ICE Student Arrests, HHS Cuts, Stefanik Nomination Pulled, China Trade City

Speaker 1 Protests in Boston over the arrest of a Tufts University student by ICE agents.

Speaker 3 Is the Trump administration targeting students just for criticizing Israel?

Speaker 1 I'm Martinez, that's Michelle Martin, and this is up first from NPR News.

Speaker 1 The Trump administration plans to cut 20,000 jobs from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Speaker 2 We have two goals. The first is obvious, to save the taxpayer money.
And the second is to radically improve our quality of service.

Speaker 1 Can they really cut that deep without hurting critical services?

Speaker 3 And President Trump keeps House Republicans' slim majority intact by pulling Elise Stefanik's nomination for UN ambassador.

Speaker 3 Plus, Steve Inskeep is in China, where he's seeing how American tariffs are changing business in one of the world's largest trading hubs.

Speaker 3 Stay with us, we'll give you the news you need to start your day.

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Speaker 3 has revoked hundreds of visas as part of a crackdown on student activists who opposed Israel's war in Gaza.

Speaker 1 Outside Boston this week, about 2,000 people took to the streets to call on the government to free Tufts University student Rumesa Oz Turk.

Speaker 1 Immigration agents in plain clothes and face masks arrested Oz Turk off the street and plan to deport her.

Speaker 1 She's the latest foreign-born student taken into custody as the Trump administration goes after university protesters.

Speaker 3 And Pierce Adrian Florido has been tracking these developments and he's with us now. Good morning, Adrienne.
Good morning, Michelle.

Speaker 3 So, Adrian, tell us more about Rumesa Oz Turk and what happened to her.

Speaker 6 Well, I'll start with what happened. It was Tuesday.
A security camera captured it. Oz Turk is about to cross the street on her way to dinner to break the Ramadan fast with friends.

Speaker 6 Six agents surround her, and one grabs her arm.

Speaker 6 Oz Turk screams visibly, terrified as agents handcuff her and lead her to an unmarked car. She is Turkish and a PhD student at Tufts on a student visa.
She's been involved in pro-Palestinian activism.

Speaker 6 Last year, she published an op-ed criticizing her school's leaders for not condemning the war in Gaza or cutting economic ties with Israel.

Speaker 3 Okay, so here's the critical question. Do we know if that op-ed is why immigration agents arrested her?

Speaker 6 Not precisely, but the Department of Homeland Security said that Oz Turk has, quote, engaged in activities in support of Hamas. DHS has offered no evidence of this.

Speaker 6 Her lawyer calls those allegations baseless. She says Oz Turk is a gifted student and Fulbright scholar studying child development.

Speaker 6 But last night, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he personally revoked her visa after assessing her activities.

Speaker 7 The activities presented to me meet the standard of what I've just described to you, of people that are supportive of movements that run counter to the foreign policy of the United States.

Speaker 7 If necessary and a court compels us, we'll provide that information. But ultimately, it's a visa.
The judges don't issue student visas. There is no right to a student visa.

Speaker 6 Osterk, after her arrest, was quickly flown to a detention center in Louisiana, Michelle, and her lawyer is fighting to free her.

Speaker 3 And of course, I think many people may remember that Mahmoud Khalil was arrested at Columbia University three weeks ago on similar accusations after the Secretary of State decided to revoke his green card.

Speaker 3 And let me remind here that he is a legal permanent resident, not a student visa holder, and he's married to an American citizen.

Speaker 3 Other students and scholars have also been pursued pursued or arrested. So, how wide is this dragnet?

Speaker 6 Well, yesterday, Rubio said that he has revoked hundreds of visas, many of them student visas, making those people immediately deportable. Here he is again.

Speaker 7 We are not going to be importing activists into the United States. They're here to study.
They're here to go to class.

Speaker 7 They're not here to lead activist movements that are disruptive and undermine our universities. I think it's lunacy to continue to allow that.

Speaker 6 Rubio is delivering on President Trump's promise, Michelle, to deport non-citizens whose activism he claims supports Hamas terrorism and is anti-Semitic.

Speaker 6 Trump has taken special aim at universities, saying they are infested with radicalism.

