Transcript

5.14.26 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of Today's Washington Post for Thursday,
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May the fourteenth of twenty twenty six.
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Speaker 2: Your reader is Alice Stainer.
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Speaker 1: With a reminder that radioizes for those that are blind
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with other difficulties holding a reading printed material. And I'll
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start with today's front page. Far left Senate confirms Worsh
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as fed chair, but Trump's hoped for rate cut seem
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as unlikely with inflation on March by Andrew Ackerman, taking
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up four columns. In the center is a picture of
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a whole bunch of peaceable gathering on Wednesday in Beijing
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to see President Donald Trump's motorcade, the first visit to
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China by US president since twenty seventeen. Trump signals a
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zeal to cut deals at China Summit, openness to rethinking
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US support for Taiwan. Alarms Islands backers by Michael Bernbaum
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and Isaac Arnsdorf out of Beijing, and in the far
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right Big Caps report Beijing boyd vau War, Gaines Edge
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and key areas of rivalry, Alarm with the n Pentagon
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about geopolitical costs by John Hudson, and below the fold
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on the left price shocks from Iran War have reached.
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Speaker 2: Grocery shelves.
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Speaker 1: Costs are up, especially for some key staples such as
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fresh produce and beef by Rachel Laherman and Fredrika Koko.
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And on the right, White Housed to host prayer event
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on US Christian Roots, Nick say All Day Jubilee on
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the National Mall has no Modern President by Michelle Bournstein,
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Laura Mickler and Nathalie Allison. The first article, Senate confirms
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new FED chair as Trump allies worn rate cuts may
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have to wait. Kevin Walsh has promised to remake the
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Central Bank. His near party line confirmation showed how far
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Washington political divides now extend to the Fed. And there's
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a picture of Kevin Walsh leaving the confirmation with his wife,
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Jane Laudom, and she's in a white outfit with beige
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pumps and a black and white purse, and there is
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a guard behind them and they're just walking out hand
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in hand.
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Speaker 2: By Andrew Ackerman.
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Speaker 1: President Donald Trump finally got a new Federal Reserve chair.
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His allies aren't so sure he'll get his interest rate
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cuts anytime soon, though. The Senate confirmed Kevin Walsh as
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the Central Bank's next chair. In a fifty four to
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forty five vote Wednesday, handing Trump a long sought victory.
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Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to
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support Walsh. Ahead of the vote, Trump alli Stephen K.
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Bannon used his war Room podcast to prepare supporters for disappointment.
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The former Trump strategist said fresh inflation data made it
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highly unlikely that Warsh would have the flexibility to cut
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rates in June, when he will chair the Central Banks
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Policy meeting for the first time. This makes it very
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difficult for Walsh, Bannon said Tuesday, hours after the Labor
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Department reported that April inflation had jumped to three point
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eight percent. His guest conservative commentator Eric Boling projected no
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rate to cuts through.
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Speaker 2: The end of the year.
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Speaker 1: Inventioned that the worsh led FED may even need a
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modest rate height.
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Speaker 2: To curb inflation.
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Speaker 1: The notable expectation setting for Trump's base signal that dramatic
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action on rates may not be coming regardless of who
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runs the Fed.
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Speaker 2: Warish fifty six inherits the Central Bank.
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Speaker 1: Trump has been seeking to bend to his will since
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his return to office last year, repeatedly threatening to fire
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chaired Jerome H. Powell, egging on a criminal probe with
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the departing FED chief and seeking to Osta's sitting FED
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governor in pursuit of dramatically lower interest rates to juce
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the economy. Wednesday's vote reflected the partisan debate eyes that
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have increasingly defined Washington and now extended the FED, whose
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chairs have traditionally enjoyed wide margins of bipartisan support. A
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narrower confirmation margin could complicate Worsh's ability to project independence
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from the White House, a perception central to the Fed's
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credibility by comparison power. Received at least eighty votes both times.
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Speaker 2: He was confirmed.
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Speaker 1: The new FED chair is a former Morgan Stanley banker
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who served as a FED gub during the two thousand
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and eight financial crisis, acting as it layers on between
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the Central Bank and Wall Street. He was passed over
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for the top job once before, when Trump chose Powell
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in twenty seventeen, a decision the President quickly came to regret.
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Worsh's confirmation wasn't smooth. Senator Tom tell Us, Republican of
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North Carolina, spent weeks blocking the nomination, demanding that the
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Justice Department drop a criminal investigation into power before he
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would allow the process to move forward.
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Speaker 2: About partisan group of lawmakers and.
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Speaker 1: A federal judge characterized the probe as an abuse of
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power by the Department. Though the Justice Department set aside
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the matter, Worsh's predecessor isn't going far. Powell will remain
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on as a FED governor when his term as chair
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expires Friday, a move no outgoing chair has made in decades,
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depriving the White House of a crucial seat on the
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Fed's powerful seven member board that could present a challenge
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for Walsh. Even if Powell keeps his promise to maintain
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a low profile, his presence gives FED official skeptical of
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Worsh's agenda a credible focal point to organize around. Inflation
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has run above the Fed's two percent target for more
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than five years and is now moving in the wrong direction,
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pushed higher by rising energy costs tied to the war
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in Iran. The FED itself projects that inflation may not
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return to target for two more years, a stretch that
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risks eroding public confidence that longer term prices.
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Speaker 2: Will stay anchored. That environment presents worse with a dilemma.
