Transcript

11.8.25 · Washington Post

0:01
Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of Today's Washington Post for Saturday,
0:07
November the eighth of twenty twenty five. Your reader is
0:12
Alice Stainer, with the reminder that RADIOI is an organization
0:18
that reads material for those blind or with difficulties in
0:22
either holding or reading printed material. We will start with
0:27
the front page of the Washington Post. On the far left,
0:31
High Court halts order to release snapaid emergency action pauses,
0:39
judges decree as a po continues on food Lifeline by
0:46
Mark Berman. In the middle of the front page, at
0:51
the top, there is a picture of a table with
0:55
black packages and white packages being so and inspected. Six
1:03
people have masks on and all wearing blue gloves, and
1:10
the woman has on a hat or a net over
1:13
her head. And these are tie officials inspecting a seized
1:19
shipment of about one hundred million metaphetamine tablets, most likely manufactured.
1:27
Speaker 2: In labs in me and Mar.
1:30
Speaker 1: And the article is headed China's chemical exports are behind
1:37
a tsunami of meth swamping Asia. Precursor chemicals are shipped
1:44
to warlords in Me and Mar, fueling a drug crisis
1:49
across the region. A Post investigation reveals, and on the
1:55
right side of the front page. US ups roll in
1:59
steer ring Gaza aid overtakes Israel on relief matters. Impact
2:07
on enclavetide restrictions is unclear by Karen De Young, Claia Parker,
2:15
Alex Horton, and Kate Brown. The China article was written
2:22
by Rebecca tan Out of Thailand. Below the fold on
2:28
the left, DOJ probes Bowser trip but says she's not
2:34
the focus.
2:35
Speaker 2: The article is by.
2:37
Speaker 1: Perry Stein, Emily Davies, Salvador Rizo, Morgan Flynn, and Jeremy
2:45
Gathwright or Jinny Gathright. Flight cancelations top one thousand after
2:53
FAA directive by Lori Aretani, Ian Duncan, Natalie Compton and
3:01
Dana Munroe. And the last article on the very bottom
3:06
of the front page of the Washington Post, Why is
3:10
pickleball noise so annoying? And there's a picture of simply
3:16
a hand holding a pick a ball racket. Sonic research
3:20
has identified the cause of the racket and tips for
3:25
ignoring it. By Bishop sand Out of Massachusetts Supreme Court
3:36
temporarily blocks order on releasing snap benefits.
3:42
Speaker 2: The order pauses for now.
3:45
Speaker 1: A lower court ruling directing the Trump administration to release
3:49
November benefits in full on Friday, and there is a
3:54
picture of a woman with a stroller picking up cartons
3:59
of eggs out of food distribution pantry in Oakland, California
4:06
by Mark Berman. Supreme Court Justice Katanji Brown Jackson late
4:13
Friday evening temporarily blocked the judges order that had directed
4:18
the Trump administration to release November food assistance benefits in full.
4:24
The same day, Jackson paused for now lower court rulings
4:29
that the Trump administration has resisted amid a legal battle
4:34
over whether federal officials would deliver the funds for a
4:37
program that is a vital lifeline for millions of people
4:42
who rely on it to afford groceries. Earlier Friday, the
4:46
Trump administration had said it was working to release the
4:50
benefits to comply with the judges order, suggesting that the
4:54
money would indeed be dispersed, but the administration also asked
4:59
the High Court to halt that order, pushing to avoid
5:04
releasing the funds as directed. In her brief order, Jackson
5:10
says she was granting an administrative stay and pausing the
5:14
lower court's directives to allow an appeals court time to
5:19
issue a ruling on the matter. The developments came amid
5:24
ongoing court fights over Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program SNAP benefits,
5:33
which have been in limbo during the federal government shutdown
5:36
and with the Trump administration resisting using other money to
5:40
foot the bill. SNAP benefits, which are the country's largest
5:46
anti hunger program, provide aid to about forty two million people,
5:53
mostly children, the elderly, and adults with disabilities. The funding
5:59
hold up has left families across the country in a
6:02
state of agonized uncertainty and stretched budgets as they wait
6:07
for aid. A federal judge Thursday ordered the Trump administration
6:13
to release the full benefits for November, writing that he
6:18
found that irreparable harm would occur if millions of people
6:24
were forced to go without funds for food. In his order,
6:30
US District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. In Rhode Island
6:35
directed the administration to make full payments by Friday now
6:40
using other funds. He also admonished federal officials for opting
6:45
to make partial payments, saying they knew this would only
6:49
further delay getting aid to people. McConnell wrote he was
6:54
appointed by President Barack Obama. Such conduct is more poor judgment.
7:01
It is arbitrary and capricious. McConnell had previously issued an
7:08
order directing the federal government to seek additional money needed
7:12
to fund the November SNAP payments in full if they
7:16
chose not to find other money and to make partial
7:19
payments instead. He said at the time, officials must act expeditiously.
7:27
The Trump administration has said the lack of funds for
7:31
SNAP benefits is because of congressional failure, and argued against
7:36
tapping other pools of money. In court papers, the Justice
7:40
Department said the administration was declining to raid an entirely
7:46
different program that would lead to a shortfall in funding
7:51
school meals. The Justice Department appealed to the US Court
7:56
of Appeals for the First Circuit, asking the judges to
8:00
pause McConnell's orders. The agency said McConnell was making a
8:06
mockery of the separation of powers by directing government officials
8:11
to transfer funds from one food security program to another.
