Project Freedom Strait Of Hormuz, Louisiana Redistricting, Senate Midterm Landscape
5/4/202615 min
President Trump announced the U.S. military will begin escorting commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz in an operation he calls Project Freedom, even as he reviews a new offer from Iran and keeps the option of renewed strikes on the table.
Louisiana’s governor suspended U.S. House races so lawmakers can draw new congressional maps after the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act, part of a broader Republican push for aggressive redistricting ahead of the midterms.
With President Trump’s approval ratings near new lows, Democrats see a narrow but real opportunity to flip the Senate this fall in several key races including North Carolina, Ohio and Alaska.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Kelsey Snell, Susanna Capelouto, Mohamad ElBardicy and Arezou Rezvani.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.
Our director is Kaity Kline.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
(0:00) Introduction
(02:52) Project Freedom Strait Of Hormuz
(07:39) Louisiana Redistricting
(11:01) Senate Midterm Landscape
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsLeila Fadel· Host0:00
Good morning, Michelle.
Michelle Martin· Host0:00
Good morning, Leila.
Leila Fadel· Host0:01
So real quick before we start today, a reminder that we just celebrated Public Media Giving Days here at NPR.
Michelle Martin· Host0:09
That's right, and this is a big deal for Up First and all the podcasts you love from NPR because we are public media, nonprofit, independent, freely available to everybody, like you.
Leila Fadel· Host0:19
Yeah, the whole public, if you will. We're also supported by you, the public, and Up First listeners like Lauren in Oregon. She's a recent donor to the NPR network who says, "The world feels overwhelming sometimes, but you all provide a manageable amount of news that keeps me informed. It's so important to have engaging and accurate news sources that are accessible to all."
Michelle Martin· Host0:40
Well, thank you, Lauren, and it is our privilege to do this work for you, and we appreciate your support.
Leila Fadel· Host0:46
Public Media Giving Days were officially on May 1st and 2nd, but it's not too late to make your gift in support of us at Public Media. You can do that at donate.npr.org.
Michelle Martin· Host0:57
And thank you. [instrumental music plays] President Trump says the US will guide stranded ships out of the Strait of Hormuz.
Leila Fadel· Host1:04
Meanwhile, he's considering a proposal from the Iranians.
Donald Trump· Soundbite1:07
Do we wanna go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever, or do we wanna try and make a deal?
Michelle Martin· Host1:14
I'm Michelle Martin. That's Leila Fadel, and this is Up First from NPR News. [instrumental music plays] Louisiana's governor suspends house races in his state so lawmakers can draw new congressional maps after the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act. They're literally trying to take power from