Transcript

2.19.26 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of Today's Washington Post for Thursday,
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the nineteenth of February of twenty twenty six. Your reader
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is Alice Stainer, with the reminder that RADIOI is an
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organization for those blind or with disabilities making it hard
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to read or hold printed material. And I will start
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with the front page of the Washington Post. On the
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very far left. Eight skiers found dead after California avalanche.
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Six survivas from fifteen person group. Search goes on for
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one more missing Ian Livingston and Ben Knowle. In the middle,
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there's a picture of two men with well, it's like
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a pick axe, but not an act. It's one of
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those hose with the two sides that you dig in
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your garden with. And it's two Jewish settlers clearing land
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last month to build homes at a new unauthorized outpost
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near the West Bank settlement of Abnen. And they look
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like they are his Cidic because one has long tails
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at his waist. But it's a cloudy sky, very desolate
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looking land, just rocky and barren and brown and dusty looking.
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Israel deepening control in the West Bank despite Trump's opposition
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to annexation. Experts say moves may lead to seizure of land.
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And to the right of the picture and the front page,
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sewage spill is called a crisis bowser request help with
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cleanup emergency declaration in Pollution of the Tomac by Jenny
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gathright and Dana hedgepath Below the fold and on the left.
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In Reversal to FDA to assess MA RNA based flu
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vaccine by Rachel Rubin reversal to excess of flu vaccine.
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In the center is a picture of the Dolomites with
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the American winner of the skiing competition in a white
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suit with the American flag she is holding behind her
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flowing and she's at the end of the finish line
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and you see the Dolomites in the back with the
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pine trees along the slopes with red vincing outlining the
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course and it's in her element. Mikaela Schiffren delivered a
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dominant performance in slalom, seeking a gold with two splendid
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runs and helping to erase the sting of failure at
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the Beijing Games. To the right of that are two
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articles FEMA traveled to disaster sites limited amid funding lapse
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by Brianna Sachs and below that Trump's Board of Peace
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to meet as Gaza stability plan languishes. By Karen de Young.
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First article, Trump officials limit FEMA travel to disaster areas
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amid funding laps. Emails show a government shut down or
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funding laps usually doesn't impede ongoing disaster recovery efforts, current
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and formal officials say. The article is by Brianna Sachs,
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and there's a picture of Homeland Security Secretary Christy alnom
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at January twenty fourth news conference at Female Agency headquarters
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in Washington. By Brianna Sachs. The Department of Homeland Security
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has halted almost all travel amid the ongoing standoff over
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its funding, rest restricting the ability of hundreds of Federal
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Emergency Management Agency staff members to move in and out
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of disaster affected areas. According to emails and documents obtained
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by The Washington Post, much of the department ran out
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of money over the weekend after negotiations stalled between the
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White House and Democrats lawmakers over restrictions on federal immigration enforcement.
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It is normal for the Department to stop employees from
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traveling across the country for various assignments, such as training
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during a funding lapse, ten current and FEMA officials said,
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but it is unusual for a government shutdown to impede
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ongoing disaster recovery efforts, the officials explained, saying it further
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reflects sweeping policies instituted under Homeland Security Secretary christel Known. Typically,
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FEMA staffers who work on disasters were able to travel
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to and from ongoing recovery projects regardless of DHS funding issues,
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and the current veteran officials said that disaster travelers always
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followed allowed because it is mission critical. In a statement,
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DHS criticized Democratic lawmakers over the stalled funding negotiations and
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said the department and FEMA are coordinating closely to ensure
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effective disaster response under these circumstances. During a funding lapse,
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FEMA prioritizes life safety and property protection. FEMA continues mission
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essential operations for active disasters, including immediate response and critical
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survival assistants. While some non official activities will be paused
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or scaled back, FEMA remains committed to supporting communities and
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responding to incidents like Hurricane Helene, FEMA spokesperson Danielle Larguse
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said in the statement, Congressional Democrats have demanded new restrictions
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on federal immigration agents after federal personnel killed Alex Pritty
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and another US citizen, Renee Good, in Minneapolis in January.
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On Tuesday night, DHS sent out an email arguing ordering
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a stop to all travel, including for disaster related work,
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sparking confusion across FEMA as teams continued to respond to
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fourteen ongoing disaster declarations as a result of brutal winter
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storms that hit parts of the country last month. In
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another message obtained by the Post, a FEMA official said
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that all in caps travel stopped, and noted that three
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hundred and sixty people who were slated to go to
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trainings and other assignments had to stand down. People who
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were supposed to deploy could begin some work virtually, but
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DHS now had to sign off on their in person assignment,
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The message said. The next morning, officials within DSDHS and
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FEMA had to scramble and negotiate guidance for how disaster
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specific workers could continue to travel. According to an official
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familiar with the situation, in most cases, FEMA's ability to
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deploy staff to active disaster response and recovery operations is
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not impacted by a DHS funding lapse, said forma FEMA
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administrator Dianne Griswell Chriswell, adding those personnel are funded through
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the Staff and Acts Disaster Relief Fund, which is specifically
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designed to ensure continuity of operations during emergencies. If DHS
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experiences had shut down, FEMA employees supported by the Disaster
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Relief Fund should be able to travel and carry response missions.