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Speaker 1: The FED has no clean answer to rising interest rates
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or raising interest rates to combat inflation risks deepening any
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economic slow down caused by the war, cutting them to
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cushion the economy risks.
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Speaker 2: Pushing prices higher.
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Speaker 1: And simply holding rate steady carries its own cost. With
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inflation running hot, Unchanged rates mean looser policies in real terms,
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giving households and businesses less reason to pull back on spending,
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and potentially adding fuel to the file. Looming over all
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of it is Trump who has made no secret of
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what he expects lower rates and quickly. The President said
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he would be disappointed if his FED pick doesn't immediately
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cut rates. At his confirmation hearing, Worsh pledged to operate independently.
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Speaker 2: The President never asked.
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Speaker 1: Me to commit to interest rate cuts at any particular
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meeting over the period of my tenure at the FED.
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He didn't ask for it, he didn't demand it. He
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didn't require it, nor would I have ever done so,
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he told the Senate Banking Committee last month. But Worsh
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declined to put much other distance between himself and the President.
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He would not say whether Joe Biden won the twenty
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twenty presidential election, and sidestepped questions about whether tariffs had
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contributed to inflation. The committee worsh Wiel chair is also
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notably divided. At last month's interest rate meeting, four officials
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dissented from the policy statement, the most disagreement since the
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early nineteen nineties. Three wanted to go further than the majority,
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pushing to drop any suggestion that FED still leans toward
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cutting rates. Walsh has signaled he wants to reshape the
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FED well beyond its rate setting function, arguing for dramatically
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shrinking the central Bank's six point seven trillion dollar balance sheet,
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which he contends and managed to physical policy in disguise
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financing government spending in a way that should be left
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to Congress. Walsh will probably be the wealthiest FED chair
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in modern times, with financial disclosure showing a fortune well
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in excess of a one hundred million dollars, including holdings
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in cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence ventures, though he declined to
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disclose the composition of some fund investments that's separate from
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the fortune of his wife, Este lauda heiress Jane Lauder.
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The main article China gains major edge on US amid
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Iran more Intelligent Reports find A confidential assessment circulating as
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President Donald Trump begins his highly anticipated trip to Beijing
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shows shifts in several key areas of competition. By John Hudson,
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a confidential US intelligence analysis details how China is exploiting
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the war in Iran to maximize its advantage over the
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United States across military, economic, diplomatic, and other fields, said
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two US officials who have read the report. The assessment,
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the official said, was produced this week for the Chairman
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of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs, Senator General Dan Kane,
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and has raised alarm within the Pentagon about the geopolitical
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cost of Washington standoff with Tehran as President Donald Trump
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interests high stakes talks with Chinese President Jijimping in Beijing.
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Produced by the Joint Chiefs Intelligence Doctorate Directorate, the report
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uses what's known as a dime that's capital dime framework
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to assess China's response to the Iran conflict via four
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instruments of state power, diplomatic, d informational I, military, M
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and economic. E. Officials talked about the finding, which has
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not previously been reported, on the condition of anonymity to
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discuss U S Intelligent matters Since the US in Israel
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initiated the Iran War on February twenty eighth, China has
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sold weapons to Persian golf allies of the US as
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they struggled to defend their military bases and oil infrastructure
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from Iranian missile and drone attacks. The report says Beijing
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has also assisted countries around the world struggling to meet
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their energy needs after the U s Israeli attacks prompted
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Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, a carda for
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the transport of one fifth of the world's oil and gas.
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The war has also drained the US of massive stocks
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of munitions that would be critical in a potential standoff
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with China over the fate of Taiwan. The report notes
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the Iran conflict, which has resulted in the damage or
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destruction of US military hardware and facilities throughout the Middle East,
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has allowed Beijing to observe how the US fights was
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and learn how to plan its own future operations. The
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report notes that Beijing has incorporated popular criticisms of the
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war into its public messaging, labeling the conflict illegal. China
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has long sought to undermine the image of the US
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as a responsible steward of the rules based international order
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and in views the Iran conflict as emblematic of Washington's
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cavalier approach to military hostilities. When asked about the finding,
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the Pentagon's chief spokesman Sean Parnell said assertions claiming the
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global balance of power have shifted towards any nation other
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than the United States of America are fundamentally false. White
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Eyed spokeswoman Olivia Wales said the US decimated the Iranian
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regime's military compliment capabilities in thirty eight short days and
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is now strangling what's left of their economy with one
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of the most successful naval blockades in history. The United
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States military is the greatest fighting force on the globe,
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with unmatched power on display for the entire world to see,
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Wales added in a statement. Chinese Embassy spokesperson in Leo
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Pangyu said Beijing is committed to promoting peace and working
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to de escalate the situation. The pressing priority now is
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to prevent by all means of relapse in fighting, rather
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than exploit the situation to throw mud at other countries,
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he said. Experts said the finding provides new insights on
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China's reaction to the war, such as its provision of
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weapons to US allies, while reinforcing the growing consensus that
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the conflict is tilting the balance of power in Beijing's favor.
