Transcript

3.21.26 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of Today's Washington Post for Saturday,
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March twenty first, twenty twenty six. Your reader is Alice Dainer,
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with the reminder that RADIOI is a programmed for those
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with difficulties or are blind and are unable to hold
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or read printed material very easily. And now we have
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the front page of the Washington Post for today. On
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the far left, Trump targets European tech rules. President campaigns
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to counter alleged censorship obasease by Naomi Nix and Ian Duncan.
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And then there are four different pictures in the center
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of the paper and it's entitled Ramadan around the World.
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And on Friday, which was yesterday, in places such as Brooklyn,
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New York, Jerusalem, Gazas City, and Indonesia, Muslims were bidding
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farewell to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan with the
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celebration of the holiday Id al Fittar, typically a time
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of joy and excitement. This year Id Alfred came doing
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a time of war, as the United States and Israel
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trade missile strikes with Iran in a conflict that is
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nearing its fourth week and has had consequences on a
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global scale. And these are pictures of the people in
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those different sections of the world. To the right of that,
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Pentagon Media Policy rebuked Judge New Rules is new rule
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is unconstitutional. New York Times brought case in press Freedoms Fight,
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and that's by Scott Nover. Below the Ramadan four Ramadan pictures,
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do OJ seeks to have charges in Taylor Ray dropped
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and that is all about Kentucky. So we will certainly
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get to that one. Below the fold on the left
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israel Lee's in the North State put amid new Hezbalah
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hits rather than evacuation. Israel's plan is to protect the
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bombed communities by Lear Soroka and Heidi Levine and that
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is out of Israel and TV legend Chuck Norris died.
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He was eighty six years old nineteen forty to twenty
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twenty six, and there's a picture of him sitting in
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a chair in that iconic facial hair, mustache beard and
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wavy hair. And he was a martial arts champion and
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before he started films in the TV show Walked kerk
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Texas Ranger as a fighter action star and meme he
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was a kick by Elahi Azadi and Victoria kraw first article.
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Pentagon press policy ruled unconstitutional in case brought by The
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New York Times, a federal judge found that controversial updates
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to the policy violated the First and Fifth Amendment rights
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of the New York Times and one of its reporters,
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Julian E. Barnes. There's a picture of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseeth.
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You see him from above and in a profile, and
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he's at a dinner with President Donald Trump and Japanese
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Prime Minister Sinai Takachi on Thursday. This is by Scott Novo.
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A federal judge in Washington, d C. Struck down the
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Defense Department's controversial press policy as unconstitutional Friday, ruling in
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favor of the New York Times and one of its reporters,
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Julian E. Barnes. Senior US District Judge Paul E. Friedman
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said in his ruling that the ongoing war with Iran
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made it more important than ever that the public have
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access to information from a variety of perspectives about what
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its government is doing. The policy, introduced in October, stated
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that the Pentagon could revoke credentials for anti journalist who
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solicits information. The Department has not authorized for release, even
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if that information was unclassified. The policy led to a
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mass exodus of journalists from dozens of news organizations who
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refused to sign, including The Times and The Washington Post.
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Only a handful of the hundreds of formerly credentialed members
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of the media signed the updated agreement. A cohort from
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largely right wing outlets sympathetic to President Donald Trump signed
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on to the new policy, including far right activist Laura
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Loma and Jack Prosobik, as well as former Congressman Matt Gates.
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A representative for the Justice Department did not immediately respond
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to her request for comment. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell
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sit in a post on x we disagree with the
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decision and are pursuing an immediate appeal in court. The
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government argued that a public call for tips from Lomo
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was allowable under the policy, but won by the Post
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was not a claimed that Friedman question. In his ruling,
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He wrote, the court is unpersuaded that there is any
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distinction between the Washington Post tip line and is Loomis,
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other than that the Washington Postmatto is democracy dies in darkness,
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while miss law is apparently his willingness to serve the
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commander in chief. Freedman also wrote that although national security
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and the security of the troops must be protected, a
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free press was important for Americans understanding of their government,
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writing so that the public can support government policies if
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it wants to support them, protest if it wants to protest,
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and decide based on full, complete and open information, whom
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they're going to vote for in the next election. The
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Time celebrated the ruling in a statement, Americans deserve visibility
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in how their government is being run, on the actions
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the military is taking in their name and with their
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tax dollars. Today's ruling reaffirms the right of The Times
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and of an independent media to continue to ask questions
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on the public's behalf. Times spokesman Charlie Sedlanda said Friday's
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ruling comes two weeks after The Times squared off against
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Justice Department lawyers on on the case in court. The
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Times argue that the policy was designed to silence unfavorable
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coverage of the Trump administration and have been applied in consistently,
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such as in the case of the two calls for tips.
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Tim Parlteur, a senior advisor to Defense Secretary Pete Hegsith
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was the principal author of the new press policy. He
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said in the news conference following the March sixth hearing
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that the Department hoped the judge will rule in favor
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of the government, but also clarify what's allowable under the law.
