Transcript

4.9.26 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of Today's Washington Post for Thursday,
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April the ninth of twenty twenty six. Your reader is
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Alice Stainer, with the reminder that RADIOI is for those
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blind or having other difficulties holding and reading printed material.
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So I will start with today's front page. And the
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most of the front top is taken up with a
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picture of Beirut, and it's in You see people in
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military clothing with bombed buildings and a background. You see
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AK forty seven's on somebody's chest with a belt around it,
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green beret sell a palm tree on the left hand side.
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But the picture article is in titled Israel killed scores
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in Beirut. Barrage Lebanon is not part of two week
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suspension of attacks, US says Mohammed al Chama, and Ellen
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Francis out of Beirut. To the right of that is
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an article fragile cease fire under threat as accusations fly,
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Tehran warns him. A polite of talks sides far apart
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on key issues. Hermus is still snarled out of Jerusalem
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by Sammy Westfall, Natalie Allison, Evan Halver Helper, Susannah George
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and terror cop Below that article is Trump's brickmanships fuels
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debate on credibility morality by Isaac Arnsdorf. Below the fold,
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no quick retreat on prices for fuel, air travel, strawberries.
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Americans will continue paying more because of higher energy costs
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by Rachel Lherman. And then he's cute, He's rare, He's
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the biggest star of the Masters. An adorable garden gnome
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is the golf tournament's hottest souvenir. With rumors of his
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demise swirling, he may be harder to get than ever.
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And there is a picture of the Masters knowme. This
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is behold the twenty twenty six Masters garden Gnome seen
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this week in Augusta, Georgia, during the final round of
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the Augusta National Women's Amateur Golf Tournament. Is it the last?
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And it's in the box? And you see what's the
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size of a garden gnome with an umbrella and a
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cup of coffee. He's got on khaki pants, doesn't have
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on tennis shoes, golf shoes with the spikes showing at
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the bottom, vest of black with a zipper on it,
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and a belt. He's got the signature mustache and hair.
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And he is in his box with the signature green
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and white golf umbrella and a Master's of signature golf
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coffee cup in it. And that is the article on
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the front page, and I will start reading the next one.
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First article airstrikes, Turmoil and straight of Hormuz in peril
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ceasefire with Iran. Iran accused the US and Israel of
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violating the truths and threatened to withdraw all from negotiations.
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Israeli attacks in Lebanon were a major point of dispute.
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And you see signs with hands off Iran, no war
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with Iran, Hands off Iran, no war with Iran. And
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these are demonstrators protesting the military action in Iran outside
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the White House on Tuesday, Big manners one with a
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peace symbol in red Rainian flag flying by Sammy Westfall,
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Natalie Allison, Evan Halper, Susannah George, and Tara Coppe out
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of Jerusalem. A two week agreement to halt US Israeli
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attacks on Iran was under threat from multiple directions. Wednesday,
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Iran accused the United States a violating the ceasefire Israel
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widespread strikes in Lebanon. Iran conducted retaliatories, attacks in the
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Persian Gulf region and traffic in the Strait of Homews
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remained at a standstill. Ran might withdraw from talks if
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violations of the ceasefire continued, Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher
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Ghalif said in a statement Wednesday, which detailed apparent breaches
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of the agreement, including Israeli attacks in Lebanon, a drone
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and recepted in Iran, and what he said was President
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Donald Trump's denial of Iran's right to enrich uranium less
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than twenty four hours since Trump announced the ceasefire, its
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future remains tenuous, with the two sides slated to begin
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talks in Pakistan on Saturday after nearly six weeks of
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fighting that has destabilized the region and up ended the
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global economy. The agreement raised the prospect of respite, but
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some of the CeaseFire's key details are unclear, and gaps
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between Washington and Tehran and their respective ten and fifteen
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point plans remain large. One point of divergence is the
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war in Lebanon. In an initial announcement of the deal Tuesday,
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Pakistani Prime Minister Shiba Sharif, who mediated between the sides
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said it included Israel's campaign against Hesbolah in Lebanon. Trump
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made no mention of Lebanon, Hesbola or Iranian regional proxies
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in his own ceasefire announcements late Tuesday night. Tehran said
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the cessation of strikes on Hesbola were included in its
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demands for the deal, but the office of Israeli Prime
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Minister Benjamin Nate Yahoo said Wednesday that a tax in
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Lebanon were not covered in the agreement. Talking to reporters
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Wednesday at the White House, Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said
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that Iran had indicated a willingness to give up uranium
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as part of an agreement, and that Lebanon was not
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part of a seasfile. Later Wednesday, Vice President j. D.
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Vance told reporters in Budapest, where he was visiting. I
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think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding. I think the
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Iranians thought that the seasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn't.
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The status of the Strait of Hammus, a key choke
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point for fuel shipments, also remains to be negotiated. Trump
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demanded in a social media post that our Grand gree
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agreed to its capitals and bold, complete, idiot and safe opening,
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but traffic in the strait remained at a standstill on Wednesday,
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according to Iran state backed media and marine traffic monitors.
