Transcript

2.10.26 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of the Washington Post for Tuesday,
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February tenth, twenty twenty six. As a reminder, Radio I
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is a reading service intended for people who are blind
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or have other disabilities that make it difficult to read
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printed interio. Your reader for to day is Cindy Fraser.
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Let's begin with the front page headlines from the Washington Post.
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The top left of to day's paper is a photo
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without a story. The photo is entitled A Beautiful Game
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among the Ruins. The caption reads Palestinians gathered to watch
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a five a side soccer match being played Monday amid
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the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza City. Despite a
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United States broker truce that entered its second phase last month,
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violence has continued in the Palestinian territory, with Israel and
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Hamas trading accusations over cease fire violations and breaches in
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the deal. The photo shows two soccer teams, one wearing
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red jerseys and shorts, theater wearing green jerseys and shorts,
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playing on a standard soccer field. Spectators are visible in
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the photo. Also a building showing war damage, including bullet
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holes and a pile of rubble other headlines from today's
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front page, Trump is unclear on mid term plans. Republicans
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left guessing as Hope's dim endorsements, pack spending strategy still unsettled. Next,
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Maxwell declines to answer lawmakers. Ex Epstein companion asks for
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presidential clemency at deposition. Next ruling is near on ballroom challenge.
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Judge weighs le gality of White House project's reliance on
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private donors. Next, Republican Massey faces biggest Trump clash yet.
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Reelection bid by Kentucky congressman is seen as test of
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the President's hold on GOP bass. The next headline, where
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is it cold enough for the Winter Olympics? Rising temperatures
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will cut the number of available host sites. And the
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final headline from today's front page Hong Kong dissident Lie
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sentenced to twenty years. Now let's turn to our first
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article entitled Trump is unclear on mid term plans. Republicans
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left guessing as Hope's dim endorsements, pack spending strategy still unsettled.
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By Isaac Arnsdorf and Liz Goodwin. Republicans looking to the
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White House to lead in the face of the party's
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dimming prospects. For November's midterms are facing a crucial hang
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up the president. The party's flagship campaign committee and super
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PACs have no indication of how President Donald Trump will
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deploy is three hundred million dollar plus war chess because
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he has not approved a spending plan. Republican donors are
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funding expensive at primaries in Texas and Georgia because Trump
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has not cleared the field with his endorsement or, in
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the case of Louisiana, endorsed a challenger to the incumbent Republican.
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People who have spoken with Trump about these obstacles said
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he at times confound detached and noncommittal about his plans
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for spending in endorsements. One person close to the White
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House said some days the president seems not to care.
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Having already been impeached twice and indicted four times, Trump
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is less afraid of being impeached again than he is
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determined not to let a Democratic controlled House halt his
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policy agenda, a White House official said. The official and
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others spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of
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anonymity to detail private conversations, but a White House official
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said Trump is excited to get more engaged in midterm's
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strategy and looking forward to increasing his travel this month,
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including a campaign style event outside of Washington this week.
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An Oval office meaning to go over a handful of
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House endorsements Wednesday night turned into a five hour gab
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fest on the midterms. According to two people present, Trump
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said he wants to defy the tendency of the President's
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party losing seats in Congress in the midterms. One of
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the people said, We'll spend whatever it takes. The person
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recalled Trump saying, go get it done. The president's political team,
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led by White House adviser James Blair, campaign strategist chrys Lasavita,
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and polster Tony Fabrizio, met in Palm Beach, Florida, on
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Friday to review research from every competitive race in both
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chambers and develop estimates for what Republicans will have to
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spend to win. The team also breathed a retreat of
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the Senate Republicans campaign arm on Saturday. For much of
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last year, the White House was an island of optimism.
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Trump's team would argue that Republicans were better positioned than
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at the same point in his first based on data
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such as the President's approval rating, the generic ballot and
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voter registration. Democrats, however, don't need a twenty eighteen sized
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blue wave to win the House, where Republicans hold the
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narrowest possible majority and are defending fourteen seats rated as
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toss ups by the Cook Political Report. Democrats are defending
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four toss up seats and Cook shifted eighteen seats in
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their favor in January. Republicans are anxiously awaiting a clear
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picture of the Trump team's plans, as a president's sagging
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approval ratings and democratic overperformances in special elections have darkened
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the GOP's outlook for the midterms. Most Republicans are not
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ready to criticize Trump in public, but privately, there is
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rising frustration with an apparent lack of urgency from Trump
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and to staff. According to people who spoke to the Post,
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every time I've talked to him on the phone, he says,
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how's the race going, and then he cites Poles back
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to me, so I know he's following it closely. Senator
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John Cornyan, Republican from Texas, said, noting that Fabrizio is
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also his poster and that La Civita is a consultant
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to the super Pack supporting his re election. Still, Trump's
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endorsement has alluded Cornying There's only one person in the
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world who's going to make that decision, and we can't wait,
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the senator said. Cornyon's primary in Texas next month is
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dominating Republican anxieties on the Senate side, since national strategists
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see his toughest challenger, State Attorney General Ken Paxton, as
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weaker in the general election. According to a memo from
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the National Republican Campaign Committee obtained by the Post, holding
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the Senate seat for the go p with Paxton, it's
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anomyee would cost an additional one hundred million dollars in
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a state where effective advertising costs eight million dollars a week.
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According to people involved in the race, Texas cannot be
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taken for granted, the memo said, presenting internal polling that
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puts Cornin a head of the Democratic candidates and Paxton
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behind them. Either Republican would face a competitive general election.
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The survey show with Texas State Representative James Talerico running
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stronger than US Representative Jasmine Crockett on the Democratic side.
