White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Ukraine hits Russian Retailer, India Protests

July 25, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

At last night's rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner, President Trump delivered remarks he had originally planned as a "doozy" before the April event was cut short by a gunman's evacuation. Speaking for over an hour, he told the audience he was taking a "softer touch" than intended. "I was so psyched I was gonna rip people… Something changed. It's really for the better, but I just wouldn't want to do that. But we'll do a little ripping if you don't mind."

A Surreal Night of Comedy and Conflict

NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik described the scene as "civil but pretty surreal." The president's one-liners targeted political opponents, Democrats, potential presidential replacements, and members of the press. Folkenflik compared the delivery to "Don Rickles channeled by Christopher Walken," noting the jokes largely failed to land. "People were sitting stone-faced," he said. "There wasn't a lot of mirth and laughter."

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What you'll learn

1 (02:00) **White House Correspondents’ Dinner Recap** - President Trump delivers a rescheduled, toned-down speech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, mixing jokes with jabs at the media and political opponents.
2 (06:30) **Ukraine Strikes Russia’s Largest Online Retailer** - Ukrainian drone attacks target Wildberries warehouses across Russia, killing workers and disrupting civilian commerce.
3 (11:08) **India’s Gen Z Protests Force Education Minister’s Resignation** - Tens of thousands of young Indians celebrate as the education minister resigns after weeks of protests over exam leaks and broader systemic corruption.
4 Standout Quotes
5 (02:31) “I was so psyched I was gonna rip people. And I don’t know. Just something change. It’s really for the better, but I just wouldn’t want to do that. But we’ll do a little ripping if you don’t mind.” — President Trump, on his toned-down dinner speech.
6 (12:45) “They messed with the wrong generation.” — Protest sign at the India demonstrations, as reported by NPR’s Diaa Hadid.
7 (14:45) “The climate of fear… That climate of fear is gone.” — Political analyst Sirshan Singh, on the protest movement’s achievement.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

David Folkenflik

Show Notes

A recap of President Trump’s hour-long speech at the rescheduled White House Correpondents’ Dinner. Ukrainian drones have targeted Russia’s airfields and oil refineries and are now going after Wildberries, Russia’s large e-commerce retailer. Young people’s protests in India over entrance exams have resulted in the resignation of the country’s education minister today.

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