Transcript

4.29.25 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of the Washington Post for Tuesday,
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April twenty ninth, twenty twenty five. As a reminder, Radio
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I is a reading service intended for people who are
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blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
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read printed material. Your reader for today is Cindy Fraser.
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Today's front page headlines from The Washington Post are civil
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rights lawyers flee justice as focus shifts. Director reassigned staff
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to combat anti Semitism and diversity initiatives. Our next headline,
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A deal and a return to d C. Commander's city
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agree to build a stadium at r f K site
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by twenty thirty, but plenty of roadblocks remain. Next, at
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U N, China goes on offense effort to subvert work
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on rights state. Back to NGO's undercut harass critics. Next,
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agencies turn into polygraph tests in hunt for leakers. Current
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former officials describe sense of dread at FBI and Pentagon.
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The next headline, Operation Babylifts. Adoptees look back to Vietnam
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as the children flown to America out of Saigon's fall.
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Into their fifties, some are seeking to connect with their
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origins and the final headline from today's front page. In
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stunning comeback, Liberals win in Canada, left wing party retains
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power after a campaign dominated by Trump. Now, let's turn
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to our first item, entitled civil rights lawyers flee Justice
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as focus shifts. Director reassigned staff to combat anti semitism
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and diversity initiatives by Perry Stein and Jerry Roebuck. The
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new head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is
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dramatically reshaping the office to propel President Donald Trump's social agenda,
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prompting the departure of about half of the division's lawyers
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in recent weeks, according to people familiar with the situation
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and public statements from top officials. Since being sworn in
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this month, civil Rights Director Harmit K. Dillon has redirected
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her staff to focus on combating anti semitism, the participation
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of transgender athletes in women's sports, and what Trump and
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his allies have described as anti Christian bias and the
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Democrats quote woke ideology. The division changed mission statements across
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as sections to focus less on racial discrimination and more
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on fighting diversity initiatives, and department officials reassigned more than
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a dozen career staffers, including Section chiefs overseeing police brutality,
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disability and voting rights cases to areas outside their legal expertise.
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The changes under Dylan, a long time Republican activist, coincided
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with a second White House offer to federal workers that
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allows them to resign from their positions and be paid
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through September. The deadline for that offer is late Monday evening,
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and civil rights employees have been submitting their resignations en
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mass as the deadline years, said people familiar with the
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division who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of
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the sensitivity of the matter. More than one hundred division
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attorneys have already said they will leave their jobs, Dylan
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told conservative podcaster Glenn Beck during an appearance on his
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show Saturday. Many departed because they disagree with the division's
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new direction. She said the division had about three hundred
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eighty attorneys when Trump began his second term in the
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White House. Approximately half have left or said they will leave,
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according to people familiar with the division, and Dylan Toldbeck
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she had no problem their departures. I think that's fine,
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Dylan said. We don't want people in the federal government
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who feel like it's their pet project to go persecute
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police departments based on statistical evidence, or persecute people praying
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outside abortion facilities instead of doing violence. The job here
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is to enforce the civil rights laws, not woke ideology.
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The Civil Rights Division was established in nineteen fifty seven
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as part of the Civil Rights Act, which focused on
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fighting racial discrimination. Since its launch, the Division has been
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tasked with upholding the civil and constitutional rights of all
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persons in the United States, particularly some of the most
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vulnerable members of our society. According to the Justice Department's website,
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the office has eleven sections that aim to combat discrimination
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in educational opportunities, housing, employment, voting, and more. Some civil
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rights advocates feared changes could amount to an abandonment of
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the division's founding mission. For almost seventy years, the Civil
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Rights Division has enforced laws that Congress passed to promote equality, dignity,
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and fairness for all Americans, said Stacy Young, a former
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civil rights attorney who left this year and founded Justice Connection,
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an advocacy organization for former Justice Department employees. By effectively
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purging the vast majority of the division's lawyers, DOJ is
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grinding this work to a mere halt. Within the Justice Department.
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It is the civil rights division that usually experiences the
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sharpest swings in ideological priorities during transition between Republican and
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Democratic administrations, but several former officials interviewed by The Washington
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Post described the shifts implemented so far by Dylan and
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other political appointees at Justice as more extreme than anticipated.
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In the first Trump administration, former Justice Department officials said
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the division was largely left intact. The section did not
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pursue actions against police departments in the way that recent
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Democratic administrations had done, but it continued to focus on
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prosecuting hate crimes, protecting disability rights, and enforcing employment laws.
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Since Trump's second inauguration, nearly every civil rights section has
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been upended, the people familiar with the situation said. The
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Immigrant and Employee Rights section is now primarily focused on
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ensuring that foreign workers are not favored over US citizens
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in job opportunities. Attorneys once dispatched to ensure education facilities
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are not discriminating against minority groups, are now concentrating much
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of their resources on ensuring those institutions are not being antisemitic.
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One exception is the division's Criminal section, which prosecutes hate crimes.
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Human trafficking and other cases, and has been largely left
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in tact. It has not seen the same exodus as
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other sections. In one of her first acts, Dylan changed
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the mission statements from many of Division offices to align
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with Trump executive orders, with titles such as ending radical
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indoctrination in K through twelve schooling, keeping men out of
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women's sports, and eradicating anti Christian bias. Speaking on Beck's podcast,
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Dylan said she intended to send the message to her
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new staff, these are the President's priorities. This is what
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we will be focusing on. Govern yourselves accordingly. This is
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not simply a change in enforcement priorities that comes with
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a change in administration. The Division has been turned on
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his head and has now been used as a weapon
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against the very communities it was established to protect, said
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Venita Gupta, who was Associate Attorney General during the Biden
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administration and director of the Civil Rights Division under President
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Barack Obama. The mass exodus of this has triggered is
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unprecedented and also understandable. The changes in the Division began
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before Dylan took over. In the first weeks of the
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Trump administration, Justice Department officials ordered the Division to pause
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most of the investigative activity launched during the Biden administration
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pending reviews by new leadership. Many top leaders were removed
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from their positions. In addition, Trump's appointees launched a multi
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agency task force has within the Civil Rights Division to
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combat anti Semitism. Dylan has pledged more the same and
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in line with her new priorities. The Justice Department has
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withdrawn or moved to dismiss Biden era court filings and
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cases alleging discriminatory electoral practices in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, and supporting
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protections for transgender prison inmates. Dilan derided the latter in
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a statement as politically motivated and based on junk signs.