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An online survey released Monday that was conducted between January
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twenty and thirty first by the Hobby School of Public
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Affairs at the University of Houston found Paxton leading Cornan
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thirty eight percent to thirty one percent, with Representative Wesley
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Hunt at seventeen percent. On the Democratic side, Crockett led
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Talerrico forty seven percent to thirty nine percent. In a
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presentation to the Republican Senate Caucus on Tuesday, National Republican
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Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott of South Carolina said a
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recent Fox News poll giving Democrats a six point advantage
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in house races would put all nines Senate battlegrounds up
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for grabs, according to two people present. He also noted
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that Democratic candidates are raising more money for competitive races,
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such as those in Georgia, North Carolina, and Ohio. Senate
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Republicans were heartened February first when Trump endorsed John Easanoum
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in the Republican primary for Senate in New Hampshire after
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extensive lobbying by Senate Majority leader John fun Republican from
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South Dakota, Sonuna, has criticized Trump in the past, but
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was leading in polls, and National Republicans saw him as
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the strongest candidate to flip the seat being vacated by
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retiring Democrat Jean Shaheen, but lobbying for Trump to endorse
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Corning has stalled as the incumbent has not established a
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clear polling lead, even after allies have poured fifty million
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dollars into ad supporting Corning. Trump treasures his endorsement as
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definitive in primaries, and it often is in part because
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he resists backing underdogs. Early voting opens February seventeenth for
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the March third primary. If no one wins a majority,
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the top two candidates will compete in a runoff on
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May twenty sixth. Trump renewed hopes that he would wade
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into the race by telling reporters February first, on giving
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it a very serious look, the day before a Democrat
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won a special election in the state Senate district that
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Trump won by seventeen points in twenty twenty four. I've
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had many conversations about why I think that makes the
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most sense to get behind, John Corny Soon told reporters
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last week. I don't have any inside knowledge of when
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or what that might look like or when it might happen.
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Trump might clear the field with an endorsement in Georgia
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to challenge Democrat John Ossoff. The person close to the
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White House said the Republican primary includes represented as Buddy
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Carter and Mike Collins, as well as former football coach
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Eric Dooley, who is backed by Governor Bryan Kemp. That race,
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though is not considered as much a priority for Senate
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leaders as Texas is, Senate Republicans, including Soon, have been
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frustrated by Trump's treatment of Senate incumbents, According to two
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people familiar with attentions. Senator Tom Tillis of North Carolina
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declined to run for re election in the battleground state
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after feuding with Trump over medicaid cuts in the president's
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twenty twenty five tax cuts and spending package. Last month,
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Trump recruited and endorsed a challenger to Senator Bill Cassidy
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in Louisiana, which the White House officials said was a
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result of Cassidy's vote five years ago to convict Trump
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in the Senate impeachment trial of inciting the January sixth,
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twenty twenty one riode at the Capitol. I do think
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it's a real problem when Senate Leadership Fund is on
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record supporting Corning and Cassidy when President Trump is either
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silent or in opposition, Tilla said, referring to the Maine
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super Pack supporting Senate Republicans, We're literally going to have
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Republican on Republican money being spent, and that makes no
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sense leading up to a general election where we're going
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to have headwinds on the House side. The White House
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is pushed to protect the House majority using redrawn congressional
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maps in Texas, North Carolina, and Missouri appears poised to
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net zero seats because of Democratic counteractions in California, Maryland,
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and Virginia. The latter two still face legislative or judicial hurdles.
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The White House still expects to pick up Republican seats
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from a new map in Florida. After Governor Ron DeSantis,
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a Republican, last month, announced a state legislative special session
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in April. Dessantas said he wanted to wait until then
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in the hopes of a new Supreme Court ruling that
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could reshape as many as nineteen House districts across the
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South by further weakening the Voting Rights Act of nineteen
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sixty five. Trump has noted that the stakes of the
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mid terms include for him personally the likelihood of being
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investigated or even impeached by a Democratic controlled House. His
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first administration uniformly disregarded oversight requests and litigated subpoenas until
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after his term. Now, some advisors expect that the administration
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can stonewall congressional oversight and that Democratic focus on investigating
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Trump could backfire on them. Leading up to the twenty
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twenty eight presidential election, Republicans still hold an overall advantage
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in fund raising. The House Up campaign, on which historically
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struggles to attract donors in uphill midterms, outraised its Democratic
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counterpart in twenty twenty five. The Democratic National Committee has
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more depth than cash, while the Republican National Committee has
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ninety five million dollars in the bank. Trump's main superpack,
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MAGA Inc. Finished twenty twenty five with a three hundred
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four million dollar stockpile, but the pack, led by Lasovita
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and Fabrizio, has been mum with allies about its spending plans.
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The person close to the White House said the President
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is likely to approve spending in multiple ways and may
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reserve funds to maintain his political kingmaker role in future
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elections and for legal fees Thanks to President Trump's leadership,
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MAGA Inc. Will have the resources to help candidates who
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support President Trump's America First agenda of securing our border,
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keeping our streets safe, supercharging our economy, and making life
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more affordable for all Americans, Pack spokesman Alex Fifer said.
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While lawmakers await details on what assistance they can expect
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from the Superpath, Trump's team noted it was the largest
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outside spender in the December second special election to retain
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a House seat in Tennessee. President Trump and his team
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were all in for me. I wouldn't have won without them,
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said representing them at Bonepps, who won by eight point
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eight points in a district Trump carried by twenty two
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points in twenty twenty four. I know they'll do the
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same for the entire America First team in this year's
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mid term. The White House said it is actively scheduling
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multiple trips for the President in battleground states and districts
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in the coming weeks and months that will include local lawmakers.
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The White House has also encouraged cabinet secretaries to minimize
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foreign trips and focus solely on domestic travel this year,
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encouraging officials to seek guidance on prioritizing battleground districts. White
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House officials are also helping to book Cabinet members on
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local media in target areas. Since Thanksgiving, Trump has visited
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the battleground districts of Representatives Rob Breshniham, Republican from Pennsylvania
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and Don Davis, Republican from North Carolina, as well as Detroit,
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home to a Senate and governor's race, and Iowa, home
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to a Senate race and two target house races. Vice
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President j D Vance visited battleground house districts held by
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Ryan Mackenzie, Republican from Pennsylvania and Marcy Captor, Democrat from Ohio.
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Medicare Administrator memmon Oz visited the districts of represented of
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Michael Lawler, Republican from New York and Brian Fitzpatrick, Republican
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from Pennsylvania. The White House provided statements from Lawler, North Carolina,
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West Senate, Canada, Michael Watley, Senator John Hustead of Ohio,
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Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska, and rn C advisor Danielle
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Alvarez praising Trump and a staff for their support. It
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is only February and there is time for more, but
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I am glad to have very strong support from the
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President and his administration Hustedsale. This article is accompanied by photos.