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While two tankers passed through early in the day with permission,
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traffic has since stopped reported for as an Iranian state
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backed outlet. The agreed upon pause came as the war's
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economic and political fallout, including a near doubling of gasoline
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prices in the United States and a falling presidential approval rating.
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As midterm elections, Neil had begun to mont stock futures
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surged and oil prices pledged. Following the CEASEFIA announcement, Israel
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said that it supported Trump's decision, according to a statement
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published overnight by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
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Natan Yahoo, but that the temporary truce did not extend
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to its assault on Hesbelah, the Iranian backed militant group
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that Israel has been fighting in South Lebanon with increasing ferocity.
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Israel described its attacks in Lebanon Wednsday as the largest
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yet in its current offensive against Hesbelah. The Lebanese Health
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Ministry said at least one hundred and eighty two people
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had been killed in an initial toll from israel least
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strikes across the country. At the Pentagon on Wednesday, Defense
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Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan Kin, chairman of the
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Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that US military operations against
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Iran will pause as the ceasefire plays out. The Joint
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Force remains ready if ordered or called upon to resume
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combat operations. Kin said the war has been devastating for Iran,
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with more than fifteen thousand US and Israeli strikes destrawing factories, bridges,
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and research facilities in addition to the attacks that hit
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military installations and government complexes. As of last month, the
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conflict had killed nearly fifteen thousand civilians. According to a
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report from a consortium of human rights groups, Iran attacks
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killed thirteen US troops in the region and injured more
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than three hundred and eighty Iran's attacks against its Persian
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Gulf neighbors continued Wednesday. Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates
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said they intercepted Iranian drones and missiles. The Iranian state
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broadcasters said the attacks were in response to a strike
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on an Iranian refrainery in the morning. Over the course
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of the war, Iran expanded its control over the Strait
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of Hormuz, granting passage to a handful of tankers required
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to coordinate their passage with the military, and collecting tolls. Now,
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Tehran appears to be attempting to formalize that control under
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the ceasefire. An Iranian official said Iran and Oman will
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provide security for the Strait of Hermus during the ceasefire,
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and tolls collected by Iran will pay for that security.
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He declined to say how much the tolls would be,
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speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not
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authorized to breathe the media. Is unclear if the United
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States agreed to this arrangement as part of a ceasefire.
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Iran's Persian golf neighbors have previously voiced strong opposition to
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any arrangement that allows Tehran to monetize the strait. Vance
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is expected to play a prominent role in talks with Iran.
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After helping boost the re election campaign of Hungarian Prime
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Minister of victor Orbonn in Budapest Tuesday, Vance repeatedly called
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the ceasefire with Iran of fragile troops on Wednesday, and
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said Trump was impatient to make progress. Vance said Trump
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had told him told him Secretary of State Marco Rubio
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and Special Envoy Steve Wikkoff to go and work in
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good faith to come to an agreement with the Iranians,
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But he said Trump also instructed them that if the
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Iranians lie or cheat or interfere with the two weeks ceasefire,
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then they're not going to be happy with the outcome
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of the talks. Talks in Islamabad are expected to address
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the highly enriched uranium believed to be buried at one
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or more of Iran's nuclear sites attacked by the United
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States last year. Speaking at the Pentagon on Wednesday, hag
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Seth said on the uranium, we're watching it. He said
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that we know what they have, and they will give
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it up and we'll get it and take it. The
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Pentagon has military plans in place to seize that uranium.
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Two people familiar with the planning have told The Washington
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Post that mission, which would require special forces, is highly
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complex and dangerous and could result in additional troop deaths.
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According to those people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity,
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because they were not authorized to talk to the press.
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As the announcement of a two week ceasefire in Iran
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sent oil prices plunging, analysts warned that the relief could
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be short lived unless a durable plan for securing the
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flow of crude through the strait is quickly reached. Prices
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for oil dropped more than three fifteen percent on news
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of the ceasefile, which includes a provision to allow limited
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transit of tankers through the narrow Strait, where they have
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idled since the war began. At the end of February,
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BNT crude, the global benchmark for oil, was trading at
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less than ninety two dollars Wednesday morning. The drop means
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the average price for a gallon of gasoline could gradually
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start to fall by the end of the week. According
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to analyst, gas prices could start reversing nationally in forty
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eight hours or so, by a few cents every day.
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Patrick Dahan, head of the petroleum analysis at the price
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tracking gap app gas Buddy, wrote in a post on
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x after the ceasefire was announced, diesel prices may lag slightly,
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but where things stand now these is no capital no
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longer likely to reach a record national average gasoline could
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fall below four dollars in one to two weeks, diesel
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faur five dollars in six to eight weeks. The average
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price that the pump had risen to four dollars and
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sixteen since nationally by Monday morning, according to Triple A,
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up forty percent since before the US attacked the run.
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It is expected to continue to rise slightly in the
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next couple of days as filling stations worked through their
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inventories of gasoline acquired before prices started falling. Some prices
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related to the pressures on oil could take much longer
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to start coming down. The International Air Transport Association warned
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it could be months before the cost of jet fuel
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returns to where it was. The firm Capital Economics Project
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projects oil prices will average around ninety five dollars per
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barrel into the summer, before dropping to eighty dollars per
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barrel by the end of the year. The firm also
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expects inflation pushed up by the wall, to continue rising
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in the short term. Analysts further cautioned that any relief
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could be short lived depending on the outcome of talks.
