Transcript

6.9.25 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Good morning, everybody, and welcome to the reading of the
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Washington Post for this Monday, June ninth. As a reminder,
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Radio Eyes of Reading service intended for people who are
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blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
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read printed material. Your reader for today as Rod Brotherton,
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and usually, as you know on Mondays, we start by
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reading Paul Prather's weekly column from Lexington Herald Leader. But
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Paul got the week off. There is no article from yesterday,
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so let's jump right to the news of the Washington
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Post and the lead story today is LA protesters clash
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with officers as National Guard presence draws pushback. Hundreds of
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National Guard troops dispatched by President Trump arrived here Sunday,
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a move Governor Newsom called unconstitutional as protesters continued demonstrating
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against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. While calm reigned for
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much of the day, tensions flared anew in the afternoon
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as authorities lobbed tear gas at the growing crowd of
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protesters gathered by the Edward R. Royball Federal Building, which
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houses an immigration detention center near the city's downtown. Corps.
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Los Angeles police said people in the crowd were throwing
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concrete bottles and other objects, and that officers had begun
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making arrests and telling people to disperse. In an interview
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with MSNBC, Newsom said Sunday that California would sue the
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administration over the deployment of the National Guard. Common during
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a state's national Guard without consulting of the governor of
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that state is illegal and immoral. He wrote on x
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the National Guard's arrival marks new potentially volatile phase and
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the Trump administration's push bush to ramp up deportations and
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its contentious relationship with state and local authorities. Trump ordered
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two thousand National Guard personnel over the weekend to deploy
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following protests against immigration raids in the Los Angeles area
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that at times turned violent, and he acted over the
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objections of state and local officials in California, a state
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that is a frequent target of Trump's iire, who denounced
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the move as unnecessary and incendiary. Governor Gavin Newsom, the
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Democrat of California, on Sunday, formally requested the Trump administration
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to rescind the decision to call up the California National Guard,
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with his office writing that the move was stepping on
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the state's sovereignty and depriving it of control of its
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own personnel and resources, bud while officials in California and
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beyond a sale of Trump actions which some legal experts
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described as unprecedented. The President stood by his decision on Sunday,
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threatening a heavy handed response to protests and vowing to
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have troops everywhere to maintain law and order. On Sunday,
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the unease in Los Angeles grew as the day wore on.
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Several hundred protesters marched more than a mile from Mariachi
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Plaza to the Federal building with an immigration detention center
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on the edge of the cities downtown. Most protesters appeared peaceful,
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though at least one man through a water bottle towards
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the dozens of police officers in riot gear positioned by
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the detention center. More than two dozen National Guard members
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also appeared to be located there as well. At one point,
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the National Guard members donned masks, and police released a
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white cloud of what appeared to be be a noxious
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tear gas before firing volleys of what sounded like pepper balls.
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Crowd scattered, running to nearby streets before many returned to
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their protest. Angelica Quintero, thirty two, of Santa Clarita, was
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there with her younger sister. She was shocked to see
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police confront the crowd with force, including deploying tear gas
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and projectiles. It's one thing to see it on social
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media on the news, but to be here with people
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peacefully protesting. We did absolutely nothing, she said, as the
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pair sheltered in a parking garage around the corner. How
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are we the ones being treated like criminals, asked Quintero,
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the daughter of immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala. We felt
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like we needed to do something. We're enraged. Demonstrators expressed
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deep anxiety over immigration raids, as well as Trump's decision
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to deploy troops to the area. Send the National Guard
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for what. Gabby Buendusto, forty six, before setting off to
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the march of the Mariacha Plaza, said, we have the
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right to protest the protests that have been folded in
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Los Angeles and surrounding communities following a recent series of
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immigration raids. Federal officials said the raids resulted in more
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than one hundred arrests. Last week, The head of the
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Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights said there were raids across
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the city at multiple businesses, including a doughnut shop and
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two home depot locations. Mexican President Claudia Shinbaum said Saturday
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the thirty five Mexican nationals were among those detained after
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the raids. Demonstrators protested Friday and Saturday in downtown Los
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Angeles and nearby cities Paramount and Compton. In some cases,
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clashes broke out between the demo and authorities, with protesters
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setting vehicles on fire and law enforcement personnel deploying tear gas.
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While law enforcement and other officials said they had the
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situation under control, the Trump administration denounced what it called
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rioters in southern California and accused state and local authorities
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of responding inadequately. Caroline Levitt, the White House Press secretary,
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said violent mobs attacked the US Immigration and Customs enforcement
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officials and federal agents carrying out basic deportation operations. Federal
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officials also warned of additional consequences, and ICE spokesperson said
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in a statement, make no mistakes, rioters committing crimes will
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be arrested and held accountable. Akiel Davis, Assistant Director in
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charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field office said anyone
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on impeding the efforts of law enforcement agents and officers
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who are carrying out lawful warrants will be subject to
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federal prosecution, to include spending time in federal prison. The
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administration went so far as to assail the local police
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response with todd lyons, the acting Director of Ice, saying
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the LAPD took over two hours to respond to calls
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for help on Friday. The LAPD, those said it responded
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as swiftly as conditions safely allowed, and began dispersing a
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hostile and riotous crowd within fifty five minutes of the
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first call. Trump posted on his social truth platform Saturday
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that if Newsome, Los Angeles mayor Karen Bess, a Democrat,
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can't do their jobs, the federal government would solve the problem.