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Emails and documents obtained by the Post show that FEMA
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officials must submit a justification to DHS headquarters explaining why
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a staffer needs to travel during the funding lapse, including
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employees who are paid through the Disaster Relief Fund. Officials
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also have to state whether the travel is mission essential,
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meaning it involves the safety of human life or protection
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of property. DHS imposing restrictions on FEMA's ability to deploy
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our response slash recovery workforce shows us down and limits
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our ability to carse respond quickly and effectively to the
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needs of impactive states and communities, said one official in
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a region still cleaning up from the heavy onslaught of
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sleet and snow. According to one email sent Tuesday night,
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agency staff members currently deployed in another region that was
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hit per particularly hard can continue assisting communities, but those
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who were slated to travel to these locations after Thursday
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can no longer do so. Employees who were on a rotation,
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perhaps home for a week to see family or go
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to the doctor, are not able to return to their
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job under the AUTO These rotations are critical to disaster
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work because they enable people who have been working non
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stop to take a break and then come back to
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their work. FEMA is also required to relieve employees who
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have been working too long in a state where they
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do not live. And the email, FEMA staff members who
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had not yet begun their deployments or returns from rotation
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were directed to cancel their travel and notified their point
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of contact to receive updated reporting instructions. Additional agency ride
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information will be forthcoming. It read. The snag with some
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FEMA employees being unable to travel for disaster work, take breaks,
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or relieve their colleagues adds to the beleaguered agency's long
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list of operational issues. Since President Donald Trump took office
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for a second time and his appointees implemented significant changes
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in how the agency functions, the travel pause has also
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halted some of FEMA's other critical work, such as leading
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exercises and assessments for emergency plans and procedures at nuclear
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facilities and flood mapping meetings with communities. According to an
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email obtained by the Post and an agency official familiar
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with the situation, that will delay flood maps updates, which
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directly impacts people waiting on new maps for any number
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of reasons, the official said. As the winter storms barreled
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in last month, Gnome, who has been spearheading many of
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FEMA's staffing reductions and reforms, was particularly hands on embedding
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at the agency's headquarters, hosting a call with governors to
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show her support, and holding news conferences with FEMA staff
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members in front of maps laying out where the weather
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would hit. DHS also pre positioned teams, millions of ready
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made meals and leaders of water blankets and hundreds of
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generators in several states that were expected to be slammed,
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a practice that FEMA usually follows before most major storms.
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That's why instituting travel restrictions when staffers are still working
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on these storm responses is even more frustrating. Several current
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employees said they are just trying to make it hurt
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and the only people they are hurting are survivors and
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FEMA employees. They just pulled new rules out every day,
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One veteran official said. FDA reversus course and will review
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Moderner's m RNA based flu shot. Maderna announced that the
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FDA agreed to review its application for an mRNA based
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flu vaccine after it agreed to furthest study in older
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adults by Rachel Rubin. The Food and Drug Administration has
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reversed course and agreed to review Maderna's application for the
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first mRNA based flu vaccine under a revised approach, company
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and federal official said Wednesday. Last week, Rene Prosad, the
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agency's top vaccine regulator, declined to review the vaccine, a
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rare move that shocked the company and that public health
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experts saw as the latest example of the Trump administration's
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hostility toward immunization. Federal health officials argued that Madernal lacked
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an advocate and well controlled study and should have used
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a high dose flu shot for adults sixty five and
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older in a large clinical trial. The company met with
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the FDA and proposed seeking full approval for the vaccine
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for adults fifty to sixty four years of age, and
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accelerated approval for adults sixty five and older, along with
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the requirement to further study the vaccine in older adults,
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according to Maderna. Maderna CEO Stephanie Banselt said in a statement,
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we appreciate the FDA's engagement in a constructive type A
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meeting and disagreement to advance our application for review. Pending
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FDA approval, we look forward to making our flu vaccine
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available later this year so that American seniors have access
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to a new option to protect themselves against flu. The
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target date for completing the review and making a decision
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is August fifth, according to Maderna. If approved, the vaccine
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could be on the market for the next flu season.
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The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed it held
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a formal meeting with Maderna and it had accepted the
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company's new approach. Andrew Nixon, an HHS spokesman, said in
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a statement, FDA will maintain its high standards during review
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and potential licensure stations, as it does with all products.
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FDA Commissioner Marty Maqueri personally sought a quick one resolution,
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but was not involved in the regulatory decision for the
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new approach. According to a person familiar with the matter
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who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share private details,
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mRNA vaccines are faster to develop than traditional vaccines, and
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they were praised during the coronavirus pandemic for helping save
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millions of lives because they were ready to administer within
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a year. Medical experts hope such technology could help vaccine
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makers respond more rapidly to changes in the flu strain.