8:16
A three judge panel with that court declined Friday evening
8:21
to temporarily stop McConnell's aura, but said it was still
8:25
weighing a request to pause his ruling, depending an appeal
8:31
pending an appeal. The panel said it would rule as
8:35
quickly as possible. The Supreme Court's administrative order paused McConnell's
8:41
ruling until the Appeals Court panel rules on the motion.
8:46
Jackson is the Supreme Court justice assigned to the First Circuit.
8:52
In her brief order, Jackson did not rule on the
8:56
merits of the case before her, but said as stay
8:59
was needed to facilitate the First Circuit's expeditious resolution of
9:05
the pending stay motion. Jackson ordered McConnell's ruling paused until
9:12
the First Circuit rules, or if she or the Supreme
9:15
Court issue further orders. The administrative stay would expire forty
9:20
eight hours after the First Circuit's ruling, which it is
9:24
expected to issue with dispatch, Jackson added. With the Circuit
9:30
Court request still pending, the Trump administration had sought emergency
9:35
relief at the Supreme Court, asking the justices to halt
9:39
McConnell's directive. If the Hardcourt did not act, the government
9:45
would be forced to make an irretrievable transfer of billions
9:49
of dollars by the end of today. Solicitor General D
9:54
John Sawyer wrote of filing the administration transfers that required
10:02
four billion dollars, Sour wrote, states would disperse the money
10:07
and federal officials could not reclaim it, and some had
10:11
already released full snap benefits for the month, he said.
10:16
Assailed mcconnald's auto, writing that the judge was commandeering sensitive
10:22
funding allocation decisions in the middle of a shutdown in
10:26
ways that frustrate efforts to end that shutdown. The funding
10:32
lapse is a crisis created by Congress and to be
10:36
solved by the same body, Saur wrote. He also contended
10:40
that mcconnald was recreating a dangerous precedent in which judges
10:45
could dictate when government officials shift around funding to cover shortfalls,
10:51
precisely the sort of decision that Congress committed the agency
10:56
discretion and placed beyond the reach of judges. Attorney General
11:02
Pambondi criticized McConnell as well, writing in social media posts
11:07
that his order was utterly lawless and judicial activism. Earlier Friday,
11:16
the Agriculture Department signaled its plans to adhere to McConnell's
11:20
rulings in a notice sent to states, indicating that as
11:25
of that time, the funds were indeed going to arrive.
11:30
The Agriculture Department was working towards implementing November twenty twenty
11:36
five full benefit issuances in compliance with the order and
11:42
will complete the processes necessary to make funds available later Friday,
11:49
wrote Patrick A Penn, Deputy to under Secretary for Food,
11:55
Nutrition and Consumer Services within the department, as well as
12:01
state officials who received the notice shared copies of it
12:05
with the Washington Post before the administration petitioned the Supreme Court.
12:12
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said
12:16
it had received notice Friday afternoon that the Agriculture Department
12:21
will fully fund November SNAP benefits. The North Carolina agency
12:27
said in a statement that as it works with federal
12:31
partners to get the remainder of November processed, beneficiaries could
12:36
see the additional funds on their cards potentially by this weekend.
12:42
Speaker 2: State officials sought.
12:44
Speaker 1: To figure out Friday what to make of the evolving
12:46
landscape regarding the benefits. One official called it a rapidly
12:52
shifting situation. A spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Social
12:58
Services said that the agency anticipated people in the state
13:03
would start receiving their SNAP benefits by the middle of
13:06
next week. The timeline will remain the same whether people
13:10
are receiving partial or complete benefits, the spokesperson said. Other officials, meanwhile,
13:18
had said they were moving ahead to HANDAIPE benefits are
13:21
preparing to do so. The office of Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, Democrat,
13:27
said in a statement that at her direction, the state's
13:31
Department of Human Services had worked through the night to
13:35
issue full November benefits by Friday mornings so families across
13:40
the state can access the food they need. Plaintiffs in
13:45
the court case McConnell had before him a group that
13:49
includes nonprofits in several cities warning they will have to
13:53
divert resources to support families that rely on snapaid, said
13:59
the trumpetmenministration's arguments about the funding callously disregard the grave
14:05
harm facing millions of people without the benefits for an
14:12
entire week. Now, these families have gone with urgency needed
14:16
assistance to meet their basic nutritional needs, they wrote in
14:21
a court filing Friday. In court papers, plaintiffs in the
14:26
case said granting even a brief stay of McConnell's order
14:30
could severely hurt the public. Millions of people will go
14:35
hungry without snap benefits, they wrote, and the problems expand
14:40
on output. They continued, writing that organizations and cities trying
14:45
to help fill the gap are facing staffing strains and
14:49
struggling to provide resources and help in other areas. McConnell,
14:55
in his order expressed incredulity that at at the Trump
15:01
administration's argument that it could not tap other funding sources,
15:06
writing the administration was prioritizing a hypothetical disruption in child
15:12
food assistance that could occur next May. If at all,
15:18
it defies belief that the administration would focus on that
15:22
potential funding disruption in the future over the very real
15:27
and immediate risk of children being deprived of their food
15:31
assistance today.
15:33
Speaker 2: McConnell wrote, US steps up.
