Transcript

3.4.25 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of the Washington Post for Tuesday,
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March fourth, twenty twenty five. As a reminder, Radio I
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is a reading service intended for people who are blind
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or have other disabilities that make it difficult to read
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printed material. Your reader for today is Cindy Fraser. Today's
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front page headlines from the Washington Post are Trump locks
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in sweeping tariffs on Mexico. Canada markets fall with new
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risk of inflation. Both neighbors pledge retaliatory levies on US goods. Next,
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in e B race, China caught up with West, then
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charged ahead. U s EU efforts to level field can't
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match Beijing's planning local investment our next headline, Trump to
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pause future military aid for Ukraine. President seeks to force
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thee Lensky into peace talks with Russia, officials say. Next term,
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U S attorney vows d C crackdown Martin Echo's president
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on gun violence after demoting seven prosecutors. Next, Brazilian birth
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terrists flocked to US. Trump's vow to end birthright citizenship
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hasn't dampened the practice, and the final headline from today's
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front page reads a fight for purse strings as shut
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down looms. Trump has tried to claim powers constitutionally delegated
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to lawmakers. Now let's turn to our first item entitled
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Trump locks in sweeping tariffs on Mexico Canada. Markets fall
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with new risk of inflation. Both neighbors pledge retaliatory levies
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on US goods by David J. Lynch, Amanda Coletta, and
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Marybeth Sheridan. President Donald Trump said tariffs on goods from
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Mexico and Canada would go into effect Tuesday, ending a
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month long delay that saw both U S neighbors scramble
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unsuccessfully to head off the punishing trade action and send
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stock prices into a swift decline. On Wall Street, the
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Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down around one point five
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per cent Monday as investors digested Trump's comments. The broader
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S and P five hundred index fell nearly two percent.
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Both market measures are now in the red since Trump's
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election win. Imposing tariffs on everything Americans buy from Mexico
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and Canada is an extraordinary political gamble by a president
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who was returned to power by voters angered over years
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of high inflation. The new import taxes are likely to
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raise the market prices of Mexican tequila, beer, and avocados,
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along with Canadian crude oil and lumber testing consumer patients.
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With Trump's approach, Tariffs on China will also increase by
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an additional ten percentage points for the second time in
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two months, bringing the total tax on some Chinese products
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to forty five percent. Trump's announcements stemmed from his complaints
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about cross border flows of undocumented migrants and drugs, notably FETNAH,
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but at the same time, the president has a broader
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goal to encourage manufacturers to return to the United States
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after liberalized trade and outsourcing since the mid nineteen nineties
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contributed to the loss of four point five million manufacturing jobs.
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Most economists insist that automation was responsible for most of
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that decline, and they credit freer trade with delivering years
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of low inflation and wider product choice for American consumers.
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But Trump, a critic of globalization since the nineteen eighties
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when Japan was a rising global economic star, has no
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patience for such views. In slapping a twenty five percent
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terra or tax on products from Canada and Mexico, he
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up ended the North American trade deal that he negotiated
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during his first term Under its provisions, most products pass
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between United States, Canada and Mexico without incurring a duty. Tomorrow,
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teriffs twenty five percent on Canada and twenty five percent
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on Mexico, and that'll start, Trump told reporters. So they're
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going to have a tariff. So what they have to
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do is build their car plans, frankly and other things
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in the United States, in which case they have no tariffs.
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Trump's mid afternoon announcement in the Roosevelt Room drew a
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rapid response from business groups, unions, and the Effective Trading Partners.
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Statements of opposition came from the National Foreign Trade Council,
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that Distilled Spirits Council, and the International Association of Machinists.
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Even some supporters of the president's overhaul of trade policy
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were critical. Taars are great when they stop unfair trade
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that could hurt US producers and workers. But we have
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balanced trade with Canada, and the tariffs don't affect smuggle
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stuff like fentanyl, said Lorie Wallace, director of the Rethink
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Trade Program at the American Economic Liberties Project. Monday evening,
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to cry Trump's unjustified decision
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and said he would respond with tariffs on roughly one
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hundred seven billion dollars worth of U S products. About
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twenty one billion dollars in US goods would be hit
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immediately after Trump's tariffs take effect at twelve o one
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a m. Tuesday. The remainder would take effect in twenty
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one days. Trudeau said because of the tariffs imposed by
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the U S, Americans will pay more for groceries, gas,
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and cars, and potentially lose thousands of jobs. The Canadian
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leader said Trump has lofty goals for his high tariff policy,
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including the return to the United States of midwestern auto
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and auto parts plans that he camped for Canada and Mexico,
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as well as the North Carolina furniture producers that went
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to China. On Monday, the president hailed an announcement by
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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company of a planned one hundred billion
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dollar investment in its Arizona computer chip plant, which he
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said tariffs had encouraged, and he celebrated decisions to invest
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in new US manufacturing capacity by companies such as Apple
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and Honda. Still, many analysts are skeptical of tariff's long
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term prospects. This action effectively destroys United States Mexico Canada
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agreement U S m c A, disrupts the integrated North
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American economy we have spent decades building, and forces American
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manufacturers to scramble to restructure their supply chains, said William Ranch,
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a trade specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Meanwhile,
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the economy will be disrupted, consumers will pay higher prices,
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inflation will resume, and workers and farmers will lose their
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jobs due to the inevitable retaliation. The Canadian retaliation, meanwhile,
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is expected to target oranges from Florida, motorcycles from Pennsylvania,
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and home appliances from Ohio. The goal is to maximize
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pain in electoral swing stays or those home to Trump's supporter.
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Several Canadian provinces had said they will implement their own
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retaliatory measures, including pollingubous alcohol from store shelves and limiting
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procurement opportunities for US firms. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has
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promised to cancel a nearly seventy million dollar contract with
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Elon Musk's Starlink and threaten to cut electricity exports to
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several US states. I can't, for the life of me
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figure out why this guy's attacking his closest neighbors, allies
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and friend foretold reporters Monday, if they want to try
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to annihilate Ontario, I will do everything, including cut off
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their energy, with a smile on my face, and I
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am encouraging every other province to do that, saying China
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has already imposed retaliatory tariffs on US exports of farm machinery, coal,
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and liquefied natural gas in response to the additional ten
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percent tariff Trump put on Chinese goods early last month.
