Transcript

5.12.25 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Good morning, everybody, and welcome to the reading of the
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Washington Post for this Monday, May twelfth. As reminder, RADIOI
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is a reading service intended for people who are blind
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to have other disabilities that make it difficult to read
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printed material. Your reader for today is Rod Brotherton, and
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as usually on Mondays, we start by reading Paul Prather's
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weekly column from the Lexington hair Leader. But Paul took
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the week off, so let's go right to the news.
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Our lead story today is President Trump plans to focus
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on business deals in the Mideast, not geopolitics. President Donald
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Trump plans to leave Monday for a four day trip
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to Saudi Arabia, Cutter and the United Arab Emirates, a
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mission that is expected to focus heavily on business deals
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and new investments from the oil rich region, the swing
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through deep pocketed Middle East monarchies. Trump's first major international
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travel of his second term is a marker of the
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president's priorities, another sign of his intention to de emphasize
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the traditional US allies that typically serve as the first
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foreign destination for new presidents. It also reflects his affection
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for the region, its wealth and pageantry that the host
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countries plan to roll out for him. The visit comes
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amid a sweep of pressing regional security concerns, including the
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fate of Gaza, Iran's nuclear program, and Trump's long held
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goal of brokering a deal that would normalize relations between
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Saudi Arabia and Israel. The Gaza war has thrown the
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region into tumult, leaving Iran and its proxies at their
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weakest in recent memory and creating an unusual moment in
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which power balances could shift. White House aides said the
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security issues would not be central during the and a
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half days Trump will be on the ground, a testament
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to the president's more restrained vision for the role of
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the United States and the world, and his tight focus
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on business deals and investments that could boost him with
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his baseback home. Usually, Trump does not plan to visit
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Israel during the trip, despite its proximity, a snub to
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A different administration might treat
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the region with an alternative approach, following nineteen months in
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which Israel has dealt major blows to Hamas and has Belah,
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the regional groups Iran has used to project power toward
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its neighbors. Israeli leaders had hoped to use the moment
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to partner with the United States and a military strike
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against Iran's nuclear program. According to US intelligence assessments, Trump
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has now batted away such talk, seeking a diplomatic deal
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with Tehran to place limits on the nucletar program with
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potential parameters that seeks similar to the twenty fifteen agreements
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struck by President Barack Obama. The Trump abandoned that deal
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in his first term. There is an opportunity, a real
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one here, but the Trump administration in no way, shape
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or form wants to push it because it's not interested
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in reshaping the region. Since Stephen A. Cook a senior
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fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and so it's
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perfectly willing to cut deals with Iranians, thereby extending the
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life for the regime. Trump also made Saudi Arabia the
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first foreign destination for his first term in twenty seventeen,
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but he continued on to Israel and Europe to visit
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partners that have deeper and older alliances with Washington. The
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trip follows in the footstep of the president's son, Eric Trump,
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who with his brother leads the Trump Organization. He visited
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Cutter and the United Arab Emirates in recent weeks to
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preside over deals involving the Trump family's real estate and
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cryptocurrency ventures. Those deals included investors tied to governments, here
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a blurring of Trump's family business interest with US foreign policy.
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The White House has said the President no longer plays
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a role in the Trump Organization is making financial sacrifices
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to be president. President Trump will return to re emphasize
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his continued vision for a proud, prosperous, and successful Middle East,
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where the United States and Middle Eastern nations are in
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cooperative relationships and where extremism is defeated in place of
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commerce and cultural exchanges. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt
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set on Friday. Trump made an impromptu overnight trip to
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Italy last month for the funeral of Pope Francis, but
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the Middle East visit was planned as the first international
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trip of his second term. Persian Gulf on archs are
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able to offer lavish displays of pomp and spectacle, and
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Trump's hopscotch from Riad to Doha to Abu Dhabi is
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effected to be full of both. In twenty seventeen Trump,
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along with Saudi King Salman Egyptian President Abdel fata Ilsisi,
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placed his hands on a glowing orb in Riad, the
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Saudi capital. Later there was a traditional sword dads. Eight
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years later, there is likely to be just as much
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celebration before Trump heads to the Summative. Leaders of the
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Gulf Cooperation Council Saudi US Business Conference will take place
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elsewhere in Riad during the trip. The focus of this
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trip is business. It's economics that tells you something, says
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Richard Haass, a veteran diplomat and President emeritus of the
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Council of Foreign Relations. It's revealing about this administration that
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it's the first administration in the modern era to approach
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the world largely in economic and business terms rather than
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strategic or diplomatic terms. Even the selection of Saudi Arabia
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as the first destination this year seemed to come down
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to a highest bidder approach, as Trump challenged the Saudi
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government to increase its investment in the United States in
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exchange for the coveted visit. Saudi Prince of the Crowns,
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Mohammed Vin Salomon, was the first foreign leader to speak
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to Trump after his inauguration in that call, he told
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the President that the Saudis would invest at least six
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hundred billion dollars in the US over the next four years,
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and Trump said he wanted them to round it out
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that to promise a trillion dollars, and he suggested that
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if they did, he would make the country his first
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foreign stop as president. They've agreed to do that, so
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I'm going to be there, he said a few weeks later,
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though the details remained vague. Aims of Saudi investments during
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his first term yielded fewer jobs and less cash than
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Trump said they would at the time. I have a
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great relationship with them. They've been very nice. But they're
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going to be spending a lot of money to American
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companies for buying military equipment and a lot of other things.