15:38
Speaker 1: Gaza aid role to support fragile ceasefire.
15:43
Speaker 2: The mood relegates Israel to.
15:46
Speaker 1: A secondary role in determining how and what humanitarian relief
15:50
can enter Gaza. According to people familiar with the transition,
15:55
and there's a picture of two gentlemen holding AK fifteen's
16:01
in black with masks on, and they are Hamas militants
16:06
guarding an area where they are searching for the bodies
16:09
of hostages in Gaza City by Karen De Young, Claire Parker,
16:15
Alex Horton, and Kate Brown. The US military led Coordination
16:23
Center charged with implementing President Donald Trump's peace plan in
16:28
the Gaza Strip is replacing Israel as the overseer of
16:32
humanitarian aid to the enclave, even as multiple people familiar
16:37
with the center's first weeks of operations have described it
16:40
as chaotic and indecisive. In a transition that was completed Friday,
16:47
the Israelis are still part of the conversation, the decisions
16:52
will be taken by the wider body, a US official said,
16:56
referencing the shift from Kogat CogAT, the unit within the
17:04
Israel Defense Forces responsible for regulating and facilitating aid in Gaza,
17:10
to the Civil Military Coordination Center set up in southern
17:15
Israel near the Gaza border. Several people familiar with the
17:20
transition said the move relegates Israel to a secondary role
17:24
in determining how and what humanitarian relief can enter Gaza,
17:29
as CMCC takes the lead. Since the Gaza ceasefire began
17:35
last month, humanitarian aid, while improved, has remained significantly restricted
17:42
by Israel. More than forty countries and organizations are represented
17:47
in the US LED Center, and one of the benefits
17:52
of bringing them all together is that enables you to
17:55
really sort through fact from fiction and get a clearer
18:00
understanding of what is happening on the ground where the
18:04
needs lie, Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the
18:09
US Central Command, said in an interview. Until now, the
18:15
IDF has opened only two entryways for aid into Gaza,
18:20
with a vast majority of aid coming through Koreem Shalom
18:24
in the south. There have been no direct deliveries to
18:29
northern Gaza since early September. Many of the trucks allowed
18:34
to enter, according to the United Nations, are commercial shipments
18:38
of goods offered for sale in Gaza markets that few
18:42
have money to buy. The transition point between Jordan, where
18:47
large quantities of aid are waiting, and Israel, over the
18:52
Allen b Bridge on the Jordan River, has been closed
18:56
for much of the year. Majority of international aid organizations
19:01
have largely been barred from bringing food into Gaza for
19:04
months since Israel imposed intrusive new registration rules they have
19:11
refused to sign. Eight organizations long have complained of Israel's
19:17
restrictions on dual use items that it deems capable of
19:22
being turned into weapons, which have included tent poles, medical scaffolds,
19:27
and ointment to treat skin infections. Israel is blocking the
19:32
Trump's plans humanitarian causes. Jan Egland, Secretary General of the
19:39
Norwegian Refugee Council, said Thursday, in anticipation of the transition
19:45
to CMCC control, for US to have the US actively
19:51
engaged is very good news. Although the Trump peace plan
19:56
includes a massive increase in the amount of assistance, the
20:00
United States has not said which, if any, of the
20:05
Israeli restrictions might now be lifted, how the CMCC plans
20:11
to manage the massive aid project, and whether new rules
20:15
would be acceptable to aid organizations weary of any kind
20:20
of military control. KOGT did not respond to questions about
20:25
its role. Our appeal is to make the plan a reality,
20:30
Eglan said, Of course, the credibility of the United States
20:35
is at stake here a watchful eye. Trump has acknowledged
20:40
that he would pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to
20:45
accept the peace agreement, but is unclear how far he's
20:48
willing to go in ensuring that Israel comports with all
20:53
elements of his twenty point plan. As part of the implementation,
20:58
the US Central Command, which is responsible for planning and
21:02
coordinating the US military in the region, has also stepped
21:06
up its own surveillance of Gaza, including with drones to
21:10
monitor both AID distribution and the Israeli Hamas ceasefire. Last week,
21:18
Sentcom posted a video taken from an MQ nine Reaper
21:22
drone of what it said were Hamas operatives looting a
21:27
heavily laden AID truck in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.
21:33
A second US official said publication of the video was
21:37
part of an effort to pressure Hamas, whose militants have
21:40
emerged to control parts of Gaza, where as parts of
21:44
the Seaspia Israel has withdrawn. The official is one of
21:48
at least a dozen people familiar with CMCC operations interviewed
21:53
for this report, most of whom discussed its progress and
21:57
difficulties on the condition of anonymity. Despite the officialcyas fire,
22:04
Israel has reserved the right to respond to anything it
22:08
determines as a threat to its own security, and it
22:12
has continued occasional air strikes in Gaza and fired on
22:16
civilians who approached territory controlled by the ide As long
22:23
as SITCOM is activated in operating there, and as long
22:28
as the US is sort of putting its reputation on
22:32
the line, so to speak, I think you're going to
22:35
see a lot more US assets and US military run operations,
22:40
said an AID worker who recently returned to Washington from
22:44
the CMCC. Publicly announcing the drone flights was the signal
22:49
that we're not relying on IDF intelligence or IDF drones.
22:54
We have our own assets with that we are operating.
