Transcript

4.21.25 · 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, April twenty first. As a reminder,
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RADIOI is a reading service intended for people who are
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blind to have other disabilities that make it difficult to
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read printed material. Your reader for today is Rod Brotherton,
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and as we always start out the week on Monday
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by listener request, we begin by reading Paul Prather's weekly
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column from the Lexington Herald Leader. This week's article is
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entitled small funeral leads to big spiritual breakthrough. A few
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days ago I found a breath taking photo essay by
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the Associated Press about Father spuden Dnaxis, an Orthodox monk
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who since nineteen seventy one has prayed and ministered at
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the gleaming white Panakgia Hazovotissa Monastery, which is hilton to
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the face of a cliff on the island of Amorgus
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in the Aegean c The monastery has stood there for
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more than one thousand years, but today Father Spiriton, another monk,
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and a thirty five year old assistant are the only
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ones left. Father Spiriton is in his seventies. The article's
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text by Javanni della Outo and photographs by Petros gen
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Chorus provide a moving testament to the Father Spiriton's joy
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and lifelong faithfulness. He continues to offer divine liturgy and
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other administrations to a handful of pilgrims who climb the
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cliff from the village below for services. He welcomes sightseers
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from far flung regions. He offers the visitors the cold water,
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sweets and shots of homemade honey flavored raki liqueur. While
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Father Spiriton was away for recent medical emergency, a swarm
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of earthquakes hit the area. Della Orto writes all the
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monk could think about was making his way back to
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m Morgus to support the residents. I wanted to be
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here with my community, feel their emotions, because I'm responsible.
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God put me here to care for them, he told
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the Associated Press. The Islanders, even its atheists, regard Father's
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spear done with true affection, Della or To rights to them,
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He's a living icon. In a seemingly dissimilar but actually
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related vain. My wife Liz and I attended the funeral
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this week of a relative of hers who passed away
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at ninety one. The funeral was held in a small
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Baptist church in a tiny community in what's got to
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be one of Kentucky's most rural counties. It was about
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as far as in the country as you can get
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on the Commonwealth, and reminded me of my dad's comments
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about a church where he'd preached. It's not at the
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jumping off place, but you can see it from there.
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The church building mirrored the ones I grew up. In
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the pews, the pulpit, the attendance, rolled tote boards on
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the wall, all immediately catapulted me back sixty years. I
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wasn't taking notes, but if memory serves me right, the
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Sunday school tote board said the enrollment was twenty five
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and the previous Sunday's attendance had been fifteen. I realized
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with a pang, I was witnessing a Christian subculture that
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eye treasurer is fading away as farming communities die out
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one by one. It's like the people who once populated them.
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Then the pastors stepped behind the pulpit and delivered possibly
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the most moved, being funny and concise eulogy I have
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ever heard. Believe me when I say it was great,
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because I've heard and preached a trainload of funeral sermons.
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They're hard to do well without falling into Bromides, a pablem.
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The preacher talked about to depart it in a way
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you can only do if you've lived, worshiped, and wrestled
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alongside him for a while. He talked about his talents
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and his exasperating quirks, and his generosity and his demons,
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all with equal grace, and it felt to me love.
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He told how the old man had become a churchgoer
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in his later years, and now he'd made up his
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mind to change his ways and then had actually done it,
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something the preacher called a miracle. I imagined it was
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for that comment drew loud amens from the congregated congregants.
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Those other folks who knew the seized well themselves. After
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the service, the preacher told Liz that in addition to
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being the church's pastor, it was a farmer in the
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community he turned out to be in his seventies, like father. Spirited.
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As Liz and I drove back home, I was struck
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by how similar the monk and this rural Baptist preacher seen.
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Although they lived on opposite sides of the planet, speak
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different languages and belong to vastly different traditions. They're both
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holy men who stayed faithful to their calling even as
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the world went off and left them mulling it over. Later,
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I realized that's what I want to be. I want
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to be the guy who stands faithful to his calling
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no matter what the rest of the world does. That
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was a quiet breakthrough for me, because I've been considered
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retiring from my own small, rural church. I want to
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remain faithful for as long as my health holds and
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my parishioners will have me. Maybe that's what the Kingdom
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of God is. Largely made up of obscure men and
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women like Father Spirdon, the Baptist preacher, and me, planting
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here and there in every milk and cranny of God's creation,
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nearly invisible, offering up a liturgy or a cup of water,
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or a gracious, gracious memorial whenever it's needed on a
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given day by some weary soul. In this life. We
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cannot do great things, Mother Teresa said, we can only
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do small things with great love. Amen. And as you know,
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Paul Prather is pastor of the Bethesda Church near Mount Stirling,
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and you can email him at prtpd at yahoo dot com. Now,
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let's read the Washington Post's headlines and the headline for today.
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Pope Francis dies at eighty eight. As the first Latin
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American pontiff, he reshaped the papacy with his openness and
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empathy for the disenfranchised. Pope Francis was known for his humility,
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advocacy for society's most vulnerable, and bold stances on issues
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as varied as climate change, LGBTQ rights, and global conflicts,
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including the War in the Gaza Strip. Here are some
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of his most memorable moments of his career. February twenty eighth,
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nineteen ninety eight. Jorge Mario Birgoglio was ordained as a
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priest in nineteen sixty nine and rose to become the
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Archbishop of Buenos Aires in nineteen ninety eight. A devoted
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member of the Jesuits, a Catholic order known for its
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emphasis on social justice, he dedicated his life to serving
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the poor and marginalized. On February twenty first, twenty oh one,
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Pope John Paul the Second elevated him to the College
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of Cardinals. Committed to humility, and charity. Megolio asked well
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wishers who wanted to travel to Rome to celebrate him
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to instead donate the money to the poor. April nineteenth,
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twenty oh five, Cardinal Bregoglio participated in the conclave that
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elected Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to be Pope Benedict sixteenth March thirteenth,
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twenty thirteen, after the resignation of Pope Benedict the sixteenth
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in February of twenty thirteen, Brigolio was elected the two
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hundred and sixty sixth Pope of the Roman Catholic Church,
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becoming the first pope from the Americas and the first
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Jesuit pope. It was also the first to be take
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the name Francis, in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi.