Speaker 6 He has demanded that schools crack down on protests and is pressuring them with funding cuts or threats of funding cuts.

Speaker 6 Student activists say this is all about muzzling dissent and free speech, and that these deportation arrests are about spreading terror and punishing students for their political beliefs.

Speaker 6 And they say that the arrests are unconstitutional and lawyers are fighting them.

Speaker 3 And what might be next for these students who have been targeted?

Speaker 6 Well, like I said, their lawyers are fighting in federal courts and immigration courts to prevent their deportations.

Speaker 6 Some are making constitutional arguments, leaning on the First Amendment right to free speech.

Speaker 6 The government is also aggressively defending its authority, though, to revoke the legal status of these students and to expel them.

Speaker 3 That is NPR's Adrian Florido. Adrian, thank you.

Speaker 6 Thanks, Michelle.

Speaker 3 The Trump administration plans to restructure the Department of Health and Human Services and cut 20,000 employees.

Speaker 1 HHS is the umbrella agency that includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Medicare and Medicaid, the National Institutes of Health, and a lot more.

Speaker 3 NPR Selena Simmons-Duffin has been reporting on these plans and what they mean, and she is with us now. Good morning.

Speaker 8 Good morning, Michelle.

Speaker 3 So, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
announced this plan yesterday. What's he trying to do?

Speaker 8 Well, Secretary Kennedy says HHS is a huge bureaucracy filled with silos and that he wants to streamline things. Here he is in a video he posted to social media.

Speaker 2 We have two goals. The first is obvious to save the taxpayer money by making our department more efficient.
And the second is to radically improve our quality of service.

Speaker 8 He says they'll do that by consolidating administrative work like IT and human resources, but that the restructuring won't affect the work the agencies do.

Speaker 8 Kennedy draws a direct line between the problems with America's overall health and the way HHS has been set up.

Speaker 2 I think most Americans would agree with me that throwing more money at healthcare isn't going to solve the problem or it would have solved it already. Obviously, what we've been doing hasn't worked.

Speaker 2 That's why we're making this dramatic overhaul.

Speaker 3 Okay, so Selena, these plans were just announced, but what's been the reaction so far?

Speaker 8 My inbox was flooded with shocked responses yesterday from Democratic lawmakers, nurses groups, public health groups, advocates for seniors. They say this isn't an overhaul.
It's a wrecking ball.

Speaker 8 I asked former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for her reaction. She was incredulous that Kennedy thinks he can cut HHS staff so steeply and not affect services.

Speaker 9 Well, that's what I find so incredibly insulting. To me, what they're saying is there are 20,000 people working for HHS who do nothing.

Speaker 8 She was especially critical of the plan to cut the number of regional offices from 10 to 5 and to combine certain agencies.

Speaker 8 Like she questioned how it would help efficiency to combine CDC, which is in Atlanta, Atlanta, with the Strategic Preparedness Agency, which is in DC.

Speaker 3 Do we know yet which agencies are going to be the most affected?

Speaker 8 It looks like the steepest cuts are coming from CDC and FDA.

Speaker 8 Also, a lesser-known agency called the Administration for Community Living, which helps seniors and people with disabilities live independently.

Speaker 8 They do work like meal delivery, transportation support for caregivers.

Speaker 8 Under the plans, that agency will be dismantled and its quote, critical services will get spread out over a few different agencies.

Speaker 8 So employees whose jobs are getting cut could get notices as soon as today with the cuts effective in May.

Speaker 8 And HHS did not respond to NPR's request for an interview with Secretary Kennedy or give answers to a list of questions about the plans.

Speaker 3 So presumably some people do support these plans. So what do Kennedy's supporters or supporters of these plans say?

Speaker 8 Republican lawmakers have been fairly quiet so far, especially compared to Democratic members of Congress who have quickly put together press conferences, quote, sounding the alarm about this plan.

Speaker 8 Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, the Republican chair of the health committee, did not respond to NPR's request for comment.

Speaker 8 What Republicans have said is that the details aren't out yet, that they believe there is administrative sprawl at HHS, and that it can be streamlined, and that they trust Kennedy.

