Venezuela Earthquakes, Trump Senate Fight, Pentagon Shuffles

It hit Caracas and a crowded region west of the capital, buildings collapse the main airport is damaged, the government fears a high death toll as recovery efforts continue.

I'm Michelle Martin, Beth A. Martinez, and this is up first from M. P. R. News.

Senator Republicans reversed course in a wrong last night voting against a resolution to end the war just today after a bipartisan review of President Trump. It was a piece offering to a furious president who had blown up a popular housing bill and berated his own party over loyalty. And one of the army's top generals is set to retire catching many by surprise.

General Chris Donahue was the last U.S. soldier out of Afghanistan in 2021 in his exit.

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He's been out 29 years, but he says the psychological wounds are different than my physical wounds. Listen to Fresh Air on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Venezuela was hit by what seems to be two powerful earthquakes on Wednesday. We're among the largest in its history. The capital Caracas is one of the worst affected areas. In sound from this verified video, you can hear a resident screaming tear as their apartment swayed violently from side to side.

The tremors measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, Chuck just 39 seconds apart, bringing down buildings and severely damaging the international airport which has now been closed. Within 20 aftershocks have followed, the government has declared a state of emergency amid fears of significant casualties. Reporter John Otis joins us from neighboring Columbia, John.

“Do we have any updates at all in the extent of the damage on casualties?”

Well, there's still a lot of confusion over it just how much devastation was caused by these back-to-back earthquakes. The repress center was west of Caracas, but that's a very densely populated area with some big industrial cities like Valencia and Barquisimetho. From photos and videos, the damage looks quite extensive. You can see huge clouds of dust rising into the sky over collapsed buildings and rescue workers, pulling survivors out of the rubble on stretchers.

People were ducking for cover under tables at restaurants and dashing out of their homes into the streets. Venezuela's acting president Delce Rodriguez said at least 32 people were killed and 700 injured. And she said dozens of buildings collapsed in like Wyatt, which is a town near the capital. Yesterday was a public holiday in Venezuela, so rather than at work, many people were at their homes when the quakes struck. Now models put together by the US Geological Survey project that in earthquakes this strong.

There could be thousands of casualties that said we don't have total numbers at this point. But people are already posting on social media looking for missing loved ones.

“So what's been the response of the Venezuelan government?”

President Rodriguez spoke to the nation last night. She declared a state of emergency. She canceled public schools and she called on doctors and nurses to immediately report to work. Let's listen.

The first message for our people in mantener the union to save our lives.

And she's saying my main message to our people is to show solidarity. And she goes on to say that her entire government has been mobilized and that the number one task right now is saving lives. Okay, what's up in the response from the National Community? President Rodriguez says she's received calls from the US, Mexico, Colombia, and many other countries offering to help. President Trump has set on social media that he's ordered US agencies to prepare to move quickly.

The US State Department says it's mobilized a disaster assistance team and task force to Venezuela. It will also be sending search and rescue teams medical and humanitarian supplies. It helps that the Rodriguez government's been working closely with Washington. Ever since the country's authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro was ousted by US Special Forces back in January. And the US Embassy has also reopened so that should help.

But remember, under the Maduro regime, Venezuela's economy collapsed due to corruption mismanagement and US sanctions.

So it's going to be tough for Venezuela to try to recover from this natural disaster.

“That's John Otis, who is reporting from neighboring Colombia.”

John, thank you. Thanks very much. President Trump shocked Washington yesterday when he blew up plans to sign the widely supported legislation to lower housing costs across America. The president said he won't support the measure until the Senate passes his sweeping elections bill that so far Senate leaders have said just does not have the votes to pass. That's just the latest example of his frustration with those who won't follow his lead.

The president only is the president showing his frustration with the Senate, but also US allies around the world. I just want the world, we don't need that money, we don't need anything. We have the most powerful military in the world by far, but I just want the world to, you know, we're so low to them. MPR's Franco or Donas has been following this. Franco, it feels like the president was celebrating festive us at the Capitol with the airing of grievances.

What can you tell us?

“Yeah, I mean, first he really abruptly canceled a popular bipartisan achievement in Washington.”

Both Republicans and Democrats wanted really a rarity these days.

It was, you know, a bill that focuses on one of the most important challenges Americans are facing right now.

That's a fortability. But Trump was just not having it saying that his pet issue, this election bill had to be first. I mean, it really was kind of like a serenity now moment for some of the senators. Trump later went into closed door meeting with some of those senators and expressed frustration of with those who reviewed him on the Iran war.

Actually prompting them to reverse chorus later in the day and vote against a similar war powers resolution that they had approved earlier in the day. And then finally, a in a meeting with Mark Ruta, NATO General Secretary Trump went off on European leaders, who he felt did not support him enough in the war against Iran. As we heard, he said he doesn't want their money all he wants is our loyalty.

So on that election's bill, John Foon, the Senate Majority Leader, has explained that the votes are just not there to overcome a democratic filibuster.

