--:-- [Scene: A morning news studio]
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Good morning, A. Hello. Ready for the weekend? Yeah. I mean, I already got a list of chores ahead of me, so. It's not that I'm that ready for it.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): Yeah. I mean, I already got a list of chores ahead of me, so. It's not that I'm that ready for it.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Honey, do. I make the list out for myself. Do you really?
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): Yeah, yeah.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Mrs. A. Mrs. A has her own list. Maybe you could trade lists.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): Oh, no, no. See, that's the thing. Because if she does them not the way I want them to be done, then I'll have to just do it.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): So I'm going to add. That's why I do the laundry.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): Oh, that's funny. My son-in-law does the laundry because he's so picky about it, which I find hilarious.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Mrs. Day has no idea how to clean clothes properly. Or maybe she pretends not to know.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): No, she's tried. She's in the other room, so I can't speak to her. Okay, I'll just speak to her. But if we want fresh-smelling, clean clothes, we have to do it.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): That's hilarious.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): President-elect Trump moved quickly to replace his nominee for attorney general after his controversial pick Matt Gaetz withdrew. His new pick, longtime ally Pam Bondi.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): What does a shakeup mean for the Justice Department?
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): I'm Michelle Martin. That's A. Martinez. And this is Up First from NPR News.
--:-- [Scene: A news studio]
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Russian President Vladimir Putin claims the right to strike NATO countries arming Ukraine.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): In the last three to four months, the Russian military has been advancing at the fastest pace it has since the early part of the war.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): How far might Putin go in his efforts to menace the West as he escalates his attacks on Ukraine?
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): And a massive storm is flooding the West Coast. Could climate change be making these weather events worse? Stay with us.
--:-- [Scene: A news studio]
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): We've got all the news you need to start your day.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): 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.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): To get matched with a therapist, visit betterhelp.com slash NPR for 10% off your first month.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): This message comes from KeyBank. Growing a successful business has never been easy. But whether you're navigating a complex industry or trying to reinvent one, KeyBank's breadth of banking experts are here to collaborate on market-proven solutions.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): At KeyBank, they're built to grow with your changing needs. Because they're not just there for the business you are now, they're there for the business you'll become.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): Reimagine business as usual. KeyBank opens doors. Learn more at key.com slash b2b.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): This message comes from Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart choice.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): Make another smart choice with AutoQuote Explorer to compare rates from multiple car insurance companies all at once. Try it at Progressive.com.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): President-elect Donald Trump's controversial pick for Attorney General is officially out of running.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Trump started the day yesterday with former Representative Matt Gaetz as his nominee to become the next attorney general.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): By the time the day was over, Gaetz was out and Trump had a new nominee, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): NPR justice correspondent Ryan Lucas is following all of this.
--:-- Ryan Lucas: So, Ryan, who is Pam Bondi?
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Well, to start with, she's a former attorney general for the state of Florida, the first woman to hold that position.
--:-- Ryan Lucas: She served in that job for about eight years. And her office during that time unsuccessfully challenged the Affordable Care Act, among other actions that she took.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Before that, she worked for nearly two decades as a local prosecutor in Florida.
--:-- Ryan Lucas: In a statement in which Trump announced his decision, the president-elect said that as a prosecutor, Bondi was very tough on violent criminals.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): And as a state attorney general, he says that she worked to stop the flow of deadly drugs into Florida.
--:-- Ryan Lucas: Trump has known Bondi for years. He says she's smart, she's tough, and that she will focus the Justice Department on fighting crime.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Now Michelle mentioned that Bondi is replacing Matt Gaetz. Walk us through what happened with Gaetz nomination.
--:-- Ryan Lucas: Well, look, Gaetz was a huge surprise when Trump picked him. And it was clear from the outset that he was going to face a difficult climb to confirmation.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): The reasons were pretty clear. He'd been the subject of a federal sex trafficking investigation, one that ended without charges, it has to be said.