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The Department also withdrew from voting rights cases in Georgia
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and Texas, and several top managers from the Voting Section
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have been reassigned. The ability of the Justice Department to
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enforce laws that protect the American people from discrimination, from fraud,
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from illegal activity is being decimated, said David Becker, who
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was executive director of the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation
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and Research and worked as a senior trial attorney in
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the Voting Rights Section under the administrations of President Bill
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Clinton and George W. Bush. The American people should expect
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to see more discrimination, more wrongdoing, and all of the
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harms that go with it. Dylan, in her appearance on
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Beck's podcast, acknowledged that recent departures had for the moment,
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affected the resources her division could bring to bear on
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its newly established priorities. We're going to run out of
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attorneys to work on these sayings at some point, she equipped. Still,
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she added, the Civil Rights Division was looking to hire
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new lawyers. I care that they're willing to take direction
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and zealously enforce the civil rights of the United States
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according to their priorities of the President, Dylan said. Yvonne
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Wingkett Sanchez, and Patrick Marley contributed to this report. Our
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next item from today's front page is entitled a Deal
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and a Return to d C Commanders City agreed to
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build a stadium at RFK side by twenty thirty, but
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plenty of roadblocks remain. By Megan Flynn, Sam Fortier, and
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Nikki Javalla, d C and the Washington Commanders have reached
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a three point seven billion dollar deal to transform the
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dilapidated RFK stadium site on the Banks of the Anacostia
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River into a new home for the NFL team, surrounded
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by retail, housing and park space, a generational development project
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likely to shape the legacies of Mayor Muriel E. Browser,
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a Democrat, and Commander's owner Josh Harris. Sprulling across one
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hundred seventy seven waterfront acres. The massive development, anchored by
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a covered sixty five thousand seat stadium, would be funded
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primarily by the Commanders, who would put up two point
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seven billion dollars. According to the terms released Monday, The
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total cost to DC taxpayers is expected to top one
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billion dollars, including stadium infrastructure, parking facilities, recreation improvements, and
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other water and electric infrastructure, a price tag likely to
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spur heated debate on the DC Council and among residents
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about how public money is used. Any cost overruns will
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be covered by the Commanders. Harris said the Council still
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must approve the deal, and Bowser is expected to include
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the public financing components in the twenty twenty six capital
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budget submission in the coming weeks. The team and city
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are hoping to move quickly. They plan to begin construction
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next year and have the new stadium open for the
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twenty thirty season. That would require the Council to approve
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the terms of that deal by July, and lawmakers could
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propose changes. At a joint news conference Monday, an elated
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Bowser took the stage alongside Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger
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Goodell to the rifts of Membo sauces welcome to d C,
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with a welcome home banner hanging behind them in commanders
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Burgundy and Gold. This is a big deal. I've been
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working on this for the ten years since I've been mayor,
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and now we have the right partner at the right time,
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Bowser said, we were joined in our goals to advance
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a deal that we could be proud of, a development
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that would serve the city for generations to come and
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support the best professional sports franchise in the world. The
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deal is a significant victory for Bowser, who has staked
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part of her legacy on major transformations of DC's sports arenas,
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from Capital One Arena to RFK. The stadium would also
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be legacy defining for Harris, who grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland,
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before going to Wall Street and becoming a billionaire with
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a means to return his severely damaged favorite team to
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what he called its spiritual home. This project is about
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so much more than building a stadium, Harris said. It's
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about a once in a generation opportunity for long term,
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transformational economic growth here in DC. Bazzard administration officials pitched
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the project as the development of an entirely new neighborhood,
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replacing cracked asphalt and unused grassy expanses with lively retail,
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restaurants and recreation opportunities surrounding the stadium, and thousands of
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residents living in new housing developments. The vision includes several
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large districts, including the stadium, a plaza district for entertainment
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and festivals, a riverfront district for housing, recas and restaurants,
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a new Kingman Park residential district, and an expanded recreation
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district where the district plans to build an eighty nine
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million dollars sportsplex next to the fields at RFK, City
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officials expect to create five thousand to six thousand housing units,
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thirty percent of which they pledge would be affordable for
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people living below thirty to sixty percent of the area
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media income, but officials could not offer details about how
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they will finance the affordable housing, which may require additional investment.
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Under the terms of the development deal, the district would
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put up five hundred million dollars toward the stadium development
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over four years. Officials said the city would finance that
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portion of the deal by extending the ballpark fee, a
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tax on businesses earning more than five million dollars. The
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fee was expected to expire in twenty twenty six after
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the city paid off the construction bonds for a nationals park.
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Official set. Instead, the city plans to rebrand the fee
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as the Sports Facilities Fee and ask businesses to keep paying,
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a move that could cause consternation in the business community
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given that they were expecting the fee to end. The
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DC Chamber of Commerce for one, announced his support of
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the Commander's deal. In addition of the half billion dollars
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in stadium development costs, taxpayers would pay two hundred two
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million dollars for roadways, utilities, infrastructure, and a transit capacity
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study on whether transit improvements such as a new metro
15:34
station or entrance could be needed. Events d C, the
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city's Convention and Sports Authority, would put up one hundred
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eighty one million dollars for parking facility, while d C
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would purchase other parking facilities from the Commanders in twenty
15:49
thirty two for one hundred seventy five million dollars, a
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future cost that is not part of the current financial plan.