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On balance, the war in Iran is massively improving China's
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geopolitical position, said Jacob Stokes, a senior fellow at the
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Center for a New American Security. The timing of the
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report is particularly sensitive as Trump begins multiple days of
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meetings in Beijing aimed at rebalancing the relationship between the
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world's two largest economies. The summit, which was postponed in
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March because of the Iran war, comes as Trump's envoys
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struggled to find a resolution that will reopen the strait
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and resolve you as concerns about Iran's nuclear program. Trump's
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standing domestically and worldwide has been weakened because of the
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public's dissatisfaction with the conflict and the significant damage it
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has done to the global economy. Trump has rejected the
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idea that he is under pressure or needs of Beijing's
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help to bring the war to an end. I don't
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think we need any help with Iran. Will win it
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one way or the other peacefully or otherwise, Trump told
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reporters before leaving for Beijing. Trump Is said the closure
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of the strait is a major problem for China, giving
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its reliance on Gulf oil, but the intelligence report notes
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that China has weathered the shortages because of its development
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of renewable energy and its vast oil reserves. Ryan Hess,
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a China expert at the Brookings Institution, said China is
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the second most insulated country in the world to the
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energy crisis, after.
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Speaker 2: Only the United States.
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Speaker 1: That is allowing Beijing to end friends abroad, has said,
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adding China is presenting itself as a solutions provider in
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providing access to jet fuel and other products that are
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in short supply as a bridge for the short term.
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Speaker 2: He said. Since the war.
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Speaker 1: Started, Beijing has reached out to Thailand, Australia, the Philippines
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and other countries to help them manage their energy needs,
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and is offering access to China produce green energy technology
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as a longer term solution. This is not altruism, has said,
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it is Beijing seizing an opportunity to drive wedges between
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America and its traditional partners during past energy crises, Washington
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has dispatched officials around the world and convened emergency meetings
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to address the shortage, but the Trump administration has not
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shown interest in such an effort. This has created an
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opening that Beijing is working to fill.
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Speaker 2: Has said.
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Speaker 1: NI shortages are another major dynamic of the wool. The
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US has expended huge numbers of missiles, bombs, and interceptors,
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many of which are expensive and require a long time
18:21
to produce, to defend Israel and Gulf allies from Iranian
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counter attacks and destroy Tehran's arsenal. As The Washington Post
18:31
and other media outlets have reported previously, there has been
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a particularly notable impact on the limited supplies of Patriot
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air defense weapons and terminal high altitude area of defense interceptors,
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as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles. The situation has left Tawan, Japan,
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South Korea, and other allies worried about US military readiness
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and Washington's ability to intervene and the event of a
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Chinese attack. This prompts questions about the US Defense Industrial
19:08
Base's ability to rapidly restock munitions and adds to already
19:13
existing concerns about slow deliveries. Stokes said, it also gives
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Beijing friendly voices in Taiwan a reason to slower block
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funding for Taiwan's military build up, said Stokes. Taiwan's backers
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view the build up as critical for deterring Beijing. Parnell
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countered that the Pentagon maintains a deep, resilient arsenal and
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the industrial capacity required to defend our nation, protect their
19:47
interest and deter any adversary. The war has also allowed
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Beijing to claim moral high ground against Washington and distract
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from its own considerable human and writes, abuses, and coercive
20:02
behavior in Asia. Stokes said China has an opening to
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portray the United States as an aggressive unilaterous power in
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decline because Washington cannot stop itself from getting embroiled in
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bloody and costly Middle East wars. Facing headwinds at home,
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Trump signals eagerness to make deals at China's summit. China
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is expected to push on Taiwan, and Trump is indicated
20:39
openness to rethinking the degree of US support, alarming the
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Islands backers.
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Speaker 2: And there is a.
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Speaker 1: Picture of President Donald Trump arriving in Beijing on Wednesday.
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He has already come down FOS one steps and is
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walking a red carpet by Michael Berenbaum and Isaac Erenstef
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out of Beijing. President Donald Trump came into office sixteen
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months ago promising to take a hard line against Chinese
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trade policies that he said we're stealing jobs and opportunities
21:14
from Americans. But as he arrived Wednesday in Beijing on
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his first visit in nearly a decade, he wasn't coming
21:23
seeking a fight. Instead, Trump appears ready to revel in
21:28
the grandeur of a state visit with the strong man
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leader of one of the most populous countries in the world,
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as century old monuments, including the Temple of Heaven and
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the Forbidden City are thrown open for his visiting pleasure.
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We're going to be talking with President Jijing paying about
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a lot of different things. I would say more than
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anything else will be traded, Trump told reporters at the
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White House on Tuesday before leaving Washington. We're the second
22:01
strongest nation on Earth in terms of military, not the second.
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We are the strongest nation on Earth in terms of military.
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China is considered second.
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Speaker 2: Who knows.
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Speaker 1: I have a great relationship with President y and I
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think it's going to remain that way. We have a
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lot of things to discuss. The trip comes as each
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side seeks to manage its most consequential relationship in a
22:28
moment when Trump is struggling politically because of his decision
22:32
to attack Iran in February. The war has sent energy
22:36
prices soaring, weighing down the US economy with no end
22:40
in sight. It has infuriated many of the president's supporters,
22:45
who say they voted for a leader who would get
22:47
the cost of living under control, not one who would
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make them WinCE every time they fill their gas tanks.
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Those factors have combined to limit the administration's ambitions for
22:58
the two day China. Trump arrived Wednesday to a sea
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of US and Chinese flags waived in rhythmic precision by
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Chinese greeters in white uniforms. He was accompanied by top officials,
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as well as his son, Eric Trump, who as vice
23:19
president of the Trump Organization, has business.