--:-- Ryan Lucas: But also the House Ethics Committee was investigating him over allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Gates has denied any wrongdoing, but all of that baggage was put front and center the minute that Trump picked him for attorney general.
--:-- Ryan Lucas: Gates said in a statement yesterday that it was clear to him that his confirmation was, as he put it, unfairly becoming a distraction to the Trump vans transition.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): He said there wasn't any time to waste on what he called a drawn out fight over his confirmation. And so he withdrew his name from consideration for attorney general.
--:-- Ryan Lucas: You mentioned that Trump has known Bondi for years. What do we know about their history?
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): They have known each other for years. In fact, they face questions over a political donation that Trump made to support Bondi's re-election campaign when she was Florida attorney general and a decision that her office made not to pursue legal action against Trump University.
--:-- Ryan Lucas: They have denied there was anything improper with that. But Bondi has long been a supporter of Trump.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): She spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention when Trump was running for president then.
--:-- Ryan Lucas: She was an attorney on Trump's legal team during his first impeachment trial. She now leads the legal arm of the America First Policy Institute.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): That's a right-wing think tank that's led by some former Trump administration staffers.
--:-- Ryan Lucas: So Bondi is very much a Trump supporter and someone who's very much rooted in Trump world.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): All right. So assuming Bondi is confirmed, how important could she be to Trump's second term agenda?
--:-- Ryan Lucas: Well, look, this is a really big, really important job. It's an important job in every administration because the attorney general is in charge of the 100,000 plus people who work for the Justice Department.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): The job oversees the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration. The attorney general prosecutes federal crimes. They enforce civil rights laws.
--:-- Ryan Lucas: They play a big role in national security. They, at root, are responsible for upholding the rule of law.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): But Trump and his team, we know, view attorney general as one of the most important jobs in his incoming administration.
--:-- Ryan Lucas: In part, that's because Trump had a rocky relationship with the Justice Department in his first term.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): But it's also because Trump has claimed that the Justice Department was weaponized against him.
--:-- Ryan Lucas: And during the campaign, he repeatedly talked about seeking vengeance against his perceived political enemies, including folks at the Justice Department.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): And so a big question for Bondi, if she's confirmed, is whether she will use the powers of the Justice Department to pursue Trump's stated desire for retribution.
--:-- Ryan Lucas: That's NPR's justice correspondent, Ryan Lucas. Ryan, thanks.
--:-- Ryan Lucas: Thank you.
--:-- [Scene: A news studio]
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Russian leader Vladimir Putin says his country has the right to retaliate against NATO countries that arm Ukraine.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): Putin made this direct challenge to the West in televised remarks yesterday.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): There he is saying Russia will respond accordingly to any NATO country that allows its weapons to be used to strike Russian facilities.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): It's the latest instance of Putin taking an even more aggressive posture toward Ukraine in the West.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): To hear more about what this could mean, we're joined by NPR national security correspondent Greg Myrie.
--:-- Greg Myrie: Hi, Michelle.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): So Russian missile strikes are a daily occurrence in Ukraine. But when yesterday was particularly significant, why was this different?
--:-- Greg Myrie: Yeah, Michelle, shortly after the missile hit the central city of Dnipro on Thursday, The Ukrainians said this was a missile they hadn't seen before, one that releases multiple warheads as it approaches the target.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Now, here in Washington, the National Security Council described this as an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile.
--:-- Greg Myrie: It said the warheads carried conventional explosives, though they could deliver a nuclear weapon.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): And this was a very calculated move by Russia.
--:-- Greg Myrie: The Pentagon said Russia did give the U.S. a heads-up shortly before the missile was launched.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): What message is Putin trying to send here?
--:-- Greg Myrie: That Russia is prepared to escalate and NATO could become a target.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Putin linked the Russian missile strike directly to Ukrainian attacks earlier this week when Ukraine fired American and British missiles into Russia for the first time.
