Transcript

6.14.25 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of Today's Washington Post for Saturday,
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June fourteenth, twenty twenty five, which also happens to be
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Flag Day. Our reminder is Alice Stainer with the reminder
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that RERADIOI is an organization for those blind with difficulties
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holding a reading printed material. And the front page to
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the Washington Post always has six articles on it. On
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the very far left of the front page, Museum director
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quits amid standoff, National Portrait Gallery head kept working after
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Trump said she was fired, Sophia Neugin, Rachel Hasipinos, and
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Jeff Edges in the middle with two pictures dividing it
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and to our articles. Iran retaliates with no end in sight.
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It has two articles. One Israel says it intercepted most
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missiles both sides accused the other of crossing red lines
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by Susannah George. And next to that article is fuselide
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won't lead to goal of a denuclearized foe expert say
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by Jerry Sith and Karim for farm and that is
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that one's out of Jerusalem. In between the museum director
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and those two articles are two pictures, one of a
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crew extinguishing a fire in a building in Tehran that
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was destroyed in an Israeli attack Friday. Iran's ambassador to
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the UN said at least seventy eight people were killed
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in the Israeli strikes. And another picture below it Israel's
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Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles over
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Tel Aviv on Friday. The Israeli military said few missiles
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hit their targets, but at least one appeared in a
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strike appeared two strikes central Tel Aviv. Below the article
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on the Museum Director Army roiled by political turmoil ahead
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of its birthday by Dan Lemouth, and then below the
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articles on Iran and the pictures Kennedy's panel overhaul, show's
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doubts over vaccine availability by Lena Hsun and Lauren Webber,
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and then the very bottom article Love, cancer and pregnancy.
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Couple's choice to start a family reflects a generation facing
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illnesses earlier than ever, and the article is by Aretha
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irophang Cha, Dria Cornello and Dan Keating and Julia wall
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At a provar utah. And there is a picture of
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a gentleman in a hospital room, Tanner Martin, snoozing while
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his wife, Shy Martin, checks on him at a hospital
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in Utah May fourteenth. Tanna has staged four colon cancer
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and hoped to survive long enough to meet the couple's daughter.
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And she's obviously pregnant in this picture at first article,
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National Portrait Gallery head steps down following trump attempt to
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fire her. Kim Saget's resignation comes days after the Smithsonian
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said it would review content across its museums, which the
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White House says is being influenced by divisive race centered ideology.
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And there is a picture of Kim Saget, the first
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woman to lead the National Portrait Gallery, and she's speaking
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at a twenty seventeen preview for the reopening of the
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America's President's Exhibit. She is in a pretty red top
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with a black skirt. She's wearing big black glasses over
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pretty blonde short haircut. And behind her is a portrait
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of George Washington and then you see in the background
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a portrait of another president right behind him. This is
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by Sophia Nuzien, Rachel hat Zippicanagos, and Jeff Edges. Kim Saget,
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the director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, stepped down
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from her roll Friday, two weeks after President Donald Trump
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set on social media that he had fired her. The
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resignation stunned leaders in the museum world who had believed
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relieved earlier, who had been relieved earlier. This week, when
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the body overseeing the Smithsonian Institution affirmed that only its
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secretary could hire and fire museum leaders, Saget's decision was
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revealed in an internal email sent just before noon to
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Smithsonian staff. In it, Smithsonian Secretary Lennie G. Bunch the
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Third wrote, we are grateful to Kim for heading or
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leading the National Portrait Gallery with passion and crew creativity
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for twelve years. Bunch highlighted how said it had expanded
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the gallery's collection with key acquisitions, such as the earliest
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known Dedarigo type of First Lady Dolly Madison. He added,
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her decision to put the museum first is to be
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applauded and appreciated, and know this was not an easy decision.
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The email also included a message from Saget, calling it
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the honor of a lifetime to lead the National Portrait Gallery.
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She wrote, together we have worked to tell a fuller,
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more American story, one that Foster's connection, reflection and understanding
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Bunch said. Kevin Gover, the Smithsonian's under Secretary for Museums
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and Culture, will serve. He is acting director of the
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National Portrait Gallery, with museum staff as working remotely Friday
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because of preparations for the military parade in Washington. Seget
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revealed her departure at a Zoom meeting attended by more
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than fifty people, including GOVO. According to someone who attended
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the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because
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they were not authorized to discuss the matter, staff members
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were in tears and praised Saget's leadership and her support
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for their work and careers. Seget spoke of her love
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of the institution and its mission, the person said, and
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she explained that she was resigning because her presence had
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become a distraction from the museum's Smithsonian's mission. Responding to
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news of Seget's resignation, the White Eyes spokesperson David Ingle said,
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in a statement on Day one present, Trump made clear
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that there is no place for dangerous anti American ideology
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in our government and institutions. In a line with his objective,
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he ordered the termination of Cam Saget. The Trump administration
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is committed to restoring American greatness and celebrating our nation's
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proud history. Trump said May thirtieth that he had fired Seget,
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without citing any legal authority for doing so. Trump called
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her a highly partisan person and a strong supporter of DEI,
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which is totally inappropriate for her position. Congressional Democrats called
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the move unacceptable, asserting that the President did not have
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the power to fire employees of the Smithsonian. Throughout early June,
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Seget had continued working, reporting for work as usual, setting
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up a standoff between the White House and the Smithsonian.