Speaker 3 That is NPR health correspondent Selena Simmons-Deffin. Selena, thank you.

Speaker 8 You're welcome.

Speaker 3 Republicans on Capitol Hill have worked quickly to confirm President Trump's cabinet nominees.

Speaker 1 Yes, some have faced contentious battles, others have sailed right through Senate votes.

Speaker 1 There was only one pick left to appear in front of the Senate, and that was New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, President Trump's choice to be Ambassador to the United Nations.

Speaker 1 But that changed yesterday when he pulled her nomination, saying he's asked her to stay in the House of Representatives.

Speaker 3 Here to explain why is NPR political reporter Alina Mora. She's here with me in our studios.
Good morning. Good morning.
So Elise Stefanik's nomination was expected to be an easy vote.

Speaker 3 So what happened?

Speaker 10 Well, Stefanik is a close ally of the president, and she's really been seen as a rising star within the party. She was elected in 2014 and at the time was the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.

Speaker 10 She was a vocal Trump defender during his 2019 impeachment hearing and later rose to a top leadership position within the party. All of this was supposed to make her confirmation process appear easy.

Speaker 10 The problem, it turned out, Michelle, wasn't Stephonic, but House Republicans and their razor-thin majority. You know, on most bills, the party can only afford to lose one or two votes.

Speaker 10 And, you know, there was a chance Stephanie's departure would only make things harder, which, you know, Trump decided was too risky.

Speaker 10 He wrote on social media yesterday that Republicans needed to maintain every seat they can.

Speaker 3 Okay, but Republicans have known about their razor-thin majority as far back as November when Trump picked Stephanie. So, why now?

Speaker 10 Yeah, I mean, well, since the fall, two other Republicans have left office: former Florida Congressman Matt Gates, who resigned before the start of the term, and former Florida Congressman Mike Waltz, who now serves as Trump's national security advisor.

Speaker 10 Special elections are underway for both of those seats, and Republicans are easily expected to hold hold on in Gates's district, but the race for Waltz's seat is shaping up to be way more competitive than expected.

Speaker 10 And, you know, Stefanik won her race by double digits last fall, but you know, the decision to withdraw her nomination shows that Republicans just don't want to take any more risks right now in any more races, especially when there's still a long to-do list on Capitol Hill.

Speaker 10 You know, Trump has done a lot by executive action, but in terms of legislation, it's a different story. Republicans want to make Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent.

Speaker 10 They also want more funding for defense and the president's immigration agenda. So again, Michelle, this really is a reminder of just how fragile the GOP majority in the House is right now.

Speaker 3 What's been the reaction on Capitol Hill?

Speaker 10 Well, for her part, Stefanik told Fox News last night that she supported Trump's decision.

Speaker 11 I have been proud to be a team player. The president knows that.
He and I had multiple conversations today, and we are committed to delivering results on behalf of the American people.

Speaker 10 House Speaker Mike Johnson has invited Stefanik back to House GOP leadership, but it's unclear what role that may be since her old job has since been filled.

Speaker 10 And, you know, though Johnson expressed enthusiasm about having her back on the Democratic side, they're framing this whole moment pretty differently.

Speaker 10 In a statement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, he said,

Speaker 10 House Republicans are running scared.

Speaker 3 That is NPR political reporter Elena Moore. Elena, thank you.

Speaker 10 Thanks.

Speaker 3 Just about every day, we learn of new tariffs threatened or imposed by the United States. President Trump ordered tariffs on auto imports this week, sending the stock market falling.

Speaker 3 Next week, the administration promises new tariff numbers for every country based on a calculation of tariffs that they charge.

Speaker 3 20% tariffs are already in effect on goods from China, and Stivensky has been talking with some of the sellers. Hello there, friend.

Speaker 12 Hi there, friend.

Speaker 3 So, where have you been?

Speaker 12 Well, we've been visiting the source of your stuff, Michelle. Things like hairpins, pots and pans, toys.
You've got a grill, don't you?

Speaker 2 You got a grill?

Speaker 3 I do. And pots and pans.

Speaker 12 Okay, well, we saw a place where they sell enormous numbers of grills.

