Transcript

12.13.25 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of today's Washington Post. It is Saturday,
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December the thirteenth of twenty twenty five. Your reader is
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Alistainer with a reminder that radioized an organization for those
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blind with disabilities, making it hard to hold or read
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printed material.
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Speaker 2: And I want to apologize.
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Speaker 1: Apparently the quality of what I recorded on the Andrea
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Bocelli concert last Saturday did not go through very comfortably.
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So if it was time that wasn't very good, I apologize.
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But oh my goodness, the concert was great. Front page
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of the Washington Post, far left. Zelensky Negotiata had secret
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FBI talks, contacts with Batel and Deputy spar alarm as
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US presses Kiev on deal by John Hodson, Stranne O'Grady
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and Perry Stein, and as usual a picture in the
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middle of the paper. And it's a severe winter storm
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delds another blow to batted Gaza. A displaced Palestinian man
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clears muddy water in nurserat in the central Gaza strip.
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On Friday, more than a dozen people were killed as
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heavy rains and strong winds flooded camps and caused buildings
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damaged by Israeli strikes to collapse, and the water is
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as brown as I've ever seen any water. There's a
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tent on top of it looks like it's on top
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of a building or oh no, it's all separating others.
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It's just city in a honesty, tense city with dirty
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water and a few people walking along one side of
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this border and in the other side of man trying
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to get.
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Speaker 2: Rid of the muddy water.
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Speaker 1: Really, I mean anyway to the far right of that picture,
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VA plans deep cuts to health workforce, as many as
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thirty five thousand unfilled positions. Already stretched system faces further
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contraction by Mary L. Cornfield, Hannah Madison, and Lisa Eban.
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I'll have to look at that when I read the
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article below the picture, National Trust sues to block huge
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ballrooms construction. Lawsuit marks the first major legal challenge to
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the White House Project Dan Diamond and Jonathan Edwards and
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next to that, DC police chief created culture of fear,
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report says Justice Department probe says Smith's leadership style led
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to crime data issues by Jenny Gathright, emma Ura and
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Megan Flynn. And below the fold on the left, Democrats
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release batch from trove of Epstein photos by Matt Visa,
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Cardiagoba and Aaron Schaeffer. The Taliban had big plans for Bagram.
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It's sitting idol satellite image show regime makes limited use
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of the base, which Trump wants to reclaim. And It's
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by Rick Noak and Amayah Verdi. And to the right,
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A rifle to your Head, Systemic ransom and death in
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Sudan by Katherine our Erld and Hafitz hear Us and
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our podjast for bugging this name. Secret meetings between FBI
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and Ukraine negotiators spark concern. FBI director Cash Battel and
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his deputy Dan Bongino met with Kiev's top peace negotiator
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amid a US pressure campaign to end the war by
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John Hudson, Sabon O'Brady and Perry Stein. Secret meetings between
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Ukraine's top peace negotiator and FBI leaders have injected new
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uncertainty into the high stakes talks to end the war
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there in the war there, according to diplomats and officials
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familiar with the matter, Over the les several weeks, President
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Volodimya Zelenski's lead negotiator, rusdim Umirov flew to Miami three
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times to meet with President Donald Trump's top envoy, Steve Whitkoff,
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and to discuss a proposal to end the nearly four
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year conflict with Russia. But during his time in the
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United States, Zumarov also held closed door meetings with the
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FBI director Cash Battel and deputy Director Dan Boudino. According
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to four people, who, like some others, spoke on the
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condition of anonymity to discuss confidential conversations, the meetings have
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caused alarm among Western officials, who remained in the dark
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about their intent and purpose. Some said they believe Umirov
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and other Ukrainian officials soda, Battel, and Bojino in the
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hopes of obtaining amnesty from any corruption allegations the Ukrainians
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could face. Others were the newly established channel could be
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used to exert pressure on Zelensky's government to accept a
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peace deal proposed by the Trump administration containing steep concessions
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for Kiev. Ukrainian Ambassador to Washington Ola Stephanicia confirmed Umirov's
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meeting with the FBI and told The Washington Post he
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only covered national security related issues that could not be
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disclosed publicly. An FBI officials said that Umirov meetings included
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discussions of the two countries shared the law enforcement and
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national security interest. The topic of white collar corruption in
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Ukraine came up in one of the meetings, but was
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not the main focus, the official said. Any suggestion that
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Patel's discussions were inappropriate is complete nonsense. The official added.
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The two it Is have criticized Ukraine in various public comments.
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Patel and March questioned the scale of USA to Ukraine
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and urged Congress to investigate whether any US funds sent
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there were misused. Bogino has accused Zolensky of covering up
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the allegedly corrupt activities of President Joe Biden's son, whose
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board seat on a Ukrainian energy company has faced intense scrutiny.
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Trump is very suspicious of Zelensky because of what he
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and some of the people in his government did to
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sweep under the rug the Joe Biden madness, Oggino said.
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In February, a White House official said US officials regularly
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communicate with world leaders about national security issues of shared interest.
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The official added that Trump's national security team has been
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speaking with both the Russians and the Ukrainians to facilitate
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the deal to end the wall, and that everyone raising
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concerns about the FBI meetings are not privy to these
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diplomatic conversations and have no idea what they are talking about.