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Flu vaccines are updated annually and their effectiveness varies every
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season depending on the quality of the match, but Health
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Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior and other health officials in
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the Trump administration have criticized the use of the technology
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for respiratory virus immunization and have pulled under funding for
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mRNA research, including for flu vaccines. Vaccine experts have raised
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concerns over prosad's initial decision to refuse to review the vaccine,
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saying that shifting guidance from the FDA could deter future
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investments in pricey clinical trials for the Maderna vaccine. Blackstone,
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a private equity company, invested seven hundred and fifty million
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dollars to conducting a large scale clinical trial and potential
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licensure of the vaccine. Companies conduct clinical trials and consultation
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with the FDA. According to Maderna, the FDA in April
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of twenty twenty four told the company that its trial
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design for the mRNA flu vaccine compared with the standard
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flu shot was acceptable. The FDA recommended comparing the m
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RNA flu vaccine against a higher dose flu shot for
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those sixty five and older, but the recommendation was not binding.
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Maderna conducted two late stage trials, one of the final
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steps before seeking approval of its mRNA flu vaccine, enrolling
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more than forty three thousand adults ages fifty or older.
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In one trial, more than forty thousand participants received either
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a dose of the experimental or mRNA flu vaccine or
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a standard dose of an existing flu shot. In a
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smaller trial, participants received a dose of the m RNA vaccine,
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a standard shot, or a high dose influenza shot recommended
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for adults sixty five and older. The Administration had defended
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the decision to decline to review the shot. In a
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statement last week, Nixon said that Maderna exposed participants age
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sixty five and over to increased risk of severe or
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notes by giving them a substandard of care against the
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recommendation of FDA career scientists. In an interview last week,
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Maderna president Stephen Hog said the company was surprised and
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confused by the refusal. He said the agency had not
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identified any issues around the safety or efficacy of its product.
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At an event Tuesday held by the Major Industry Lobby
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Organization for RMA PhRMA, MacRae said the company was given
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pretty kilier guidance. The application was reviewed and that letter,
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in my mind, is part of a conversation where you'll
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see a dialogue between the company and the agency, he said.
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Trump's Board of Peace to meet as Gaza's stability plan languishes.
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The President will gather officials from dozens of countries in
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Washington on Thursday to hear a status report on his
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plan for the enclave. Those serious stumbling blocks remain. And
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there is a picture of President Donald Trump in front
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of a curved blue background with Board of Peace in
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caps around the back and a symbol of olive leaves
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around his shield. I can't tell what's on the shield.
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He is in front of a podium with a president
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to logo on top. He is announcing a voader piece
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charter during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on
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January twenty second by Karen Deyong. President Donald Trump's Board
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of Peace will hold its inaugural meeting Thursday in Washington,
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gathering officials from dozens of countries to hear a status
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report on his peace plan for the Gaza Strip and
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what he has described as the Board's unlimited potential to
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become the most consequential international body in history. We're going
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to have all world leaders, Trump told reporters Monday, but
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it remains unclear which leaders are how many will show
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up for the meeting, to be held at the recently
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renamed Donald J. Trump US Institute of Peace. Of the
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sixty or so invitations he sent to heads of state
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to serve on the Board, about two dozen countries have
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agreed to join. They include some who are far removed
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from events in the Middle East but in Trump's good graces,
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such as Argentina's Javier Malie and Hungarians President Prime Minister
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Victor Orban. Belarus's dictator Alexandra lesh Kashenko accepted the invitation,
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but said he would send his foreign minister. More than
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half the countries that have joined, including Belarus, are on
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the administration's recently released list of seventy five nations barred
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from US visas pending a State Department review. Pakistan's prime
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minister is coming, but many in the Middle East are
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sending lower ranking officials. Some, particularly in Europe, have said
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they will attend only as observers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
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Hnyaho declined to attend and will be represented by Foreign
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Minister Gideon Tsar. Under the Board charter, which Trump signed
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last month on stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland,
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temporary membership is for three years, while the price of
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a permanent seat is a billion dollars in cash funds
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dot dot dot within the first year. It is not
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clear which attendees have paid. In a social media post Sunday,
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Trump said he will announce more than a five billion
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dollar more than five billion dollars pledged by member nations
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of the Board toward Gaza, humanitarian aid and reconstruction, and
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commitments of thousands of personnel toward the International Stabilization Force
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and local police outlined in his plan. He also demanded
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that HAMASA uphold its commitment to fall an immediate demilitarization
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progress and any of those areas would be a significant
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step forward for what has been the lagging implementation of
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the second phase of the plan, announced in September and
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endorsed three months ago the UN Security Council. The first
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phase included a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel that has
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partly held, an increase in humanitarian assistance despite ongoing Israeli restrictions,
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and the release of all hostages held by Hamas and
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thousands of Palestinians in Israeli prisons. Hopes are high among
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many in the Middle East that definitive actions will be announced,
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but plans for imminent next steps have come and gone
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since the beginning of the year, with the US officials
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saying last month that the formation of the isf was
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then expected to be announced within days. According to the
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UN Security Council resolution that blessed Trump's twenty point plan,
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troop contributions from Board members States will make up the isf.