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Arrange's ten point plan looks like an unacceptable deal for
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the US and others too, said Neil Crosby, head of
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oil research at Sparta, a market research firm. He said
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the two countries are so far apart that there is
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only a small chance that transits into hormus will be
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allowed to rise to anything substantial enough to make a
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dent in the problem. Leaders across the Middle East East,
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whose countries have been caught up in the destabilizing war,
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welcomed the pause in fighting Wednesday and thanked Pakistan for
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its rule as a mediator. Israeli opposition Mea Yarra Lapid,
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posting on x lamented Israel's lack of involvement in Trump's decision.
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There has never been such a political disaster in all
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our history, Lapid said, Israel wasn't even at the table
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when decisions were made about Israel's national security. Lapid said
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net Nyahu failed politically, failed strategically, and didn't meet a
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single one of the goals that he himself set. Trump's
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Aran brinkmanship reaches truce, escalates backlash at home. The president
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this ultimatum drew condemnation across the political spectrum and intensified
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open debate about his credibility, morality, and sanity. And there's
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a picture President Donald Trump speaking to reporters that are
18:15
briefing on Monday. And you see the flag on his
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left in the background with the White House symbol behind him,
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his white hair looking pretty nice, and his hands spread
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a party as he always does. He's got on a
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traditional blue suit with the lapel American flag, but this
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time he has a blue and white tie on, very
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different from his normal red tie. By Isaac Arnsdorf. During
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the twenty twenty four presidential campaign, Donald Trump privately told
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donus about one of his favorite negotiating tactics, recounting at
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a New York fundraiser in May how he would deter
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Chinese or Russian aggression by threatening to bomb Beijing or Moscow.
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He thought I was crazy, Trump said, of Chinese leader
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Xing Zipping's response, he didn't believe me except ten percent,
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and ten percent is all you need. That story, which
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has not been confirmed by Russia or Chinese officials, speaks
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how Trump has approached foreign adversaries using unpredictability and the
19:34
threat of catastrophic escalation to gain leverage. In a twist
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on Richard M. Nixon's Madman theory. Trump has made shocking
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threats he believes adversaries cannot afford to dismiss. As president,
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he threatened to pulte of NATO in twenty eighteen, raised
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tariffs in twenty twenty five, and take over Greenland earlier
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this year. Trump put the tactic to the riskiest test
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yet with Tuesdays ultimatum that a whole civilization will die tonight,
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which yielded a two week ceasefire in Iran and an
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assurance that the country's leaders would let oil tankers through
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the Strait of Hormuz. Supporters said the outcome demonstrated that
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Trump's method worked. President Trump is doing what he does,
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Andrew Covet, host of The Charlie Kirk Show, said on
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the air Tuesday before Trump announced this suspension of strikes
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on Iran. This is why he is the elected president.
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I think he's loocid and in control. Trump's threat to
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wipe out a whole civilization raised the possibility that he
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would go even beyond his earlier warning to attack civilian infrastructure,
20:57
which violates the laws of war. Post set off nuclear
21:01
panic and drew condemnation across the political spectrum and fueled
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open debate about his credibility, morality, and sanity. The President's
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threat is that a whole civilization will die tonight cannot
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be excused away as an attempt to gain leverage in
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negotiations with Iran. Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, said
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in a statement on Tuesday, adding, this type of rhetoric
21:30
is an affront to the ideals of our nation has
21:33
sought to uphold and promote around the world for nearly
21:37
two hundred and fifty years. It undermines a longstanding role
21:42
as a global beacon of freedom and directly in dangers
21:46
Americans both home and abroad. The White House portrayed the
21:52
truce as a step toward definitely or definitively ending the
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war within six weeks, not just a third extension of
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Trump's demand to release the estimated one fifth of the
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world's energy supplies that transit the narrow Waterway out of
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the Persian Gulf. From the very beginning of Operation Epic Fury,
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President Trump estimated this would be a four to six
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week operation. The success of our military created maximum leverage,
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allowing President Trump and the team to engage in tough
22:30
negotiations that have now created an opening for a diplomatic
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solution and long term peace. White House Press Secretary Caroline
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Levitt said Tuesday night, Levitt's had officials would make more
22:45
details available Wednesday morning. Aron's government also portrayed the deal
22:50
as a victory and is demanding a role in supervising
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passage through the Strait of Homuz, which it did not
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have before the war. In a brief statement issued early
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Wednesday local time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Natzinahu said he
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supported Trump's decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks,
23:13
subject to Iran immediately opening the straits and stopping all
23:18
traffic attacks on the US Israelan countries in the region. However,
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Netnyatu Yahoo said that ceasefire did not include Lebanon. US
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officials argued that they have achieved their military objectives, one
23:36
of which was ensuring Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon.
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The country maintains its supply of enriched eranium and has
23:45
not agreed to surrender it. They also said it was
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a victory to open the Strait of Hamuz, which was
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opened before the United States and Israel attacked Iran on
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February twenty eighth. The White House has no longer discusses
24:01
Trump's earlier demands for unconditional torrender and overthrowing the Iranian government.