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A representative of Zelenski's office declined to comment on any
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specific meetings, but insisted that it is stupid to link
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everything to corruption. The New York Post noted Umirov's meeting
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with Patel in an article published November twenty eighth, but
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Gino's meeting with Umrov has not been previously reported. The
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discussions are happening at a critical moment for Ukraine. It
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is under pressure by the Trump administration to agree to
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an end of war proposal, with huge implications for the
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country's borders and territorial integrity. It is also facing its
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most far reaching corruption scandal since Zolensky took office in
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twenty nineteen. Ukrainian investigators alleged last month that one hundred
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million dollars has been stolen from the country's energy sector
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through graft and kickbacks. Eight people, including Zelensky's former business partner,
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are accused of embezzlement, money laundering, and illicit self dealing.
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Zelensky's top aid, Andrea Yermak, the second most powerful person
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in Ukraine, resigned in late November after his house was raided.
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Another close former ally of Zelensky Olesky, Sharonesshav, who served
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as deputy Prime Minister, is accused by Ukrainian authorities of
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receiving a one point three million dollars in kickbacks.
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Speaker 2: They do have a massive corruption.
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Speaker 1: Situation going on there, Trump Hold reporters this week, noting
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that the scandal was generating calls for elections in Ukraine.
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People are asking this question, when do they have an election.
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Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine in twenty twenty two
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prompted Kiev to enact martial law, including the postponement of
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presidential parliamentary elections. There is speculation inside and outside Kiv
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of a Weather Umrov, who also serves as Ukraine's National
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Security of ASER, may be implicated in the expanding embezzlement investigation,
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particularly as the country's anti corruption officials expand their probe
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into the defense sector. Umarov previously served as Ukraine's Defense minister.
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I was surprised they sent him to negotiate given what's
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being said about his potential involvement in the scandal, said
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Angelus Stint, a formal intelligence office in the officer in
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the George W. Bush administration and Skala at Georgetown University.
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Ukrainian opposition lawmaker Vladimir Arriev told the Post that it
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was irresponsible to keep Umarov on his top negotiator while
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he's under a cloud of suspicion. A person who has
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grown a tale with corruption allegations shouldn't chair faithful negotiations
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until they cut the tail, Aariv said. Umarov's defenders say
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he's an asset to Kiv. His easy going demeanor and
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proficient English have created a better rapport with US officials
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than they had with Yurmak, whom Zelenski relied on heavily
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before he resigned. But his FBI meetings have raised suspicion
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among Ukraine's Western backers, given the presence of Patel, who
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became a focal point of Trump's first impeachment, which sent
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it on the President's threat to revoke USA Ukraine to
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extract information on Hunter Biden's activities in the country. Trump
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was acquitted by the Senate. Fiona Hill, a former Trump
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administration official, testified before Congress that Patel had involved himself
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in Ukraine issues in a manner that went beyond the
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scope of his job as a White House advisor, according
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to what she was told by colleagues. The impeachment report
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released by host Democrats also highlighted Patel's discussion with Rudy
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Giuliani before the Trump administration's suspension of four hundred million
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dollars in military aid to Ukraine. Hill told The Post
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for this report that Patel's reemergence is likely to be
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viewed with even more concern and consternation in Europe.
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Speaker 2: Patel has always.
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Speaker 1: Denied he had a back channel with Trump on Ukraine
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during his first term, and set his discussions with Giliana
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were unrelated to Ukraine. FBI officials have worked for years
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with Ukraine's National Anti Corruption Bureau, or NABU to help
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the government and keep overcome endemic corruption stemming from its
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Soviet past, but high level meetings between the trop Ukrainian
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negotiator and the director of the FBI are not common.
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It is unusual for someone in that job to have
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a meeting with the leadership of the FBI, said Sam Sharp,
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a former State Department official. And Scala at the Rand Corporation.
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A common theme of Trump's Ukraine diplomacy, particularly as he
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expressed frustration about delays and getting to a deal, is
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expanding the number of aides assigned to work on the issue.
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Besides Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Witkoff, a real
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estate magnet and longtime friend, Trump has also listed his
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son in law Jared Kushner, and Army Secretary Daniel Driscol
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and ally of Vice President J. D.
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Speaker 2: Vance.
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Speaker 1: The growing number of officials involved in the talks has
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caused miscommunication and confunion. Confusion surrounding the deal's terms and
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what the United States supports. Several US official support proposal
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in which Ukraine withdraws from Danatsk in eastern Ukraine in
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exchange for other areas under Russia control, chuches the Zaprazia
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nuclear power plant. Earlier this week, Zelensky pushed back against
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the idea of Ukraine relinquishing any territory. Under our laws,
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under international law, and under moral law, we have no
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right to give anything away, Zelensky said, after meeting with
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top European leaders. That is what we are fighting for.
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But as negotiations have Russian forces have made advances in
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the East, exploiting Ukraine's shortages and ammunition and fighters. It
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also continues to bomb Ukraine's electrical infrastructure, triggering roll out,
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rolling blackouts, and raising fears of widespread otages this winter.
