can describe it.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Terry Schultz joins us now to talk about the challenges Europe faces with so many factors still dependent on Washington.
--:-- Terry Schultz: So, Terry, how have European leaders been digesting the events from D.C.?
--:-- Terry Schultz: It was less than 24 hours after those meetings at the White House that the EU leaders who'd been present there were back here in virtual sessions debriefing their counterparts.
--:-- Terry Schultz: And that urgency just goes to show how high stakes the situation is for Europe.
--:-- Terry Schultz: They had both a meeting of this coalition of the willing, that's some 30 countries which have expressed their readiness to physically help support a ceasefire in Ukraine.
--:-- Terry Schultz: And they had one with just the 27 EU member countries.
--:-- Terry Schultz: OK, now President Trump has made it pretty clear that he wants Europe to take the lead on Ukrainian security.
--:-- Terry Schultz: That's that's our understanding, right?
--:-- Terry Schultz: That's right.
--:-- Terry Schultz: And they've more or less already decided that themselves before before Trump became more supportive of Ukraine.
--:-- Terry Schultz: But now the president has confirmed it many times over.
--:-- Terry Schultz: And the good news for the Europeans is that Trump is now pledging for the first time to help with these security guarantees for Ukraine.
--:-- Terry Schultz: Chairing the meeting of EU leaders, European Council President Antonio Costa said Europe is actually now working hand in hand with the US their commitment to participate in the security guarantees with the Europeans and other like countries is a very important step a very welcome step
--:-- Michelle Martin: Now, how might this look, though, practically?
--:-- Terry Schultz: I mean, this coalition has been meeting for months without the participation of the U.S.
--:-- Terry Schultz: Well, and also without even a basic outline of what a final peace deal might look like between Russia and Ukraine.
--:-- Terry Schultz: So what would be the rules and protections and obligations of such a mission on the ground.
--:-- Terry Schultz: In addition, it's been hamstrung since it was created by the U.S. lack of support earlier, which is really critical both in terms of capabilities such as intelligence sharing and surveillance where the U.S. is dominant, but also the deterrent factor, sort of the stick that you have with an agreement backed by the U.S., especially in the eyes of the Kremlin.
--:-- Terry Schultz: So now discussions will take a new, more optimistic shape.
--:-- Terry Schultz: Now, President Trump says no U.S. troops would join this mission.
--:-- Terry Schultz: So how willing are Europeans to send their people into Ukraine?
--:-- Terry Schultz: Well, that's a huge unanswered question because it's not clear whether this mission would be to sort of monitor a ceasefire or reinforce it or defend certain lines.
--:-- Terry Schultz: And those verbs all mean very different things, carrying different levels of danger for those deployed.
--:-- Terry Schultz: In general, European countries are going to have to send forces, and it seems about 10 have committed to doing that so far.
--:-- Terry Schultz: But some options are much less palatable than others.
--:-- Terry Schultz: And if this is a small force that's just there to deter Russia reattacking Ukraine. This is sometimes described as a tripwire force.
--:-- Terry Schultz: What happens if it is attacked? We don't have any answers yet.
--:-- Terry Schultz: Or are we going to need to see hundreds of thousands of European military personnel armed to fight back?
--:-- Terry Schultz: I think that's pretty unlikely.
--:-- Terry Schultz: So how does this fit into this idea of, quote, NATO style security guarantees that the Trump administration first brought up?
--:-- Terry Schultz: Well, another unanswered question.
--:-- Terry Schultz: But I basically described the dilemma already.
--:-- Terry Schultz: With NATO's Article 5, an attack on one is considered an attack on all.
--:-- Terry Schultz: So if you apply this to Ukraine, will all European Union members or NATO members, including the U.S., come if it's attacked again after a peace deal?
--:-- Terry Schultz: And what about if a European soldier is attacked?
--:-- Terry Schultz: I think everyone here is eager to hear what kind of commitments the U.S. is ready to make.
--:-- Terry Schultz: And certainly Trump's latest suggestion that air power could be provided will be welcome.
--:-- Michelle Martin: That's Terry Schultz in Brussels. Terry, thank you.
--:-- Terry Schultz: Thank you.
--:-- [Music transitions]
--:-- Michelle Martin: Texas Republicans are on the verge of redrawing the state's congressional districts for President Trump.
--:-- A Martinez: Trump wants the change to help Republicans win potentially five more seats in next year's elections.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Now other states are looking to support or counter that.
--:-- A Martinez: Texas Democrats left the state for a couple of weeks to try to slow it down.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: So, Blaze, Texas Democrats came back to the legislature Monday after their walkout.
--:-- A Martinez: So what do things stand now?