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The first is captioned Trump campaign strategists Chris Lasovita, second
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from left, and White House Chief of Staff Suzy Wilds
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with Laura and Eric Trump at an election night event
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on November sixth in West Palm Beach, Florida, by Jabon
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Botsford The Washington Post. The four are photographed in front
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of several American flags. The next photo is captioned Senator
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John Cornyn, Republican from Texas, has not gotten an endorsement
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from Trump in his re election campaign, by Demitrius Freeman
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of The Washington Post. The photo shows his senator in
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what appears to be a hallway, and the final photograph
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accompanying this article is captioned Senator Tom Tillis, Republican from
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North Carolina, declined to run for re election in twenty
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twenty six Demitrius Freeman the Washington Post. The photo shows
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a senator up surrounded by individuals who appear to be reporters,
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holding cell phones and microphones toward him. The next article
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from today's front page is entitled Maxwell declines to answer
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lawmakers ex epstein companion asks for presidential clemency at deposition
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by Jeremy Roebuck and Anna less Roy. Jeffrey Epstein's long
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time companion, Glaye Maxwell, declined to answer law maker's questions
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and invoked her Fifth Amendment right again self imclmentation during
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a deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, but
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her lawyer said she was prepared to speak fully and honestly.
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Issue was first granted clemency by President Donald Trump. Maxwell,
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who was convicted on sex trafficking charges in twenty twenty one,
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was set to face the committee's questioning via Villio conference
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from the federal prison camp in Texas, where she serving
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her twenty year sentence. Instead, lawmakers emerged from the closed
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door session less than an hour after it began. They
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said Maxwell had declined to engage with their inquiries, citing
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her ongoing legal efforts to have her conviction of return.
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This is obviously very disappointing, the committee's chairman, represented with
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James Comer, Republican from Kentucky, told reporters afterwards, we had
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many questions to ask about the crime she and Axton committee,
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as well as questions about potential co conspirators. Video of
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the deposition released by the committee later Monday, showed Maxwell
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seated at a conference room table in a Khaki prison jealousy.
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She repeatedly said she would like to answer long at
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his questions, but was invoking her right to silence. Her attorney,
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David Oscar Marcus, said his client had no choice but
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remained silent. If this committee and the American public truly
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want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there
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is a straightforward path, Marcus told the committee's members at
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the start of Monday's session. He added that Maxwell would
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be willing to testify more fully if granted a pardon
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or connotation of her sentence. Only she can provide the
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complete account, Marcus said. Some may not like what they hear,
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but the truth matters. The statement was the latest instance
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of Maxwell and Marcus openly lobbying for Trump to end
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her prison term, while also suggesting that if he were
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to do so, she would or by testimony that would
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lift any lingering suspicions as to whether any one time
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friends of Epstein's, including Trump and former President Bill Clinton,
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had any connections to Epstein's alleged crimes. Both men have
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denied any knowledge of Epstein's wrongdoing. Trump has indicated he
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is not considering a pardon or commutation for Maxwell, but
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he is also not ruled out doing so, even as
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fewer over his administration's handling of matters related to Epstein
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has fueled persistent controversy within his base and divided the
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Republican caucus in the House. Maxwell's request for presidential intervention
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Monday drew swift condemnation from some corners of the President's party.
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No clemency and no Mercy for child Predators, had Representative
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Anna Paulina Luna, Republican from Florida, a member of that
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oversight committee, in a social media post. Epstein pleaded guilty
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in two thousand and eight to two charges of soliciting prostitution,
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including one in minor. He was arrested on federal sex
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trafficking charges in twenty nineteen and died in federal custody
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that year. His death was ruled a suicide. Speculation has
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swirled for years since then that others in Epstein's circle
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of rich and powerful friends may have played some role
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in his misdeeds, including by turning a blind eye the
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Justice Department's recent release of millions of pages of documents
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related to its investigations of Epstein have only fueled that conjecture,
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but have provided no evidence conclusively implicating anyone in previously
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unknown crimes. The Department on Monday offered several lawmakers the
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opportunity to review unredacted versions of those records, a move
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required under the law passed last year that prompted their
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public release. Representative Jamie Raskin, Maryland, the top Democrat on
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the House Judiciary Committee, spent several hours reviewing those records
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in the Department reading room. After emerging, he criticized Justice
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Department officials for failing to also send Congress a required
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explanation for the reactions in the versions of those documents
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released to the public. I think that the Department of
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Justice has been in a cover up mode for many
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months and is being trying to sweep the entire thing
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under the rug, Raskin said. Representatives Thomas Messi, Republican from
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Kentucky and Rocana Democrat from California, the sponsors of the
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Epstein Files Transparency Act, said many of the files they
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saw Monday still had some names and other information withheld
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our bigger concern is that there's still a lot that's
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redacted even in what we were seeing. Connor told reporters
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that's because the documents produced to Justice from the FBI
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and the original grand juries were redacted when they got them.
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Comerce Committee had for months been seeking to depose Maxwell
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as one of nearly a dozen witnesses it is subpoened
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as part of its broader inquiry into Epstein. Clinton and
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his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, are expected
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to testify in closed door proceedings later this month. After
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the committee first met. In Maxwell's testimony in July, Marcus
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indicated that she was willing to speak to lawmakers who
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could not answer their questions at the time, given a
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then pending petition she filed asking the Supreme Court to
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take up her case. The justices have since declined to
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consider Maxwell's appeal, and she is currently pursuing another legal
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maneuver in the lower courts in hopes of undoing her conviction.
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Lawmaker's interest in her as a central figure in both
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Wepstein's mistis and a circle of celebrity friends, has only
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grown since she was moved last summer from a federal
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prison in Florida to a low security prison camp in Texas.
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The transfer came after Maxwell's sat for a two day
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interview with a number two official at the Justice Department,
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Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, in which he repeatedly stated
23:00
that she had never witnessed the president in any inappropriate
23:04
setting in any way. Democrats have questioned whether her transfer
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was premised upon her willingness to sit for that interview.