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Netta Nyahu, meanwhile, won't get a face to face visit
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in Israel, something that won't play well for him domestically,
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where he has portrayed himself as an essential bridge to
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the US. One senior White House official said there was
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no need for a conversation because Netanyahu had already visited
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Washington seven hundred times since Trump's inauguration, a comment that
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appeared to reflect some West wing fatigued with the Israeli leader.
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Netanyahu has actually visited just twice, though that is still
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two times more than any other world leader. The officials
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spoke on the condition of anonymity, talught freely about strategy
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around the travel. During the trip. Top US business executives
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will also Visitriodd to take part in a Saudi US
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investment forum. Those expected to attend include Black Rocks chairman
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and chief executive Larry Fink, City Group chief executive Jane Fraser,
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and IBM's chairman and president CEO are Vin Krishna. While
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Trump's focus is on business, regional leaders are should to
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press him on Gaza and other hot topics, even if
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bigger steps may not immediately be in the offing. Arab
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leaders think Trump have given Netta Yahoo free reign to
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expand his assault on Gaza. US officials have been seeking
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countries willing to take in Gaza refugees, a step many
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Arab nations fear could pave the way for a complete
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Israeli takeover of the territory, eliminating its status as Palestinian.
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During his first trip, Trump oversaw mediation between Israel and
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Sarah Viral Arab countries normalizing relations under agreements called the
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Abraham Accords. The Biden administration for to suit a similar
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arrangement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, but that stalled after
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Hamas attacked Israel on October seventh and twenty twenty three,
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prompting Israel to unleash a ferocious response against Gaza. The
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Saudi government has wanted assistance from Washington for its civilian
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nuclear program, and it has long sought expanded defense cooperation
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as well. US diplomats have floated those concessions as carrots
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in exchange for Rayad's normalization of relations with Israel, but
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Saudi demands for a pathway to a Palestinian state are
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likely to keep a Saudi Israel deal out of reach
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for now. Some Trump officials have raised the possibility of
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moving forward with the US side of an agreement exchange
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for economic concessions or promises of future movement toward Israel.
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Another topic that will probably arise is Iran. Trump's administration
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has started directing negotiations to curb the country's ambitions for
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nuclear weapons. Trump also recently announced that the US military
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would stop its bombing of the Iranian backed huthis, a
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militant group in Yemen that has been attacking shipping in
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the Red Sea ever since the Hamas attack on Israel
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in exchange for protection for US ships. I think, far
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and away the most important acute issue is Iran's nuclear
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weapons program, said Michael O'Hanlon, director of research in the
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Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution. These countries have
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a lot of interest in that and could offer Iran
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inducements for a deal that Trump wants that needs degrees
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it in some way like promised investments that would be
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going for the home run. The trip comes just as
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Trump's Families business expands into some of the same areas
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where the President will be traveling. In recent days, the
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Trump Organization has announced new projects that include a large
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hotel and tower in Dubai and a golf course outside Goha,
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the Katari capital. The projects are moving forward in a
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partnership with dark Global, a real estate firm that is
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also participating with the Trump Organization on other projects in
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Saudi Arabia. The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Dubai,
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which was announced on April thirtieth, is to occupy eighty
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floors and contain a member's only club set to redefine
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the meaning of exclusionsive luxury. According to marketing materials, the
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Trump International Golf Course outside Goha will include an eighteen
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whole course, a clubhouse, and high end villas with access
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to the beach. That project is part of a development
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overseen by Katari DR, a real estate authority run by
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the Katari government. The Trump Organization has pledged not to
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enter into any new agreements with foreign governments while Trump
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is in office. A spokesperson for the Trump Organization said
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that its agreement is with Dark Global, only that the
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Trump Organization has no affiliation, partnership, or engagement with Katari
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DR or any other agency of the state. A cutter
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asked at a White House briefing Friday about whether Trump's
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business would profit from the trip. Levitt, the White House
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Press secretary, said, it's frankly ridiculous that anyone in this
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room would even suggest that President Trump is doing anything
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for his own benefit. He left a life of luxury
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and a life of running a very successful real estate
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empire for public service. And she added, this is a
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president who has actually lost money for being president of
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the United States. And the next story the FBI and
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national security agencies are using polygraphs for leak hunts. National
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security agencies across the Trump administration are ramping up investigations
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into alleged leaks into the news media, in some cases
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using polygraph tests that current and former officials say are
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creating a climate of fear and intimidation. At FBI Director's
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Kash Patel's direction, the Bureau in recent weeks has become
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has begun administering polygraph tests to identify the source of
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information leaks and i FBI spokesperson said the new use
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of polygraphs at the bureau, which are commonly known as
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ally detector tests, has not been previously reported. The seriousness
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of the specific leaks in question precipitated the polygraphs as
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they invoke potential damage to security protocols at the Bureau,
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said the spokesperson, who climbed to elaborate. The ramp up
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has been bolstered by Attorney General Pam Bondi's new legal
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guidelines that allow the Justice Department to subpoena reporters personal
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communications and broadness scope of potential criminal prosecutions to leaks
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not just classified material, but also privileged another sensitive information
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that the administration says is designated to so chaos and
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distrust in the government, but current and former officials note
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that the broader scope could include information that is simply
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embarrassing or seen as undermining the administration's views. The people
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are trying to keep their heads down, said one former
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FBI field office head, who, like others interview for this article,
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spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
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Morale's in the toilet. You see people who are being
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investigated and are names of agents who worked on the
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January sixth, twenty twenty one Capital riot cases being passed
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over to the DOJ. It's what the at the Pentagon Battle.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseith has threatened the use of polygraphs,
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according to current and former officials, and has demanded that
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some senior department officials be administered light detector exams. The
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Wall Street Journal has reported the sense of dread is palpable.
