Transcript

4.17.25 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of the Washington Post for today, Thursday,
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April the seventeenth of twenty twenty five. Your reader is Alistaana.
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With the reminder that RADIOI is a program for those
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that have disabilities, are blind and cannot hold or in
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easily read printed material. And here's the headlines for today's
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Washington Post. Top left, plans outline deep cuts to health agencies,
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HHS budget draft, prepare pairs away medians, and seeks to
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reshape industry. The article is Bylina's son, Carolyn Johnson, Rachel Ruby,
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and Joel Achenbach and Lauren Webbham. To its right, an
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article judge to way Trump officials for contempt deportations didn't
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halt despite ortum Bosberg Ready's proceedings into Wilfrid disregard by
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Marianne Levine, Spencer s Who's, Salvador Rizzo and Jeremy Roebuck.
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Below that article on the right hand side, Trump seeks
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to wield irs against Harvard targeting of tax exempt status
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could extend to other organizations by Jacob Boge and Jeff Steen,
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and below that on the right hand side, stocks slump
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as FED chair warns of inflationary risks. Trump's tariffs were
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fuel price increases and limit growth pale forecast by Rachel Siegel.
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Underneath the article about the deep cuts to health agencies
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is a picture of members of four Women's Scotland, which
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brought the case celebrate in London outside the Supreme Court
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of the United Kingdom. The article is entitled UK court
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defines woman by birth, raising questions about protections for transgender people.
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This is by Annabel Transmit and then below that article,
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Martin was on Russian state media over one hundred and
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fifty times. US Attorney nominee did not initially disclose appearances
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to the Senate by Spencer Sue and Aaron Shaeffe. My
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first article is internal budget document reveals extent of Trump's
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proposed health cuts. HHS would be asked to absorb a
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forty billion dollar cut, about one third of its discretionary budget.
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Valina Son, Carolyn y Johnson, Rachel Rubin, Joel Achenbach, and
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Lauren Webber. And there is a picture of Health and
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Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior during the conference
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at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington,
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d C. The podium is blue. He's in blue with
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a blue tie. There's an American flag behind him, and
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the blue insignia on the front of the podium, of
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which I don't know what it is. The Trump administration
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is seeking to deeply slash budgets for federal health programs,
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a roughly one third cut in discretionary spending by the
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Department of Health and Human Services, according to a preliminary
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budget document obtained by The Washington Post. The HHS budget drift,
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known as a pass back, offers the first full look
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at the health and social service priorities of President Donald
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Trump's Office of Management and Budget as it prepares to
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send his twenty twenty six physical year budget requests to Congress.
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It shows how the Trump administration plans to reshape the
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federal health agencies that oversee food and drug safety, manage
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the nation's response to infectious disease threats, and to drive
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biomedical research. The sixty four page document calls not only
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for cuts, but also a major shuffling and restructuring of
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health and Human service agencies. Agencies are allowed to appeal
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to HHS for changing but have been told they cannot
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change the bottom line. According to a Federal Health aficial
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who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the
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sensitivity of the negotiations. While Congress often ignores the president's
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budget request, this has not been a typical transition to
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a new administration. Trump and his allies in Congress have
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made clear they want to smash the status quo by
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drastically reducing the size of the federal government and scrubbing
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it of programs and research efforts seen as wasteful or
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contrary to administration priorities. The administration already has downsized HHS
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via about one fourth of its workforce, with about twenty
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thousand imminent departures since Trump took office. The Centers for
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Disease Control and Prevention staff who worked on programs to
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prevent drowning and gun violence, improve worker safety, and test
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for sexually transmitted ilsses and hepatitis were among those laid off.
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National Institutes of Health staffers who specialize in managing scientific
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funding have been ordered to terminate contracts and council hundreds
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of grants that fund research on topics such as vaccine, hesitancy,
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transgender health, and COVID. HHS had a discretionary budget of
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about one hundred and twenty one billion dollars in physical
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twenty twenty four, but under the Trump administration's preliminary outline,
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it would see a decrease to eighty billion dollars. The
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proposed cuts are aimed at some of the prevention focused
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health care efforts. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Has
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said he wants to prioritize, said a nod Prayer Cup,
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chief medical adviser at the Bio Partisan Policies Center of Washington,
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DC think tech Erica, said, these are the efforts that
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try to get ahead of health care problems. You can
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expect the cost of the Medicare and Medicaid program just
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to go up. That's the shortsightedness of reducing the sliver
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of the budget that is discretionary, when that is the
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main opportunity you have to reduce health burden in America
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and get ahead of health problems. Spokespeople for the White
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House and HHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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One The proposal would reduce the more than forty seven
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billion dollar budget of the NIH to twenty seven billion dollars,
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a roughly forty percent cut. It would consolidate NIH's twenty
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seven institutes and centers into just eight. Some of its
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institutes and centives would be eliminated, including the National Institute
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on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the National Institute
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of Nursing Research. Two. Many of NIH's institutes would be fused.