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Trump has made clear his patience is wearing thin and
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that if Ukraine doesn't negotiate for land, it could end
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up losing even more on the battlefield. You're losing thousands
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of people a week. It's time to get that war settled,
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Trump said. And for our veterans, VA plans to abruptly
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eliminate tens of thousands of health care jobs. Strains on
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the Veterans Affairs system could grow with the elimination of
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as many as thirty five thousand mostly unfilled health care positions,
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including doctors and nurses. There's a picture of Veterans Affairs
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Secretary Douglas A. Collins speaking during a Congressional gold medal
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ceremony on Capitol Hill last June twenty six. He has
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on a blue suit, a yellow tie with blue stripes
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diagonal stripes.
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Speaker 2: He's in front of an.
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Speaker 1: American flag, wears glasses and a short military cut hairstyle,
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and a microphone in front of him by MERL Cornfield,
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Hannah Madison, and Lisa Rain. The Department of Veterans Affairs
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plans to abruptly eliminate as many as thirty five thousand
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healthcare positions this month, mostly unfilled jobs including doctors, nurses,
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and support staff, according to an internal memo BA staffers
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and Congressional aids. The cuts come after a massive reorganization
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effort already resulted in the loss of almost thirty thousand
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employees this year. Agency leaders have instructed managers across the
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Veteran's Health Administration the agency's health care arm, to identify
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thousands of openings that can be canceled. Employees warned that
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the contraction will add pressure to an already stretched system,
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contributing to longer wait times for care. The decision comes
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after Veterans' Affairs Secretary Douglas A. Collins, under political pressure
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from Congress, back away from a plan to slash fifteen
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percent of the agency's workforce through massive firings. Instead, VA
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lost almost thirty thousand employees this year from biot offers
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and attrition. The agency hopes that the cuts will reduce
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the health care workforce to as little as three hundred
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and seventy two thousand employees, a ten percent reduction from
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last year, according to a memo shared with regional leaders
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last month and obtained by The Washington Post. Details of
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the cuts came into focus in recent days, According to
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seventeen staffers of BA and congressional aides who spoke on
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the condition of anonymity because they didn't have permission to
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share plans. VA spokes one, Pete casper Oys, confirmed the
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planned cuts for unfilled positions. He said the healthcare system
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is eliminating about sixty four thousand, four hundred of its
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open jobs, which he described as mostly COVID era roles
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that are no longer necessary. He wrote in a response
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to questions, the vast majority of these positions have not
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been filled for more than a year, underscoring how they
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are no longer leaded. This move will have no effect
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on VA operations or the way the department delivers care
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to veterans, as we are simply eliminating open and unfilled
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positions that are no longer needed. Casparowitz said the nation's
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largest government run health care system has struggled to fill
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vacancies and made a broader national shortage of healthcare workers
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and a strained federal workforce. Job applications to the agency
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have also fallen fifty seven percent from last year, according
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to the agency's workforce report last month. This reorganization comes
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in advance of an expected announcement next week that Collins
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plans to also shrink the network of eighteen regional offices
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that administer the nation's VIA hospitals and medical centers. According
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to four people familiar with the plan, staff at those
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regional offices helped determine policies and manage staffing. Collins and
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others have been critical of the agency's top heavy administrative offices,
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arguing that staffing cuts there were free up more resources
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for health care. The health system grew by tens of
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thousands of employees under the Biden administration as more veterans
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enrolled in VIA healthcare. After passage of the Packed Act,
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which expanded benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.
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Then Secretary Denis MacDonough urged veterans to be seen by
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VA doctors rather than request referrals to private practitioners outside
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the system. But the Trump administration has said it wants
20:51
more veterans to seek treatment outside the government system. Political
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appointees at VA and their allies have also said they
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favor Alena healthcare workforce because they think physicians and other
21:05
health care providers could be more productive, said one former
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appointee who is close to the Trump team. Colin stood
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down from planned mass firings this year after about partisan
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mix of lawmakers expressed concerns about cutts affecting patient care.
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The agency said mission critical positions were exempted from the
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bios and retirement offers. Since then, lawmakers have sought greater
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oversight of the agency's staffing plans. In the agreement to
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reopen the government last month, lawmakers allocated one hundred and
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thirty three billion dollars in discretionary funding for the VA,
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with conditions including that the agency could not reduce staffing
21:52
for suicide prevention programs and would provide updates on staffing coats.
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The HOST also proved a measure Thursday overturning President Donald
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Trump's executive order eliminating union rights at federal agencies, including BA,
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where the union had said it was harder to protect
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jobs without collective bargaining. Thomas Dargan, Junior Deputy General counsel
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of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more
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than three hundred and twenty thousand VA employees, said the
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union has not been consulted by the agency about the cuts,
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that has heard about concerns from its members. The VA
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has been chronically understaffed for years, and employees are obviously
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going to be facing the brunt of any further job
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cuts or reorganization that results in employees having introduced more
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work with less, Dargan said. Charda for Tenarino, a VIA
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nurse in Colorado and local head of her nurses union,
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said her facility continues to lack the necessary staff to
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keep up with demand, and she urged lawmakers to restore
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collective bargaining so nurses could advocate for safer working conditions.
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The measure is unlikely to pass the Republican held Senate.