Speaker 12 A lot of that kind of consumer stuff comes to America through a Chinese trading city called Iwu, Y-I-W-U-Iwu, where thousands of wholesalers ship products from nearby factories.

Speaker 12 Our tour through this area gave us a little bit of news: how some Chinese businesses are responding to those tariffs, and also a picture of life.

Speaker 12 This international trading market is like a shopping mall next to a shopping mall, next to a shopping mall. And I walked through with our colleague Rina Edvani, and we recorded as we went.

Speaker 12 Let's just listen to a little bit of that.

Speaker 8 Umbrellas, they're all made here.

Speaker 12 So, there's an umbrella store, nothing but umbrellas.

Speaker 4 And there's yoga mats, chests, it looks like parasols, all sorts of things here you can find.

Speaker 12 Light bulbs, like a light bulb store. That's what they sell.

Speaker 12 Shop after shop after shop, and then we settled in at a display room for hardware.

Speaker 12 I've been going around the store just writing down things that are for sale. Spades, saws, staplers, caulk guns, garden shears, wire cutters, bolt cutters, garden hose nozzles.

Speaker 3 Okay, Steve, sounds like a shopper's paradise, but what did you learn about tariffs?

Speaker 12 That the Chinese suppliers of our goods are dealing with those tariffs in different ways.

Speaker 12 The hardware store seller, who's selling screwdrivers, jackhammers, any number of things, says she thinks that her tools are in demand and that American consumers are just going to pay more.

Speaker 12 She's not changing her prices.

Speaker 3 Well, that's what economists say will happen with tariffs, that it's a tax that Americans will pay.

Speaker 12 Yeah, yeah, yeah. She says she's just going to improve the packaging and marketing a little bit.

Speaker 12 But with that said, we also heard some stories of people who have lost business or agreed to make some trade-offs.

Speaker 3 Okay, what do you mean by that?

Speaker 12 Well, for example, a seller of hairpins and claw clips told us she had an order from Target, and they said, would you pick up half the cost of the tariffs?

Speaker 12 She tried to negotiate, and they delayed the order. She's losing the business.
We also met a guy who sells thousands and thousands of toys made on 3D printers.

Speaker 12 He says one of his clients asked for half the tariffs to be paid by him. He said, sure, his business is expanding and regardless, tariffs or not, he is raising his prices.

Speaker 3 So what's the bottom line here?

Speaker 12 That there is a give and take, I guess. It seems like suppliers will, in fact, pay some of the tariffs, but American consumers will too.

Speaker 12 And it's also clear to us from here that China has some options. They sell all over the world, including outside of the United States, in a rapidly changing marketplace.

Speaker 3 That's Stevenskie speaking to us from Shanghai. Steve, thank you.

Speaker 12 You're welcome, Michelle. It's good to talk with you.

Speaker 3 What do Mu Dang, the pygmy hippo, social media, sensation hawk to a girl, and the president of the United States all have in common?

Speaker 3 They've all inspired meme coins, which are a valuable, highly volatile type of cryptocurrency. I mean, I definitely would say this is just gambling.

Speaker 2 Everyone involved would agree with that, I think. But it's a really weird form of gambling.

Speaker 3 This Sunday on Up First, understanding the meme coin boom. How does it work? And who are the winners and losers in this gamble? Listen to the Sunday story right here on NPR's Up First podcast.

Speaker 3 And that's Up First for Friday, March 28th. I'm Michelle Martin.
And I'm A.

Speaker 1 Martinez. Ready for more NPR news? I know that you are.
Well, there's a radio show for that. Find NPR's Morning Edition on your NPR station at stations.npr.org.

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And don't forget, Up First airs on Saturday, too.

Speaker 1 Aisha Roscoe and Scott Simon have all the news. It'll be right here in this feed or wherever you get those podcasts.

Speaker 3 Today's episode of Up First was edited by Eric Westervelt, Jane Greenhall, Jason Breslow, Rina Advani, Arizu Rezvani, and Mohamed El-Bardisi.

Speaker 3 It was produced by Ziad Buch, Milton Gerbara, Owen So, Nia Dumas, and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Highness and our technical director, Stacey Abbott.

Speaker 3 Our executive producer is Jay Shaler.

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