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The Smithsonian's Board of Regents met June two, according to
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a listing posted to its website, with a single item
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on the agenda, confidential personal matters. The board convened again
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a week later, and after an all day meeting, without
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directly mentioning the standoff between the White House and Saget,
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issued a statement saying that all personnel decisions are directed
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by Bunch, who oversees the Smithsonian's twenty one museums, fourteen
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education and research centers, and the National Zoo. The board
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also said it supported Bunch's authority and management of the institution.
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The board said it had directed Bunch to articulate specific
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expectations to museum directors and staff regarding content in Smithsonian
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muse and to report back to the board on progress
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and unin needed personnel changes. The attempt to dismiss Sage
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it was the first action Trump had taken against the
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Smithsonian since the executive order he signed in March directing
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Vice President J. D. Vance, an ex official member of
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the Smithsonian's board, to scrutinize the Smithsonian, which, though order said,
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had fallen under the influence of divisive race centered ideology.
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A Museum leaders who had taken heart at Sagent and
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the Smithsonian's initial resistance to Trump's directive were left to
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speculate on what her exit would mean for the long
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term independence of the institution. What I fear is that
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Trump will notch up this as another victory, the same
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kind of victory is taking over the Kentiedies Kennedy Sinner,
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said David Ross, the former director of the Whitney Museum
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of American Art and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
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Following Trump's moves to influence or assert control over numerous
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cultural institutions, and just before a military parade on the
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armies and the President's birthday. Ross added, It's sad, but
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it's also an understandable part of the theater of fascism
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he's so deeply engaged in. Others wondered about the long
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term implications for the Smithsonians collections. Linda Lanko, wife of
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late photojournalist Brian Lanko, was thrilled in twenty twenty two
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to attend the opening of his exhibition featuring portraits of
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Black Women. With Saget's resignation, she is thinking about the
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seventy five works that were partially gifted to the National
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Portrait Gallery, as well as the wide quath of materials
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in the Smithsonian's collections that may fall under Trump's administration's
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attack on whatever it considers to be DEI shorthand for diversity,
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equity and inclusion efforts. I am almost afraid to say
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anything that would give him an idea to get rid
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of it. I just hope and pray that it stays intact,
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Minka said. When Saget was named director in twenty thirteen,
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she became the first woman to lead the National Portrait Gallery.
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She worked to broaden the museum's holdings, and early in
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her tenure started up a new performance art series and
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created a show on the artist and activist Delores Hirtara,
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the first time a Latina was featured in the gallery's
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long running One Life series. I'm not good at safe.
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I'm very much a very experimentation. I came in and said,
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you know, nothing is sacred cow, let's look at breaking
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down the hierarchies, experimenting and palating things, Seget told The
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Washington Post in an interview in twenty fifteen. Following Trump's
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original message about firing Seget, the White House shared with
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the Post seventeen examples it said supported the president's claims
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about her, including her donations to Democratic presidential candidates and
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past interviews about expanding the gallery's representation. GOVO, the Pordock
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Gowery's new interim leader, has served as director of the
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National Museum of the American Indian from two thousand and
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seven until January twenty twenty one. Through a spokesperson, the
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Smithsonian declined to offer additional comment. Seja did not immediately
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respond to a request for comment, and below that article,
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political Turmoil strains the Army as it marks a milestone birthday.
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Trump's rally at Fort Bragg was the latest event that
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has thrust the military's largest branch of service to the
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center of his most partisan machinations. And there's a picture
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of members of the US Army's first Calorie Division maneuvering
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a tank in West Potomac Park in Washington ahead of
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today's that Saturday military parade. And in the background you
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see the spike of the Washington Monument, and you see
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full members standing on a tank, one pointing in a
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direction and the other others looking at well, one is
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looking where he's pointing, the others looking down. By Dan Lemouth.
