--:-- [Up First theme music fades out]
--:-- Leila Fadel: The Biden administration is about to announce a plan that would protect hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. from being deported. This is not some sort of blanket amnesty. So who will qualify for the new program?
--:-- Amy Martinez: I'm Amy Martinez, that's Leila Fadel, and this is Up First from NPR News.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to North Korea, his first trip to the country in 24 years. It's a rare state visit with the country's leader, Kim Jong-un. Is the closer relationship as Russia continues its war in Ukraine a cause for concern?
--:-- Amy Martinez: And as temperatures rise across the U.S., there's a push to declare extreme heat a major disaster. Most of the people that are hurt are essentially invisible to decision makers. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
--:-- Leila Fadel: 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 start just saying, look, I'm not feeling right today. And it feels natural. I love it.
--:-- Leila Fadel: To get matched with a therapist, visit BetterHelp.com slash NPR. for 10% off your first month.
--:-- Leila Fadel: President Biden is set to announce a plan to protect hundreds of thousands of people who are living in the U.S. without authorization from deportation. Yeah, the plan will apply to the spouses of American citizens and will offer a pathway to legal residency. And it comes just a couple of weeks after the Biden administration issued a directive to restrict asylum claims at the southern border.
--:-- Sergio Martinez-Beltran: NPR's immigration correspondent, Sergio Martinez-Beltran, joins us with more. Good morning. Hi, good morning.
--:-- Leila Fadel: So what is this new plan exactly?
--:-- Sergio Martinez-Beltran: Yeah, so it is centered around a program called Parole in Place. That's the mechanism the Biden administration is using to provide relief to about 500,000 migrants already in the country without authorization, but who have been married to a U.S. citizen.
--:-- Leila Fadel: They'd also get a work permit and three years to apply for permanent residency. They could also potentially become citizens.
--:-- Sergio Martinez-Beltran: So what does this mean for people who would benefit from this new plan?
--:-- Alejandro Paz Medrano: I mean, I think about people like Alejandro Paz Medrano, who lives in Pennsylvania. He's originally from Mexico and has lived in the U.S. for nearly 20 years, eight of those while married to his wife Erin, a U.S. citizen.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Every day, you meet with a kiss and you don't know if it's the last one. It's hard, but we try not to focus it like that. We know both of them that it hard and no one touches the topic because it's not convenient.
--:-- Alejandro Paz Medrano: Medrano says every day he kisses Erin before going to work He never knows if that would be their last kiss Again, he's been in the country without authorization all this time, and he says that's influenced all aspects of his married life.
--:-- Leila Fadel: For instance, the couple decided to not have children because of the fear of Medrano getting deported.
--:-- Sergio Martinez-Beltran: But getting parole in place could change his life. He would be able to drive without fear of getting pulled over and get a stable job.
--:-- Leila Fadel: What other criteria do people need to meet in order to qualify?
--:-- Sergio Martinez-Beltran: So they must have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years. The other main criteria is that they had to be married to a U.S. citizen as of yesterday. So no, mixed status couples cannot run to the courthouse now and get married to qualify for this program.
--:-- Erica Shomer: This is not some sort of blanket amnesty that's just going to automatically overnight convert a whole bunch of people into residents or citizens. And to her point, according to the plan, people who have been deported and are back in the U.S. will not qualify for a parole in place.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And when will this plan be implemented?
--:-- Sergio Martinez-Beltran: So the Biden administration, Leila, says they hope to have the program in place by the end of the summer.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Where does this new plan fit into President Biden's broader approach to immigration during the election, which so far has seemed to go the opposite direction of this plan, much more restrictive?
--:-- Sergio Martinez-Beltran: Right. I mean, today's policy is the latest in a string of recent announcements related to rules or policies aiming to curb the high number of unauthorized crossings at the southern border.
--:-- Leila Fadel: He severely restricted asylum, he's expedited the removal of migrants who are in the country illegally, and that has prompted backlash from immigrant rights groups who in the past have supported him.
--:-- Sergio Martinez-Beltran: So this policy protecting some migrants seems to have pleased some of these groups, at least for now, but like other immigration-related programs, it is expected to be challenged in court.
--:-- Leila Fadel: NPR's Sergio Martinez-Beltran, thank you so much for your reporting.
--:-- Sergio Martinez-Beltran: You're welcome.
--:-- Alejandra Barunda: Millions of people in the Midwest and the Northeast are bracing for the first big heat wave of the summer. And as they do, a coalition of environmental, labor and health professionals are petitioning the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, to treat extreme heat as a major disaster.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Alejandra Barunda from NPR's Climate Desk is here to talk about it all. Alejandra, good morning.