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Poulltoris said, I think the best thing the judge is
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going to be able to do is give us an
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opinion as to where he thinks the line actually is.
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At that point, the Department will make a decision as
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to whether we want to appeal it or just go
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back and edit the policy. Press freedom groups cheered Freeman's
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ruling Friday, saying well. Gabe Rotman is Vice president of
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Policy at the Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press,
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and he said in a careful opinion, the court affirmed
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that air security and liberty rely on the press's freedom
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to publish and the public's ability to access news about
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government affairs free from state control. Catherine Jacobson, US, Canada
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and Caribbean program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists,
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said the ruling was an important step in restoring access
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to the Pentagon. She added, as the court noted recent
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United States military activity in Venezuela and Iran make journalists
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access all the more critical. Friedman issued a permanent injunction
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halting the new provisions of the Press policy introduced in
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October twenty twenty five. He ordered that the credentials for
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Barns and other Times reporters be restored. While the judge
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didn't order that the credentials of reporters from other outlets
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be restored, he voided the policy that they refused used
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to sign, paving the way for them to get credentialed
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once again. The Pentagon Press Association, which represents members of
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the Pentagon Press Call, called in a Fridays in a
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statement Friday for the immediate reinstatement of credentials for all
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its members. The statement said, we look forward to returning
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to the Pentagon and providing the public, including the members
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of the military currently involved in conflicts around the world,
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information about why and how the Defense Department is raging war.
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Theodore Jay Buttruss Junior, a partner of the law firm
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Gibson Dunn, who represented the Times in court, called the
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judges' decision a powerful rejection of the Pentagon's crackdown on
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information during wartime, as the court recognized those provisions violate
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not only the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause,
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but also the founding principle that the nation's security depends
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upon a free press, he wrote in a statement, adding
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the District's court opinion is not just a win for
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the Times, mister Barnes and other journalists, but most importantly
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for the American people who benefit from their coverage of
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the Pentagon And now on to Louisville, Kentucky, and it's
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hard to believe this was six years ago. Justice Department
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seeks to drop case against officers connected to be on
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a Taylor raid. The move comes six years after police
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shot and killed Taylor inside her Louisville apartment. And there
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is a picture of Tamika Palmer, mother of Brionna Taylor,
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singing during an unveiling of a painting honoring her daughter
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in March of twenty twenty two in Louisville by Mark
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Berman and Perry Stein. The Justice Department on Friday asked
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a federal judge to dismiss the remaining charges against two
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formal Louisville police officers accused of wrong doing and connection
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with the search that led to the fatal shooting of
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Brionna Taylor in twenty twenty. Taylor, a black woman, was
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shot and killed by Louisville police who were carrying out
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a search warrant at her apartment in March twenty twenty.
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Federal authorities later brought civil rights charges against officers tied
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to the deadly raid, accusing two of them, Joshua James
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and Kyle meane of knowingly using false information and to
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obtain the warrant used to justify the search. Charges against
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James and Meanie, both of whom have noted in court
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papers that they were not present during the raid, had
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already been reduced twice before. In a court ruling Friday,
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the Justice Department highlighted that history and wrote that it
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had determined the remaining case she'd be dismissed in the
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interest of justice. The agency also said it wanted the
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lingering charges dropped with prejudice, meaning they cannot be refiled later.
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The filing came a little more than six years after
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Taylor's death. Officers serving the warrant at her apartment shortly
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after midnight, broke down the door, and Taylor's boyfriend, fearing intruders,
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fired a shot, striking one of the officers. Police opened
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fire in response, hitting Taylor's six times. Taylor's death, followed
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weeks later by George Floyd's in Minneapolis, prompted immense protest
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and outrage. During President Joe Biden's administration, the Justice Department
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indicted four current and former Louisville officers in relation to
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Taylor's death, including James and Miani. According to the August
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twenty two indictment. August twenty twenty two indictment, James and
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Miani knew that an Affidavid used to obtain the search
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warrant for Taylor's apartment contained information that was false, misleading,
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and out of date. The affidated was sworn by James,
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a detective, and approved by Mini, a sergeant and supervisor,
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the indictment said. A superseding indictment in the case filed
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in twenty twenty se said authorities Anuiville were conducting searches
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of properties allegedly related to drug trafficking and were focusing
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on a man who had previously had a personal relationship
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with Taylor. The affidated said James saw this man make
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frequent trips between Taylor's apartment and other locations linked to
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drug trafficking, which was untrue according to this indictment. Senior
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District Judge Charles R. Simpson dismissed without prejudice felony charges
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against James Imani last summer, noting that he had also
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dismissed charges in the case in a previous autumn. In
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August twenty twenty five, Simpson said that while he was
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seriously troubled by the claimed falsehoods in the case, federal
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authorities cannot attribute Taylor's death to the lack of a
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warrant supported by ARBA cause. Instead, Simpson wrote, the shooting
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is a case of legal, lethal, and tragic cross fire
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that was not initiated by police. The Justice Department said
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on Friday in its court filing that it had carried
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out a further review of this matter before deciding to
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seek the dismissal. The agency portrayed the decision afterward as
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taking aim at weaponized federal overreach. Neither of these officers
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were present during the shooting, and a district court has
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already repeatedly dismissed the most serious charges as completely unsupportable.