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Speaker 2: Interest in China.
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Speaker 1: Tesla chief executive Elon Musk and Nvidia chief executive Jensen
23:30
Huang also stepped off Air Force one behind the president.
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Top lieutenants say they want to hold on to a
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fragile trouche that has kept Chinese ware earth ores flowing
23:44
through the US in exchange for Trump's backing away from
23:48
his highest tariffs. Chinese officials have said they plan to
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press Trump on the status of Taiwan, the island territory
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that the US supplies with weaponry but in dependence it
24:01
does not recognize. TROMP searching for trade deals or at
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least the promise of future ones, may try to downplay
24:10
the defense of Taiwan in his conversations with the Chinese leader. Already,
24:16
Pentagon planners, who once discussed how to stockpile referenee in
24:21
case they needed to defend Taiwan against a Chinese incursion,
24:25
have cooled their rhetoric, and TROMP has opened the door
24:29
to a halt to arm sales to Taiwan that would
24:32
delight Beijing, a prospect that has alarmed some of the
24:36
island's backers. Taiwan for generations has been among the defining
24:42
elements of the uneasy security discussion between the United States
24:46
and China, and the likeliest spark for a war between
24:50
the two countries. But Trump indicated that he may be
24:53
opened to rethinking how Washington handles relations with the islands,
24:59
where ninety five hundred miles from Taiwan.
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Speaker 2: Trump told reporters at the White House.
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Speaker 1: Event Monday, Ji impinging is sixty seven miles.
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Speaker 2: It's a little bit of difference.
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Speaker 1: Asked whether the United States should still be selling weaponry
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to Taiwan, Trump said that President she would like us
25:23
not to, and I'll have that discussion. That's one of
25:28
many things I'll be talking about. In addition to Taiwan
25:33
in trade, the war on Iran, artificial intelligence and the
25:38
illegal trade in fentanyl are almost certain to be topics
25:41
of discussion. But with both sides increasingly consumed by domestic politics,
25:48
neither for now appears to have the appetite to hammer
25:51
out a vast reimagining of their relationship. If I scroll
25:58
back to the middle of last year, I think both
26:01
the Chinese side and the U s side had a
26:03
much grander ambitions for a grand bargain, a fundamental reset
26:08
of the relationship, and the experience of the last year
26:12
has really caused both sides to readjust said Sarah Baran,
26:17
who served in the first months of Trump's second administration
26:21
as the top US diplomat in China and also worked
26:24
on China issues during the Biden and first Trump administrations. Aran,
26:30
who is now at Macro Advisory Partners and International Consulting
26:35
Group said the difficulties the frictions aren't going away between
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the two, but both sides also really are focused on
26:44
domestic issues, and so the interest and appetite for real
26:48
work on a foreign policy issue set like this has
26:53
i'd say decreased a bit. Cameron Johnson, a Shanghai based
26:59
supply chain consultant in Beijing for meetings related to the summit,
27:04
said the business community also has low expectations for what
27:08
will come out of the event, but as hopeful that
27:10
two leaders will at least agree on a longer or
27:14
even indefinite extension of the pause on China's wear earth restrictions,
27:20
which shocked US companies last year. To achieve this, Johnson said,
27:27
the US will probably have to agree to loosen its
27:30
own export controls or soften tariffs. Ultimately, this is a
27:37
response to US action. If the USES is up a bit,
27:41
there may be some easier access, Johnson said.
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Speaker 2: Beijing, he added, is not in the mood to absorb
27:49
the new import taxes that Trump has sought to impose
27:53
on Chinese goods, particularly as supplies shocks from the Iran
27:57
war begin to hurt China these businesses. During his first term.
28:03
Speaker 1: Trump was largely focused on eliminating the trade deficit between
28:07
China and the United States, evolving to a harder line
28:12
focus on security and confrontation only in his final year
28:16
in office, as the coronavirus pandemic paralyzed the world. The
28:22
second term has been more focused again on trade, with
28:25
China taking only a minor role in the national security
28:28
strategy that was unveiled late last year. The war on
28:33
Iran has also consumed so many US munitions that officials,
28:39
including Vice President J. D Vance, have said they have
28:42
raised questions about military readiness should the United States want
28:46
to intervene in a war in East Asia. China has
28:51
backed Iran and has long bought Iranian oil, but it
28:56
also was a party to the twenty fifteen agreement that
28:59
placed strict.
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Speaker 2: Limits on Iran's nuclear program.
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Speaker 1: A senior Trump official administration official, speaking on the condition
29:07
of an inimnity to discuss planning for the event, said
29:11
that I would expect the President to apply pressure on
29:16
Beijing's support for Tehran. Despite restrained expectations for the summit,
29:23
Officials say that when two leaders have gathered so much
29:26
decision making authority around themselves, it is still productive to.
29:31
Speaker 2: Get them together in a room.
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Speaker 1: Unlike Trump's first term, when a broader cadre of US
29:37
policymakers was empowered to set policy at a lower level
29:41
and manage the relationship, this time everything flows down from
29:46
the Oval Office, officials.
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Speaker 2: Say Moran said.
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Speaker 1: The President has set a very clear vision or clear direction,
29:55
but there's less guidance day today, and so it becomes
29:59
very hard for people below, frankly the President to take
30:03
action or push things forward. The leaders may agree to
30:10
a council to discuss issues around artificial intelligence, which.