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The same day, he ordered the deployment of California National
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Guard troops, saying it was necessary of what because of
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what he called numerous incidents of violence and disorder responding
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to immigration enforcement actions. His order called on the National
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Guard to temporarily protect ice, other federal personnel, and federal property,
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and said military personnel should insure the protection and safety
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of federal personnel and property. Trump's move was a stark
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escalation in his approach to local and state officials, protests
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and pushback to his agenda. California officials portrayed the decision
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as an excessive overstep. Newsome, frequent Trump foe, called his
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action purposefully inflammatory and said it would only escalate tensions.
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The governor also describes Trump's decision as unnecessary, noting that
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the Los Angeles area has extensive law enforcement options available,
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were in close coordination with the city in county, and
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there is currently no unmet need. Newsom Senate a statement.
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More demonstrations followed Trump's announcement Saturday. In Paramount Mount, about
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a twenty minute drive south from downtown Los Angeles, authorities
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appeared to deploy pepper spray or tear gas after facing
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off with demonstrators. The LAPD meanwhile said it had declared
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an unlawful assembly near the Federal Building and Detention Center
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on the edge of downtown the day before. The department
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said that demonstrators in the city had been peaceful. Trump
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posted on social media early Sunday morning praising the great
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job he said the National Guard had done. The troops
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had not arrived by that point. Newsom noted a US
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Northern Command said in a statement Sunday that about three
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hundred members of the California National Guard deployed that day
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in Los Angeles. Paramount and Compton Defense Secretary Pete Hegsith
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had posted Saturday night on his personal ex account that
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active duty Marines could also be mobilized and were on
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high alert. Northern commands at about five hundred marines were
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prepared to deploy status on Sunday should they be needed.
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On Sunday, Trump posted on truth Social that Los Angeles
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had been invaded and occupied by illegal aliens and criminals,
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adding that violent insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking federal
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officials to stop deportation efforts. But these lawless riots only
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strengthen our resolve, he said. Trump spoke to reporters in
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New Jersey before heading to Camp David, where he planned
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to convene with advisers. He referenced reports of demonstrators spitting
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at officers and threatened to significant response. Nobody is going
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to spit on our military, he said, that happens, they
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get hit very hard. Trump seated he was not yet
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at the point of invoking the Insurrection Act to quell
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the Los Angeles demonstrations, but was watching the situation closely
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to determine whether he would do so. The President also
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said he would decide that based on his own instincts.
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The bar is what I think it is, he said,
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of whether he'd invoke the eighteen o seven Act, which
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lest the president deploy the military for domestic law enforcement.
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If we see danger to our country and to our citizens,
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we will be very, very strong in terms of law
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and order. State and local officials have pleaded with the
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Trump administration not to deploy troops to the area, including
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making unsuccessful direct appeals. Bass The mayor said she spoke
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to Tom Homan, Trump's top border official, on Saturday, and
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told him local law enforcement agencies were well equipped to
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handle the week end's protest activity and that deploying the
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National Guard would only further inflame tensions. She said Holman
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listened and told her he appreciated her statements condemning violence. Nevertheless,
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the troops arrived. Obviously, that conversation did not have the
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results I hoped it would, Bass said. In an interview
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on Sunday, She said deploying the National Guard seems to
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be intentional to sow chaos in our city and call
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the events of the last few days a low point
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in the city's relationship with the federal government. Bass said
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residents of the city were terrified by immigration raids and
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grieving for missing family members, adding that relatives had unable
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to reach their loved ones. Despite Trump's long standing animus
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toward California and its leaders, including Bass, she said the
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city and administration had worked closely on recovery efforts following
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January's devastating fires. This just swings the pendulum the other
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way in an extreme fashion, and that is very troublesome,
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Fast said. Next, a diminished Doge reels from the departure
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of the Doge Father, Elon Musk. Cabinet officials and senior
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staffers across the Trump administration are reclaiming power from Elon
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Musk's US Doge service, a trend that began long before
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the billionaire's relationship President Trump exploded in public acrimony days
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after Musk formerly left his White House post. As Musk departed,
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some of his top lieutenants were streaming out of government.
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Among those heading for the exits. Even before Musk and
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Trump began feuding, according to a White House official who
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spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sins instative
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information was longtime AID Steve Davis, who was overseeing cost
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cutting efforts, lawyer James Burnham, doge's general counsel, and DOGE
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adviser Katie Miller, who's married to White House Chief Deputy
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Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. Katie Miller is now working
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for Musk. Meanwhile, cabinet officials, some of whom had clashed
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with Musk, are moving to rehire workers who had been
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pushed out by DOGE, and while the group retained some
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clout with DOZE staffers moving into permanent jobs in some agencies,
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unaffiliated political appointees and other departments have been forcing the
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cost cutting group to back off. Despite the exodus, White
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House officials said the administration remains dedicated to rooting out
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waste and abuse. The administration has asked Congress to cancel
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more than nine billion dollars in spending for Global Health
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AID and for public broadcasting in the United States. An
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early gauge of lawmaker's appetite for codifying DOJ's cuts, and
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the White House Budget Office has proposed cutting one hundred
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and sixty three billion dollars nearly twenty five percent from
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agency budgets in the fiscal year that begins in October.
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Doze is in the DNA of the federal government, and
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the President is committed to seeing this mission through, said
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White House spokesperson Harrison Fields. No one is under the
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impression that Doge is somehow going to disappear. White House
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Budget Director Russell Vaught is expected to pick up or
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muscle left off in cutting federal spending. According to two
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people with knowledge of the matter and speaking on the
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condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. An architect to
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Project twenty twenty five, a policy blueprint put together between
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Trump's terms vote, told House hearing Wednesday that the Trump
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administration is eager to send more requests to eliminate previously
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appropriated funds. Age Doze shifts from consulting role to a
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position far more institutionalized. At omb Still, by Doze's somewhat
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haphazard accounting, the initiative has saved only about one hundred
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and eighty billion dollars, a fraction of the two trillion.