24:08
There is no military solution to the conflict right now,
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Joe K. Trump's counter terrorism advisor, who resigned last month
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in protest of the war, said in an online video
24:21
after the president's announcement Tuesday night, adding every action that
24:25
we've taken militarily has only strengthened the regime, and it's
24:30
done a lot to destabilize the entire region. The White
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House on Tuesday took the extraordinary step of specifying that
24:39
the administration was not considering using nuclear weapons, after Vice
24:44
President J. D. Bantz, speaking in Hungary, discussed tools in
24:49
our toolkit that we so are haven't decided to use.
24:55
Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor, Green, Republican of Georgia, called Trump
25:00
threat evil and madness. Tuckle Carson, the former Fox News
25:05
host who maintains a large following online, accused Trump of
25:09
desecrating Sunday's Easter holiday with a profane social media post
25:16
and of being willing to commit a moral crime. Robert George,
25:22
a Princeton University professor, who was until November a trustee
25:26
of the Heritage Foundation, said military officers should refuse in
25:32
order to attack civilians. Prominent economist or In Cass called
25:37
the threat a strategic and moral disaster that would either
25:41
make Trump look foolish for backing off, or have immediate,
25:45
irreversible and catastrophic consequences if he followed through. The Pope
25:51
weighed in too, this is truly unacceptable, Leo the fourteenth
25:58
born in Chicago. As Robert Post total reporters on Tuesday,
26:03
the war has killed thirteen American service members, dozens of Israelis,
26:08
and thousands of Iranian civilians. It has also depleted US
26:13
weapons stockpiles, spiked gas prices, alienated European allies, and lowered
26:20
Trump's approval ratings. Trump campaigned as a peace candidate, promising
26:26
to end fighting in Gaza and Ukraine while keeping the
26:30
US out of open ended commitments in the Middle East
26:34
like the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. On Monday, Trump
26:39
repeated his desire to receive a Nobel Peace Prize in
26:42
the same briefing that he said he would bomb Iran
26:45
into the Stone Angels. In addition to criticism from supporters
26:51
who said they voted against new Wars. Trump also faced
26:55
backlash from war hawks who suspect Iran of playing Trump
26:59
for time. This offer from the Muslim country Pakistan is
27:04
another worthless, dangerous delaying tactic that Iran is famous for.
27:09
Morton Klein, the president of the Zionist Organization of America
27:13
and a Trump supporter, said on Tuesday, the US dare
27:18
not delay any further. Conservative radio host Eric Erickson, who
27:25
is sometimes critical of Trump, said the President had little
27:29
to show for his greatmanship. Credit where is due. The President,
27:34
through his outlandish tweaks that are absolutely or beneath the
27:38
dignity of the leader of the free world, has a
27:41
two week ceasefire with Iran, he wrote on social media, adding,
27:46
now Iran has two weeks to get weapons and supplies
27:50
from Russia and China, put in some anti aircraft batteries,
27:53
and prepare for Round two. Wills come down for gas,
28:02
air travel, and strawberries. Once the strait of Hermews opens,
28:07
it could take months to see significant relief at the pump.
28:13
The Rachel Laherman and there's a picture of a US
28:19
Postal Service mailbox at the White House. The Postal Service
28:23
is adding an eight percent fee on some packages because
28:28
of higher fuel costs, American consumers have started to feel
28:34
their budgets squeezed beyond gas prices from the US Israeli
28:38
war in Iran. As energy costs have begun to pressure shipping, transportation, agriculture,
28:45
and airline prices. With President Donald Trump on Tuesday announcing
28:50
a suspension of US attacks and around for two weeks,
28:54
the big question is when will prices come down. The
28:59
price of rent crude oil, a global benchmark, plunged immediately
29:04
after the announcement. Gas prices are expected to follow. While
29:09
gas prices now four point sixteen dollars per gallon, have
29:14
been the most visible impact of the conflict, energy prices
29:19
are also sending jet fuel prices skyrocketing, leading airlines to
29:23
find ways to make up those costs. Plus, the agricultural
29:28
sector is under pressure from higher transportation fees and fertilizer prices.
29:35
Gas prices could take months to fall significantly. Early Wednesday morning,
29:41
the global benchmark of rent crude oil had fallen more
29:45
than fifteen percent to close at ninety two dollars a barrel,
29:49
later creeping up to around ninety five dollars, but nonetheless
29:53
a fall that suggests reliefs that the prompt could be coming.
29:58
Prices have been up of the past month because the
30:01
critical Strait of Hormuz, a main thoroughfare for the world's
30:05
oil supply, has remained effectively closed to marine traffic. The
30:10
Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf
30:13
of Oman. Gas prices could start to ease, somewhat influenced
30:19
by falling global prices for crude oil, but significant energy
30:24
price relief will depend on negotiations progressing and resumed normal
30:29
levels of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Jeffrey Roach,
30:35
chief economists for LPL Financial, said there is reason to
30:40
be optimistic with some key caveats. Roach wrote in a
30:45
Wednesday analysis, note, we cannot ignore the lingering second order
30:51
effects on the global economy, so investors should continue to
30:57
watch how GLO geopolitical risks may affect wholesale prices, growth,
31:03
and financing conditions. We should still expect inflation to run
31:09
a bit hotter this month, but the outlook has clearly
31:13
improved with this cease fire. Before the announcement, the US
31:19
Energy Information Administration had suggested that it could take months
31:23
before the reopening of the Strait leads to lower energy prices.