30:15
Speaker 2: Continues to make rapid.
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Speaker 1: Advances and increasingly is interwoven with national security. Trump, like
30:22
former President Joe Biden before him, is also expected to
30:26
pressure she to crack down on the export of the
30:31
precursors of fentanyl. Within the administration, policymakers committed to fostering
30:37
a smooth economic relationship with Beijing appeared to have the
30:41
upper hand over those who sought a more confrontational approach,
30:46
with Treasury Secretary Scott Persent, a former hedge fund manager,
30:50
doing much of the summit planning. Two officials familiar with
30:54
the arrangement said with the focus on boosting trade and
31:00
Trump's declaration that he is willing to talk to She
31:02
about the future of Taiwan, some US policymakers are getting
31:07
alarmed that decades of US support for Taipei may be
31:11
at risk. The White House officials dismissed that concern saying
31:16
that Trump administration has already sold Taiwan more weapons than
31:20
the Biden administration did, although many of the orders have
31:24
not yet been delivered. One senior White As official said
31:28
there was no expectation of a policy change on Taiwan
31:32
during the visit, but some hawkish Republicans in Congress said
31:37
he want Trump to push back.
31:39
Speaker 2: Why would we tap the brakes.
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Speaker 1: When China's kind of flexing, said Senator Tom tell Us,
31:45
Republican of North Carolina, at a briefing for reporters on Monday,
31:50
adding the way you respond to China flex is with
31:53
flex He said he hoped Trump will tell She to
31:57
cut off support for US challengers in Moscow and Tehran.
32:02
China needs to stop being a personal trainer for our adversaries.
32:07
That's what I would tell China, Tillis said. Trump and
32:12
She last year declared an ambition to meet four times
32:15
in twenty twenty six, more frequently than in recent years,
32:19
and a signal of their hopes to reach a broader
32:21
understanding with each other. She and his wife are due
32:25
next in the United States, but even those who favor
32:29
reimagining the trade relationships say that this week is unlikely
32:33
to yield to break through. China is challenging America's global leadership,
32:40
but that's more long term, said Pierot Tozi, the senior
32:45
director for China Policy at America First Policy Institute, a
32:49
Trump friendly policy think trank. Tozi said President Trump obviously
32:56
is very concerned about the midterms and doesn't want to
32:59
boil the economy any more than it has been in
33:03
the wake of Iran, but also for his part seizing
33:07
being wants to have a stable, positive outcome.
33:11
Speaker 2: It's a pause.
33:13
Speaker 1: It gives both battered pugilist a chance to catch their
33:17
breath until.
33:18
Speaker 2: The next bell sounds.
33:21
Speaker 1: I'm going inside the paper now. Something that's interesting. Senators
33:29
move to withhold their own pay during future shutdowns. The
33:35
Senate voted ninety nine to nothing to advance the resolution
33:41
from Senator John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana.
33:45
Speaker 2: It still awaits final passage by Theodoric Mayil.
33:51
Speaker 1: The Senate took a key step Wednesday to withhold members
33:56
pay during government shutdowns, a move that's some lawmakers hope
34:01
will give their colleagues fresh incentive to avoid them. The
34:06
standoffs between Democrats and Republicans have triggered three government shutdowns
34:11
in recent months, forcing many federal workers to labor without pay.
34:17
The federal government has been at least partially shut down
34:20
for most of the past eight months. Senators voted ninety
34:25
nine to nothing to advance the resolution introduced by Senator
34:29
John Neely Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana. Senator Pete Rickett's Republican
34:36
of Nebraska did not vote. The Senate still must take
34:40
several more votes to pass the resolution unless lawmakers agree
34:45
to speed up the process, but the unanimous vote on
34:48
Wednesday suggests it will clear the chamber easily. Senate majority
34:54
leader John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, told reporters that
34:58
passing the measure could provide an additional incentive to keep
35:03
Senate to Democrats in the future from shutting the government
35:07
down again. Democrats have blamed the recent shutdowns on the GOP,
35:13
arguing that Republicans refused to make any concessions. In November,
35:18
during the forty three day government shutdown triggered by a
35:22
standoff over expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, Kennedy introduced legislation
35:28
to withhold lawmakers paid. The legislation would have applied to
35:34
all members of Congress, while the resolution the Senate voted
35:38
to advance Wednesday would apply only to Senators. The resolution
35:43
would not take effect until after the mid term elections
35:46
if it passes. Kennedy said the measure was not as
35:50
strong as he would like. He said he would prefer
35:54
legislation forcing senators to forfeit their pay during shutdowns rather
35:59
than having it withheld temporarily and barring them from leaving
36:03
Washington as long as the government is shuttered. If you
36:08
do that, you'd stop shutdowns. But I can't pass that,
36:12
Kennedy said. The resolution directs the Secretary of the Senate
36:17
to withhold senator's pay and release it as soon as
36:21
practicable when the shutdown is over. It would apply whenever
36:25
there is a lapse in appropriations for at least one
36:28
federal agency or department, meaning it would have blocked senators
36:32
from being paid during the record setting seventy six day
36:36
shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which ended last month.