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Some officials who have left the government or buy out
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and might normally feel less constrained talk about it to
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the news media are refusing to speak while they are
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officially still on the payroll. Even contractors with security clearances
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say they can't take any chances in case they are
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asked in their next polygraph test whether they've had contact
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with journalists. It's a toxic environment, said one official with
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a top secret clearance. First, you've got the insecurity of
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not knowing whether you're going to get fired or not.
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Then there's the witch hunt behind the whistleblowers who are
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exposing the ineptitude and bad management of agencies. They're trying
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to silence those who do not follow the party line.
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This official and others pointed to the firing of General
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Timothy Holfe, who until earlier this month led the National
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Security Agency and US Cyber Command, as well as the
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dismissals and early retirements of dozens of experienced staffers at
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the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity Agency, which the employees
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warn will leave critical infrastructure vulnerable to Russian, Chinese, North
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Korean and Iranian hackers. Hall, who's firing was not accompanied
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by any exit clination, was dismissed by President Trump for
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being disloyal. According to Laura Lumer, a far right activist
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who urged Trump in a highly unusual White House meaning
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to remove in The move drew outrage from Democratic lawmakers.
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This is pretty outstanding that the president has chosen to
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dismiss someone as capable in such an important position as
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General Hoff for the threats of being as they are,
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Representative Chrissy Hulhan, Democrat of Pennsylvania, said in an interview
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this month. In recent weeks, the Pentagon has been in
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turmoil over the force departures of several of Hegsith's top
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aids allegedly over leaked to the news media that displeased
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the secretary and that involves sensitive communications with senior defense officials.
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A combination of submarine dismissals, polygraph threats, and leaked prosecutions
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has rattled the workforce. People are verified, said one former
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senior intelligence community lawyer who was involved in the leak
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investigations under the Obama administration. The difference today is they
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are not looking only for people leaking classified information, said
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the former official. They are looking for people leaking negative information,
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which is not necessarily against the law, he said, referring
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to information that the administration sees as embarrassing or that
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challenges its version of events at the Office of the
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Director of National Intelligence, said one former official. Dozens of
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veteran staffers, many disenchanted with the change in climate, recently
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left the agency, taking either a buyout or a retirement.
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There's definitely a culture of fear that there will be
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personal retribution if they're seen as in any way shining
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a light on or sharing details about what's happening in
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the organization, not even sharing classified information, the former official said.
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One Defense official said that amid the push to ferret
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out leaks and disloyalty, the four star generals he works
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with have begun parroting Hegeseth's language, constantly talking about the
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need to be patriotic warfighters. For example. They are using
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the right words so they don't get fired, said the official.
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In the past, candor was valued as a positive trade
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among military leaders, the second Defense official said, Today people
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no longer feel safe having an opinion that might be
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disconstrued as going against the Secretary of Defense or the president.
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This month, Lumer openly urged the Director of National Intelligence,
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Tousi Gabbard, to polygraph every single intelligence employee, especially those
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who served under the Biden administration, in order to clean
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house of leakers. Why are we waiting for something bad
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to happen? Bloomer posted on x Polygraph testing is required
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at large intelligence agencies for establishing eligibility for employment and
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continued access to classified materials. Such testing takes place generally
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every five years. But polygraphs are not lied to detectors,
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said Stephen after Good, an expert on intelligence policy former
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with the Federation of American Scientists. They are stress detectors.
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If for any reason, the questions being posed are upsetting
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to an individual, your pulse might accelerate even if you've
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done nothing wrong. So polygraphs do not measure truth or falsity.
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They measure stress. After Good said they're prone to false
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positives and negatives, noting that former CIA counterintelligence officer Aldridge
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Aimes famously past two polygraph tests while spying for the
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former Soviet Union aims Now is serving a life sentence
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in prison. Nevertheless, last month, the Department of Homeland Security
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began performing polygraph tests on employees to suss out who
21:14
might be leaking to the news media information about immigration operations.
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NBC News reported dozens of Federal Emergency Management Agency employees
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have been given light detector tests. CNN reported this month
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veteran intelligence and national security officials have lived through periodic
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clampdowns on leaks. The Obama administration brought more leak prosecutions
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than all previous administrations combined, and during the first Trump administration,
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which was one of the leakiest in modern history, then
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Attorney General Jeff's Sessions warned that the culture of leaking
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must stop. But none of those instances compares to the
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generalized sense of dread frustration that the Trump administration is
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creating in agencies, from the ODNI to the FBI to
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the Defense Department. A number of officials and employees said
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the agency heads are a thin skin, fearful of adverse
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news coverage. After Goods said, so far from demonstrating strength,
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they are displaying political weakness. He pointed to Bondi's memo
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that is used as criteria for potential prosecution disclosures of
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information that undermine President Trump's policies that presumes that the
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White House's every utterance is sacrosanct. After good said, it's
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like saying descent will not be tolerated. It is both
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absurd and offense. A second former intelligence official said colleagues
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who have taken early retirement offers have confided they're leery
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of attending social gatherings such as farewell parties of being
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monitored by private investigators. They're very anxious, the former official said,
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more guarded than what they say. The chilling effect on
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the intelligence community is particularly disturbing. Current and former official
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sid the culture of independence is so important, set a
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third former official. If you don't have an intelligence community
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that's able to challenge the prevailing thought, then you're undermining
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the ability of the government to think critically on some
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of the most important issues. The irony is that CIA
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director John Ratliffe has vowed to make the agency less
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risk averse, yet by creating this atmosphere of fear, they're
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actually making people more risk averse, the former official said.