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The president's action Monday, citing China's continued shipments of feentnyl precursors,
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added an extra ten percent levee. In Mexico, Anna Lilio Moreno,
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director of the Economic Competitiveness Project at Mexigo of Valua,
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a think tank, said Trump's terrafs would push Mexico into recession.
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She cited a study by the Brookings Institution's Global Trade
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experts that her country could lose between one point four
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million and two point two million jobs because of the penalties.
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Mexico could respond with its own tariffs in a full
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fledged trade war. This basically will translate into a crisis.
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She said. It will have a chain effect on other
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markets not connected to foreign trade, such as the real
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estate market. Trump is dismissive of the effect of tariffs
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on prices and inflation, claiming wrongly that foreign countries will
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pay the tab while acknowledging that Americans may feel some pain.
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The tariff announced Monday could add nearly a full percentage
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point to the inflation measure tracked by the nation's central Bank,
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which is running at an annual rate of two point
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six percent. According to a study by the Federal Reserve
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Bank of Boston, the tariffs will cost the typical American
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household one thousand, two hundred dollars each year, according to
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a separate analysis by economists at the Peterson Institute of
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International Economics, as a share of after tax income, that
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is three times with the top one percent of households
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will pay. The president's statement Monday followed earlier suggestions by
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Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik that he might opt to impose
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less onerous import taxes. Trump announced twenty five percent tariffs
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on goods from Canada and Mexico, and a real related
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ten percent tax on Chinese products. On February first, citing
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an influx of unauthorized migrants from the U s neighbors
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and blaming all three countries for the nation's fentanyl epidemic.
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Mexico and Canada, which received a month long reprieve from
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the terraffs, have taken steps to strengthen border enforcement and surveillance.
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He knows they've done a good job on the border.
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They haven't done enough on fentanyl. Let's see how the
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president weighs at today. Lutnant told CNN on Monday, he's
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going to decide this afternoon and tomorrow we're going to
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put out those tariffs. Lutnex spoke amid signs at Washington's
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waiting game over Trump's tariff plans was beginning to sap
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the economy's momentum. A closely watched gauge of manufacturing activity
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for February showed a decline as uncertainty froze business decision making.
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Factories experienced the first operational shock of the new administration's
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tariff policy, said Timothy Fiore, chair of the Institute for
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Supply Managements Manufacturing Survey Committee. The ISM Manufacturing Purchasing Manager's
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Index for February was fifty point three, down from fifty
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point nine the month before, and below Wall Street's expectations.
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Input prices rose at their fastest pace since mid twenty
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twenty two, when consumer price inflation was at of forty
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year high. Price's growth accelerated due to tariffs causing new
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order placement backlogs, supplier delivery stoppages, and manufacturing inventory impacts,
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Fury said. Although tariffs do not go into force until
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mid March, spot commodity prices have already risen about twenty
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percent since taking office six weeks ago. Trump has threatened
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or imposed tariffs on the top three US trading partners,
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on commodities such as steel, aluminum, and copper, and on
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products including pharmaceuticals, automobiles, and semiconductors. And he has announced
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a comprehensive rethinking of U S tariffs that would match
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other countries' tax rates on specific products in a reciprocal approach.
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The broad sweep of the president's plan to increase import
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taxes goes far beyond what he did in his first term,
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when new tariffs were mostly levied on goods from China.
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Our next item is entitled in e V Race China
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caught up with West, then charged ahead. U SEU efforts
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to level field can't mash Beijing's planning. Local investment by
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Christian Shepherd from Jinhua, China in the manufacturing heartlands of
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eastern China, Jinhua New Energy Vehicle Town stands as a
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monument to the country's decade long march to dominance and
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electric cars. Launched in twenty fifteen, the town is an
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industrial zone with ambition. Its fancy apartments and parks dedicated
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to automotive culture, a but giant factories so that workers
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might live and lead the electric vehicle rebel that would
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up end global car market. Today, Jinhua's EV dreamscape is
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becoming a reality. The city is one of at least
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a dozen localities vine to become China's detroit for the
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electric age. China now produces more than sixty percent of
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the world's electric cars and eighty percent of the batteries
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that power them. Its automotive champions, once desperate for foreign cooperation,
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are these days sought out for their innovation. Now they
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are at the forefront of the technology, said John Hevelston,
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an expert on Chinese EV's in George Washington University's engineering department.
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Noting that Chinese companies spent a decade focused on cutting
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costs with automation and streamline supply chains. The global advance
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of such Chinese EV giants as BYD, which built more
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electric cars in Tesla in twenty twenty four, has concerned
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leaders in the United States and Europe, who worry that
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their automakers are under threat from Chinese rivals offering not
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just cheaper, but potentially superior products. This was a key
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concern for then President Joe Biden, who imposed a one
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hundred percent tariff on EV imports from China, then effectively
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banned Chinese made connected vehicles, making it unlikely that Chinese
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made electric cars will be available in the United States
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in the near future. President Donald Trump doesn't share his
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predecessor's affection for climate friendly cars. He has undone Biden
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administration support for EV chargers and purchases, but he has
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promised to save the American auto industry. Analysts expect EV
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production and uptake in the United States to continue, but
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at a slower pace. China, meanwhile, is pulling ahead. It
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sold nearly thirteen million fully electric and hybrid vehicles in
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twenty twenty four, about four times as many as United States,
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meaning eve's accounted for forty percent and of total sales
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in the Chinese market. Environmental essay this switch to electric
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cars will eventually help China curb its huge greenhouse gas emissions,
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although transport is a relatively small contributor compared with coal
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powered industries. For the leadership in Beijing, success in EV's
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is primarily a triumph of industrial planning. For Jinhois, it
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is a chance to recoup its investment in the EV industry. Jinhoi,
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an export hub of seven million people in Koso Jeijiang Province,
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and other Chinese cities are now deeply and literally invested
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in ensuring the country's leading automakers get everything they need
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to produce more, cheaper and better electric cars. The huge
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market has changed the economics of EV's in places like Jinhoi.
