Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.
Today's top stories
President Trump and his advisers met yesterday evening to discuss next steps with Venezuela as tensions continue to intensify with the U.S. The Trump administration has faced scrutiny over its strikes against what it alleges are drug boats traveling from Venezuela to the U.S. These strikes have killed dozens of people. On Friday, The Washington Post reported that U.S. forces struck a boat on Sept. 2, leaving survivors. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly gave an order to kill those survivors. Some Congress members believe this may constitute a war crime.
- 🎧 Press secretary Karoline Leavitt yesterday didn't deny Hegseth ordered the second strike, but said he authorized U.S. Navy Adm. Frank M. Bradley to take those actions, NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben tells Up First. NPR's Tom Bowman spoke yesterday with a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly. This official disputed the White House's account, stating that Hegseth issued the command for "two strikes to kill" and two additional strikes to "sink the boat."
- ➡️ Venezuelan exiles in America are amplifying a pressure campaign against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Many of those exiles live in Doral, Fla., where an estimated 2 in 5 people are from Venezuela and have stories of persecution.
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will join White House envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow today for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They will discuss a U.S. peace plan aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
- 🎧 Kushner participated in negotiations with a Ukrainian delegation in Florida over the weekend. His involvement in discussions in Russia significantly elevates his role, NPR's Charles Maynes says. Maynes notes that this situation is reminiscent of Kushner's participation in the Gaza negotiations. With both Witkoff and Kushner in the Kremlin, European leaders are concerned that the U.S. and Russia will somehow cut deals over their heads.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan man accused of shooting two National Guard members last week in Washington, D.C., seemed to experience a personal crisis — not radicalization — in the years leading up to the attack. This insight comes from a refugee resettlement volunteer who worked closely with Lakanwal and his family over several years in Bellingham, Washington. The volunteer agreed to speak with NPR on condition of anonymity because they fear for their safety and the safety of others who work with the Afghan refugee community.
- 🎧 By 2023, after Lakanwal struggled to find permanent work and faced cultural isolation, the volunteer described him as withdrawing, becoming more isolated and behaving increasingly erratically, NPR's Brian Mann says. The volunteer says he never saw or sensed any danger from Lakanwal toward the community or the U.S. In Afghanistan, Lakanwal was a member of a paramilitary group called Zero Unit that would go after Taliban fighters. The volunteer's biggest concern was that he was a danger to himself. Mann says that the individual's account of Lakanwal's behavior is supported by emails they shared, which show they raised concerns about his mental health in January 2024.
An NPR investigation into Trajector, a Florida-based company originally established to assist disabled veterans, reveals that Trajector prioritizes aggressive debt collection and maximizing profits. The company is charging military veterans up to $20,000 for assistance with disability claims, despite the VA stating this action may be illegal and that such services should be provided free of charge.
Deep dive
The organization Independent Center believes that artificial intelligence could be the key to disrupting the two-party system in American politics. Its goal is to elect several independent candidates to the House of Representatives in 2026. By using AI, it aims to identify districts where independent candidates have a chance of success and uncover promising candidates. If they can win even a few seats, it could prevent either party from achieving a majority and upend the way the House currently operates.
- ➡️ The Independent Center aims to have around 10 candidates in place by spring, targeting a win in at least half of the races. Adam Brandon, a senior adviser at the organization, predicts this might encourage moderate partisans in the House to switch affiliations.
- ➡️ AI also provides a good opportunity to get a snapshot of the core issues and concerns of voters by monitoring what people are talking about in real time.
- ➡️ One criticism the organization receives is that non-winning candidates on the ballot influence which candidate wins — an idea known as "spoilers." But Brett Loyd, who runs the nonpartisan polling and data firm overseeing the polling and research at the Independent Center, argues that critics of independents getting into races have a vested interest in the current system.
Picture show
White House tours are set to resume today, just in time for the holiday season. The tours were on a three-month hiatus due to Trump's estimated $300 million ballroom project, which involved the removal of the East Wing. In past years, the tours began in the East Wing, which was adorned during the holidays with decorations for its many visitors to enjoy. Tours will now enter and exit through the North Portico instead. Yesterday, journalists previewed the decorations selected by first lady Melania Trump to "honor the heart of America," according to the White House. The "Home Is Where The Heart Is" themed decorations include 75 wreaths with red bows, 51 Christmas trees and more than 2,000 strands of light. Check out this look inside the White House holiday tour.
3 things to know before you go
- This week, at the annual Art Basel fair in Florida, a new exhibition at Miami's Museum of Graffiti explores the origins and development of street art.
- Three octogenarian nuns gained international fame after fleeing their care home and breaking into their former convent. They have attracted over 185,000 Instagram followers, but their superior says they can stay only if they give up social media — an offer they have rejected.
- The 2025 Oxford Word of the Year is "rage bait," which beat fellow shortlist nominees "aura farming" and "biohack" after three days of online voting. Here's how the word has been defined.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
Copyright 2025 NPR