23:00
Even as the US continues monitoring Hamas activities, it continued
23:05
pressure on Israel. Its continued pressure on Israel is considered
23:10
critical to moving the peace plan food and ensuring ongoing
23:15
support from governments in Europe and the Middle East and
23:18
non governmental organizations, all of whose buy in is deemed vital.
23:26
Israel has pushed back forcefully against any suggestion that it
23:30
is under the US's thumb and that Synthcom is collecting
23:35
its own intelligence to verify Israel's compliance with the agreement.
23:40
The whole activity of the Americans operating in Gaza is
23:43
something new, said Yasi Kuperwassa, a former IDF general who
23:49
served as depth director General of the Militz Ministry of
23:54
Strategic Affairs, adding, but the rules in my mind of
23:58
sharing information on the whatever is valuable for Israel is shared.
24:05
With Trump having claimed that Gaza is now on the
24:07
path to a peaceful, prosperous future. The one vital strategic
24:13
mission for the US is now two babiesid bb dot
24:17
dot dot, to make sure there is no return to fighting,
24:21
one person familiar with White House thinking said, using Netta
24:25
Yahoo's nickname. In the week since the ceasefile, the administration
24:32
has sent a steady stream of high level minders to
24:35
visit the CMCC and netin Yahoo's government, including Vice President
24:42
j d Vance's Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Joint chiefs
24:47
of Staff Chairman Dan Caine, and last weekend Director of
24:52
National Intelligence told Ci Gabbard. Trump has outlined a grand
24:59
post sa fire vision, describing his Gaza initiative as a
25:05
historic dawn of a new Middle East that includes the
25:09
expansion of the Abraham Accords, the diplomatic normalization agreement he
25:14
broken during his first term between Israel and four Arab states,
25:20
but many regional leaders, including Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed
25:25
Ben Solomon, who will visit the White House in mid November,
25:30
are waiting for assurances that the war is truly over
25:33
and that Israel will relinquish control over the enclave. On Monday,
25:39
Trump will host President Ahmed al Sharah of Syria, with
25:43
whom he hopes to expand US security relations. Saudi Arabia
25:49
and other Arab states. Are not going to settle for
25:53
normalization without getting met in Yahoo to take moves toward
25:58
a Palestinian state, which he has categorically rejected, said the
26:03
person familiar with administration. Thinking this is both the president
26:08
and the moment to push net and Yahoo, the person said.
26:13
The question for Trump, they added, is will he do
26:16
it boots on the ground, but not in Gaza. Led
26:22
by Sentcom under U S. Army Lieutenant General Patrick Frank
26:28
with two hundred U S. Troops, the CMCC is headquartered
26:32
in a three story building in the city of Curat Goat,
26:36
about forty miles southwest of Jerusalem and twenty miles northeast
26:41
of Gaza. The Trump administration has appointed Stephen Fagan, a
26:47
career a Foreign Service officer and most recently US Ambassador
26:52
to Yemen, as the civilian lead the Americans with high
26:58
tech monitoring equipment occupy one floor of the building, with
27:02
Israeli military, intelligence and civilian personnel on another. Representatives of
27:09
dozens of what SINTHCOM Commander Admiral Brad Kooper has said
27:14
are Pardner nations, non governmental organizations, international institutions, and the
27:21
private sector are on a separate floor. France, Germany and
27:26
Britain are among a number of countries with official representation
27:31
in In October twenty first announcement of the center's opening,
27:35
SYNTHCOM said its mission was to support stabilization efforts, to
27:43
help facilitate the flow of humanitarian, logistical and security assistance,
27:49
and to monitor implementation of the ceasefire agreement. No US troops,
27:56
the statement emphasized, will be deployed into the initial steps
28:03
in Trump's plan a ceasefire in the two year war
28:07
that is shaky but largely holding. The release Bahamas of
28:11
all twenty remaining israelidally hostage still alive in most of
28:16
the bodies of the dead, and by Israel of nearly
28:19
two thousand Palestinian prisoners. IDF withdrawal from about half of
28:24
Gaza and improvement in humanitarian aid deliveries have been achieved,
28:30
but many elements of the agreement remain works in progress
28:34
or unaddressed. Several people who were working inside the center
28:40
or have had interactions with it said that decision making
28:44
is hampered by, among other things, the need for each
28:48
government and institution represented to send it up the flagpole
28:54
to capitals and headquarters for approval. As one person put it,
28:59
at the same time, this person said, I don't think.
29:02
Speaker 2: They have any money to do anything yet.
29:06
Speaker 1: During a visit at the end of last week, said another,
29:10
it was a lot of people sitting at desks with
29:12
computers and a lot of uncertainty, hurdles and spoilers. The
29:19
emergence of Hamas and other militant groups to reassert control
29:24
over parts of Gaza vacated by the IDF has made
29:27
their disarmament a key part of the agreement progressively more difficult.
29:33
Hamas has said it will turn over its weapons only
29:36
to Palestinians. The agreement calls for establishment of an International
29:42
Stabilization Force ISSF, comprising troops from Arab and other governments
29:49
who will train and supervise a new, vetted Palestinian police force.
29:56
US Envoy Steve Whitkoff said this week that are possible
30:00
model for disarmament and the peace plan's promise of amnesty
30:05
for militants who lay down their arms may lie in
30:08
the case of approximately two hundred Hamas fighters who remain
30:12
stranded and rapa in the Israeli occupied portion of Gaza,
30:17
possibly in what remains of the militant group's tunnel network.
