D.C. Crackdown, Europe's Putin-Trump Scramble, Ford's Cheaper EV Rollout

Up First from NPR

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4.5 • 52.8K Ratings

🗓️ 12 August 2025

⏱️ 15 minutes

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Summary

President Trump asserts federal control over Washington D.C., police force. European leaders will meet with Trump before a U.S. - Russia summit. Ford plans to invest billions of dollars into a plant in Kentucky to prepare to build a new, cheaper electric truck.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Violent crime is at a 30-year low in Washington, D.C., but President Trump has launched a federal
0:06.8	takeover of local police and deployed the National Guard. Many D.C. residents are skeptical.
0:11.4	It's going to cause more damage. How is this actually going to work?
0:14.6	I'm E. Martinez. That's Michelle Martin, and this is up first from NPR News.
0:20.8	European leaders are scrambling to get Trump to sit down with them
0:23.8	ahead of his plan meeting with Russia's leader to end the war in Ukraine.
0:27.1	Will these peace talks be more successful?
0:29.4	And Ford is building a cheaper electric truck.
0:32.4	It will have amazing range.
0:34.6	It can power your house for six days. And we're going to start the vehicle at $30,000.
0:42.2	Can it compete with Chinese models? Stay with us. We've got news you need to start your day.
0:52.5	Hi, I'm Dave I sayfe founder of StoryCorps.
0:55.0	This message comes from NPR sponsor, Subaru, the largest corporate supporter of Adopticlassroom.org, by providing teachers with funding for supplies and resources.
1:04.2	Subaru, more than a car company.
1:06.2	Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation,
1:13.5	working to restore a balanced relationship between people and planet. The Schmidt Family Foundation
1:19.1	is part of the philanthropic organizations and initiatives created and funded by Eric and Wendy
1:24.6	Schmidt to work toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all.
1:29.2	On the web at theshmit.org.
1:32.2	I'm Rachel Martin, host of Wildcard from NPR.
1:34.8	I've spent years interviewing all kinds of people, and I've realized there are ideas that we
1:40.6	all think about, but don't talk about very much.
	...

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