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When President Donald Trump took to adias at Fort Bragg
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in North Carolina this week, he opened by praising the
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courage and toughness of the American soldier, But soon with
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the failings of camouflaged paratroopers behind him, his speech took
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a dramatic turn. He declared that people who burned the
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US flag should be jailed, despite First Amendment protections established
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by the Supreme Court. He trashed the news media a
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favorite foil, and he needled political opponents, including former President
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Joe Biden. You think this crowd would have showed up
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for Biden, Trump said, as soldiers laughed and bued I
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don't think so. The partisan display, though downplayed by the
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President's faithful, has left senior Army leaders disappointed and concerned
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and set three Defense officials. Soldiers are taught that the
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Army as an institution must be non partisan and a
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peer so too, while not favoring any specific political party
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or group. According to the Services Field Manual, doing so
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assured as the public that our army will always serve
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the Constitution and our people loyally and responsibly, retreating it
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as a teachable moment, said one senior Army official, who,
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like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because the
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issue is sensitive. It was not a great look. Trump's
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rally is the latest event since his return to office
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that has showcased the president's disregard for civil military norms
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and thrust the Army specifically to the center of his
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most partisan massinations. The turmoil has run headlong into Saturday's
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Grand Parade in Washington in the army's two hundred and
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fiftieth birthday, a display of its might replete with tanks, helicopters, bands,
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and thousands of troops in uniform that has drawn withering
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considerate criticism from Trump's political opponents. The spectacle at Fort
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Bragg was organized by America to fifty, the same group
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overseeing the parade. The group, which did not respond to
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a request for comment, is meant to be non Potterson,
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as overseen by a bipartisan commission. In recent months, it
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has brought on several people affiliated with Trump, including Ari Abrigo,
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a one time spokesman for First Lady Milania Trump, now
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serving as executive director Make America Great Again. Caps and
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other pro Trump paraphernalia were made available for purchasing during
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the event, over the objections of Army officials. Defense officials
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said the merchandise booth, as reported earlier by military dot Com,
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is now the focus of an army investigation. It arrived
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at Fort Bragg with other tents selling food and drinks,
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catching military leaders off guard, and was eventually moved further
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from the president's speaking engagement, but allowed to remain on
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the base temporarily, the official said. Anna Kelly, a white
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haired spokeswoman, declined to answer questions about the rally, but
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said in his statement that thanks to this president's leadership,
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the Army is getting a grand celebration it deserves. For
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two hundred and fifty years of honor, courage, and sacrifice.
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A senior adviser to Defense Secretary p quag Seth Sean
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Parnell called scrutiny of the Fort Bragg rally a disgraceful
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attempt to ruin the lives of young soldiers. The Pentagon's
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Press secretary, came Kingsley Wilson, responded to scrutiny of how
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Trump administration officials have interacted with the military by attacking
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the Biden administration for allegedly interjecting radical ideology into the
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Defense Department. She cited drag queen performances on military basis
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and the ooster of troops who declined to get the
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Corona virus vaccine. Under Secretary Hegsath leadership, she said, the
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army in every branch of our military is refocusing on warfighting,
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enthusiasm to serve on full display at Foot Bragg, and
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in record breaking recruiting has never been higher. Since taking
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power in January, the Trump administration has moved swiftly to
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bring the Defense Department to heal. Top military officers, including
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a disproportionate number of women, were fired with their cause.
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A new investigation was opened into the fall of twenty
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twenty one fall of Afghanistan with those of accountability for
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those in charge. The number of generals in the military
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stands to be slashed, and senior Army leaders have been
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bypassed for prestigious assignments in favor of officers from other services. Hegseth,
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an Army, National Guard veteran and former Fox News personality,
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has also terminated diversity initiatives and restored the names of
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none Army posts that were renamed under Biden because of
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their association with the Confederacy. In addition to the forty
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eight hundred National Guard troops and Marines deployed in California,
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about thirteen thousand US troops remained on the southern border.
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In an effort to seal it from illegal crossings, it
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has relied in part on a twenty ton Striker combat vehicles,
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a rare site on the Mayria and soil that has
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blurred the line between military operations and domestic law enforcement.
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The Army, by far the military's largest branch of service,
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has launched a broad overhaul of how it is organized, trained,
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and equipped, seeking to modernize for warfare defined by one
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way attack drones, artificial intelligence, hypersonic missiles, and other weapons
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that were not common during the two decades of inter
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counter insurgency operations that rose from nine to eleven. While
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those efforts began under Biden, heg Seth and Army Secretary
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Dan Driscoll have moved to slash weapons programs and reinvest
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in newer systems that could be relevant in the future.
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Heg Seth, testifying at three congressional hearings this week, sought
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to highlight the president's Peace through Strength agenda, casting the
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moves as popular with many who serve, while rejecting the
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blowback he and the president have received from Democrats and
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within the military for injecting politics into the historically nonpartisan institution. Hegseth,
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to the approval of Trump's supporters on Capitol Hill, argued
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that it was the Biden administration that politicized the military first,
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with its promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion and extending
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opportunities to transgender troops. We are restoring the warrior ethos,
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heg Seth said at a his Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday.
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President Trump charged me to focus relentlessly on war fighting, lethality, meritocracy,
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standards and readiness. And that is exactly what we've done
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since day one under Trump and Hegseth. The Army has
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been chunned in the screening to lead major joint military
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headquarters across the globe. Trump's choice to oversee operations in Europe,
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Lieutenant General Alexis grin Corinch and Africa Lieutenant General Dawn
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Dagvin Anderson, are Air Force officers. His choice to lead
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missions in the Middle East, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper is
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the Navy officer. So is Vice Admirald Frank Bradley, a
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Navy seal nominated to lead the elite Joint Special Operations Command,
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with its focus on counter terrorism missions and daring raids.
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Trump administration officials also are considerating considering nominating a Marine
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Corps officer, General Christopher Mahoney, to become the next Vice
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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon's number
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two officer. Defense officials said, if selected can confirmed, he
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would join General Dan Kine, an Air Force officer who Trump,
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in a highly unusual move, plocked from retirement to replace
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General Charles Q. Brown Junior, who was fired with that cause.