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A National Institute on Body Systems, for example, would absorb
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three separate institutes. The institute focused on heart and lung diseases,
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the institute focused on diabetes, kidney and DIGESTIVOTUS, and the
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third focused on muscle, skeletal and skin diseases. Three. A
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new twenty billion dollar agency named the Administration for a
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Healthy America would be created. AHA would include many pieces
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of other agencies that are being consolidated, such as those
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focused on primary care, environmental health, and HIV. Four. Administration
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for a Healthy America would have a five hundred million
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dollar in policy, research and evaluation funding to be allocated
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by Kennedy to support make America Healthy Again initiatives, including
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a focus on chronic childhood diseases that Many specific programs
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would be eliminated under AHA, according to the document, including
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programs focused on preventing childhood led poisoning, bolstering the health
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care workforce, advancing rural health initiatives, and maintaining a registry
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of patients with aniotropic lateral scalare sclerosis that is ALS. Five.
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The proposal would fund the Food and Drug Administration at
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a level that allows it to continue to collect drug
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and medical device fees from the industries the agency regulates.
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Unless the agency is funded at a certain level, the
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FDA's ability to use these funds, which help expedite safety
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reviews for devices, drugs, and other products, would be limited. Six.
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The proposal would cut the CDC's budget by about forty
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four percent, from nine point two billion to about five
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point two billion, and would eliminate all of the agency's
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chronic disease programs and domestic HIV work. The chronic disease
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programs being eliminated include work on heart disease, obesity, diabetes,
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and smoking cessation. Seven. Rural programs formerly under the Health
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Resources and Services Administration appear to be hard hit. The
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Rural Hospital Flexibility Grants, State Offices of Rural Health, Rural
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Residency Development Program, and At Risk Rural Hospitals Program grants
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are listed as eliminations under h AH seven. Money for
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the head Start program, which provides early or eight childcare
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and education for low income families and is funded by
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HHS's administration for children and families would be eliminated. The
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federal government should not be in the business a mandating curriculum,
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locations and performance standards for any form of education. The
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document says President Trump has committed to balancing the budget
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while providing adequate funding for critical non defense discretionary priorities,
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securing our orders, caring for our veterans, and continued in
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infrastructured investment. The document states in an introduction, it continues,
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reaching balance requires resetting the proper balance between federal and
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state responsibilities with a renewed emphasis on federalism, eliminating the
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federal government support of woke ideology, protecting the American people
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by deconstructing a wasteful and weaponized bureaucracy, and identifying and
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eliminating wasteful spending. It is unclear which proposed cuts will
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stand in the budget proposal of the Congress and whether
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the lawmakers will accept them. During the first Trump administration,
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Congress rejected some of the administration's proposal, including a twenty
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percent cut to NIH, but those who depend on this
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funding said the cuts would pose an extentential threat to
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some programs. It would be catastrophic, said Tommy Sheridan, Deputy
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director of the National head Start Association. More than a
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million parents wouldn't be able to go to work from
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all those children, or they would have to scramble to
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find some other type of option. In a lot of communities,
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Headstart is the only early childhood provider in the community,
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especially rural America. Alan Morgan, chief executive of the National
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Rural Health Association, said rural residents would suffer if the
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health initiatives proposed for elimination were cut. Mister Morgan said
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those are essential to ensuring access to care for rural
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Americans and critical to keeping rural hospitals open. If that
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would come to FRU issue, it would be absolute shocking
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news because these programs have had such bipartisan support, he added,
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noting Kennedy himself had expressed support for the importance of
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rural hospitals. Judge Bosberg to launch contempt proceedings into Trump administration.
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The Constitution does not tolerate willful disobedience of judicial orders,
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a federal judge writes. In the case of Venezuelan migrants
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removed from the US, and there is a picture of
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soldiers standing guard as Secretary of Homeland Security Christy L.
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Nom tours the Terrorist Confinement Center CECOT in Telkaluka, l
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Salvador on March the twenty sixth. There's a huge concrete
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wall with barbed wire on top of it, a big
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circle with three straight lines in it like the number three,
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but straight lines, and a large blue door in these
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three guards out front. The article is by Marianne Levine Spencer,
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s Sue Salvador, Riiseau, and Jeremy Roebuck. Chief US District
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Judge James E. Bosberg of Washington, d C. On Wednesday
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said that he would launch proceedings to determine whether any
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Trump administration officials defied his order not to remove Venezuelan
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migrants from the country based on the Wartime Alien Enemies
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Act and should face criminal contempt charges. The judge said
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in a written ruling, the Constitution does not tolerate willful
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disobedience of judicial orders, especially by officials of a coordinate
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branch who have sworn an oath to uphold it. Allowing
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political leaders to defied court judgments would make a solemn
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mockery of the Constitution itself, he added. Bosberg's order is
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the latest development in a broader showdown between the Trump
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administration and the federal judiciary, which has blocked or slowed
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many of the White House's far reaching actions. The Supreme
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Court ruled this month that the plaintiffs in the Venezuelan
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migrs case filed their lawsuit in the wrong venue, making
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the central legal issues of the case, taking legal issues
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of the case away from Bossburg. Still, Bosberg said that
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ruling did not excuse Trump administration officials from following his
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orders while they were still in place. He characterized the
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administration's decision to proceed with removal flights on March fifteen
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and sixteen despite his order not too as a willful
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disregard sufficient for the Court to conclude that probable cause
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exists to find the government in criminal contempt. Criminal or
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civil contempt proceedings against the federal government for disobeying an
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order are complex and rare in significant penalties even rarer.