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Over the past decade, they have used state led investments
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to support cash strapped EV makers in the name of
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accelerating innovation. City backed funds took stakes and companies operating
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up and down the automotive supply chain, ensuring that everything
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from cheap raw materials to suppliers of INCR infotainment systems
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were readily available to nearby EV factories. As automakers searched
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for a viable business model, many never found one and
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dozens of start ups failed, but other companies thrived and
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became the center of sprawling industrial clusters built around the
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needs of leading automakers. Jinhois has Leapmotor, a start up
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that sold over two hundred eighty thousand EV's last year,
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nearly double the number in twenty twenty three. It ranks
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seventh in the country for non gasoline cars, above major
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international brands such as Volkswagen, Germany's largest automaker, and it
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has been hailed by state media as the biggest dark
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horse in the EV race, with the potential to expand overseas.
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A lot of people don't know as yet, but Leap
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will be impossible for anyone to ignore. Xuxiang Ming, founder
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and chief executive of the company, said in a recent
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interview with local media that success has revived New Energy
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Vehicle Town after its pandemic related slump and fail partnerships.
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A newly refurbished exhibition center for visiting delegations displays batteries,
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wheel hubs, seat covers, gear boxes, and LED lights, all
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manufactured near by. The exhibition describes expansion plans that it
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said will make the city strong and rich. Deep Motors
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top selling t O three, a bubble shaped many compact,
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and its fancier C ten sport utility vehicle are easiest
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spot on Chinhoa streets, whether on the car carrier truck
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set exit the factory in steady streams, or being driven
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by locals. Yi Khan, who runs a nail salon in Jinhoi,
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but a t O three for eight thousand, two hundred dollars,
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a relatively low price even in China. In December, after
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she and her husband tested similar EV models, including the
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General Motors backed wulinghung Wang Mini and a gasoline equivalent,
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Leap won out on cost, cuteness and convenience with its
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neat four seat design, fast acceleration, and app controlled air conditioning.
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She said it helped that Leap was local. Ye said,
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so long as our conditions were met, we wanted to
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prioritize our own car businesses. She said, Chinese EV makers
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in the driving seat. Until a few years ago, international
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automakers such as g M, Volkswagen and Honda were thriving
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in China. Local rivals could not match their designs, quality,
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or internal combustion engine technology, and Chinese buyers wanted the
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cachet of driving a foreign branded car. That was the
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age of joint ventures, an arrangement mandated by Chinese protectionism
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in which foreign automakers supplied nohow to a local manufaction
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partner that helped cut costs and navigate relations with Chinese officials.
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The electric car era has led to a dramatic reversal.
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Instead of Chinese automakers hoping to secure technology from overseas,
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it is now increasingly common for international brands to seek
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out Chinese partnerships to gain an edge in electric vehicles.
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Some European companies are wasting no time tapping into China's
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growing ev prowess. Although American automakers have been cautious about
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expanding their footprint there as China tried to catch up
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and never did on internal combustion engines, they felt the
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need to compel foreign automakers to bring technology to China
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with forced joint ventures. Since Stephen Eazel, vice president of
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the Washington based Information Technology and Innovation Foundation think tank,
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now you have European companies that cut a deal saying
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if you give us your EV technology. We can help
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you come into the European market. Ezel said Western automakers
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are now entangled in Chinese supply chains. That complicates efforts
20:08
from the United States, the European Union and other governments
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to encourage their EV makers to catch up with Chinese
20:14
rivals without relying too heavily on Chinese supply chains and partners.
20:20
The EU last year approved tariffs of up to thirty
20:23
five percent on Chinese evs, despite opposition from Germany, whose
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leading automakers Volkswagen BMW and Mercedes Benz sell about a
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third of their vehicles in China. Even with that additional cost,
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Chinese brands will probably still make more per car in Europe,
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where they can sell the same model at a significant
20:45
markup compared with China. Analysts at Rhodium Group, a New
20:49
York based research firm, found even with tariffs, Chinese brands
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accounted for eight per cent of EV sales in the
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EU in twenty twenty three, up from lessen one percent
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in twenty nineteen. According to Transport and Environment, a Brussels
21:05
based non governmental organization, concerns in Brussels and Washington about
21:10
national security and long term economic competitiveness are increasingly clashing
21:15
with automaker's desires to take advantage of the convenience, cost
21:19
and scale offered by Chinese production hubs, where overheads are low,
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suppliers are plentiful, and it's easy to quickly upgrade models
21:28
to stay ahead of competitors. An automaker in the US
21:32
can't build an affordable electric vehicle without relying on the
21:36
Chinese supply chain full stop, said Too Lee, managing director
21:41
at Sino Auto Insights, a Detroit based advisory firm. What's more,
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China has at least five hubs the size of the
21:49
auto alley that stretches down the US Midwest from Detroit
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to the Gulf of Mexico. Lee said. While U S
21:56
government restrictions on Chinese evs have pushed to America and automakers
22:00
to focus on competing without relying heavily on China, they
22:05
have to contend with major European automakers instead partnering more
22:09
closely with Chinese automakers and cities. Volkswagen, for example, announced
22:14
last year that it was investing two point seven billion
22:18
dollars in an innovation and production hub to develop, manufacture,
22:22
and sell cars designed jointly with local EV maker ex Peg.
22:28
That hub will be based in Hefai, China's EV capital
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and the inspiration for cities like Chinhua the next Hefai.
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Hefai is widely celebrated and replicated in China. As many
22:42
as fifty delegations from cities across China visit he Fai
22:46
each month to learn from its experience. According to Chinese
22:49
financial media, the secret of Hefai's success, according to official propaganda,
22:55
is the twenty three billion dollars in investments in emerging
22:58
industries that the city, through the government guided funds, has
23:02
made over the past decade. In twenty twenty, Hefai spend
23:07
seven hundred eighty seven million dollars on a seventeen percent
23:10
stake in Neo, a luxury EV maker and Tesla challenger.