--:-- Greg Myrie: Putin went on to say that Russia has the right to strike these NATO countries that allow their weapons to be used against Russia.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): So a very direct challenge to the U and European allies that are arming Ukraine.
--:-- Greg Myrie: We should also note that Putin this week lowered the threshold for Russia to use nuclear weapons, saying they could be employed when the country faces a critical threat, which is obviously a very subjective term.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): It does feel like every day this week has brought some kind of significant and even ominous development.
--:-- Greg Myrie: Are we at a particularly dangerous moment?
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): So that's what Michael Kaufman says. He's with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
--:-- Michael Kaufman: He recently returned from Ukraine, where he's been visiting regularly since Russia's 2022 invasion.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): He says the events this week come as Ukraine is still struggling to halt a Russian offensive in the eastern part of the country.
--:-- Michael Kaufman: In the last three to four months, the Russian military has been advancing at the fastest pace it has since the early part of the war.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Without effectively stabilizing the front and exhausting the Russian offensive, momentum could accumulate behind the Russian war effort.
--:-- Michael Kaufman: So he noted the Russians are suffering massive casualties and can't sustain this pace indefinitely. But right now they do have the upper hand.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): OK, but how about the Ukrainians? How are they coping?
--:-- Michael Kaufman: Yeah, Kaufman says the war is taking a cumulative toll on soldiers and civilians.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Here's how he put it. Everyone I spoke to still has a strong will to fight. But there's a general sense of pessimism, which is difficult to avoid looking at the situation Ukraine finds itself in and the current trajectory of the war.
--:-- Michael Kaufman: And as Ukrainians look ahead, Michelle, they see additional challenges.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): President-elect Trump takes over in two months. He wants negotiations to end the war.
--:-- Michael Kaufman: But Kaufman said we shouldn't assume Putin will negotiate. He doesn't think Putin will negotiate seriously if he believes he's gaining ground.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): And also Ukrainian civilians are expecting another long, hard winter with their electricity grid under Russian attack.
--:-- Greg Myrie: That is NPR's Greg Myrick. Greg, thank you.
--:-- Greg Myrie: Sure thing, Michelle.
--:-- [Scene: A news studio]
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): A powerful storm has been soaking northern California and Oregon this week, bringing high winds and flood risks that continue today.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): It's known as an atmospheric river. A big question is whether climate change is making these storms worse.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Lauren Summer from NPR's Climate Desk is here to explain.
--:-- Lauren Sommer: So Lauren, put this storm into perspective for us. I mean, what are the impacts the West Coast is seeing now?
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Yeah, it's a really intense storm and it's slow moving. So that means a lot of rain.
--:-- Lauren Sommer: You know, atmospheric rivers are basically these plumes of moisture that move across the Pacific Ocean.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): And if you look at a weather map, it actually kind of looks like a fire hose is pointed at the West Coast.
--:-- Lauren Sommer: It's pretty narrow, so it doesn't affect the whole coast. These storms are important. They're how California gets as much as half of its rainfall every year.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): So they carry a lot of moisture. And this one has been affected by another weather system nearby, which is a bomb cyclone.
--:-- Lauren Sommer: Bomb cyclone. Love the term. I don't know if I like what happens after a bomb cyclone.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): What's the, what is the actual term for a bomb cyclone though?
--:-- Lauren Sommer: Yeah. Okay. So technically it's bombogenesis. That's better. That's a better name.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Yeah. It's basically when there's a rapid drop in air pressure in a short period of time, and that means the storm is intensifying.
--:-- Lauren Sommer: So higher winds and more rain.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): And some parts of the West Coast are expected to see up to 16 inches of rain when this storm is finally done.
--:-- Lauren Sommer: It's causing flood warnings on some rivers, although it is pretty early in the season.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): So rivers are low for the most part, and that means there's more room to absorb that water.
--:-- Lauren Sommer: All right. So climate change is influencing storms like hurricanes. Is it making atmospheric rivers like this one worse?