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They condemned her refusal to answer that questions Monday as
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yet another instance of her seeking to leverage the situation
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to her benefit. She answered no questions and provided no
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information about the men who raped and trafficked women and girls,
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said Representative Robert Garcia, California, the committee's taught Democrat, in
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his statement, who is she protecting? This article is accompanied
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by photos. The first is captioned Glaine Maxwell with Jeffrey
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Epstein abart a jet in an undated photo from the
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Justice Apartment AFP Getty Images. The photo shows the tune
23:50
what appears to be a private jet. The other photo
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is captioned House Overside Committee Chairman James Comer, Republican from Kentucky,
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speaks to reporters about Maxwell's testimony on Monday at the Capitol.
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J Scott Applewhite a p. The photo shows Representative Comer
24:09
in the foreground with two unidentified men behind him. Next
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from to day's from page is an item entitled ruling
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is near on ballroom challenge Judge Way's legality of White
24:21
House project's reliance on private donors by Dan Diamond, Aaron Schaeffer,
24:26
and Jonathan Edwards. A federal judge is expected to rule
24:30
soon on whether President Donald Trump's plan four hundred million
24:34
dollar White House ballroom project can proceed, zeroing in on
24:38
whether the administration's plan to rely on private donations allows
24:42
it to bypass congressional approval. Trump has argued that the
24:46
approach spares taxpayers the expense, but the dispute has instead
24:51
highlighted a lack of transparency over how the project is
24:54
being financed. U S District Judge Richard Leon, Congressional Democrats,
24:59
and watchdog groups have question and arrangement that relies on
25:03
donations from corporations with business before the federal government, funneled
25:08
through a nonprofit intermediary that stands to collect millions of
25:12
dollars in fees to fund the most significant alteration to
25:15
the White House in decades. Leon has said he may
25:19
rule this month on the National Trust for Historic Preservations
25:23
challenged to the project. As the decision approaches, watchdog groups
25:27
have scrutinized the administration's fundraising efforts, arguing that it exploits
25:32
gaps and federal disclosure rules that Congress should tighten. Trump
25:37
and White House officials have publicly identified about two dozen
25:40
companies and about a dozen individual donors they say have
25:44
already contributed hundreds of millions of dollars for the project,
25:48
including major corporations such as Amazon, Google, and Palanteer that
25:53
collectively have billions of dollars in contracts before the administration.
25:57
Amazon founder Jeff Diezo's owns The Washington Post. Most of
26:02
the donors have declined to specify to reporters and lawmakers
26:05
how much they have given and whether they expect any
26:08
additional access to officials or other perks in exchange for
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their gifts. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington or
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Crew concluded that at least twenty two companies involved in
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the Ballroom project should have disclosed their donations in lobbying filings,
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but did not. The public deserves real transparency around who
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is contributing and how much they are giving. But that
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is not what we are seeing, mac corley, Crue's chief investigator,
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wrote in an email. Those concerns also have been taken
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up by sending to Elizabeth Warren Demograph of Massachusetts, who
26:45
has pressed the Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit
26:48
that is managing donations for the White House Ballroom project,
26:52
to clarify its rule and specify the donations that has received.
26:56
In a letter sent to Warren and shared with a Post,
26:59
the organizedation declined to offer details about the gifts. BUD
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said that it stands to collect between two and two
27:06
point five percent of each donation as part of its
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management fee. The planned four hundred million dollar project would
27:13
be the largest in the organization's history. These new details
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raise even greater concerns about whether Donald Trump's golden crusted
27:22
ballroom has become a vehicle for corruption. Warren said in
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a statement to the Post, Americans deserve to know which
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billionaire corporations are shoveling money to Trump's vanity projects and
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what favors they may be seeking in return. Julie Moore,
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a spokeswoman for the Trust for the National Mall. In
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an email to the Post, characterized the management fee as
27:44
standard practice and said the money would support quote our
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critical work and mission with a National Park Service to restore, preserve,
27:52
and enrich the National Mall and President's Park. The organization,
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which has managed past fundraising campaigns to restore the Washington
28:01
Monument and other projects, reported around thirteen million dollars in
28:05
revenue and seventeen million dollars in expenses in twenty twenty four,
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according to nonprofit filings. Moore said the organization's role had
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been mischaracterized by lawmakers and in the media, adding that
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the organization does not play a role outside of that
28:22
in soliciting gifts or in the planning or construction of
28:25
the project. Moore did not say whether at least two
28:29
board members who had active interests before the Trump administration
28:33
when the project was discussed, recused themselves. The White House
28:37
declined to specify how much money had been raised for
28:40
the project or respond to questions about whether or how
28:43
contributors could benefit. Trump in October hosted donors for a
28:48
celebratory dinner in the Easter Room of the White House.
28:51
President Trump is generously donating his time and resources to
28:55
build a beautiful White House, bollrowing, a project was past
28:58
presidents only dreamed of have. White House spokesman Davis Ingall
29:02
said in a statement. Since announcing this historic plan, the
29:06
White House has been inundated with calls from generous Americans
29:09
and American companies wishing to contribute. Just one company, organ
29:15
therapy firm Vative u S health Care disclosed its following
29:19
gift as part of semi annual lobbying filing, saying that
29:23
it gave two point five million dollars to the Trust
29:26
for the National Mall on October thirteenth. The filing was
29:30
first reported by Bloomberg. Government. Vantiff declined to respond to
29:34
questions about why it made the donation or about its
29:37
lobbying priorities. Referring to the filing. The company, on its
29:42
forms disclosed spending more than two million dollars in twenty
29:45
twenty five to lobby the Trump administration on Medicare billing,
29:49
organ support devices, and other issues. That total included three
29:54
hundred forty thousand dollars for Ballid Partners, which employed Pambondy
29:58
and Susie Wiles before they joined the Trump administration as
30:02
Attorney General and White House Chief of Staff, respectively, neither
30:06
bonding nor Wiles's reported lobbying for Vantive. The administration has
30:11
argued that the White House has the legal authority to
30:14
accept gifts through the Department of the Interior, and that
30:17
Congress has authorized a president to make changes to the
30:20
White House grounds by setting aside a small annual fund
30:24
for renovations. Lawyers for the National Trust for Historic Preservation,
30:29
which is charged by Congress with preserving historic buildings, have
30:33
countered that those provisions do not authorize a project of
30:36
this scale, and that the ballroom required express approval and
30:40
funding from Congress. Rather than admit that no authorization exists,
30:46
the defendants invent a Rupe Goldberg machine to justify proceeding,
30:50
The National Trust's lawyers argued in court filings last month,
30:54
invoking the expression about an overly complicated device designed to
30:58
perform a simple task. Leon an appointee of President George W. Bush,
31:03
appeared to agree with that critique at a January twenty
31:06
second hearing, repeatedly referring to the Trump administration's funding initiative
31:11
as a Rube Goldberg machine and saying that the construction
31:15
plan functioned as an end run around congressional oversight. Justice
31:20
Apartment and lawyers have rejected that characterization, arguing that the
31:24
administration's funding approach is legal and consistent with past projects
31:28
on White House grounds. This is not a circumvention of
31:32
the appropriations process. It is a funding mechanism that Congress
31:36
knowingly authorized and has long been aware is available to
31:39
support projects on White House grounds, Justice Department lawyers wrote
31:43
in a February second pilight. Justice Apartment lawyers also framed
31:48
any pause as a potential national security risk and said
31:51
they would immediately appeal if Leon Grant's a stay on
31:55
the project. Leon said that regardless of how he rules,
31:59
he expects the case to be appealed to the Court
32:01
of Appeals for the d C Circuit and even the
32:04
Supreme Court. This item is accompanied by a photo captioned
32:09
construction cranes over the White House on February second, Sarah L.