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In a departure from tradition, Francis made his first papal
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appearance in a simple white cassock, for going the elaborate
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vestments worn by his predecessors, a symbolic gesture that underscored
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his humility in commitment to a simpler, more accessible Catholic Church.
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March twenty third, twenty thirteen, Pope France's traveled to Castel
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Gandalfo in Italy to meet with his predecessor, Pope Emeritus
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Benedict the sixteenth, which marked the first time a setting
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pope met with his predecessor since the eighteen hundreds, according
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to the Vatican. July eighth, twenty thirteen, Francis's first official
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trip as pope was to Lampudusa, a small Italian island
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near North Africa that has become a key landing point
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for migrants and asylum seekers across the Mediterranean Sea, and
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the speech delivered in Lampada's main square, Francis placed the
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blame for migrant suffering not on the asylum seekers, but
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on those in power, condemning global indifference to the fate
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of immigrants. July twenty ninth, twenty thirteen, while speaking to
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reporters on a flight back from Brazil, Francis stated, while
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the Catholic Church considers homosexual acts sinful, having a homosexual
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orientation is not. He also expressed a desire for women
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to have a greater role in the Church, but reaffirmed
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that they could not be ordained as priests while the
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Church's doctrine remains unchanged. Frances was more welcoming and inclusive.
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January eighteenth, twenty fifteen, more than six million people braved
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the rain to attend an open air mass with Francis
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during his visit to Manila, the largest mass in Papal
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Historyhilippines's home to one of the largest Catholic populations in
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the world after Brazil and Mexico. July twelfth, twenty fifteen.
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While Francis once you warned young people again spending too
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much time on the Internet, he also embraced the digital age,
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becoming a selfie sensation. When he asked what he thinks
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about so many people wanting to take these photos with him,
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he said, I feel like a grandfather. It's another culture.
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I respect it. September twenty fourth, twenty fifteen, Francis became
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the first pontiff to address the United States Congress. He
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took the opportunity to call on US politicians to embrace immigrants,
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accept people who travel north in search of a better life.
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March twenty fourth, twenty sixteen, at a center for asylum
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seekers outside Rome, Francis knelt four migrants from Mali, Eritrea, Syria,
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and Pakistan and washed their feet. The ritual of feet
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washing is as old as Christianity as Jesus washed the
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feet of his twelve apostles at the Last Supper. In
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the nineteen fifties, it became a formal mass part of
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Mass on Holy Thursday, which commemorates the Last Supper. But
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with anti immigration sentiment on the rise in Europe, Francis's
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act was a deliberate statement. April eleventh, twenty nineteen, and
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one of the most powerful moments of his papacy, Francis
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bent down to kiss the feet of South Sudan's warring leaders.
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He had invited them to the Vatican to plead for
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peace after a civil war in South Sudan had claimed
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nearly four hundred thousand lives. March twenty seventh, twenty twenty,
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as COVID nineteen spread and restrictions were put in place worldwide,
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Francis held a prayer service in a nearly empty Saint
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Peter's Square, during which he said that the coronavirus had
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placed everyone on the same boat, and he encouraged people
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to see the crisis as a test of solidarity. When
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a coronavirus vaccine was released in twenty twenty one, the
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pope released a video message encouraging people to get vaccinated.
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Being vaccinated with vaccines authorized by the competent authorities is
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an act of love, he said October fourth, twenty twenty one.
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From his first homily, France has emphasized the need to
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protect the earth and all of creation. In twenty fifteen,
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he dedicated an encyclical, a major papal document to the environment,
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warning against the dangers of exploiting nature and framing the
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protection of the planet as a moral over responsibility. In
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twenty twenty one, ahead of the Global Climate Summit COP
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twenty six, he invited scientists and religious leaders to the
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Vatican for a faith and science summit, highlighting the interdependence
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of people, animals, and the environment. No creatures are self sufficient.
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They exist only in dependence on each other, complementing one another,
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and in the service of one another, he said. July
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twenty fifth, twenty twenty two, during a visit to Canada,
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Francis issued an apology for the Catholic Church's role in
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running residential schools that forcibly removed indigenous children from their
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parents and tried to assimilate them into euro Christian society.
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Many were physically and sexually abused, January fifth, twenty twenty three,
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Francis presides over the funeral mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict
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sixteenth in Saint Peter's Square. This was the first time
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in more than two hundred years that a pope participated
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in his predecessor's funeral October of twenty twenty three. The
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Pope began checking on parishioners in the Gaza Strip at
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the start of the Israel Gaza War in October of
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twenty twenty three, and he continued to make daily calls
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even after he was hospitalized in twenty twenty five. Although
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the calls lasted only a few moments, they were meant
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to keep Francis connected with the parish community, where more
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than six hundred Christians and Muslims were sheltered. February tenth,
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twenty twenty five, in a letter to US bishops, Francis
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criticized President Trump's mass deportation plan, calling on people not
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to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause
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unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters.