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We're going to continue to do more with less, We're
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going to continue to be overworked, Pornarino said. Meanwhile, at
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the VA's regional offices, leadership is determining which roles they
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would need to council, and several healthcare workers said they
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had been warned their hospitals would be affected. Regional leaders
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were told to ensure their organizational charts are updated by
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next week. According to the memo reviewed by the Post.
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Speaker 2: In Phoenix, three hundred.
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Speaker 1: And fifty eight openings will be eliminated, including nurses and doctors,
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according to a nurse, who said the losses will hit
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as they are already behind in scheduling doctor's appointments. In
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another Mountain West hospital, healthcare workers were told at a
24:13
town hall last week that no current employees would lose
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their jobs, though if anyone leaves, they would need to
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determine whether they could keep those jobs, according to a
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recording of the meeting. The bad news arrived last Friday
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for employees of the VIA San Diego health Care System.
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In an exclamation marked filled In an exclamation mark filled
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email from director Frank Pearson, he wrote that he'd been
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expecting this year to fill seven hundred and thirty four
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job vacancies with new nurses, doctors and other staff to
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help care for almost ninety thousand veterans that the San
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Diego s system regularly serves. But sometime this fall, he wrote,
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higher ups decided to do some housekeeping and clean up
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of the books informing the San Diego system that it
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only had the budget to retain four thousand, four hundred
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and twenty nine employees going into the physical year twenty
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twenty six. That meant Pearson wrote in bold all caps
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underline letters that three hundred and twenty two vacant positions
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all caps in bold, need to be eliminated. One of
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the VIA employees who received the email said that in
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the mental health section alone, there were seventy eight open
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positions as of this month, about half of which will
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now go away. Currently, the employee noted, veterans in the
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San Diego area are waiting between sixty and ninety days
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to access VAIS mental health services. Staff are already strained
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and exhausted after a difficult year, the employee said, and
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we're counting on reinforcements. We are all doing the work
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of others to compensate.
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Speaker 2: She said.
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Speaker 1: The idea that relief isn't coming is really really disappointing.
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Trump's ballroom construction National Trust sues to stop it. The organization,
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which is charged by Congress with historic preservation, has retained
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President Barack Obama's former lawyer as it seeks to pause
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the project. And there's a picture of the construction site
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that I have described once before. It is massive and
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takes up the whole side of the lawn on the
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White House.
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Speaker 2: It's massive.
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Speaker 1: By Dan Diamond and Jonathan Edwards. Historic preservationist begged President
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Donald Trump in October not to rapidly demolish the White
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House East Wing annex for his ballroom project, urging him
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to wait for federal review panels and allow the public
27:21
to weigh in. Now, a group charged by Congress with
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helping to preserve historical buildings is asking a judge to
27:29
block construction until those reviews occur, arguing that the ongoing
27:35
project is illegal and unconstitutional. The lawsuit from the nonprofit
27:41
National Trust for Historic Preservation, which was filed Friday in
27:46
the U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia,
27:50
represents the first major legal challenge to Trump's planned ninety
27:55
thousand square foot addition, and is poised to test the
27:59
limits of his power. The organization argues that the administration
28:05
failed to undergo legally required reviews or receive congressional authorization
28:11
for the project, which Trump has rushed to launch in
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hopes of completing it before his term ends in twenty
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twenty nine. The complaint says no president is legally allowed
28:26
to tear down portions of the White House without any
28:30
review whatsoever. Not President Trump, not President Joe Biden, not
28:36
anyone else. The administration in October rapidly demolished the East Wing.
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Speaker 2: To make way for the Ballroom.
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Speaker 1: Over the objections of the National Trust and other historical preservationists,
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who urged the White House to pause its demolition, submit
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its plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, and seek
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public comment. Officials responded by saying they would work with
29:04
the Commission, a board that oversees federal building projects and
29:09
is now led by Trump allies, at the appropriate time.
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In CPC chair Will Sharp, Trump's former personal lawyer, who
29:19
is now White House Chief Staff Secretary, said his administration
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colleagues have told him they will submit the project plans
29:28
to the Commission this month. It has yet to do so,
29:31
even as work continues on the former East Wing site
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and construction is being operated on at night, even which
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is I guess to make sure it's completed before his
29:44
term ends. The lawsuit is our last resort. We serve
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the people, and the people are not being served in
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this process, said Carol Quinlan, National Trust CEO in an interview.
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Speaker 2: The administration did.
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Speaker 1: Not respond to questions Friday about the National Trust's specific
30:05
claims or when it would submit Bullram plans to the Commission.
30:09
Officials have maintained that Trump has authority over White House
30:13
grounds and is working to improve them at no cost
30:16
to taxpayers. Dismissing critics as unhinged leftists who sees on
30:22
the imagery of Bulldozer's tearing down what has been called
30:26
the People's House as a metaphor for the operating year
30:31
of his term, President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate,
30:37
and beautify the White House, just like all of his
30:40
predecessors did. Davis Ingel, a White House spokesman, wrote in
30:45
a statement the National Trust is seeking a temporary restraining
30:50
order on construction as the court reviews its claims, its
30:54
lawyer said. One of those lawyers is Craig Gregg, a
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fully hoged lawylawyer who previously served as White House council
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to President Barack Obama, who is working pro bono on
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the case. Craig also served as President Bill Clinton's lawyer
31:12
during Republican efforts to impreach Clinton in the late nineteen nineties.