--:-- Alejandra Barunda: Good morning. So why doesn't FEMA consider heat a disaster already?
--:-- Leila Fadel: So to get FEMA's help, a state needs to ask for a presidentially declared disaster, and not all disasters qualify.
--:-- Alejandra Barunda: There's a law called the Stafford Act that authorizes FEMA's activities, and it has an example list. Earthquakes and hurricanes are on it. Heat is not. But it's also not explicitly excluded.
--:-- Leila Fadel: The act is actually written very flexibly. So COVID-19 counted, for example, even though pandemic wasn't on the list.
--:-- Alejandra Barunda: So theoretically, extreme heat could also be considered. But it's just never happened.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And why hasn't it ever happened?
--:-- Alejandra Barunda: Well, so only a few states have ever asked for that disaster declaration for heat. Illinois did, for example, after the 1995 heat wave that killed hundreds of people in Chicago.
--:-- Leila Fadel: But so far, states have all been told no.
--:-- Alejandra Barunda: That's because FEMA thought the destruction wasn't so overwhelming that the states couldn't handle it themselves.
--:-- Juanita Constable: After a hurricane after a big storm there devastation galore There power lines down and buildings destroyed and entire businesses just blown away With heat, on the other hand? Most of the people that are hurt are essentially invisible to decision makers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: They die alone in their homes. They are unhoused and start dying on the street.
--:-- Alejandra Barunda: We actually know that heat is killing many more people than disasters like hurricanes. It just hasn't inspired the same urgent response.
--:-- Leila Fadel: What is this coalition asking FEMA to do?
--:-- Alejandra Barunda: They want FEMA to include extreme heat and wildfire smoke in the Stafford Act. That would help the agency use its considerable powers and money with these disasters.
--:-- Leila Fadel: FEMA has actually indicated that they're interested in responding to heat, and they don't even technically need to update the language.
--:-- Alejandra Barunda: Under the right circumstances, a state asks for help. The president declares an emergency. FEMA sees a big enough need. They could actually step in now.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And what support could FEMA provide in an extreme heat disaster?
--:-- Alejandra Barunda: Well, FEMA could set up cooling centers or water stations or send in extra medical personnel. They also fund long-term resilience and recovery efforts.
--:-- Leila Fadel: That could mean setting up permanent resilience hubs or developing other infrastructure to make cities cooler.
--:-- Alejandra Barunda: FEMA also directs money toward people hurt by disasters.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Here's a big issue Nurse Adelita Cantu from San Antonio sees all the time for her lower-income patients. They're not turning on their air conditioning because they're afraid of the electricity bill.
--:-- Alejandra Barunda: That decision to not turn on the AC can be deadly.
--:-- Leila Fadel: So some suggest FEMA could maybe pay people's electricity bills after a heat disaster.
--:-- Alejandra Barunda: And what has FEMA said about the role it could play when it comes to extreme heat?
--:-- Leila Fadel: FEMA administrators have said recently that they know they have a role in extreme heat response, and they're open to the idea.
--:-- Alejandra Barunda: But it's really new ground for them, so everyone is figuring it out on the fly.
--:-- Leila Fadel: NPR's Alejandra Barunda, thank you so much.
--:-- Alejandra Barunda: Thank you.
--:-- Charles Maines: Russian President Vladimir Putin makes a rare trip to North Korea today for a two-day state visit. And he's expected to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un amid growing international concern over their military cooperation.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Joining us to talk about all this, we've got NPR's Charles Maines from Moscow. Good morning.
--:-- Charles Maines: Good morning.
--:-- Leila Fadel: So set this trip up for us. What can we expect?
--:-- Charles Maines: Well, you know, this isn't Putin's first trip to North Korea, but it certainly has been a while. 24 years, in fact, since he last stepped foot in Pyongyang.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And that was with the previous generation of North Korean leadership, Kim Jong-il.
--:-- Charles Maines: Nearly a quarter century later, Putin will meet with Kim's son, Kim Jong-un, as you mentioned.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Putin arrives in North Korea this evening, but the bulk of the talks actually happen Wednesday.
--:-- Charles Maines: Putin's accompanied by top Kremlin officials, including members of his defense and economic teams.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Kremlin advisors say there will be some signing ceremonies focused not only on humanitarian needs, but trade and security issues.