23:15
As it was facing a cash crunch, Nio agreed to
23:18
move its headquarters to Hefai and establish an industrial zone
23:22
there to help attract other manufacturers. It worked. The city
23:27
now hosts six EV manufacturers, including b y D and
23:31
the state owned Jack Group and chong Qing Chanan, But
23:36
there are growing concerns in China and abroad that the
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Hefi model won't work for everyone and could create a
23:43
market glut. All these local governments think if we throw
23:47
money at it and attract some shiny new start up
23:50
will be the next Hafai, but they risk sparking a
23:54
race to the bottom within China, said Alaria Mazoko, an
23:58
expert on Chinese industrial policy at the Center for Strategic
24:01
and International Studies. Hefai is doubling down on its investments
24:05
to keep ahead of emerging rivals. A city government led
24:09
investment consortium late last year announced a further four hundred
24:13
seventy one million dollar investment in Neo, which ranked twelfth
24:17
in Chinese EV sales last year. That is exactly what Europe,
24:22
the US and other countries are concerned about, uncoordinated industrial
24:26
policy that tends to create a multitude of companies that
24:30
never go bankrupt, Mosoko said. Despite these concerns, Jinhoa is
24:35
rushing to be the next Hefai. No company is more
24:39
important to Jinhua's plans than Leap Motor. After a bumpy
24:43
start in twenty nineteen, leip is focused on being fast,
24:47
technologically advanced, and self reliant. The company makes about sixty
24:52
percent of its car's key components itself. It used to
24:56
be that the mechanics of transportation were dominant, but cars
24:59
are now more like an intelligent piece of electronics, much
25:02
like a smartphone. Cow Lee, Leip's executive director, said in
25:06
an interview. Having developed core components ourselves means that we
25:11
can quickly adapt to market, competition and user needs. Leip's
25:16
reputation for innovation helped the company secure one point six
25:20
billion dollars investment from Stelantis, the Netherlands headquartered giant that
25:25
owns Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler in October twenty twenty three.
25:30
The deal also allowed the Chinese company to tap Stilanta's
25:33
distribution networks to start selling Jenhoa made cars in thirteen
25:38
European countries in September and start assembling the TO three
25:42
at a Stealanta's factory in Poland, a first for a
25:45
Chinese brand in Europe. Leip has not yet disclosed its
25:50
sales numbers in Europe, but the TOL three in particular
25:53
has been well received as unusually cheap for its official
25:56
range of one hundred sixty five miles and a good
25:59
fit for market where city run arounds are popular but
26:02
rarely electric. Zoo Leip's chief executive said in December that
26:08
the company is aiming to sell five hundred thousand cars
26:10
this year, including fifty thousand overseas. So Lantis did not
26:15
respond to multiple requests for comment on its partnership with Leip.
26:19
Despite its mixed success so far, Jinhoa appears deeply committed
26:24
to its EV vision and to Leap, its champion automaker.
26:28
The determination is partly political. Across New Energy Vehicle town
26:33
are many signs reminding residents that building a stronger EV
26:37
industry is of national importance. A Chinese Communist Party service
26:41
center sits in the center of the town square. Large
26:45
Chinese characters at the industrial park's interests declare, only when
26:49
the party is strong can industry be strong Lyrically in
26:53
Seoul contributed to this report. Our next item is entitled
26:59
Trump to Paul future military aid for Ukraine. President seeks
27:03
to force Zelensky into peace talks with Russia, officials say
27:07
by John Hudson and Michael Birnbaum. President Donald Trump has
27:12
decided to pause all future deliveries of US military assistance
27:16
to Ukraine in an extraordinary move aimed at pressuring Ukrainian
27:21
President Volodime Zelensky into peace talks with Russia, said two
27:25
US officials familiar with the matter. US military support for
27:29
Ukraine has been essential to fending off Russia's invading forces,
27:33
but initial bipartisan backing for Ukraine's resistance has fractured along
27:38
partisan lines amid doubts about the war's costs and a
27:41
diplomatic off ramp. The President has been clear that he
27:45
is focused on peace. We need our partners to be
27:48
committed to that goal as well, said a White House official, who,
27:52
like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss
27:55
sensitive policy deliberations. We are pausing and reviewing our aid
27:59
to ensure that it is contributing to a solution. Trump
28:03
has long been skeptical of a to Ukraine, but his
28:06
top aids began preparing serious policy options about ending military
28:10
assistance following last week's rancorous Oval Office meeting, as Trump
28:15
and Vice President J. D Vance berated Zelensky, a second
28:19
US official said. The official said the decision could be
28:23
reversed if Zelensky demonstrates a good faith effort to participate
28:27
in peace talks. Ukrainian officials have bristled that the Trump
28:31
administration did not seek early buy in on negotiations and
28:35
were surprised by the decision to exclude them from last
28:38
month's meeting between US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia.
28:43
The decision to pasey AID was made at a White
28:45
House meeting Monday that included Vance Secretary of State Marco Rubio,
28:50
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseev, Director of National Intelligence Tulcy Gabbert,
28:55
and Middle East Envoy Steve Whitkoff. The move follows an
28:59
order last week by Hegsath for US Cyber Command to
29:02
halt offensive cyber and information operations against Russia as long
29:07
as negotiations to end the war are ongoing. According to
29:10
current and former US officials, the AID pause is expected
29:15
to draw immediate opposition from backers of Ukraine in Europe
29:19
and Democrats in Congress, who excoriated Trump's public criticisms of
29:23
Zelensky as a betrayal of an ally at war for
29:26
his country's survival. Defenders of the policy have said it
29:30
is Trump's prerogative to use diplomatic pressure to end a
29:33
three year war that has killed and maimed hundreds of
29:37
thousands of Ukrainians. And Russians, and costs the United States
29:41
and Europe tens of billions of dollars. Ukraine is learning
29:45
that the prerogatives of the country whose aid has kept
29:47
it alive matter quite a lot, said Justin Logan, a
29:51
scholar at the libertarian Cato Institute. One hopes Europe can
29:55
learn its own lessons from the same case. Earlier in
29:58
the day, Trump declares find to say whether he would
30:01
withhold a saying conversations were ongoing, but he repeated a
30:05
refrain from the Testy Oval Office meeting, noting that he
30:09
deserves more gratitude. Zelensky should be more appreciative because this
30:14
country has stuck with them through thick and thin, Trump said.
30:18
The US leader has been deeply dismissive of Zelensky in
30:21
recent weeks, calling him a dictator and suggesting that his
30:25
hatred for Russian President Vladimir Putin has clouded his judgment. Now,
30:30
maybe somebody doesn't want to make a deal. And if
30:33
somebody doesn't want to make a deal, I think that
30:36
person won't be around very long, Trump said Monday. Ukraine
30:40
has relied on the United States for tens of billions
30:43
of dollars in tanks helicopters, missiles, artillery, fighter jets, and
30:48
armored vehicles. Over the course of the war. Kiev is
30:51
also dependent on US intelligence support for firing long range
30:55
rockets and missiles at Russian targets. Trump has long vows
31:00
that more of the burden for the war should be
31:02
shouldered by Ukraine's European neighbors, who are more threatened by Russia.