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Trump has made the ballroom a focus and frequent talking
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point in the opening year of his second term, and
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administration officials have acknowledged that he is involved to the
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point of micromanagement. In a very short period of time,
31:35
like about a year and a half, You're going to
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have the best ballroom anywhere in the country, Trump told
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lawmakers at the White House on Thursday night. The president
31:46
has also maintained that he is not burned by typical
31:50
building restrictions or the need to seek construction approvals, citing
31:54
conversations with advisors and experts. They said, or this is
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the White House. You're the president of the United States.
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You can do anything you want, Trump said at an
32:06
October dinner to celebrate the ballroom donors. Several polls have
32:13
shown that the ballroom project is broadly unpopular, and Democrats
32:18
have consistently attacked it, eager to contrast the president's focus
32:23
on a luxurious ballroom against many other americans concerns about affordability.
32:30
Some conservatives have also questioned Trump's plans and pace, asking
32:35
why the administration did not undergo a formal review process
32:39
before tearing down part of the symbolic seat of government.
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The president and his original hand picked architect battled over
32:48
Trump's desire to expand the ballroom size before Trump replaced him.
32:54
The Washington Post previously reported that three hundred million dollar
33:00
project is being funded by wealthy individuals and large companies
33:05
that have contracts with the federal government, including Amazon, Lockheed Martin,
33:11
and Pallanteer Technologies. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns the post
33:18
that is in parentheses. The administration has released a partial
33:23
list of contributors, but granted Sun and manignity, eliciting concerns
33:29
from Democratic lawmakers and others, some of which are reflected
33:34
in the complaint. The National Trust, for example, alleges that
33:39
the Trump administration violated the Constitution's Property Clause, which authorizes
33:45
Congress to oversee property on federal land. The National Trust
33:50
lawsuit names Trump and other administration officials, including at the
33:55
National Park Service and the General Services Administration, as defendants.
34:01
The National Trust argues that the Baldwin plans are legally
34:06
required to be reviewed by the NCPC and the Commission
34:11
of Fine Arts, another federal panel which is without members
34:16
after Trump fired them in October. The organization also contends
34:21
that the White House has failed to fulfill its obligations
34:25
under the National Environmental Policy Act to conduct and publish
34:31
an assessment of the environmental impact of tearing down the
34:35
East Wing and disposing of the debris, particularly given concerns
34:40
about environmental contamination. White House officials have previously dismissed criticism
34:47
from the National Trust, arguing that its leaders are looser
34:52
Democrats and liberal donors who oppose Trump on political grounds.
34:57
The National Trust has decades long as association with Trump.
35:02
In nineteen ninety five, he donated Eastmans to the organization
35:06
that made his mare Lago resort in Florida a historic
35:10
property in exchange for tax breaks. National Trust officials have
35:16
said they subsequently worked with the Trump administration and organization
35:20
on collaborative construction projects at the resort, including its ball room.
35:29
The White House has also defended the project by drawing
35:32
a distinction between construction on the White House grounds at
35:36
which administration officials say is covered by federal review panels,
35:40
and demolition and site prep, which they maintain is not. However,
35:47
the National Trust says that this is a distinction without
35:50
a difference. Recent photos have shown that heavy construction machinery
35:55
and teams of people are working regularly on the site,
35:58
and Trump has said that our drivers are operating all day,
36:03
all night. The group's lawsuit also cites the White House's
36:09
own public timeline for the project, which includes a section
36:13
that says construction commences and that it kicked off in
36:18
September twenty twenty five. Quinlan said she did not have
36:23
a hard objection to a White House ballroom so long
36:28
as its size, materials, and design were consistent with the
36:32
White House and did not overshadow the main building. It
36:35
is the National Trust's job, she said, to preserve American history,
36:41
particularly at the White House, given the building's iconic status
36:46
and central role. She noted that the organization has also
36:50
brought legal challenges to past administration's construction projects. Following the
36:57
process and enabling public input often results in a better
37:02
project outcome, Quinlan said, a quick a side, when we
37:08
were in California for Thanksgiving with our son, my husband
37:13
and I went up to your Belinda area outside of
37:17
Los Angeles so that I could go to the Nixon
37:20
White House Museum, of which I worked for that administration,
37:25
and it was very interesting museum. It did not have
37:29
much about the Watergate incident, but it was fun to
37:35
sit in a replica of the Oval Office, sit at
37:39
his desk, which was not the resolute desk. He chose
37:42
the desk that he used as vice president under Eisenhower.
37:47
But I sat at the desk with my feet up
37:49
on top, chatting on the phone.
37:51
Speaker 2: It was really rather fun to do that.
37:54
Speaker 1: And I have my Christmas tree ornament of now the
37:57
Nixon White House. Next article inside the Washington Post. Host
38:05
Republicans unveil healthcare plan, set up vote for next week.