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As Joint Chiefs chairman in February. There is no requirement
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for the president to choose an Army general for any
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of these those positions, and all of those nominated or
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considered credible selections, but in the aggregate, people familiar with
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internal deliberations said it looks like an effort by the
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president to punish leaders associated with a tumultuous fall of Afghanistan,
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even though they were required to carry a decisions made
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by the Biden administration. During the presidential campaign, Trump pledged
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to fire any general who had a role at the
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end of the Twenty Year War, which occurred months after Biden,
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rejecting senior military leader's advice, ordered the full withdrawal of
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the US troops, as Trump himself agreed to do in
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a pact he made with the Taliban before his first
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term ended, though Trump has not followed through and his threat.
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Among those bypassed for advancement are two Army officers who
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had key roles in the evacuation of Cabul, General Christopher
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Donahue and General James Mingus. Neither could be reached for comment. Donahue,
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a special operations veteran with time in the Elite Delta Force,
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was dispatched to the Afghan capital after the crisis erupted
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to manage security operations at the airport. More than one
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hundred and twenty thousand people were airlifted to safety, but
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scenes of desperation and violence were common. He was promoted
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last year to four star general, but only after an
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extended hold on his nomination by Senator Mark Wayne Mullen,
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Republican of Oklahoma. Mingus was director of Operations on the
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Pentagon's Joint Staff, reporting to General Mark A. Milli when
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the Chairman of the Joints chief of staffs then Chairman
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of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Milly and Trump have
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a contentious history dating to Trump's first term, and the
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now retired general has criticized the president on several occasions,
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making him a singular target of the Megas movement. Iire
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Donahue was seen his rising star and a leading contended
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to become the next commander of US European Command, while
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Mingus was the Biden administration's planned choice to lead US
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Central Command, both among the military's most high profile postings. Kelly,
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the White House spokeswoman, noted the fall of Afghanistan and
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asked for comment about the two generals being bypassed. The
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Defense Department under Biden, she said, was fraught with one
27:01
disaster after another, including the failed Afghanistan withdrawal, which was
27:07
the most embarrassing day in American history. Parnell, the Pentagon spokeswoman,
27:13
said in a statement that the Trump administration's off stated
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goal of restoring the warrior ethos requires a class of
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senior military leadership that puts war fighting first. Under the
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previous administration, as senior military leaders were asked to put
27:32
ideology before mission, and diversity and equity and inclusion initiatives
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before merit. You saw the deadly cost of that distraction
27:42
player during the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. That nonsense ends now,
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Parnell said, Trump, heg Seth, and Kin are working closely
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on each senior military nomination, and heg Seth has complete
28:00
confidence in each one so far, Parnell said. Haidi Erbin,
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a retired Army colonel at Georgetown University professor, said it
28:10
is not clear to her whether the Army getting bypassed
28:14
for Thomas Simon continued scrutiny of the fall of Afghanistan
28:19
and the restructuring and consolidation in the service all are related,
28:23
but some Army officials may see connections, she said, and
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there are comparable periods in recent history when a particular
28:33
service felt it couldn't get out of the crosshairs of
28:37
the Defense Secretary or felt like it was falling behind
28:40
in terms of influence. Erbin said, while there may always
28:46
be a few colonels of truth there, each of the
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services tend to be very sensitive to any perception that
28:53
their losing standing with sources or influence visabe the other services.
29:01
Jason Dempsey, an Army veteran who studies civil military affairs
29:06
for the Center of a New American Security, said he
29:11
has been struck by what he called Hegseth and his
29:13
team's negativity as they explained personnel decisions. Their bombastic tone,
29:20
Dempsey said, implies that there is more than there than
29:24
meets the eye, and this is a very political move.
29:28
It reveals that this has less to do with letality
29:32
than with retribution over time. This is a kind of
29:36
stuff that actually degrades military respon responsiveness. Our next article,
29:45
how vaccine critics are appointed by r f K Junior
29:48
could limit access to shots staff who provide data to
29:53
the vaccine panel had been pushed aside, according to health
29:57
officials raising notes about the ab bailability of coronavirus and
30:02
other vaccines. Billina h Son and Lauren webbam Health and
30:08
Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior's overhaul of a
30:12
federal immunization panel has created uncertainty around how widely vaccines
30:18
will be available this fall and if they'll be free,
30:22
according to six current and former health officials, after kennedy
30:28
purge the influential committee that recommends vaccines and appointed his
30:33
own picks, staff at the Census for Disease Control and
30:37
Prevention who provide the panel with research have now been
30:41
pushed aside, according to the officials, who spoke on the
30:44
condition of anonymity because of fear of retaliation. With the
30:49
new advisors scheduled to meet in less than two weeks,
30:52
other CDSZ staff are also uncertain whether they will be
30:57
able to present the necessary scientific and medical data to
31:01
help the committee make informed decisions. Officials said it's unclear
31:07
what direction this new group, which includes vaccine critics, will go,
31:12
and whether they'll be able to give the stamp of
31:14
approval needed for Americans to get free vaccines against the
31:19
coronavirus and other passagens in time for the fall vaccine season.
