Day: August 18, 2025

European leaders, including Ukraine’s, will meet at the White House today following President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russia’s president. We track the first major storm of the hurricane season that’s also one of the most rapidly intensifying storms in Atlantic history. Three states are sending hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, DC. We’ll tell you why one of the largest demonstrations since the Gaza war began has taken place in Israel. Plus, striking airline workers have defied a government back-to-work order.
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President Trump will host Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House. Israelis protest to demand a hostage deal as the military and government leaders pursue plans to occupy Gaza City. And growing number of National Guard troops are on their way to the nation’s capital. Want more comprehensive 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 Jason Breslow, Ryland Barton, Russell Lewis, Olivia Hampton and Adriana Gallardo. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has criticised “the aggressive behaviour” of China in the Taiwan Strait ahead of his trip to Japan.

“China’s increasingly aggressive behaviour in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas also affects us in Europe: fundamental… pic.twitter.com/woxLoap3n4

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 18, 2025