38:11
A host GEOP leader will allow an amendment vote on
38:15
an extension of the Affordable Care Act subsidies sought by
38:20
Democrats and moderate Republicans by Riley Began. Host Republicans unveiled
38:27
a new health care proposal Friday as they aimed to
38:30
address concerns about rising health insurance costs just weeks before
38:37
Enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expire. The legislation would codify
38:44
and expand healthcare plans for small businesses, fund reductions of
38:49
premiums for low income people in the individual health insurance market,
38:54
and increase transparency infrastriction drug pricing. According to Host Republican
39:00
Leadership AIDS, The proposal would also allow for a separate
39:06
vote on an extension of the premium ACA tax credits,
39:10
which subsidize health insurance for most of the twenty four
39:14
million Americans who buy their coverage on the Obamacare marketplace,
39:19
the central demand Democrats and minor Republicans have made in
39:23
the recent healthcare debate. The House is expected to vote
39:28
on the proposal next week before leaving Washington for a
39:32
two week holiday break. It is unclear if the proposal
39:36
could succeed in the Senate, where it would require sixty
39:40
votes to overcome a filibuster. Host GOP leadership Aids said
39:46
that the chosen policies have strong census among House Republicans,
39:52
and that each part of the package has previously been
39:55
voted on in the lower chamber with biparisan support. Speaker
40:00
Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, has been meeting with factions
40:05
of the GOP conference all week to decide which provisions
40:09
could succeed in the narrowly divided chamber. We have some
40:14
low hanging fruit. We have some things that every Republican
40:18
agrees to, Johnson's sold reporters. Wednesday, moderate Republicans are expected
40:24
to offer an amendment to the plan that would extend
40:27
the ACA subsidies, but leadership AIDS declined to say which
40:31
proposal would be put forward for a vote before the
40:35
full host. Two bipartisan groups in the Host have sought
40:39
to force a vote to extend a tweaked version of
40:42
the ACA subsidies. If we thought that just dealing with
40:47
the other components of health care were adequate and not
40:51
addressing the ACA subsidies, then we wouldn't be discharging our bills,
40:58
said represent to Brian Fitzpatrick, Republican of Pennsylvania, who is
41:04
leading one of the bipartisan efforts. Neither of the bipartisan
41:09
plans includes broader abortion restrictions, which most Republicans are demanding
41:15
must be included in any ACA subsidy extension. Democrats have
41:20
said they cannot accept more restrictions on abortion coverage. That's
41:26
likely to become a dividing line as the GOP plan
41:29
is considered in the hosts. If the amendment to extend
41:33
the ACA subsidies doesn't include additional abortion coverage restrictions, most
41:40
Host Republicans are likely to reject it. It's unclear whether
41:44
enough Democrats would join the bipartisan group to overcome GOP opposition.
41:51
The GOP plan follows months of debate over the ACA subsidies,
41:56
which are set to lapse at the end of the year.
42:00
Democrats' effort to extend them before they expire triggered the
42:04
longest federal government shutdown in history and pushed Republicans, who
42:09
largely oppose extending the premium tax credits, to explore alternatives
42:14
that could bring down the price of healthcare. Democrats agreed
42:19
to end the shutdown in exchange for a vote on
42:23
a health care proposal. They backed a clean three year
42:27
extension of the subsidies, which was rejected by the upper
42:31
chamber Thursday. Senate Republicans plan, which would give many Americans
42:37
up to fifteen hundred dollars in tax free accounts to
42:41
spend on healthcare instead of extending the subsidies, was also rejected.
42:47
The Highest plan does not include a similar proposal. Thursday,
42:52
I read about that September vote strike Today's article Admiral's
42:58
top military law lawyer to be summoned in house boat
43:03
strike inquiry. Admiral Frank Bradley's legal adviser has emerged as
43:08
a key figure as members of Congress assess whether the
43:12
killing of two men violated the law of armed conflict
43:17
by Noah Robertson. A top House Republican plans to summon
43:22
the senior military lawyer president during the controversial US strike
43:27
that killed the survivors of an initial attack on their
43:30
alleged drug smuggling boat in the waters off Venezuela representative,
43:36
Mike D. Rogers, Republican of Alabama, chairman of the House
43:40
Armed Services Committee, said in a short interview at the
43:44
Capital that he wants Admiral Frank M. Bradley, the commander
43:48
who oversaw the September second operation, to return to Washington
43:53
next week and provide a briefing for all committee members.
43:57
I want the lawyer there, too, said The request to
44:02
hear from another official involved in the operations suggest Rogers
44:06
wants the committee to have a first hand picture of
44:09
the legal considerations that preceded Bradley's orders to strike the
44:13
vote again despite the presidents of survivors.
44:19
Speaker 2: The presence of survivors.
44:21
Speaker 1: The admiral spent about eight hours in Capitol Hill last
44:25
week meeting with select lawmakers, Rogers among them. The Washington
44:30
Post on Thursday published a detailed account of the revelations
44:34
that emerged from those classified discussions. Earlier this week, Rogers
44:40
had signaled that he planned to end his committee's probe,
44:43
one of two underway in Congress, telling reporters he was
44:47
satisfied with the information that he had been provided. He
44:51
had previously expressed a desire for Bradley to return to
44:54
Capitol Hill so more Lake lawmakers could hear directly from
44:59
the admiral and see video footage of the operation. A
45:05
spokesperson for Rogers said the committee was working to schedule
45:09
the next briefing. A spokesperson for US Operations Command, where
45:14
Bradley is the top officer, could not confirm whether there
45:18
would be another briefing or if a request had been
45:21
made for the military lawyer to attend. The September second
45:26
operation killed eleven people, including the two survivors. After The
45:31
Post reported late last month that Bradley ordered the follow
45:35
on attack, lawmakers and legal experts have questioned whether the
45:39
law of armed conflict had been violated by killing defenses targets.