31:27
According to a forecast Tuesday, The report suggested that if
31:33
the Strait opens by May, some capacity we returned slowly
31:38
as maritime traffic picks up again and Middle Eastern producers
31:42
return to normal capacity, oil supplies would return to close
31:49
to pre conflict levels in late twenty twenty six. Even
31:54
when the price of crude oil falls, pump prices often
31:58
remain elevated for a while. This pattern is so common,
32:03
especially with gas prices, that economists have a name for
32:07
it rockets and feathers when crude oil. When crude prices jump,
32:13
pump prices tend to rise like a rocket, But when
32:17
crude prices fall, pump prices tend to descendently like a feather.
32:26
Flights and checking bags are getting costlier until such relief
32:32
takes hold. Jet fuel prices are expected to remain elevated
32:37
after surging more than eighty seven percent since the day
32:41
before the war began, according to Airlines for America's Argus
32:46
US Jet Fuel Index. Airlines have been searching for ways
32:51
to make up those rising cost High affairs are showing
32:55
up in searches and slum Global airlines are canceling flights.
33:00
Several airlines, including Southwest, United, Jet Blue, and Delta, have
33:06
raised their checked baggage fees in recent weeks in response
33:10
to the spikes. Delta, Southwest and United increased their fees
33:15
by ten dollars for the first and second checked bag,
33:19
and Jet Blue pumped up its speed between four dollars
33:23
and nine dollars. Airlines try not to raise fares too much,
33:29
so charging more for bags or other ancillary items is
33:33
a way to keep sticker shock off ticket prices, said
33:37
Robert Mann, president of the aviation consulting firm rw Man
33:42
and Company. Still, the increased fares and volatile prices might
33:48
give people second thoughts about flying for vacation, said Dan Bob,
33:54
a professor in residence at the University of Nevada at
33:57
Las Vegas and a commercial aviation expert. This is where
34:03
people are going to start having second thoughts, he said,
34:07
because they're going to look at their budget and say,
34:09
can I afford this? Surcharges are hitting the shipping industry
34:16
as fuel, especially diesel, remains more expensive. The cost of
34:21
transporting goods around the country has gone up. Shippers have
34:25
added fuel surch charges to cover the cost. Amazon added
34:30
a three point five percent fuel and logistics search charge
34:34
for third party sellers, and the US Postal Service said
34:37
it would be imposed an eight percent fee on some
34:40
package shipments. Diesel prices are up more than two dollars
34:45
per gallon from a year ago, hitting a national average
34:49
of nearly five dollars and sixty seven cents early Wednesday.
34:54
Ups and fed X have serve charges that adjust regularly
34:58
in response to fuel cost cost and prices have gone up,
35:02
hitting a broad array of business clients who passed those
35:06
costs along the customers of consumers, as well as American
35:10
shipping packages directly. Meal delivery service Blue Apron recently sent
35:17
a note to customers saying it would raise menu prices
35:20
in response to transportation and shipping prices increasing. The company
35:27
wrote in the email, that's affecting both how our ingredients
35:32
get to us and how we get your meals to you.
35:36
Blue Apron said. One Washington Post reporters saw a price
35:43
quoted Tuesday for creamy roasted red pepper pasta of eighteen
35:47
dollars and ninety eight cents for two servings, up sixty
35:51
cents from an order placed last month. In a statement,
35:55
a Blue Apron spokesperson said the company remains focused on
35:59
balancing affordability with the cost of running a sustainable business. Berries, milk,
36:07
and meat could get more expensive as long as fewer
36:11
prices remain elevated. Grocery prices on shelves are also expected
36:16
to increase in coming months as the effects of rising
36:20
energy and fertilizer costs filter down to consumers. The first
36:26
items to see those upticks could be perishable foods such
36:32
as berries, dairy, and meat, which often require refrigeration during transportation.
36:40
The price of oil impacts transportation cost as well as
36:44
packaging costs for food, and though the US is a
36:48
major producer of fertilizer, the global price is still rising,
36:54
which could eventually affect what farmers here pay. Food prices
37:01
at the retail end are a little more buffered, said
37:05
David Ortago, a food economist and a professor at Michigan
37:10
State University. That doesn't mean we aren't going to feel
37:15
the effect. There's just a lag still the prices. The
37:22
price increases shouldn't be as bad as during the inflationary
37:26
run up of twenty twenty two, he said. When the
37:30
Russian worn Ukraine caused prices to spike going inside the paper.
37:37
Now Bondy won't testify before hosts about Epstein fils do
37:44
Ojay says. Some House members say they still intend to
37:48
pursue the subpoena of former Attorney General Pam Bondi despite
37:53
her firing last week by Jeremy Roebuck. Former Attorney General
37:59
Pam Bondi will not appear on Capitol Hill next week
38:02
for scheduled testimony about the Justice Department's investigation of convicted
38:10
sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Department officials said Wednesday, but House
38:16
Republicans signaled that she may not be off the hook yet.