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Any officials convicted of criminal contempt could be found or
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jailed up to six months under a statute and Federal
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Court rule cited Wednesday by Bossburg, Bosberg has pressed the
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Justice Department for weeks on why the administration deposited more
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than one hundred and thirty Venezuelan depotees in a Salvadoran
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mega prison without due process, hours after he ordered the
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administration not to do so, and said any planes that
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had already taken off should be turned around and returned
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to the United States. His Wednesday decision has few modern
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parallels and embarks the court on a multi stage and
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potentially weeks long process. First up would be fact finding
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to determine who in the administration knew Abator's order at
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the time, and who, if anyone, gave instructions for the
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planes transporting the margarets to El Salvador not to turn around.
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The judge said he would give the government an opportunity
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to remedy the matter, such as by asserting custody of
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individuals so they can exercise their right or challenge their removals,
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a step that would not necessarily required their release or
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return to the United States. Otherwise, Basberg said he would
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direct it to identify the officials who knowingly defied his
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previous order. If it declined, the judge said he would
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seek sworn declarations from witnesses or testimony under oath, so
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he could we're further matter for prosecution, and if the
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Justice Department declined to act, he would appoint a lawyer
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to do so. Administration officials have broadly maintained they've complied
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with all court orders, even as they repeatedly walked right
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up to the line of open defiance and publicly attacked
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Bosberg and other judges for seeking to restrain the president's agenda.
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On Tuesday, U S. District Judge Paula Zinis in Maryland
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excoriated administration officials for doing nothing at all to comply
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with her order a week ago to facilitate the return
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of a Maryland man. Officials have acknowledged they mistakenly deported
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to El Salvador. The government Wednesday evening filed notice that
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it had appealed Bosberg's order. Stephen Chung, White House communications director,
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said in an e mail statement, the President is one
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hundred percent committee to ensuring that terrorists and criminal illegal
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migrants are no longer a threat to Americans and their
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communities across the country. Trischard McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland
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Security spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement the Supreme Court
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already rebuked him lawless. A Justice Department spokesperson did not
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immediately return requests for comment. Meanwhile, lawyers were the plaintiffs
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in the case back the decision. Scott Perriman, president and
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CEO of Democracy Ford, co counsel in the case, said
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in his statement that Bosberg's decision are firms where we
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have long known the government's conduct in this case is
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unlawful and a threat to people and our constitution, Lee Learned.
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The American Civil Liberties Unions lead counsel in the case said,
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Orosberg is very focused on the return of the individuals
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sent to the notorious Salvadoran prison with no due process,
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and that is our overriding concern as well. The government
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launched the deportations after President Donald Trump invoked the Alien
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Enemies Act, which until now had only been used in wartime.
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The law was last used during World War II to
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detain Japanese, Italian, and German nationals, and it laid the
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foundation for the incarceration of more than one hundred and
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ten thousand Japanese Americans. Trump officials have refused to provide
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Brosperg with detailed explanations of the timing of the deportation flights,
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first arguing that his order to return the planes lacked
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full judicial weight because it was verbal, not in writing,
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and then saying the order did not need to be
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enforced once the planes were out of the us ESPAE.
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Bosberg wrote in a forty six page opinion Wednesday, the
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Court that doubt has given defendants ample opportunity to rectify
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or explain their actions. None of their responses has been satisfactory.
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The government has invoked the state secrets privilege to avoid
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giving additional information to Bosburg, saying that disclosing it would
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jeopardize national security. Brosburg has been skeptical of that assertion,
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noting that he is frequently presided over cases involving sensitive
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national security information and that any such information could be
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presented under seal in court. Early this month, the judge
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grilled a Justice Department lawyer for answers, his eyebrows raised
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in eyes wide as he suggested that government officials had
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acted in bad faith and intentionally rushed to load migrants
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on to play lanes implied them out of the country
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before he could order them to stop. The judge asked
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who made the decision whether not to tell the pilots
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anything or to tell them to keep going. Johanna, I
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don't know that, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew and Son said.
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Weisberg pledged to get to the bottom of the matter,
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but before he could do so, the Supreme Court overturned
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the judges ruling ordering the return of the deportation flights.
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A majority of the justices found that deportees subject to
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removal orders under the Alien Enemies Act are entitled to
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notice and an opportunity to challenge their removal, but the
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High Court added that such challenges must be reviewed by
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the judges in the districts where the migrants are confined.