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ITS mission, mandated by the UN until the end of
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twenty twenty, is to help secure border areas and ensure
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Gaza is demilitarized, including the destruction and prevention of rebuilding
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of the military, terror and offensive infrastructure, as well as
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the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non state armed groups,
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and to protect citizens d DOT, train and provide support
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to the vetted Palestinian police forces dot dot DOT and
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secure humanitarian corridors. So far, only Indonesia has publicly agreed
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to send forces to the ISF, saying it will initially
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contribute about two thousand, arriving no sooner than April. Indonesian
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officials have said they will not deploy beyond the half
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of Gaza still occupied by the Israeli military. The israel
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Defense Forces have tested the Truth Truce with rep heated
26:00
airstrikes against what it says are ongoing threats from the
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other half of the enclave controlled by Hamas. Under the
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Trump Plan, a technocratic team of Palestinians known as the
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National Committee for the Administration of Gaza NCAG will organize
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local governance. The NCAG has been appointed, but is unable
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to enter Gaza due to Israeli resistance and questions about safety.
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US private contractors have been approached by the Trump administration
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to provide security for the committee at least until the
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new Palestinian police force is in place, although no contracts
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have been signed yet, According to people familiar with the
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outreach who spoke on the condition of its ammininity about
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private negotiations, Jared Kushner, Trump's son in law and one
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of his top negotiators, presented plans at the Davos Forum
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to build a residential community for Palestinians and a rubble
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cleared area of southern Gaza still occupied by Israel. It
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is to be the first of six planned cities in
27:13
the enclave, along with high tech manufacturing sites and a
27:18
one hundred and eighty towers built as a tourism result
27:22
along Gaza's Mediterranean coast, but neither funding nor as start
27:28
date for the project has been announced. A senior official
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of the United Arab EMIRATETS, which some US officials have
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said would help pay for the initial RAFA community, declined
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to comment. The American team is working with an impossible situation,
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complicated by a very stubborn right ring government in Israel
27:52
and a Hamas movement that, despite Trump's declaration of its commitment,
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has waffled on when, how much and under what condtions
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it will disarm said a senior official in the region,
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one of several US and foreign officials who discussed the
28:08
sensitive situation on the conditioner anonymity. If Thursday's meeting can
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go forward with funding the ISSF policing, the hope is
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that the decommissioning part will come easier. Dot If you
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don't want to do anything, then nothing moves, the official added.
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The question of disarmament and decommissioning Hamas as a military
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force has been a roadblock to progress in virtually every
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other aspect of the plan's second phase, providing an argument
28:47
for Israel and others to postpone implementation of further steps.
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Hamas officials who have met with Kushner and Trump Envoy
28:56
Steve Witkoff sat down last week with Nick Maladinov, the
29:02
Bulgarian politician and diplomat named Board of Peace High representative
29:07
for Gaza. Hamas has said publicly, you won't give up
29:11
its weapons until ills Ratli forces completely withdraw. We have
29:17
not received any draft or official proposals from mediators regarding
29:21
the weapons of the resistance, senior Hamas official of Sammahan
29:26
Dunn said last week in an interview with Al Jazeera,
29:30
adding the movement has not officially adopted any decision on
29:35
the question, he said, adding that resistance is right as
29:40
long as the occupation exists. Israel means Wiles says, it
29:46
will not withdraw until Hamas militants are totally disarmed and decommissioned.
29:52
No final agreement has been reached on the plan to disarm,
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its mechanisms, or the timeline for its implement which is
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what we expect to be determined during the Thursday meeting
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of format, senior Egyptian official close to the negotiation said Tuesday,
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adding this issue will be the central focus of the
30:14
second phase and indeed its foundation. Those are ongoing conversations,
30:21
the US official said, describing the disarmament talks as a challenge.
30:27
Hamas has agreed to disarm in private conversations with US,
30:31
Egyptian and Katari mediators, the official said, but the question
30:36
is what that looks like in practice. According to the
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Kushner prospectives delivered in a slide show at Davos, it
30:45
means the immediate destruction of heavy weapons tunnels, military infrastructure,
30:52
weapons production facilities, and munitions. Rifles and pistols are eventually
30:58
to be registered by the NCA, which will decide who
31:02
was allowed to have them. We are under no illusions
31:06
on the challenges regarding demilitarization, but we have been encouraged
31:11
by what the mediators have reported back, a second US
31:15
official who briefed reporters Wednesday said, speaking on the condition
31:20
of anemniminity and the rules set by the administration, countries
31:25
in the region have expressed skepticism about this and other
31:29
elements of the plan, but have siged on to it
31:32
signed on to it, with many believing that only Trump
31:35
can pressure Israel to comply and reach the ultimate goal
31:39
of Palestinian statehood it envisions. Some express dismayed this week
31:44
at Trump's lack of comment about separate Israeli moves toward
31:48
annexation of the West occupied West Bank, despite his repeated
31:52
insistence he would not allow that to happen. At a
31:57
UN Security Council meeting wednsday on the Israeli actions, speaker
32:02
after speaker expressed concern that they would lead to explosion
32:07
on the West Bank, undercutting the Gaza Peace Plan and
32:11
making it impossible to implement its ultimate vision of a
32:15
state combining the West Bank and Gaza. Jordanian Foreign Minister
32:20
Ahman Sebfadi recalled that despite Trump's words and annexation, the
32:27
Israeli government has accelerated its illegal measures, making annexation a
32:33
reality on the ground, undermanning all chances of a cheesing peace.