38:21
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted last month
38:26
to subpoena Bondy after several Republican members joined by Democrats,
38:31
soured on the Justice Department's handling of the congressionally mandated
38:35
release of millions of pages of material from its Epstein bounds.
38:40
The committee had scheduled Bondi's appearance for April fourteenth, but
38:45
in a letter to commit chairman to Committee Chairman James
38:50
Coma Republican Kentucky, on Wednesday, Department officials said Bondy would
38:55
not show up, and cited President Donald Trump's decision to
39:00
fire her last week. The letter argued that Bondi had
39:04
been subpoenaed in her official capacity as Attorney General, a
39:08
job she no longer holds. We kindly ask that you
39:13
confirm that subpoena is withdrawn, Assistant Attorney General Patrick Davis
39:19
wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The Washington Post.
39:23
The decision presented the latest obstacle to Congress's efforts to
39:27
press Trump administration officials on their compliance with the law
39:31
passed last year that required the Justice Department to make
39:36
public its files on Epstein. Lawmakers on both sides of
39:40
the OWL have accused the Department of missing deadlines to
39:44
release material in its possession, failing to completely shield victim's
39:49
personal information, and redacting key details to protect prominent people
39:55
in Epstein's circle. Epstein died in federal custody twenty nineteen.
40:02
The Committee will contact Pam Bondi's personal counsel to discuss
40:08
next steps regarding scheduling her deposition. It read Bundy has
40:15
faced intense scrutiny for her oversight of the Justice Department's
40:19
efforts to release its Epstein files. Her handling of the
40:24
matter played a role in Trump's decision to remove her
40:27
from her cabinet level post last week. The Post has
40:31
reported the President has fumed for months as the Epstein
40:36
material continued to drive headlines and divide his own party.
40:41
Bondy has broadly defended the agency's work and its efforts
40:45
to comply with the law in previous testimony before Congress.
40:50
While she has fielded questioning over Epstein during the last
40:54
two pre prior congressional hearings, members of the Oversi Committee
40:59
voted in markin to once again compel her testimony, a
41:02
move that caught Coma off guard. That push was led
41:07
by Representatives Nancy Mace, represented Republican of South Carolina, and
41:12
wrote Conna Democrat of California, who said Wednesday that they
41:17
would continue to call for Bondi's appearance before the committee.
41:22
The removal of Pam Bondi as Attorney General does not
41:25
diminish the committee's legitimate oversight interest in seeking her sworn
41:30
testimony or the need for countability and information about files
41:34
withheld from the public by the DOJ, they wrote in
41:39
a letter to Coma, adding, on the contrary, it makes
41:43
her sworn testimony. Even more important, Representative Robert Garcia, the
41:50
committee's top democrat, threatened more decisive action. He said in
41:56
a statement, she must come in to testify immediately. If
42:01
she defies the subpoena, we will begin contempt charges in Congress.
42:07
The survivors deserve justice. A Justice Department spokesperson said the
42:13
agency remains committed to working cooperatively with the Committee. Bindy
42:20
did not immediately respond to request for comment. Wednesday, EPA
42:28
chief praises group for opposing government action on climate change.
42:36
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zelden said in his speech
42:42
to Heartland Institute, a climate denial group, it is a
42:46
day to celebrate vindication by Jake Spring. Environmental Protection Agency
42:54
Administrator Lee Zelden delivered the keynote speech at a Wednesday
42:59
meeting of the Heartland Institute, a group that challenges the
43:04
overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change's harmful impacts and the
43:11
need to curb greenhouse gas emissions that cause it. Zelden,
43:16
who is also seen as a candidate to be President
43:20
Donald Trump's next attorney general, praise the conservative group for
43:25
its work in the two thousands to question the predicted
43:29
impacts of climate change and depose government action on climate change.
43:37
It's controversial that we won't sign up for the script
43:41
that the world is imminently about to end. Today, all
43:46
of you gathered here in DC is a moment to celebrate.
43:51
It's a day to celebrate vindication, Zelden said at the
43:55
group's sixteenth International Conference on Climate Change in Washington. Zelden
44:02
told the gathering at the Hotel Washington that the agency
44:06
was doing its part to implement Trump's agenda, highlighting the
44:11
February repeal of the EPA's most critical policy for combating
44:16
climate change, known as the Endangerment Finding. That repeal simultaneously
44:24
eliminated any EPA curves on greenhouse gas emissions from cars.
44:31
Joanna Sliney, vice president of Political government Affairs at the
44:35
Environmental Defense Fund, an advocacy group, criticized Selden in the
44:41
group for denying the reality of climate change when its
44:45
toll is so apparent. Lee Zelden is executing on the
44:51
playbook of denial written by the Heartland Institute. The cost
44:56
of climate change are piling up like the debris after
45:00
a disaster. Energy prices and insurance premiums are soaring. People's
45:06
health and safety are suffering, Sliney said. Denial isn't making
45:13
weather less extreme, It's not bringing the cost of health care, electricity,
45:18
and insurance down. It's not making anyone safer. She added.