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He also appeared to target Vice President j. D Vance's
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defense of the migrant deportation program on theological grounds. This
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was not the first time the Pope and Trump have
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sparred over migration. In twenty sixteen, while Trump was a
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presidential candidate, France has said anyone who builds a wall
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to keep out immigrants was not a Christian. And now
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the question who will be the next Pope Francis's death
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leaves no clear front runner. Fifteen to twenty days after
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the death of Pope Francis, cardinals of the Roman Catholic
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Church will shut the doors of the Sistine Chapel to
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pick his successor. Is set to be the largest conclave
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in the history of the faith and also one of
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the most unpredictable. Only members of the College of Cardinals
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who are under eighty may vote. Theoretically, they may pick
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any baptized man. Though the next Pope will surely come
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from among the princesses of the church, it's its cardinals.
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Some church watchers have argued that Francis stacked the decks
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for a successor. He appointed one hundred and ten of
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the one hundred and thirty six cardinals who will be
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under eighty, but Vatican insiders say it is wrong to
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conclude that the cardinals picked by Francis will look for
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a carbon copy. Some of them have far different views
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than he did on issues ranging from the role of
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women in the faith to LGBTQ outreach. Appointing cardinals is
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also no guarantee of minting a similar pope. Electors selected
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the more conservative Benedict that produced Francis. Although anything could happen,
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insiders believe it may be hard for a staunch liberal
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or conservative to win the two thirds majority needed, giving
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a large number of electors this time around. Under Francis,
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the College of Cardinals became historically diverse, both geographically and racially.
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Many of his picks came from outside dominant metropolitan areas,
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from cities like Eguilobia, Nigeria, or Santiago de Estro, Argentina.
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This will also be the first papal election since nineteen
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seventy eight in which European cardinals will not make up
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a majority of the conclave. Alberto Milone, a historian based
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in Rome and director of the John to the twenty
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third Foundation for Religious Sciences in Bologna, Italy, warned that
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guessing the outcome this time is a losing game. Kurt Martins,
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a professor of canon law at the Catholic University of
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America said, there is the saying that who enters the
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conclave as pope comes out as a cardinal. The favorite
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never wins. That said, names of papabili or potential next
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popes are circulating. Here's a few anders. Aarburelius from Stockholm
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Alberelius seventy five is the Bishop of Stockholm and the
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first Catholic Bishop of Sweden. He has an unusual background
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for a cardinal. He was born a Lutheran in so Ango, Switzerland,
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and converted to Catholicism when he was twenty. He has
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suggested the creation of a special advisory body of women,
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similar to the College of Cardinals. He advocates an openness
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to refugees, and after he was named cardinal in twenty seventeen,
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he speculated that Francis may have wanted to encourage Sweden's
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very small Catholic community, which is made up of people
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who came from all over the world and has a
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bit marginalized in the secular society. Abilius has said he
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would be surprised if the next pope were from Europe,
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with the demographics of the Catholic Church becoming less European.
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He told US News the more natural thing was to
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think of someone from Africa or Asia. Then Charles Mongbol Yanggon,
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me and Mar at box at seventy six is the
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Archbishop of Yangon and Meamar, a predominantly Buddhist country. He's
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been outspoken against the violence inflicted by the country's military
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junta and has reportedly targeted Catholic villages and churches, according
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to local and religious media outlets. He was born in
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the small village of mon La, which was raided by
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the regime military in twenty twenty two, and he was
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ordained in nineteen seventy six. After serving in parishes across
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central and northeastern mir and Mar, he was appointed Archbishop
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of Yangon in twenty o three. He also served as
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president of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of me and Mar
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from two thousand two thousand and six. Francis made him
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a cardinal in twenty fifteen, and he served as president
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of the Federals of Asian Bishop's Conferences for six years.
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Then Francois has Xavier Bustillo from Hayaco, France. Bustillo fifty
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six is the bishop of a Haco, a capital city
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of the French island of Corsica, staunchly Catholic region. He's
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among the youngest members of the College of Cardinals, but
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he is generating buzz, especially for having secured the first
21:29
papal visita Corsica in December. He has put himself forward
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as someone who can bridge divisions within the church, saying
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differences are beautiful and should not lead to division. Bustillo
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has a multinational profile. Was born in Pamplona, Spain, studied
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theology in Italy and France, and he was ordained a
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priest in nineteen ninety four and apported bishop of Aaco
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in twenty twenty one and made a cardinal just two
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years after that. Nextlin and Bungo Bessungu from Kinshasa in
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the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bungo sixty five
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is the Bishop of King Kashasa in the Democratic Republic
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of Congo and president of Africa's Association of Catholic Bishops.
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He is among those mentioned as a possibility for the
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first black pope and represents Africa's rapidly expanding Catholic community.
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He's also among the cardinals who oppose blessing same sex couples.
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Despite Pope Francis's endorsement, his local and vocal stance helped
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Galvani support for his papal candidacy among fellow conservatives, but
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it could make it challenging to win over the large
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block of more moderate cardinals and the next conclave. Born
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in Boto, near Congo's northern border, and Bungo was ordained
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when he was twenty eight. He taught moral theology at
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the Catholic University of Congo and kinshasa According to his
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Vatican biography, he helped respond to the spread of Ebola
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and Congo, as well as political crisis. France has appointed
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him a cardinal in twenty nineteen and he is a
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member of Francis's Council of Cardinals. Then Jean Marc Aveline
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from Marseilles, France Evelyne, who is sixty six, is the
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Metropolitan Archbishop of Marseilles, the Mediterranean port city shaped by
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generations of immigrants and refugees. He would be a pope
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in the same cloth as Pope Francis. Martins said he
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reportedly met regularly with Francis, and he convinced the Pope
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to come from Marseilles for a discussion about migration and
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other issues related to the Mediterranean. Disagreed with Francis, however,
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on the nude to restrict the last Mass, and he
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was among the French clergy who urged caution after Pope
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okay blessings for same sex couples. Eveline was born in Oran, Algeria,
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when it was under French colonial rule, but his family
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was among those forced out when Algeria gained independence. He
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studied in France, in Marseille, Avelloal and Paris. He was
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ordained in nineteen eighty four for the Archdiocese of Marseilles
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and has since held ministerial posts and parishes across the city.