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Musk initially vowed to cut that performance, along with The
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general recognition that DOZE created unnecessarily high levels of chaos
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has left remaining members of the cost cutting group facing
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growing skepticism among agency officials, who, after musks blow up
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with Trump on Thursday, no longer need to fear retaliation
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from the world's richest person. DOZE was able to work
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its will because there was the perception that Musk was
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so close to the President that these orders were coming
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from the President. Ceedee Laine Camarack, a senior official at
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the Brooking Institutions who ran a in reinventing government initiative
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during the Clinton administration. Now you've got a different situation.
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At the Federal Aviation Administration, for example, the DOZE team
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suffered setbacks this week when leadership nixed their access to
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FAA buildings, a command center in Warrington, Virginia, and the
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Air Traffic Academy in Oklahoma City. According to an employee
17:29
briefed on the matter and records obtained by The Washington Post,
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four DOZE staffers were also stripped of their credentials and
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user accounts inside the FAA's internal computer systems. The record show,
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as of June two, the staffers Brady Glance, Samuel Smiel,
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Tom Kiernan, and Theodore Malaska, all of whom are employees
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of Musk's SpaceX, no longer bear the title of Senior
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Advisor to the Administrator on their online profiles within the agency,
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per the records. In fact, their profiles no longer show
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any job title at all, nor an affiliated organization manager
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email or phone number, the records show. In a brief
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in June, second managers explained their removal by noting the
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team owed its creation and power to an executive order,
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not an Act of Congress. That Musk was stepping down
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after his term as a special government employee ended. According
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to an employee who attended and who spoke on the
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condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, so they're being
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pushed out the employee sit. DOGE still maintains a strong
18:43
present at the agencies that oversees federal spending, real estate,
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and logistics. Its initial areas of focus include the Treasury Department,
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the Office of Personnel Management, and the General Services Administration,
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where key allies are still guiding technology modernization efforts. At
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some other agencies, DOZE representatives have amassed powerful jobs and portfolios.
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In April, Interior Secretary Doug Bergram issue an order granting
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sweeping powers to DOZE staffers Tyler Hassen, a former oil executive,
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The Post reported, under Bergham's order, Hassen is now leading
19:25
a campaign to create significant efficiencies and eliminate redundant efforts
19:30
across interior, including an IT, human resources, financial management, and
19:37
international affairs. About a week later, the Energy Department named
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DOGE team member Carl Coe as chief of Staff, a
19:46
top job that helps decide who has access to the
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Energy Secretary. According to an email obtained by the Post,
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his appointment will help tackle the challenge of strengthening and
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securing the US energy system and ensuring a merit can
20:00
lead the global race for AI leadership. The email noted
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the chief of staff is behind the scenes, the duck
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paddling under the water, making things happen, said one Energy
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Department employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for
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fear of retribution. DOGE could control the direction of the
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agency now Elsewhere, DOGE associates, brought in for their reputation
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as business leaders, have exerted command over agency staff, overseeing
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new initiatives within government. Sam Korkos, a startup founder has
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been overseeing doge's work at the IRS, which is increasingly
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looking to offload otherwise monotonous agency work to artificial intelligence programs,
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according to a person familiar with the matter, and Airbnb
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co founder Joe Gebbia has been overseeing doge's attempts to
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modernize the federal government's paper based retirement system, which is
21:00
run through the Office of Personnel Management. Gebia was seen
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by Musk allies as potentially taking over some of the
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broader DOGE portfolio and Musk left, but now his fate
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is unclear. According to a person familiar with ongoing discussions
21:15
over doge's role after Musk's departure, resistance to DOGE and
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other agencies predated Musk's blow up with Trump. In early May,
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staffers who said they were with DOGE roamed around secure
21:29
facilities within the Navy Air Station Patuxent River, a Defense
21:33
Department installation in Maryland, or test flights and other sensitive
21:37
work carried out. One DOGE staffer reportedly walking walked in
21:42
behind other government workers to gain access to the building,
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the Defense employees said, prompting a warning from installation security officials.
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At this time, Navy Air System's Command Security is considering
21:56
this an authorized access attempt, a security official route in
22:00
an email obtained by The Washington Post. The email instructed
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staffers to report people representing themselves as DOGE staffers, two
22:09
security officials or base police, to refuse to allow anyone
22:13
to follow them into buildings, and to be on alert
22:16
for suspicious behavior. In a statement, a Navy official denied
22:21
that Doge's entry into the air station was treated as
22:24
a security breach. DOGE representatives met with NAVIIR personnel. The
22:30
meeting was scheduled. We have no record of Doge seeking
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unauthorized entry into NAVIIR facilities on nas Patuxent River, said
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Commander Tim Hawkins, a Navy spokesman. Reports to the contrary
22:44
are unsubstantiated. In a move that could eventually infuse DOGE
22:50
with more power, the Supreme Court on Friday ruled in
22:55
two emergency decisions that the group could access since the
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social security data, again ending a legal restriction that had
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lasted for months. The Court also ordered a judge to
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narrow a separate order requiring Doze to submit discovery in
23:14
a FIOLA lawsuit. James Fishback, CEO of the investment firm Azoria,
23:21
who developed the idea of paying a portion of doje's
23:24
savings directly to American taxpayers, predicted that the group is
23:28
not dead yet. The truth is that Elon set expectations
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that he related to the President, me and the country
23:37
that he did not come close to fulfilling. Fishback sid
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But doje's next chapter under new leadership will fully deliver
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on President Trump's mission of cutting waste, looking out for taxpayers,
23:51
and making government leaner and more accountable. Still, as the
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week wore down, some federal employees took a few moments
23:59
to celebrate the diminishment of DOGE. However brief One interior
24:04
employee said he and colleagues work extra hard reviling in
24:10
their government jobs as dose seemed to be on the
24:12
way out. Then he went home and ate some ice cream.