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The city plans to use revenue generated from the still
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to pay for the garage. The parking situation will make
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tail gaming more difficult. The team's current home, Northwest Stadium
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in Landover, Maryland, has about twenty two thousand parking spaces,
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while the new stadium will have approximately eight thousand, which
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would all eventually be in a garage. A commander's official,
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whose book on the condition of anonymity because he was
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not authorized to speak publicly ahead of the announcement, said
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fans could hang out in the mixed use areas the
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team will develop near by. The Commanders can finance part
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of their share of the costs through the NFL Stadium
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Loan Program. They are eligible for a loan of as
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much as three hundred million dollars, subject to the approval
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of team owners. The development opportunity was a product of
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bipartisan action in Congress last year that gave the city
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control of the federal property at r f K, and
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the deal announcement likewise drew bipartisan support. Monday, President Donald
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Trump cheered the return of the Commanders to the nation's
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capital in opposed on Truth's social calling it a huge
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win for Washington d C and for the team's incredible
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fan base. Representative James Comer, Republican from Kentucky, who led
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the legislation allowing d C to redevelop the federal land,
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said the deal would unlock the city's full economic potential,
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bringing millions in revenue to city coffers and beautifying the
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deteriorating property. But only four d C Council members attended
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Monday's news conference, perhaps indicative of the political battle ahead,
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as Bowser and Harris lobby lawmakers to support the deal.
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Backers will need seven votes on the thirteen member council.
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Chairman Phil Mendson, a Democrat who is opposed to public
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financing of the stadium, said Monday that some lawmakers he
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has spoken to expected the cost to taxpayers to be
17:56
much much smaller. Council member Charles Allen, Democrat Ward six,
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put it simply, it's not a deal I can support,
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he said in an interview, decrying the high price tag
18:08
for taxpayers and saying the city can offer retail, recreation, housing,
18:13
and jobs without a stadium. Council members who attended Monday's
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event gave strong endorsements of the deal. Kenyon r mc duffie,
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Independent at large, who chairs the Economic Development and Business Committee,
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called it a tremendous opportunity to grow the city's economy
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at a time of financial strain. Council member Wendell Felder,
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a Democrat who represents Ward seven neighbors surrounding r f K,
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had been vague about his position on publicly financing a
18:43
stadium last year, but after seeing the deal said his
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support was unequivocal. The splintered council contrasts with a unity
18:52
lawmakers showed at the announcement of the five hundred fifteen
18:55
million dollar deal to renovate Capital One Arena last year,
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following the collapse of a deal that would have moved
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the Capitals and Wizards from d C to Virginia, an
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agreement that lacked buy in from key Virginia legislators. Harris
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dismissed comparisons to that situation as he lobbies d C lawmakers.
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It's going to sell itself, Harris said, the council will
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recognize what an incredible opportunity this is. Bowser and Harris
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also will have to contend with opposition from some residents.
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One group is collecting signatures for a city wide ballot
19:31
initiative that would prohibit the construction of a new stadium
19:34
at RFK, while another has launched a no Billionaire's Playground coalition.
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Ed LA's Air, a representative of the coalition, said in
19:44
a statement that at a time when the city is
19:46
facing intense budget pressure, the city's one billion dollar investment
19:51
in the stadium development in a back door deal without
19:54
community input shows that the city has its priorities backward.
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Other neighbors have expressed willingness to discuss the deal. The
20:03
dialog is definitely open, said Lisa White, president of the
20:07
Friends of Kingman Park Civic Association. Baser acknowledged some of
20:12
the divides Monday, including the optics of investing hundreds of
20:16
millions of dollars in taxpayer funds in the development while
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the city is in a financial pinch. DC is facing
20:23
a one billion dollar shortfall in its operating budget over
20:27
the next several years, do largely to federal workforce reductions
20:32
expected cuts in the twenty twenty six budget, as well
20:35
as hundreds of millions of dollars and cuts to the
20:38
twenty twenty five budget unless Congress fixes a significant funding restraint.
20:44
But Baser stress at the investment in the RFK development,
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which would be through the capital budget, is separate from
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the strains on the operating budget that are forcing potential
20:54
furloughs and facility closures. If you need to add revenue
20:58
as we do, can't leave one hundred eighty acres vacant,
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Bowser said. If you need to add jobs as we do,
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you cannot wait for an anchor to show up to
21:09
start developing there. When you need to attract business, you
21:13
have to be about business. Several aspects of the fan
21:17
experience at the new stadium remain unclear, such as how
21:21
much tickets would cost or how much the team would
21:24
invest in the non stadium areas over which it would
21:26
have the development rights for season tickets. The team plans
21:30
to institute personal seat licenses or PSLs, meaning fans will
21:36
have to buy the right to buy their seats, but
21:38
they can dramatically increase the cost of tickets will have
21:42
affordable tickets, even in the context of PSLs. Harris said
21:48
the team has no immediate plans to relocate its corporate
21:51
headquarters in College Park, Maryland, or its training facility in Ashbourne, Virginia.
21:57
It's also unclear whether the new stadium would be named
22:00
after Northwest Federal Credit Union, as the current stadium is,
22:04
or whether the team would find a new partner. The
22:07
decision to put a roof on the stadium was not easy,
22:10
Harris said, because he liked that RFK was outdoors, but
22:14
he sought as necessary to attract major events. The new
22:18
stadium dramatically increases the city's chances of hosting a Super Bowl.
22:22
Goodell said the commander's pending departure from Maryland represents an
22:28
enormous economic loss to the state's leaders, who sought to
22:31
retain the team and the billions at plans to spend
22:34
on a new stadium. Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a Democrat,
22:39
said Monday that the state made a very very strong
22:42
offer to keep the team in landover where the commanders
22:45
own nearly all of the roughly two hundred acres around
22:49
Northwest Stadium. They were just very clear that they wanted
22:53
the Washington commanders in Washington, D. C. Moore said, but
22:57
he struck an optimistic tone that Maryland and will ultimately
23:01
come out ahead. The team has promised to redevelop the
23:04
land there into what more hopes could turn into a
23:06
new entertainment destination, anything but a arresting, abandoned football stadium
23:12
like the one RFK had become. Aaron Cox, Jenny Gathwright,
23:18
and Mark Mask contributed to this report. Next at UN,
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China goes on the offense effort to subvert work on
23:27
rights State backed NGOs undercut harass critics by Greg Miller,
23:33
Jelina Cossack, and tnsome Lee Smith. Hundreds of human rights
23:37
organizations make their way to the United Nations offices in
23:41
Geneva each year to call attention to the plight of
23:44
the world's most vulnerable population, including victims of war, famine,
23:49
bloss imprisonment, or torture. But dozens of self described non
23:53
governmental organizations active in Geneva have hidden ties to the
23:57
Chinese government and have taken part art in an expansive
24:01
campaign to subvert the work of the UN Human Rights Council.