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The former official noted the emails from leadership that directed
23:51
employees to report on colleagues who were engaged in diversity,
23:55
equity and inclusions activities. They did this in the Soviet Union,
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the former official said. And the next story, China deploys
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non government organizations quash criticism at the UN organizations in Geneva.
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Hundreds of human rights organizations make their way to the
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United Nations offices in Geneva each year to call attention
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to the plight of the world's most vulnerable populations, including
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victims of war, famine, false imprisonment, or torture. But dozens
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of self described non governmental organizations acted in Geneva hidden
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ties to the Chinese government, were taking part in an
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expansive campaign to subvert the work of the UN Human
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Rights Council, According to the findings of an investigation by
24:49
The Washington Post and other news organizations working in partnership
24:54
with the International Consortium Investigative Journalists, also called the ICIJ,
25:00
Beijing back groups crowd into UN sessions on human rights
25:06
to present glowing accounts from China which are at odds
25:10
with credible reports of depression. According to interviews and an
25:14
examination of public records, their delegates seek to disrupt or
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drought out the testimony of legitimate NGOs on their findings
25:25
about the detention of Muslim Ugurs and terminent camps in
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the Chinese region of Xinjiang, or children separated from Tibetan families,
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or the targeting of democracy activists in Hong Kong. Increasingly,
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the Beijing controlled organizations are being used to monitor and
25:43
intimidate those planning to testify about the alleged abuses. According
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to interviews, with US officials, Western diplomats, and members of
25:53
NGO's being targeted. Several activists described being photographed or harassed
25:59
while on new in premise or of the United States.
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Former top diplomats in Geneva described China's deployment of organizations
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posing as NGOs as a growing threat to the core
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UN Human Rights mission. It's corrosive, it's dishonest, it's subversive,
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said Michelle Taylor, who served as US Ambassador to the
26:20
UN Human Rights Council from twenty twenty two until earlier
26:24
this year. Taylor said that Beijing linked groups are masquerading
26:29
as NGOs. It's part of a broader effort by Chinese
26:32
officials to obfuscate their own human rights violations and reshape
26:37
the narrative around China's actions and culpabilities. The scale of
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the Chinese campaign has not previously been reported. The ice
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CIJ analysis shows that nearly sixty Chinese registered inngos, more
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than half of the Chinese group that have obtained privileged
26:57
UN status effectively function as extensions of the Chinese government
27:03
or the Chinese Communist Party. According to their own documents
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and other records. Many pledged loyalty to the party acknowledge
27:13
that they defer to party officials on management decisions or
27:16
accept substantial money from the party or the government. This
27:21
investigation is based on a review of hundreds of online
27:24
records and financial documents, as well as interviews with the
27:28
UN and Western diplomats, human rights lawyers, activists, and targets
27:34
of repression moves. Spoke on the condition of anonymity, creating
27:39
concern about retaliation. Human officials said they seek to respond
27:43
swiftly to the reports of abuse and have intervened to
27:47
protect those being targeted. The officials said they have also
27:51
confronted authorities in Beijing over allegations of monitoring and intimidation.
27:56
We have had recurring communications with Chinese government you in.
28:00
Human Rights Office spokesperson Vena Shamdazi said it is a
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fundamental principle of the UN system that people must be
28:10
free to engage with the UN and its mechanisms without
28:14
fear of intimidation or reprisal. Even so, U, in response,
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have stopped short of revoking accreditations of NGOs that represent
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one of his most powerful members. China accounts for a
28:28
growing share of the UN budget as one of five
28:31
permanent members on the Security Council. Shamdasani said it would
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be problematic for the UN Human Rights Office to start
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distinguishing between authentic and non authentic NGOs because doing so
28:44
could be misused as a tool by states. Matthew Brown,
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public information officer for the Human Rights Council, said, we
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take seriously all allegations of intimidation and reprisals and do
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our most to prevent them from occurring within the limited
29:04
means we have. Lynn Pegue, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy
29:09
in Washington, did not directly respond to the questions about
29:12
China's alleged use of ENGOs to subvert the work of
29:15
the UN in Geneva. Instead, Lou rejected criticism of treatment
29:20
of the u Gurs, Tibetans, and Hong Kong Dissonance, and
29:24
accused Western countries of weaponizing UN human rights proceedings against China.
29:31
China firmly opposes the politicization, instrumentvilization, or weaponization of human
29:38
rights issues, as well as foreign interference under the pretext
29:43
of human rights low centered and a written statement. The
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Beijing backed groups represent themselves as independent NGOs with innocuous names,
29:54
such as the China Society for Human rights studies, the
29:58
China Foundation for Human Rights Development and the China Ethic
30:04
Minorities Association for External Exchanges, but a detailed analysis of
30:10
their online leadership profiles, financial records, and other materials show
30:16
extensive connections to the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party.
30:22
The ICIJ investigations identified one hundred and six NGOs that
30:28
have received you in accreditation and are registered in or
30:31
affiliated with China. At least fifty nine appear to violate
30:37
you in rules meant to ensure that NGOs testifying in
30:41
Geneva aren't doing so under government influence or pressure. More
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than fifty of the one oh six NGOs included language
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and charter documents pledging loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party,
30:56
with some acknowledging that they defer to the party on
30:59
decisions of higher and funding. The investigation found forty six
31:04
listed directors or others in leadership roles who simultaneously held
31:09
positions in Chinese state agencies or the Chinese Communist Party.