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In the case of the Venezuelans, that meant Texas, where
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district court decisions are reviewed by the conservative US Court
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of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Osberg wrote in his
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opinion Wednesday that the Supreme Court's decision does not excuse
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the government's violation. Instead, it is a foundational legal concept
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that every judicial order must be obaid, no matter how
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erroneous it may be, until a court reverses it. That
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foundational rule of law answers not just how this compliance
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inquiry can can preceed, but why it must, the judge wrote,
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citing a Supreme Court president from nineteen sixty seven. In
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a twenty seventeen Just Security article, Nicholas Perrillo, a Yale
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Law School professor, wrote that holding an official accountable for
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non compliance is especially complicated because the judge must figure
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out which official officials should have acted and what the
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official officials should have done. His study also found imprisonment
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has occurred only twice, never for more than a few hours.
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One of the judges was later removed for bias, the
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other accused himself. Still in Washington's federal quartos U S. District,
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Judge Royce C. Lamberth notably found three cabinet secretaries and
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an assistant secretary across two different presidential administrations in civil
25:36
contempt and a class action lawsuit by Native American landowners
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who alleged the U. S. Government had failed to pass
25:44
on more than a one hundred years of royalties owed
25:47
for oil, timber, and minorial leases. That suit marked the
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first time in modern history that cabinet officials had been
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so sanctioned, and ended in a three point four bellion
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dollar settlement in twenty ten, A federal appeals court upheld
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the outcome, but removed Lambert from the case and to
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overturn the contempt findings against two officials still in office,
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saying that they could only be found in criminal contempt.
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Trump's tariffs are likely to push prices up, FED Chief warrants,
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prompting market slide. The FED Chief warrants higher inflation is likely,
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although officials routinely said there it look depends on how
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Trump's policies on trade, immigration, and more shake out. And
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there is a trade worker with a screen behind them
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broadcasting a live interview with US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome
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Parrell on the Wednesday, It's a big screen with a
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Nasdaq composite of significant companies, and they this is the
27:02
writing on it, and it said FBS Powell. Despite heightened
27:07
uncertainty downside risk, economy still in solid position by Rachel Siegel,
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President Donald Trump's tariffs are highly likely to spur a
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temporary rise in inflation, Federal Reserve Board Chairs through Home H.
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Powell said Wednesday, cautioning that those effects could end up
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being longer lasting, prompting markets to slide and extend day
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long losses. Speaking before the Economic Club of Chicago. Powell
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said more persistent risks to inflation depend on how much
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tariffs end up affect in the economy and how long
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it takes trade policy to pass through to prices. Investors
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grew nervous through Powell's remarks, especially because there is so
27:59
much uncertain around how long the inflation could last, triggering
28:04
a market sell off. By market closed, the Dow Jones
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Industrial Average was down roughly seven hundred points, or one
28:12
point seven percent, and the S and P standed in
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four five hundred had fallen two point two percent. The
28:20
tech heavy Nasdaq Composite index, which has borne the weight
28:25
of the trade war in particular, was down three percent.
28:29
Chip makers in Vidia and AMD set in company filings
28:33
that Trump's recent executive orders will result in major write
28:37
downs of the value of chips in Nvidia and AMD
28:41
both saw their share prices fall roughly seven percent in trading.
28:46
Pal said many of the administration policies on trade, immigration,
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physical matters, and regulation are still evolving, but higher inflation
28:57
and slower growth are in store, he said, pushing central
29:01
bankers further from their goals of stable prices and a
29:04
prosperous job market. For example, supply chain snarls from the
29:09
trade walk could lead to price hikes that last longer
29:12
than a one time bump. Pal said, I do think
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we'll be moving away from those goals, probably for the
29:20
balance of this year, or at least not making any progress.
29:25
Pal also said that as the Fed sets interest rates,
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it could end up in a place where its two
29:31
mandates stable prices and maximum employment are intention Typically, the
29:39
Fed raises interest rates to combat inflation by making it
29:43
more expensive to get all types of loans. The Fed
29:47
lower's interest rates if it fears the economy is loin
29:50
too much it needs a boost. That could prove difficult
29:53
if inflation is rising in the midst of a broader downturn.
29:58
Pal said that we are not experiencing that now, but
30:03
we could well be in that situation. Small scale job
30:07
losses or the anticipation that prices could go up soon
30:12
would not be enough to push the Fed to act.
30:15
Pal said it's also too soon to know how the
30:17
job market will fare through significant cuts to the government
30:21
workforce and federal funding. Yet. Palell's sharp warning comes as
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the economy and the Fed enter yet another uncertain chapter
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after spiking two forty year highs. Inflation has been slowly
30:35
easy toward a more normal two percent. Officials had been
30:39
optimistic they were inching closer to the coveted soft landing,
30:44
in which inflation returns to normal, the job market stays
30:48
strong and the economy keeps growing. But that path risks
30:53
being thwarted by Trump's trade war and looming uncertainty for
30:56
businesses and financial markets alike. For example, sentiment among home
31:02
builders has been slumping for months and remained low in April.
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Pal said that in conversations with business owners, he routinely
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hears that uncertainty is higher than many have experienced in
31:14
their lifetimes. That could lead people to pull back on
31:17
investing and hiring, or to lay off people altogether. At
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the same time, the financial markets have been in turmoil.
31:27
The Nasdaq Composite index is down more than fifteen percent
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for the year, and the S and P is down
31:33
ten percent plus. Investors are fleeing treasuries and the dollar,
31:39
assets usually considered safer when volatility hits the markets. Pal
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said the markets are acting as expected in the face
31:47
of so much tumult that they are still functioning safely.