30:22
Amahamas officials, speaking on the condition of an inemity because
30:27
of the sensitivity of the discussions, confirmed there had been
30:32
meetings with mediators over the fate of the trapped fighters,
30:37
but neither a Palestinian police force nor ISF yet exist.
30:42
Many of the countries seen as possible participants, particularly those
30:47
in the Arab and Muslim world, have indicated they don't
30:50
want to be involved in the process of disarming Hamas
30:54
or contending with what they see as trigger happy Israeli
30:57
forces still behind the yellolin now separating them from the
31:02
rest of Gaza. Most have also insisted that a US mandate,
31:08
something Washington has begun to address with the UN Security
31:12
Council resolution it circulated this week. The draft resolution basically
31:18
gives a UN seal of approval to the Trump Plan,
31:21
including authorizing the ISF, which US officials has said would
31:26
not be deployed until at least January to remain in
31:30
place for two years. Other Security Council members are seeking
31:35
stronger and more specific humanitarian commitments, as well as a
31:39
path to Palestinian statehood. To pass, the resolution requires nine
31:46
of the fifteen Security Council votes and no veto from
31:50
any of its five permanent members, including potential spoilers Russia
31:56
and China, as well as Britain and France, both of
32:00
which formerly recognize the Palestinian state. In late September, the
32:07
ball is in the U S.
32:08
Speaker 2: Court.
32:09
Speaker 1: We have lots of ideas, said an official from one
32:13
council member government. The plan also calls for establishment of
32:17
a Board of Peace, which Trump has said he would head,
32:21
but whose members have not yet been identified, to supervise
32:25
and support internal Gaza governance through a committee of Palestinians.
32:31
Eight Palestinian factions and armed groups, including the Facta party
32:36
which leads the Palestinian authority based in the West Bank,
32:40
and Hamas, have launched discussions broken by Egypt, to select
32:44
the committee. It is unclear whether Israel or the US,
32:50
which have both ruled out Ani Hamas participation in Gaza governments,
32:55
will accept it. Gaza reconstruction has also become a point
33:00
of contention. Some senior Trump administration advisors have pushed for
33:05
a program, according to several people familiar with the planning,
33:10
that would quickly build up a sixteen safe communities behind
33:15
existing Israeli lines in Gaza. Within these communities, vetted Palestinians
33:21
could move and receive security, food, and other humanitarian aid,
33:26
potentially for years while Hamas's disarmed and longer term plans
33:31
for governance and reconstruction are rolled out. Jared Kushner, Trump's
33:37
son in law, who was brought in to help broker
33:40
the ceasefire and future planning, wants to see some kind
33:44
of success made of IDF occupied Gaza, while hamas Is
33:49
ongoing presence in the rest of the enclave would make
33:52
any quick reconstruction difficult, said the person familiar with the
33:56
administration thinking. Adizations have largely rejected that proposal, seeing it
34:04
as a return to the formula of the Israeli and
34:07
US fact Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, whose now suspended food distribution
34:13
sites secured by armed US contractors resulted in hundreds of
34:18
gaz And civilians being shot by IDF forces surrounding them.
34:24
European countries in the CMCC can in no way take
34:28
part in something which is seen as a strategic tool
34:32
for one party to the conflict, which is Israel. Egland said.
34:37
Such a plan, he said, is doomed. It's bone to
34:41
be a failure. Going into page one, A cold records
34:48
dating back to the eighteen hundreds may be broken by
34:53
a coming Arctic freeze. The first freezing Arctic outbreak of
34:59
the season is headed for the United States this weekend
35:03
into next week. Some states will see their first snowfall.
35:10
By Ben Knowle and Matthew Capucci, the season's first outbreak
35:16
of freezing Arctic air is headed for the United States
35:20
this weekend into next week. It will register as the
35:25
most unusually cold blob of air on the planet for
35:29
a time. Chilly air will reach the Planes and the
35:33
Midwest this weekend before spreading to the East Coast on Monday.
35:39
In total, one hundred and fifty five million people across
35:43
the contiguous states are expected to experience freezing conditions through Wednesday.
35:51
The most notable aspect of this early season last of
35:55
cold air is how far south it will push, reaching
35:59
the Deep South, the Gulf Coast and Florida, where temperatures
36:04
will tumble twenty to thirty degrees below average for the
36:08
time of year early next week. In the Sunshine State,
36:12
the frigid air may break low temperature records and cause
36:16
iguanas to fall from trees. The air will also be
36:20
remarkably dry, making it feel even colder when combined with
36:25
gusty winds. And There is a picture of the US
36:29
map with blue extending from Montana down through Colorado, across Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee,
36:40
up West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and up through Maine
36:45
and back across to Minnesota, South Dakota, and Montana. It
36:50
is pink in North Dakota and parts of Montana, Wyoming
36:54
and Colorado. Green from Washington State down through Oregon, Nevada, Utah,
37:02
parts of Arizona and New Mexico, Northern Texas, Southern Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia,
37:11
South Carolina, North Carolina, and the very bottom end of
37:15
Virginia southeast Corner, and yellow from California down through into
37:23
Arizona and southern Texas, across parts of Michigan, possibly including Detroit.