31:26
If we have a system that has been dismantled, one
31:29
that allowed for open, evidence based decision making and that
31:33
supported transparent and clear dialogue about vaccines, and then we
31:38
replace it with a process that's driven largely by one
31:41
person's beliefs, that creates a system that cannot be trusted,
31:46
Helene Chew, a professor of medicine and epidemology at the
31:51
University of Washington who is hosted from the Vaccine Committee,
31:55
said in a news conference Thursday. Poksman Andrew Nixon said
32:02
the previous members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization
32:06
Practices have become a rubber stamp for anti vaccine. This
32:12
group will go where the science takes them, he said
32:15
in a statement, noting that half of the eight new
32:18
appointees had previously served on federal health boards. Secretary Kennedy
32:24
has replaced vaccine Group think with a diversity of viewpoints
32:28
from ACIP. The new group could vote on recommendations in
32:34
two weeks for the coronavirus, influenza MENGEA, kakiol, and HPV,
32:41
as well as RSV vaccine for adults, pregnant women in infants.
32:46
According to a Federal Register notice posted Monday, the committee
32:51
may also discuss other vaccines, including for lyme disease and anthrax.
32:58
The committee's recommendations, if approved by the CDC Director, determine
33:02
who can get the vaccines and which ones insurers cover.
33:07
While the CDC director position has been vacant, Kennedy has
33:11
signed off on recommendations. The CDC official overseeing the operations
33:17
of the panel and the staff who gather and present
33:20
vaccine data, was removed from her role this week. According
33:25
to two current and one former federal health official, Melinda Wharton,
33:30
who has nearly twenty years of experience in vaccines and
33:34
immunization at the agency, has been replaced by the Director
33:38
of Scheduling and Advance in the immediate office of the
33:42
CDC Redector Director. The new official air reports to CDC's
33:48
Chief of Staff, a political appointee. The official said the
33:54
biggest fear is that science and data won't be the
33:58
primary driver of decisions. One federal health official said the
34:04
largest public health concern is that the move will end
34:08
up broadly restricting vaccine access. A group working to finalize
34:14
coronavirus vaccine recommendations for ACIP to consider. Could not meet
34:20
Thursday because of the purge of the ACIP members, said
34:24
Stanley Permonk, a University of Iowa professor of microbiology and
34:29
immunolology who is a consultant for the work group. The
34:33
agenda finalizing which vaccines the committee would vote on recommending,
34:38
has yet to be released. Not sure what the plan
34:42
is now at this point, anything is possible, the federal
34:47
health official said. Former panel members said it is hard
34:53
to get up to speed quickly on complicated issues. New
34:58
ACIP members have in the past faced a steep learning curve.
35:04
They see truckloads of complex data and it takes time
35:08
to learn how to best take it all in, said
35:12
Noel Brewer, a public health professor at the University of
35:16
North Carolina who was terminated Monday. Nixon, the AHHS spokesman,
35:24
did not address questions about CDC personnel and other changes
35:29
related to the panel and to the upcoming meeting. Consumer confusion.
35:36
The concerns over the federal vaccine panel prompted some state
35:40
health officials to offer their own recommendations instead. Illinois said
35:47
it is convening its own Immunization Advisory Committee and national
35:51
experts to ensure we continue to provide clear, science fact
35:57
vaccine guidance for our residents. According to a social media
36:01
post to Winstinct, Wisconsin last week said it would continue
36:06
to recommend the coronavirus vaccine because Kennedy Directive changes to
36:10
CDC guidance were not made based on new data, evidence,
36:15
or scientific or medical studies, nor was the guidance issued
36:19
following normal processes. But those states do not have the
36:24
same power as the federal panel to impel and compel
36:28
insurers to cover recommended vaccines, said Jason Schwartz, a Yale
36:33
University health policy researcher. Without insurance, coronavirus vaccines can cost
36:41
nearly one hundred and fifty dollars, and the HPV vaccine
36:45
can exceed three hundred dollars according to listed prices. Pharmacies
36:50
and retailers could charge even more. Existing federal recommendations still
36:56
allow consumers to get vaccines and have them be covered
37:00
by insurance. Experts have said the Vaccine Advisory Panel can
37:05
vote to accept, reject, or change a vaccine recommendation, which
37:10
could remove the vaccine from the CDC's childhood and adult
37:14
immunization schedules, said Jamie Lower, a family practiced physician who
37:19
was terminated Monday. For a vaccine to be removed, a
37:23
question has to be put before the panel that would
37:28
have enormous consequences for the federally funded Vaccines for Children program,
37:33
which provides free ACIP recommend recommended vaccines to uninsured and
37:41
underinsured children. Roughly half of all children in the United
37:46
States are eligible contrarian voices. While the charter for the
37:52
group's stresses the need for members to have knowledge of
37:56
immunizations and public health, as well as consuma and social
38:01
aspects of vaccination, many of Kennedy's appointees appeared to offer
38:06
a different strain of qualifications contrarianism. His picks include Vicky Pebbsworth,
38:15
a board member of an anti vaccine group, Retzif Levy,
38:20
a management professor who called for the end of m
38:23
RNA coronavirus vaccination, and Robert Malone, a controversial scientist who
38:30
said millions of Americans were basically being hypnotized into taking
38:35
coronavirus vaccines. Pebsworth and Levy did not respond to requests
38:40
for comment, and Malone declined to comment. Beyond saying he
38:45
was honored to be selected. Kennedy, who founded an anti
38:50
vaccine group, has long spread false claims about vaccines, misstated
38:55
the credentials of one of his picks. In his announcement
39:00
on the social media platform x, Kennedy said that Michael Ross,
39:04
a physician, is a clinical professor of obstructed sagonecology at
39:10
George Washington University and Virginia Commonwealth University. According to spokespeople
39:17
for the universities, Ross has not held faculty positions at
39:21
GW or George Washington since twenty seventeen and BCU Virginia
39:27
Commonwealth University since twenty twenty one. A spokesman for Kennedy
39:32
did not address the discrepancy. When reached by phone Thursday,
39:36
Ross hung up. While Kennedy has assailed previous members of
39:40
the Vaccine Committee for having received money from pharmaceutical companies,
39:46
two of his picks have been paid for their testimony
39:48
against vaccine manufacturers. Martin Koldorf, a Swedish biostetician, testified that
39:56
he received thousands of dollars as an expert witness in
39:59
the lawsuit filed against the maker of the human Paplio
40:07
papliomavirus vaccine, which was first reported by Ruters. Kennedy was
40:13
involved to identify plaintiffs for that litigation alleging vaccine injuries.