31:06
He has said the United States has a beautiful ocean
31:10
protecting it. Trump officials declined to provide a total dollar
31:14
amount from the military assistance that has been placed on pause.
31:18
The United States has spent well over one hundred billion
31:21
dollars in military and economic support for Ukraine since the
31:25
start of the war. According to the Kiel Institute for
31:28
the World Economy, the vast majority of U S military
31:32
funding to Ukraine has gone to U S defense companies
31:35
to purchase weapons built in US factories. Europeans have been
31:40
working to mobilize a military aid package for Ukraine, expected
31:44
to be worth more than twenty billion dollars. With Trump's
31:47
support for Ukraine in doubt even before his dust up
31:50
with Zelenski, Kiefs backers on the continent have been seeking
31:54
to strengthen Ukraine's leverage as Washington moves toward negotiations to
31:58
end the war on turn ters that many see as
32:01
being favorable to Moscow. The plan is to supply Ukraine
32:06
with artillery, ammunition, air defenses, drones, and other weapon systems
32:11
by pooling cash or equipment. Still, European defense stocks don't
32:16
match the scale of the Pentagons, and the continent's supplies
32:20
are running dry after years of dispatching equipment to Ukraine.
32:24
With enough political will, European governments could backfill aid to
32:28
some extent, officials and analysts say, but with some of
32:32
the continent's key economies struggling, it may prove difficult to
32:36
sustain the flow of weapons and cash in the long
32:39
run if the United States fully pivots away, stretching thin
32:43
efforts to hike spending on their militaries. Alan Francis contributed
32:48
to this report. Next an itamen titled Interim US Attorney
32:54
vows DC crackdown. Martin echoes president on gun violence after
32:58
demoting seven secutors by Spencer S. Seue, Keith l Alexander,
33:05
Peter Herman, and Jenny Gathright. Intermuous Attorney ed Martin on
33:10
Monday directed his office to prosecute more firearms cases in
33:13
federal court, launching a bid to crack down on gun
33:16
violence in Washington, d C. That revived a strategy from
33:20
President Donald Trump's first term. The focus on charging gun
33:24
cases in a court with harsher penalties targets felons in
33:28
illegal possession of a firearm and repeat violent offenders. According
33:32
to an e mail Martin sent to staff in announcing
33:35
the push, Martin rolled out an initiative to quote make
33:39
DC safe again. The language echoes out of Trump, who
33:43
has derided Washington as a nightmare of murder and crime.
33:48
This is a whole of office initiative to dramatically change
33:52
course to fight violent crime. We will flood the Federal
33:55
District Court with cases, Martin wrote to staff in announcing
33:58
the plan, which he said will be supported by about
34:01
a dozen additional federal agents with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
34:05
Firearms and Explosives. Martin, in public statements, has pledged to
34:10
focus on gun violence in d C. As he vowed
34:13
to reshape the office, recasting the prosecutions of January sixth,
34:17
twenty twenty one capital riot participants the office handled as
34:21
a distraction from ensuring public safety. Monday's move resumed an
34:26
effort that was scaled back during the pandemic amid resource
34:29
limitations and criticism of racial profiling and enforcement. It also
34:34
marked a step toward delivering on this vision seven weeks
34:37
into a tumultuous period overseeing the nation's largest federal prosecutor's
34:41
office that saw him fire or demote many prosecutors who
34:45
work on violent crime. DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelssohn, Democrat,
34:51
said he objected to the catchphrase make DC safe again,
34:55
given the downturn in violent crime the city was already seen.
34:59
Although in d C have ticked up so far this
35:02
year after a steep decline in twenty twenty four, police
35:06
statistics show violent crime overall remains down across the board,
35:10
in keeping with national trends. Violent crime is down again,
35:15
Mendelssohn said in an interview. So if the theme was
35:18
make DC safer or continuing to make DC safer, I
35:22
think those are preferable phrases. Mayor Muriel E. Bauser, Democrat,
35:28
did not immediately return requests for comment about Martin's plans.
35:32
Neither did DC Police. Two d C police officials and
35:36
two prosecutors from Martin's office who spoke on the condition
35:39
of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said that Martin's recent
35:43
personnel changes would hurt authority's ability to deliver on his plans.
35:48
He has fired prosecutors who investigated Trump and the Capitol Riot,
35:53
prompted the resignation of the head of the office's criminal division,
35:56
and dropped several hundred pardoned Capitol Riot police list cases cases.
36:03
Last week, he demoted seven top prosecutors, including two who
36:07
oversaw federal gun prosecutions, Melissa Jackson and Meredith Mayor Dempsey.
36:13
They were people we could call in the middle of
36:15
the night and they would answer the phone, said one
36:17
d C police official. We have to re establish these relationships.
36:22
It's probably going to set us back months or years.
36:26
In a memmo attached to Monday's email, Martin thanked his
36:30
staff for their work, but said violence in d C
36:33
was still unacceptably common. D C has seen thirty homicides
36:37
so far in twenty twenty five, an eleven percent increase
36:41
year over year. Most violent crime dropped below pre pandemic
36:45
levels last year, with the exception of homicide and carjacking's
36:49
Police statistics show recorded killings in the district fell to
36:54
one hundred eighty seven in twenty twenty four from two
36:57
hundred seventy four the year prior. Martin pledged a multi
37:01
step effort to fight all crime in d C, beginning
37:05
this month by charging felons caught illegally possessing firearms under
37:09
federal statutes in U S. District Court rather than with
37:12
local offenses in d C Superior Court, and ordered his
37:16
office to review Penny cases for potential federal gun violations.
37:20
Tougher mandatory minimum sentences and pre trial attention are far
37:25
more common in federal cases and are more consistently applied
37:28
than in local cases. Felons found in possession of a
37:32
firearm or those convicted of furnishing a gun to such
37:35
prohibited persons, face up to ten years in prison under
37:39
federal law that increases to a mandatory minimum of five
37:43
years for certain combined drug distribution and gun cases, and
37:47
fifteen years for people convicted of three prior violent felony
37:51
or serious gun crimes under the federal Armed Career Criminal Act.