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These cases represented the kind of inappropriate weaponized federal overreach
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that this Department of Justice no longer tolerates, a Justice
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Department spokesperson said in a statement. Travis B. Locke, an
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attorney for James, wrote in an email that we are
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elated with this development, but declined to comment further until
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Simpson rules on the Justice Department's no motion. Kyle is
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incredibly grateful for today's filing. He is looking forward to
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putting this matter behind him and moving forward with his life.
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Michael Denbow, an attorney for Mini, said in a statement.
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Ben Crump and Lenita Baker, attorneys representing Taylor's family, sharply
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criticized the Trump administration's filing. The Department of Justice's move
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to dismiss these remaining charges is deeply painful for Breonna
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Taylor's family, and it sends a chilling message about the
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value of black lives in their country, they said in
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a statement, adding, a warrant that sent officers to Brianna's
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door has always been at the center of this tragedy,
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and it deserves no less than the highest level of accountability.
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We cannot accept a reality where a young woman can
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be killed in her own home and no one is
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held responsible under the law. Kristen Clark, who oversaw the
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Justice Department's Civil Rights Division under Biden, assailed the effort
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to drop the charges. Clark said in a statement, this
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move is indefensible, cantous, and unsupported by the facts and
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the law. Their attempt to dismiss this case is further
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evidence of this Justice Department's abdication of its duty and
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responsibility to even handedly enforced law. The timing of it
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all is particularly heartless, as communities continue to mark the
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six year anniversary of her tragic murder. During Biden's term,
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the Justice Department put an emphasis on police accountability and oversight,
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investigating local departments and concluding that some had violated the constitution.
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Following investigations into departments in Minneapolis and Louisville, the Justice
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Department reached agreements with officials in both places to impose
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significant changes to their police forces. Last year, though President
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Donald Trump's administration reversed course, declaring that it was abandoning
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the agreements with the Louisville and Minneapolis and retracting the
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findings of investigations into other departments. This announcement was made
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in May twenty twenty five, just days before the fifth
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anniversary of Floyd's death, spurring more outrage. Soon after, the
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Justice Department asked that Brett Hankerson, another former Louiso police
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and the first directly involved in the tailor raid, to
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be convicted on criminal courages, be sentenced to one day
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in prison. In an unusual sentencing memo, the Justice Department
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suggested Hankerson should not have been prosecuted on the civil
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rights charge he faced. Hankinson was sentenced to thirty three months,
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though he was released in December while his appeal is
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on going. A third article insad the Trump administration's campaign
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to counter content bands in Europe. The United States has
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banned some European researchers from entering the country and dismantled
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federal programs intended to fight foreign disinformation campaigns. And there
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is a digital billboard showing a gentleman I don't know,
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but to his right Cash Betel, and then Elon Musk,
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and then President Trump, and then Mark Zuckerberg, and at
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the very top left, in big capital letters, Ursula fight
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for Europe, not for them. Those of the five men
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in the background stand up Ursula dot com. Ursula is
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Ursula Vandalayan, who is President of the European Union by
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Naomi Nis and Ian Duncan. In early twenty twenty five,
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aged to Vice President JD. Vance ordered a small office
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at the State Department to document how European regulators recentsuring
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online speech. Staff has launched an investigation focusing on the
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European Union's Digital Services Act, a sweeping twenty twenty two
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social media law requiring large tech companies to limit the
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spread of harmful or illegal speech on the continent. The
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week's long investigation, details of which have not previously been reported,
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uncovered no records indicating censorship, according to two people familiar
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with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity
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for fear of retribution. They wrote, in conclusion, there is
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no evidence that member states of the European Union are
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overreaching the DSA to censor and criminalize online content. Despite
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the finding, the Trump administration has pressed ahead with a
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wide ranging State Department effort to crack down on what
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it alleges as widespread censorship in the EU. According to
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documents reviewed by The Post and nine people involved or
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are aware of the campaign, many of whom spoke on
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the condition of anonymity to protect their livelihoods. It has
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banned some European researches from entering the United States and
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dismantled federal programs intended to fight foreign disinformation campaigns. Behind
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the scenes, the administration has crafted a plan to allow
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American tech companies to skirt European rules using the federal
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government's powers to control exports. According to two of the
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people and documents, the Department is preparing to launch a
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website to host banned content. A teaser for the site,