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Francis claimed him a cardinal in twenty twenty two. Then
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there is Louis Antonio Taglay of Manila. Taglay sixty seven
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is the pro Prefect of the Dicastory for a valid
24:38
evangelization for the Philippines, an overwhelmingly Catholic nation. He's considered
24:43
closely aligned with Francis and at one point was considered
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his rising star. Maloney said he has criticized the harsh
24:50
and severe rhetoric Catholic clerics used to describe members of
24:53
the LGBTQ community, divorced people and unwed mothers. Tagley was
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born in Manila. His mother is of Chinese heritage and
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his father is Tagalog, according to the Vatican's official news site.
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In nineteen ninety one, a few years after he was
25:09
ordained in Manila, he graduated from the Catholic University of
25:12
America with a doctorate in theology. He was proclaimed a
25:16
cardinal in twenty twelve by Pope Benedict the sixteenth. Then
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there's Mario Gretch of the Vatican City. Gretch, sixty eight
25:26
is the Secretary General of the Senator of Bishops, a
25:29
top advisory body to the Pope. He was formerly the
25:32
Bishop of Gozo and Malta. Gorez was born in Kuala, Malta,
25:37
and studied philosophy and theology in the Seminary of Gozo.
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It was ordained as a priest in nineteen eighty four
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and appointed in twenty oh five by Pope Benedict the
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sixteenth as Bishop of Gozo. Francis proclaimed Gretch a cardinal
25:50
in twenty twenty. Greg has embraced progressive stances on issues
25:54
like ordination of women, which he called a natural deepening
25:57
of the Lord's will in a twenty twenty four interview.
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According to the Pilar new site covering the Catholic Church,
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he oversaw a landmark gathering of the Senative Bishops and
26:09
concluded in October without declaring major changes on women and
26:14
LGBTQ Catholics. Then there's Matteo Maria Zupi of Bologna, Italy. Zupi,
26:21
sixty nine is the Archbishop of Bologna. Was appointed by
26:25
frances to lead missions in Russia and Ukraine, and has
26:28
worked with the San Dieglio community, a group of Lake
26:32
Catholics dedicated to social services. Born in Rome, Zupi is
26:36
the grand nephew of Carlo Contifiliori, a cardinal who was
26:40
set to be the top eight of Pope Past eleventh
26:43
in the early twentieth century. After studying philosophy and theology,
26:48
Zuppi was ordained in nineteen eighty one and spent many
26:51
years in parishes across Rome. In the early nineteen nineties,
26:55
he helped facilitate peace negotiations in Mozambique during the country
27:00
trees civil war. According to his son dej Leo. Biography,
27:04
France has made Zupi a cardinal in twenty nineteen and
27:07
named him a judge of the Vatican City State Supreme
27:10
Court in twenty twenty three. Then there is Peter Erdo
27:16
from Budapest. Urdo seventy two is the Metropolitan Bishop of
27:20
the Aristrogram Budapest in Hungary. Is among the College of
27:24
Cardinal's more conservative members. Pope France has declared in December
27:28
twenty twenty three the Catholic priests could bless but not
27:31
marry same sex couples. Erdau appeared to oppose the decision
27:34
as as Christmas Eve sermon without naming the decree directly.
27:38
According to the National Catholic Reporter, has also opposed the
27:43
allowing divorce and remarried Catholics to receive communion during Europe's
27:48
migrant crisis. In twenty fifteen, Erdo said the Church should
27:51
not take in people because it would constitute human trafficking.
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Ruyters posted Orda was born in Budapest in nineteen five
28:00
two and ordained just before his twenty third birthday. He
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served in a small town parish close to Hungary's border
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with Slovakia and later obtained doctorates in theology and canon law.
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It was appointed cardinal in twenty twenty three by Pope
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John Paul, and has participated in just the two past conclaves.
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He is seen as one of the most likely of
28:23
the contenders from the Conservative camp. The next papal candidate
28:30
is Pierre Battista Pizzabala from Jerusalem. Pizzabala, sixty is the
28:38
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, the ranking archbishop of the Catholic
28:42
Church in Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, and Cyprus. He
28:48
has acted as a diplomat for peace and demonstrated dedication
28:51
to his flock. After Hamas's attack on Israel. In October
28:55
of twenty twenty three, he said he'd be willing to
28:58
offer himself in an exchange for the return of kidnapped
29:02
Israeli children. Last year, he made a pre Christmas visit
29:07
to the sole Catholic parish in Gaza. After President Trump
29:11
proposed taking over the Gaza Strip and resettling its population.
29:15
Pete Sabella's office issued a statement on February fourteenth opposing
29:21
any attempt to upbroach the people of Gaza from their land.
29:26
Petezzabella was born in Cologno de Sero, a village in
29:30
northern Italy, an ordained priest in nineteen ninety. Francis made
29:35
him the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem in twenty twenty, and
29:38
Pizzabella was proclaimed a cardinal in twenty twenty three. His
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selection would make him the youngest pope since John Paul
29:47
was send it to the job at age fifty eight.
29:51
Next is Pietro Parolet, also of the Vatican City as
29:56
the Vatican Secretary of State. Pedrolin, who's seventy, has been
30:00
Pope's top diplomatic envoy since twenty thirteen and is among
30:05
the highest ranking cardinals in seniority. He spent years in
30:09
the Holy Sees diplomatic service, with stints in Nigeria, Mexico,
30:13
and Venezuela. Vatican experts described Perilyn as cautious, prudent and
30:19
moderate leader who is well known across the College of Cardinals.
