Transcript

9.25.25 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of today's Washington Post. It is Thursday,
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September the twenty fifth of twenty twenty five. Your reader
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is Alistaina, with reminder that RADIOI is a reading service
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for those blind, with disability or difficulties holding and reading
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printed material. So I start with today's front page on
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the far left, and it happens to be underneath a
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picture of clouds with lightning and rain coming out of them.
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FEMA staff recount a struggle to reach chief Leader was
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inaccessible for about twenty four hours after the Texas flood,
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officials say, and that's by Brianna Sachs. In the middle,
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there is a picture that takes up the whole middle
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section of the paper, and it is a bus with
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gentlemen and fatigue standing outside of the bus and alongside
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of it with their heads bowed and what looks like
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government buildings behind it, and its Ukrainian troops bow their
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heads in respect to a soldier killed in the war
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as the hearse carrying his body drives by on Wednesday,
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and below that is the headline Russia dismisses Trump's pivot
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to Kiev, and on the far right, officials will seek
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to indict Komi doj will allege he lied to Congress.
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Cases revived after Trump calls for charges by Salvadorizo, Jeremy Roebuck,
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and Perry Stein.
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Speaker 2: The Russia story. I will read it later.
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Speaker 1: Ice facility in Dallas is targeted in fatal shooting. This
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is below the article on FEMA by Arles Hernandez, Maria Louisa,
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Paul David Nakamura, and Holly.
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Speaker 2: Bailey Adam Dallas.
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Speaker 1: And then there's a picture and it's like a bron
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statue of two men dancing and holding hands and you
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see the Capitol in the background, and it's entitled Curtains
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for dancing Statue. The Nation's Park Service removed a twelve
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foot tall display of President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein
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holding hands from the National Mall one day after it
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was placed. And the story is on B three. If
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I have time, I will read it. But there are
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people taking pictures of it cars passing by. And to
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the right of that photo is AI tool promises safety,
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but students call it a spy by Daniel wru And
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then at the very bottom below the picture of the
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statute she posted about Kirk Now her job is on
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the line excuse me by Patrick Marley and Yvonne winget
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SA Chez and then a very small little picture of
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Jimmy Kimmel, who is back on the air. And that
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is the headlines for today's paper. And I will go
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to the front page. I'll start with as Texas flooded,
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keystaff say FEMA's leader could not be reached. The Federal
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Emergency Management Agency's acting director, David Richardson, is often inaccessible.
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Several current and former official say, raise it concerns with
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the agency. By Brianna Sachs On a Friday morning in July,
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shortly after deadly independent state floods swept through parts of
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Texas hill country, packed with camps full of young children,
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the Federal Emergency Management Agency scrambled to coordinate a response.
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The next afternoon. Teams readied search and rescue crews, imaginary
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and other emergency of equipment, and then their hustling hit
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a roadback. They couldn't reach a key US official needed
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to deploy the resources. One required by law to be
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accessible during emergencies. Female's acting administrator, David Richardson. Just a
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few weeks earlier, his boss, Homeland Security Secretary Chris d
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l nom instituted a policy requiring her approval for any
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expenditure over one hundred thousand dollars. That meant in order
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to deploy resources to Texas, FEMA officials needed Richardson to
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get those requests in front of home fast, But for
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about twenty four hours in the early aftermath of one
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of the nation's deadliest flash flooding events in decades, key
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staff members could not reach FEMA's top official, according to
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eight current and former officials with knowledge of the situation,
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who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they said
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they feared retaliation. The agency's typical postures to get resources
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to a disasterone before state and local governments even have
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to ask for them, current and former officials have said
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because minutes can cost lives, nobody could get a hold
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of him for hours an hour, said one DC based
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senior official who coordinated search and rescue resources after the disaster.
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Richardson told host lawmakers at a July subcommittee hearing on
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FEMA's response that he had been in constant contact with
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administration and Texas officials from his truck while on vacation
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with his sons. Two people with knowledge of the situation,
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said teams at FEMA couldn't get in touch with him
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until Sunday evening. While Texas officials say their own resources,
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combined with help from other states, enabled fast and defective response,
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the state's Emergency Management Department still asked FEMA for additional assets.
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Documents obtained by The Washington Post show, oh, my goodness,
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there is a picture of a FEMA task force searching
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for victims along the Guadalupe River in Centrepointe, Texas on
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July eighteenth, and it looks like a raging water. There
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in a huge raft with COOTFI rescue four men one
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of five men one in yellow. All have on hard
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hats and one is seated and three are on three
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corners and the yellow man has the or.