32:13
Boyson The Washington Post. The photo shows a portion of
32:18
the upper stories of the White House. Flags on top
32:21
of the White House are visible, as well as a
32:24
large construction crane next an iteman titled Republican Massey Face's
32:31
biggest Trump clash yet re election bid by Kentucky congressman
32:35
is seen as tests of the President's hold on GOP
32:38
base by Hannah Knowles from Maysville, Kentucky. Candidate after candidate
32:45
pledged their allegiance to President Donald Trump at the local
32:48
go P dinner, then Republican Representative Thomas Massey took the mic.
32:54
A congressman, unlike a soldier, does not work for the
32:57
commander in chief. Massey said. The commander in chief had
33:01
declared Massey a quote real loser and recruited a retired
33:06
Navy seal to challenge him. Now, Massey, fifty five, was
33:10
trying to persuade voters in deep red northern Kentucky to
33:14
keep him in office, fresh off his biggest show down
33:17
yet with the White House his bill that forced the
33:20
release of millions of government files on the sex offender
33:23
Jeffrey Epstein. If you want a rubber stamp, you've got
33:27
an option this year. In this primary, Massey told about
33:30
one hundred people assembled for dinner in Maysville, a town
33:33
of about nine thousand on the Ohio River. But if
33:37
you want somebody who will go up there and try
33:39
to make the best decision, then I'm your guy. Massey's
33:43
bid for re election is shaping up as the ultimate
33:46
test of Trump's clout and the GOP bas's tolerance for
33:50
those who challenge him. In a party to find for
33:53
the past decade by loyalty to Trump, Massey is clashing
33:57
openly with him, even mackey him while arguing that the
34:02
President has veered from his America First campaign promises. Trump
34:06
allies have made ousting Massey a priority, pledging to spend
34:11
whatever it takes to defeat him. To many on the right,
34:14
Massey is a nuisance. Republicans control the House so narrowly
34:19
that they can pass legislation only with near unanimity, and
34:23
Massey is known for breaking with the party on key votes.
34:27
He was one of two Republican House members who voted
34:30
against Trump's signature legislation last summer. He joined Democrats last
34:35
month in a failed attempt to restrict the president's military
34:38
intervention in Venezuela, and he has refused to support GOP
34:43
backed bills over concerns about the national deficit. He's got
34:47
a problem for every solution, said Ed Gallerind, the sixty
34:51
seven year old farmer and veteran Trump picked to replace Massey.
34:55
The outcome of the May nineteenth primary will send a
34:58
message to other Republicans. A Massy defeat would further solidify
35:03
Trump's command of the party, rebuking a vocal minority on
35:06
the right, exemplified by Massey's ally Marjorie Taylor Green, who
35:11
have questioned the President's alignment with his base in recent months.
35:15
A victory for the congressman, on the other hand, could
35:18
embolden other GOP lawmakers to defy Trump. A farmer who
35:23
lives off the grid and has served in the House
35:25
since twenty twelve, Massey calls himself the inmate that gets
35:29
Pepper sprayed and put in solitary to set an example.
35:33
James Blair, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff who
35:36
oversees political affairs, said Massey has stood in the way
35:40
of Republican priorities, such as border fundings. The voters will
35:44
retire Massey from Congress because they agree with President Trump
35:47
and disagree with Massey and the radical left Democrats, he
35:50
said in his statement. Some Republicans who descend from Trump
35:54
have chosen to retire. Green left the House last month,
35:58
while Senator Tom Tillis, Republican from North Carolina, declined to
36:02
seek reelection this year, others have been pushed out. Former
36:06
Congresswoman Liz Cheney lost her leadership position and then her
36:10
Wyoming House seat. Few Republicans have beaten back Trump's efforts
36:15
to oust them, among them Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who
36:19
infuriated Trump by accepting the twenty twenty election results, and
36:23
Representative Dan Newhouse Washington, who voted to impeach Trump. Massey's
36:29
race stands out for the political capital Trump has invested,
36:33
and for Massey's decision in solidly read territory to campaign
36:38
on his clashes with the present rather than sidestep them.
36:43
At the GOP dinner in Maysville late last month, chears
36:46
broke out as Massey turned to a quote little bill
36:50
called the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which he led the
36:53
Democratic Representative Rocanna of California. This scandal, what's fully uncovered,
36:59
is bigger than Watergate, Massey said. The Justice Department had
37:04
just released three million more documents from its files on Epstein,
37:08
fulfilling a year's long push on the right for more
37:11
information on the disgraced financier and his associates. The White
37:16
House initially lobbied against Massey's bill, calling for the file's release,
37:21
and Trump lashed out last year at Republicans interested in EPSTEIN,
37:25
accusing them of playing into a quote hoax. But Massey
37:29
joined with Democrats and a handful of other Republicans to
37:32
force a vote on the issue. The legislation passed with
37:36
overwhelming support, and Trump signed it. As other candidates spoke
37:40
at the dinner, Massey checked his phone. Campaign finance reports
37:44
were coming out that night, and a super pack led
37:47
by some of Trump's top campaign advisors had just disclosed
37:51
spending about one million dollars more on advertising against him.