31:51
Markets are struggling with a lot of uncertainty, and that
31:54
means volatility, he said. FED officials routinely say their outlook
32:00
depends on how Trump's policies unfuriled. Part of the difficulty
32:05
also stems from policies that change in a matter of days.
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Last week, the White House paused many of the steep
32:13
import taxes on most countries for ninety days, while further
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hoisting tariffs with China. It left in place a baseline
32:21
ten percent tariff on all imports from most countries and
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continued tariffs on imports of steel, aluminum, and autos. The
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shift prompted many forecasters to pare back their expectations for
32:36
a recession, but that possibility is still on the table.
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Earlier this week, FED Governor Christopher Waller described new terror
32:46
policies as one of the biggest shocks to affect the
32:51
United States economy in many decades. There's plenty of uncertainty
32:56
based on how large the tariffs are, for example, but
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Wallace said it's possible the effects on prices, whilst deep,
33:04
won't be permanent so long as expectations around longer term
33:09
prices stay grounded. Still, aggressive terror policy could slow growth
33:15
to a crawl and push unemployment up, He said, FED
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officials ultimately will have to parse short term ships such
33:24
as a temporary rise in prices, for more lasting effects
33:29
such as inflation or broader slow down. The distinction matters
33:34
because officials set interest rate policy with the long term
33:38
health of the economy in mind, rather than reacting to
33:41
blips or individual pieces of data. They have been wrong before.
33:47
FED leaders would also be hesitant to raise the interest
33:51
rates if the economy is slowing too much. That isn't
33:54
happening right now. The job market has stayed solid through
34:00
upheople and the federal government, and the unemployment rate is
34:03
at a low four point two percent. The fed's preferred
34:07
inflation gauge was at two point five percent in February.
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But there are other concerning markers on the Fed's dashboard too.
34:16
Retail sales slumped in March, with economists attributing the rise
34:21
to consumers panic buying before tariffs take hold. Industrial production
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fell in March, the first to cut, oh take it back.
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Retails jumped in March, with economists attributing the rise to
34:35
consumers panic buying before tariffs take hold. Industrial production fell
34:40
in March, the first decline in four months. Stocks have
34:45
also flashed red. Since Trump kicked off the trade wall,
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Trump has publicly pressured the FED to lower interest rates
34:54
to stimulate the economy. The FED closely guards its independence
34:59
from power politics and takes pains not to get involved
35:02
in physical policy, but Trump has historically ignored those norms,
35:07
recently telling Powell to stop playing politics in a post
35:13
on social media. He is always played that he could
35:18
now change his image and quickly, Trump wrote. Earlier this month,
35:24
Trump's dc US attorney pick appeared on Russian state and
35:30
media over one hundred and fifty times. Nominee Ed Martin
35:36
did not initially disclose his RT and Sputnick appearances from
35:40
twenty sixteen to twenty twenty four to the Senate. The
35:44
State Department has said the networks act like arms of
35:47
Russian intelligence. And there's a picture of Martin on the
35:52
news and it says this news is engineered by those
35:56
who want war in Syria and Secretary's Tillison aside responsible
36:02
for chemical attack in the league Syria, and those are
36:07
the breaking news on RT television with Martin on the screen.
36:14
Hours before President Donald Trump announced US missile strikes on
36:19
Syria in response to a chemical attack that killed ninety civilians.
36:24
In April of twenty seventeen, ed Martin said in the
36:27
Russian state television network RT America that Syrian President Vashir
36:34
al Asad might not be to blame. Instead, Martin told
36:39
viewers the situation was engineered in Washington by the people
36:43
that walked war in Syria. In early twenty twenty two,
36:48
Martin told an interview on the same arm of RT's
36:51
Global network that there's no evidence of a Russian military
36:56
build up on Ukraine's voters, criticizing US officials warmongering and
37:01
ignoring Russian's security concerns. Russia invaded nine days later, igniting
37:08
a war that continues today. Martin is now interim US
37:13
Attorney for DC and Trump's pick to serve full time
37:17
in the role, but as a conservative activist and former
37:21
Missouri Republican official, he appeared more than one hundred and
37:25
fifty times on Art and Sputnik networks funded and directed
37:30
by the Russian government as a guest commentator from August
37:34
twenty sixteen to April twenty twenty four, according to a
37:37
search of their websites and Internet archives database of television
37:43
broadcast Martin did not disclose the appearances last month on
37:48
a Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire, which asks nominees to list
37:53
all media interviews. Analysis of television archives suggests he went
37:57
on RT and spoken it more often than any than
38:02
on any major cable network during that span. Martin's frequent
38:07
appearances reviewed by The Washington Post drew rebukes from some
38:11
national security analyst who accused him of amplifying anti American
38:16
propaganda on Russian outlets that the State Department last year
38:21
said had moved beyond disinformation to engage in covert influence
38:26
activities aimed at undermining democracies worldwide for President Vladimir Putin's regime.