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Speaker 2: Or four of them have oars.
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Speaker 1: FEMAS search and rescue teams, those with specialized training for
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swift water rescue, equipment to look for bodies and data
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to do any damage assessments, would not arrive in Texas
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for nearly four days, limiting the region's access to high
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level resources and expertly trained crews during a critical window
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when responders were still looking for missing people, in a
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role that for decades has prioritized expertise and responsiveness. Richardson's
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accessibility during the catastrophic Texas floods reflects what current and
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forma agency officials describe as a general lack of urgency
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since he took over as acting director in May. According
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to interviews with nearly thirty such people, many of whom
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spoke on the condition of anonymity because they said they
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feared retaliation, The Post also reviewed internal messages, emails, and
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records that supported the officials claims that Richardson is frequently inaccessible,
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especially on evenings and weekends. At the same time, Noah,
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who has said her goal is to get rid of
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FEMA the way it exists today, has made numerous changes
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that current and former FEMA officials say have crippled on
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federal agency that once had the authority to spend monday
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and corral resources faster than most others during emergencies. The combination,
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current and former officials have cautioned could leave FEMA ill
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equipped to properly respond to these disasters, and in Texas,
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the breakdown served as a warning for what could happen
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in states less equipped to handle catastrophes. Because in disasters
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hesitation isn't just a gap, it's a national vulnerability, said
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Mary and Tierney, a former acting Deputy FEMA administrator who
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held high ranking positions within the agency for fifteen years
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before leaving in late May. Disaster survivors don't care who's
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in charge. They care that someone is. When leadership is
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absent or unqualified, the systems dolls, Tyranney said. Neither Richardson
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nor Known responded to detailed questions from the Post about
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Richardson's respe in Texas about his tenure is FEMA Administrative.
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The Department of Homeland Security has said that Nome is
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rooting at waste fraud abuse and is reprioritizing appropriated dollars.
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Nome had traveled to Texas herself on July fifth to
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survey the flood damage. When asked about Richardson and FEMA's
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response in Texas, Acting FEMA Press Secretary Daniel Lagaris said
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in the statement, many in federal government, including Acting Administrative Richardson,
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have loving families to attend to and take care of.
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President Trump, and Secretary Nome included, this administration fully supports
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families of public service and appreciates the commitment and sacrifice
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it takes to serve America. Having a family does not
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diminish anyone's ability to serve their country. Rather, it in
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enhances it, Lagaris added. In a statement sent to the Post,
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Representative Frank Palone, Junior Democrat of New Jersey, called on
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Richardson to resign, saying that FEMA cannot afford dead weight
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in the middle of hurricane season. Staff say Richardson is
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basically useless, absent from the office, unreachable in a disaster,
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and powerless because Secretary Noome has sidelined him. This level
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of bureaucratic incompetence from the Trump administration is putting lives
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at risk when the next natural disaster hits. Polone said,
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I was in my truck. It soon became clear to
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FEMA officials that the flooding disaster unfolding in Texas that
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holiday weekend was unique. The loss of life seemed vast,
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and immediate responders weren't navigating the usual sprawl of submerged roads, bridges,
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and mangled buildings, but were mostly searching for scores of
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missing people, separated by miles of muddy waterways. More than
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one hundred and thirty people died in the floodwaters on
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July fifth, as rain swollen rivers continued to surge, Texas
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and FEMA officials in the region requested access to some
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of FEMA's twenty eight teams with specialized equipment and certifications
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for search operations, as well as imagery and data to
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better understand the damage. According to internal messages and two
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individuals familiar with this work, but right off the batty,
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it was delayed, said one senior official involved in the response,
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adding that nome's new expense process was very much a
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challenge for the coordinating teams. Those assets would ordinarily have
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been all route or preparing to deploy within twelve to
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twenty four hours of a disaster, according to an official
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involved in the processes. That was true after Hurricane Helene
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in twenty twenty four and after wildfires ripped through Maui
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in twenty twenty three. According to Dianne Griswall, former FEMA
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administrator under President Joe Biden, She added that in the
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early moments of any disaster, and administrator typically asks immediately
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about search and rescue as they are coordinating deployments. Administrators
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are also usually in near constant communication with staff members
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emailing the agency with updates. According to Grizzle and four
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other current former officials, Richardson did not send an agency
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wide email, multiple employees said, nor did some staff members
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within the Office of Response and Recovery receive an email
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from him inquiring about FEMA's overall involvement to current officials said,
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we didn't get any direction or info from him, said
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the official who helps with search and rescue and who
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has worked on about seventy five FEMA operations, adding we
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never got an e mail from him. There was definitely
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no indication that he was involved in the moment. It
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felt reflective of how Richardson has generally run the agency.
