India Train Crash, Biden Debt Ceiling Speech, China Tensions
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The two-train derailment in India has killed more than 280 people and injured more than 900. Rescuers spent all day sorting through the wreckage. We'll have the latest details. I'm Ayesha Roscoe. And I'm Scott Simon, and this is Up First from NPR News. President Biden will soon sign a bill to raise the debt ceiling. In a speech from the Oval Office yesterday, he praised the deal as a feat of bipartisanship. No one got everything they wanted, but the American people got what they needed.

We averted an economic crisis, an economic collapse. Also, the U.S. tests the waters quite literally between China and Taiwan as the Secretary of Defense outlines a renewed military interest in the Asian Pacific region. Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your weekend.

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There is a day of mourning in India following one of the deadliest train disasters there in decades. Rescuers climbed atop the trains to break open doors and rip through metal with cutting torches. Journalist Shalu Yadav joins us now from Delhi. Thank you so much for being with us, Shalu. Good morning, Scott. Can you tell us what happened?

Well, this horrific accident happened late on Friday evening in the eastern state of Odisha in Balasore district. That's about 140 miles from Kolkata, when multiple coaches of a passenger train derailed before being struck by another passenger train, which in turn derailed as well. Now, there's a third train, a freight train that's believed to be involved in the accident as well.

Visuals on the television and social media show the coaches and the wreckage still lying on the railway tracks, dead bodies being carried away from the spot, even as the scale of this tragedy is still panning out.

Now we have one of the survivors on tape, though unfortunately we don't have his name. He said he woke up from the impact once the train derailed and saw multiple people piled on top of one another. When he left his carriage, he saw someone had lost their hand, another person had lost their leg and someone else's face was disfigured.

Officials say the death toll is expected to rise further as more bodies are found. The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained. A probe has been ordered and the Prime Minister held a high-level meeting to review the situation. He's visiting the site today. Hundreds of people are reported to be injured. How are the local authorities in Odisha prepared to handle all the people who need help?

First of all, the authorities as well as the hospitals are completely overwhelmed. There have been more than 200 ambulances there taking the injured to the hospitals. Those who survive have been looking desperately for their loved ones.

India's railway network is huge and dozens of accidents happen every year, some of them deadly.

What kind of efforts are going on to try and improve safety?

Yes, that's right, Scott. India's railway network is actually one of the oldest and largest in the world. It's always a work in progress. And yes, accidents are very common, despite the government investing hundreds of millions of dollars to improve the infrastructure. The latest accident is believed to be the worst India has seen in the last two decades. Now, such mishaps are mostly blamed on human error or outdated signalling equipment.

And we have to ask if there are any political implications from this disaster that might occur. Well, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been getting a flak on social media for the negligence that often causes such tragedies. People are asking why the government is spending more on high-speed trains when the older passenger trains remain outdated and prone to disasters. But politically, such tragedies often bring all parties together to look for solutions and immediate relief for victims.

Even so, there are calls for the resignation of the railway minister, as many are saying that he should take responsibility for this tragedy. Journalist Shalu Yadav in Delhi, thanks so much for being with us. Thank you, Scott. Thank you.

President Biden bringing the debt ceiling drama to a close. Today, he's signing into law a deal to raise the debt limit and avoid economic catastrophe. Biden spoke about the compromise in a rare address from the Oval Office last night. NPR White House correspondent Asma Khalid was watching. She joins me now. Welcome. Great to be here. So

So Asma, this was the first time that this president has given a speech from behind the Resolute desk in the Oval Office. What was the point that he wanted to make last night?

Well, he emphasized that this was a win for the country, that the U.S. avoided what could have become a financial catastrophe. And really, Ayesha, it was striking to me that he was rather effusive at moments in his praise for the Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy. Biden emphasized this notion of bipartisanship. I know bipartisanship is hard and unity is hard, but we can never stop trying because in moments like this one,

You know, Biden campaigned for president in 2020 as a consensus builder, someone who could find compromise. And that is, in fact, what he has done throughout this debt ceiling debate. But he's not the only one.

But I do think there was another message he was trying to send last night, and that was more political. You know, he highlighted his own political democratic priorities. He spoke about being able to protect things like Medicaid and Social Security and also spoke about some of the things he still wants to achieve, like raising taxes on the wealthy.

We've heard a lot about the debt ceiling over the past few months and how important it is to try to avoid default and what the impact would have been. So why Biden bother to make these remarks at all? Like we already knew this was important, right? You know, I...

Part of this was just a matter of setting the record straight. I mean, throughout the debates on the debt ceiling, the president was reluctant to talk to reporters about the negotiations. And that was in stark contrast to Republicans who were constantly talking to the press. The White House has often said that Biden does not like to negotiate in public.

This speech was, I think, an opportunity for him to, you know, look presidential, seem above the fray. And it also comes at a time when the 2024 presidential campaign is starting to heat up. It allows the president to provide some contrast with the Republicans in the field who we saw all last week were, you know, quibbling amongst themselves.