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freedom dot gov includes a mounted Paul Revere type figure
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galloping over the words freedom is Coming. Vance's office did
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not respand to a request for comment before this article
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was published. After the article was published, his office denied
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ordering the report. The push has refocused the State Department's agenda,
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which traditionally emphasized global free expression, particularly in Authitian states,
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to prioritize fighting censorship by European governments. The State Department
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said in his statement that it has been consistent in
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raising concerns about the Digital Services Act that's DSA, and
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a similar British law that had never concluded anything to
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the contrary. Sarah Rodgers, the Department's under secretary for Public
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Diplomacy told The Charlie Kirk Show in October that her
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predecessors had panicked in the face of growing access to
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information online and responded by attempting to censor it. It
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is my job to hold out to the world what
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America's values and priorities are. They aren't censorship anymore. They
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are America first. America's crown dual value is free speech,
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Rogers said. Reuters previously reported on the administration's plans for
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a freedom of expression website. The Trump Administration's effort echoes
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a year's long campaign in the United States where Republicans
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have accused tech companies, researchers, and the Biden administration of
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conspiring to stifle conservative views online, while a lawsuit alleging
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government censorship of social media petered out at the Supreme
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Court in twenty twenty four. The push has nonetheless succeeded
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in persuading some leading platforms to relax their policies, and
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some independent research groups have pulled back or disbanded in
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the face of legal and political pressure. President Donald Trump's
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return to the White House has supercharged the effort and
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expanded it overseas. The administration alleges that European tech laws
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that sense the content are part of a broader cultural
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shift with immigration and declining birth rates that put the
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continent at risk of civilization civilizational Eracial. American diplomacy should
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continue to stand up for genuine democracy, freedom of expression,
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and unapologenic celebrations of European nations, individual character, and history,
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the administration wrote in its December National Security Strategy, adding
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America encourages its political allies in Europe to promote this
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revival of spirit. Administration officials highlighted groups including the German
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organization Hate Aid, which supports victims of online abuse and
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backs efforts for online attacks to be classified as digital violence.
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Josephine Bologne, the group's chief executive, learned just before Christmas
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that she had been banned from entering the United States.
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The State Department issued the band on the grounds that
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Boulogne and others led organized efforts to coerce American platforms
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to censor, demonize, and a demond atize and suppress American
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viewpoints they oppose, which she denies. She compared Trump's tactics
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to those used by the online bullies that her organization
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teaches victims about. This is intended to intimidate US and
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silence US. We are not silenced by the German far right,
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and we will not be by the US, Belon said
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in an interview. The State Department is preparing to release
27:57
a report it says will expose how previous US administrations
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worked with the tech industry and outside groups to stifle
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American speech. Officials have said multiple groups that track this
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information and have ties to Europe have been informed by
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the State Department that their private communications may be released
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publicly in this report. According to three of the people
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and viewed by the Post. In the United States, the
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GOP has been for years fighting tech company policies that
28:30
seek to limit the spread of hateful or false content.
28:35
Social media firms ramped up their work in twenty twenty
28:38
as they sought to limit the spread of what health
28:41
authorities deemed to be misinformation about coronavirus vaccines and Trump's
28:47
false claims that he was the winner of that year's
28:50
presidential election. Republicans argued that such policies stifled conservative viewpoints online,
28:58
while Democrats counted that right ring publishers were among the
29:02
highest performing pages on social media. An avalanche of lawsuits
29:07
and congressional hearings has achieved some of the right's key goals,
29:12
with tech CEOs revising their approaches to disinformation. Meta, which
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operates Facebook and Instagram, shut down its US fact checking
29:23
program last year and lifted restrictions on content advocating against
29:28
the rights of LGBTQ plus people. When Elon Musk took
29:33
over Twitter and rebanded it X, he laid off content
29:37
moderators in favor of a system of users submitted notes.
29:42
Outside the tech industry, funding for disinformation research has dried up,
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and some top researchers have left the field, but officials
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in Europe, where many countries have speech laws more restrictive
29:56
than those in the United States, have pressed ahead with
30:00
regulating social media companies, passing the DSA Digital Services Act
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in October twenty twenty two. Under the law, large tech
30:10
companies are required to provide information to regulators and outside
30:14
researchers about the underlying algorithms guiding their sites. The companies
30:21
must also counter disinformation and take down content that is
30:25
considered illegal in the country where it is viewed, which
30:29
could include Holocaust denials in Germany or racial slurs in France.
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Parentheses such posts tend not to be illegal in the
30:40
United States, where the First Amendment protects many forms of
30:44
hate speech and misinformation from government censusship and parend the
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Trump administration has set its rights on those regulations and
30:57
independent groups that champion similar ideas. Claire Melford, a British
31:03
activist who had Herbie's a band over Christmas, said the
31:07
weight of the US government is being brought to mayor
31:10
against her. Her organization. The Global Disinformation Index is being
31:16
investigated by the Federal Trade Commission over its work encouraging
31:20
advertisers to not work with websites that promote devisive content.