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Those officials said they had received only a handful of
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emails from him in the months he's been on the job,
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far fewer than previous administrators. It's unusual, said emergency management
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historian Scott Robinson, for the administrator to not be more visible,
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not to comment, even in a generally supportive way, about
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the operations of FEMA. Speaking before a host Transportation and
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Infrastructure Subcommittee on July twenty third, lawmakers grilled Richardson on
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the agency's response in Texas and his own wareabates. During
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the disaster. After telling lawmakers that he had been on
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vacation with his sons and in touch with agency officials
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from there, Representative Greg Stanton, Democrat of Arizona, asked whether
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he had been on the first plane back to d
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C to return from vacation. I was in my truck
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with my two boys and myself. I remained in my
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truck the whole time, he said. Internal DHS records were
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viewed by the Post show that Richardson was in the
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National Capital Region that weekend, which refers to the DC
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region including some adacent counties adjacent counties in Maryland and Virginia. Historically,
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FEMA administrators carry a bag with multiple devices with them,
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including top security clearance funds from the White House. They
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give a select group of people access to high levels
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of classified information, such as intelligence about a particular threat.
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Fitz Richardson rarely uses government communication in top security phones.
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According to several current and FORMA officials, he is not
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a big fan of cell phones and tries to limit
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his son's exposure to them, said a person who has
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worked closely with him. He usually puts his phone in
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a box when he gets home and rarely answers it
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after hours, according to two former officials who worked with him,
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on July sixth, a Sunday document a Sunday document so
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that FEMA's regional staff checked in with DC FEMA officials
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on the assistance for Texas, asking whether the agency was
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still waiting on responses to be approved and deployed. Those
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teams still hadn't heard from Richardson or gotten a sign
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off from NOME. According to internal messages and an official
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involved in search and rescue operations, They went to bed
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that night with their hands completely tied, the official who
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helped coordinate search and rescue resources said. The next morning,
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at the agency's Monday operational briefing, officials told Richardson about
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the gravity of the delays, said an official with knowledge
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of the situation. He then carried the search and rescue
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request by hand to nome's office, according to internal messages
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and officials familiar with the process, on Monday evening, more
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than seventy two hours after devastating floods began, NOME approved
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the spending, enabling federal search and rescue crews to deploy.
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They touched down in Texas on Tuesday. It was exactly
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the kind of hold up that agency leaders were worried about.
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Months earlier. At the beginning of hurricane season, some senior
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officials asked whether Richardson could handle contracts for emergencies, or
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at least those costing up to twenty million dollars. That
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request never came to fruition. A formal official said nome's
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budget rule has been disastrous. Staff members declared in an
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August lettter of descent it has stalled many needs, including
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contracts for disaster recovery aid employees, cell phones, and hosing
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inspections for disaster victims. Cameron Hamilton, a trumpet poe In
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Richardson's predecessor, whom no hoasted for publicly contradicting the administration's
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call to eliminate FEMA, has said in numerous public posts
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that he believes FEMA is in need of major change,
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but that NOMES requirements have created in entirely new phones
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of bureaucracy. Robinson, the historian, said, having known so closely
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involved in FEMA's financial operations and decisions is new. In
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the July subcommittee hearing after the Texas floods, Stanton asked
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Richardson whether he had ever expressed concern about nome's policy
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causing problems. I never had a concern about one hundred
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thousand dollars memo. I've never seen it cause any undue delay,
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Richardson said, I alone speak for FEMA. Richardson barreled into
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FEMA office with full force, a former Marine Corps artillery
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officer who remains a top official at the US Countering
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Weapons of Mass Destruction Office. He took over the agency
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after Hamilton's removal in early May. While his role in
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the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office has given him
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operational and preparedness experience, according to a former scene near
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CWND official, the Weapons of agency doesn't due response, the
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official said, especially in the way that FEMA requires federal
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rules dictate who can operate in an acting capacity. In
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a lawsuit that twenty states have brought again Richardson, GNOME,
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and DHS over the shuddering of an AID program, the
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plaintiffs argue that Richardson is unawfully, unlawfully acting as femous
20:11
top official because he does not satisfy any of these
20:15
criteria under the Federal Vacancy's Reform Act for stepping into
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such a high level position. For example, he was not
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the first assistant to the Administrator as of January twenty,
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nor was he nominated or confirmed by the Senate to
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temporarily fill the role, according to the lawsuit. In a filing,
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attorneys for FEMA argued that Richardson temporarily performing the duties
20:40
as femous top official during a vacancy does not violate
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those rules. On his first day, Richardson sent a message
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to a group of senior officials crediting close friend Corey Landowowski,
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Trump's twenty sixteen campaign manager, whose influence within DHS has
20:59
come under scrutiny, forgetting him the job. According to a
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now former senior official who received the message, when addressing
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the agency the first time in May, Regison again, thanks
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lou Dwandowski as well as the President and Secretary for
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having the confidence in me. Is send me here to
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lead this organization, according to elaked audio recording, Then he
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quickly made headlines. During that meeting, Rigison told thousands of
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staff members listening in don't get in my way. He
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was there to achieve the president's intent for FEMA, which
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would probably transform the agency.