36:42
Kennedy tried to pass the resolution by unanimous consent in
36:46
March during the DHS sutdown, but was blocked by Senator
36:51
Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii. Senator Alex Paedia of California,
36:57
the top Democrat on the Senate Rules Administration Committee, said
37:02
he would like similar restrictions for the House and the
37:05
Executive Branch. The executive branch the White House is obviously
37:10
critical in the negotiation of spending bills, so what's good
37:15
for the goose dot dot dot, Padella said. Trump's plan
37:21
to use his library as a hotel sparks.
37:26
Speaker 2: Lawsuit.
37:27
Speaker 1: Litigans also alleged Florida officials violated the Constitution's bar on
37:33
attempts to influence the president through Gibbs by handing over
37:37
a valuable parcel of land. And there's a picture of
37:41
a parking lot that Florida officials voted to donate as
37:46
the potential site for President Donald Trump's future presidential library
37:53
by Dan Diamond and Aaron Shaeffer. A group of Miami
37:58
residents sued the Presidentsident Donald Trump Florida officials and trustees
38:04
of Miami Dade College on Tuesday over Trump's planned presidential library,
38:10
claiming that the college's decision to hand over a coveted
38:13
parcel of land for the project constitutes an i legal
38:18
benefit for the president. The Litigans, who include a current
38:23
Miami Dade College student, alleged that the land transfer violates
38:28
the Constitution's domestic Emoluments clause, which bars states from attempting
38:34
to influence a president by giving him gifts. They argued
38:39
that Florida Governor Ronda Santis, Republican, and his hand picked
38:43
board of trustees at the state operated college were wronged
38:47
to give a nearly three acre parcel in downtown Miami
38:52
to Trump's library foundation last year in exchange for ten dollars.
39:00
The county's property appraises said the land was worth more
39:04
than sixty seven million dollars. With its waterfront views and
39:10
central location in bustling downtown Miami, the Miami Dade College
39:15
parcel would likely sell for over three hundred million dollars
39:19
on the open market, according to local real estate experts.
39:24
Speaker 2: The Libingans wrote, of the land, but.
39:27
Speaker 1: President Trump paid nothing for it. The lawsuit also cites
39:32
Trump's public comments in March that he expects to use
39:35
his future library, which is being run by a non
39:38
profit foundation, as a hotel. The land is no longer
39:44
available to serve Miami Dade County's college's student community and
39:50
downtown Miami. The livgans wrote calling for the transfer to
39:54
be nullified. Instead, the land will house a Trump hotel
40:00
that brings riches to the president. The lawsuit was fouled
40:05
by the Constitutional Accountabilities Center, a Washington area nonprofit, and Geliber,
40:12
Strackner and Greenberg, a Miami based law firm in the
40:16
US District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
40:22
Speaker 2: The Donald J.
40:23
Speaker 1: Trump Presidential Library Foundation, which is managing the planned library,
40:28
did not immediately respond to questions about the lawsuit. Spokespeople
40:34
for DeSantis and Miami Dade College also did not immediately
40:39
respond to questions about the lawsuit. The White House defended
40:43
the project. The Trump Presidential Library will be one of
40:48
the most significant buildings in the world and a living
40:52
testament to the indelible impact President Trump has made on
40:56
America and its people, spokesman David Ingle said in a statement.
41:03
The Constitution includes a pair of clauses intended to guard
41:07
against emoluments or compensation as a perk of holding office.
41:12
One clause focuses on domestic gifts and specifies that the
41:16
president will receive a fixed salary while in office and
41:21
shall not receive within that period any other monument from
41:25
the United States or any of them. The other clause
41:29
bors gifts from foreign leaders that are intended to sway
41:33
the president. Trump faced several lawsuits during his first presidential
41:38
term that alleged he was violating the Constitution's and monument clauses,
41:44
citing benefits he received through his downtown Washington hotel and
41:49
other private holdings. The Supreme Court declared those lawsuits moot
41:53
after Trump left office in January twenty twenty one. Trump
41:58
unveiled renderings of his planned presidential library March thirtieth, displaying
42:03
a towering skyscraper replete with golden statues of himself. The planned,
42:10
roughly fifty story structure looked strikingly different from other post
42:16
presidential libraries, which are used to host former president's records
42:21
and archives. I don't believe in building libraries or museums,
42:27
Trump said in the Oval Office the day after posting
42:30
the renderings as he discussed plans for his own library,
42:34
adding it's most likely going to be a hotel with
42:37
a beautiful building underneath and a seven forty seven Air
42:41
Force one in the library. The president also extolled the
42:46
planned waterfront property for his new building. They say it's
42:50
the best block in Miami, and the state worked with us,
42:53
Trump said. Two downtown Miami residents joined the lawsuits, saying
42:59
that Trump's project would cause them harm by creating noise
43:03
and traffic and harming their quality of life. Dunn's Overtown Farm,
43:08
a Florida nonprofit run by Marvin Dunn, an America's Florida
43:13
International University professor, also joined the lawsuit. Dunn said he
43:18
had begun conversations three years ago with Miami Dade College
43:22
students about building an ermine farm for students to use,
43:26
and Dunn said that he wanted to build that farm
43:29
on the parcel of the land that Miami Dade College
43:33
gave to Trump. In a recent interview, Dunn criticized the
43:38
renderings and the President's comments about using the.
43:41
Speaker 2: Property for our hotel.
43:43
Speaker 1: I was horrified when I saw that, Dunn said, adding
43:47
that the lands could have been used to teach students
43:50
or sold or increase the college's endellment. Clearly, it's not
43:54
a library. This is about a wrong land grab at
43:58
the expense of students in this community. Dunn previously sued
44:04
over the library projects, saying last year that moves by
44:08
the college's board and Florida officials to swiftly transferred land
44:13
for Trump's library was a violation of Florida's open records laws.