40:19
In his testimony, called Off declined to comment on whether
40:23
the vaccine could be causing adverse effects, but he called
40:28
some of the safety studies the manufacturer presented fatally flawed.
40:34
A judge cided with the pharmaceutical company Merk. Coldoff did
40:38
not respond to rare request for comment Thursday. Malone also
40:43
testified against the mumps vac vaccine by Mirk, claiming it
40:48
failed to provide a reliable or clinically relevant measure of
40:53
protection against MOMPS, which was first reported by end Points.
41:00
He posted on social media Thursday about his involvement. My
41:04
hourly late at that time was three hundred and fifty dollars.
41:08
My hourly late for expert witness work is now four
41:11
hundred and fifty dollars. This is actually modest from our
41:15
level of experience and qualifications and this type of work,
41:19
Malone said. In response to questions about the committee and
41:24
members involved in vaccine lawsuits, Kennedy Nixon, Kennedy's spokesman said
41:31
every ACIP member will be vetted in accordance with their
41:35
ethics agreement before they are permitted to participate in each
41:40
meeting agenda item. At least two of Kennedy's pigs appear
41:46
to not have extensive backgrounds in vaccine research, according to
41:50
his announcement and other online biographies, James Paganano, who has
41:57
worked as an emergency medicine doctor, and Joseph R. Hibbelin,
42:02
a neuroscientist known for nutrition research. Paganano did not respond
42:09
to a request for comment. Hibbelin declined to comment. Pagano
42:16
describes himself on his personal website as an author, musician,
42:21
and doctor. He has written two fictional novels about er doctors.
42:29
Despite Trump's claim, no policy change underway from migrant farm workers,
42:36
the President signaled and opening Thursday to protect migrant laborers
42:42
working in agriculture and hospitality. In statements and officials said
42:47
sought to soothe industry leaders. By Natalie Alison, Marianne Levine,
42:53
and Marianna Alfaro, President Donald Trump announced Thursday that changes
43:00
are coming to protect farmers from losing workers to his
43:03
aggressive deportation campaign, but no such policy changes are underway,
43:09
according to three people with knowledge of the administration's immigration policies.
43:14
Trump's comments and a social media post sought to soothe
43:18
the industry leaders in their agriculture and hospitality fields. Set
43:22
a White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity,
43:26
to discuss the president's thinking as many business leaders remain
43:30
unnerved by the president's sweeping deportation campaigns. The officials said
43:37
there will be no change in the current approach to deportations,
43:42
adding that no carbod exists currently for farm, hotel or
43:46
other migrant workers who are in the country illegally. The
43:50
administration previously directed US Immigration and Customs enforcement workers to
43:56
avoid rating farms, the person said, noting that agents have
44:01
swept food production facilities. My immigration enforcement activity appeared to
44:06
take place at two farms in California this week. However,
44:11
as the administration escalated deportation efforts, Trump's public comments and
44:17
follow up remarks Thursday reflected a president pulled in two directions,
44:23
with some business owners pointing out that whole sectors of
44:26
the economy depend on the labor of people Trump is deporting,
44:30
while influential MAGA commentators press him to deliver on the
44:34
aggressive campaign promises that helped lift him to office. As
44:39
the day wore on, Trump appeared to swing between the
44:42
competing factions, explaining farmer's predicaments to reporters and saying he
44:47
thought the White House would have an order on that soon,
44:51
but also posting on social media Thursday afternoon that undocumented
44:55
immigrants have stolen American jobs. To Homan, Trump's borders are
45:02
said in an interview with The Washington Post that he
45:05
has not discussed with the President any such changes to
45:08
protect farm or hotel workers, and that he so far
45:12
hasn't been part of creating a policy to protect certain
45:15
types of workers. I have not seen any instruction anything
45:20
that changes in the near future, Homan said. Widespread deportations
45:26
of farm workers could have significant impacts on the country's
45:30
food supplies, not only causing shortages and grocery stores, but
45:34
affecting farmers bottom line. While many farmers depend on foreign
45:39
born workers, including those without legal status, to work for
45:43
low wages and in physically demanding conditions, farmers emerged as
45:48
strong supporters of Trump in November. Farm dependent countries or
45:54
counties defined by the US Department of Agriculture as counties,
45:59
were at least one one quarter of earnings come from farming.