--:-- Blaze Ganey: Yeah. So first, while they were gone, House Democrats were threatened with arrest or being replaced.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: And when they came back to the House floor, Republican House Speaker Dustin Burroughs ordered them to sign a paper if they wanted to leave, pledging they'd show up for today's session.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: And until then, they'll be technically under custody of Texas law enforcement.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: Most of them signed and went home, except for one who refused, Representative Nicole Collier.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: She calls it demeaning, and she's so far refused to sign and has chosen to stay in the chamber since Monday, giving interviews and even slept there.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: It's become a form of protest, and some Democratic colleagues tore their papers up and said they were joining her last night, and she was planning on staying there again.
--:-- A Martinez: Okay, so remind us again what the issue is at stake here.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: What are Texas Republicans trying to do?
--:-- Blaze Ganey: Yeah, I mean, Texas Republicans want more seats in Congress.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: Right now, there are 38 congressional districts in Texas. 25 are held by Republicans
--:-- Blaze Ganey: And Republicans are trying to redraw the districts based on how people have voted in the past to give their party an edge in at least five more seats
--:-- Blaze Ganey: Republicans say this is legal
--:-- Blaze Ganey: They note that Democrats have done it in other states in the past, but usually states do redistricting at the start of the decade when the national census count comes in.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: Democrats say these maps that Republicans have drawn weakens the vote of Black and Latino voters in ways that are illegal, and they will challenge in court.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: Republican lawmakers aim to vote in favor of this plan today and then in Senate tomorrow.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: And Governor Greg Abbott, a Trump ally, is expected to sign it when it gets to him.
--:-- A Martinez: So other states are watching Texas, especially the one state with a bigger population, Democratic-led California.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: So what might California do?
--:-- Blaze Ganey: Yes, that's correct.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: And, you know, this is all prompted by the movement from President Trump in Texas.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: Several other states are talking about mid-decade redistricting right now.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: The main one, as you said, California, they are directly to counter Texas.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: Democrats in the California legislature have actually drawn a map that'll give an edge to five more Democrats next year.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: They plan to vote on that this week, but they are seeking approval of voters in a special election in November because unlike Texas, California law requires that an independent commission do the redistricting to take the politics out of it.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: Now they want voters to approve redistricting without that commission.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: The legislature might vote on that Thursday, But California Republicans have filed a lawsuit yesterday trying to slow that down.
--:-- A Martinez: Now, some other Republicans in Democratic states are talking about redistricting, too.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: But for right now, Republicans only hold the House by a few seats.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: So a five-seat swing either way could really make a difference for President Trump's agenda.
--:-- Michelle Martin: All right. That's Blaise Ganey of the Texas Newsroom. Blaise, thank you very much for this update.
--:-- Blaze Ganey: Thank you.
--:-- [Music transitions]
--:-- Michelle Martin: And that's Up First for Wednesday, August 20th.
--:-- A Martinez: I'm E. Martinez.
--:-- Michelle Martin: And I'm Michelle Martin.
--:-- A Martinez: The NPR Network includes the work we do at NPR and the work of reporters at member stations across the country.
--:-- Michelle Martin: You can support that reporting at donate.npr.org slash upfirst.
--:-- A Martinez: Today's episode of Up First was edited by Martha and Overland, Tara Neal, Ryland Barton, Acacia Squires, Olivia Hampton, and Mohamed Elbardisi.
--:-- Michelle Martin: It was produced by Zia Butch, Nia Dumas, and Christopher Thomas.
--:-- A Martinez: We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Our technical director is Carly Strange.
--:-- A Martinez: Join us again tomorrow.
--:-- Michelle Martin: This message comes from Odoo.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: Others say Odoo is like a magic beanstalk because it scales with you and is magically affordable.
--:-- Michelle Martin: And some describe Odoo's programs as building blocks for creating a custom software suite.
--:-- Michelle Martin: But some say Odoo is fertilizer magic beanstalk building blocks for business.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Odoo. Exactly what a business needs.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Sign up at Odoo.com.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: This message comes from the Nature Conservancy.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: Nature is common ground for everyone, and uniting to protect nature can help solve today's challenges and create a thriving tomorrow for future generations.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: Discover why at nature.org slash NPR.
--:-- [Music transitions]
--:-- Michelle Martin: On the Points North podcast, you hear great stories from the Great Lakes.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: Grew up right on Lake Erie, I should say.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: The Carp River.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: That was the last place we went.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: I'm from the Wukwemkong First Nation.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: It's kind of universally agreed that Whitefish Point has some of the worst field conditions.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: This ain't Muskegee Lake or White Lake.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: This is the Great Lakes, buddy.