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Yeah. So atmospheric rivers are a regular thing on the West Coast, right?
--:-- Lauren Sommer: But the role climate change is playing is actually a really big question that scientists are trying to sort out.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Because as the planet warms up, it does make rainfall more intense. There's more evaporation and warmer air can hold more moisture.
--:-- Lauren Sommer: So storms just, you know, have more to work with.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): That's very clear in the Midwest and the Northeast where rainstorms are already dropping more rain on average.
--:-- Lauren Sommer: But you know I talked to a scientist who has analyzed storms on the West Coast Park Williams who is a professor at the University of California Los Angeles, and he found so far storms are not dropping more rain than they used to in California.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Not dropping more rain. Why is that?
--:-- Lauren Sommer: Yeah, he says while there is more water vapor that can fuel those storms, there's been this circulation pattern in the atmosphere that swept a lot of it to other places.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): So it hasn't resulted in heavier rainfall on the West Coast overall.
--:-- Lauren Sommer: But, you know, by the second half of this century, that will probably change if the planet heats up even more with climate change.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): It's important to be mindful that we expect precipitation events in the Western U.S. to get more intense in the future.
--:-- Lauren Sommer: We should be planning for that. And so the fact that we haven't seen it yet doesn't mean that we shouldn't be preparing for it to occur.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): You know, even today's storms can already cause dangerous levels of flooding that happened in California in 2023.
--:-- Lauren Sommer: And so our infrastructure, you know, roads and storm drains and flood channels, it already gets overwhelmed in certain years.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): So there's a lot to address here, even when you take climate change out of the picture.
--:-- Lauren Sommer: All right.
--:-- [Scene: A news studio]
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Before we go, we have an update on an international development.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): The ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): There's also an arrest warrant for Hamas Commander Mohammed Daif, although it's unclear if he is still alive as the war in Gaza continues.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): He's wanted for alleged war crimes, including attacks on civilians during Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7th.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): The International Criminal Court's charges against the Israeli officials include alleged war crimes related to Israel's military actions in Gaza.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): Prosecutors cite reports of indiscriminate attacks on civilians and withholding vital aid.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Netanyahu dismissed the warrants as anti-Semitic, and President Biden also criticized the ICC's decision, calling it outrageous.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): Meanwhile, some U.S. senators threaten sanctions against the court.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Now, it's unclear if the Democratic-led Senate will take up those sanctions in the couple of months it has left, but it is something to watch for when Republicans take control next year.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): And that's Up First for Friday, November 22nd.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): I'm Amy Martinez.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): And I'm Michelle Martin.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): And don't forget, Up First airs on the weekends, too.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): Ayesha Roscoe and Scott Simon have the news.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): It will be here in this feed or wherever you get your podcasts.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): Today's episode of Up First was edited by Jason Breslow, Andrew Sussman, Neela Banerjee, Mohamed El-Bardisi, Ali Schweitzer.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): It was produced by Zia Butch, Nia Dumas, and Milton Guevara.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): We get engineering support from Robert Rodriguez, and our technical director is Zach Holman.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): Join us again on Monday.
--:-- [Scene: A sponsor message]
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): This message comes from REI Co-op. A summit view. An epic climb. That first 5K. It all starts here, with gear, clothing, classes, and advice to get you there.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): Visit REI.com or your local REI Co-op. Opt outside.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): This message comes from the Nature Conservancy. 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.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): Discover why at nature.org slash NPR.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): This message comes from ShipBob. Nothing ruins your holiday faster than the customer emails like, where's my order? Or worst of all, why can't you deliver by Christmas?
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): But Peak doesn't have to be chaotic when ShipBob's in your corner.
--:-- Host (Michelle Martin): ShipBob helps brands like Our Place, Bloom Nutrition, and Tony's win the holidays with reliable, scalable, fast, and cost-effective fulfillment.
--:-- Host (A. Martinez): Make this your best holiday season yet with ShipBob. Go to shipbob.com slash NPR for a free quote.