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Speaker 2: What it's going to look like in the end, we'll find.
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Speaker 1: Out, he said, and then added, I and I alone
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speak for FEMA. His remark signified a shift for the agency,
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three current and former senior officials said, adding that his
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message may have even influenced the response in Texas. DEMA teams,
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they said, are used to clicking into gear without needing
22:05
to ask for permission. The idea that only one person
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could officially speak on behalf of the entire agency undercuts
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how every employee interacts with external parties, said Tyranney, the
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former acting Deputy FEMA administrator. This is a significant change
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in practice, and for an agency that needs to move
22:28
at the speed of crisis, presents a significant obstacle. In
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terms of expertise, FEMA's past leaders have run the gamut.
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Some have had military backgrounds similar to Richardson's, while others
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had more natural disaster experience. But when Hurricane Katrina hit
22:47
in two thousand and five, the administrator became a lightning
22:51
rod for the disaster's response failures and vast death toll,
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Robinson said. Congress then cotified in the law that femous
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chief must have at least five years of emergency management
23:04
and experience, and made the chief a principal advisor to
23:08
the President and the National Security Council. Since then, administrators
23:15
have taken calls in the shower and have missed weddings
23:18
and funerals. According to former senior officials, they have rushed
23:22
to be on the ground for disasters, often within twenty
23:25
four hours, to meet with governors, local leaders, and people
23:29
who have lost everything, according to past administrators and those
23:33
who have worked with them, as well as often interacting
23:37
with employees. Hamilton said that even during his brief tenure,
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he traveled to nearly every region to meet with femas
23:45
staff members based there. Richardson has been a different type
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of leader, According to details shared by nearly thirty people
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interviewed for this article, He mostly stays in his office
23:59
and has limited face to face interactions with employees. They
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said they describe Richardson as often being away from FEMA
24:07
headquarters and regularly absent from meetings. He often leaves for
24:11
hours to head to exclusive members only DC Army and
24:15
Navy club for active military members and veterans, according to
24:19
three current and FORMA officials with knowledge of his schedule.
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Known for rambling or quirky comments, he sometimes says things
24:27
in jest that can be seen as insensitive, according to
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multiple current and former employees who have been in meetings
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and hurricane training sessions with him. For example, he has
24:39
joked about Republican led states getting FEMA ad faster than
24:43
ones led by Democrats, according to a person who was
24:46
in the room at the time. In June, he made
24:50
a comment to staff members during a briefing that he
24:53
did not know the United States had a hurricane season.
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After the public comment was made public, DC said the
25:02
DHS said the remark was meant to be a joke.
25:06
As his tenure has progressed, Richardson has demonstrated a more
25:10
nuanced understanding of FEMA's operations and issues, said a veteran
25:16
senior agency official who has worked with him on hurricane planning.
25:20
But a fundamental problem remains. That senior official said, he
25:25
is not qualified to do this job, the first one
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on the ground. Since coming to FEMA, Richardson has periodically
25:35
reached out to Lewandowski, his close friend in nome's Chief Advisa,
25:40
for advice, According to two people familiar with the situation.
25:44
One moment came during the Texas floods. Those people said
25:48
early this year, NOOME required that FEMA's interim administrator and
25:53
other officials ask for permission to travel, going through a
25:57
multi step procedure that can take up to six days
26:00
to get approved. According to a former senior official with
26:03
direct knowledge of the process, she has sometimes denied those requests.