37:56
In DC Superior Court, the comparable local affairs carries a
38:00
ten year maximum sentence and increases to fifteen years for
38:04
violent criminals, but many defendants receive punishments closer to the
38:09
mandatory minimum sentences, which vary from one year for those
38:12
previously convicted of nonviolent offenses to three years for past
38:16
violent offenders. In twenty seventeen, however, the DC Council passed
38:21
legislation so that judges do not have to impose mandatory
38:25
minimum sentences for offenders younger than twenty five, and in
38:29
twenty eighteen, the DC Sentencing Commission downgraded the felon in
38:33
Possession statute to carry the same sentencing range as carrying
38:37
a pistol without a license. Martin's announcement marks a return
38:42
to past policies begun under President Bill Clinton in the
38:45
late nineteen nineties that peaked under George W. Bush. Contributions
38:50
of zero tolerance programs, which shifted gun offenders to federal
38:53
courts in targeted cities, have drawn mixed reviews overlapping with
38:58
drops in violent crimes that all ready were occurring nationwide
39:02
when last tried in Washington. Prosecutors in Trump's first term
39:06
announced plans to charge all such cases in federal court.
39:10
In practice, their efforts were limited by a shortage of
39:13
prosecutors and other resources. Ultimately, the DCUs Attorney's Office brought
39:18
more than two hundred cases in twenty nineteen and twenty twenty,
39:22
but were forced to scale back plans by prioritizing offenders
39:26
based on suspects criminal history, whether they had previous gun charges,
39:30
and other factors including their age at the time and
39:33
commission of any violent offenses. Federal gun prosecutions in d
39:38
C remained higher than in twenty eighteen, when a similar
39:42
measure was last introduced, but the impact of those prosecutions
39:46
on crime has been hard to discern amid wider trends.
39:50
Martin's memo did not specify any future steps, but two
39:54
prosecutors inside the office who spoke on the condition of
39:57
anonymity because they were not authorized a space publicly say
40:01
that they expect a growing number of other crimes to
40:04
soon be prosecuted in federal court under his push for
40:07
tougher penalties, including federal death penalty eligible cases. Since Congress
40:13
reinstated the federal death penalty in nineteen eighty eight, only
40:17
a handful of eligible cases have gone to federal trial
40:20
in the district where the death penalty is unpopular. None
40:24
resulted in a death sentence. Martin has promoted his plan
40:28
in talks with DC officials, police, and internal meetings. In
40:32
a post on x on Saturday, Martin posted photos from
40:36
a ride along with d C police and wrote, I
40:39
listened to the people who want safe streets and love
40:41
each other. We will together make DC safe again. Thugs
40:45
with guns we come in. Patrisa Sultan, a criminal justice
40:50
reform advocate and executive director of the DC Justice Lab,
40:54
that she was concerned police may end up targeting people
40:57
they assume may have felony records and be distress from
41:00
other criminal behavior. Sultan said this ultimately could have a
41:04
disproportioned impact on black residents of the city. This is
41:09
about optics. The idea is to look like the city
41:12
is tougher on crime. But possessing a firearm is not
41:15
a violent crime, and there is no guarantee that federal
41:19
judges are going to sentence at high end of the
41:21
guidelines just because a person was found to possess a firearm.
41:26
Trump has made public safety in the district a personal focus,
41:29
saying in an interview with reporters last month that the
41:32
federal government should take over management of the city too,
41:36
among other things, ensure it is run with law and order.
41:40
In his last term, Trump threatened to take control of
41:43
the DC Police Department, but did not follow through. His
41:47
newly appointed Attorney General, Pam Bondi, has invoked crime in
41:51
the district for another reason, announcing a Justice Department investigation
41:55
into whether resources spent on January sixth, twenty twenty one
41:59
capital writing investigations came at the expense of the safety
42:03
of d C residents. Similar gun initiatives have met with
42:07
mixed results. In twenty nineteen, during Trump's first administration, then
42:13
US Attorney Jesse K. Lew rolled out a very similar
42:17
gun crime initiative after d C experienced a forty percent
42:20
spike in homicides, with a goal of charging all such
42:23
offenses in federal court after a ramp up period. Bowser
42:28
and local d C leaders initially supported Lew's gun crime crackdown.
42:32
That changed in twenty twenty after prosecutors acknowledged that because
42:36
of limited court and prosecutorial resources, the effort targeted three
42:41
predominantly black wards and was not enforced city wide as announced.
42:46
Trump appointees scaled back the plan that year, although a
42:50
focus on gun prosecutions was continued under the Biden administration. Mendelssohn,
42:56
who met with Martin on Monday afternoon, said he ultimately
42:59
would judge his success on whether the city sees swifter
43:02
prosecutions at a lower declination rate. What is important and
43:07
time will tell, is whether we see effective prosecutions, Mendelssohn said.
43:13
Kate Rabinowitz and Aaron Shafer contributed to this report. Our
43:18
next item is entitled Brazilian birth tourists flocked to US.
43:22
Trump's vow to end a birthright citizenship hasn't dampened the practice,
43:27
by Terence McCoy and Marina Dias from Rio de Gennaro.
43:32
Marcello Marieira had never been to the United States. He
43:36
didn't speak much English, but soon after he learned his
43:39
wife was pregnant last May, he knew he wanted his
43:42
daughter to be American. Speaking with a friend who just
43:46
returned from a trip to the United States with his
43:49
newborn son and his son's American birth certificate, Marieira quickly
43:54
learned that it wasn't just possible, but surprisingly easy. Anyone
43:59
born in US time territory, he discovered, regardless of their
44:02
parent status was automatically granted citizenship under the fourteenth Amendment.