37:56
Massey was raising more money than he ever had in
37:59
his political cos and suggested his campaign could spend four
38:03
million dollars over the course of the race. The Gaurain,
38:07
the Trump endorsed challenger, had outpaced Massey in the latest
38:10
finance reports. Massey knew Trump's political operation had far more
38:15
money to spend. I think they believed twenty million dollars
38:19
would be enough, he said that the Trump team, But
38:21
it's not going to be enough. Trump's grudge with Massey
38:25
goes back years. In twenty twenty, the lawmaker upset both
38:29
parties by delaying a vote on a two trillion dollar
38:33
coronavirus rescue package that he opposed, forcing lawmakers to return
38:37
to Washington to pass the bill. Trump declared Massey a
38:41
quote third rate grandstander who should be thrown out of
38:44
the GOP, but Trump never endorsed an opponent, and Massey
38:48
won his primary with eighty one percent of the vote.
38:52
The President's frustration with Massey erupted again last year as
38:56
a congressman criticized Trump's bombing of Iran not institutional, Massey said,
39:02
and became an obstacle to Trump's signature tax and spending
39:05
legislation dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill. Top strategists from
39:10
Trump's twenty twenty four campaign launched a super pack called
39:14
Mega k Y that began spending on ads against Massey
39:18
that summer. As GOP leadership tried to get Trump's bill
39:22
over the finish line, with Massey and a handful of
39:25
other Republican holdouts preventing the bill from advancing, Massey recalled
39:30
he proposed a private deal. He wouldn't vote for the legislation,
39:34
but he would help get it to the floor if
39:37
Trump's allies stopped their attack ads. Trump agreed, Massey said
39:41
in a phone call that included the two of them
39:44
and House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican from Louisiana. The bill
39:48
moved forward with the anti Massy ads capped running. I
39:53
thought we had a deal, Massey recalled, telling the Speaker,
39:57
I thought we did too, Johnson replied, According to Massey,
40:01
Johnson's office declined to comment. Massey said he hasn't spoken
40:05
with Trump since. Asked about the deal, Massey described Chris Lasavida,
40:10
a co manager of Trump's twenty twenty four campaign who
40:14
was working to oust Massey, said he doesn't put any
40:17
stock in the words of someone who continually betrays his
40:20
constituents by siding with radical leftists. A White House spokesman,
40:25
Davis Ingele, did not comment directly on the episode, saying
40:29
in his statement that Massey cares more about peacocky for
40:33
his radical Democratic friends and liberal media allies than delivering
40:37
for the men and women of Kentucky's fourth District. Gallrain,
40:41
Massey's opponent, said he got an invite to the White
40:44
House in October. Days later, the Republican, who ran unsuccessfully
40:49
for the state Senate in twenty twenty four but has
40:52
never held office, was talking with Trump in the Oval office.
40:56
Twenty five minutes in Gallrain recalled Trump said he needed
40:59
me to run. At the Maysville dinner, gall Rain focused
41:03
on introducing himself rather than attacking, but he looked out
41:07
in Massey's direction as he said Trump needs people to
41:10
fight against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and those who
41:14
join them. I will stand shoulder to shoulder with President
41:17
Trump and the Republican Party, he said. With little independent
41:21
poland on the race and more than three months until
41:24
the primary, it's hard to assess who has the advantage.
41:28
Kentucky has a history of re electing Republicans with independent streaks,
41:32
such as Massey and Senator Rand Paul, another vocal critic
41:36
of some Trump policies, and Andy Basheer, a Democratic governor
41:40
with a strong personal brand, one re election, even as
41:44
Trump had won the state by a landslide. Voters in
41:48
the fourth congressional district appeared split about Massei in interviews.
41:53
He's not a team player, said Republican Wayne Helton eighty two,
41:57
who plans to vote against Massey. He votes Republican ninety
42:01
percent of the time, said Independent Gary Steely fifty, who
42:05
voted Fortrump but still supports Massey. Sixty year old Tim Deaver,
42:10
a frequent attendee of GOP events who lives in Ohio,
42:13
just across the river from Massey's district, walked up to
42:17
the congressman as he spoke with a reporter to say
42:20
that Massey's speech that night had changed his opinion. Now
42:24
the word rhino doesn't come to mind, he told Massey,
42:27
who laughed. Kadiagoba in Washington contributed to this report. This
42:34
article is accompanied by a photo captioned Representative Thomas Massey,
42:38
Republican from Kentucky, on Capitol Hill last year Ricky Carriotte
42:43
the Washington Post. The photo shows the Representative Massey in
42:48
front of a building. One can see a sign that
42:50
says members only and a portion of another photographer in
42:54
the foreground. The next item from to Day's from page
42:57
is entitled where is al enough for the Winter Olympics?
43:02
Rising temperatures will cut the number of available host sites
43:06
by Jennis k chen N, Kirkpatrick and Julia Later. When
43:12
the Milan Quartina Winter Games were just weeks away, patches
43:16
of bare ground peeking through Bormeo's downhill ski course had
43:19
top ski officials worried, with a weather too warm to
43:23
make snow during the day. The machines had to run
43:26
at night to create enough snow for the upcoming competitions.
43:31
Five thousand miles away from the Italian Alps, the Rocky
43:34
Mountains were experiencing the warmest winter on record. Snowfall in
43:39
the early season at Park City, Utah, which will host
43:42
events for the twenty thirty four Winter Olympic Games, has
43:45
been dismal. The warm December weather in both host locations
43:50
is a reminder of the fragility of winter sports. Even
43:53
with the intervention of machine made snow, climate change will
43:57
substantially shrink the number of locations able to host the Games.
44:03
Next in this article is a chart entitled projected warming
44:07
during winter months for all ninety three host locations. In
44:11
all projected emission scenarios, temperatures are set to increase across
44:15
all locations. The medium emissions projection is the most likely scenario.
44:20
Under low admissions, which would be aligned with the Paris
44:23
Climate Agreement by the year twenty eighty, host cities temperatures
44:28
would rise one point four degrees celsius in the medium
44:32
emissions trajectory. The current policy trajectory, host cities temperatures would
44:37
rise two point four degrees celsius by twenty eighty in
44:41
the high admissions scenario. With continued high admissions, host city
44:46
temperatures would raise four point two degrees celsius by twenty eighty.