31:14
Records show that at least ten received the bulk of
31:17
their funding from the Chinese government sources. The proliferation of
31:23
Beijing backed groups has made Geneva an increasingly hostile environment
31:28
for organizations that have worked to expose human rights abuses
31:31
in China. According to NGEO officials, who described routinely being
31:36
monitored and threatened in the Swiss city, the UN is
31:41
one of the only forums where we can raise our causes,
31:44
zumetri Ar Khan, vice president of the World Uger Congress,
31:49
said in an interview. It's become one of the places
31:52
where these governments carry out their repression. The backdrop for
31:57
Beijing campaign is a pair of location in Geneva, the
32:01
Palais Wuisson and the Pales dens Champs that serve as
32:05
headquarters for the UN's top human rights officer, as well
32:09
as the Human Rights Council, which was created nearly two
32:12
decades ago to protect persecuted populations. In February, President Trump
32:18
signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the Council
32:22
and slashing funding for other UN organizations, a reflection of
32:26
the administration's dim view of global institutions. The US retreat
32:31
comes as China has stepped up its efforts to assert
32:34
greater influence in Geneva by pledging funding for Beijing backed
32:38
initiatives forming alliances with anti Western countries and developing its
32:44
expanding army of state backed in goos. According to Western
32:48
officials and analysis, China's campaign appears to have been triggered
32:52
by UN investigations and reports that have helped to call
32:56
global attention to Beijing's crackdowns on religion, minorities, and other groups.
33:02
Among them was a twenty nine eighteen UN Committee report
33:06
that was one of the first to warn that China
33:09
appeared to be forcing as many as one million ethnic
33:13
Ugers into massive detention systems in Xijiang. A follow on
33:20
investigation by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for
33:23
Human Rights published in twenty twenty two, documented abuses including rape, torture,
33:30
and the forced sterilization of Ugers, and concluded that Chinese
33:34
authorities could be guilty of crimes against humanity. Beijing has
33:39
repeatedly denied these accusations of abuse and described the reports
33:44
on Ugers and other UN investigations as Western orchestrated intrusions
33:50
on its sovereignty. Much of the UN's work of Xinjiang,
33:56
Hong Kong, Tibet, and other issues has been based on
34:00
testimony and evidence gathered by NGOs, including Amnesty International and
34:06
Human Rights Watch. Officials and experts said the proliferation of
34:11
Beijing linked groups in Geneva as part of an attempt
34:14
to counter their influence. The number of Chinese organizations with
34:19
UAN credentials has nearly doubled since twenty eighteen, the year
34:24
of the initial UN report on Xinjiang. Any of these
34:28
organizations were formed at least a decade ago, but sought
34:31
in GO accreditation only after twenty eighteen. The surgery flex
34:36
and effort has been backed by Chinese President Xi Jinping
34:41
involves nearly every level of government in China. In twenty twenty,
34:47
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it vigorously supported
34:51
and guided domestic INNGUS to go global. A year later,
34:56
provincial and municipal governments began arranging seminars and to tatorials
35:01
to help regional groups apply for status at the UN.
35:05
China's objectives in Geneva go beyond repelling scrutiny of its
35:08
human rights record, according to officials and analysts. More broadly,
35:14
Beijing is seeking to replace the long standing human rights
35:17
emphasis on individual freedoms with a Chinese favored framework that
35:23
prioritizes societal advances with little tolerance for dissent. China represents
35:31
frequently seeks to insert such phrases as when when shared,
35:36
future and beneficial cooperation and UN resolutions and reports as
35:42
part of an effort to shift the terms of debate.
35:44
Official said. The terms seem innocuous, official said, but are
35:49
aimed at supplanting language and past you in declarations that
35:53
cover freedom of religion, expression and association. The Chinese government
36:00
is clearly using NGOs as a tool, said Rana Sui Imbuden,
36:05
a senior fellow at the Strauss Center for International Security
36:08
and Law at the University of Texas and Austin. After
36:12
encouraging them, helping them, and guiding them to obtain you
36:17
in status. Their mission in Geneva is to serve the government. Lu,
36:23
the spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said that
36:27
China abides by international law and then its people centered
36:31
approach to human rights has led to dramatic expansions and
36:35
access to education and healthcare, and involves the world's largest
36:40
campaign to alleviate poverty. The Bijang backed inngos appear to
36:46
embrace their mission with unwavering commitment. Last year, thirty three,
36:52
Chinese NGOs made nearly three hundred appearances at human rights
36:58
Council sessions, according to the data gathered by the International
37:01
Service for Human Rights, an independent nonprofit group. An examination
37:07
of their statements and testimony found not a single instance
37:12
in which any had uttered words that could be construed
37:16
as critical of China. When other organizations accused Beijing of
37:21
human rights abuses. However, the response from state back end
37:25
goos was often withering. At a UN event in September,
37:31
where speakers expressed continued concern for the plight of Ugus,
37:35
a woman in the audience rose to accuse the panelist
37:38
being full of lies in rumors. Have you ever been
37:41
to China, she asked, saying UN attention should be focused
37:45
on issues in other countries, including racism and gun violence
37:49
in the United States. She identified herself as a representative
37:54
of an entity called the UN Association of China, an
37:58
organization UN status in twenty twenty. Records show that in
38:03
recent years, its president has also served as an official
38:09
in the Chinese Communist Party and a spokesperson for China's
38:12
legislative body, the National People's Congress. The association's thirty five
38:18
statements in Human Rights Council sessions between twenty nineteen and
38:21
twenty twenty four have been overwhelmingly pro China and never critical.
38:29
China also increasingly takes advantage of its sheer numbers in Geneva,
38:35
officials and experts said, using its NGOs to crowd out
38:39
others but Beijing that beijingg regards as hostile. A separate
38:45
UN event last year offered ten speaking slots to civil
38:48
society organizations to comment on a broad report on China.