26:08
According to a former high level official who worked with her,
26:13
at one point during the Texas disaster, Richardson asked to
26:17
travel to flood stricken Hill Country. That trip was canceled. Normally,
26:22
the female administration is the first one. Administer is the
26:26
first one on the ground, said as senior official who
26:29
oversaw the Texas flood response. After news outlets pointed out
26:34
his absence, Lewandowski pushed for him to make an appearance.
26:38
Two people familiar with the situation said attempts to reach
26:43
Lewandowski for comment were unsuccessful. On July twelfth, more than
26:49
a week after the storm driven floods first hit, Richardson
26:53
visited FEMA's command room in Kerr County, Texas to learn
26:57
more about the damage and the response. Unlike past administrators,
27:02
he wore no FEMA emblazoned to peril while in the field.
27:05
Employees noted he didn't want to even when a staffer
27:09
offered him a vest with the agency's logo, according to
27:13
three people with knowledge of the situation, Instead, he donned
27:17
blue jeans, a straw hat, cowboy boots, and his military
27:21
dog tags, which dangled against his chest. Virginia Federal prosecutors
27:29
preparing to seek Comy indictment. People familiar with the matters
27:35
say prosecutors planned to ask a grand jury to indict
27:39
former FBI Director James B. Comy on allegations that he
27:44
lied to Congress. By Salvador Rizzo, Jeremy Roebuck, and Perry Stein,
27:52
the Justice Department is preparing to seek an indictment against
27:56
former FBI Director James B. Comy for adledge giving false
28:01
testimony to Congress about his role investigating efforts to influence
28:06
the twenty sixteen presidential election. According to people familiar with
28:10
the matter, the effort, which was in the planning stage
28:14
Wednesday evening, comes days after President Donald Trump demanded prosecutors
28:19
use the criminal justice system to punish his political opponents.
28:25
The investigation centers on testimony Komi gave before the Senate
28:29
Judiciary Committee on September thirtieth, twenty twenty, about the FBIS
28:34
missteps in the Crossfire Hurricane probe, which had delved into
28:40
possible but ultimately unproven collaboration between Russia and Trump's twenty
28:46
sixteen presidential campaign. Under the Statute of Limitations, the deadline
28:52
to seek an indictment against Komi is Tuesday, five years
28:56
from the date of his testimony. Prosecuteaders in the Eastern
29:01
District of Virginia are preparing to present their case to
29:04
a grand jury as early as Thursday, according to four
29:08
people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition
29:11
of anonymity. Because they were not authorized to discuss the
29:15
case publicly, and a effort to indict Comy must be
29:19
approved by at least twelve members of a grand jury,
29:23
the panel could also choose to reject the government's case.
29:27
The matter was investigated in Virginia because Comy testified remotely
29:32
from his home in McLain. Trump last week forced out
29:37
the US Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, Eric S. Cybert,
29:42
after he declined to prosecute Comy. The Washington Post reported
29:47
Trump then installed a White House aid with no prosecutorial experience,
29:53
Lindsey Halligan, as the interim U s Attorney in the
29:56
Virginia office. He also demanded that Attorney General Pam Bondi
30:01
seek criminal charges against Comy and two other perceived political foes,
30:07
New York Attorney General Letitia James, Democrat and Senator Adams Shiff,
30:14
Democrat of California. Prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia
30:19
received the case against Komy shortly after Halligan was sworn
30:23
in Monday. Justice Department spokespeople and an attorney for Comy
30:28
did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump urged
30:34
Bondy and a social media post over the weekend to
30:37
charge Comy, James, and Shift with crimes. We cantaloe any longer.
30:42
It's killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice
30:47
and indicted me five times over. Nothing justice must be
30:51
served now, Trump wrote, Siebert, and those last things were
30:58
in capital over nothing just must be served now, capitalized
31:02
and exclamation points. Siebert, a career prosecutor who has been
31:07
serving as interim US attorneys since January, determined that the
31:12
evidence that Komy made materially false statements was insufficient to
31:16
charge him. The Post previously reported investigators analyzed at least
31:21
two of the former FBI's director's responses to questions from
31:25
Republican senators at the September twenty twenty hearing, According to
31:30
the people familiar with the matter, Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican
31:34
of South Carolina, the panel chairman, asked whether Komi had
31:38
been aware of an investigative referral that went to FBI
31:42
leaders on September the seventh, twenty sixteen, regarding US presidential
31:48
candidate Hillary Clinton's approval of a plan concerning US presidential
31:53
candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering US elections as
31:57
a means of distracting the public from her use of
32:01
a private email server. Comy responded that doesn't ring any
32:06
bells with me, which Graham called stunning. Later in the hearing,
32:12
Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, asked Comy whether he
32:16
had ever authorized leaks to the news media recording the
32:19
Trump and Russia investigation or an investigation into Clinton's email use.