38:35
Martin's brief tenure as top federal prosecutor in Washington has
38:39
stoked controversy. Democrats accused Martin, a Trump Stopped the Steal
38:45
organizer who called the twenty twenty election and the twenty
38:49
sixteen Russian election interference investigation hoaxes, of violating the law
38:55
and legal ethics in threatening to investigate a prosecute law
38:59
mamade makers, protesters, journalists, and others whom he perceives as
39:05
undermining Trump's agenda. Former US national security officials and analysts
39:11
said Martin's rt In Sputnik appearances and his failure to
39:15
disclose them raise questions about his judgment and conduct. The U. S.
39:20
Attorney's Office in Washington is the largest in the country
39:23
and has wide jurisdiction to prosecute important national security offenses.
39:28
Former officials said its leader should be alert to the
39:32
threats and risks posed by Russia and other influence operations
39:37
from overseas, such as the ones the office has prosecuted
39:41
in recent years involving Russia and other foreign actors. They
39:45
argued prior to the twenty sixteen election, It shows a
39:49
little bit of bad judgment, said Olga Vloglova, director of
39:55
the Emerging Technologies Initiative at the Johns Hopkins School of
39:59
the US Advanced International Studies. Though I studied Russian influence
40:03
operations in the United States and Europe, including for Facebook
40:09
post twenty sixteen, that shows very bad judgment because since
40:14
then you cannot pretend you didn't know what this is,
40:17
because the whole world was talking about it. People can
40:22
disagree over US foreign policy, said Joseph Serencion, a nuclear
40:28
policy and national security expert who has advanced democratic presidents
40:33
and supports US military aide the Ukraine, but repeatingly helping
40:38
Russia advance its propaganda aims by echoing its views on
40:43
its state directed media that should be disqualifying. Serencione said
40:50
Martin's office did not initially respond last week to questions
40:54
about his appearances and RT and Sputman, including why he
40:58
did not disclose them to the Senate of whether he
41:01
was compensated for them. On Tuesday, spokesman McNeil McNeil McCabe
41:08
said mister Martin has disclosed all the identified links in
41:13
a supplemental letter to the Senate in the past two days.
41:18
McCabe did not explain what links he was referring to
41:21
or respond to criticism about the interviews, but he said
41:26
this is routine activity and preparation for confirmation, and referred
41:30
questions to the White House. Asked about Martin's pro Russian
41:35
stances and media role, a White House official said President
41:40
Trump made a brilliant choice in selecting Ed Martin to
41:44
serve a full permanent term as a United States Attorney
41:47
for the District at Columbia. With a distinguished record of service,
41:52
it is the perfect lead to restore law and order
41:55
and make our nation's capital safe and beautiful once again.
42:00
Thirsty of Chicago. Political scientist John Misharma, who has criticized
42:05
to his policies toward Russia, said in an email, all
42:09
of the US government and other governments have been a
42:11
waging war on our team for some time. It is
42:14
not illegal for an American to appear, and it shows
42:19
absent allegations of specific wrongdoing. Meerschamas said this is a
42:25
matter of free speech and debate over Martin should focus
42:29
on the substance of his statements and judgment, not where
42:32
he appeared. No evidence has emerged that Martin acted at
42:37
the direction of any Russian official or entity. Rather, he
42:41
is among a segment of American conservatives who appear to
42:44
agree with Moscow's geopolitical views and foreign policy aims, while
42:49
embracing a world view distrustful of US institutions and experts,
42:54
similar to disinformation pushed by the Krimlin of It. One
42:59
month before Ukraine invasion, Martin was asked on RT about
43:03
a US State Department warning that RT and Sputnik were
43:08
critical elements in Moscow's propaganda and disinformation efforts. Martin sided
43:14
with the networks against US authorities, an independent American media,
43:19
a frequent target of his criticism. They weaponize this kind
43:24
of crap. Big texts and big media are backed up
43:27
by big government, and they're forcing the message, Martin said
43:31
on January twenty one, twenty twenty two, blaming US interests
43:36
that make money and increase their power by wanting war
43:42
all the time. He said, there's very few voices saying
43:46
hold on, and your show and others on this network
43:49
are some of those voices. Sixteen days after Russia invaded
43:54
Ukraine on February twenty four, twenty twenty two, Martin re
43:58
aired otes on Twitter. I've read that Putin is a
44:02
crazy tyrant and that he's a hero. How do you
44:05
know what to believe? If confirmed, Martin would continue to
44:10
direct to direct an office that prosecutes it advises to Trump,
44:16
including martin allies Roger Stone and Michael Flynn, as well
44:20
as Democratic lawyer Gregory B. Craig, and passed federal investigations
44:25
into Russian influence efforts. U S attorney nominations typically draw
44:30
a little public discussion, but Senate Democrats want a hearing
44:35
and flaw votes, forcing GOP leaders to decide how much
44:39
time and political capital to spend on Martin. If he
44:43
is not confirmed by May twenty, the end of his
44:45
one hundred and twenty day interim appointment, judges in the
44:49
U S District Court in d C will name a
44:51
new interim U S attorney until one is confirmed. Martin
44:56
has posed a challenge for the Senate Judiciary Committee not
45:00
only because of his lack of experience as a prosecutor
45:03
or trial lawyer, but also because of the volume of
45:06
his statements on social media and in traditional media, and
45:10
the unusual extent of his omissions. Chairman Chuck Grassley, Republican
45:15
of Aile, said Thirsty that Martin has received more than
45:18
five hundred questions from Senators, far more than normal. Martin
45:23
disclosed sixteen media interviews to this committee from twenty sixteen
45:28
to twenty twenty four, none involving RT or Sputnik. In
45:32