38:53
Five of the ten were taken by Chinese NGOs, which
38:57
used the session to depict China's records on human rights
39:01
as exemplary. The more alarming trend Active said has been
39:07
the involvement of Chinese NGOs in cases of alleged harassment
39:11
and surveillance. Members of organizations representing Ugers, Tibetans, Hong Kong dissidents,
39:19
and others described being surveilled, shoved, photographed, and in some
39:24
cases threatened that harm might come to their relatives. In China,
39:29
photography by NGO representatives is prohibited at official UN proceedings
39:34
without prior authorization. As dozens of activists lined up outside
39:39
the palasinachions the last year to gain entry to the
39:43
long awaited review of China's human rights record, Beijing bat
39:48
groups began jostling with perceived adversaries. They were trying to
39:54
cut in line and take our place, said top George
39:57
Trustim twenty five, a US citizen who works as communication
40:01
director for Students for Free Tibet. Russhaan Abas, co founder
40:06
of the US based Campaign for Ugers, said that other
40:09
pro China attendee was taking pictures of Tibetans and Uger's
40:13
right defenders as they lined up to enter the event.
40:18
Though UN security eventually intervened, members of China backed NGOs
40:23
continued to take photos of activists inside the UN chamber,
40:27
according to activists and witnesses. At times, activists said the
40:32
Chinese back groups appear to have insights into NGO's members,
40:36
meetings and movements that suggest the use of informants or surveillance.
40:42
In March of twenty twenty four, representatives of NGOs and
40:45
attract alleged abuses in China secured what was supposed to
40:49
be a closed door meeting with UN top officials on
40:52
human rights. The High Commissioner Vulgar Turk to accommodate participants
40:57
whose fear of retaliation made them reluctant to be seen
41:00
on un premises. The meeting was to take place in
41:03
the Geneneva offices of ISSHR, which provides training and support
41:08
to NGOs. Before Turk arrived, however, four uninvited individuals claiming
41:15
to represent a Chinese NGO showed up seeking admission. According
41:19
to an ISSHR staff member who witnessed the encounter, as
41:24
a woman in the group pressed to be allowed in,
41:27
others peered through the glass at those gathering inside. The
41:32
four left after being turned away, but Uger activists later
41:36
reported being photographed outside from a part black Mercedes van
41:41
that witnesses said was used by the uninvited group. One
41:46
of those seeking entry was subsequently identified by the ISSHR
41:51
as Jao Lulu, a Communist Chinese branch secretary who is
41:57
listed online as vice dean of Xiangzhou University Institute for
42:02
Human Rights in China. Reached by telephone, Xu said she
42:07
couldn't recall whether she'd tried to attend the meeting at
42:10
the ISHR, saying I did so much since that journey,
42:14
I can't remember so clearly. Joe had previously delivered a
42:18
speech at the Council on behalf of the Chinese Society
42:21
for Human Rights Studies, which describes itself as the country's
42:26
largest human rights in g O. Three of its top
42:30
leaders also Hoole positions in the Chinese Communist Party online
42:34
record show. This was an act clearly aimed at intimidating
42:38
and clearly aimed at sending a message to everyone that
42:41
was there. Be careful about what you do because there
42:46
could be consequences, said Raphael Vianna David Approprim manager at
42:52
the ISHR, who attended the meeting. A UN spokesperson said
42:56
Turk's office was made aware of these allegations after the
43:01
NGOs met with the U and High Commissioner and then
43:03
brought the situation to the attention of the Chinese government
43:07
in accordance with our usual practice. Alarmed by such incidents,
43:12
the US and its allies have stepped up efforts to
43:15
screen Beijing backed in goo's and prevent them from gaining
43:19
you in accreditation. Organizations seeking what is known as consultative status,
43:25
which grants them access to UN facilities and are recognized
43:29
role in deliberations, have to submit applications, including financial records
43:34
and charter documents. That are reviewed by a special UN
43:37
committee in New York that meets twice a year. The
43:41
US and China both have representatives on the nineteen member committee.
43:46
The rules of the panel allow member countries to block
43:49
in GO nominees merely by raising questions about their applications,
43:53
official said, a procedural move that delays consideration indefinitely and
43:59
can function as an effective veto. The US previously resorted
44:04
to this move only in extreme cases where an NGO
44:08
was suspected of having ties to terrorist organizations or financing,
44:12
according to a senior US official, but over the past
44:15
five years, Washington has adopted new criteria aimed at thwarting
44:20
Beijing's efforts to expand its in GEO surrogates in Geneva.
44:26
The senior US official said that Chinese applicants are now
44:29
being screened by State Department officials in Washington and US
44:33
diplomats in Beijing for links to the government are Chinese
44:37
Communist Party leaders and funding. In some cases, the official said,
44:42
the CIA has also been enlisted to scrutinize Chinese applications.
44:48
The US has blocked dozens of suspected state link in
44:51
goos in recent years because we have been more prepared
44:55
and more organized, the official said. The official estimated that
44:59
as many as eighty percent of the NGOs suspected of
45:03
being fronts for Beijing have been rejected over the past
45:06
five years. The ICIJ investigation shows that nearly two dozen
45:11
managed to slip through and obtain you in accreditation. China
45:16
has employed similar tactics, using its veto power to block
45:20
organizations that Western officials describe as legitimate inngos that comply
45:25
with UN regulations. Leaders of organizations that would appear to
45:30
qualify for you in status, including the Hong Kong Democracy Council,
45:35
said they have not even applied because they regard such
45:38
efforts as futile. China's efforts to influence U in human
45:43
rights proceedings in Geneva have brought mixed results. Beijing failed
45:48
in its efforts to prevent the UN Human Rights Commissioner
45:50
at the time, Michelle Braschlitt, from releasing a scathing report
45:55
in twenty twenty two on the mass incarceration of ubers.
