Venezuela Earthquakes, Trump Senate Fight, Pentagon Shuffles
Up First from NPR
NPR
4.6 • 59K Ratings
🗓️ 25 June 2026
⏱️ 13 minutes
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Summary
President Trump blew up a popular bipartisan housing bill both parties wanted, refusing to sign it until the Senate passes his own elections bill that doesn't have the votes, it's the latest example of his demand for loyalty from Republicans and allies alike.
And one of the Army's top generals, Chris Donahue, is set to retire in a move that surprised many, drawing more attention to a pattern of Pentagon shake-ups under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Tara Neill, Rebekah Metzler, Andrew Sussman, Mohamad ElBardicy, and HJ Mai.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.
Our director is Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
And our deputy Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens.
(0:00) Introduction
(01:55) Venezuela Earthquakes
(05:41) Trump Senate Fight
(09:26) Pentagon Shuffles
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela just seconds apart. |
| 0:06.5 | They hit Caracas in a crowded region west of the capital. |
| 0:09.3 | Buildings collapsed. The main airport is damaged, and the government fears a high death |
| 0:13.1 | toll as recovery efforts continue. |
| 0:14.8 | I'm Michelle Martin. That's A. Martinez, and this is up first from NPR News. |
| 0:20.8 | Senate Republicans reversed course in Iran last night, voting against a resolution to and this is up first from NPR News. |
| 0:23.5 | Senate Republicans reversed course in Iran last night, |
| 0:28.5 | voting against a resolution to end the war just a day after a bipartisan rebuke of President Trump. It was a peace offering to a furious president who had blown up a popular housing bill |
| 0:33.1 | and berated his own party over loyalty. |
| 0:35.8 | And one of the Army's top generals is set to retire, catching many by surprise. |
| 0:39.9 | General Chris Donahue was the last U.S. soldier out of Afghanistan in 2021, and his exit |
| 0:45.1 | fits a pattern of Pentagon shakeup. |
| 0:47.5 | Stay with us. |
| 0:48.0 | We've got news you need to start your day. |
| 0:58.6 | Venezuela was hit by two powerful earthquakes on Wednesday. |
| 1:01.1 | They are among the largest in its history. |
| 1:05.0 | The capital, Caracas, is one of the worst affected areas. |
| 1:14.6 | In sound from this verified video, you can hear a resident screaming in terror as their apartment sways violently from side to side. |
| 1:16.5 | The tremors measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck just 39 seconds apart, bringing down |
| 1:23.3 | buildings and severely damaging the international airport, which has now been closed. |
| 1:28.0 | More than 20 aftershocks have followed. The government has declared a state of emergency |
| 1:32.0 | amid fears of significant casualties. Reporter John Otis joins us from neighboring Colombia. |
... |
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