32:26
Comy stood by congressional testimony from twenty seventeen in which
32:30
he stated that he had not. Cruz said Andrew McCabe,
32:35
the FBI's former deputy director, had said Comy authorized one
32:39
sech disclosure in a probe into the Clinton investigations disclosure,
32:46
the Justice Department Inspector General found in twenty eighteen that
32:50
McCabe had lacked candom when he told Komy or made
32:54
statements that led Comy to believe that McCabe had not
32:57
authorized the disclosure and did not know who did. MSNBC
33:03
first reported the plans to present the Komi case to
33:06
a grand jury on Wednesday. The investigations into James and
33:12
Schiff both concerned their involvement and property purchases. James was
33:17
investigated but not charged this year by prosecutors working undeceive
33:22
it after a trumpetdviser who leads the Federal Housing Finance Authority,
33:27
Bill Pulty, accused her of mortgage fraught over a Norfolk
33:31
homb she helped her niece by in twenty twenty three.
33:34
An allegation that Shift lied to a mortgage Linda when
33:37
he purchased a second home in Maryland is being investigated
33:41
by the US Attorney's office in that state. Schiff and
33:45
James have denied the allegations, and their attorneys have provided
33:51
additional documents to the Justice Department that say proved their
33:55
clients did not commit a crime. Russia hits back at
34:02
Trump after his abrupt swing toward Ukraine. Trump's statement that
34:07
Ukraine could retake all of its territory lost to Russia
34:11
with NATO's help was a dramatic change in US rhetoric.
34:15
Speaker 2: On the Wall by.
34:17
Speaker 1: Sabinogrady, Francesca Ebel, Natalia Ava Kimava, Katherine Belton, and Steve Hendrix.
34:27
And there's a picture of the Ukrainian President Vladimir Vladimir
34:32
Zelensky walking to a meeting of President Donald Trump on
34:35
the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New
34:38
York City on Tuesday Kiev. President Donald Trump's abrupt change
34:45
in rhetoric on Ukraine, in which he declared it could
34:49
retake all its territory with help from NATO, was warmly
34:53
welcomed by Kiev and quickly dismissed Wednesday by Moscow, particularly
34:57
his calling the Russian military a paper tiger that had
35:02
been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years. The
35:07
few early reactions trickling out of Moscow on Wednesday demonstrated
35:11
how deeply Trump's unexpected friendly appearance in New York alongside
35:17
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on the sidelines of the UN
35:22
General Assembly becks the Kremlin, which just weeks ago was
35:26
gloating over Russian President Vladimir Putin's warm reception in Alaska.
35:33
Russia is in no way a tiger. Still, Russia is
35:37
more compared with a bear. There are no paper bears,
35:41
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said to local radio on Wednesday.
35:47
Peskov also suggested the motivation behind Trump's push to halt
35:51
European purchases of Russian oil and gas, which are helping
35:55
fund a Russia's war machine, is tied to his desire
35:58
to boost American sales. At a later briefing with reporters,
36:04
Peskov pushed back on Trump's comments that the war is aimless,
36:08
while still thanking Trump for his willingness to promote peace
36:12
and warning that Ukraine was in a dire position. Kiev
36:16
is trying to demonstrate to their sponsors in Europe and
36:22
their handlers that they can fight, but they should not
36:25
forget that with each passing day when the Ukrainian side
36:29
refuses to negotiate, the negotiating position of the Ukrainian side
36:33
will only worsen, Peskov said. The outspoken former Russian president
36:40
Dmitri meddevved marks Trump's new position, saying he had been
36:45
given a dose up alternative reality and note it is
36:50
often changing views at the conflict. I have no doubt
36:54
he will come back. He always comes back. Medvedev wrote
36:59
about Trump on X, adding the main thing is to
37:03
radically change your point of view on various issues more often,
37:06
and everything will be fine. That's the essence of successful
37:10
government through social media. Margaret Samanon, who heads the Russian
37:16
English language state news channel RT, dismissed the US President's
37:21
support fu Zelinsky as that of a carnival huckster. Trump
37:26
debuts as the tarot card reader, telling the thrice divorced
37:31
lady that she's going to meet that billionaire prince after all,
37:35
as long as she buys the magical crystals, she wrote
37:39
on X. European leaders, however, seized on Trump's about face,
37:44
which matches their long stated support for Ukraine's struggle against
37:48
the twenty twenty two full scale Russian invasion. Trump's statements
37:53
on Winnsday acknowledged Russian's inability to make significant ground advances.