45:26
The Agabiscus's group affiliate edf Action put up posters outside
45:32
the event to protest the speech with images of smokestacks
45:36
and forest fires. The Heartland Institute is long campaign for
45:41
rescinding the Endangerment finding, with some conservatives affiliated with the
45:46
group criticizing the first Trump administration but not seeking to
45:50
roll it back. Unlike the first term, President Trump now
45:56
has people like Administrator Zelden who are actually entered jetic
46:00
promoters of the President's program, said Meyron Ebel, who led
46:06
Trump's EPA transition team going into the first term and
46:10
as a frequent speaker at Heartland Institute's annual conference. I
46:15
give Zelden a lot of credit for the energy and
46:18
the ambition he's brought to the job, but ultimately it
46:22
all comes from the President, Ebel said, adding he is
46:26
really pushing the deregulatory agenda because he understands what it
46:31
can do to rebuild the American economy and spur growth.
46:36
Trump has privately discussed possibly nominating Zelden to replace former
46:40
Attorney General Pambondi. A person familiar with the matter total
46:44
the Washington Post last week that would put Zeldon in
46:48
position of overseeing the Justice Department lawyers defending repeal of
46:53
dozens of environmental regulations he oversaw at EPA, including those
46:58
on powerplant greenhouse gas, and mercury emissions, and of the
47:03
deadly air pollution. At EPA, he has pursued an aggressive
47:07
strategy to quickly repeal the rules, with the nim of
47:11
receiving final rulings from the Supreme Court before the end
47:15
of the Trump term. Zelden agreed to speak at Heartland
47:19
weeks before Bondy was ousted last week. Historically EPA chiefs
47:26
do not have not had a future in elected political office,
47:30
but Zelden, as a young and ambitious former congressman, could
47:34
be angling to change that, Ebel said. Ebell said, Zelden
47:40
needs to move up in the cabinet, and he really
47:43
is thinking about positioning himself to run for national office
47:48
or to be picked for Vice president. Trump administration expected
47:54
to slash around war funding request. The eventual ask of
48:01
Congress is likely to fall between eighty billion and one
48:05
hundred billion dollars, officials said, less than half the amount
48:09
of an earlier proposal to offset the cost of the
48:13
conflict by Noah Robertson and Riley Began. The Trump administration
48:19
is expected to significantly scale back its plan to seek
48:23
additional funding for the war and Iran ahead of what
48:27
is likely to be a contentious fight over the request
48:31
in Congress. According to US officials and others familiar with
48:34
the matter, the total, which as of Tuesday had not
48:39
been finalized, is likely to fall to between eighty and
48:43
one hundred billion dollars, said the two US officials, speaking
48:47
like others on the condition of anonymnity to discuss the negotiations,
48:53
that some would be less than half of the more
48:56
than two hundred billion dollars that the Pentagon proposed to
49:01
the White House last month. It was not immediately clear
49:06
when the administration would send its proposal to lawmakers, who
49:10
ultimately will decide how much additional funding, if any, to approve.
49:15
President Donald Trump said Tuesday evening that he had agreed
49:19
to suspend US attacks on Iran pending Tehran's immediate reopening
49:24
of a vital shipping route for Middle Eastern oil for
49:28
two weeks while talks aimed at ending the conflicts proceed.
49:33
The Defense Department has spent tens of billions of dollars
49:36
building up and sustaining its operations while burning through its
49:41
finite supply of certain advanced weaponry. Spokesperson or spokespeople for
49:48
the Pentagon and the White House Office of Management and
49:51
Budget did not respond to requests for comment. The reduced
49:57
dollar figure is like largely a resul all of the
50:00
administration's record breaking annual defense budget request released last week,
50:06
which calls for one point five trillion dollars in total
50:10
defense spending next year. The official said a portion of
50:14
the requested three hundred and fifty billion dollars would be
50:18
spun off into a third bill meant to pass through
50:21
a party line process in Congress. That one time funding
50:26
would go toward energizing the United States Defense Industrial Base
50:31
and building critical munitions for the military. The original Obaron
50:36
War proposal that sought more than two hundred billion dollars
50:40
in supplemental funding was written before the Pentagon knew how
50:44
large the annual budget request would be, said one of
50:49
the two officials familiar with the administration's plans. The earlier
50:54
proposal included tens of billions of dollars for the US
50:57
defense industry, requesting investments now contained in the overall budget.
51:03
The person said it is unclear whether the arraigned Iron
51:09
War supplemental request and the annual budget request over lap.