45:46
The House and Senate Armed Services Committees quickly opened separate
45:50
increase at the corps of Bradley's defense of the second strike.
45:56
According to several people familiar with his conversations on Capitol
46:00
Hill last week, is his assertion that the attack was
46:04
not directed at the two survivors, but at the boat's
46:07
wreckage and any illicit drugs it may have sheltered. The
46:11
people spoke on the condition of anonymity because the matter
46:15
is highly sensitive and Bradley's communication with lawmakers occurred in
46:20
classified settings. Ahead of the mission, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
46:26
had given an order to US forces to kill the passengers,
46:30
sink the boat, and destroy the drugs. People familiar with
46:34
the operation have said it appeared to Bradley after the
46:38
initial strike that none of those objectives have been achieved.
46:43
The admiral told lawmakers. The military lawyer who advised Bradley
46:48
during the operation, whom the Post is not identifying because
46:52
they serve in a secretive unit, has emerged as a
46:56
key figure as members of Congress seek to understand Bradley's
46:59
day mad of mind at the time of the strike.
47:03
During such operations, military lawyers are expected to advise their
47:07
commanders on the law of armed conflict, particularly in moments
47:11
of uncertainty. It is not clear what legal advice Bradley
47:17
was given before he decided to strike the boat wreckage again,
47:21
though the admiral told rawmakers he did consult with the
47:24
lawyer on whether the men qualified as shipwrecked or out
47:29
of the fight, making them unlawful targets. The Post has
47:33
reported Democrats and some Republicans have demanded the public release
47:39
of a video documenting the operation. Hegsath, who has sought
47:43
to distance himself from the fallout, has not committed to
47:47
doing so. Representative Adam Smith of Washington, the senior Democrat
47:53
on the House Armed Services Committee, said that the meeting
47:57
with Bradley next week would be classified and that he
48:00
expected the full video to be shown for.
48:03
Speaker 2: All committee members.
48:06
Speaker 1: On Thursday, the Republican chair of the Semate Armed Services
48:10
Committee suggested he would continue his panel's inquiry into the
48:15
early September strike. I'm going to listen to m colleagues,
48:20
Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi told reporters. Some members of Congress,
48:28
including Senator Mark R. Warner of Virginia, the senior Democrat
48:33
on the Senate Intelligence Committee, have requested the military lawyer's
48:37
written opinion of the strike, and also Hegseeth's order authorizing
48:43
the operation.
48:45
Speaker 2: The first and I.
48:46
Speaker 1: Legally disputed campaign that since September has killed nearly ninety people.
48:52
Democrats like Warner, alongside many retired military lawyers, have argued
48:58
that all of the strikes by the laws of war
49:01
by killing alleged drug traffickers, whom they say are criminals
49:07
motivated by profit, rather than combatants waging war against Americans,
49:12
as the Trump administration claims. On Wednesday, the hast passed
49:18
its annual Marquee Defense Bill, which would withhold twenty five
49:24
percent of Hegseth's travel budget until he shares with Congress
49:28
the full video of the strike and other related information
49:32
about the administration's military activities in Latin America and the
49:40
last article. Judge orders return of evidence against Comi's citing
49:46
constitutional concerns. The ruling delivered another setback to the Justice
49:51
departments rapidly found daring effort to prosecute one of Trump's
49:56
chief foes. By Jeremy Roebuck, a federal judge ruled Friday
50:02
that the Justice Department unlawfully accessed evidence central to its
50:07
case against former FBI director James B. Komy, delivering what
50:11
could be a death blow to President Donald Trump's efforts
50:15
to reindict one of his most prominent perceived rivals. US
50:20
District Judge Colleen Kotelli ordered the FBI to return emails
50:26
and other electronic communications it seized from Komi confident Daniel
50:31
Rickman roughly five years ago as part of a separate
50:35
investigation that did not result in charges. Those records had
50:40
formed the backbone of the case the Justice Department filed
50:44
against Komy in September, and without them, prosecutors maintained they
50:48
were effectively enjoined dot from investigating or prosecuting Komi. Coolark
50:57
Katelli voted authorities for failing to news search warrants before
51:03
using the old Rickman material as part of the Komi investigation.
51:07
She described that lapse as a fundamental violation of Rickman's rights.
51:15
The judge wrote, when the government violates the Fourth Amendment's
51:20
prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures by sweeping up a
51:25
broad swathe of a person's electronic files, retaining those files
51:30
long after the revelent investigation has ended, and later sifting
51:34
through those files with odor warrant to obtain evidence against
51:38
someone else, what remedy is available to the victim of
51:42
the government's unlawful intrusion. The judge last week issued a
51:48
temporary order barring the Justice Department's access to the material
51:52
it had seized from Rickman, a Columbia law School professor
51:56
who briefly represented Comy as an attorney after he was
52:00
fired as FBI director in twenty seventeen. Her order Friday
52:05
made that provisional decision permanent. The judge left open the
52:10
possibility that investigators could legally re obtain the seized communications.