32:38
T Sar, the Israeli Foreign minister, who also attended, said
32:43
Israel would never abandon East Jerusalem or Judea and Samaria,
32:48
Israel's name for the West Bank. He accused other countries
32:53
of inventing so called state of Palatine's Palestine. In his
32:59
own remoms, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz
33:04
called for support for Trump's Gaza Plan and made no
33:08
mention of the West Bank. So far, Israel seems determined
33:15
not to budge on key parts of the Gaza Plan.
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In a virtual address on Sunday to presidents of major
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American Jewish organizations, Netzigna, who dismissed the call for heavy
33:27
weapons disarmament. Disarmed means it must give up weapons, not
33:33
main weapons, he said, including even standard issued arms like
33:39
AK forty seven's. We're giving the President's plan a chance,
33:44
Nettignahu said, we're calling a pledge by Trump that it
33:47
would be done one way or another. We hope that
33:51
it will be the easy way dot dot dot, but
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that goal has to be achieved. At a conference Monday
33:58
in Jerusalem, Israel, Early Cabinet Secretary Yasi Fuchs, a top
34:03
Neta Yahu adviser, said that after discussions with the Trump administration,
34:09
Israel had agreed to give Hamas sixty days to disarm completely.
34:14
We will evaluate it. If it works great, If not,
34:18
then the idea will have to complete the mission, he said. Maladonov,
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the Board's high representative for Gaza, said at the Unique
34:28
Security Conference last week that the next phase of Trump's
34:32
plan needs to move very fast to a vert or
34:35
resumption of the wall. We need to understand that if
34:39
we don't move quickly with the inflammation dot da dot,
34:43
we risk a division within Gaza itself, split into two
34:46
zones dot dot dot, and then it would be very
34:49
difficult to do anything else. While a person familiar with
34:54
planning for the Thursday Board of Peace gathering said it's
34:57
an arbor meeting will be sing focused on Gaza, Gaza
35:03
is not mentioned in the organization's charter. The Board's mission,
35:07
Trump said Monday goes far beyond Gaza. I think it'll
35:10
be peace all over the world. In turning down his invitation,
35:15
many governments questioned whether Trump intends the Board to supplant
35:19
the United Nations as a global peacemaking body. Trump has
35:23
sharply criticized the UN, and his refusal to have the
35:27
US pay its dues during the second term has been
35:31
a major factor in sending the organization into physical crisis.
35:37
As a leading founder and longstanding supporter of the United Nations,
35:41
it is important that the Board's work is complementary to
35:45
and consistent with the UN Charter. New Zealand Minister of
35:50
Foreign Affairs Winston Peters said in a social media post
35:54
rejecting board membership. Many European allies have expressed the same concern.
36:00
Only Hungary and Bulgaria have joined. Sudden leaders apparently have
36:06
decided to take a part to take part as a
36:09
way of building relations with Trump. Indonesian President Praboo Subianto,
36:17
who arrived Tuesday evening in Washington, has been wanting to
36:21
have a bilateral meeting with President Trump for quite a
36:24
while now, although so far the White House has not
36:28
been receptive of the idea, said a senior official in
36:32
the country's Foreign affairs ministry. Who talked on the condition
36:36
and inemnity about internal discussions under the terms of the
36:42
border piece charter. Trump, who named himself chairman and has
36:47
veto power over most of its decisions, is expected to
36:51
continue to leave the body after his presidential term, although
36:56
the next American president will be guaranteed membership. According to
37:00
the person familiar with board plans, continuity is important, the
37:06
person said, adding leadership of people who have the right
37:10
relationships and pushed the right leavers is important. I'm going
37:16
inside the paper now. Brendan Carr defends FCC role in
37:22
dropped Colbert interview No censorship. The FCC chief blasted the
37:30
Texas Democrat whose interview with Colbert was allegedly blocked by CBS,
37:35
while claiming Americans trust gas stationed sushi more than the
37:40
news media. And there's a picture of Stevid Colbert and
37:45
Texas State Representative James tallerco in nineteen tall Rico in
37:53
twenty twenty five, and Colbert in twenty twenty two, b
37:57
Leo Sans and Scott Nover. Two days after CBS Late
38:03
Night host Stephen Colbert said he was barred from airing
38:06
an interview with Texas State Representative James Tolerco, Democrat, because
38:12
of the network's legal concerns of a floating that FCC's
38:17
equal time rule. The Commission's chair, Brendan Carr, defended himself
38:23
against allegations of censorship. There was no censorship here at all,
38:28
Carr told reporters at Wednesday Night Wednesday news conference CBS.