24:05
According to the findings of an investigation by The Washington
24:08
Post and other news organizations working in partnership with the
24:13
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists or ICIJ. Beijing backed groups
24:19
crowd into UN sessions on human rights to present glowing
24:23
accounts from China which are at odds with credible reports
24:27
of repression. According to interviews and an examination of public records,
24:32
their delegates seek to disrupt or drown out the testimony
24:36
of legitimate NGOs on their findings about the detention of
24:40
Muslim wigers in interment camps in the Chinese region of Xinjiang,
24:44
children separated from Tibetan families, or the targeting of democracy
24:49
activists in Hong Kong. Increasingly, the Beijing controlled organizations are
24:54
being used to monitor and intimidate those planning to testify
24:58
about alleged abuses. According to interviews with US officials, Western diplomats,
25:04
and members of NGOs being targeted, Several activists describe being
25:09
photographed or harassed while on UN premises. One of the
25:13
United States former top diplomats in Geneva described China's deployment
25:18
of organizations posing as NGOs as a growing threat to
25:22
the core UN Human Rights mission. It's corrosive, it's dishonest,
25:27
it's subversive, said Michel Taylor, who served as U s
25:30
Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council from twenty twenty
25:34
two until earlier this year. Taylor said that Beijing linked
25:38
groups are masquerading as NGOs as part of a broader
25:42
effort by Chinese officials to obfuscate their own human rights
25:46
violations and reshape the narrative around China's actions and culpabilities.
25:52
The scale of the Chinese campaign has not previously been reported.
25:56
The ici J analysis shows that nearly sixty Chinese registered NGOs,
26:01
more than half of the Chinese groups that have obtained
26:04
privileged UN status, effectively function as extensions of the Chinese
26:09
government or the Chinese Communist Party. According to their own
26:13
documents and other records. Many pledged loyalty to the party,
26:17
acknowledged that they deferred to party officials on management decisions,
26:21
or accept substantial money from the party or the government.
26:26
This investigation is based on a review of hundreds of
26:29
online records and financial documents, as well as interviews with
26:33
UN and Western diplomats, human rights lawyers, activists, and targets
26:37
of repression. Many spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing
26:42
concern about retaliation. U N officials said they seek to
26:46
respond swiftly to reports of abuse and have intervened to
26:50
protect those being targeted. The officials said they have also
26:54
confronted authorities in Beijing over allegations of monitoring and intimidation.
27:00
We have had recurring communication with the Chinese government. U
27:03
N Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravena Chandasani said it's a
27:08
fundamental principle of the UN system that people must be
27:11
free to engage with the u N and its mechanisms
27:15
without fear of intimidation or reprisal. Even so, u N
27:20
responses have stopped short of revoking accreditations of ng os
27:24
that represent one of its most powerful members. China accounts
27:29
for a growing share of the u N budget and
27:31
is one of five permanent members of the u N
27:34
Security Council. Shamdasani said it would be problematic for the
27:38
UN Human Rights Office to start distinguishing between authentic and
27:43
non authentic NGOs because doing so could be misused as
27:48
a tool by states. Matthew Brown, public information officer for
27:52
the Human Rights Council, said we take seriously all allegations
27:57
of intimidation and reprisals and do our utmost to prevent
28:01
them from occurring within the limited means we have. Liu Pengieu,
28:06
a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, did not
28:10
directly respond to questions about China's obliged use of NGOs
28:14
to subvert the work of the Yun in Geneva. Instead,
28:18
Liu rejected criticism of the treatment of Wigers, Tibetans, and
28:22
Hong Kong dissidents, and accused Western countries of weaponizing un
28:27
human rights proceedings against China. China firmly opposes the politicization, instrumentalization,
28:34
or weaponization of human rights issues, as well as foreign
28:38
interference under the pretext of human rights, Liu said in
28:42
a written statement. The Beijing backed groups present themselves as
28:46
independent NGOs with innocuous names such as China Society for
28:51
Human Rights Studies, the China Foundation for Human Rights Development,
28:55
and the China Ethnic Minorities Association for External Exchanges, but
29:00
a detailed analysis of their online leadership profiles, financial records,
29:05
and other material shows extensive connections to the Chinese government
29:09
and the CCP. The ICIJ investigation identified one hundred six
29:15
NGOs that have received u N accreditation and are registered
29:19
in or affiliated with China. At least fifty nine appear
29:24
to violate UN rules. Men to ensure that NGOs testifying
29:27
in Geneva aren't doing so under government influence or pressure.
29:33
More than fifty of the one hundred six NGO's included
29:37
language in chartered documents pledging loyalty to the CCP, with
29:41
some acknowledging that they defer to the party on decisions
29:44
of hiring and funding. The investigation found forty six listed
29:49
directors or others in leadership roles who simultaneously held positions
29:53
in Chinese state agencies or the CCP. Records show that
29:58
at least ten receive the bulk of their fire from
30:00
Chinese government sources. The proliferation of Beijing backed groups has
30:05
made Geneva an increasingly hostile environment for organizations that have
30:10
worked to expose human rights abuses in China. According to
30:13
ANGIO officials, who describe routinely being monitored and threatened in
30:18
the Swiss city, the UN is one of the only
30:21
forums where we can raise our cause. Zumirchi Arkin, vice
30:25
president of the World Weiger Congress, said in an interview.