37:58
He praised Ukraine's military for holding off the much larger
38:02
Russian army for so long, Trump said on Truth Social
38:09
I think Ukraine, with support of the European Union, is
38:12
in a position to fight and win all of Ukraine
38:15
back in its original form, with time, patience, and the
38:19
financial support of Europe and in particular NATO. The original
38:24
borders from where this war started is very much an option,
38:28
he said. Olav gil, a European Union spokesman, said Wednesday
38:34
that the Block welcomed Trump's engagement, describing it as now
38:38
so strong and meaningful as regards coordinated efforts to try
38:42
to end Russia's aggression. Although Russia has made some small
38:47
gains in recent months, the results of the summer offensive
38:51
were limited. Russia has still failed to take the eastern
38:54
city of Prokrovsk after it's more than a year long
39:00
wes to seize it. When asked on Fox News if
39:03
he thought Trump's position on the war had changed, Zelensky
39:07
replied he believed it had, and that Trump appeared to
39:11
understand that the two countries could not swap territory. God
39:16
bless I really count on this, Zelensky said. In the past,
39:21
Trump had talked about the need for territorial swaps in
39:24
any peace agreement. Zalynsky has toted in recent days a
39:29
small Ukrainian counter offensive in the eastern Dansk region. At
39:33
the same time, Ukraine has lost some territory in other regions,
39:37
including Zaporizia and de prov Petroukovask. Ukrainian Commander in chief
39:45
Oleksandra Sarisky dismissed two commanders responsible for defending those areas.
39:53
We agree Ukrainian is indeed in a position to fight
39:57
and win all the Ukraine back in its original form,
40:02
Jonathan Sevivyov, Secretary General of Estonian's Foreign Ministry, wrote on
40:08
x in response to Trump's assertion that Ukraine could win
40:12
the war, Estonian lawmaker Marco Mickelson, who chairs his parliament's
40:18
Foreign Affairs committee, shared a post from the White House
40:22
that quoted Trump describing Zelensky as a brave man who
40:26
is putting up one hell of a fight. The post
40:30
included an image of Zolensky laughing next to Trump on Tuesday,
40:34
a stunning contrast to Trump and Vice President j. D
40:37
Vance's dressing down of Zelensky in the Oval Office in February.
40:43
Incredible turnaround. Now actions should follow, Michelson wrote, Zelensky's chief
40:50
of staff andre Yermack tweeted a bicep emoji in response
40:55
to the White House's post. After Trump said he believed
41:00
NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft that violate their airspace,
41:05
Bickolson posted got it. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski wrote
41:13
Roger that Russian jets violated Estonia's airspace last week, and
41:20
Poland shot down several Russian drones that flew into the
41:23
territory by way of Belarus and Ukraine the week before,
41:27
in what NATO countries have described as intentional ravocations intended
41:33
to test the alliance. Titanya stania Vaya, a senior fellow
41:39
at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said Trump's comments on
41:44
Tuesday were recognition that Russia has been unable to transform
41:49
this year's summer offensive into any real strategic breakthrough, while
41:53
its economy was becoming rough with a foggy outlook ahead
41:59
as a result of sanctions and Putin's wartime spenting splurge.
42:03
A dark stark contrast to the widely held belief at
42:07
the beginning of the year that Russia had the upper hand,
42:13
Plenty of folks privately thought Ukraine was toast, Sanyabaya wrote
42:19
in a post on X months later, and we're stuck
42:23
in the same spot. Russia hasn't turned its tactical military
42:27
edge into any strategic breakthrough. Sten now Baya said, Putin's
42:33
demands for a regime more friendly to Russia in Kiev,
42:38
a drastically downside to army, and guarantees against NATO expansion
42:43
we're no nearer to being met. And even if Ukraine
42:46
collapsed on its own, the ensuing chaos would be unlikely
42:50
to enable Putin to achieve his goals. That's Putin's big
42:56
strategic blunder. He truly believes Ukraine will end end up
43:00
in his pocket eventually. What's scary here's the risk of
43:04
a sharp escalation in fighting. Ukraine isn't cracking. Trump's no
43:10
longer an ally, so what's left double down.