24:16
At the FAA, a group of staffers went out for
24:20
postwork drinks to toast the banishment of dog staff. Then
24:25
they offered a more solemn toast to more than two
24:28
dozen colleagues they'd lost along the way. And next London
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talks or just the start of efforts to close US
24:36
China trade divide. The US China trade negotiations scheduled to
24:42
begin in London on Monday, are likely to produce at
24:45
best a limited accord that might slow but not stop,
24:50
the erosion in commercial links between the nations, while leaving
24:53
Beijing's state capitalist system unchanged. President Trump said Friday the
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Treasure Jury, Secretary of scott Descent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik,
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and US Trade Representative Jamison Greer will represent the United
25:09
States at the meeting, which aims to bridge deep distrusts
25:13
over trade and technology. Vice Premier he Lafing is expected
25:19
to lead the Chinese team, but China's determination to reduce
25:24
its dependence on other countries, particularly the United States, and
25:28
Trump's erratic approach to trade diplomacy will make it difficult
25:33
for the world's largest economies to reach a comprehensive settlement,
25:36
including on fundamental questions about the nature of Chinese economy,
25:40
and let's sit We are seeing what US China trade
25:45
competition looks like when it's unmoored from any principles. The
25:50
US is not trying to defend the rules based order,
25:53
it's not trying to defend market economies from Chinese misbehavior.
25:58
It's just simply trying to cut a deal that's in
26:01
the short term interest of the American leader, said Scott Kennedy,
26:05
a senior advisor at the Seizure Center for Strategic and
26:09
International Studies in Washington. The White House and Treasury Department
26:14
did not respond to requests for comment, but Bascent, who
26:19
will lead the US negotiators, said last week that the
26:22
Chinese government must rethink economic policies that are damaging its
26:26
trade partners. They either want to be a reliable partner
26:31
to the rest of the world, or they don't, Bascent
26:35
said in a video appearance before the American Swiss Foundation
26:39
Leadership Summit in Zurich. Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping
26:45
agreed to the talks on Thursday, after their week's old
26:48
trade war truce appeared to be fraying mid an exchange
26:52
of new restrictions on technology exports and visas. The renewed
26:58
diplomatic engagement up a rocky two months for the president.
27:02
After announcing on April second, the highest import taxes since
27:06
the nineteen thirties, Trump suspended them for one week later
27:11
to allow for negotiations, but when China retaliated with its
27:15
own trade measures, Trump hiked tariffs to an astronomical one
27:20
hundred and forty five percent, effectively closing the door on
27:24
Chinese goods. The Trump team was convinced that it enjoyed
27:29
a fundamental advantage in the face off with Beijing. Chinese
27:34
manufacturers sold more than three times the volume of goods
27:37
into the United States market as American companies sold to China.
27:41
The CENT pronounced these sky high levees unsustainable for China,
27:46
saying they could cost ten million Chinese factory workers their
27:50
jobs in the aftermath of a debt fueled property bubble.
27:55
China simply could not afford to lose those jobs. Trump's
27:58
Aid's reason. Social discontent already was rising even before Trump
28:04
imposed his toughest tariffs. In the first two months of
28:08
the year, there were six hundred and forty five protests
28:10
in China related to economic grievances such as unpaid wages,
28:15
and eighty six percent jump compared with the same period
28:18
one year earlier. According to Freedom House's China's Descent Monitor,
28:23
effectively shutting down China's US trade could trigger greater unrests.
28:28
Some Trump advisors believed, according to a person familiar with thinking,
28:33
they had the view that China would blink first. This
28:36
person said, yet such protests posed no mortal threat to
28:41
the Chinese government, and similar strains were appearing in the US.
28:46
In late April, the chief executives of Walmart, Target, and
28:50
Home Depot trooped to the White House to speak with
28:52
Trump about tariffs. Small businesses that produced toys, audio equipment,
28:58
and furniture warmed that the U S import taxes would
29:01
bankrupt them. Doc workers in Los Angeles at the main
29:05
gateway for Asian trade worked half their typical number of
29:09
container ships, But by early May, Trump was waffling on
29:13
his hardline stance. In the hours before Bescent and Greer
29:17
met their Chinese counterparts in Geneva, the President posted on
29:21
social media that he was willing to lower the tariffs
29:24
he had raised one month earlier. The eighty percent tariff
29:28
on China seemed right up to Scott B. Trump wrote
29:32
on truth Social Even some supporters at the president's trade
29:37
policies have been dismayed by his unstating handling of China.
29:41
On May thirteenth, the day after the tariff truce was agreed,
29:43
the US banned imports of the latest computer ships from
29:46
China's who Why Then Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged
29:50
to aggressively revoke the visis of some Chinese students with
29:54
ties to the Communist Party or those studying in critical fields.
