--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Leila Fadel: President Trump paused military aid to Ukraine after a disastrous meeting in the Oval Office last week.
--:-- Michelle Martin: What is the White House trying to pressure Ukraine to do by holding back weapons?
--:-- Leila Fadel: I'm Leila Fadel, that's Michelle Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Trump addresses Congress tonight after a dizzying first six weeks in the White House, with questions around the legality of mass layoffs of federal workers, a major shift in U.S. foreign policy and his push to consolidate executive power, what will Trump's message to Americans be?
--:-- Leila Fadel: And Trump's new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China are rattling markets and sparking retaliation. They want to come at us hard. We're going to come back twice as hard.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Canada and China are already hitting back with tariffs of their own, raising fears of an all-out trade war.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
--:-- Leila Fadel: This message comes from BetterHelp. It's only human to ask others for advice, like turning to your barista, hairdresser, or a taxi driver for life advice. But when you're looking for help about relationships, anxiety, depression, or other clinical issues, they may not have all the right answers. Instead, get guidance from a licensed therapist online with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com slash NPR for 10% off your first month.
--:-- Michelle Martin: This message comes from NPR sponsor Adobe. Introducing the all-new Adobe Acrobat Studio, now with AI-powered PDF spaces. Need to turn 100 pages of market research into five insights with a click? Templates for a sales proposal that'll close that deal? Or an AI specialist to tailor the tone of your market report? You can do all that with the all-new Adobe Acrobat Studio. Learn more at adobe.com slash do that with Acrobat.
--:-- Leila Fadel: This message comes from NPR sponsor AARP. Where do you see your career in 12 years? What are you doing now to help you get there? The sooner you start enhancing your skills, the sooner you'll be ready. That's why AARP has management, finance, and small business reskilling courses, all to help your income live as long as you do. Because the steps you choose to take today will help you love what you do in the future. Learn more at aarp.org slash skills.
--:-- Michelle Martin: This message comes from ZipRecruiter. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Unless you use ZipRecruiter. ZipRecruiter doesn't depend on candidates finding you. It finds them for you. That's why four out of five employers who post a job on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. And right now, you can try ZipRecruiter for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash zip. That's ZipRecruiter.com slash zip.
--:-- [Theme music fades in]
--:-- Michelle Martin: The White House says it will pause military aid to Ukraine as the country continues to defend itself from Russian attacks. A White House official told NPR the administration wants to review the aid to see if it is contributing to peace. The decision comes after President Trump and Vice President Pence berated Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in an Oval Office meeting last Friday.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Joining us now to talk about all this is NPR's Ukraine correspondent Joanna Kakissis.
--:-- Joanna Kakissis: Good morning, Michelle.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Joanna, do we know what this pause will affect, what kinds of weaponry, etc., it will cover?
--:-- Joanna Kakissis: Well, Michelle, we don't know a whole lot so far. This possibly appears to affect at least a billion dollars in weapons and ammunition en route and on order for Ukraine. It's unclear whether this pause also includes cutting off intelligence sharing, a partnership that has helped Ukraine strategize and plan.
--:-- Michelle Martin: I should emphasize that this is the worst case scenario for Ukrainians since the U.S. has been the country's strongest single ally since Russia's full-scale invasion three years ago. And it painful for Ukrainians because President Zelensky has repeatedly thanked the U.S. for helping his country and Ukrainians say they are fighting to preserve American liberty and democracy.
--:-- Joanna Kakissis: Do you have a sense of whether this was a surprise in Ukraine?
--:-- Michelle Martin: Well, there hasn't been much official reaction yet, though a member of Ukraine's parliament said lawmakers have been in meetings to find alternatives to U.S. aid.