31:26
Some people regarded as you must be doing something right
31:30
if you're annoying the US administration, and others regarded as
31:35
a risk factor. It has dash, absolutely dash, a chilling
31:41
effect on the whole sector, Melford said. The State Department
31:47
staffs tapped by Vance's office last year pursued their investigation
31:52
by asking social media companies for examples of times they
31:57
were ordered to take action against content or accounts because
32:01
of the EU law. According to meeting notes reviewed by
32:05
the Post, ex officials Handleleod a Manila envelope marked confidential
32:11
with a handful of examples that were mostly related to
32:15
law enforcement request. According to two people, we did not
32:20
find anything. It was not politically convenient that we could
32:24
not find anything, said one of the people. At the
32:30
same time, high ranking Trump officials were intensifying their public
32:34
criticism of the law. Bands accused European governments of suppressing
32:39
free expression at the Unique Security Conference in February twenty
32:43
twenty five, likening the fight against misinformation to a Soviet
32:48
style push to squash disfavored ideas or political candidates. Brendan Carr,
32:56
the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, said in his
33:00
speech in Barcelona last March that the DSA imposes excessive
33:06
rules against technic companies and that free speech was in retreat.
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The administration considered ways it could use its own regulatory
33:17
powers to limit the law's reach. That spring, it called
33:22
a meeting that included officials from the Commerce, State, Defense,
33:27
and Treasury Departments, and the White House to discuss potential
33:31
strategies to advance free expression. According to a copy of
33:36
the meeting materials reviewed by the Post, the proposals included
33:41
a system that would use export controls to offer tech
33:47
companies more legal freedom to refuse requests from foreign governments
33:52
to take down content. According to a copy of the
33:55
proposal viewed by the Post, a licensing system run the
34:00
Commerce Department would have aimed to give American firms legal
34:04
cover to object to request to take down content deemed
34:09
legitimate under a speech standard devised by the Trump administration.
34:16
The system has not been launched, but Rogers, the under secretary,
34:22
told a right leaning podcaster in January, that the State
34:25
Department has other tools it could leverage, including imposing harsher sanctions,
34:32
providing virtual networks to citizens in countries it considers to
34:37
have a censored internet, and raising the issue in upcoming
34:41
trade negotiations. This is not just a cultural civilization issue,
34:50
this free speech issue, It's a commercialization issue. Rogers said,
34:58
I'm going inside and this is like the optimist Grandpa
35:03
one hundred and one goes viral from pottery Class. Happiest
35:10
guy in the World George Straussman said his sudden stardom
35:15
has been a shock and he doesn't quite understand why
35:18
millions of people are interested in watching him shape clay.
35:23
And there's a picture with his granddaughters Francesca and Alex
35:28
visiting him at a recent pottery Class by Sydney Page.
35:34
George Stroussman's wife asks him in a video what his
35:38
plans are for the day. Straussman, one oh one, meaning
35:43
he's one hundred and one years old, says he's going
35:46
to the office. He then details the rest of his day.
35:50
Join my pottery class, write some poetry, then off to
35:55
my pottery class in time to make some pieces and pots,
35:59
and then take my lover to dinner. Parenthesis he means
36:04
his wife of sixty six years and parentheses. Stressman's granddaughter
36:10
captured the video. Think about Grandpa George the next time
36:15
you say you're too tired. Streissman recently went viral on
36:20
social media for his robust calendar, in particular the pottery
36:25
class he's been taking for ten years with people half
36:29
his age, and also for being the self proclaimed happiest
36:34
guy in the world, according to his granddaughter Francesca Ritty.
36:40
There's a picture of him with his wife Nancy. They
36:43
both look very young and fit. Strossman, who lives on
36:47
Long Island and turns one hundred in two this month,
36:51
has become a fixture in the pottery class. New members
36:54
are often startled by his age and by the fact
36:57
that he keeps showing up week after week. On a
37:01
recent afternoon, Ready surprised him at his class and filmed
37:04
him wedging a lump of clay, then shaping it on
37:08
the wheel into a small pot. She posted the video
37:11
and TikTok, and it quickly took off. He's the only
37:15
man in the three hour weekly class. The rest are
37:19
women between the ages of thirty and sixty. So give
37:23
that sixty two years over the oldest one. The video
37:28
posted March the ninth, Did I say sixty two years
37:33
take it forty two years older? That was stilly. The
37:39
video posted March ninth has drawn more than three point
37:42
one million views and nearly two thousand comments. Minie similar
37:46
to we need his routine, what he eats, what he
37:50
did for work, exercise cause wow? Or imagine starting something
37:56
in your nineties and then ending up with a decade
37:59
of experience. Strossman took up pottery on a whim about
38:04
a decade ago and recently went viral on TikTok thanks
38:08
to his granddaughter. And there's a picture of him around
38:11
the wheel forming a pot. Strosman said his sudden TikTok
38:16
stardom has been a shock and he doesn't quite understand
38:20
while millions of people are interested in watching him shape clay,
38:24
he said, I think it's part of it is the
38:27
fact that not everybody lives to be one hundred, and
38:30
that's something that people seem to respect. People are very
38:33
nice to me, He said. He looks forward to class
38:37
each week. It's a very nice group of ladies. Some
38:41
of them are very skilled, Strassman said. His granddaughter said
38:46
she knows exactly why people enjoy watching him on social media.