30:29
It's become one of the places where these governments carry
30:32
out their repression, guiding and goos. The backdrop for Beijing's
30:38
campaign is a pair of locations in Geneva, the Palais
30:42
Wilson and the Palais des Nations, that serve as headquarters
30:46
for the Yun's top human rights officer, as well as
30:49
a Human Rights Council, which was created nearly two decades
30:53
ago to protect persecuted populations. In February, President Donald Trump
30:59
signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the Council
31:03
and slashing funding for other YUN organizations, a reflection of
31:07
the administration's dim view of global institutions. The US retreat
31:12
comes as China has stepped up its efforts to assert
31:15
greater influence in Geneva by pledging funding for Beijing backed initiatives,
31:20
forming alliances with anti Western countries, and deploying its expanding
31:25
army of state backed NGOs. According to Western officials and analysts,
31:31
China's campaign appears to have been triggered by UN investigations
31:34
and reports that have helped to call global attention to
31:38
Beijing's crackdowns on religious minorities and other groups. Among them
31:43
was a twenty eighteen UN Committee report that was one
31:46
of the first to warn that China appeared to be
31:49
forcing as many as one million ethnic Wigers into a
31:52
massive detention system in Xinchang. A following investigation by the
31:58
Office of UN High Commissioner for runs Human Rights published
32:01
in twenty twenty two, documented abuses, including rape, torture, and
32:06
the four sterilization of Wigers, and concluded that Chinese authorities
32:10
could be guilty of crimes against humanity. Beijing has repeatedly
32:15
denied the allegations of abuse and described the reports on
32:19
Wigers and other UN investigations as Western orchestrated intrusions on
32:24
its sovereignty. Much of the UN's work on Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Tibet,
32:30
and other issues has been based on testimony and evidence
32:34
gathered by ngofs, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
32:40
Officials and experts said the proliferation of Beijing linked groups
32:43
in Geneva is part of an attempt to counter their influence.
32:48
The number of Chinese organizations with UN credentials has nearly
32:51
doubled since twenty eighteen, the year of the initial YUN
32:55
report on Xinjiang. Many of these organizations were formed at
32:59
least decade ago, but sought ANDNGO accreditation only after twenty eighteen.
33:06
The surge reflects an effort that has been backed by
33:08
Chinese President Xi Jinping and involves nearly every level of
33:12
government in China. In twenty twenty, China's Ministry of Foreign
33:17
Affairs said that it vigorously supported and guided domestic ENGOs
33:22
to go global. A year later, provincial and municipal governments
33:26
began arranging seminars and tutorials to help regional groups apply
33:31
for status at the UN. China's objectives in Geneva go
33:35
beyond repelling scrutiny of its human rights record, according to
33:39
officials and analysts. More broadly, Beijing is seeking to replace
33:43
the long standing human rights emphasis on individual freedoms with
33:47
a China favored framework that prioritizes societal advances with little
33:52
tolerance for dissent. Chinese representatives frequently seek to insert such
33:58
phrases as win win, shared future and beneficial co operation
34:04
in UN resolutions and reports as part of an effort
34:07
to shift the terms of debate. Official said. The terms
34:11
seem monocuous, officials said, but are aimed at supplanting language
34:15
in past UN declarations that cover freedom of religion, expression,
34:20
and association. The Chinese government is clearly using NGOs as
34:24
a tool, said ranasiou Inbudin, a senior fellow at the
34:28
Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University
34:32
of Texas at Austin. After encouraging them, helping them, guiding
34:37
them to obtain you in status. Their mission in Geneva
34:41
is to serve the government. Liu, the spokesman for the
34:45
Chinese embassy in Washington, said that China abides by international
34:49
law and that its people centered approach to human rights
34:53
has led to dramatic expansions and access to education and
34:57
health care, and involves the world's largest care campaign to
35:00
alleviate poverty, harassment, and surveillance. The Beijing backed NGOs appeared
35:07
to embrace their mission with unwavering commitment. Last year, thirty
35:12
three Chinese NGOs made nearly three hundred appearances at Human
35:16
Rights Council sessions, according to data gathered by the International
35:20
Service for Human Rights ISHR, an independent nonprofit group. An
35:26
examination of their statements and testimony found not a single
35:30
instance in which any had uttered words that could be
35:33
construed as critical of China. When other organizations accused Beijing
35:38
of human rights abuses. However, the response from state backed
35:42
NGOs was often withering. At a UN event in September,
35:47
where speakers expressed continued concern for the flight of wikers,
35:51
a woman in the audience rose to accuse the panelists
35:54
of being full of lies and rumors. Have you ever
35:57
been to China, she asked, saying UN attention should be
36:01
focused on issues in other countries, including racism and gun violence.
36:05
In the U s she identified herself as a representative
36:09
of an entity called the UN Association of China, an
36:13
organization that obtained UN status in twenty twenty. Records show
36:18
that in recent years, its president has also served as
36:21
an official in the CCP and a spokesperson for China's
36:25
legislative body, the National People's Congress. The association's thirty five
36:30
statements in Human Rights Council sessions between twenty nineteen and
36:34
twenty twenty four have been overwhelmingly pro China and never critical.
36:40
China also increasingly takes advantage of its sheer numbers in Geneva,
36:44
officials and experts set using its ENGOs to crowd out
36:48
others Beijing regards as hostile. A separate UN event last
36:53
year offered ten speaking slots to civil society organizations to
36:57
comment on a broad report on China. Five were taken
37:00
by Chinese NGOs, which used the session to depict China's
37:04
record on human rights as exemplary. The more alarming trend,
37:08
activists said, has been the involvement of Chinese NGOs in
37:12
cases of alleged harassment and surveillance. Members of organizations representing Wigers, Tibetans,
37:19
Hong Kong dissidents, and others described being surveilled, shoved, photographed,
37:25
and in some cases threatened that harm might come to
37:28
their relatives. In China, photography by NGO representatives is prohibited
37:33
at official UN proceedings without prior authorization. As dozens of
37:39
activists lined up outside the Palada Nations early last year
37:43
to gain entry to a long awaited review of China's
37:46
human rights record, Beijing backed groups began jostling with perceived adversaries.