46:00
China's lobbying efforts, which the US and its allies tried
46:03
to counter, put Brasslett under intense pressure. You went held
46:08
off publishing the document until just twelve minutes before midnight
46:13
on the day her term expired. You went plans to
46:16
follow through on the Xijiang Report, however, and they have faltered.
46:21
When the Human Rights Council voted in late twenty twenty
46:24
two on a US led proposal to hold a public
46:27
debate on the document, the measure lost by two votes.
46:33
China prevailed after a pressure campaign in which Zi made
46:37
calls to foreign leaders and Beijing told members that their
46:41
support would be reciprocated on future votes. US and Western
46:46
official said nearly three years later, the Council has yet
46:53
to adopt any resolutions or hold hearings on the Xinjiang
46:59
Report and next months after Helene, it's still hard to
47:04
drive these North Carolina roads. The day of Bobby Hensley's
47:09
stroke in February, Greenleaf Road was so muddy and pock
47:13
marked that an ambulance couldn't make it to the eighty
47:16
two year old Air Force Veterans House. The dirt steep
47:20
road in Yancey County, North Carolina has always been in
47:24
rough condition, but since the tropical storm remnants of Hurricane
47:28
Helene Brute blew through seven months ago, the privately owned
47:32
road has been disfigured by deep craters, making it often
47:36
impassable from any vehicles. Greenleaf is just one of the
47:40
approximately eight thousand private roads and bridges in this state
47:45
that were decimated by Helene last fall. According to the
47:48
office of North Carolina Governor Josh Stein, the Democrat, more
47:52
than seven thousands still need to be fixed. According to
47:55
Natasha Rodriguez, the operations directory for Operation Helo, a nonprofit
48:01
organization that allocates donations for repairs, the biggest disaster recovery
48:07
in North Carolina's history, has in some ways moved along.
48:11
The state has repaired highways, small businesses are reopening, and
48:16
tourists are returning to hotspots like Ashville, but rebuilding has
48:20
been slower in many rural areas. And while the governor
48:24
signed a disaster recovery law in March that includes one
48:27
hundred million dollars of state support for private roads and
48:30
bridge repairs, that work is just getting going. Applying for
48:35
federal A two can be a lengthy process. In the meantime,
48:39
organizations such as Operation Helo have been trying to help
48:43
fill the gap. It's a monumentous task, said Rodriguez. These
48:49
roads have to be repacked rock needs to be brought
48:52
in and crushed. You need culverts that help flow the
48:55
water through that way. You don't have any erosion until
48:59
family in these remote mountain communities can see their roads fixed.
49:03
She said, their whole lives are on hold. Emergency dispatchers
49:09
in the area used to access issues and typically sent
49:13
in a pickup truck as backup for their ambulance. That's
49:16
what they did when the call came from the Hensleys
49:19
in February, and the truck was able to make it
49:22
up and down the road. Responders then transferred Bobby Hensley's
49:26
two hundred and thirty pound body, which had been paralyzed
49:29
on the left side, to an ambulance, which took him
49:32
to a helicopter, which took him to the hospital. Big Bob,
49:36
as he was known to his loved one, was in
49:38
the hospital for about a week before he died. Now
49:41
his family wonders whether things might have turned out differently
49:45
if an ambulance had been able to get to the house.
49:48
The dispatch center got the call at four forty two
49:51
pm Eastern time, said Christy Bryant, the county's EMS director,
49:56
and the team met the helicopter flight crew at five
49:59
point fifty two p The multi step transfer added five
50:04
to ten minutes to the response, said Anthony McCrory, a
50:08
paramedic shift supervisor for Yancey County who was driving the
50:11
ambulance that day. McCrory noted that the Hensley's road had
50:15
been always given him trouble, but there's no doubt that
50:19
the range from the hurricane didn't help it. It's a
50:22
problem emergency responders face across a county strown with private roads.
50:28
Greenlee Road, much like many of the older multi generational
50:32
private dirt roads in the county, was problematic pre Helene,
50:37
said Chris sigmund, Yancey County, Nancy County's County planner. Current
50:42
building codes would never allow home to be built on
50:45
this type of road. The Hensley family is called Greenlee
50:48
Road Home for Generations. True to its name, the road
50:52
is nestled in a forest. It snakes up the region's
50:55
Verdant Hills. The house where Bobby lived with his wife
50:59
Hope is about halfway up the road. Above them, our
51:03
cousins Linda and Zachie. Eugene, Bobby's nephew, lives at the
51:07
top with his mother Grace. The deterioration of the road
51:12
made their lives more precarious. Getting to doctor's appointments became
51:16
harder for Linda, who's seventy two, who has lymphoma and diabetes,
51:21
and for Zaki, who's eighty one is on thyroid medication
51:25
and bloodbinns. The family moved Grace, who was eighty, to
51:30
an assisted living facility to ensure she could access the
51:33
care she needed. Among the family members, Eugene sixty four,
51:39
deemed himself the most fit for the responsibility of maintaining
51:43
Greenleaf Road, never mind that the marine veteran has metal
51:47
rods in both shens and has had double knee replacements
51:51
two times over. The Washington Post visited on a cool,
51:54
overcast day in early March. He was out of breath
51:58
from hand digging a trench to make the road somewhat
52:01
passable again. Operation Helo pledged seven thousand dollars to help.