29:58
On May thirtieth, a mid criticism for repeatedly backing down
30:02
on his trade threats, Trump claimed he had agreed to
30:05
the truce with Beijing out of concern over reports of
30:08
civil unrest in China. He also accused the Chinese government
30:12
of violating the May two off agreement, which AIDS later
30:16
explained as a reference to its continuing limits on exports
30:19
of rare earth minerals needed by US automakers. US reliance
30:24
on China for these critical materials required for both civilian
30:29
and military production reveal the flaw in the administration's belief
30:35
that the lopsided bilateral trade relationship gave Washington an insurmountable advantage.
30:41
China might buy far more from the US than the
30:45
US bought from China, but China enjoyed leverage from its
30:49
near monopoly on inputs that advanced economies require. The Chinese
30:55
government will bring its own demands to the new talks,
30:58
including a relaxing of US controls on advanced SEMLI conductor
31:03
exports and aerospace technologies needed for China's C nine to
31:08
one nine commercial aircraft program, said Daniel Russell, vice president
31:13
for the International Security and Diploma Diplomacy at the Asia
31:17
Society Policy Institute. The halting effort to establish new rules
31:23
of engagement for the global economy's most important relationship echo
31:27
the negotiations with China that occurred during Trump's first term.
31:32
Trump at that time initially sought to win far reaching
31:35
changes in China's system of industrial subsidies, forced technology transfer policies,
31:42
and heavy government influence over the economy, before settling for
31:46
a Chinese promise to increase purchases of America's goods. US
31:51
demands for change and the structure of China's economy were
31:55
a top priority. Without such changes, we won't have a deal,
32:00
Robert E. Leithheiser, the President's chief Trade said in twenty eighteen.
32:05
New talks come as China US economy ties continue to fray.
32:11
Through the first four months of this year, the amount
32:13
of direct trade between the two countries was almost one
32:17
quarter less than during the same period in twenty twenty two.
32:21
According to the Census Bureau, the nineteen thousy one hundred
32:26
and nine temporary business or tourism visas that the US
32:30
Embassy in Beijing issued in April was down almost forty
32:34
five percent compared with the same month in twenty seventeen. Still,
32:39
those trade figures might overstate the decline because Chinese manufacturers
32:44
now ship some goods to American customers via other countries,
32:49
including Vietnam and Mexico. China's dominance of global manufacturing means
32:56
many US companies have a little choice but dubai from
32:59
Chinese factories. The SANT last month said the administration was
33:04
not seeking a generalized decoupling from China, but does intend
33:09
to boost domestic production of strategic necessities such as steel, semiconductors,
33:15
and critical medicines. US officials have complained that China generates
33:20
excess production of manufactured goods, which spill over into global
33:25
markets and hurt the United States, the world's consumer of
33:29
last resort. On Thursday, the Treasury Department criticized Beijing for
33:34
a notable lack of transparency around its currency policy, and
33:39
said the Chinese economy is built on an unsustainable model
33:45
that is not only harming China, but also the entire world.
33:51
Chinese policies that keep wages low benefit factories and suppressed
33:56
domestic consumption, acting as a non terrify barrier to the
34:01
importation of more American goods, The Administration said in an
34:05
April report. Consumer spending accounts for only thirty eight percent
34:11
of the Chinese economy with compared to sixty eight percent
34:15
in the United States, according to the White House, but
34:19
the Chinese government has given no public indication that it
34:23
is prepared to bargain over its domestic policies. Under z
34:28
the Chinese government has promoted a dual circulation economic strategy
34:34
designed to reduce China's dependence on the outside world for
34:37
key products while making other nations more dependent on Chinese suppliers.
34:44
Any kind of systemic or structural reforms on the Chinese
34:48
side are off the table. Those are absolutely not going
34:53
to happen, said Russell, who was a veteran diplomat before
34:57
leaving government in twenty seventeen. Kennedy said he expects the
35:01
talks to again produce a Chinese pledge to buy more goods,
35:06
step up efforts to tail production of the chemical ingredients
35:10
in fentanyl, highly addictive opioid that has caused tens of
35:14
thousands of deaths in the US, and possibly allow China
35:19
to invest in some new American factories. The administration, as
35:24
far as I can tell, is not actually pursuing a
35:28
deal in which China would be expected to marketize their
35:31
economy and reduce the government intervention. Kennedy said. A superficial
35:37
agreement that both sides can claim as victory and results
35:41
in a temporary thaw is the ceiling and the next story.
35:47
Trump's tax bill revealed striking shift in GOP's focus. The
35:54
sweeping tax legislation Republicans in Congress are trying to send
35:58
a President Trump to sign into law underscores a striking
36:02
evolution in the party's economic agenda away from tax policy
36:07
that prioritizes economic growth and toward populist giveaways inspired by
36:13
Trump's campaign promises, House Republicans last month approved a two
36:18
point four trillion dollar proposal that included attention grabbing provisions
36:24
such as exempting tips and overtime pay from income taxes
36:28
and a new deduction for seniors. The bill's cornerstone, making
36:33
up the vast majority of its price tag, is the
36:36
permanent extension of the individual cuts from the g twenty
36:40
seventeen GOP tax law, which lowered tax rates across income brackets,
36:46
but the size of these policies comes at a cost. Critics,
36:50
including many conservative experts who supported the first Trump tax legislation,
36:55
say the bill will sacrifice long term economic growth to
37:00
deliver on these short term political promises. Unlike the twenty
37:04
seventeen law, which centered on a large corporate tax cut
37:07
that conservatives believe juiced investment, this year's measure would primarily
37:13
show shower small amounts of cash on tens of millions
37:17
of households through reduced taxes and bigger deductions. The result
37:23
is a bill that many of the original supporters of
37:26
the twenty seventeen law see as an at least partially
37:30
missed opportunity. Provisions in the measure that conservatives believe increased growth,
37:36
including deductions for investments in new technology or businesses, are
37:41
in the House bill that they would require, but they
37:45
would expire in a few years at the current version.
