Sanctions on Syria; RFK Jr. congressional hearings : NPR

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Today’s top stories

NPR has identified three officials from the Trump administration who have close connections to antisemitic extremists. This includes an individual labeled by federal prosecutors as a “Nazi sympathizer” and a prominent Holocaust denier. This revelation follows the Trump administration’s use of the fight against antisemitism as a justification for deporting pro-Palestinian student protesters and implementing funding cuts to universities. Read the breakdowns on each official and their ties to antisemitic individuals.

President Trump met with Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, today in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Just months ago, Sharaa was on the U.S. list of designated terrorists, with a $10 million bounty placed on him. This meeting follows Trump’s announcement that he plans to lift decades of U.S. sanctions on Syria. The country’s economy has been struggling since its civil war and the ousting of the Assad regime.

• 🎧 Npr’s aya batrawy tells Up First that Trump and Sharaa’s meeting could transform the regionnot just Syria. Syria is a pillar of the Middle East, but for over a decade, it has been crumbling and impoverished by its war, destabilizing parts of the region. The new Syria says it is ready to build a relationship with the U.S. The potential lifting of sanctions could assist Arab states in preventing Iran from establishing a presence in Syria, while also aligning with U.S. interests in preventing Russia from building bases there. However, lifting sanctions is a complicated process that would involve going through Congress.

Representatives from Russia and Ukraine will gather in Turkey for negotiations tomorrowentering a new phase in an attempt to halt or end the war. It’s the two countries’ first direct talks since the early months of the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Trump has suggested he might stop by.

• 🎧 Moscow and Kyiv are trying to demonstrate to Trump that they are the more serious party seeking peace, NPR’s Charles Maynes says. Russian President Vladimir Putin called for direct talks as a counteroffer after Europe and the U.S. threatened new sanctions on Russia if he didn’t commit to an immediate 30-day ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend the negotiations and has challenged Putin to show up. Zelenskyy says he doesn’t believe Putin actually wants a ceasefire and the meeting is a stalling tactic. Maynes says if Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy do all meet together for the talks, “anything could happen.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be on Capitol Hill today to testify for the first time since stepping into the role of secretary of Health and Human Services. Since taking the position, Kennedy has fired thousands of staff members, canceled billions of dollars in grants to universities and public health departments, and purged scientific leaders. He will testify before the House and the Senate to explain why he wants less money for his department in the coming year.

• 🎧 DOGE’s efforts to shrink the government are connected to the cuts Kennedy wants to makeNPR’s Selena Simmons-Duffin says. But Kennedy is also attempting to fundamentally change the mission of HHS and instill his priorities. He states that chronic diseases are an epidemic and has linked the size of the HHS staff and budget with the worsening health of the American population. Simmons-Duffin says she will be paying attention to the overhaul of departments during today’s hearings. The overhaul was billed as being about administrative redundancies. However, many core functions of the agency, including those required by Congress, are now in limbo. Other topics that could come up during Kennedy’s testimony include the measles outbreak in West Texas, his approach to autism and the cuts to biomedical research.

Today’s listen

For the first time in the 69-year history of the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart, Spanish-language albums are Nos. 1 and 2 simultaneously. Bad Bunny took the crown for the top position. In a surprisingly strong debut right behind him is the Mexican American band Fuerza Regida with their ninth album. After eight years of making music, the group’s new album, 111XPANTIAmarks a return to their traditional style after a brief shift to a more electronic sound on their previous album. What sets the group apart is the magnetism of their melodies and how they dance with a pop-like groove. Listen to snippets of songs from the albumshowcasing what makes them so special.

Living Better

Living Better is a special series about what it takes to stay healthy in America.

Dietitians often recommend whole grain or brown rice and pasta over their counterparts, white rice and pasta, because they are more nutritious. But in the past decade, food scientists have figured out a way people can digest carbohydrates more slowly. During that process, they uncovered a surprise: a super nutrient hidden inside white pasta and white rice called resistant starch. Studies have shown that eating more resistant starch can improve gut health, lower inflammation in the body and enhance insulin sensitivity. Here’s how you can create the supernutrient in your own kitchen:

• 🍚 After you cook white rice, the kernels contain chains of sugar molecules known as digestible starch. If you put hot rice in the fridge for at least 6-8 hours, the sugar chains stick together, making them no longer digestible.
• 🍚 Studies have shown that eating cold, leftover rice doesn’t typically raise blood sugar as fast and high as eating hot, fresh rice.
• 🍚 The same trick works for any food that contains digestible starch, including white pasta and potatoes. Pasta and potato salad won’t spike your blood sugar as fast as a sizzling spaghetti.
• 🍚 You don’t have to eat the grains cold; you can reheat gently. Do so quickly in the microwave or by lightly frying it.

3 things to know before you go

1. Step aside, bubble gum machines, a new vending machine is in town. Ana Inciardi is dispensing surprise mini art prints in at least 50 locations across the U.S.
2. All Things Considered‘s new series, Here to Help, is shining a light on people who choose to volunteer their time. If you volunteer, they want to hear your story about how the work has made a difference in your life.
3. A trove of forgotten, secret Nazi documents seized during World War II was recently found in the basement of Argentina’s Supreme Court.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.