37:52
They were trying to cut in line and take our
37:54
place so top. George Sultrim, twenty five, a US citizen
37:58
who works as a communication director for Students for Free
38:02
Tibet Russian abas co founder of the US based campaign
38:06
for Wigers, said that Another pro China attendee was taking
38:10
pictures of Tibetan and Weager rights defenders as they lined
38:13
up to enter the event. Though UN security eventually intervened,
38:18
members of China backed NGOs continued to take photos of
38:21
activists inside the UN chamber, according to activists and witnesses.
38:27
At times, activists said the Chinese backed groups appear to
38:31
have insights into NGO members meetings and movements that suggest
38:35
the use of informants or surveillance. In March twenty twenty four,
38:40
representatives of NGOs that have tracked alleged abuses by China
38:44
secured what was supposed to be a closed door meeting
38:47
with the UN's top official on human rights, High Commissioner
38:51
Volkor Turk, to accommodate participants whose fear of retaliation made
38:55
them reluctant to be seen on UN premises. The meeting
38:59
was to take place in the Geneva offices of the
39:02
is s HR, which provides training and support to NGOs.
39:06
Before tour arrived, however, four uninvited individuals claiming to represent
39:11
a Chinese NGO showed up seeking admission. According to an
39:15
is SHR staff member who witnessed the encounter as a
39:19
woman in the group pressed to be allowed in, others
39:22
peered through the glass at those gathering inside. The four
39:26
left after being turned away, but weaker activists later reported
39:30
being photographed outside from a parked black Mercedes van that
39:34
witnesses said was used by the uninvited group. One of
39:38
those seeking entry was subsequently identified by the ISHR as
39:43
Ju Lulu, a CCP branch secretary who was listed online
39:47
as vice dean of Guangzhoo University's Institute for Human Rights
39:51
in China. Reached by telephone, Zao said she couldn't recall
39:56
whether she had tried to attend the meeting at is
39:58
s HR, saying I did so much since that journey,
40:01
I can't remember so clearly. Ziaou had previously delivered a
40:06
speech at the council on behalf of the Chinese Society
40:09
for Human Rights Studies, which describes itself as the country's
40:13
largest human rights in goo. Three of its top leaders
40:17
also hold positions in the CCP online record show. This
40:22
was an act clearly aimed at intimidating and clearly aimed
40:25
at sending a message to every one that was here.
40:28
Be careful about what you do because there could be consequences,
40:32
said Rafael Vianna David, a program manager at the ISHR
40:37
who attended the meeting. A UN spokesperson said Truch's office
40:41
was made aware of these allegations after the NGOs met
40:45
with the UN High Commissioner and then brought the situation
40:49
to the attention of the Chinese government in accordance with
40:52
our usual practice blocking inngos. Alarmed by such incidents, the
40:58
US and its allies have stepped up efforts to screen
41:01
Beijing backed NGOs and prevent them from gaining UN accreditation.
41:06
Organization seeking what is known as consultative status, which grants
41:11
the access to UN facilities and a recognized role in deliberations,
41:16
have to submit applications, including financial records and charter documents,
41:21
that are reviewed by a special UN committee in New
41:23
York that meets twice a year. The US and China
41:27
both have representatives on the nineteen member committee. The rules
41:31
of the panel allow member countries to block NGO nominees
41:35
merely by raising questions about their applications. Official said, a
41:39
procedural move that delays consideration indefinitely and can function as
41:44
an effective veto the US previously resorted to this move
41:49
only in extreme cases where an NGO was suspected of
41:52
having ties to terrorist organizations or financing, according to a
41:57
senior US official, but over the past five five years,
42:01
Washington has adopted new criteria aimed at thwarting Beijing's efforts
42:05
to expand its ENGO surrogates in Geneva. The senior US
42:10
officials said that Chinese applicants are now screened by State
42:13
Department officials in Washington and US diplomats in Beijing for
42:18
links to the government or CCP leaders in funding. In
42:21
some cases, the official said, the CIA has also been
42:25
enlisted to scrutinize Chinese applications. The US has blocked dozens
42:30
of suspected state linked NGOs in recent years because we
42:34
have been more prepared and more organized, the official said.
42:38
The official estimated that as many as eighty percent of
42:41
the NGOs suspected of being fronts for Beijing have been
42:45
rejected over the past five years. The ICIJ investigation shows
42:50
that nearly two dozen managed to slip through and obtain
42:53
UN accreditation. China has employed similar tactics, using its veto
42:59
power to block organizations that Western officials described as legitimate
43:03
inngos that complied with UN regulations. Leaders of organizations that
43:08
would appear to qualify for UN status, including the Hong
43:12
Kong Democracy Council, said they have not even applied because
43:16
they regard such efforts as feudal. China's efforts to influence
43:21
UN human rights proceedings in Geneva have brought mixed results.
43:25
Beijing failed in its efforts to prevent the UN Human
43:28
Rights Commissioner at the time, Michele Bachlett, from releasing a
43:32
scathing report in twenty twenty two on the mass incarceration
43:36
of Wigers. China's lobbying efforts, which the US and its
43:40
allies tried to counter, put Bachelet under intense pressure. The
43:45
UN held off publishing the document until just twelve minutes
43:49
before midnight on the day her term expired. UN plans
43:53
to follow through on the Xinxiang report, however, have faltered.
43:58
When the Human Rights Council voted in late twenty twenty
44:01
two on a US led proposal to hold a public
44:04
debate on the document. The measure lost by two votes.
44:08
China prevailed after a pressure campaign in which Ji made
44:12
calls to foreign leaders and Beijing told members that their
44:15
support would be reciprocated on future votes. US and Western
44:19
officials said. Nearly three years later, the Council has yet
44:24
to adopt any resolutions or hold hearings on the Xinjiang report.
44:29
Kosich and Lee Smith are reporters with the International Consortium
44:33
of Investigative Journalists. Our next item for today's front page
44:37
is entitled Agencies turned to polygraph tests in hunt for leakers.
44:42
Current former officials describe sense of dread at FBI and Pentagon.