37:32
The arrival of the cold wave may be marked by
37:35
a period of snow early Sunday, the first of the season.
37:41
From Sunday into Monday, snow showers and squalls could stretch
37:46
from the upper Midwest to the southern Appalachians, with fluris
37:51
possibly reaching the mid Atlantic on Monday night. The cold
37:56
air will also spark the development of lake effects snow bands.
38:01
The contrast between near record warm Great Lakes water temperatures
38:05
and the unusually cold air mass above will be substantial,
38:10
contributing to more atmospheric instability and the potential for locally
38:15
heavy snow bands in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York
38:20
from Monday to Wednesday, where temperature records might be broken.
38:26
New temperature records, record cold days or nights, record cold
38:32
days or nights might be set across thirteen states from
38:36
Pennsylvania to Florida into next week, and that includes the
38:41
eastern part of Kentucky and the southwestern part of Virginia.
38:48
The first records are expected Monday, when much of the
38:51
Deep South will struggle to climb out of the forties.
38:55
Across the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee has will remain stuck
39:01
in the thirties Knoxville's forecast afternoon high is only thirty
39:07
seven degrees, which will be a record for the chilliest
39:11
afternoon high temperature. The previous record of forty one was
39:16
set in nineteen seventy three. Records day back to nineteen
39:21
forty seven. In Huntsville, Alabama, the high on Monday afternoon
39:26
is projected to be forty two degrees, falling below the
39:30
previous record of forty three set in nineteen fifty. There,
39:36
records date back to nineteen oh seven. In Birmingham, Alabama,
39:41
temperatures are also projected to see a record cold afternoon
39:46
maximum temperature of just forty six degrees. The average for
39:50
early to mid November is sixty six degrees, meaning the
39:54
Deep South will be running about twenty degrees below average.
40:00
City of Meridian in Mississippi is set to see a
40:03
record chile high temperature of forty eight degrees, and records
40:07
there extend back to eighteen eighty nine. Meanwhile, Tallahasse's records
40:14
also go back to the late eighteen hundreds and its
40:17
record is in jeopardy. Monday should hit a high of
40:22
only fifty four degrees. The polar plunge firmly takes hold
40:29
Monday night, when most of Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia
40:35
will fall into the twenties. Birmingham and Huntsville should achieve
40:40
record lows of twenty five and twenty two degrees, respectively,
40:45
make and Georgia will come close to a record of
40:48
twenty seven degrees, and even Savannah, Georgia, where records date
40:53
back to eighteen seventy four, should tie a record of
40:57
thirty one degrees. Northern and central Florida temperatures are forecast
41:04
to dropping to the lower and middle thirties on Tuesday morning,
41:08
as local meteorologist one of falling iguanas. Jacksonville should set
41:13
a record of thirty four degrees. Lakeland International Airport is
41:18
projected to dip to thirty eight, far below the record
41:22
of forty four degrees. The frigidaire may immobilize the cold
41:27
blooded iguanas, causing them to fall from trees. In Brooksville, Florida,
41:33
north of Tampa, a predicted low temperature around thirty four
41:37
will threaten a record from eighteen ninety four. If it
41:42
dips into the thirties in Orlando, it will be the
41:45
earliest such occurrence since nineteen ninety three. High temperatures on
41:50
Tuesday will reach only the fifties and sixties across the state,
41:55
again threatening records. On Monday, a predicted high temperature of
42:00
forty nine degrees in Montgomery, Alabama, could challenge a record
42:05
from eighteen ninety two. The average high this time of
42:09
year is in the lower seventies. By Tuesday afternoon, most
42:15
of the central and northern Florida Peninsula will climb into
42:19
only the lower to mid sixties, flirting with records for
42:23
the chilliest afternoon maximums recorded. Where snow could fall. Swaths
42:32
of accumulating snow are likely from the Dakota's to Maine,
42:37
southward into the Ohio Valley and the Appalachians, as well
42:42
as around the Great Lakes from Saturday to Wednesday. As
42:47
cold air blows over warm waters and picks up moisture
42:51
lake effects, snow streamers may aim at the lake shores
42:56
on Sunday night and Monday. This could include west in
43:00
parts of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. By Monday evening, the typically
43:05
vulnerable Lakes Erie and Ontario snow belts will become involved,
43:10
including around northern New York's tug Hill Plateau, where more
43:15
than a foot is possible. A secondary Sunday night clipper
43:20
system could also drop accumulating snow in the higher elevations
43:25
of interior New England as moisture falls beneath the frigid
43:29
upper level low People from Chicago to Indianapolis and Louisville
43:36
may awaken to a covering of snow on Monday morning,
43:40
and freezing temperatures could make for slick roads. Additional snows
43:45
are possible Wednesday as a secondary system pivots through, a
43:52
sign of things to come this winter. The cause of
43:56
the short but sharp cold pattern is a loop pe
44:00
polar jet system guiding icy air southward from northern Canada,
44:06
channeled toward the United States. Because of a stagnant area
44:09
of unusually warm high pressure near Greenland. During La Nina,
44:15
the polar jet stream tends to be more active than normal,
44:19
increasing the risk for fast moving outbreaks of cold air
44:23
and snow across northern states. Meanwhile, southern states tend to
44:29
have milder and drier weather because of a weaker subtropical
44:34
jet stream, leading to more tracial conditions. Despite this widespread
44:42
and notable early polar plunge, milder air is forecast to
44:47
return to Central and Eastern States during the second half
44:52
of a month. Trump wants to abolish the filibusto GOP
44:58
senators aren't on board. The President wants to end the filibuster,
45:04
to reopen the government, and to do so many things.