--:-- Charles Maines: Now, keep in mind, this trip was announced last minute, but it didn't come out of nowhere. It's been anticipated for some time.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Putin hosted Kim in Russia's Far East last September, when Kim then extended an invitation for Putin to come to Pyongyang.
--:-- Charles Maines: So this is the return favor, so to speak.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Why are we seeing this growing alliance now? I mean, what do they have to offer to each other?
--:-- Charles Maines: Well, as to why now, the short answer is Ukraine. Russia's invasion of its neighbor really changed the dynamics of the relationship with North Korea.
--:-- Leila Fadel: They now have a shared struggle against the U in particular Kim has wholly endorsed Russia invasion of Ukraine calling it a sacred struggle against Western imperialism
--:-- Charles Maines: And this morning Putin published an essay in North Korea main newspaper in which he thanked Kim for unwavering support over the Ukraine issue and pledged much the same for North Korea against the U.S.
--:-- Leila Fadel: But the suspicion by the U.S. and its allies in Europe and Asia is that there's more going on here.
--:-- Charles Maines: They accuse North Korea of providing Russia munitions for the war in Ukraine in exchange for Russian technologies that can aid North Korea's nuclear and missile weapons programs.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Moscow and Pyongyang deny that charge, even as they seem to enjoy making their critics in the U.S., Europe, and Asia all very nervous with the prospect.
--:-- Charles Maines: So, you know, for example, last September, when Putin gave Kim a tour of Russia's Vostoshny Cosmodrome, and he promised to help North Korea launch a satellite, well, the potential military uses weren't hard to imagine.
--:-- Leila Fadel: So how nervous are Western nations seeing this closer relationship?
--:-- Charles Maines: Well, they're nervous. I mean, there's no question, for example, that North Korea's mass stores of munitions could really influence Russia's war effort in Ukraine.
--:-- Leila Fadel: So that's a concern. But it's one that's also exposed as an interesting new dynamic here, that Russia needs North Korea to a degree politically, but more importantly, militarily.
--:-- Charles Maines: And that's put North Korea in a unique position for a pariah state. It's being courted by a more powerful ally, of course, with North Korea presenting a wishlist of its own.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And the good news here is there may be limits to just how much Moscow is willing to offer in terms of cutting-edge technologies.
--:-- Charles Maines: And that's for a couple of reasons. One, Russia doesn't have a long-term interest in seeing North Korea's nuclear program grow, if only because it doesn't want to see the Korean Peninsula, which borders Russia, turned into a nuclear battleground.
--:-- Leila Fadel: But the other issue is China. It doesn't want to see this happen. It's a bigger partner for both of these countries.
--:-- Charles Maines: And you have to assume that any agreements from Putin's visit with Kim would come with some kind of input from Beijing, which often takes a more conservative approach in its support to Russia and North Korea.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And at the very least, it wants to avoid the kind of Western sanctions that Pyongyang and Moscow currently face.
--:-- Charles Maines: NPR's Charles Maines in Moscow. Thank you, Charles.
--:-- Charles Maines: Thank you.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And that's Up First for Tuesday, June 18th. I'm Laila Faldin. And I'm A. Martinez.
--:-- Amy Martinez: How about giving Consider This from NPR a listen? U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says the mental health crisis among young people is an emergency, and he blames social media. Could adding a Surgeon General warning label to social media make a difference? Listen to Consider This.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And today's episode of Up First was edited by Alfredo Carbajal, Nick Spicer, Sadie Babbitt, Lisa Thompson and Alice Wolfley.
--:-- Amy Martinez: It was produced by Ziad Butch, Chris Thomas, and Taylor Haney.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And we get engineering support from Carly Strange.
--:-- Amy Martinez: Our technical director is Zach Coleman.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Join us again tomorrow.
--:-- Amy Martinez: This message comes from NPR sponsor, Odoo Business Management Software.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Some say Odoo is like fertilizer because it promotes growth. Others say it's a magic beanstalk, scaling with efficiency.
--:-- Amy Martinez: Odoo, exactly what a business needs. Sign up today at odoo.com.
--:-- Leila Fadel: This message comes from EasyCater, committed to helping organizations order and manage food for all their business needs with online ordering from favorite restaurants, employee meal programs, and tools to see and control food spend at easycater.com.
--:-- Amy Martinez: This message comes from NPR sponsor, Capella University.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Interested in a quality online education? Capella is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
--:-- Amy Martinez: A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more at capella.edu.
--:-- [Up First theme music starts playing]
--:-- Leila Fadel: Up First is a production of NPR.