44:48
By Ella Nakashima and Hannah Ntansen. National security agencies across
44:55
the Trump administration are ramping up investigations into alleged leagues
44:59
to the news media, in some cases using polygraph tests
45:03
that current and former officials say are creating a climate
45:06
of fear and intimidation. At FBI Director Cash Ptel's direction,
45:12
the bureau in recent weeks has begun administering polygraph tests
45:16
to identify the source of information leaks, and FBI spokesperson
45:20
said the new use of polygraphs at the Bureau, which
45:24
are commonly known as light detector tests, has not been
45:27
previously reported. The seriousness of the specific leaks in question
45:32
precipitated the polygraphs, as they involve potential damage to security
45:36
protocols at the bureau, said the spokesperson, who declined to elaborate.
45:41
The ramp up has been bolstered by Attorney General Pam
45:44
Bondi's new legal guidelines that allow the Justice Department to
45:48
subpoenair reporters personal communications and broaden the scope of potential
45:52
criminal prosecution to leaks of not just classified material, but
45:57
also privileged and other senses. Information that the administration says
46:02
is quote designed to sow chaos and distress in the government,
46:07
but current and former officials note that the broader scope
46:11
could include information that is simply embarrassing or seen as
46:15
undermining the administration's views. People are trying to keep their
46:20
heads down, said one former FBI field office head, who,
46:24
like others interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition
46:27
of anonymity for fear of retaliation. Morales and the toilet.
46:32
When you see people who are being investigated or names
46:35
of agents who worked on January sixth, twenty twenty one
46:38
Capital riot cases being passed over to the DOJ, it's
46:42
what the f at the Pentagon in battled Defense Secretary
46:47
Pete Hegsath has threatened the use of polygraphs, according to
46:51
current and former officials, and has demanded that some senior
46:55
department officials be administered light detector exams. The Wall Street
46:59
Journal has reports the sense of dread is palpable. Some
47:03
officials who have left the government under a buyout and
47:06
might normally feel less constrained about talking to the news
47:09
media are refusing to speak while they are officially still
47:13
on the payroll. Even contractors with security clearances say they
47:17
can't take any chances in case they are asked in
47:20
their next polygraph test whether they have had contact with journalists.
47:25
It's a toxic environment, said one official with a top
47:28
secret clearance. First, you've got the insecurity of not knowing
47:32
whether you're going to get fired or not. Then there's
47:36
the witch hunt to find the whistleblowers who are exposing
47:38
the inaptitude and bad management of agencies. They're trying to
47:43
silence those who do not follow the party line. This
47:46
official and others pointed to the firing of General Timothy Howe,
47:51
who earlier this month led the National Security Agency and
47:54
US Cyber Command, as well as the dismissals and early
47:57
retirements of dozens of experienced tafts at the Department of
48:01
Homeland Security's cybersecurity agency, which the employees warn will leave
48:06
critical infrastructure vulnerable to Russian, Chinese, North Korean and Iranian hackers. Haw,
48:14
whose firing was not accompanied by any explanation, was dismissed
48:18
by President Donald Trump for being quote disloyal, according to
48:22
Laura Lumer, a far right activist who urged Trump in
48:25
a highly unusual White House meeting to remove him. The
48:30
move drew outrage from Democratic lawmakers. This is prettiest doubting
48:35
that the President has chosen to dismiss somebody as capable
48:39
in such an important position as General Haw, with the
48:43
threats being as they are, Representative Christy hulihan Democrat from Pennsylvania,
48:48
said in an interview this month. In recent weeks, the
48:52
Pentagon has been in turmoil over the forced departure of
48:55
several Hexath's top aides, allegedly over leaks to the news
48:59
media that displeased the secretary and that involved quote sensitive
49:03
communications with senior defense officials. The combination of summary dismissals,
49:10
polygraph threats, and leak prosecutions has rattled the workforce. People
49:15
are terrified, said one former senior Intelligence community lawyer, who
49:20
was involved in leak investigations under the Obama administration. The
49:24
difference to day is that they are not looking only
49:27
for people leaking classified information, said the former official. They
49:32
are looking for people leaking negative information, which is not
49:35
necessarily against the law, he said, referring to information that
49:39
the administration sees as embarrassing or the challenges its version
49:43
of events at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence,
49:48
said one former official. Dozens of veteran staffers, many disenchanted
49:53
with the change in climate, recently left the agency, taking
49:57
either a buy out or early retirement. There's definitely a
50:01
culture of fear that there will be personal retribution if
50:04
they're seen as in any way shining a light on
50:07
or sharing details about what's happening in the organization, not
50:11
even sharing classified information, the former official said. One defense
50:16
official said that amid the push to ferret out leaks
50:19
and disloyalty, the forstar general he works with have begun
50:22
parroting Hexas's language, constantly talking about the need to be
50:26
patriotic war fighters. For example. They are using the right
50:30
words so they don't get fired, said the official. In
50:34
the past, candor was valued as a positive trade among
50:38
military leaders. A second Defense official said, today people no
50:43
longer feel safe having an opinion that might be misconstrued
50:47
as going against the Defense secretary or the President. This month,
50:52
Lumer openly urged the Director of National Intelligence Tulca Gabbart
50:56
to quote polygraph every single intelligence in plmployee, especially those
51:01
who served under the Biden administration, in order to quote
51:05
clean house of leakers. Why are we waiting for something
51:09
bad to happen? Lumer posted on x Polygraph testing is
51:13
required at large intelligence agencies for establishing eligibility for employment
51:18
and continued access to classified materials. Such testing takes place
51:23
generally every five years. But polygraphs are not light detectors,
51:28
said Stephen after good an expert on intelligence policy formerly
51:32
with the Federation of American Scientists. They are stress detectors.
51:37
If for any reason, the questions being posed are upsetting
51:41
to an individual, your pulse might accelerate even if you've
51:44
done nothing wrong. So polygraphs do not measure truth or falsity.
51:49
They measure stress. After Goods said they are prone to
51:53
false positive and negatives, noting that former CIA counterintelligence officer
51:58
Aldritch Aimes famously passed two polygraph tests. Whilst bying for
52:03
the Soviet Union. Aimes is serving a life sentence in prison. Nonetheless,
52:09
last month, the Department of Homeland Security began performing polygraph
52:13
tests on employees to suss out who might be leaking
52:17
to the news media information about immigration operations. NBC News
52:21
reported dozens of Federal Emergency Management Agency employees have been
52:26
given light detector tests. CNN reported this month veteran intelligence
52:31
and national security officials have lived through periodic clampdowns on leaks.