38:34
He said had a clear path to regulatory compliance by
38:38
affording interviews to Tall Rico's rivals in his primary race
38:42
to become the next Jewish senator from Texas. Carl blasted
38:47
toall Rico, saying that the thirty six year old politician
38:50
took advantage of news media for the purpose of raising
38:55
money and getting clicks. He remarked that the press coverage
38:58
of the incident was a perfect encapsulation of why the
39:03
American people have more trust in gas station sushi than
39:06
they do in the national news media. Amma M. Gomez,
39:11
the only Democrat on the FCC, said cars investigations and
39:16
threats toward media companies had led to corporate appeasement. What
39:20
you are seeing is using and weaponizing our enforcement process
39:24
to pressure broadcasters to self sentcert Gomez told reporters speaking
39:30
after Car at the Wednesday news conference, Colbert laid into
39:34
executives at CBS and its parents' company, Paramount Skydance for
39:39
the second night running Tuesday, rebuking his bosses for their
39:44
handling and the interview. In an on air segment, Colbert
39:49
suggested the network was caving to pressure by trying to
39:52
apply the FCC's equal time rule, which requires broadcasters to
39:57
provide equal opportunity to political candidate but as traditionally not
40:02
applied to news and talk show interviews. Colbert was already
40:07
set to depart from the network in May, after CBS
40:10
said over the summer it will counsel the Late Show
40:14
for financial reasons. CBS back pushed back against Colbert's accusation
40:21
that it blocked the Tall Rico interview in a statement Tuesday,
40:25
suggesting its executives hadn't prohibited the interview, but instead had
40:29
informed Colbert of legal guidance that it could trigger the
40:32
FCC equal time rule. Last month, the FCC said it
40:37
would require all network talk shows to offer equal time
40:41
to all candidates intending to run for the same office,
40:45
changing course from the long running policy and resurfacing free
40:49
speech concerns. Colbert's interview with Tall rico was posted on
40:55
the show's YouTube channel, where it has so far received
40:59
about six million views. This CBS statement wrankled Colbert. In
41:05
his show Tuesday, he told his audience that he had
41:07
never before been asked to abide by the equal time
41:11
rule in more than two decades of hosting late night shows.
41:15
In parenthesis, Colbert's last show, The Colbert Report, aired on
41:21
the cable channel Comedies Central, which, like CBS is currently
41:25
owned by Paramount sky Dance. The FCC only regulates contents
41:31
on broadcast TV, not on cable. In Perenne, Colbert said,
41:39
I was ready to let the whole thing go until
41:41
a few hours ago, holding up CBS's statement. This is
41:47
a surprisingly small piece of paper considering how many butts
41:51
it's trying to cover up, he said, also criticizing the
41:55
company for publishing it without consulting him first. For the record,
42:01
I am not mad. I really don't want an adversary
42:04
a relationship with the network. I'm just so surprised that
42:08
this giant global corporation would not stand up to these bullies,
42:13
he continued. Colbert then likened the statement to dog poop,
42:18
crumpling the paper and scooping it into a bag to
42:21
audience cheers. Neither CBS nor Paramount Skuidance immediately responded to
42:28
email the requests for comment early Wednesday. In the past year,
42:33
FCC Chairman Brandon Carr has remoted the federal agency into
42:38
a speech enforce of tackling perceived liberal bias in the
42:41
media industry. Under his leadership, the FCC has investigated media companies,
42:47
threatening those that do not abide by rarely enforced rules,
42:51
and invoking little known policies such as it's controversial news
42:56
distortion policy. Last year, car drew bipartisan criticism for his
43:03
comments suggesting the FCC could take action against another late
43:08
night host, Jimmy Kimmel, for his comments against another late
43:12
night host for his comments in the wake of the
43:16
killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. In the public notice
43:22
issued by the FCC last month, the agency asserted that
43:26
daytime and nighttime talk shows would have to apply for
43:29
exemptions to the equal time rule for each program. Importantly,
43:34
the FCC has not been presented with any evidence that
43:38
the interview portion of any late night or daytime television
43:42
talk show program on air presently would qualify for the
43:46
bona fide news exemption, it said at the time. Gomez
43:52
called the notice misleading. On Tuesday, she suggested the FCC
43:57
did not have the legal authority to pressure broadcasters for
44:02
political purposes. Last summer, the FCC gave a green light
44:08
to an eight billion dollar deal for David Ellison's Skydance
44:13
to buy CBS parent company Paramount. Hagsheth invited Christian nationalist
44:22
Doug Wilson to preach at the Pentagon. The self described
44:29
paleo confederate has argued that wives should submit to their husbands,
44:34
women should be denied the vote, and Christian and slavers
44:38
were on firm scriptural ground by Amy B. Wang. Christian
44:46
nationalist pastor Doug Wilson, who has argued that wives should
44:51
submit to their husbands, women should be denied the vote,
44:55
and Christian and slavers were on firm spiritual ground, led
45:00
worship service at the Pentagon this week at the invitation
45:03
of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. An image of Hegseeth praying
45:08
with a self described Paleo confederate posted by the Defense
45:14
Department on social media drew rebukes from critics. Doug Wilson
45:19
routinely mocks the Pope and the Catholic Church. The Catholic
45:23
writer and Democratic operative Christopher Hale wrote on x It's
45:29
beyond shameful that Hegseeth allowed him to lead taxpayer funded
45:34
anti Catholic worship services. The Pentagon defended Wilson's appearance. Secretary Hegseth,
45:42
along with millions of Americas, is a proud Christian who
45:45
was glad to welcome Pastor Wilson to the Pentagon yesterday,
45:50
spokeswoman Kingsley Wilson said in a statement. In a fifteen
45:54
minute sermon Tuesday, Wilson said Hegseth and invited him to speak.