51:15
The Trump Administration's pursuit of such a substantial sum of
51:19
money spread across three separate bills could prove difficult for Congress,
51:24
especially ahead of the November mid term elections. The lower
51:29
supplemental of eighty billion to one hundred million dollars, if approved,
51:35
would mainly pay for the cost of surging so many
51:39
forces to the Middle East, recovering from battle damage sustained
51:43
during the war, and for long term contracts to quickly
51:47
ramp up reduction of muditions, including some of those used
51:51
to strike the more than thirteen thousand targets hidden round
51:54
so far, according to both officials. Eric raven, a former
51:59
Democratic clerk for the Senate Subcommittee on Defense Spending, said
52:04
that supplemental requests are meant only to cover costs that
52:09
could not have been foreseen in the Pentagon's existing funding,
52:14
such as increased military pay arising fuel costs, but not
52:19
evergreen priorities. Democrats see the around supplemental request as a
52:25
rare point of leverage in their opposition to the war,
52:29
and have pledged to fight it. Republicans have mostly backed
52:33
the conflict, which Trump began without the consent of lawmakers,
52:37
though some GOP members expressed skepticism that the original two
52:42
hundred billion dollar request would have been viable. Last week,
52:47
Senator John Curtis, Republican of Utah, wrote in an op
52:52
ed that he would not support an aeron war supplemental
52:56
without Congress having the opportunity to weigh in, in a
53:01
potential sign of tenuous GOP support from the war, which
53:05
has now entered its sixth week. The request would come
53:09
as the Pentagon continues to surge resources to the Middle East.
53:14
The military has burned through scarce munitions during the war,
53:18
including more than eight hundred and fifty Tamahawk cruise missiles
53:22
and one thousand air defense intercepters. The Washington Post has
53:26
reported the rate of fire has concerned some officials in
53:30
the Pentagon, fearful that the military is eroding its readiness
53:34
for potential future conflicts. According to people familiar with the matter,
53:40
Senator Chris Coons, Delaware, the top Democrat on the Senate
53:45
Subcommittee on Defense Spending, said in an interview that the
53:49
war was cost in well over a billion dollars a day,
53:53
easily putting its total price tag at more than forty
53:56
billion dollars so far. Pettijohn, who directs the Defense program
54:03
at the Center for a New American Security I think tank,
54:07
said that even the reduced supplemental request would be a
54:11
test of the war's popularity, though the need to restock
54:15
America's inventory of air defense and ascepters caused by the
54:20
conflict could pose a difficult choice for pro military democrats. Still,
54:26
the enormous requests for defense spending could be a political
54:30
liability for Republicans too, she said. Pettijohn added, it's pretty
54:38
i watering large. The more than eighty billion dollars expected
54:44
to form the supplemental budget request would almost certainly surpass
54:49
the core cost of the Iran war, said Travis Sharp,
54:52
who studies defense spending at the Center of for Strategic
54:56
and Budgetary Assessments. Dividing the adminis stration's total defense related
55:02
request into multiple bills may also add uncertainty to the
55:08
defense budget. Sharp said last year, the process to criticism
55:14
from lawmakers, even among Republicans supportive of higher military spending,
55:20
who complained that the Trump administration's approach was confusing and
55:25
at times error prone. The two officials familiar with the
55:31
administration's plans said that the aim is to try to
55:35
pass the Iran supplemental before Congress takes its recess in August.
55:42
The annual defense budget process would then follow, split into
55:48
two bills in the final article, which I probably can't finish.
55:55
Democrats are turning Republicans arguments against them in mid term races.
56:01
Republicans won in twenty twenty four, but promising to cut
56:05
the cost of living, but high grass prices are frustrating
56:09
voters and providing a potent line of attack ahead of
56:13
this year's elections. And there's a picture of Janelle Stellson
56:18
running to represent Pennsylvania in Congress. She is campaigning in
56:23
front of a gas station. And there's a picture of
56:26
Janelle Stephenson signs for Congress blue with Janelle in white
56:31
and Stealson in red, and there are people standing behind her.
56:37
By Dan Marico out of Harrisburg, PA. Janelle Stellson, a
56:43
Democrat running to oast incumbent Representative Scott Perry, Republican of Pennsylvania,
56:48
in a district that stretches across the central part of
56:51
the state of Pennsylvania, stood in front of a mobile
56:55
gas station where the sign behind her read four dollars
56:58
and twenty four cents for a gallon of regular unleaded
57:02
and over six dollars for diesel gas. Prizes are not
57:07
just a number on a sign. Stellson said that the
57:10
campaign event Monday, as a trickle of drivers passed through
57:14
to fill up behind her. Cost of living is crushing
57:19
central Pennsylvania families, and their congressman is just making it worse. Stellson,
57:25
a former local television anchor who came close to booting
57:29
Perry from his seat in twenty twenty four, is among
57:32
Democrats all over the country seizing on the spike and
57:36
gas prices triggered by the raw and Iran. The cost
57:40
of filling up a tank is adding to Democratic messaging
57:43
about affordability. With voters already keenly concerned about the rising
57:49
cost of living, It's quite a turn of events for Democrats.
57:53
President Donald Trump and Republicans, including Perry, one over voters
57:58
in twenty twenty four by promising to bring prices down't
58:01
zeering in on concerns about inflation under President Joe Biden. Kerry,
58:06
a veteran who was first elected to Congress in twenty twelve,
58:10
ran ads in twenty twenty four that knocked Biden over
58:14
gas price increases and toted how he fought the president's
58:18
energy policy and until recently, gas prices has been something
58:23
Republicans regularly boasted about. And with that I conclude the
58:29
reading of Today's Washington Post for Thursday, the ninth of
58:34
April of twenty twenty six. Get outside, It's going to
58:38
be a beautiful day. I will see you on Saturday. Bye.