--:-- Joanna Kakissis: I've been speaking with Ukrainians over the last few days, and many say they were expecting something like this. Even before Friday's debacle in the Oval Office, President Trump was repeating Kremlin talking points, for example, claiming it was Ukraine, not Russia that started the war. And the Trump administration has not been pushing back on some of Moscow's demands, including Ukraine giving up territory and a path to NATO membership.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Do you have a sense of what kind of impact pulling this aid will have, recognizing, like you just said, that we're not exactly sure what it covers? But do you have a sense even now of what kind of impact this is going to have?
--:-- Joanna Kakissis: Well, Michelle, there might not be an immediate impact. A member of the Ukrainian Parliament's Defense Committee said today that Ukraine might be able to hold on for about six months without U.S. aid. Ukraine's defense industry has also been growing exponentially since Russia's 2022 invasion. So some supplies can also come from Ukraine itself. For example, Ukraine has become a powerhouse manufacturer of drones, which can replace artillery to some extent on the battlefield.
--:-- Michelle Martin: But Ukraine can't replace everything like Bradley fighting vehicles or GPS guided rockets or crucially, Patriot air defense systems, which are key to protecting Ukrainian cities from nightly attacks by Russian drones and missiles. And also there is the Starlink system owned by Trump ally Elon Musk. Starlink helps the military communicate.
--:-- Joanna Kakissis: I think people might remember that Ukraine already has some experience with the U.S. holding back military aid. In 2023, Trump directed Republicans in Congress to stall a multibillion-dollar package which had been proposed by the Biden administration.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Can you just remind us what happened then?
--:-- Joanna Kakissis: Yeah, well, holding up military aid back then certainly had a clear impact. The lack of air defense systems meant Ukrainian cities were less protected from Russian attacks, as were Ukraine's thermal power plants, which Russia repeatedly bombed and largely destroyed. And soldiers on the front line ran so low on artillery shells that they had to ration them. Some military analysts here say Russia, as a result, was able to take key cities because of weakened Ukrainian defenses.
--:-- Michelle Martin: So, Joanna, before we let you go, what are Ukraine's options?
--:-- Joanna Kakissis: Well, Michelle, Europe has stepped up its support, and recent research shows that the bloc could make up the difference in military aid, at least for a while. This morning, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also laid out a plan for the EU to boost its own defense spending by about 800 billion euros. But without the U.S., defending Ukraine and Europe will be challenging, especially in the long run.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Thanks, Joanna.
--:-- Joanna Kakissis: You're welcome, Michelle.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: President Trump will deliver a major speech to a joint session of Congress tonight.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Yeah, it's the first such address of his term. So it's not formally called the State of the Union, but it will have all the pomp and gravity of that kind of speech.
--:-- Michelle Martin: This is one of the president's most visible moments of the year. It usually has a big primetime television audience, and it comes as Trump has been upending longstanding norms of American government and diplomacy.
--:-- Leila Fadel: For more on what we might expect, we have White House correspondent Danielle Kersleben here with us.
--:-- Danielle Kersleben: Good morning, Michelle.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Has the White House said anything about what the president will talk about tonight?
--:-- Danielle Kersleben: Not a lot. We know broad strokes, but the White House hasn't given reporters the kind of preview information that they often do ahead of these speeches.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Now, they have said the theme is the renewal of the American dream. And one thing you can definitely expect is to hear Trump talk about what he counts as his accomplishments. For example, the steps he taken in the past six weeks to get rid of Joe Biden policies and also just to do what Trump told his base he would do during the campaign.
--:-- Danielle Kersleben: Now a lot of those moves are aggressive to put it mildly and there are things that are being challenged in the courts. So moving immigrants to Guantanamo Bay, diminishing transgender people's rights, and not to mention bringing on an unelected billionaire, Elon Musk, to gut federal agencies.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Danielle, I'm thinking about my time as a White House correspondent, and my recollection is that the presidents usually ask Congress to do something. So I recognize what you said, that there hasn't been the kind of preview we were used to getting. But do we have a sense of what kind of legislation President Trump might be looking for?
