Russia-Ukraine war; Trump’s first month : NPR

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Today’s top stories

President Trump was sworn into his second term in office four weeks ago today. Since then, he has gotten the Senate to confirm even his most controversial cabinet picks, his executive actions have forced dramatic changes in the federal government, and he’s attempted to eliminate entire agencies. Several courts have paused some of Trump’s actions and questioned whether they are legal.

• 🎧 Trump is taking a very expansive view of his executive authority this termaccording to NPR’s Tamara Keith. She tells Up First that he has less to lose this time as he isn’t running for reelection and the Supreme Court has given presidents broad legal immunity for laws broken in their role. Trump said last week he would abide by the courts. However, a federal judge found in at least one case that the Trump administration defied a temporary order to unfreeze federal funding. Keith says the theme for Trump’s second term is challenging laws and the common understanding of the balance of power displayed in the Constitution.

European leaders have called an emergency meeting in Paris today after they were cut out of negotiations set to be held in the coming days by high-level U.S. and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. The emergency meeting, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, will include leaders of Britain, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark.

• 🎧 The meeting’s agenda includes increasing military spending and authorizing massive lending, NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley says. This comes after U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the U.S. has more significant priorities in Asia and Europe should take care of itself. Last week, Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone and proposed lifting sanctions and bringing Russia back into the fold of nations. Elie Tenenbaum, a security expert at the French Institute for International Relations, says that without European allies at the negotiation table, the U.S. might strongarm Ukraine into a bad deal with Russia.

Today, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Saudi Arabia, where he will amplify Trump’s vision for Gaza. This comes one day after he visited Israel on his first trip to the Middle East in his new role. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says they discussed how they plan to implement change in the Middle East.

• 🎧 Rubio’s main message with Israel was pushing Trump’s plans to rebuild Gaza under U.S. ownership after the ceasefire and ensuring the deal holds long enough to release all Israeli hostages held by Hamas, NPR’s Aya Batrawy says. Two years ago, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince was close to establishing ties with Israel. He has since described the war in Gaza as a genocide and has shown no signs that ties with Israel are on the horizon.

Life advice

Today’s society can keep parents constantly on edge. Along with balancing work, child care, and household responsibilities, they must also navigate concerns related to social media, school shootings and their children’s mental health, according to the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2024 advisory. With so much on their plates, the pressure can lead to burnout. Here are some red flags to watch for and solutions to help cope with this stress:

• 🚩 If you find yourself so emotionally, physically or mentally drained most days that you can’t enjoy time with family, you could be struggling with burnout. Symptoms appear differently from person to person.
• 🚩 When you are caught in a tough parenting moment, set a timer for 60 seconds, breathe deeply and give yourself time to get your body and mind back to a calm state.
• 🚩 The “mental load,” which is invisible labor like planning and decision-making, can be a major factor in parental burnout. If you’re experiencing this, it could be time to let go of some of those responsibilities.

Check out the full list of coping strategies here.

Picture show

A nonprofit publication called Rest of World received almost 230 submissions from 45 countries for its annual photo contest, which asked entrants to show the impact of technology in their communities. Entries flowed in from professional photographers and hobbyists who focused on scenes that would have been impossible to imagine even just a few years ago. Here’s a look at some standouts and why they resonated with the judges.

3 things to know before you go

1. Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda reclaimed his half marathon world record yesterday at the 2025 Barcelona Half Marathon with a time of 56:42, smashing the previous half marathon record of 57:30.
2. The Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special was filled with nostalgia and sketches featuring a plethora of celebrities, including Meryl Streep, Eddie Murphy, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone and more. Here’s what worked and what didn’taccording to NPR TV critic Eric Deggans.
3. Fight for America! is a new art installation and social event that invites audience members to play a war game battling over the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Each player has a character card depicting a real person at the Capitol on that day.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.