44:51
The calculation is relative to baseline period from nineteen eighty
44:54
one through twenty ten for the months of December through February.
44:58
Scenarios are shown using represent concentration Pathway RCP for consistency
45:03
with the author's early analysis of past Olympic hosts Sours
45:07
Robert Steiger and Daniel Scott, twenty twenty four. Climate change
45:11
and the Climate reliability of hosts in the second century
45:14
of the Winter Olympic Games. By the middle of this century,
45:18
there could be fewer than twenty countries with the right
45:21
conditions and infrastructure to host the Games, according to a
45:24
study from twenty twenty four. A study published last month
45:28
from the same authors examines how to make the Winter
45:31
Olympic and Paralympic Games more climate resilient. You see the
45:35
numbers of climate reliable places continue to decline because things
45:39
are getting warmer and the snow packs being much affected
45:42
over time. Study author and University of Waterloo Professor Daniel
45:46
Scott said the twenty twenty four study was commissioned by
45:50
the International Olympic Committee and identified ninety three possible host
45:54
locations with infrastructure in place to support the Olympic and
45:58
Paralympic Games. If global emissions and games continue as they are,
46:03
there will be just fifty two locations that remain climate
46:07
reliable by the twenty fifties and forty six by the
46:11
twenty eighties. To be climate reliable, a location must deliver
46:15
snowpack in the right conditions ninety percent of the time.
46:19
Scott said they also must be able to reach daily
46:22
freezing temperatures in December through February to produce machine made snow,
46:27
which requires refreezing over night. Europe, which has hosted more
46:31
games than any other region, saw the largest decline in
46:35
possible host locations. There seem more impact even in the
46:39
twenty fifties, in part because many of the areas that
46:42
would host the snow sports are lower elevation. Scott said
46:46
elevation really makes a difference. Next is a chart entitled
46:51
number of climatically reliable locations considering a medium emission scenario
46:56
Olympic Winter Games total of forty six reliable locations by
47:00
twenty eighty. Europe currently has fifty nine locations by twenty
47:04
eighty would have twenty six. Asia currently has thirteen locations
47:09
and would still have thirteen by twenty eighty. North America
47:14
has approximately ten locations and would have seven by twenty eighty,
47:20
and the Southern Hemisphere has just about two locations and
47:25
would have zero by twenty eighty. For the Paralympic Winner Games,
47:29
there are a total of fifteen reliable locations by twenty eighty.
47:34
Europe currently has thirty one locations and would have seven
47:37
by twenty eighty, Asia would have six by twenty eighty,
47:43
North America would have two by twenty eighty, and the
47:46
Southern Hemisphere would have none. The most concerning takeaway from
47:51
both studies, Scott said, is the impact climate change will
47:54
have on the Paralympics. The host of the Olympic Games
47:58
must also host the Paralympic Games a month later. The
48:01
one bid, one city agreement is in place until twenty
48:04
thirty two, with Park City, Utah, agreeing to host both
48:08
games in twenty thirty four. The latest studies showed that
48:11
while locations the Olympic Games are typically held add in
48:14
February will decline conditions there will plummet by March. For
48:18
the Paralympic Games. Of the ninety three locations, just twenty
48:23
two are climate reliable in March. If the one bid
48:27
one city partnership holds, Scott said, then really a host
48:31
is only as climate reliable as they are for the Paralympics.
48:35
It's not just the Olympic organizers that are concerned about
48:38
lack of snow. Between twenty twenty two and twenty twenty four,
48:42
thirty three International Ski and Snowboard Federation World Cup competitions
48:47
were canceled, according to the latest study. Already, with a
48:51
winter sport, you're fighting for time that you can be
48:54
on snow and in the mountains. US Olympic snowboarder b
48:57
Kim said, adding that her training was disrupted by weather
49:01
in Switzerland. Kim, nineteen from Palos Verdes, California, will be
49:07
an incoming freshman at Columbia University in the fall and
49:10
is scheduled to compete in the first Olympics. Snowboard halfpipe
49:14
requires a lot of man made snow, regardless if we
49:17
have a lot of snow in season, she said, As
49:20
the temperatures are rising. We're having less and less opportunities
49:24
for snowmaking, and that is very concerning because a half
49:28
pipe is in jeopardy of not being there anymore. Snowmaking
49:32
has been part of the Olympics since the nineteen eighty
49:35
Games in Lake Placid, New York. In recent years, the
49:38
Games have relied heavily on it, and by the twenty fifties,
49:42
the latest study notes only four countries would be able
49:45
to host the Games without assistance from any machine made snow.
49:50
Next is a chart entitled percent of snow that was
49:53
machine made in previous Olympic Games. So She twenty fourteen
49:57
in Russia, eighty percent was machine made. Pyeong Chang twenty eighteen,
50:02
South Korea, ninety eight percent was machine made. Beijing twenty
50:07
twenty two, China, one hundred percent was machine made Milan
50:12
Quartina twenty twenty six. In Italy, eighty five to one
50:16
hundred percent is machine made. To make snow, compressed air
50:20
and water are pumped into a snow gun that breaks
50:23
the water into tiny droplets. Those droplets freeze when blown
50:27
into the air, creating machine made snow. The process requires
50:32
lots of water and electricity, which has raised environmental concerns.
50:37
Despite the high altitude of many of the venues, the
50:40
Milan Courtina Games will rely heavily or almost entirely a
50:44
machine made snow. Snow production grants the highest quality of snow,
50:49
insuring a fair and safe terrain on the competition field.