46:03
Voted overwhelmingly for Trump in twenty twenty four, despite his
46:07
focus on illegal immigration, a signature issue since he launched
46:12
his first presidential bid ten years ago. This month, Trump
46:16
administration officials have ramped up pressure on ICE agents to
46:21
increase arrest to three thousand per day, up from roughly
46:25
six sixty per day during Trump's first one hundred days
46:28
in office. While Homeland Security Secretary Christi il Nome and
46:34
other administration officials have emphasized that they are going after
46:39
people with criminal records, the administration is making collateral arrest
46:45
during which they are picking up undocumented immigrants think encounter
46:49
while pursuing an arrest target. Signaling any retreat from his
46:55
stated commitment to mass deportations would almost certainly draw swift
47:00
pushback from Trump's base. In his initial post Thursday, Trump
47:06
sought to contrast people working in the country without authorization
47:11
with those who enter the country illegally and commit crimes,
47:15
a distinction that enforcement officials often do not make in
47:19
deportation sweeps. Our great farmers and people in the hotel
47:25
and leisure business have been stating that have very aggressive
47:29
policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers
47:33
away from them. With those jobs being almost impossible to replace.
47:39
Trump wrote around nine forty five am Thursday on truth
47:42
Social adding, in many cases the criminals allowed into our
47:47
country by the very stupid Biden admi open border's policy
47:52
or applying for those jobs. This is not good. We
47:55
must protect our farmers, but get the criminals out of
47:59
the USA. Changes are coming. Some conservative influences scrambled to respond,
48:07
at times pleading with the President to walk back his plans.
48:12
Stephen Miller, Trump's deputy chief of stafford policy and an
48:16
architect of his immigration policy, likewise voiced concerns Thursday about
48:21
Trump's comments, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions,
48:26
who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were
48:29
not authorized to talk about them publicly. Several hours later,
48:34
Trump's tenor changed as he made a much more blistering
48:37
post about undocumented immigrants, saying many had entered the country
48:42
while Joe Biden was president from some of the most
48:45
dangerous and dysfunctional nations on Earth, many of them rapist,
48:50
murderers and terrorists. Those who are here illegally should either
48:54
self deport using the cb P home app or ice.
49:00
This will find you and remove you saving America is
49:03
not negotiable, Trump continued in the follow up post. Miller
49:09
and Vice President JD. Vance, another critic of the notion
49:13
that immigrants should be allowed to stay in the country
49:15
without authorization to work low wage and low skilled jobs,
49:19
both shared Trump's second post, but not the first one.
49:24
Not all top officials in Trump's administration are opposed to
49:28
exploring relief for industries that rely on workers with their
49:32
legal status. Brooke Rollins, Trump's agriculture secretary, has advocated for
49:38
finding a solution to help farmers. More than forty percent
49:41
of crop farm workers in the country lack work authorization,
49:46
according to USDA estimates. We have to fix the broken system.
49:53
We have to make sure our workforce is legal and
49:56
is here legally. But the President understands that we cannot
49:59
feed our nation of the world without that labor force,
50:03
Rollins said outside the White House on Thursday in an
50:06
interview with CNBC, and he's listening to the farmers on that,
50:11
which I really appreciate. While Washington debates, those working directly
50:17
with those affected by deportation actions say the administration's escalated
50:22
efforts have upended daily life. On Wednesday alone, Nissi Farmers League,
50:28
a non profit organization that advocates advocates for farm workers
50:33
and growers, received more than twenty calls from people reporting
50:38
that the US Border Patrol was in the San Joaquin Valley,
50:42
but it turned out to be false rumors put out
50:44
on social media, and the organization's president, Manuel Cuna Guna,
50:51
the consequences of misinformation are huge, Kunas said, with Panic
50:56
laborers often choosing to stay home rather than risk deporte.
51:01
If a border Patrol agent goes into a packing house tomorrow,
51:05
nobody's going to work, he said. Nobody will go to
51:08
work one hundred and fifty thousand workers and what happens
51:11
with that fruit. Some enforcements are happening on farms, said
51:16
Adriana Manjunia Juana angel A, spokeswoman for the Mixed Teco
51:23
Indigena Community Organization Project. She said forty people were detained
51:30
in raids Tuesday at farms in ox Noord and Santa Maria, California,
51:36
according to data that the Mexican Consulate provided to the
51:40
non governmental organization. Reports of potential ice raids, she said,
51:46
have been shared across organizing groups in social media in
51:51
the region, and the community is on high alert. Many
51:56
advocates for undocumented immigrants are skeptical that Trump will follow
52:01
through and protect unauthorized workers. We'll see, said Leslie Levin's
52:08
chair of House farm Workers and NGO that works on
52:11
farm on labor issues. If Trump is claiming to have
52:15
a change of heart, she said, I don't believe it.