37:48
The shift from benefits for corporations to benefits for individuals
37:53
complicates the difficult budget math facing Senate Republicans as they
37:58
take up the House passed package. The Trump administration has
38:02
blasted non partisan estimates that the tax law will add
38:06
trillions to the debt, arguing that such projections don't account
38:10
for the economic growth and therefore additional revenue the legislation
38:16
will generate. But the current proposal devotes far less money
38:20
to boosting growth than the twenty seventeen law, limiting the
38:24
amount of new economic output. Right leaning analysts believe it
38:28
will achieve. Expanding corporate facing provisions that might generate more growth,
38:33
as some Republican senators have proposed, would risk driving up
38:38
the bill's cost and may not prove feasible. Democrats and
38:42
liberal leaning analysts have raised far more objections to the
38:45
GOP tax bill, particularly to its proposed cuts to Medicaid
38:50
and food stamps. When the twenty seventeen tax law passed,
38:55
the conservative leaning Tax Foundation projected it would increase economic
38:59
outs put by one point seven percentage points. This year,
39:04
the think tank estimates the current legislation would increase growth
39:08
by zero point eight percentage points, roughly half as much,
39:13
despite being nearly one trillion dollars more expensive than Trump's
39:18
first term tax law. But it's difficult to say precisely
39:22
how much the twenty seventeen law ultimately boosted growth, in
39:27
part because the COVID pandemic disrupted the US economy for
39:31
obviously a few years. Trump campaigned on a politically motivated
39:36
carve outs, not tax reform, said Erica York, an economist
39:41
at the Tax Foundation. So lawmakers are stuck with this
39:45
math problem. How do we fulfill the president's tax promises
39:50
without compromising on growth? For now, they've compromised on growth.
39:57
Officially titled the One Big Beautiful Bill ROH, the tax
40:01
legislation moving through Congress is expected to become Trump's signature
40:06
legislative achievement, just as the twenty seventeen tax cut was
40:10
during his first term, but striking differences have emerged between
40:16
the two pieces of legislation because of changing politics in
40:19
the Republican Party. The twenty seventeen law centered on reducing
40:24
the tax rate for corporations from thirty five percent to
40:28
twenty one percent. Conservative policy analyst viewed that move as
40:33
necessary to boost economic growth and bring the United States
40:37
into the international average range for corporate tax rates. The
40:42
law included incentives to encourage firms to bring intellectual property
40:46
back to the US as well, but it also gave
40:50
Democrats what they viewed as one of their most potent
40:53
messages in the twenty eighteen and twenty twenty elections, fueling
40:57
their attacks on the GOP as the party of corporations
41:01
and the wealthy. By last year's presidential election, Trump had
41:07
pivoted to a revamped tax message. Rather than campaign on
41:12
simply extending the twenty seventeen provisions, he began proposing new
41:16
measures that were easier to sell to large groups of voters,
41:21
an end to taxes on tip in overtime and social Security,
41:27
and a tax deduction for interest on loans to buy
41:30
American made cars. He threw in other ideas as well
41:34
that were subsequently dropped, such as an end to income
41:37
taxes on Americans living abroad. Whereas most of the policies
41:42
in the twenty seventeen law had been developed over the
41:44
course of years by conservative think tanks in Washington, these
41:48
twenty twenty four proposals were met skeptically or openly criticized
41:54
by those same GOP friendly policy experts. Trump asti came
41:59
up with the idea of ending taxes on tips while
42:01
he was being served at his Las Vegas hotel. He
42:05
mused about further reductions on the corporate rate, but that
42:09
concept rarely played a role in his campaign speeches, and
42:13
it's since been dropped. The losers are people who want
42:18
circa twenty fifteen white paper tax policy. That's just not
42:22
where we are, said Leam Donovan, a GOP political analyst.
42:27
This is in twenty seventeen, when it was former House
42:30
Speaker Paul D. Ryan's show. There is no Republican audience
42:34
for that anymore. These more populist tax pledges may have
42:40
helped Trump return to the White House, but they created
42:44
hundreds of billions and new obligations for congressional Republicans tasked
42:48
with writing the bill, making it harder for them to
42:51
find room for pro growth policies without further busting the budget.
42:56
The problem for the GOP is that extending the twenty
42:59
s seventeen tax cuts for all income brackets is even
43:04
more than expensive than Trump's new pledges, potentially costing three
43:08
and a half trillion dollars in revenue over the next decade,
43:12
according to several think tanks. Stephen K. Bannon, the president's
43:17
chief strategist during his first term, argued for pairing back
43:21
the cost by allowing taxes on the rich to rise
43:25
to where they were before the twenty seventeen tax law,
43:29
but so far Congression Republicans have overwhelming or rejected that push. Meanwhile,
43:36
other parts of the bill include large giveaways that policy
43:40
analysts do not see as likely to increase economic growth.