--:-- Danielle Kersleben: Yes, we do know he's going to ask Congress to spend more money on border security. We also expect him to ask for another top legislative priority, which is extending tax cuts passed in his first term.
--:-- Michelle Martin: But one thing that I would add is there's a pretty unusual dynamic hanging over this speech. This Congress, which is narrowly controlled by Republicans, they have been remarkably acquiescent to Trump's norm-shattering moves. And that acquiescence has come even as Trump has consolidated wide-ranging governmental powers into the executive branch, including powers that Congress historically has had, things like imposing tariffs.
--:-- Danielle Kersleben: And the speech is also coming on the heels of that just remarkable, you know, contentious meeting last week with Ukraine's President Vladimir Zelensky, you know, that fight in the Oval Office that we've talked so much about.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Do you have a sense of whether Trump is going to address that in these remarks tonight?
--:-- Danielle Kersleben: Well, he has said he will be talking about that proposal under which the U.S. would get some revenue from Ukraine's mineral resources. It's part of how Trump wants to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, that mineral deal. Now, a reporter asked Trump yesterday if the mineral deal is dead after that fight, and Trump seemed to leave the door open.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Well, I'll let you know we're making a speech. You probably heard about it tomorrow night, so I'll let you know tomorrow night. But no, I don't think so. I think it's a great deal.
--:-- Danielle Kersleben: Now, he has also said he's been talking to European leaders, and it does sound like we'll hear more about this tonight.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Now, Democrats, for their part, their response to the speech will be from Michigan Senator Alyssa Slotkin, who worked at the CIA prior to holding office, and she's been attacking Trump on Ukraine a lot in recent weeks.
--:-- Danielle Kersleben: So, you know, one of the things that I think a lot of people look for, including, you know, not the political professionals, but just people in the audience, is what's the mood in the room? What are the theatrics of the speech? Any sense of what we might expect there?
--:-- Michelle Martin: Well, you'll see Democrats continuing to try to figure out how to respond to Trump, and this will be an opportunity to do that. They'll have guests, like fired federal workers and Medicaid recipients, the latter presumably to highlight the possibility that Republicans cut that program.
--:-- Danielle Kersleben: Now, President Trump, we don't know who his guests are yet, but Melania Trump will have a guest who was a victim of revenge porn, and that's part of the First Lady's push to combat that type of online abuse.
--:-- Michelle Martin: And Danielle, thank you.
--:-- Danielle Kersleben: Thank you.
--:-- [Theme music fades in]
--:-- Michelle Martin: President Trump's trade war is escalating. U.S. tariffs on Canada and Mexico took effect at midnight, and tariffs on Chinese imports were doubled to 20 percent.
--:-- Leila Fadel: In response this morning, Beijing announced tariffs of up to 15 percent on an array of U.S. products, including wheat, corn, cotton, and chicken. The reason given for these tariffs? The White House says it wants to stop the flow of fentanyl going into the U.S. from these countries.
--:-- Michelle Martin: When it comes to Canada and Mexico, border security is also one of President Trump's main motivations.
--:-- Leila Fadel: The stock markets have already reacted to this news, taking an early hit on Monday. But two, too, have relations between the U.S. and its neighbors. And NPR's international affairs correspondent, Jackie Northam, has been following all this. She's with us now.
--:-- Jackie Northam: Good morning, Michelle.
--:-- Michelle Martin: So President Trump has been warning that he's going to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico. He had delayed them by a month, thinking, you know, leading to speculation he might be open to compromise. Any sense of why go ahead now?
--:-- Jackie Northam: Well, President Trump said on Monday that there was no room left for negotiations with Canada and Mexico. As you say, he announced the tariffs as a way to pressure both countries to curb the flow of fentanyl and migrants crossing illegally into the U.S.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Both countries have tried to work with the administration to satisfy those concerns but it seemed to matter enough.