38:51
People love it because they cannot believe he's one hundred
38:53
and two years old and looks the way he does.
38:57
He's such a happy, loves life kind of god, she said.
39:02
While Strassman only recently went vile, his pottery teachers said
39:07
he has long been a legend in her class. Everybody
39:11
knows George. Everybody loves George. He's definitely a star. He's
39:15
always been famous for us, said Rosalie Dernstein, who taught
39:20
the pottery class for about thirty years. Darnstein eighty six,
39:26
said Straussman is tireless in his commitment to improving his skills.
39:31
He has a fascination with the wheel, which is not
39:34
so easy for people even half his age. Some of
39:38
his pieces are really lovely, Darnstein said. Straussman has become
39:44
good friends with many of his classmates, and all the
39:48
women in the class fart with him. Dornstein said. Straussman
39:53
was born in New York City on March twenty fifth. Oh,
39:57
Pitsburg day is four days away, nineteen twenty four. When
40:01
I grew up, you lifted the telephone off the hook
40:05
and the operator said number please, Strosman said, pointing to
40:09
his iPhone, which he used for a FaceTime interview with
40:12
The Washington Post, adding now I got the whole world
40:16
in my hands here. His early years were not easy.
40:21
Stroisman's father and attorneys struggled to find work at a
40:25
time when opportunities were limited for young Jewish lawyers. He
40:29
found success in real estate until the Great Depression. I've
40:33
never missed a meal, although I can remember times in
40:37
the depression room and my mother missed the meal, he recalled.
40:41
At eighteen, Strosman went to work for his father as
40:44
a construction superintendent, despite having no experience. And there's a
40:51
picture of him with the backgammon set. Oh, I love
40:54
the game Backgammon. I kept my mouth shut and my
40:57
ears open. He said, I learned pretty good. He and
41:03
his brother eventually took over their father's business, building apartments
41:07
and houses in later a nursing home. We had a philosophy.
41:11
If it wasn't good enough for your mother, it wasn't
41:14
good enough for us, Straisman said. Stressman still goes into
41:20
the office four days a week, though his three children
41:23
now run the business. I come to the office and
41:26
give them a little advice, he said. On Thursday, he
41:30
takes a break from work in the afternoon to focus
41:34
on his poetry and pottery, two pursuits he didn't take
41:38
up until late in life. Before that, his primary hobby
41:42
was tennis, which he gave up at ninety when he
41:45
got too hard on his body. He is also a
41:49
chess enthusiast and history buff. He attends portray classes on
41:55
Zoom from his home or office, and his pottery class
42:00
is a run in person by great Neck Public Schools.
42:05
He drives himself here, he comes, he chats it up
42:09
with everybody, said Jennifer Anderson, director of Community Education at
42:14
Great Neck Public Schools. To come here and remain committed
42:18
to it every week is truly inspirational for all of us,
42:24
Stressman said, that despite taking classes for ten years, he
42:28
doesn't consider himself a great potter. I know the difference
42:33
between good and pedestrian dot dot dot. I'm very pedestrian.
42:38
I make a few decent pots once in a while. Still,
42:42
he keeps coming back. I do it because it's a
42:46
challenge and it's creative. I keep wanting to get better,
42:50
Streisman said. Plus importantly, it gets me out of the house.
42:56
When asked about his secret to longevity, Stressman said he
43:01
isn't sure he has one. He said he has been lucky.
43:06
My health is good. Everybody I love as well. I
43:10
can pay my bills. What should I be complaining about.