44:18
A federal judge sided with Done in temporary block the transfer,
44:23
prompting the college's board to hold a second vote. Presidential
44:28
libraries typically serve as highly curated museums, touting the president's
44:33
record and offering their interpretation of events that unfolded during
44:37
their tenures, and are funded by private donations.
44:42
Speaker 2: Democrats have questioned the.
44:43
Speaker 1: Trump's administration and companies that have committed to giving money
44:47
to Trump's Library, pressing for details. After the original library
44:52
fund was dissolved last year. Senators Elizabeth Warren Democrat of
44:58
Massachusetts and and Richard Blumenthal, Democratic Connecticut, and Representatives Melanie Stansbury,
45:06
Democrat of New Mexico last month wrote to Trump asking
45:10
him to explain the status of tens of millions of
45:13
dollars pledged to the project by ABC, MATA, Paramount, and X.
45:19
The companies reached legal settlements with Trump in the months
45:22
after the twenty twenty four presidential election, seeking to resolve
45:27
claims they had harmed him by restricting his access to
45:31
social media or defaming him in their coverage, but have
45:35
declined to detail the status of those donations. The companies
45:41
do not know are unwilling to share their information about
45:44
what happened to the millions of dollars given to the fund.
45:48
The Democrats wrote to Trump saying that they were seeking
45:51
an update. A spokesperson said Tuesday that they had not
45:55
received an answer from the president. Congressional Democrats have also
46:00
cited the Constitution's emoluments clauses when criticizing deals struck by
46:05
Trump and his family members' businesses, saying that Trump has
46:10
wrongly sought to profit off his presidency. Water costs arising
46:18
faster than inflation and sending bills soaring. The cost of
46:25
water and related services is rising twice as fast as inflation,
46:30
while utilities scramble to cope with escalating druats and more
46:35
intense storms. By Sarah Kaplan and there is a picture
46:41
of a dock absolutely land bound by green grass and things,
46:48
overlooking a dried up portion of Lake Corpus Christie in Mathis, Texas,
46:54
and it's just sitting there, no water around it whatsoever.
46:59
When the reservoirs that provide water to Corpus Christi, Texas
47:03
dropped to just a tenth of their full capacity, officials
47:07
knew they needed to take drastic action. For a cast
47:11
projected the city, which had entered its fourth year of drought,
47:16
could run out of water in a matter of months,
47:19
so the city council approved nearly a half of billion
47:23
dollars to seek new water sources, including paying a contractor
47:28
to almost forty percent more to speed up construction of
47:32
a nearly five hundred million dollar groundwater project for which
47:37
it didn't yet have the necessary permits. To fund this
47:43
eleventh hour spending, residents will likely see their water rates
47:47
double over the next few years, according to city Manager
47:51
Peter Zanoni, putting Corpus Christi among coatless American communities whose
47:58
water costs are on the rise as the planet warms.
48:02
As utilities cloak cope with weather extremes by scrambling to
48:07
repair their infrastructure and tapping new water sources, the cost
48:11
is beginning to show up in residents builds. Between nineteen
48:15
ninety eight and twenty twenty, the average cost of water, sewer,
48:19
and trash collection services increased more than twice as much
48:24
as the overall US consumer Price Index, according to data
48:28
from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This drought has been
48:33
punishingly severe, Zanoni said, and it led us to this
48:37
position where dot we have no choice. Across the country,
48:42
damages driven by climate change have brought once reliable utilities
48:47
to their knees. Flooding from supercharged storms has ravaged the
48:53
aging pipes that deliver water to cities from Seattle to Asheville,
48:57
North Carolina, longer and more intense, and have triggered restrictions
49:02
and water use from Florida to Colorado within fifty years
49:06
of twenty nineteen Forest study found. Forest study found the
49:11
nations demand for water would periodically outstrip supply in nearly
49:17
half of US freshwater basins. Water has long been one
49:22
of the most affordable utility bills for American households, said
49:26
Megan Bondhar, a water utility analysis at the market research
49:31
firm Bluefield Research. Most communities get their water from relatively
49:37
close rivers, aquifos, and reservoirs, so the cost is not
49:41
subject to global forces such as wars or supply chain
49:45
issues that can send gas and food prices soaring. Water
49:51
use is also fairly predictable, making it easier for utilities
49:55
to plan investments and implement rate increases accordingly. But climate
50:01
change is increasingly battering utilities with webber and cost they
50:07
did not plan for. Extreme weather is one of the
50:12
most emerging cost drivers were seeing, and it's going to
50:16
increase in importance as climate change only gets worse, Bondar
50:21
said in caps climate costs trickling to water prices. When
50:28
Hurricane Helene tore through the mountains of western North Carolina
50:32
in twenty twenty four, it caused nearly three point seven
50:36
billion dollars worth of damage to the region's water systems,
50:40
according to a state needs assessment. In Ashville, some three
50:46
thousand feet of pipes were washed away, severing the city's
50:49
distribution system and cutting off water access to more than
50:53
one hundred thousand people. At the same time, landslides washed
50:59
huge amat amounts of sediment into local reservoirs, making the
51:03
water too muddy to pass through.
51:05
Speaker 2: A filtration system.