30:23
According to his Vatican biography, Perolin is an expert in
30:27
the Middle Eastern and Asian affairs and has helped reinforce
30:31
the Holy Seis diplomatic ties to places such as Vietnam, Israel,
30:35
and Mexico. Francis proclaimed him a cardinal in twenty fourteen,
30:41
and he is part of Francis's Council of Cardinals, a
30:45
group established to consult on governing the church and reforming
30:49
the Roman Curia. Perolin was born in a small province
30:53
in northern Italy and was ordained priest when he was
30:56
twenty five. He joined the diplomatic service six years later
31:00
and spent relatively few years in parish ministry. And now
31:05
we'll continue with more news from the Washington Post. And
31:09
now on the world stage, Beijing warns countries against US
31:12
trade deals at China's expense. The Chinese government warned countries
31:18
Monday against cutting deals with President Trump to restrict trade
31:21
with China in exchange for relief from US tariffs, saying
31:26
that doing so would meet a firm response from Beijing.
31:30
To seek exemptions that harms the interest of others for
31:34
one's temporary, selfish gain is like bargaining with a tiger
31:38
for its skin, China's Commerce Ministry said in a statement,
31:42
using an idiom that means seeking a possible outcome from
31:46
an unreliable actor. Smaller countries in places like Southeast Asia
31:51
are part of the middle to an owl out all
31:54
out war between the world's two largest economies, as many
31:58
governments rushed to reach deals with Washington to avoid steep tariffs.
32:02
They're also under pressure from Beijing to keep markets open
32:06
to Chinese goods that cannot be sold to American buyers.
32:11
On a tour of Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia last week,
32:15
Chinese leader Xi Jinping framed Beijing as a responsible power
32:20
willing to work with nearby countries to cushion the blow
32:23
of US tariffs. Chinese officials have also intensified outreach to
32:28
US allies, including the European Union, Japan, and South Korea.
32:35
But Beijing's promises have expanded trade opportunities have increasingly come
32:40
with warnings about not siding with Trump against China. China
32:45
will never accept any country cutting a deal at its
32:48
expense and will resolutely take reciprocal countermeasures. The Commerce Ministry
32:54
set on Monday, once international trade returns to the law
32:59
of the jungle with a strong prey on the week,
33:02
all nations will be victims. Since Trump cut his reciprocal
33:07
terror rates on all countries other than China to ten
33:12
percent for ninety days, the administration has entered into a
33:15
flurry of negotiations aimed at securing what it calls Taylor
33:19
made deals with each country. Trump has repeatedly said he's
33:23
ready to make a deal with Z two, but Beijing
33:27
has been reluctant to enter talks without more assurances from Trump.
33:31
Chinese officials have been frustrated by the lack of clear demands,
33:36
and z is especially unwilling to begin negotiations without knowing
33:40
what Trump wants. According to Chinese political analysts, the problem
33:45
for making talks resume as quickly as possible is which
33:49
US ministry and which individual will lead the talks, said
33:53
Xiu Feng, dean of a School of International Studies at
33:57
Nanjing University. Both sides are still working it out. That
34:02
stalemate has made courting other countries a top priority for Beijing.
34:08
With expectations low for talks with the White House, China
34:12
has insistently devoted its energy to engagements with Europe, Japan,
34:16
and Southeast Asian countries, said Zhao Ming How, deputy director
34:22
for the Center of American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai.
34:27
China has realized that strategic decoupling may be the US's
34:31
ultimate in game, and that talks are merely a stalling tactic,
34:35
Xiao said, China hopes that third countries like Vietnam can
34:40
withstand pressure from the Trump administration. The difficulty for Beijing
34:46
is that many countries do not want to pick sides.
34:50
They are also wary of expanding trade with China at
34:53
a time when the vast manufacturing industries will be looking
34:56
for markets to offload goods that Trump's tear parts are
35:00
keeping off of the United States. Beijing's offer of investment
35:05
in local manufacturing, aimed at offsetting fears of a flood
35:09
of cheap goods, could also create a lot of jobs
35:12
and bring in Chinese technology, said Wang Yong, director of
35:16
the Center for American Studies at Beijing University. China's neighbors
35:21
are very important for China's development and security, so they
35:24
don't necessarily need to be linked to the US, Wang sid.
35:29
But even Chinese investment could create another dilemma for some countries.
35:34
Part of the Trump's team's request from any governments looking
35:37
to negotiate on tariffs has been to prevent goods from
35:41
China firms being rerouted through third countries to skip tariffs,
35:47
a practice known as transhipment, which the White House is
35:50
seeking to eliminate. If China wants to make a deal
35:53
with Trump, it will need to find ways to reduce
35:56
its trade surplus, including by cutting down on transshipment, said
36:01
Shing Dealing, an independent political commentator based in Shanghai. When
36:07
a direct trade between China and the US is basically balanced,
36:11
China will no longer need to expand exports to the
36:15
US through third parties, Shin said. And the next story
36:21
Israel's anti war protests avoid Gaza. These women are changing that.