a questionnaire he signed March twenty eighth, he said he
45:36
searched publicly available electronic databases, but he cautioned that despite
45:42
my searches, there may be other materials that I have
45:44
been unable to identify, find or remember. Martin has omitted
45:50
far more from his nomination materials than other recent US
45:54
attorney nominees, two people familiar with the process said Monday,
45:58
one of them estimated omissions of about three hundred and
46:01
fifty events, interviews, and media appearances. By comparison, only about
46:08
three of roughly eighty such nominees from twenty twenty one
46:11
through twenty twenty four left eight published writings and public
46:15
statements in supplemental committee disclosures, and none missed more than
46:20
four items. One of the people said Martin first disclosed
46:24
three RT appearances in early April. The person said both
46:29
spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized
46:33
to publicly discuss Martin's responses. There is no formal penalty
46:38
for omissions. As of Monday, Martin had not disclosed most
46:43
of the RT and Sputnik appearances identified by the Post,
46:46
Grassley spokeswoman Claire Slattery said, adding that the committee expects
46:52
nominees to fully disclose all required materials and that disclosures
46:57
were ongoing. The committee's top Democrat, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois,
47:04
said Wednesday that Martin's undisclosed statements that continued as Russia
47:09
was bombing Ukraine last April, raised further serious questions about
47:14
whether he has the temperament to serve as US attorney,
47:18
concerns that have been underlined by his misconduct as interim
47:22
US Attorney. Durbin added, the committee must hold a hearing
47:27
and hear from Ed Martin directly. Under oath. We must
47:31
take our constitutional duty of adviez and consent seriously secure
47:37
the national interest of Russia. Since twenty seventeen and twenty eighteen,
47:43
the Justice Department has required rt and Sputnick to register
47:46
as foreign agents, reflecting Russian government control over their operations.
47:52
Five months after Martin's final appearance last April, the United States, Canada,
47:57
and Britain announced news sanctions on the arts and several
48:00
employees meant to cripple funding for alleged disinformation operations around
48:06
the world. RTI in Sputnik's parent company are engaged in
48:12
covert influence activities aimed at undermining American elections and democracies,
48:18
functioning like a de facto arm of Russia's intelligence apparatus.
48:23
Then Secretary of State Anthony Blencoln said on September thirteenth.
48:28
Trump won a second term last November after depicting federal
48:33
investigations of him and of Russia's interference in the twenty
48:36
sixteen election as examples of partisan democratic weaponization of law
48:42
enforcement and intelligence agencies against the political rival. Russia's interference
48:48
included hacking of democratic emails, as well as disinformation activity
48:53
by RTI and Sprednik, according to a twenty seventeen US
48:57
intelligence assessment and a twenty twenty by partisan Senate investigation. Now,
49:04
Trump's second administration is pushing US foreign policy officials to
49:08
found ways to partner with Putin's Russia, signaling that he
49:12
is willing to part ways with allies, including by staking
49:16
claims to Greenland and Canada, pressing Ukraine to seek peace,
49:21
and shifting US resources from Europe to focus on China.
49:25
Martin's views in some ways track those Vice President J. D.
49:29
Vance and Director of National Intelligence Kelsey Galbert, who have
49:34
criticized the exercise of US military power overseas. Opponents say
49:40
Trump risks abandoning leadership of a liberal democratic order that
49:45
spreads American values in global prosperity, siding instead with autocratic
49:50
strong man governments. Martin advocated greater US Russia cooperation before
49:56
Trump's first meeting as president with Putin on July twenty seventeen,
50:02
saying on Urti that he expected Trump to come away
50:05
with some affinity with Putin. He struck the same note
50:10
just after the Ukraine invasion, as the US imposed sanctions
50:13
on Putin personally. Martin told Sputnik in March twenty twenty two,
50:20
suggested a missed opportunity under Trump's first term. We need
50:26
to be allies with nuclear powers like Russia. What Trump
50:30
knew was you want to be allies with the toughest
50:33
dudes on the street, and he was ready to be
50:36
allies with North Korea and with Putin and everybody. Reorganize
50:42
from the former state run Voice of Russia in twenty
50:45
twenty thirteen, Sputnik and his parents charter is to secure
50:50
the national interest of the Russian Federation in the full
50:53
information field. That year, Putin said Rarti and Spignet's purpose
50:59
is to break the monopoly of the Anglo Saxon global
51:03
information streams. RT America seized US operations in March twenty
51:09
twenty two. Production of some of its programs continued, and
51:13
they are available both domestically through third party platforms and
51:17
its parent rt RT and Sprutnik relied on Martin to
51:22
explain America in terms that seemed to match the perspective
51:25
of the Kremlin, mostly to its international audiences. According to
51:30
filter labs AI, a firm that analyzed this social media,
51:35
state run news organizations, and other Internet postings to track
51:39
public sentiment in Russia, those audiences were in the United
51:44
States and in Hinge countries in Central Europe such as
51:48
Poland and Hungary, and Martin had minimal exposure within Russia
51:53
except for his criticism of US support for Ukraine. Filter
51:58
labs AI founder and CEO Jonathan Tudner wrote, we want
52:03
to use these terms carefully, but this is a kind
52:07
of foreign influence, Tumner said, adding that RT is cultivating
52:11
relationships with American conservative influencers and micro influencers as Trump
52:17
emerges as a leading figure in a global wave of
52:20
hard line conservative populism, inspiring nationalist parties in Europe and
52:25
elsewhere defending Trump. Martin has been a prolific user of
52:31
social and other media to defend Trump and his policies.