45:09
Speaker 2: That theodoric mayor.
45:12
Speaker 1: Senate Republicans have largely backed President Donald Trump's agenda since
45:17
he returned to office, but many refused to support his
45:20
campaign to scrap the filibuster. Trump asked Republican senators at
45:26
a meeting at the White House on Wednesday to end
45:28
the government shutdown by getting rid of the filibuster, and
45:32
reiterated his demand Thursday at a news conference. The filibuster,
45:37
a longstanding Senate's rule, allows a single senator to block
45:42
most legislation unless sixty senators vote to cut off debate.
45:47
Democrats have used the filibuster to block Republicans government funding
45:51
bill for more than a month, despite republicans fifty three
45:55
seat Senate majority. Some Senate Republicans returned from the White
46:01
House saying they were open to ending the filibuster, but
46:05
doing away with the rule would require the support of
46:08
almost every Republican senator and Senate majority. Leader John Thune,
46:14
Republican of South Dakota, and many other Republicans say they
46:18
are implacably opposed to it. There's nothing that could move
46:23
me on the filibusta Senator Tom Tillis, Republican of North
46:27
Carolina told reporters Monday after the White House meeting. Senate
46:32
Republican's unwillingness to scrap the filibuster underscores the limits of
46:36
Trump's influence in his second term, during which lawmakers had
46:41
been reluctant to defy him. The Senate has confirmed every
46:45
member of Trump's cabinet, with the exception of former Congressman
46:49
Matt Gates, Trump's first choice for attorney General, who withdrew
46:55
because he did not have the necessary votes. Senator's passed
47:00
Trump's signature tax and spending bill and approved nine billion
47:04
dollars in cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting that
47:08
Congress in acted despite the misgivings of some Republicans. But
47:14
Republicans opposed to abolishing the filibuster a standing firm. Many
47:19
of them described it as a bulwark against Democrats when
47:22
Republicans are out of power. Republicans know how fundamental the
47:28
filibuster is to making this nation exceptional. As platitude as
47:34
that sounds, I believe in their hearts they believe that,
47:38
Tillus said Thursday. Trump disdain for the filibuster is not new.
47:47
He tried to convince Senator Mitch McConnell, then the majority leader,
47:51
to do away with it during his first term, without success.
47:55
He has suggested in recent days that he sees it
47:58
as an impediment to his agenda, telling reporters Thursday that
48:03
getting rid of it would let Republicans pass sweeping voting
48:07
and immigration bills, among other GOP priorities. There's so many
48:12
things we could put in, including tax cuts that we
48:15
could get, and we could do it all ourselves, Trump
48:19
said Thursday. But even some of Trump's staunchest allies argue
48:24
that giving the Senate the ability to pass any bills
48:27
strictly on party lands would backfire. I think it's better
48:32
for the country to have that institutional check and balance
48:36
to keep from going from wild swings from one president
48:40
to the next. Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina,
48:44
said both parties had chipped away at the filibuster for years.
48:49
Democrats changed the Senate's rules in twenty thirteen to let
48:54
most nominees be confirmed by a civil majority rather than
48:57
sixty Votesblicans did the same in twenty seventeen to Supreme
49:03
Court nominees. Democrats argue that Republicans weakened the filibuster this
49:09
year by changing the Senate rules to allow confirmation of
49:14
multiple nominees at once. Senate Minority Leader Charles C. Schuma,
49:19
Democrat of New York, accused Republicans in September of undercutting
49:24
the Senate to give Donald Trump more power and to
49:28
rubber stamp whomever he wants whenever he wants them, no
49:32
questions asked. Democrats tried to weaken the filibuster third further
49:38
in twenty twenty two to pass a voting rights bill,
49:42
but failed due to the opposition of Democratic Senators Joe
49:46
Manchin the third and Kirsten Cinema. Neither Mansion nor Cinema,
49:52
both of whom later left the party, ran for re
49:55
election last year, leading some Republicans to argue that Democrats
50:00
will get rid of the filibuster as soon as they
50:03
recapture control of the Senate. It's gone, so we better
50:07
beat them to the punch. Senator Ron Johnson Republican of Wisconsin,
50:12
said Trump echoed that argument. They're going to make Puerto
50:17
Rico estate, They're going to make d C estate. They're
50:21
going to pack the court. Trump told reporters Thursday, referring
50:25
to a Democratic proposal that to add seats to the
50:29
Supreme Court, They're going to end up with more electoral votes.
50:33
They're going to end up with four more senators. Republican
50:38
senators have bucked Trump from time to time since he
50:41
returned to office, demonstrating that they will not support the
50:45
president on everything. Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, the
50:51
chairman of the Judiciary Committee, rejected Trump's call to get
50:56
rid of the blue slip, the Senate custom that gives
50:59
ants and effective veto vote over District Court judge and
51:03
US attorney nominees in their home states. Republicans have torpeded
51:09
an increasing number of Trump's nominees, including Paul Ingracia to
51:15
lead the Office of Special Council, E. J. Antony to
51:19
lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Ed Martin to
51:23
be a US attorney for the District of Columbia, and
51:27
Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Merakowski Alaska, A McConnell,
51:34
and Rand Paul of Kentucky, each of whom support the
51:37
FILIBUSTA have voted with Democrats several times on resolutions to
51:42
undo Trump's tariffs, allowing them to pass the Senate. My
51:47
belief is that the filibuster encourages moderation, encourages both sides
51:53
to be heard, and that legislation doesn't occur unless it
51:57
has more of a consensus of support, Paul said, adding
52:02
it keeps the country from drifting too far to the
52:05
right too far.