46:00
Wilson said they were praying for a Black Swan revival
46:05
or another great awakening of Christianity in the UNA's United States.
46:10
God can do what he likes, and, as we should
46:14
know by now, what he likes to do is to
46:17
take the most unlikely materials and do something glorious with.
46:22
Speaker 2: It, Wilson told an oratorium of military personnel, adding, take
46:29
a prayer meeting at the Pentagon for a possible example.
46:33
Speaker 1: Many stranger things have happened. Wilson co founded the Communion
46:38
of Reformed Evangelical Churches. Hag Seth's denomination and leads its
46:44
flagship christ Church in Moscow, Idaho. Women in CREC Communion
46:51
of Reformed about Evangelical churches are barred from leadership positions.
46:57
Hag Seth has previously praised an amplified Wilson. Last year,
47:02
he reposted a video in which Wilson said he would
47:07
like to see the world to be a Christian world,
47:09
with the comment all of Christ for all of life.
47:14
Wilson has described his politics as slightly to the right
47:19
of the Confederate General Jeb Stewart. He has said Muslim
47:23
and Hindu immigrants are coming to the US in a
47:26
parasitic way. Ideally, he has said they would be assimilated
47:31
into a Christian society. When he opened a church in
47:35
Washington last year, he told CNN it was part of
47:39
his plan to make the US a Christian nation. Christics
47:44
have questioned hecsas's evaluation of Christianity within the Defense Department,
47:50
not evaluation elevation a Christianity. Critics have questioned Hecseath's elevation
47:58
of Christianity within the Defense to Apartment. The Secretary instituted
48:02
monthly prayer meetings at the Pentagon last May Fred Wellman,
48:07
a West Point graduate and a twenty year Army veteran
48:10
running for Congress from Missouri, called Wilson's appearance this week
48:14
an unconstitutional and extreme attack on the First Amendment. Hagsith
48:20
is using his official position to make his religion the
48:23
official one of the Department of Defense, using official facilities,
48:29
communications channels, and personnel. This must end and must be investigated,
48:36
he wrote on X General George Washington prayed for his
48:41
troops at Valley Forge, she said, and President Franklin Delano
48:46
Roosevelt gave bibles to US troops in World War Two
48:49
and encouraged them to read it. Despite the left's efforts
48:54
to remove at Christian heritage from our great nation, I
48:59
am looking for the name of the person, she said.
49:05
Secretary Heseth is among those who embrace it. And who
49:09
is this? She Kingsley Wilson, who is at the Pentagon.
49:17
Kingsley Wilson said that statement that despite the left's efforts
49:22
to remove our Christian heritage from our great nation, Secretary
49:25
Hegseth is among those who embrace it. Embrace it. White
49:30
House Economic advisor says FED researchers should be punished. Kevin Hassett,
49:38
a top economic advisor to President Donald Trump, assailed a
49:42
Federal Reserve study, calling it an embarrassment. And there is
49:47
a picture of White House Economic advisor Kevin Hassett addressing
49:52
reporters in Washington yesterday on Wednesday. He's got on a
49:56
dark overcoat which winds at a V neck, with a
50:02
pretty green tie underneath under a collar of a white shirt.
50:07
And he's got a badge around his neck with a
50:10
picture on it, and he's in front of a sort
50:13
of a flat microphone by Andrew Ackerman. Kevin Hassett, a
50:19
top economic advisor to President Donald Trump, on Wednesday assailed
50:23
a study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York
50:26
finding that US company's shoulder most of the cost of tariffs,
50:30
calling for the Central Bank to punish the researchers behind
50:34
the work, which he characterized as an embarrassment. What they've
50:39
done is they put at a conclusion which has created
50:42
a lot of news that's holly partisan based on analysis
50:47
that wouldn't be accepted in the first semester econ class. Hasset,
50:52
who heads the White House's National Economic Council, said Wednesday
50:56
on CNBC the represent the latest attack on the Federal
51:02
Reserve from an administration that has repeatedly sought to bully
51:06
the Central Bank, with the President himself repeatedly attacking FED
51:11
Chaired's Rome H. Powell for not slashing interest rates. The
51:16
Justice Department is separately examining whether pal misled the Senate
51:20
over the summer in testimony that touched on a two
51:23
point five billion dollar renovation of the Fed's headquarters. Pall
51:28
Is forcefully pushed back against the probe, calling it a
51:31
pretext to undermine the Central Bank's independence on monetary policy.