43:44
The partial repeal of the cap on state and local
43:47
tax deductions cost hundreds of billions of dollars but will
43:52
do little to increased investment. Economists to both parties say
43:57
a provision changing the estate tax only apply to households
44:01
with fifteen million dollars or thirty million dollars for couples
44:06
is not aimed at generating higher output. The bill expands
44:10
a deduction for businesses formed has passed through entities that
44:15
rewards owners regardless of whether they've made new investments. The
44:19
story is how they've effectively ignored many of their policy experts,
44:24
said Kyle Pumerlo, and economist with the American Enterprise Institute,
44:29
a center right think tank. They failed to do any
44:33
significant tax reform. They failed to put on meaningful pro
44:38
growth policy. Instead, they primarily cut taxes for households. Defenders
44:45
of the legislation say the Trump administration delivers both on
44:49
populist promises and pro growth changes. Passage of the Big
44:54
Beautiful bill in the House brings US one step closer
44:58
to restoring the pro growth policies that produced Mourning again
45:02
in America under Ronald Reagan and will produce the new
45:06
Golden Age under Donald Trump. Representative Tom McClintock, Republican of
45:11
California said in a statement, and Senate Majority Leader John Thunne,
45:16
Republican of South Dakota, confronted with criticism by the legislation
45:20
by billionaire Elon Musk, said last week that the party
45:24
is aiming to make permanent the pro growth measures, such
45:27
as the deduction for research and development expenses. Other Republican
45:32
senators have made similar suggestions. Doing so, however, will only
45:38
increase the already immense pressure to reduce the cost of
45:42
the bill. The legislation does include several measures aimed at
45:46
increasing economic growth, said Don Schneider, deputy head of US
45:51
policy at Piper Sandler and the former chief economist of
45:55
the Houseways and Means Committee under gop. Schneider said the
45:59
provision to allow for deductions off expenses for equipment, research
46:04
and development costs, and manufacturing structures represent some of the
46:09
best growth that tax policy can deliver, but as a
46:13
general matter, they're not devoting a ton of new resources
46:17
to new policies. This is mainly an exercise and extensions,
46:22
which just limits the potential for changes. Schneider pointed out
46:26
that seven policies in the legislation, including the increased child
46:31
tax credit, the higher standard deduction, and the reduction for
46:36
car loan interest, are retroactive, meaning they deliver benefits for
46:41
prior behavior. Economists to both parties say tax cuts that
46:46
reward prior behavior do not incentivize new investment or economic output.
46:52
Those aren't pro growth, Schneider said, And the next story.
46:58
As disasters loom, emergency managers say they aren't counting on
47:03
FEMA preparation for the unknown was always Alan Harris's job
47:08
description as emergency manager for Seminole County, Florida, where thousands
47:13
of homes suffered flood damage during Hurricane Ian in twenty
47:17
twenty two. But as hurricane season begins this year, there's
47:22
a fresh layer of uncertainty to contend with. The Trump
47:26
administration has declared a desire to reshape a federal disaster
47:31
response system widely considered to be too complicated and winding,
47:36
and has already taken steps to upend it. Hundreds of
47:40
Federal Emergency Management Agency veterans have left the agency, and
47:45
those who remain will no longer go door to door
47:48
in search of disaster victims who need financial aid. According
47:52
to a memo obtained by The Washington Post, administration leaders
47:57
have floated other changes that could make it more difficult
48:00
for storm or fire stricken communities to qualify for public
48:04
assistance in the months and years ahead. After recent storms,
48:09
states have waited weeks or months for President Trump to
48:13
approve requests for the federal disaster assistance, far longer than usual.
48:19
The changes are casting doubt on what sort of assistance
48:23
the nation's emergency manisters can expect from FEMA, and whether
48:27
it will be able to handle the hurricanes, wildfires, and
48:31
tornadoes that are likely in the coming weeks and months.
48:36
Some experts say they even see signs that the agency
48:39
risks repeating mistakes that marred the response to Hurricane Katrina
48:44
and other disasters. For months, Trump has been explicit that
48:49
he expects state and local officials to shoulder more of
48:53
the burden of disaster response, even though it remains unclear
48:57
exactly what that looks like in practice. We've heard him
49:01
loud and clear, said Harris, who has approached the ambiguity
49:05
with new levels of preparation. Given the possibility that Seminole
49:09
County and Florida could be on the hook from more
49:13
than ever before should a disaster strike, the city is
49:17
considering hiring more temporary staffers, solidifying mutual aid agreements with
49:22
other governments, and locking down contracts for vendors who can
49:27
provide heavy equipment, temporary traffic signals, and other poststorm necessities.
49:34
The plan is this, we are planning that FEMA is
49:38
not coming. We pray that FEMA is, but our contingency
49:43
plan is that they aren't. Harris said. They may not
49:47
set up disaster recovery centers, they might not go door
49:51
to door to check on the most vulnerable, and we
49:53
may have to do that. Officials at the Department of
49:57
Homeland Security, which OVERSEE, said their goal is to transform FEMA,
50:03
known for bloated d seed centric dead weight, into a lean,
50:08
deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief
50:13
for their citizens. Homeland Security Secretary Christy Neuham has described
50:18
plans to eliminate FEMA as it exists today and shift
50:22
more controlled states, but emergency managers say it's not clear
50:27
what that will mean for them. States have already been
50:30
the ones to take the lead and guide FEMA assistance.
50:34
They say. Some were encouraged by a recent Trump budget
50:38
proposal that included twenty six and a half billion dollars
50:42
for disaster aid, four billion more than President Biden's last
50:46
budget request. At the same time, if the federal government
50:51
is shifting more responsibility to the states, there are questions
50:55
about whether some, especially more rural ones, will have the
51:00
wherewithal to respond to bigger disasters, said Irwin Redlinner, founding
51:05
director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University.
