Hegseth Defends Iran War, Powell Stays On As Fed Chair, SCOTUS Voting Rights Case
4/30/202614 min
The Pentagon estimates the war with Iran has already cost 25 billion dollars as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the cost of the war in a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says he will remain on the central bank’s board after his term ends next month to shield the agency from political pressure.
The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the Voting Rights Act only prohibits congressional maps intentionally drawn to discriminate based on race, a decision that could make it much harder to challenge aggressive Republican-led redistricting efforts.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Andrew Sussman, Rafael Nam, Ben Swasey, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Ally Schweitzer.
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
(02:18) Hegseth Defends Iran War
(06:07) Powell Stays On As Fed Chair
(09:55) SCOTUS Voting Rights Case
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSteve Inskeep· Host0:00
One of us- [laughs] ... feels that it's kinda cold in here. Is that, is it within our power to do anything about that?
Scott Horsley0:08
I'll get my jacket.
Steve Inskeep· Host0:09
What if we just, like, light a little fire or something?
Scott Horsley0:11
Yeah, I think so.
Steve Inskeep· Host0:11
Little campfire.
Scott Horsley0:12
Trash fire. I think we should.
Steve Inskeep· Host0:13
A trash fire. [laughs] [laughs] That's even better. Give it a little pungent smell. [laughs] Put an edge on the program today.
Scott Horsley0:19
Mm-hmm.
Michel Martin· Host0:20
[gentle music] Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified about the first $25 billion spent on the war with Iran.
Kevin Donegan· Soundbite0:28
What would you pay to ensure Iran doesn't get a nuclear bomb?
Steve Inskeep· Host0:30
But can you, do you- What would you pay? Sorry. How much higher does the price go as the economic damage keeps climbing?
Michel Martin· Host0:36
I'm Michelle Martin, that's Steve Inskeep, and this is Up First from NPR News. [gentle music] Jerome Powell says he will stay on the board of the Federal Reserve for now, even after his stint as chairman ends.
Jerome Powell· Soundbite0:48
I am confident that the Fed will continue to make its decision based on analysis, but we've had to fight for it.
Michel Martin· Host0:54
By staying on, Powell denies President Trump the chance to name a replacement.
Steve Inskeep· Host0:58
Also, the Supreme Court changes the rules, making it harder to create Black majority voting districts. The ruling allows Louisiana to redraw its congressional districts. How many other states might follow? Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day.
Brittany Luse1:12
[gentle music] This year, for the first time in NPR's history, public media is operating without federal funding. That means NPR needs your support now more than ever. I'm Brittany Luse from It's Been a Minute.