52:16
She instructed agents to make a copy of the files
52:19
before returning them to Rickman that would be placed under
52:23
court seal, making them accessible should the government obtain a
52:27
valid search warrant to use them. In the Komi case,
52:31
Whether the Justice Department could succeed in obtaining such a warrant, though,
52:36
remains in doubt. Coolacatelli's ruling is the latest roadblock Justice
52:42
Department lawyers are facing in their efforts to reindict Komi
52:46
on charges he lied to Congress during testimony in September
52:50
twenty twenty. A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not
52:54
return requests for comment on the ruling or how the
52:58
decision might affect its plan. Prosecutors alleged Comby failed to
53:03
acknowledge that he'd authorized Rickman to lead confidential information to
53:08
the news media when he was questioned abated during a
53:11
hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Comy has denied the
53:16
accusation invoted to take the case to trial, but before
53:21
jury could rule the substance of that case, a federal
53:24
judge dismissed the indictment on the grounds that the prosecutor
53:28
who obtained it, Lindsey Halligan, the interim u S Attorney
53:33
for the Eastern District of Virginia, had been unlawfully appointed
53:37
and had no legal authority when she presented the case
53:40
to the grand jury. That decision also led to the
53:45
dismissal of a separate mortgage fraud indictment Halligan had obtained
53:49
against New York Attorney General Letitia James, another of Trump's
53:54
political opponents. Halligan's office has twice sought to revive its
53:59
case against jim As in the week since both times,
54:03
grand jurys have declined to return an indictment. In Komi's case,
54:10
the judge suggested, and an effort to recharge him could
54:13
be further complicated by the expiration of a five year
54:17
statute of limitations on the crimes the Justice Department says
54:21
he committed. The original indictment was filed just days before
54:25
that five year deadline was set to expire. Despite those obstacles,
54:30
the Justice Department's efforts this week to defend his continued
54:34
access to the Rickman materials suggest officials hoped to mount
54:39
a new case against Komi. The FBI originally obtained the
54:43
emails and text messages at issue under search warrants issued
54:48
in twenty nineteen and twenty twenty as part of an
54:51
inquiry into whether Komi had used Rickman as a conduit
54:55
to illegally disclose sensitive information on the bureau's investigations Hillary
55:00
Clinton's use of private email server. That investigation was later
55:05
closed without charges. Rickman had argued that investigators in that
55:10
first probe had seized more of his messages than the
55:14
initial warrants allowed, and that prosecutors loose of them in
55:18
the Komy case was illegal. A US magistrate judge who
55:23
had overseen aspects of the case against Komi, William E. Fitzpatrick,
55:28
had also questioned the use of Rickman's communications in the
55:32
grand jury presentation that led to the FBI director's indictment.
55:37
He too, criticized prosecutors for not first obtaining a warrant
55:42
one instant of what Fitzpatrick described as a disturbing pattern
55:48
of profound investigative misteps and possible misconduct. The Kola Katelli
55:54
echoed that concern in her ruling Friday, the government has
56:00
presented no substantive argument that it's searchless warrant. A warrantless
56:06
search of Richmond files in twenty twenty five was consistent
56:10
with his Fourth Amendment rights, and its decision to do
56:14
so is flatly inconsistent with precedent and longstanding practice. She wrote,
56:22
and I really don't have time to read anything else,
56:24
so I'm going to blather more about my trip up
56:27
to the Yorba Linda Presidential Library for Nixon.
56:32
Speaker 2: It is on the.
56:33
Speaker 1: Grounds of the house in which he was born with
56:36
his other four brothers, of which two died early on
56:42
and one recently died, And he happened to have had
56:46
all the family furniture in a storage unit that is
56:51
now in the host the original furniture, including the bedroom
56:56
in which Nixon was born in that house. He was
57:00
only one of his brothers that was born in that house. Upstairs,
57:04
the brothers were only in a single bedroom upstairs, with
57:09
very narrow steps going up. It was a modular home,
57:16
but it wasn't a Series in Roebuck type of house
57:19
or another type of modular home Montgomery Ward module home.
57:25
Speaker 2: It was not a Montgomery Ward modula home either.
57:28
Speaker 1: And the you have a tour of the house, then
57:32
there is a rose garden, of which in which he
57:35
and his wife Pat Nixon are both buried, but beautiful roses,
57:40
and reconstruction of the what used to be the east
57:45
wing of the White House, in which there is an
57:47
area that they hold different events there. So I really
57:53
enjoyed getting there. I have my mix and memorabilia, including
57:58
an autograph of the President, his brother Ed Nixon, the
58:03
one who had the furniture, and the famous John Mitchell.
58:07
I have those autographs and a former flag that was
58:11
flown at the inauguration parade, but that has been stolen
58:17
when I gave it to a former very dear friend
58:21
when he hosted Reagan for the first time after Reagan's
58:27
attempted assassination. But that was a long time ago, during
58:31
my salad days. And here I am in wonderful Lexington,
58:34
which I love. Thank you for listening to my flava.
58:39
Take care this weekend. It is supposed to be very
58:43
cold tomorrow and Monday.
58:46
Speaker 2: I'll be back on Thursday. Bae,