36:27
When Israel broke it ceased fire with Hamas last month,
36:31
launching strikes that killed hundreds of children in Gaza. A
36:35
small group of Israeli women decided to act. They printed
36:38
photos of the victims, gathered candles used for Jewish mourning, and,
36:42
nervous about how the crowd might respond, set off for
36:46
a weekly anti war protest in central Tel Aviv. The women,
36:51
who had connected online at the protests knew their demonstration
36:55
would mark a quiet revolution. For months Israeli the Israels
37:00
had called for an end of the war and to
37:02
bring the hostages home, but the human cost of the
37:05
conflict in Gaza, where at least fifty one thousand people
37:08
had been killed, was largely absent from the debate. Now,
37:13
a month after Israel shattered the truce, anger over the
37:16
return to the war has helped open a conversation about
37:19
Palestinian victims. The women, including a community organizer, a lawyer,
37:25
and a clinical psychologist, said in the past some of
37:30
them were jeered and even threatened when they'd tried to
37:33
draw attention at anti war protests to the suffering in Gaza.
37:37
But on that day in March, when they first sat
37:40
silently with photos, they were initially met with questions and
37:44
eventually support. Some demonstrators asked if they could be part
37:48
of the protest, and the group soon swelled from about
37:51
ten people to about fifty. The women said. After that
37:56
dozens of others asked to join the What's App group
37:59
they'd created co ordinate protest actions. When they demonstrated the
38:03
following week, their group was about one hundred, storm the
38:06
next week two hundred. In the past, usually bringing up
38:11
Palestinian suppression meant that you were saying something awkward or
38:15
against Israel, said Amid Shiel, thirty, who was a lawyer
38:19
who helped organize the first protest. But looking at the photos,
38:24
people could see, if only for a second, victims of
38:27
this war. On the other side, in addition to the
38:30
Israeli hostages, She said the deaths that spurned the women
38:35
to action came in the last two weeks of March.
38:38
In the first round of strikes early on March eighteenth,
38:41
the Israeli military killed at least one hundred and thirty children.
38:44
UNISEF said by the end of the month, at least
38:47
three hundred and twenty two children were dead and more
38:50
than six hundred injured. More than fifteen thousand children have
38:54
been killed since the conflicts started, according to UN agency.
39:01
Almah Beck, a thirty six year old activist, saw the
39:04
report and began posting pictures of the victims which were
39:07
circulating online to her Instagram account. One of them was
39:12
Naya Karim Abu Daf, a five year old with long eyelashes,
39:17
big brown eyes, and pigtail buns. She was killed in
39:21
a March nineteenth strike in Gaza City, according to local media.
39:26
Shalla saw the image of Naya and messaged Beck right away.
39:30
She suggested that they take the photos of the dead
39:33
to the next protest. Another woman they had met through
39:37
organizing reached out to Adi Agroff, fifty nine and retired
39:40
clinical psychologist who runs a website tracking casualties in Gaza
39:45
and the occupied West Bank. Together, they printed the names
39:49
of the victims and their photographs. The plan was launched.
39:53
We wanted to bring faces to the people for whom
39:56
many Israelis are just numbers, she said, and encouraged them
40:00
to stretch their empathy beyond the Israeli collective. For most
40:04
of the war, which began on October seventh, twenty twenty three,
40:08
when Hamas led militants attacked in southern Israel, murdering about
40:13
twelve hundred people and taking more than two hundred and
40:15
fifty others to Gaza as hostages. Mainstream Israeli media outlets
40:21
reported a little on the civilian toll among Palestinians. Most
40:25
Israelis don't have room to deal with it. Jonathan Renhold,
40:29
head of the Political studies department at Bar Elaine University, said,
40:33
for the suffering in Gaza, nearly everyone in this action
40:38
and this nation of about nine and a half million
40:40
people knew someone who was killed, injured, or kidnapped that
40:44
day or deployed to the front lines. And the months
40:47
that followed, standing up and saying stop the war was dangerous,
40:52
Argolf said, mean the Israelis, she added, simply did not
40:56
want to know. But since the seas fire was broken,
41:01
Israelis say the media coverage has shifted slightly, with some
41:04
stories including the shooting death of fourteen Palestinian emergency workers
41:09
and a un employee at the hands of Israeli soldiers
41:14
finally are breaking through. It's still about our grief and
41:18
our story about what happened on October seventh, and there
41:22
is so much dehumanization, Beck said, But the disappointment Israelis
41:27
fell when the war return meant that people are connecting
41:30
the dots slowly, she added. In recent weeks, thousands of Israelis,
41:36
including veterans, reservists, ex spies, military officers, academics and for
41:42
the diplomats, have appealed to Israel's leadership and letters calling
41:47
for an end to the war. The movement again earlier
41:50
this month, when nearly one thousand Air Force reservists and
41:54
retirees penned a letter saying that continued fighting in the
41:57
Gaza Strip would mean more deaths of hostages, soldiers and
42:03
innocent civilians. People are becoming more emboldened, especially as it
42:08
becomes more mainstream to speak out, said Max Krish a
42:12
reservist who refused to continue fighting after serving on is
42:16
Israel's border with Lebanon after October seventh. It is still
42:21
taboo for soldiers to talk about the humanitarian crisis in
42:25
Gaza or refuse to serve there, he said, But as
42:28
more people speak out, more people get the courage. On
42:33
a recent Saturday night in downtown Tel Aviv, thousands of
42:36
protesters gazzards gathered, shouting into megaphones, condemning Israeli Prime Minister
42:42
Benjamin Netanyahu and demanding a return of the fifty nine
42:46
hostages still held in Gaza, up twenty four of whom
42:50
Israeli authorities believe are alive. Lined Up along the periphery
42:56
was a group of about two hundred people standing or
42:58
sitting quietly with Shiva candles and photos of dead Palestinian children.
43:04
There was fifteen year old Omar el Jamasi, killed March
43:08
teenth March eighteenth in Gaza City, whom rescue workers found
43:12
with a will in his pocket, saying he owned owed
43:15
another boy one shekel for twenty seven cents. Local media
43:19
reporters said. Then there was the photo of misk Mohammed
43:24
Kafar twelve flashing a peace sign with his little sister.