I also think it's a reminder of how he has said he intends to govern, to go back to this issue of bipartisanship. And it was also, you know, an answer to some on the left who really wanted to see him make a bigger case for his own priorities throughout these talks.

Polling has shown that many people are worried about the economy and don't approve of the way Biden has handled it. So does this debt ceiling deal help alleviate some of those concerns? I mean, that's a great question. The president said yesterday that because this deal is in place now,

The economy can continue to soar. You know, if you look at economic data, you saw new jobs numbers yesterday. They continue to be rather robust. Inflation has been coming down for 10 consecutive months. Prices are dropping. But at the same time, this debt drama has created questions about whether the country is totally in the clear. You saw Fitch Ratings Service warn yesterday that it could still downgrade the U.S. credit rating.

And I spoke with a Democratic pollster yesterday, Celinda Lake, who said that voters seem to be beginning to feel a bit more positive about the economy, but they're still anxious, particularly around prices and inflation. And they're nervous about whether or not the stability is in fact here to stay. She told me that voters need to see these positive economic trends continue for a number of more months in order to really feel confident and ultimately for Biden to ultimately get the kind of political credit that he is seeking.

NPR White House correspondent Asma Khalid, thank you so much for this. My pleasure. Military leaders from around the world are meeting this weekend in Singapore. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was there. He challenged China to reopen lines of communication between the two countries' militaries. For responsible defense leaders, the right time to talk is anytime. The right time to talk is every time. And the right time to talk...

Right as he was talking, the U.S. took a step that suggested it isn't just going to play Mr. Nice Guy. The U.S. sailed a Navy ship through the Taiwan Strait.

NPR's Emily Fang is in Singapore. She's covering the meeting, as you'll tell from all the background noise. Emily, thanks so much for being with us. Thanks for having me. And tell us more, please, about Secretary Austin's speech. What did he lay out as U.S. priorities in the Asia-Pacific area? Well, much of his speech was to show how the U.S. military is reorienting itself back to being a maritime power in the Pacific. Because remember, the last two decades, the U.S. military has been a maritime power in the Pacific.

the U.S. military is primarily in the Middle East, but now they're pivoting back to the Asia Pacific, which means it's expanding its military drills with Asian partners and allies. Austin talked about sharing new technology with Australia and Japan. And one of the big questions is where the U.S.-China military relationship is headed, because earlier this week, China rejected an invitation from the U.S. for their two defense chiefs to speak in

And China has cut off direct communication channels between the two militaries since last summer. Now, last night, the British think tank that organizes this summit called the Shangri-La Dialogue, they conveniently seated Secretary Austin next to China's defense minister, Li Shengfu, at this dinner we were all at. And the two did shake hands. They said hi to each other. But that's about it. And as you just heard in the intro, Austin said the U.S. is ready to talk to China more substantially.

But at the same time that he was speaking, the U.S. Navy and the Canadian Navy, by the way, sailed a warship each through the Taiwan Strait near Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. And how did China respond? Any way in particular?

Well, China's defense minister has yet to speak, so we will hear more from him tomorrow. But I managed to interview Lieutenant General He Lei. He helps head the Chinese Military Academy in Beijing. And he dismissed Austin's speech as a gesture for public show only. He says if the two defense chiefs were to meet, we need to first get rid of unilateral sanctions. The U.S. keeps trying to push back on China's bottom line and threaten its core interests, so the conditions were just not there for a meeting.

And Lieutenant General Hu is referring to the fact that back in 2018, the U.S. actually sanctioned the man who just this year became China's new defense chief, Li Shengfu. So China wants those sanctions dropped first before they agree to any meeting. And they want the U.S. to back off militarily in the Asia-Pacific, stop those close exchanges with Taiwan. That's the island China claims as its territory, but the U.S. has a strong interest to protect.

And Emily, are those conditions the U.S. could possibly meet? I mean, it sounds like they're creating circumstances for more disagreement. You're right, because Secretary Austin just laid out the significant investments the U.S. military is making to buy new weapons, develop new weapons.

share those with partners in the Asia-Pacific. And in his speech, he made clear the U.S. is not trying to create an alliance like NATO in the Pacific, but China doesn't believe him. They're genuinely afraid this is happening. And China just doesn't believe the promises or gestures the U.S. has made. It's demanding things the U.S. is committed to as critical defense strategy, and it's not going to back away from. NPR's Emily Fang in Singapore. Thanks so much. Thanks, Scott.

And that's up first for Saturday, June 3rd, 2023. I'm Scott Simon. And I'm Aisha Roscoe. Tomorrow on this podcast, an investigation into how conspiracy theories led to the dismantling of an elections tool that helped clean up voter databases and catch fraud.

Today's episode of Up First was edited by Roberta Rampton, Don Clyde, Hadil Al-Shalchi, and Matthew Sherman. It was produced by Andrew Craig and Danny Hensel and directed by Michael Radcliffe with engineering support from Hannah Glevna. Evie Stone is our senior supervising editor. Our executive producer is Sarah Lucy Oliver and our deputy managing editor is Jerry Holmes. And for more news and interviews, books and music, turn on that radio.

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