43:15
I've had a really wonderful life, he said. And there's
43:19
a picture of the Stressman, George and Nancy on a
43:23
family vacation in Punta Kina, Dominican Republic. His shirt says
43:28
George and his wife's shirt says George's wife. He says
43:35
staying active, busy, and optimistic has helped him live a
43:39
long life. He also attributes his good health to the
43:42
support of his family, including his eleven grandchildren and four
43:47
great grandchildren, who display his pottery in their homes. And
43:52
there's a picture of the whole family at Yam Kapour
43:55
in twenty twenty five in Great Neck, New York. They're
44:01
all over my apartments, so I always think of him,
44:03
Ready said, adding that people on social media have reached
44:07
out asking to buy her grandfather's pottery, and she plans
44:11
to do a giveaway on his birthday. She often shares
44:15
TikTok videos of her grandfather giving life advice such as
44:20
treasure your family. And there's a poem he wrote at
44:26
eighty six. Funny how events long passed in my memory
44:31
stick fast. I remember so many years, most happily, some
44:35
with tears in my mind's eye. I still see things
44:39
as they used to be, faces I loved, missing them,
44:43
all children small, now grown tall. The days don't speed by,
44:49
each goes at its leisurely pace, But the years really
44:53
seemed to fly. Was it only yesterday I first saw
44:57
her face? I still I recall how she looked on
45:01
our wedding day, remembering thoughts I cannot now convey. So
45:06
many things have happened in those years that flew, But
45:10
I look at her and she is still twenty two,
45:15
a poem George Strassman wrote for his wife at eighty
45:18
six In addition to making ceramic pots for his wife,
45:23
he regularly writes poems about his love for her, which
45:26
is what I just read. Most of what has made
45:31
life good for me has been my wife because she's
45:33
such a terrific person. Streisman said, I've got a great wife.
45:39
And there's a picture of the two of them on
45:40
their wedding day April tenth, nineteen sixty. Stressman is a
45:45
believer in late life hobbies and trying new things at
45:49
any age. Anything that keeps your hands busy is great
45:54
for you, whatever you do, he said. His advice, get
46:00
up off you're behind and do something. Ah, my mother
46:06
would be one hundred and two this year too. But
46:08
in July next article, with Japanese Prime Minister at his side,
46:16
Trump makes pearl Harbor joke. President Donald Trump joked about
46:21
pearl Harbor in a meeting Thursday with the Japanese Prime Minister.
46:26
And there's a picture of her in an attractive blue
46:29
print suit with flower It's monochromatic, all blue, and the
46:34
flowers are printed in it, with the same flower pin,
46:39
pearls pearl earrings, her hands folded nicely on her knees,
46:44
and Trump in his blue suit but a yellow gold
46:50
tie is opposed to his red one when they are behind.
46:53
A picture of the model of the US airplane by
46:59
Emi Davey and Michelle Yehilee. President Donald Trump joked about
47:05
Pearl Harbor in a meeting Thursday with the Japanese Prime Minister,
47:09
invoking the surprise attack on the US on December seventh,
47:13
nineteen forty one. To explain his decision not to notify
47:19
American allies ahead of strikes on Iran, the President said
47:24
from the Oval Office, we didn't tell anybody about it
47:28
because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Okay,
47:34
why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harber? Okay? Japanese
47:39
Prime Minister Hani Takchi, a highly popular security hawk who
47:45
became Japan's first female prime minister in October, widened her
47:50
eyes and leaned back in her chair, dropping the careful
47:55
smile from her face. Takachi did not respond to Trump's
48:01
reference to the attack that killed more than two thousand Americans.
48:05
She remained measured toward Trump, whom she praised as the
48:09
only person who can achieve peace across the world. She
48:14
also occasionally looked at her watch as Trump continued to
48:18
take questions from reporters. The episode captured the latest example
48:23
of the unpredictable and often uncomfortable reality of a White
48:27
House meeting with Trump, who has a penchant for revisiting
48:31
fraud moments in a country's history in front of its
48:34
current leader. On Tuesday, Trump repeatedly lauded Winston Churchill to
48:40
the Prime Minister of Ireland, a country that fought hard
48:44
to end British rule. Last summer. He told German Chancellor
48:48
of Friedrich Mertz that d Day when US and Allied
48:52
forces invaded Nanci occupied France was not a great day
48:58
for Germans. That was not a pleasant day for you.
49:02
This was not a great day, Trump told Mertz in
49:05
front of cameras that captured the exchange. Well, in the
49:10
long run, mister President, this was the liberation of my
49:13
country from Nazi dictatorship, Mertz replied. Past US presidents have
49:20
gone out of their way to pay respects to the
49:22
victims of World War II. Then President Barack Obama visited
49:27
Hiroshima nearly seventy one years after the US dropped an
49:31
atomic bomb on the Japanese city. He joined then Japanese
49:35
Prime Minister shinzo Abe for a somber trip to the
49:39
USS Arizona Memorial that commemorates the US sailors and marines
49:44
killed in the Pearl Harbor attack. Confrontations with heads of
49:48
state have become a fixture of Trump's second presidency. He
49:53
uses his flaf for showmanship to turn televised meetings into
49:57
opportunities to assert leverage over US US allies. Heads of state,
50:02
in turn, have to weigh the risks of a live
50:05
streamed clash with the possibility of improving relationships with the
50:10
US president. Americans and visitors alike appreciate President Donald Trump's
50:16
Canada and sense of humor. He's the most honest and
50:20
transparent president in history, Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman,
50:26
said in a statement. The frequency of Oval Office meetings
50:30
has slowed this year after a steady run during the
50:33
first eleven months of Trump's term. Aides have pushed the
50:38
president to focus publicly on policies aimed at his central
50:42
campaign promise to lower cost The stakes of bilateral meetings
50:48
have increased since Trump directed the military to strike Iran,
50:54
drawing the nation into a war that Trump's hopes will
50:58
attract support from OCAs allies, including Japan. We're doing this excursion,
51:06
and when it's completed, we're going to have a much
51:08
safer world, Trump said Thursday of Iran, and the Prime
51:13
Minister agrees with me. Trump has urged Japan to send
51:17
warships to the Strait of Homos, a critical oil choke
51:21
point threatened by the conflict with Iran. Japan historically has
51:26
maintained friendly relations with Israel and Arab countries. Japan's pacifist constitution,
51:34
adopted after World War II, restricts military operations overseas, and
51:39
the country has sought to play the role of neutral mediator.