43:29
Misk was killed on the strike at Deir al Balah
43:32
in central Gaza on March nineteenth. Another image showed Abu
43:38
Dakh's family of seven children drinking juice and staring into
43:42
the camera. Five of the children, raging in age from
43:45
one to seven, were killed in Khanyunis and southern Gaza
43:49
on March nineteenth, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. As
43:54
other protesters passed, they slowed and some took out their camera. Wow,
44:00
said a woman carrying a shield and blazoned with the
44:02
word democracy, as she shook her head. Who are they?
44:05
Another demonstrator asks Arabs for our Golf, those questions were
44:11
a start, a potential sign that Israelis were ready to engage.
44:16
She said. She'd already considered herself part of Israel's left,
44:20
but had only in the past decades starting to understand
44:23
the extent of the country's oppression of Palestinians. This is
44:27
a war of denial, our Golf said, But one day
44:32
we will have to realize what we, the children of
44:35
Holocaust survivors, have done and face ourselves. Her work, she said,
44:40
has often meant loneliness and isolation from her fellow Israelis.
44:45
So when she looked around at one of the early protests,
44:47
when about one hundred people had joined, she saw the
44:50
faces of the children whose stories she had recorded, and
44:53
she started shaking and crying. It felt that there was
44:57
a light in the darkness, she said, like we were
45:01
finally standing with humanity. And the next story, Dvance to
45:07
visit in India that welcomes closer ties with Trump. Vice
45:13
President JD. Vance and his wife Usha are sent to
45:16
arrive in New Delhi on Monday. As US India relations
45:20
enjoy a period of relatively calmness, the Trump administration has
45:25
so far appeared less concerned than its predecessors about India's
45:30
close ties with Russia, allegations of Indian involvement in an
45:34
assassination plot on American soil, or accusations of fraud against
45:39
billionaire Guttamadani, a close ally of Prime Minister Navnenda Modi.
45:45
As the country prepares to receive an American vice president
45:48
for the first time in more than a decade, the
45:51
mood in New Delhi has been markedly optimistic. On the
45:55
larger ideological plan. We are closer than we were with
45:59
the previous administration. Said harsh shring Gala, a former Indian
46:03
foreign secretary. There is a fair amount of confidence Vance
46:08
is set to meet with Modi and other Indian leaders.
46:12
Some in New Delhi, like shring La, have noted that
46:15
Usha Vance, whose parents are from India, is making the
46:19
effort to come to the country, while Vice President Kamala Harris,
46:23
who had an Indian mother, never did. Discussions are expected
46:28
to focus on trade deliberations, defense cooperation, civil nuclear agreements,
46:34
and boosting India investment in the United States priorities. The
46:38
Trump administration has stressed in its engagement with New Delhi,
46:43
the Vice President has become more significant than in the
46:46
recent past. Shringla said, it is critical we establish a
46:51
separate and close line of engagement with him. He is
46:54
able to articulate the vision and the point of view
46:57
of the administration very well. The Biden administration tried to
47:03
strengthen relations with New Delhi, largely as a counterweight to China,
47:08
but several incidents complicated that effort. As NATO leaders were
47:13
to gather in Europe in July to mark the alliance's
47:15
seventy fifth anniversary, senior and Biden administration officials, including Deputy
47:21
Secretary of State Kurt Campbell scrambled to dissuade Mody from
47:26
visiting Moscow the same week. The Indians didn't listen. Modi's trip,
47:32
which included a warm embrace with Russian President Vladimir Putin
47:35
hours after Russian missiles struck a children's hospital in Kiev,
47:40
was viewed in Washington as an affront. India had already
47:45
been reluctant side with Ukraine and was increasingly purchasing Russian
47:49
oil at discounted prices because of US sanctions. It was
47:54
a slap in the face, said a former senior Biden
47:57
administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to
48:00
describe the sensitive discussions. But those concerns have little relevance
48:05
in Washington today. India can now inject some warmth into
48:10
the relationship with Russia, said Nandan Unnikrishnan, who studies Indian
48:15
Russian relations at the Observer Research Foundation. Some Indians argue
48:20
that New Delhi's ties to Moscow helped keep the Kremlin
48:23
at a distance from Beijing. The Biden administration did not
48:29
buy into that argument. U Nukrishnan said life was becoming difficult,
48:34
but luckily because of President Trump, there's a certain buy
48:38
in to that argument. Now. Sanctions that targeted the flow
48:42
of technology to Russia under the Biden administration also ensnared
48:47
some Indian entities. But Trump announced in February plans to
48:52
pave the way for India to acquire F thirty five
48:55
stealth fighters. Previous administrations dedicated to share such technology, citing
49:02
the risk it could be exposed to adversaries. India already
49:07
uses Russian made S four hundred missile systems. The breathing
49:12
room could allow India to continue some long standing collaborations
49:16
with Russia, including on civilian nuclear energy. It is meant
49:21
to have a bird in the hand that a pie
49:23
in the sky, Unikrishnan said, But some warn that in
49:28
attention to India's ties with Russia could have consequences. We
49:33
invariably lose an opportunity to bring India closer into the
49:37
fold of like minded countries, Sidharth said. Sidharth Eyre a
49:42
former Defense Department Director of South Asia Policy and special
49:46
advisor to Harris for Indo Pacific Affairs in the Biden administration.
49:52
In twenty twenty three, the Justice Department charged an Indian
49:56
government official with orchestrating a murder for or higher plot
50:01
on American soil against the U. S citizen and siekh Man.
50:06
The plot was foiled, but the incident became the most
50:09
serious test of relations between the Biden and Money administrations.