52:07
A winter of heavy snow and ice has delayed work,
52:11
Rodriguez said, but a construction crew arrived May first and
52:15
spent several days on the project. After they left this week,
52:19
Eugene was able to bring his mother home, but he
52:22
said he felt he led her down because the road
52:25
was patched but not repaired. I'm going to Trypheima again
52:29
to see if they can pick up the slack, he said.
52:32
When he learned of the contractor's plans, he said he
52:35
initially tried to get assistance through the agency, but officials
52:39
were slow to respond. Bobby's death was a big loss
52:43
for Greenleaf Road. I spent every weekend with him, said
52:47
his grandson Nit. We'd ride four wheelers on the mountains
52:51
and shoot guns. Ha. He was my best friend. Hope. Now,
52:56
a widow, regularly rides her four wheeler down to the
53:00
small family graveyard tucked into the hillside. It's quiet at
53:04
Bobby's grave, shaded by the mountains he loves so much.
53:08
He is buried alongside family members who have lived and
53:12
died on this road for generations. We ain't gonna leave
53:15
the area, jeans say it. It's so prety here. And
53:18
now finally, schools are digging underground for their heat and
53:24
saving money. Like much of New England, the public schools
53:28
in New Bedford, Massachusetts, have burned heating oil and natural
53:32
gas for decades to keep their buildings warm through long
53:35
cold winters, but that is beginning to change. The district
53:40
held the ground breaking ceremony this month for a new
53:42
elementary school, one that will replace two buildings that are
53:46
more than one hundred years old. Geothermal wells drilled deep
53:51
underground will provide heating and cooling without burning fossil fuels.
53:56
Solar panels on the roof and over the parking lot
54:00
will help offset the school's energy use. The district isn't
54:04
acting only for the benefit of the planets. At Bury Rabinovitch,
54:07
who oversees construction, Installing geothermal and solar instead of a
54:12
boiler system is expected to save New Bedford three hundred
54:17
thousand dollars annually in operating expenses. The most efficient operation,
54:23
the best for the environment, was also the cheapest, Rabinovich said,
54:28
k through twelve school districts from Missouri to Maine for
54:32
adopting geothermal technology to lower energy costs, saving hundreds of
54:36
thousands of dollars they said they can use to upgrade
54:39
facilities and give teachers raises. Federal tax credits for clean
54:43
energy products passed by Congress in twenty twenty two have
54:47
made the shift possible by lowering geothermals price tag for
54:52
cash strapped districts, rising energy costs can be overwhelming. After salaries.
54:59
Energy bills make up the second largest cost for school districts,
55:02
coding at least eight billion dollars annually, according to the
55:06
Department of Energy. Whatever your politics are doesn't really matter.
55:11
This is a great way to lower your expenses and
55:13
keep teachers employed, said Sage Acorn, an account executive at Verrengi,
55:19
a company that works with school districts and municipalities make
55:22
their buildings more energy efficient. Geothermal technology uses less energy
55:28
than conventional heating and cooling systems because it harnesses the
55:32
earth's own heat. The system's schools have installed rely on
55:37
a heat pump connected to looped pipes deep underground, where
55:42
the temperature is relatively constant. Inside these pipes, water and
55:47
anti free circulate on days when the school needs cooling,
55:51
refrigerant absorbs the building's heat and transfers it to the
55:55
water and the pipes, which is then cooled underground. The
55:59
system can also warmer school by moving heat from below
56:02
the earth surface into the building. Geothermal systems still carry
56:07
higher upfront costs than a fossil fueling, burning, furnace and
56:11
air conditioning system, but because of the federal tax credits,
56:15
they are more affordable than ever. At the same time,
56:19
technological improvements have made these systems more practical and lower maintenance,
56:23
and the energy bills make them cheaper to operate over
56:26
the long run than traditional HVAC systems. One school district
56:31
in Utah has construction underway on five schools, each featuring
56:36
geothermal powered heating and cooling. At its newest completed school,
56:41
utility costs run about twenty thousand dollars a year, three
56:45
to four times less than the district's normal range. Another
56:50
district in Kentucky has installed geothermal systems in two new
56:54
schools with the help of a one point eight million
56:57
dollar federal tax credit. Missouri, the state's largest school district,
57:03
converted three of its buildings to geothermal last summer and
57:07
quickly saw its energy useful, but the fate of future
57:11
projects are noun doubt. As Republicans in Congress looked for
57:15
ways to pay for President Trump's tax cuts, some are
57:18
eager to dismantle the clean energy tax credits President Biden
57:21
signed in the law TROMP, who was called the Climate
57:24
Law the Green New Scam. Has not said which credits
57:28
he wants to repeal or indicated whether he wants to
57:31
get rid of the geo thermal credits. Opponents of the
57:34
credits for clean energy say they're wasteful. They also argue
57:38
that by subsidizing investment and wind and solda, the climate
57:41
law will make the electric grid less reliable and more
57:44
expensive to operate. If geothermal is such a good deal,
57:49
then schools should be able to invest in it without subsidies,
57:52
said Diana Groth, director for the Center of Energy, Climate
57:56
Environment at the Heritage Foundation, conservative research organization. Says there
58:00
should be a level playing field. And this concludes the
58:04
reading of the Washington Post for today, Monday, May twelfth.
58:07
Your reader for today has been Rod Brotherton. If you
58:11
have any questions, comments, or suggestions concerning the program, please
58:14
feel free to call us at A five nine four
58:17
two two sixty three ninety. Thank you for listening, and
58:20
now please stay tuned for continued programming right here on
58:25
Radio I