52:37
The Obama administration brought more leak prosecutions than all previous
52:41
administrations combined, and during the first Trump administration, which was
52:45
one of the leakiest in modern history, then Attorney General
52:49
Jeff's Sessions warned that the culture of leaking must stop.
52:53
But none of those instances compares to the generalized sense
52:57
of dread and frustration that the Trump administerration is creating
53:01
in agencies, from the O DNI to the FBI to
53:05
the Defense Department. A number of officials and employees said
53:10
the agency heads are thin skinned and fearful of adverse
53:14
news coverage. After Good said, so far from demonstrating strength,
53:18
they are displaying political weakness. He pointed to Bondi's memo
53:23
that used as criteria for potential prosecution disclosures of information
53:28
that quote undermine President Trump's policies, that presumes that the
53:33
White Houses every utterance is sacre sanct after Good said,
53:37
it's like saying dissent will not be tolerated. It is
53:40
both absurd and offensive. A second former intelligence official said
53:46
colleagues who have taken early retirement offers have confided their
53:50
leery of attending social gatherings such as farewell parties, for
53:54
fear being monitored by private investigators. They're very anxious, the
53:58
former official said, and more guarded in what they say.
54:03
The chilling effect on the intelligence community is particularly disturbing.
54:07
Current and former officials said. The culture of independence is
54:11
so important, said a third former intelligence official. If you
54:15
don't have an intelligence community that is able to challenge
54:19
the prevailing thought, then you are undermining the ability of
54:23
the government to think critically on some of the most
54:26
important issues. The irony is that CIA director John Ratcliffe
54:31
has vowed to make the agency less risk adverse, Yet
54:35
by creating this atmosphere of fear, they're actually making people
54:39
more risk adverse, the former official said. The former official
54:44
noted the emails from leadership that directed employees to report
54:48
on colleagues who are engaged in diversity, equity and inclusion activities.
54:53
They did this in the Soviet Union, the former official said.
54:57
Dan Lemouth and Missy Ryan contribute to this report. Our
55:02
next item is entitled Operation Baby Lifts. Adoptees look back
55:06
to Vietnam as the children flown to America ahead of
55:10
Saigon's fall. Into their fifties, some are seeking to connect
55:14
with their origins. By Petula de Vorak, they are turning
55:19
fifty now. The babies laid out on airplane seats six
55:22
to a row, held and fed by strangers who took
55:26
turns caring for them as they took artillery fire and
55:29
fled the bombs and booms of Saigon. They were part
55:33
of Operation Babylift, an effort led by the American military
55:37
to rescue babies from Vietnamese orphanages ahead of the fall
55:41
of Saigon fifty years ago this month. This is the
55:45
least we can do, and we will do much much more.
55:48
President Gerald Ford said on April third, nineteen seventy five.
55:53
The operation came after ten grueling years of US involvement
55:57
in the twenty year long Vietnam War inflict that took
56:00
millions of Vietnamese lives, more than fifty eight thousand American lives,
56:05
and divided the country. As the North Vietnamese closed in
56:09
on Saigon. In April nineteen seventy five, American civilians were
56:13
evacuated in mass. The first Operation Babylift flight was catastrophic.
56:19
The C five A carrying more than three hundred people,
56:22
crashed into a rice paddy twenty seven minutes after takeoff,
56:27
killing seventy eight babies and about fifty adults, including thirty
56:31
five American military personnel. The babies who survived didn't remember it, and,
56:38
as children growing up in American homes, often as the
56:41
only Asian American kids in their wonder bred hometowns, forgiving
56:46
the crash, or the airlift or the reason they were
56:48
adopted was a matter of survival. My family was just
56:52
amazing and wonderful, said Devaki Merch, who was one of
56:56
the one hundred seventy five people who survived. It never
57:00
felt like I was missing something or there was never
57:03
a yearning to learn more. But with age comes introspection.
57:08
The majority of us are about fifty years old now,
57:10
Merch set, and a lot of us have lived enough
57:13
life to go back and maybe learn a little more
57:16
and make those connections. She found those connections in the
57:20
basement of the Colorado office of the adoption agency that
57:23
worked in Vietnam, Friends for All Children. As I brought
57:28
box after box up from the basement, it wasn't just
57:31
a top d files. They are about twenty five boxes.
57:34
Of those, there were lists C five crash survivor and deceaseless.
57:39
Merch said, these remaining files are not just the records,
57:44
they are a part of my personal history and the
57:46
history of many others. For the first time, she found
57:50
her infant name and hard copy evidence of her babyhood
57:54
Mimosa Female, Vietnam. She found the adoption application in her
58:00
mother's handwriting, health updates, and grammar school pictures the agency kept.
58:06
It was my life that I had never before witnessed,
58:08
she said, explaining why she is now embarking on a
58:12
massive project to find her fellow survivors and give them
58:15
their back stories. The evacuations continued for hundreds of other
58:20
babies after the crash. Nuns and nurses who had cared
58:24
for the children loaded them onto plains while under artillery fire.
58:28
When American businessman Robert mc cauley heard there was an
58:32
eleven day delay between flights, he mortgaged his home to
58:36
charter a Boeing seven forty seven from pan Am to
58:39
fill the gap. Between twenty five hundred and three thousand
58:43
children were delivered safely to the west, but some had
58:47
enduring scars. Carol Mason was terrified by loud noises, especially
58:53
the thunderstorms that rattled the summer skies of her new
58:56
home in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, June, the constraints of time,
59:01
we will be unable to complete this item. This concludes
59:05
a reading of the Washington Post for to Day Tuesday,
59:08
April twenty ninth, twenty twenty five. Your reader to day
59:12
has been Cindy Fraser. If you have any questions, comments,
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or suggestions concerning this program, please feel free to call
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us at eight five nine four two two six three
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nine zero. Thank you for listening, and now please stay
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tuned for continued programming on Radio I