52:21
That last article was inside section A, but I will
52:25
go back to the front page with the final as
52:28
much as I can read of Iran retaliates against Israel
52:33
with barrage of ballistic missiles. Iran fired missiles at Israel
52:37
late Friday after waves of his Israeli strikes killed senior
52:41
Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists in Tehran. By Susannah George
52:48
Ran unleased a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel late
52:51
Friday as it retaliated for the waves of Israeli strikes.
52:55
They killed top military leaders and nuclear scientists and damaged
52:59
a key uranium enrichment site. Iran's preme leader Alatoya Ayatola
53:07
Kameni Kamani Ayatola Ali Kamani announced the start of the
53:15
retaliatory attack and recorded message carried by state television. We
53:21
will not allow them to get away with this great
53:23
crime they committed. The armed forces the Islamic Republic will
53:28
deal heavy blows to this enemy. Kamini said most of
53:33
the missiles were intercepted or fell short, the Israeli Defense
53:37
Forces said Friday, but at least one appeared to have
53:40
slammed into central Tel Aviv, in an area where a
53:43
military major military base is located. Iran has crossed red
53:49
lines by daring to fire our missiles at civilian population
53:53
centers in Israel. Defense Minister Israel Kaz said, we will
53:59
continue to defend the citizens of Israel and will ensure
54:02
that the Aetola Ayetola regime pays a very heavy price
54:07
for its criminal actions. Israeli leaders have portrayed the campaign
54:12
as a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear program. For years,
54:16
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has argued that only military force
54:21
would denuclearize Iran. But after a year of crippling military
54:26
and strategic setbacks, including the loss of ki Allais in
54:30
Lebanon and Syria, Iran has a limited arsenal with which
54:34
to fight back, and it's unclear how Tehran plans to
54:38
match Israel's escalation, which go last days or weeks. According
54:42
to Israeli officials, Iran and Israel, long time rivals, began
54:48
openly trading blows last year as part of the regional
54:51
spillover from the war in Gaza, but the attacks, including
54:55
an Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria,
54:59
were more rarely calibrated to avoid spiraling into a wider conflict.
55:04
Now Tehran is much more isolated, with its partner Hesbalah
55:09
decimated in Lebanon and the regime it popped up in
55:12
Syria gone. In October, Iran fire nearly two hundred ballistic
55:18
missiles that Israel after a covert Israeli operations killed Hamas
55:23
leader Ishmael Hania in Tehran, but on Friday, the IDEF
55:28
said fewer than one hundred missiles were launched from Iran,
55:31
although around forty people were injured in the strike, according
55:35
to medics and emergency services in Israel. In Iran, the
55:40
Israeli strikes crossed all red lines. Ali Larazani, a prominent
55:45
Iranian politician and advisor to the Supreme Leader, said in
55:49
an interview with State television. Larazani spoke by phone, pledging
55:56
there are no limits left to respond to this crime,
55:59
and the hand and of divine vengeance will grip the
56:02
brutal terrorist regime and its supporters. Previous Israeli strikes targeted
56:09
Iranian military sites and hardware, many of them far from
56:13
major cities, but Friday's raids included attacks on military leaders
56:19
at their homes in residential areas. This was in the
56:24
center of Tehran. Entire apartment buildings collapped, so this was
56:29
not the kind of restrained engagement we saw last year.
56:34
Side Nicole Krazowski, an Iranian Iran researcher and nuclear policy
56:40
fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, rescue teams
56:45
in Tehran dug through the rubble for hours Friday at
56:48
strike sites where senior military officials and nuclear scientists were targeted.
56:54
At least seventy eight people were killed in the Israeli
56:57
strikes across Iran on Friday, according to Iran's ambassador to
57:02
the United Nations. It was not clear if that toll
57:06
included both civilians and military forces. Among the senior officers
57:12
killed were Major General Hosan Salami, commander of the Islamic
57:17
Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Amir al Hajazida, head of
57:23
the GC Aerospace Forces, Major General Mohammed Bagheri, the Army
57:31
chief of Staff who reported directly to the Supreme Leader,
57:34
and Major General Galam Ali Rashid, who was responsible for
57:39
coordinating operations among Iran's military forces. According to Iranian broadcaskers,
57:46
Grazywski said the conflict could expand if Iran determines there
57:51
was US involvement in the attacks, it would give Iran
57:55
more targets, she said. In anticipation of the Israeli strikes,
58:00
the Trump administration drew down the number of personnel it
58:03
had in the region, scaling back diplomatic operations in Iraq,
58:08
as the Pentagon authorized military families to withdraw from other
58:11
places in the Middle East. Patriot and THAD Defense missile
58:17
defense batteries, operated by US military personnel and originally deployed
58:22
under the Biden administration, participated in Israeli air defense Friday evening,
58:27
according to US defense officials, who spoke on the condition
58:32
of anonymnity to discuss the sensitive subject. And with that,
58:38
I closed the reading of Today's Washington Post for Saturday,
58:43
six fourteenth, the fourteenth of June of twenty twenty five.
58:48
Please continue listening to programming on Radio II Stay Dry,
58:54
Thanks so much, Bye,