51:44
The war is highly unpopular among the Japanese. Polls show
51:48
and most voters disapprove of Taikichi's reluctance to take a
51:52
stance on it. As she arrived in Washington, Taikichi had
51:57
not publicly announced any decision on sending ships to help
52:02
secure the strait. During her public remarks ahead of the meeting,
52:06
Takichi condemned Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormus
52:11
and expressed her country's position against Iran's development of nuclear weapons.
52:17
She said Japan is reaching out to Tehran and neighboring
52:20
countries in an effort to play an intermediary role. After
52:26
their meeting, Takichi told Japanese media that she conveyed Japan's
52:31
position on the war in Iran, including the need for
52:34
an early escalation, and that the two nations planned to
52:39
launch a joint project as doc Pole crude oil procured
52:42
from the US to Japan, which is heavily dependent on
52:46
the Middle East for oil imports. In response to Trump's
52:51
requests for support in securing the Strait of Hormuz, Takichi
52:55
told Trump that there are things that can and cannot
52:59
be within the scope of Japanese law. According to domestic
53:04
media reports, under a twenty fifteen law, Japan can exercise
53:09
the limited right of collective self defense during a survival
53:14
threatening situation in which a country with close ties to
53:18
Japan is under attack and this poses a clear danger
53:22
to Japan's survival. The Japanese government's current stances at the
53:27
Iran conflict does not meet this definition. Taikichi also said
53:33
Japan will continue cooperating with the US on rare earths,
53:38
an effort aimed at curbing Chinese influence on the supply chain.
53:43
When asked by a Japanese reporter in the Oval office
53:46
about Trump's plans to address the diplomatic spat between Tokyo
53:51
and Beijing during his upcoming trip to China. Trump deferred
53:56
to Takichi, the Japanese leader, reiterated the ch Pan has
54:00
been opened to dialogue with China despite Beijing's retaliatory actions.
54:06
Some analysts have criticized the Trump administration for not forcefully
54:12
defending its ally in the spat. Reavertacan about Chuck Norris,
54:19
Walker Texas Rangers Starry Dad in eighty six. He died Thursday,
54:24
as his family confirmed in a post on social media,
54:27
and I gather it was in Hawaii. Check Norris, the
54:31
actor and martial artist of Alahi Azadi and Victoria Kraft.
54:37
Chuck Norris, the actor and martial artists who played the
54:40
leading role in long running television series Texas Walker, Texas Ranger,
54:45
has died at eighty six. His family confirmed the news
54:49
in a post on social media on Friday. They did
54:55
not give a reason for his death, but said he
54:57
had been recently hospitalized. Mister Norris, one of the most
55:01
prominent Western martial arts champions, rose to stardom in the
55:05
mid nineteen eighties as a actor through action flicks including
55:10
Mission and Action and Delta Force that showcased his fighting
55:15
prowess and trademark Roundhouse Kick. He would go on to
55:19
star in dozens of movies, which became fodder for endless
55:23
internet memes, introducing mister Norris to younger generations as a
55:28
paragon of rugged masculinity. Mister Norris didn't initially aim for
55:33
a life in Hollywood. I jumped into films when I
55:36
was in my mid thirties. I had no experience. I've
55:39
never even done a high school play, and here I
55:42
am trying to jump into acting field, he told the
55:46
Los Angeles Times in nineteen eighty eight, adding but from
55:49
training myself over the years to think positively and to
55:53
realize that if there was a will, there was a
55:55
way I was able to achieve success. And by thinking
55:59
if I could project a certain image on the screen,
56:02
maybe that would overcome my inability as an actor. At
56:06
this point in time, and mister Norris was a friend
56:12
of the well known actor hell Come On Bruce Lee.
56:23
He had crossed paths with martial artists Bruce Lee, and
56:26
the two appeared together in Lee's nineteen seventy two Return
56:30
of the Dragon movie, which included what is now considered
56:34
an iconic fight scene between the two. But it was
56:38
Steve McQueen who encouraged mister Norris to get into acting.
56:44
And with that I conclude today's reading for The Washington
56:47
Post on Saturday, the twenty first of March twenty twenty six.
56:52
Have a good weekend, enjoy the sunshine. By