52:35
His presence on Russian state media puts a twist on
52:38
the President's frequent tapping of television personalities to stock his
52:42
second administration. Martin appeared as a panelist or commentator on
52:47
more than a dozen RT or Sprutink programs in the
52:51
beginning in August twenty sixteen, often introduced as a publican
52:56
strategist opposite a designated democratic componato, He was invited by
53:02
several networks to discuss the twenty sixteen presidential election after
53:06
writing a book making the conservative case for Trump with
53:10
anti feminist icon Phyllis Shapley. Over time, Martin appeared as
53:16
a solo guest discussing the Ukraine crisis, and was described
53:20
as a co host on one show episode in December
53:23
twenty twenty three. Russian state media at the time promoted
53:28
his critiques in headlines such as one on Sputnik's International's
53:33
website in April twenty twenty three trumped up charges against
53:38
former US president embarrassing to US, and another in December
53:43
twenty twenty three GOP activists stupid US leaders will throw
53:48
money at Ukraine unless stopped by host Scoores if not.
53:54
Hundreds of American commentators have gone on rto Sputnik over
53:58
the years without being required to register as foreign lobbyists. Still,
54:04
last September, US authorities charged two RT employees with allegedly
54:08
funneling ten million dollars to bankroll unknowing pro Trump influences
54:13
to publish thousands of videos that pushed Krimlin propaganda drew
54:18
Russian American citizens. Dmitri Simms and his wife Anastacia were
54:23
charged with violating economic sensions in part for his paid
54:27
work for another Russian state television network. Sims has said
54:32
his charges are pretext by the US government to silence him.
54:38
After taking office in February, Attorney General Pambondi shut down
54:42
an FBI task force assigned to investigate foreign government influence
54:46
on American politics, setting in part the risk of further
54:50
weaponization and the pieces of prosecutorial discretion and his shift
54:55
to focus on more traditional espionage cases. The RT In
54:59
Sims case remained open, criticizing support for Ukraine. Martin dialed
55:06
back his RT commentary around the time of registration requirement
55:10
and became a CNN contributor from September twenty seventeen to
55:14
January twenty eighteen. His appearance in artis surged again in
55:18
twenty twenty one, when he did roughly sixty spots compared
55:22
with fifty over the prior four and a half years.
55:25
He was often asked about January six, twenty twenty one,
55:29
capital riot prosecutions, three of whose defendants he represented, and
55:35
mounting federal and state investigations of Trump, which he strongly
55:39
and repeatedly criticized. That fall and in winter. He also
55:46
spoke of Ukraine and a Florida fourteen spots over a
55:49
five weeks span. In twenty twenty two, before Russia's invasion,
55:55
Martin criticized what he cast as the drum beat for
55:57
war by enter visionist America seconds and repeated that NATO
56:02
should rule a Ukrainian membership, a key Russian demand. In
56:07
October twenty twenty one, Martin, on his podcast on Twitter,
56:12
promoted RT, Margarita Simeon, editor in chief of RT, in
56:17
Sputnik and RT host over US authorities in social and
56:21
traditional media. Everybody everybody's liars and journalism. Now I am
56:29
being totally serious, not you, of course, Martin told the
56:33
RT host on his podcast. Martin scaled back his appearances
56:37
for several months after Russia's invasion. However, he was interviewed
56:41
about forty times on RT and Sputnik between late twenty
56:45
twenty two and April twenty twenty four. Shortly before he
56:48
was announced as Deputy policy director for the Republican National
56:52
Conventions twenty twenty four Platform Committee on de Seminon twenty
56:57
twenty four, one day before Trump announced that Martin would
57:00
join his new administration, Martin wrote about Putin on the
57:03
website of his conservative Villish Schlafely Eagles group. He decried
57:09
the dismantling of Western civilization by our ruling elites and
57:15
their weak, incompetent servants. These mediocre American men despise figures
57:22
like Vadamy of Putin. Martin said, not because he's in
57:27
the enemy of the West, but because he reminds them
57:30
of their inadequacies. And this concludes the reading of today Thursday,
57:37
the seventeenth of April of twenty twenty five. Please stay
57:41
tuned for continued programming on Radio app