50:14
We should assume the public attention around that caused some
50:18
hard thinking in their system, Iier said, in a sign
50:22
of the lingering sensitivity, Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval,
50:28
who frequently travels with Mody, was absent from the Prime
50:32
Minister's visit with Biden in Washington in September. In a
50:36
civil case, the Sikh Man has accused Doval directly. The
50:42
Washington Post reported last April that US spy agencies tentatively
50:47
assessed that Doval was probably aware of the attempted murder,
50:52
but they had found no proof. After Trump's election, Doval
50:56
joined Mody on his February visit to Washington. Attempts to
51:01
serve him with legal summons in the simple case of
51:03
that trip were unsuccessful, court records show. In another hit
51:08
to relations under Biden, Adanie was indicted in November on
51:12
charges of fraud and bribery, growing scrutiny to a tycoon
51:16
whose financial rise has paralleled Modi's political assent. The charges
51:21
briefly cast a shadow over US Indian relations. A Doni
51:25
withdrew alone request from the US government for a port
51:28
terminal in Sri Lanka, but was short lived. A Donnie's
51:32
firms are now preparing to invest heavily in American infrastructure.
51:37
The issue is not a top priority for this administration
51:40
and is unlikely to be discussed in any conversations, set
51:44
A Parneff Pande, a research fellow with the Hudson Institute.
51:49
It will not, however, disappear completely, as it will stay
51:52
in a file and may come up when the administration
51:55
changes or some incident occurs. Once since of issues under
52:00
Trump also withered away. Now, Indians are the third largest
52:06
group of undocumented immigrants in the US, the Pew Research
52:10
interestimated in twenty twenty two. The Trump administration's deportation flights
52:15
carried shackles Indian citizens drew some anger in India, but
52:20
they'd not cause significant friction between the administrations. Many of
52:24
the foreign students whose visas are now being revoked in Indian,
52:29
but the Modi administration has chosen to remain silent. Meanwhile,
52:35
Trump and his allies commercial links to the country are
52:38
steadily growing. Trump Towers has announced at least two new
52:42
real estate projects. Companies run by top Trump aid Elon Musk,
52:47
including Tesla and Starlink, are making inroads into sales and
52:51
government permissions in the country. After a phone call with Mody,
52:55
Musk announced on Saturday a trip to India later in
52:58
the year. Some former Biden officials and analysts stress the
53:03
administration's effort to keep friction from getting in the way
53:06
of the broader strategic convergence with China. But despite that effort,
53:11
they acknowledge, Indian officials have displayed greater comfort with Republican administrators. Now.
53:18
Some worry that as strategic concerns are being overshadowed by
53:21
a more transactional relationship, the center of gravity in the
53:25
relationship has moved to trade, which has never really been
53:28
a strong suit and the US Indian relationship, said Anthony Rizzouli,
53:33
a former director for India and the National Security Council.
53:38
You have moved from defense technology to something that is
53:41
on thinner ice. Indian officials appear unfhazed from immigration enforcement,
53:48
new energy purchases. New Delhi has signaled a proactive compliance
53:52
with the Trump administration demands there is no alternative for
53:56
India's development project without the United States. Un Kashirian said,
54:02
at the highest levels, we determined that if this means
54:05
there are some unpleasant compromises, they will be made. That
54:10
posture has led to greater confidence. I know today a
54:14
lot of countries are nervous about the US. Indian foreign
54:18
Minister s Jan Shikar told the reporters after Trump's defeated
54:22
Harris in November, Let's be honest about this. We are
54:28
not one of them. And finally, for today, US and
54:33
Iran officials project progress and second round of nuclear talks
54:39
from Rome. US officials reported very good progress in the
54:43
second round of talks with Iran over its rapidly advancing
54:46
nuclear program, and RAN's foreign minister called the session sanity,
54:51
hey good one. President Trump said he will prevent Iran
54:55
from developing nuclear weapons through diplomacy if possible, but by
54:59
force if necessary, and Iran wants relief from sanctions. The
55:04
current meetings, with while preliminary, him, been the highest level
55:08
of contact between Washington and Tehran in a decade. The
55:12
country's several diplomatic relations in nineteen eighty and Iran has
55:16
been on the State Department's list of state sponsors of
55:19
terrorism since nineteen eighty four. Today in Rome, over four
55:25
hours in our second round of talks, we made very
55:27
good progress in our direct and indirect discussions. A senior
55:31
Trump Administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity under
55:35
the rule set by the administration said in a statement
55:39
following the previous session, I can say this sitting was
55:43
also a good one. Foreign Minister Abbas Arachi told Iranian
55:48
state television. I can say the talks are moving forward.
55:52
We succeeded to reach a better agreement this time about
55:56
principles and targets. The side set out and op's separate
56:01
rooms at the Omani embassy in Rome on Saturday, as
56:04
Omani Foreign Minister by Deir Albusadi passed messages between them.
56:09
According to Iranian Foreign Ministry accounts, technical negotiations are to
56:15
begin on Wednesday in Olman, Arichi said, and the signs
56:18
will meet for a third time April twenty sixth. The
56:21
technical negotiations will allow the sides to provide more details,
56:25
he said, as they design a framework for the talks.
56:29
We are going to meet next Saturday to study the
56:32
result of their work, and see how close to a
56:35
deal there is, he said. And this concludes the reading
56:40
of the Washington Post for today, Monday, April twenty first,
56:44
your reader for today has been Rod Brotherton. If you
56:48
have any questions, comment, aswer suggestions concerning the program, please
56:52
feel free to call us at eight five nine four
56:54
two two sixty three ninety. Thank you for listening, and
56:59
now please stay tuned for continued programming right here on
57:05
Radio I