44:08
After talking with his wife, Levigna, now twenty six, they
44:12
contacted a Florida based medical service, Have My Baby in Miami,
44:16
that specializes in delivering babies to women from abroad. The
44:20
service connected them to its in house obstetricians and pediatricians
44:24
and booked them a slot at the maternity unit at
44:27
a CIA, Florida Mercy Hospital. The couple already had US
44:31
tourist vices. All that was left to do was get
44:34
on a plane, find a place to stay, and wait
44:37
for their American baby to arrive. My daughter's children and
44:41
grandchildren would then have citizenship too, now rejoiced, she can
44:46
pass it down through the generations. President Donald Trump doesn't
44:51
think it should be so easy to become an American,
44:54
calling birthright citizenship absolutely ridiculous and incorrectly asserting that we're
45:00
the only country in the world that does this. He
45:03
signed an executive order in January that revoked automatic citizenship
45:07
for children born to foreign visitors on tourists, student and
45:10
work vices, as well as to undocumented immigrants. The order,
45:15
which has been blocked by federal judges and is expected
45:18
to end up before the Supreme Court. Has renewed fundamental
45:21
questions about what it means to be an American and
45:24
cast a spotlight on a practice known as birth tourism,
45:29
defended by supporters as constitutionally protected but assailed by critics
45:33
as circumvention of the law. The practice of traveling to
45:37
give birth has generated controversy across the Western Hemisphere, which
45:41
is home to most of the roughly thirty countries worldwide
45:44
that grant birthright citizenship. In twenty twenty, a national scandal
45:49
erupted in Canada when it emerged that one in four
45:52
birthing women at a hospital in British Columbia were foreign visitors.
45:57
After the war in Ukraine broke out, immigration of officials
46:00
in Argentina moved to stall a wave of thousands of
46:03
Russian birth tourists entering the country. The State Department doesn't
46:08
keep statistics on birth tourism, but the agency previously estimated
46:12
that thousands of children are born every year to women
46:15
on tourists and temporary business visas, according to a twenty
46:19
twenty two report by the US Senate Committee on Homeland
46:21
Security and Governmental Affairs. In the report, officials worried that
46:27
children born under such circumstances gained citizenship without attachment to
46:31
the United States, skirting the scrutiny standards and procedures of
46:36
standard naturalization. Seeking to limit the practice, the Trump administration
46:41
in twenty twenty amended visa regulations to deny temporary visas
46:45
to travelers coming to deliver their child as for comment,
46:50
The State Department Press Office told The Washington Post on
46:53
February twenty fourth that birth tourism was not a permissible activity.
46:59
But in Brazil, where having an American child has become
47:02
something of a stata symbol among the wealthy and upwardly mobile,
47:05
such measures have done little to quell demand. According to
47:09
interviews with six birth tourist families, immigration attorneys, and birth
47:13
tourism agents, even with tighter visa restrictions, pregnant individuals already
47:18
in possession of US tourist visas, which can be valid
47:22
for up to ten years, are still able to freely
47:25
come and give birth. Social media in Brazil is a
47:29
wash with stories of families who have done just that.
47:32
One medical agency active on Instagram with nearly seventy four
47:36
thousand followers is have my Baby in Miami, which goes
47:40
by Santa Mammee and Miami in Portuguese. Every year it
47:44
helps about one hundred and twenty five Brazilian women give
47:47
birth in the United States. Another agency, Mayo Bibe Americano
47:52
My American Baby, has a large photo on its website
47:56
of an infinite sleep beneath an American flag. A complete
48:00
experience for the arrival of your baby in the US,
48:03
the agency promises. Late last year, dreaming of their own
48:07
American baby and encouraged by those who had gone before them, Morieira,
48:12
twenty seven, and his pregnant wife boarded a plane for
48:15
New York and hushed through border control. I'm feeling that
48:19
we're doing something really good, the father to be said.
48:23
A business opportunity. About a decade ago, Florida pediatrician of
48:28
Vuaamere Lorentz decided there was opportunity in birth tourism. One agency,
48:34
Miami Mama, had already cornered the Russian market, but no
48:37
one was targeting Brazilians. When I saw the Russians, I
48:41
thought there's some work for me to do, said Lorentz,
48:44
a native Brazilian and naturalized American. His company Half my
48:49
Baby in Miami opened in twenty fifteen. The service was
48:52
focused on medical care, connecting international mothers to a multi
48:56
lingual team of care providers, but also gave ex victant
49:00
family's information on how to speak to immigration officials and
49:04
collect US documents after their child's birth. Its logo a
49:09
stork carrying a child wrapped in an American flag. The
49:13
cost ranging from sixteen thousand dollars to twenty three thousand
49:17
dollars depending on the type of delivery, put the Miami
49:20
Medical Services out of reach for the vast majority of Brazilians,
49:24
but a wealthier clientele soon began lining up, driven by
49:28
social media, news accounts and word of mouth. Most already
49:32
had temporary US visas. I've already attended two thousand, five
49:37
hundred families, half of whom were from Brazil, Lorentz, said.
49:41
Leeda Olivieria, the CEO of the Washington law firm AG Immigration,
49:46
which has a focus on Brazilian immigration to the United States,
49:50
said she was surprised by how quickly the market has grown.
49:54
Families concerned about Brazil's economy and long term security want
49:58
a plan B for their children, she said, and US
50:01
citizenship meant they would always have an escape, along with
50:05
direct access to America's educational and professional opportunities. I'm now
50:11
seeing talk of this in both my social life and
50:13
among clients, Olivia said. Priscilla Rodriguez had the idea of
50:18
becoming a birth tourist when she became pregnant at thirty
50:21
nine and worried about having a child at her age.
50:25
Traveled from Brasilia to Orlando to be closer to excellent
50:28
medical care. The decision, she said, also cleared bureaucratic roadblocks
50:34
that her daughter could face if she ever decided to
50:36
relocate to the United States. Citizenship is permanent, she said.
50:42
After returning to Brazil with baby Michaela, words spread of
50:45
her daughter's American citizenship and she was flooded with inquiries.
50:49
In late twenty twenty three, she and her husband Are
50:52
Tour thirty three, decided to open up their own agency,
50:56
My American Baby. Since then, they've received roughly two hundred
51:00
consultation requests. Many can't afford their package, which costs a
51:05
minimum of eight thousand dollars. Others don't have a tourist visa,
51:09
but with Trump foiling to eliminate birthright citizenship, some want
51:13
to seize the moment. She said, there's a window of
51:16
opportunity right now. Our greatest asset. None of the six
51:21
birth tourist families interviewed by the Post felt as though
51:24
they'd abused the US immigration system. They said they'd enter
51:28
the country legally and paid all their bills. I said,
51:32
either we do this completely legally, or we don't do
51:34
it at all, said Allan Charles Vieira, thirty two, who
51:38
owns eight clothing stores in southern Brazil. He and his
51:42
wife Vanessa fell in love with the United States during
51:45
a twenty twenty trip to New York, where they found
51:47
the energy and bustle, infectious strivers by nature and feeling
51:52
the draw of the American dream. The couple said they
51:55
decided to invest in the United States in the most
51:58
meaningful way they could by making their child American. It
52:02
was a fair exchange, they said. We are delivering our
52:06
greatest asset to the United States. Vera said, we want
52:10
him to return and bring good things to the United States.