52:07
Speaker 2: To the left.
52:08
Speaker 1: A few Republicans said the shutdown, which is dragged on
52:12
for more than a month, delaying flights, forcing many federal
52:16
workers to label without pay, and threatening supplemental Nutrition Assistance
52:21
program benefits, has convinced them the filibuster might need to go.
52:27
We're at a crisis point. Senator Josh Holly, Republican of Mersouri, said,
52:33
If the only way to this crisis is to change
52:35
the filibuster, then I'll do it. The filibusters defenders argue
52:40
it's always tempting for the majority party to eliminate the filibuster,
52:44
but once it's gone, it's gone. This is one Senator
52:50
that has made very clear. I'm not interested in eliminating
52:54
the filibuster for the particular crisis of the day, Murkowski
52:59
told reporters Wednesday. Few Republicans have defended the filibuster more
53:05
ardently than Thune, who made his dance clear when Trump
53:10
called for scrapping the filibuster to end the shutdown last week.
53:15
Thune downplayed Trump's fresh demand after returning from the White
53:19
House on Wednesday, describing Trump's dislike of the filibuster as
53:24
long standing. It's not like that surprised anybody, Thune told
53:30
reporters Wednesday, referring to Trump's call for killing the filibuster.
53:35
I think that was just it's what he honestly believes.
53:40
And I find an article which I won't be able
53:42
to finish. Trump says US officials will not attend the
53:48
G twenty summit in South Africa. In making the announcement,
53:52
the President repeated claims which lack any evidence, that white
53:57
South Africans are being and persecuted by Francis Vinali. No
54:06
US officials will attend the Group of twenty summit in
54:09
South Africa this month, President Donald Trump said Friday, repeating
54:14
his claim that white South Africans are there are being
54:18
murdered and depressed, and an allegation that lacks any evidence.
54:23
Speaker 2: In a social media post, Trump said.
54:26
Speaker 1: The United States would not be represented at the summit,
54:29
which brings together officials and leaders of the world's largest economies,
54:34
as long as these human rights abuses continued. The theme
54:39
for the summit in Johannesburg in two weeks is solidarity,
54:44
equality and sustainability. Trump added that he was looking forward
54:48
to hosting the gathering next year, when it is set
54:52
to be held at his Doral golf course in Florida.
54:56
He shelved a similar proposal during his first term over
55:00
criticism of self dealing. Trump has repeated and claimed that
55:05
white farmers are being persecuted in South Africa, also a
55:10
common talking point of his former ally Elon Musk, who
55:14
was born there. In his post Friday, Trump said Africanas
55:19
and other South Africans of European descent are being killed
55:23
and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated.
55:29
During his first term, he suggested without evidence that white
55:33
house farmers in South Africa were being killed on a
55:37
large scale, a myth spread by white supremacists. South African
55:42
officials have rejected the claims. The country has a high
55:46
crime rate and does not release crime statistics based on race,
55:50
but its president s Ramaphosa and other officials noted during
55:56
a May meeting with Trump that white farmers were not
56:00
disproportionately threatened. In a Saturday's statement, a spokesperson for South
56:06
Africa's Foreign ministry said that it had noted Trump's regrettable
56:11
social media post. The claim that this community faces persecution
56:16
is not substantiated by fact, the statement added, referring to africaners.
56:23
Speaker 2: In February, a court in.
56:25
Speaker 1: South Africa said claims that a white genocide was taking
56:29
place in the country were clearly imagined and not real,
56:34
as part of a ruling over an estate. South Africa
56:38
earlier this year enacted a law which, in rare cases,
56:42
allows the government to expropriate land with a compensation. The
56:48
law is part of the country's efforts to address the
56:51
legacy of apartheid, under which black South Africans were mostly
56:55
prohibited from owning land. White people make up about seven
57:01
percent of the population in South Africa, but own almost
57:05
three quarters of the farmland. According to the country's twenty
57:09
seventeen land audit. In February, Trump signed an executive order
57:15
to halt aid to South Africa over the land expropriation issue.
57:20
The administration has since focused on accepting white South Africans
57:25
into the United States as refugees while drastically curtailing resettlement
57:30
of refugees from elsewhere. The administration aims to fill as
57:36
many as seven thousand of a maximum seventy five hundred
57:41
annual refugee placements into the US with white South Africans,
57:46
according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post and people
57:51
familiar with the matter. And that does conclude today's reading
57:57
of The Washington Post for Saturday, the eighth of November
58:02
of twenty twenty five. I hope you will continue listening
58:06
to radio app programming throughout the day. I will not
58:10
be here next Thursday and Saturday, so we will be
58:16
back the following week, and then we are gone from
58:21
for Thanksgiving. Airline flights pending, hopefully we can make it.
58:26
Thank you for listening.
58:29
Speaker 2: Take care back