51:07
Speaker 1: Even with crews working around the clock, it took fifty
51:11
three days to restore drinkable tap order to the entire city.
51:18
Ashville Water was able to pay for repairs with a
51:21
ten million dollars zero interest loan from the Environmental Protection Agency,
51:26
according to spokesman Clay Chandler. But now the utility needs
51:31
two hundred and fifty million dollars more times its annual
51:36
operating revenue, five times its annual operating revenue to protect
51:41
transmission lines and upgrade treatment systems. We can't raise prices
51:47
to the point where people can't pay for their water services,
51:51
Challengers said, But we need to give their system a
51:54
fighting chance against the next extreme weather event. Utility is
51:59
a plan buying for a grant from the Federal Emergency
52:02
Management Agency, he added. Yet, federal funding for water infrastructure
52:07
has declined dramatically over the past fifty years. According to
52:11
the American Society of Civil Engineers, the US government used
52:16
to supply well over half of all capital investment in
52:19
the water sector. Today that figure is below ten percent.
52:25
With the federal support, utilities must raise rates to pay
52:28
for improvements, a move that typically requires approval from local
52:33
elected officials who may be reluctant to increase costs for
52:37
their constituents. A twenty twenty three EPA report estimated that
52:43
it would take six hundred and twenty five billion dollars
52:46
of investment over the next twenty years to meet the
52:50
nation's need for safe drinking water. Delaying those upgrades can
52:55
make utilities more vulnerable to hurricanes, heat waves, and other
52:59
forms of extreme weather, said Renee Obringer, a civil engineer
53:04
at Penn State University who researches how climate change affects
53:10
critical infrastructure. The problem with climate change is that it's
53:16
just going to keep getting worse, and it's going to
53:20
exacerbate all those other issues, she said in caps why
53:27
water rates are outpacing inflation. In a recent analysis of
53:32
fifty of the nation's largest municipally owned water utilities, Bondar
53:38
found that average water and sewerage rates increased five point
53:41
one percent between twenty twenty four and twenty twenty five,
53:46
twice the pace of inflation. Extreme weather is not the
53:51
only contributor to higher water cost Bondhar said. Upgrading the
53:56
nation's aging infrastructure would require increased investment even if climate
54:01
change wasn't complicating matters. Overseas, conflicts such as Russia's invasion
54:07
of Ukraine and the ongoing war with Iran can boost
54:12
prices for the fuel needed to power water facilities and
54:16
the chemicals required for treatment. Yet her analysis found that
54:21
many utilities are starting to cite climate impacts as justification
54:26
for rising rates or for raising rates amid of decades
54:31
long megadrought that has diminished aquifers and caused a catastrophic
54:37
decline in river flows. Residents of southern California have seen
54:43
rate increases of up to seventeen percent over the past
54:47
two years. Washington States, King County, which includes Seattle, is
54:53
considering a twelve point seventy five percent sewage rate hike
54:57
to deal with more severe rainstorms that are increasingly causing
55:02
untreated waste to spill into local water bodies. Several communities
55:07
in the beleaguered Colorado River basin, where a record low
55:12
snowpack is exacerbating a long brewing water crisis, have also
55:17
imposed searcharges to encourage residents to conserve. For example, Denver
55:24
announced last month that heavier water users must now pay
55:28
an extra dollar and ten cents to two dollars and
55:32
twenty cents for every thousand gallons they consume. Higher rates
55:38
and additional fees can help pay for waste to water
55:42
reuse initiatives, desalinization plants, and other conservation programs, Obringer said,
55:49
but they can also cause economic hardship for those least
55:52
able to afford it. She pointed to a twenty twenty
55:56
three study in the journal Environmental Research Letters, which found
56:00
that surcharges in Santa Cruz, California, caused water bills to
56:05
exceed four percent of poor households annual income. And because
56:10
lower income people already tend to use the bare minimum
56:13
amount of water, they may not have as large lawns
56:17
or swimming pools to fill, for example, they can't curb
56:21
usage to cope with rate hikes, Obringer said. No one
56:26
wants to pay more for water, said Zanoni, the Corpus
56:31
Christie City manager. He noted that the city council last
56:35
year rejected a planned project to turn seawater into drinking
56:39
water over its one point two billion dollar price tag.
56:44
But the relatively affordable reservoirs that currently provide most of
56:48
the city's water are no longer sufficient, he said, especially
56:52
not with the booming industrial sector guzzling much of its supply.
56:57
Speaker 2: Now, the Council is.
56:59
Speaker 1: Considering a new privately funded desalinization project, as well as
57:05
drilling for groundwater and developing a new wastewater reuse project.
57:12
In the meantime, residents are barred from watering their lawns
57:16
and can only wash their cars on designated days of
57:20
the week. We have to seriously invest in a more diverse,
57:25
robust system.
57:27
Speaker 2: More and more people are.
57:29
Speaker 1: Talking about how this may not just be the worst route,
57:33
but this could be the new normal, Zanoni said. And
57:39
with that I do end today's reading for The Washington
57:43
Post for Thursday, May the fourteenth of twenty twenty six.
57:48
It is going to be a nice day. I hope
57:52
you can get outside and enjoy it. I am going
57:55
to sadly a funeral this morning and then do some walking,
58:00
So take care, have a good day. Stay tuned for
58:04
more programming on RADIOIP.
58:07
Speaker 2: Bye.