50:53
A spokesperson for the organizing committee said. The committee said
50:57
that depending on the temperature, humidity and weather forecast, they
51:01
expect that almost one hundred percent of snow will be
51:04
machine made in all six alpine venues, except for Cortina,
51:09
which may require less machine made snow as low as
51:12
eighty five percent to produce the snow, the Milan Quartina
51:16
Games built two water reservoirs to store seventy six million
51:20
gallons of water to be pumped into one hundred twenty
51:23
five snow guns. Next is a chart entitled how temperature
51:28
and humidity play a role in snow making. Wet bulb temperature,
51:33
a measure of both air temperature and humidity must be
51:36
around twenty seven point five degrees fahrenheit or below for
51:40
snow making to start. The colder and drier the air,
51:44
the easier it is to produce snow. Highest and lowest
51:48
temperatures in past host cities in February Vancouver twenty ten,
51:53
Canada low thirty two high fifty five fahrenheit, so Shee
51:58
twenty fourteen, Russia low thirty two, high sixty four, kyung
52:04
Chang twenty eighteen, South Korea low three, high fifty Beijing
52:10
twenty twenty two, China zeng Jiekko and yang Quing low
52:16
seven high sixty one. Milan Courtina twenty twenty six, Italy
52:22
Cortina d Ampezzo low twenty five high sixty one. Temperature
52:28
range for Milan is from February twenty twenty five. Highest
52:32
and lowest humidity. Drier air makes snow making easier. Vancouver
52:37
twenty ten, Canada low fifty four high one hundred percent,
52:42
Soshi twenty fourteen, Russia low twenty three, high one hundred percent.
52:48
Pyeong Chang twenty eighteen low eleven, high ninety six percent,
52:54
Beijing twenty twenty two, China low eight high ninety three percent,
53:01
Lanquurtina twenty twenty six, low twenty four high one hundred percent.
53:07
How to ensure the future of the Winter Games. One
53:10
solution Scott suggests is to disentangle the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
53:16
Shifting both games up by three weeks to begin in
53:19
January and end by the last week of February, or
53:22
have the games run simultaneously, could utilize venues that would
53:26
otherwise be too warm in March. The change would double
53:30
the number of climate reliable locations for the Paralympics in
53:33
the twenty fifties. The question is, as we adapt and
53:37
figure out where to have the Olympics, what are we
53:40
doing to ensure the long term viability of the games,
53:44
And that comes down to solving climate change, said Aaron Sprague,
53:48
CEO of Protect Our Winters, a non profit organization that
53:52
mobilizes out toward enthusiasts, athletes, and scientists to build common
53:57
ground and political power for climates. Quickly reducing global emissions
54:03
would have the biggest impact, says Protect Our Winters. If
54:07
countries can meet the goals laid out in the Paris
54:09
Climate Agreement to keep the rise in global surface temperature
54:13
below two degrees celsius three point six degrees fahrenheit, then
54:17
the number of future Olympic hosts could increase, adding eight
54:21
more potential locations to the ninety three reviewed by the
54:24
twenty eighties. The shrinking number of Olympic hosts are a
54:28
wake up call for the broader challenges facing all winter sports,
54:32
observes Protect our Winters. More is also needed to make
54:36
the games more sustainable, starting with better policies on emissions
54:40
reductions during the Olympics and ending sponsorships from fossil fuel companies.
54:45
Climate is something that we have the solutions for. Kymnotes,
54:50
the snowboarder has lobbied with Protect our Winters on Capitol
54:53
Hill over her concerns for the future of snowboarding and
54:57
climate change. The future of the winter is definitely in jeopardy.
55:02
The Olympics was built for the world to take a
55:04
break and for everybody to come together and be united
55:08
through sport, she said. I think now in this current
55:11
day and age, that is something that the world really
55:14
really needs about this story. The map shows climate reliability
55:19
of host locations in a medium emission scenario. The twenty
55:23
twenty four study examined three thirty year climate periods twenty
55:27
ten through twenty forty, twenty forty through twenty seventy, and
55:31
twenty seventy through twenty one hundred. The results cover an
55:34
average of each period and are referred to as twenty thirty,
55:38
twenty fifty, and twenty eighty, respectively. Rick Mays contributed to
55:42
this report, editing by Emily m Ang and copy editing
55:46
by Rebecca Branford and now the final item from today's
55:50
front page. Hong Kong dissident Lie sentenced to twenty years
55:55
by Shabani Matani. Hong Kong newspaper founder Jimmy Lai, a
56:00
leading figure in the city's pro democracy movement and an
56:03
ardent critic of the Chinese Communist Party, was sentenced Monday
56:07
to twenty years in prison after being found guilty in
56:10
December of sedition and collusion of foreign forces. The heavy
56:15
sentence means that Lie seventy eight, who is a British citizen,
56:18
could spend the rest of his life imprisoned as a
56:21
martyrlike figure, exemplifying the price non violent dissidents are paying
56:26
for their activism in the once free wheeling city. Lai's
56:30
family and some supporters still hold out hope that Washington
56:34
or London might secure his release through diplomatic negotiations. The
56:40
sentence was not a surprise, as Beijing has sought to
56:43
wipe out the city's few remaining press freedoms and judicial independence.
56:48
It is the longest sentence ever in a national security
56:51
case in Hong Kong. To day, the curtain falls on
56:54
press freedom in Hong Kong. Vivid Bruden, director general of
56:58
Reporters Without Borders, said in a statement after Lie's sentencing,
57:03
this court decision underscores the authority's profound contempt for independent journalism.
57:10
The prosecution of Jimmy Laie has been from the outset
57:13
a perversion of the rule of law in Hong Kong,
57:15
with the outcome predetermined, said James Cunningham, former US Council
57:20
General in Hong Kong and chairman of the Committee for
57:23
Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, a US based avacy group
57:27
focused on human rights. To Day's sentence risks being a
57:31
death sentence. Lie's children said they were heart broken. Even
57:36
though you expect the sentence to come, you're still devastated
57:39
by it. Jimmy Laie's son Sebastian Lai said at a
57:43
news conference in Washington on Monday, when they sentenced my
57:47
father in court, I heard that he was stoic and
57:50
he smiled, defied to the last. Sebastian Lai said, to
57:54
this day, he still refusing to be intimidated by fear.
57:59
In convictingly three charges, the government approved judges declared that
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there was indisputable evidence that he conspired to undermine national security.
58:08
His only intent was to seek the downfall of the
58:11
Chinese Communist Party. One judge said, Unfortunately, we will be
58:15
unable to complete this item due to the constraints of time.
58:19
This concludes the reading of the Washington Post for to Day, Tuesday,
58:23
February tenth, twenty twenty sixth. Your reader for to day
58:26
has been Sidney Fraser. If you have any questions, comments,
58:30
or suggestions concerning this program, please feel free to call
58:34
us at A five nine four two two six three
58:36
nine zero. Thank you for listening, and now please stay
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tuned for continuing programming on Radio I