51:37
The White House has also repeatedly attacked economic data and
51:42
research that reached conclusions it did not like. The President
51:46
an August called on Goman Sachs to replace its top
51:50
economist after the bank concluded US firms and consumers would
51:54
bear most of the tariff's cost, a conclusion that tracks
51:58
the New York Feds. Trump also fired the head of
52:02
the Bureau of Labor Statistics that month, following the release
52:06
oblique labor market news. Hassett has been viewed as the
52:12
leading contender to succeed Powell when the FED chairs term
52:16
expires in mid May. The disclosure of the criminal probe
52:20
last month upended what had become a month's long a
52:24
printics style process, with Trump saying he wanted Hassett to
52:29
stay at the White House. Trump ultimately settled on Kevin Walsh,
52:35
a former Federal Reserve government, as his pick to replace Powell,
52:40
though it's unclear whether the nomination will advance as long
52:44
as the criminal probe remains open. A New York Fed
52:49
spokeswoman declined to comment on Hasset's remarks. In a stubly
52:54
published last week, the New York Fed found that US
52:57
companies and consumers absorbed near only ninety percent of the
53:01
economic burden imposed by tariffs in twenty twenty five. Our
53:06
results show that the bulk of the tariff incidents continues
53:10
to fall on US firms and consumers, the New York
53:15
Fed officials wrote, adding these findings are consistent with two
53:20
other studies that report high pass through of tariffs to
53:24
US import prices. Disputing that conclusion, Hassett argued that US
53:30
consumers are better off as a result of tariffs, saying
53:34
the FED failed to account for changes in import volumes
53:37
and higher wages of US workers. If we're bringing the
53:42
stuff home create the demand at home, then that will
53:45
hurt China and drive up wages of the US, and
53:49
American consumers will be better off, Hassid said. Wednesday's comments
53:57
came a day after US Trade represented of Jamison Greer
54:02
said that the administration's tariffs aren't regressive, reasoning that rich
54:07
people spend more than poorer consumers. It's not regressive, Greer
54:14
said on CNBC. Most consumptions America is done by the
54:19
wealthiest people, So the idea it's somehow regressive is just wrong.
54:27
And my final article former Prince Andrew arrested on suspicion
54:33
of misconduct in office. King Charles said in the statement
54:38
that the law must take its course, promising the Royal
54:42
families full support and cooperation. And there's a picture of
54:46
Andrew mount Bountain Windsor at Winsor Castle last year by
54:51
Leo Sands and Greg Miller. Andrew mountbatin Windsor was arrested
54:57
Thursday morning on suspicion of committee misconduct in public office,
55:02
months after the younger brother of King Charles the Third
55:05
was stripped of his titles over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
55:10
The King said in his statement that he had learned
55:13
of the news with the deepest concern, adding that the
55:17
law must take its course and promising the Royal family's
55:21
floor cooperation. Hours earlier, the Thames Valley Police said that
55:27
it arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk in
55:30
eastern England and was carrying out searches that addresses in
55:34
Norfolk and Berkshire, and that he remains in police custody.
55:39
Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation
55:43
into this allegation of misconduct in public office. Assistant Chief
55:48
Constable Oliver Wright said in a statement. We understand the
55:52
significant public interest in this case and we will provide
55:55
updates at the appropriate time. This BBC reported that he
56:00
was arrested at the Sandringham estate, Mount Baton. Windsor sixty
56:04
six moved from his longtime home, Royal Lodge and Windsor
56:09
to temporary accommodations at the estate, which is owned by
56:12
his brother, King Charles the Third, after he was stripped
56:16
of his titles last year. He has long denied any wrongdoing.
56:22
The specifics of allegations being investigated by police were not
56:25
immediately clear. Thames Valley Police is the local law enforcement
56:30
agency responsible for Windsor. Photographs published by local media Thursday
56:36
morning showed a buzz of activity at Sandringham, including unmarked
56:40
police cars parked by the perimeter of offense. In a phone
56:45
interview Thursday morning, a spokesperson for Thames Valley Police refused
56:49
to comment on reports of mount Baton's arrest. For weeks,
56:54
Mount Baton Windsor has come under increasing pressure in Britain
56:58
as the US Justice Department. Newly released Epstein files appeared
57:02
to offer further evidence of a long running relationship between
57:06
the two. This month, the anti Maarica group Republic said
57:12
some of those unearthed documents had prompted it to file
57:15
a complaint with the Thames Valley Police, alleging an offensive
57:19
misconduct in public office. At the time, police confirmed they
57:24
had received the complaint and were assessing it. The BBC reported,
57:29
according to a copy of the complaint chaired by the group,
57:32
unearthed emails from twenty ten appeared to show mount Bountain
57:35
wins It corresponding with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein abet
57:40
information he had received in his capacity as a trade
57:44
envoy of the British government. Mount Batten Winsor served as
57:50
UK Trade Envoy between two thousand and one and twenty eleven,
57:54
when the BBC reported that he stepped down, and with
57:59
that act, plead today's reading of the Washington Post for
58:02
February the nineteenth of twenty twenty six. Stay Drive, please
58:08
continue listening to programming on radio throughout the day. I'll
58:12
be back Saturday. Bye.