--:-- Jackie Northam: And just after midnight Trump imposed the tariffs raising fears of a trade war with Canada and Mexico, as well as inflation here in the U.S.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Any response so far from Mexico and Canada?
--:-- Jackie Northam: Yeah, Mexican officials told NPR that an official response will come from President Claudia Scheinbaum later this morning. Earlier on Monday, she had pleaded for, quote, serenity and patience.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau immediately pledged to impose 25% import taxes on about $100 billion worth of U.S. goods. You know, everything from clothing and lumber to Florida orange juice and Kentucky bourbon.
--:-- Jackie Northam: Trump placed lower tariffs, 10% on Canadian energy imports. You know, Canada sends a lot of heavy crude and hydroelectric power to the U.S. And on Monday, Ontario's Premier Doug Ford indicated those imports are now at risk.
--:-- Michelle Martin: I will do everything, including cut off their energy, with a smile on my face. They rely on our energy. They need to feel the pain.
--:-- Jackie Northam: And Michelle, Canada could also cut off shipments of things like uranium and potash, which is a fertilizer widely used by American farmers.
--:-- Michelle Martin: So whatever happens to these tariffs, whether they hold or not, has this action had an effect on U.S.-Canadian relationships?
--:-- Jackie Northam: Oh, certainly, yeah. There's a lot of anger in Canada about Trump's actions, not only the tariffs, but his constant jibes that Canada become the 51st state. And we're seeing it play out in federal politics in an election year in Canada.
--:-- Michelle Martin: You know, before Trump came back to office, the opposition Conservative Party was 20-plus points ahead in the polls. But now Trudeau's Liberal Party is surging ahead in the polls. And that's largely because leader of the opposition party, Pierre Polyev, is considered too much like Trump. He's known Canada as Trump-lite and Maple-mega and now his poll numbers are tanking.
--:-- Jackie Northam: That is NPR's Jackie Northam. Jackie, thank you.
--:-- Jackie Northam: Thanks very much, Michelle.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: And that's Up First for Tuesday, March 4th. I'm Michelle Martin. And I'm Leila Fadel. Thank you for listening to Up First. You can find more in-depth coverage of the stories we talked about today and so much more on NPR's Morning Edition, the radio show that Michelle Martin, Steve Inskeep, A. Martinez, and I host.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Find Morning Edition on your local NPR station at stations.npr.org.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Today's episode of Up First was edited by Miguel Macias, Roberta Rampton, Tara Neal, Alice Wolfley, and Mohamed Elbardisi.
--:-- Leila Fadel: It was produced by Zia Butch, Nia Dumas, and Chris Thomas.
--:-- Michelle Martin: We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent and our technical director is Carly Strange.
--:-- Leila Fadel: We hope you'll join us again tomorrow.
--:-- Michelle Martin: You better join us again tomorrow. Don't leave us here by ourselves. Do not think about it.
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--:-- Leila Fadel: This message comes from Ritual. What makes Ritual vitamins different? Ritual vitamins are made with bioavailable clinically studied key ingredients and a patented nutrient delivery system that aims to help your body use the nutrients you're getting. Ritual's essential multivitamins are made with you and your body in mind and backed by scientific research, filled with key ingredients as well as the essence of mint so you can enjoy taking your vitamins. Get 25% off your first purchase when you visit ritual.com slash NPR.
--:-- Michelle Martin: On the plus side, you get sponsor-free listening to over 25 NPR podcasts. On the minus side, you get fewer chances to tap fast forward on your podcast player. On the plus side, you get to support something you care about. On the minus side, you like challenges and think this makes it too easy. So why don't you join us on the plus side of things with NPR Plus. Learn more and sign up at plus.npr.org.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Military commanders, intelligence officials, diplomatic power players, they know things you may not about where the world is headed. And we will pull back the curtain on what they're thinking on Sources and Methods, NPR's new national security podcast. Our team will help you understand America's shifting role in the world. Listen to Sources and Methods from NPR.