51:11
I don't think they have enough money or resources or
51:14
even expertise to backfill what would be lost if FEMA's
51:18
not around, he said. It's a very very fragile situation
51:22
of uncertainty for a lot of communities and states. States
51:26
already handled the brunt of most disasters, said Lynn Bud,
51:31
president of the National Emergency Management Association. In twenty twenty
51:36
three fiscal year, they took on the expense of some
51:39
twenty four thousand significant disasters. Bud said only sixty of
51:45
them were declared federal disasters, which is the first step
51:48
that enables FEMA aid to flow. She said, such declarations
51:53
are up to the President. In Wyoming, the state were
51:57
bud Leeds emergency management. A sparse population already makes it
52:03
hard for disasters to meet a threshold for public assistance
52:07
that is based on damage per capita, she said. FEMA
52:11
leaders have discussed changes that could nearly triple that threshold,
52:15
she said, which would make it even harder. I think
52:19
as emergency managers, we will do what we've always done,
52:23
prepare for the worst day and hope it doesn't come.
52:25
Bud said, where will they be when they call and say, hey,
52:31
where's the help? We think we probably won't know until
52:34
it happens. Some experts worry that turmoil and confusion within
52:40
FEMA could portend an especially dangerous disaster season, with massive
52:46
losses of institutional knowledge and signs of poor communication, not
52:51
just between states and the federal government, but within the
52:54
administration itself. For example, CNN reported last week that the
53:00
White House has approved requests for federal disaster assistance without
53:04
immediately notifying FEMA. Samantha Montano, a disaster expert and Assistant
53:11
Professor of Emergency Management at the Massachusetts Marine at Maritime
53:15
Academy said she sees risk that mistakes from some of
53:19
the nation's worst disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, which at
53:23
twenty years ago in August, could soon repeat. That storm
53:28
exposed flaws in the country's approach to disaster management, Montano said,
53:33
including confusion about FEMA's role versus that of the state
53:36
and local governments. That FEMA's leader attacked emergency management experience,
53:42
and that the agency didn't have a direct line to
53:45
the White House. Recent turmoil suggests similar circumstances could be
53:51
in place, she said. Since Katrina, federal law has required
53:57
FEMA's leader to have specific experience in emergency management, something
54:02
experts said. Both of the agency's interim administrators this year
54:06
have lacked. Cameron Hamilton led FEMA on an acting basis
54:12
until Trump pushed him out last month. Then David Richardson,
54:16
who replaced him, sparked concern among emergency managers and Democrats
54:22
for a recent comment suggesting he didn't know there was
54:25
a defined hurricane season. Administration officials said he was joking
54:32
ahead of hurricane season. FEMA is fully activated, Homeland Security
54:37
official said, and statement old FEMA processes are being replaced
54:41
because they failed Americans in real emergencies for decades, they added.
54:48
Emergency managers and experts agree that FEMA has long been
54:52
in need of change checks and balances to ensure money
54:56
is getting to people who need it most. Have created
54:59
such a c complex system, then it can take as
55:02
long as a decade for FEMA to conclude its work
55:05
on some of the biggest disasters, Bud said. But until
55:10
the strategy becomes clear to fix that, local emergency managers
55:15
are left to do what they have always done, prepare
55:18
for the worst and hope for the best. In Florida's
55:22
Penellas County, where experts have long feared a hurricane charging
55:26
up Tampa Bay, preparations are proceeding as usual, even as
55:30
recovery from previous storms continues. Spokesman David Connor said officials
55:36
there have not reviewed or discussed how any FEMA policy
55:39
proposals could affect disaster response. He said, I can tell
55:44
you that we have a dedicated county staff plugged into
55:48
a diverse network of state, local and community partners. Connor said.
55:53
In Texas, emergency managers gathered in record numbers in late
55:58
May for what officials call the country's largest conference of
56:01
its kind, with more than forty two hundred attendees from
56:05
forty five states and six countries, including representatives from the
56:09
federal government. Texas Emergency Management Chief W. Kim Nidd said
56:15
in a statement that it's never been more important to
56:18
foster strong coordination among government agencies, private partners, and the
56:23
public to safeguard our communities. Ryan Wilkinson, the emergency manager
56:29
for Eton County, Michigan, has said he has watched the
56:33
up people at FEMA with unease. In twenty twenty three,
56:37
his one hundred and ten thousand person county was among
56:41
nine that were hit hard by severe storms, which in
56:44
his county included a dangerous wind event and in other
56:47
places devastating tornadoes. In its wake, FEMA worked with state
56:52
and local officials to set up a disaster recovery center
56:56
and began to get people access to federal assistance programs. Now,
57:00
on top of worries about what the next disaster will bring,
57:04
there are worries about who will be there to help.
57:08
Local and state officials are always the first line of
57:12
preparedness and planning, he added, but in an era where
57:18
in extreme weather events are becoming more intense and more frequent.
57:23
The federal government's role is as essential as ever. Disasters
57:29
are locally executed, they are state managed, and if they
57:34
get big enough, they are federally supported. Wilkinson said, we
57:40
still need the federal part of that. It is a
57:43
critical piece. But whether or not that critical piece arrives,
57:48
Hare said, he will do his best to be ready.
57:51
The uncertainty is certainly not comforting. I would like to
57:56
know that it's going to happen, he said, But that's
57:59
my my whole career to plan for the unplanned. And
58:05
this concludes the reading of the Washington Post for today, Monday,
58:09
June ninth. Your reader for today has been Rod Brotherton.
58:13
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions concerning the program,
58:17
please feel free to call us at eight five nine
58:20
four two two sixty three ninety. Thank you as always
58:24
for listening, and now please stay tuned for continuing programming
58:29
right here on Radio LI