“Does President Trump not understand how the Senate works here?”

You know, it's not clear if he doesn't understand or if he just doesn't care about the norms and procedures of the Senate. I mean, Trump is more focused on having Republicans loyal to him than having a majority who can pass his legislation. You know, as you pointed out earlier, this speaks to much bigger issues about expanding his executive and political power. And the loyalty he expects from those he works with. You know, that of course includes a Senate who he ripped into earlier in the day of Iran.

And of course, withheld support from the housing bill that could have helped the party in the fall elections. But it also extends to foreign leaders, which we also saw yesterday. After Trump criticized European leaders, Ruta, the NATO chief, was clearly trying to maintain ties between Trump and the rest of Europe. I mean, just showering him with praise and only delicately pushing back when Trump criticized those allies. There must be political implications, though, especially with the housing vote.

Yeah, I mean, it speaks to the divide and the Republican party just five months from the midterms. Republicans have been clamoring for Trump to turn from Iran and focus on domestic issues to focus on the economy. And then here you have them delivering to his desk, something that addresses one of the things. Poll show Americans are most worried about the cost of living. It would probably help him and the polls.

It would help the party and he doesn't sign it. I mean, how speaker Mike Johnson is expected to meet with Trump today to go over some of the challenge. Trump faces with Capitol Hill Republicans. But it just gives Democrats another example that they can point to and argue that Trump is focused more on election fights. And not on kitchen table concerns.

That is White House correspondent Franco or Donas. Thanks, Lopranko. Thanks. Army General Chris Donahue will shortly announce his retirement according to two U.S. officials. We're not authorized to speak publicly. The news caught many by surprise.

Donahue was a special forces soldier who now oversees U.S. Army operations across Europe and Africa. But he's perhaps best known as the last American soldier to the part of Afghanistan in 2021, during the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces under the Biden administration. There are more as MPR's quill Lawrence, so quill who is General Chris Donahue. Yeah, he's a West Point graduate, combat decorated veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan and Syria.

He was a leader in Delta Force, which is an elite group even within special forces. He also commanded the 82nd Airborne. He ran the Army's infantry school. In Europe, he's worked with Ukrainian military leaders.

But he was only in this four star army job in Europe for a year and a half.

And defense secretary Pete Hex that did come into office saying that there were far too many flag officers in the military. He shrunk down the possible jobs that four stars can go to. But Donahue would have seemed like a competitive candidate for any of those remaining jobs up to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“So do we know anything about the backstory behind the abrupt news of his retiring?”

No one has any official explanation. If you follow military Twitter and the Trump administration does seem to be concerned about what's in on social media, there are some trolls focusing on the fact that Donahue was in charge of trying to evacuate Kabul airport. You may remember from five years ago, this green tinted night vision photo of a man walking up the ramp of an aircraft, the last man out of Afghanistan.

And people are sort of pinning that whole debacle that messy conclusion of 20 messy years of war,

a cat by the death of 13 US troops and 170 Afghans in this suicide bombing. It at Abbey Gate, they're pinning that on Donahue. Okay, with that in mind that the Pentagon is now doing an investigation of what it calls a quote disastrous and embarrassing withdrawal, and has promised accountability so it's done a huge to blame for any of that. There's really no evidence that he was.

“He arrived in Kabul after the city had fallen to the Taliban.”

He wasn't a charge of Abbey Gate. He came to run the withdrawal and coordinated hundreds of flights that probably saved thousands of people's lives. And that photo of him being the last man out is widely seen as what right looks like in the military. The way a commander takes responsibility. You know, it was a general who was the last man to bore the plane not some unlucky private.

You know, the fence secretary Pete Hexeth has had a few fire rings in his time as a secretary defense. So does this fall into that pattern? Yes, and no, Hexeth has been trimming the ranks. And as we've watched that play out, more than half of those cut have been female or black officers. And Hexeth has been in this highly unusual thing where he reaches way down into the promotion list to block people.

And of course, he's some early fired CQ Brown who is a black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as soon as Hexeth came in.

“But Donna, he was a white man and he seems to fit even the, you know, let's say narrow vision of what the secretary Hexeth calls a warfighter.”

This seems much more like back in April when Army Chiefs of Staff General Randy George was fired by Hexeth with no explanation. The rumors were that George was seen as an ally of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll who had been outshining Hexeth a bit and this was some sort of retaliation. That upset many in Congress from both parties. And now at least the Senate version of this year's defense bill will require written justification from the Pentagon before promotions can be delayed or withheld like this. All right, that's NPR's Quill Lawrence Quill, thank you.

Thank you.

And that's up first for Thursday June 25th.

Let me Martinez. And now I'm Michelle Martin. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Tara Niel. Rebecca Metzler, Andrew Sussman, Mohammed LRDC and HDMI. It was produced by Ziyad Bunch and Niyad Jumas.

Our director is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Heines. Our technical director is Carly Strange and our deputy executive producer is Kelly Dickens. We hope you'll join us again tomorrow. [Music]

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