52:14
For Emanuela monari Nebus, thirty one, who gave birth to
52:18
her son this week in Miami, the decision was influenced
52:22
by fear. She wanted her son to be able to
52:25
study in the United States, but she worried about anti
52:28
immigrant sentiment. If you were American, even if you were
52:31
raised abroad, he'll suffer less discrimination, she believes. Down the
52:37
road in Miami, Morieira and his wife no had checked
52:40
into a small rental apartment near Mercy Hospital. The journey,
52:44
they said, hadn't been easy. Different language, different customs, and now,
52:50
at one of the most sensitive moments of their lives,
52:52
they were on the other side of the world, thousands
52:55
of miles from their home and their support network. For Mariera,
52:59
it had been worth it. Born in Brazil's poorest region,
53:03
the Northeast, he grew up believing the good things in
53:06
life weren't for me. But after a bit of success
53:09
in the real estate market, he felt as though he
53:11
could finally leave his hardships behind. I had so many barriers,
53:16
he said, and she'll be born with fewer. Early in
53:20
the morning of February twentieth, now is WaterBrook, Wariere took
53:24
her to Mercy and by eight a m after delivery,
53:27
without complications, their daughter was born. Wariere picked her up
53:31
and held her close. Libya, his beautiful little American, and
53:38
the final item from Today's front page is entitled A
53:41
Fight for purse Strings. As shut down looms, Trump has
53:45
tried to claim powers constitutionally delegated to lawmakers. By Jacob Bogage.
53:51
Congress has less than two weeks to extend federal spending
53:54
laws and keep the government open, but now a clash
53:58
over President Donald Trump's attempt to seize powers the constitution
54:01
delegates to lawmakers threatens to stall talks and force a
54:05
shut down. Republican negotiators walked away from talks over the
54:09
weekend to reach a deal on a top line number
54:12
on how much the federal government should spend for the
54:15
rest of the twenty twenty five fiscal year, which runs
54:18
through September thirty. Democrats had said that number is irrelevant
54:22
if Trump refuses to spend the money in accordance with
54:25
the law, or if he empowers billionaire Elon Musk and
54:28
his US Doge service to terminate federal contracts and lay
54:32
off tens of thousands of federal workers without regard to
54:35
Congress's wishes. Trump and advisers, including Budget Chief Russell Vote,
54:41
have argued that the president has the power to withhold
54:44
money that Congress orders spent, arguing that a post Watergate
54:48
law that limits that power is unconstitutional. Musk's Doge team
54:52
has been unilaterally terminating contracts and pushing to shed federal
54:57
workers now. Democrats say they want assurances from Congressional Republicans
55:02
and the White House that the administration will actually spend
55:06
the money included in any new law preventing a shutdown.
55:10
The current funding law expires after March fourteenth. Money is
55:15
just being pilfered. They're stealing funds that are supposed to
55:18
go to American families and businesses, said Representative Rosa Delaro
55:23
from Connecticut House Democrats chief negotiator. If we're going to
55:27
go through the agreement and get the top line and
55:30
hammer it all out, and someone comes along and upend
55:33
of it, that's what we want to try to avoid.
55:37
Trump and Musk say their cuts are aimed at rooting
55:40
out waste. Congressional Republicans are broadly happy to back the
55:43
administration's position. Trump will address a joint session of Congress
55:48
Tuesday night. A senior administration official in a statement said
55:53
President Trump and Congressional Republicans are working diligently to fund
55:57
the government, which has to occur on a bipartisan basis.
56:01
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican from Louisiana, told reporters last
56:05
week that democrats demands were a gross separation of powers
56:09
violation and a terrible precedent for Congress to engage in.
56:13
That's a non starter for us, and the Democrats know that.
56:17
So it looks like they are in a posture right
56:19
now where they are making individual appropriations bills almost impossible.
56:23
Johnson said, I'm really hopeful that they'll back off those
56:26
outrageous demands because it's unprecedented and I think probably unconstitutional,
56:32
and it's not anything will be a part of House
56:35
Appropriations Committee. Chairman Tom Cole, Republican from Oklahoma put it
56:40
more diplomatically, as I remind my Democratic friends, he said,
56:44
a Republican Senate and Republican House aren't going to limit
56:48
the Republican president, particularly a president that has to sign
56:51
the bill. But Democrats do hold significant leverage, even in
56:56
the minority in the House. GOP infighting has force Johnson
57:01
and his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, Republican from California, to rely
57:06
on votes from Democrats to avert previous shutdowns. It's not
57:10
clear that House Republicans could have united behind a top
57:13
line spending agreement that did not significantly slash funding, according
57:17
to lawmakers and others close to negotiations, some of whom
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spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
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Representative Warren Davidson, Republican from Ohio, for example, threatened to
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vote against a GOP budget last week because his party
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did not have sufficient plans to cut spending for the
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resk of fiscal twenty twenty five, he said. In the Senate,
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Republicans hold a three seat majority, but cannot overcome the
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sixty vote threshold to head off a filibuster that gives
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Democrats the ability to halt movement on funding bills without
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a suitable agreement. They say they will insist on compliance
57:55
with a nineteen seventy four Impound Control Act, the law
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that the White House says is unconstitutional. The law exists,
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and the law has been upheld, and as far as
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I'm concerned, that's the end of the conversation, said Senator
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Brian Shotts, Democrat from Hawaii. The standoff has appropriators warming
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to a long term Continuing Resolution, or CR, which would
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extend federal funding at current levels through the fiscal year
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rather than through individual funding bills for each major department.
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We will be unable to complete this item due to
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the constraints of time. This concludes a reading of the
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Washington Post for to Day, Tuesday, March fourth, twenty twenty five.
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Your reader for to Day has been Cindy Fraser. If
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you have any questions, comments, or suggestions concerning this program,
58:44
please feel free to call us at eight five nine
58:47
four two two six three nine zero. Thank you for listening,
58:50
and now please stay tuned for continued programming on Radio
58:54
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