43:13
Speaker 2: On the war machine, she said.
43:17
Speaker 1: In his briefing, Pskov defended the state of the Russian economy,
43:21
arguing that despite sweeping international sanctions, Russia still absolutely remains
43:27
it retains its stability, but in the further sign of
43:33
its economic troubles, the Finance Ministry on Wednesday announced that
43:37
authorities will increase sales tax rate from twenty to twenty
43:40
two percent, the first increase since twenty nineteen. This follows
43:46
tax heights at the start of the year, despite instructions
43:50
from Putin last year that authorities would not raise taxes
43:54
again until twenty thirty. Growth this year is expected to
43:58
be around one percent. Europe can also at least take
44:02
heart that the president now seems to clearly recognize Russia's
44:06
actions as central to the stalled efforts to reach a
44:09
cease fire, According to Neil Melboyn, the Director of International
44:14
Security at the Royal United States Institute in London, a
44:18
think tank, but Trump's latest pronouncement did not indicate any
44:24
new political, economic, or military commitments to Ukraine, and there
44:28
is little lasting comfort to be had for Kiev's allies
44:32
given the possibility that he could switch again. There remains
44:37
a sense that the US president is one phone call
44:41
from the Kremlin away from pivoting to a different position
44:45
if he sees the opportunity for a peace deal that
44:48
would lead to recognition of his role as a peacemaker
44:52
deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize.
44:55
Speaker 2: Melbourne said. Going into page.
45:01
Speaker 1: Next front page, Trump administration as usaid money to advance
45:07
America First goals. A State Department plan to reallocate almost
45:12
two billion dollars in foreign aid marks the latest challenge
45:16
to the authority of Congress over spending by Noah Robertson.
45:21
The Trump administration in its latest challenge to Congress's authority
45:26
over federal spending, and tends to shift almost two billion
45:30
dollars in US foreign aid toward a slate of priorities
45:34
aimed largely at advancing the President's America First agendum. The plan,
45:40
which has not been reported previously, was outlined for lawmakers
45:45
in the document the State Department sent to Capitol Hill
45:48
on September twelve and later reviewed by The Washington Post.
45:52
It represents a dramatic rebranding of Washington's approach to foreign
45:56
assistance after the Trump administration's dismantling of the US Agency
46:01
for International Development USAIDID this year. Over ten pages, the
46:08
document explains how the administration will direct the money totally
46:13
one point eight billion dollars, it says, towards vague initiatives abroad,
46:18
such as countering Marxist anti American regimes in Latin America
46:23
and pursuing investments in Greenland and Ukraine. It also lists
46:28
projects defunded by the administration, including one hundred and seventy
46:31
five million dollars meant for the West Bank and Gaza
46:35
and one hundred and fifty million dollars for Iraq. The
46:40
national security interests of the United States, the document states
46:45
require that the United States utilize these foreign assistant funds
46:49
to meet new challenges in ways that make America safer, stronger,
46:54
or more prosperous. The plan would mark the administration's most
46:58
elaborate attempts so far to redefine the role of American
47:04
foreign aid, ending longtime Republican and democratic orthodoxy that has
47:09
maintained United States benefits from supporting other countries through helping
47:15
to treat and secure diseases, ending famines, and promoting democracy. Instead,
47:22
the Trump administration has pursued an narrower and more transactional approach,
47:27
pursuing negotiated deals rather than providing hand oats. Some of
47:32
the funding highlighted in the plan would go toward projects
47:36
that appear to have bipartisan support, from promoting US allies
47:41
and partners in the Pacific, where China's territorial ambitions have
47:46
troubled Republicans and Democrats alike to helping maintain peace between
47:51
Azerbaijan and Armenia in Central Asia. Still, congressional aids from
47:58
both parties have raised concern with the administration's move, with
48:02
some saying its priorities were unclear and that its plans
48:06
to reallocate funds lawmakers already designated for other initiatives relies
48:12
on dubious legal reasoning. At the same time, the Republican
48:17
majorities in the House and Senate have done little so
48:20
far to halt the administration's blitz to restructure the federal
48:24
government and seize authority that usually belongs to the lawmakers.
48:29
In a statement to the Post, Senators Jean Shahine of
48:35
New Hampshire, the Senate Foreign Relation Committee's top Democrat, accused
48:40
the Trumpe administration of attempting to raid programs that Congress
48:45
has authorized and appropriated to strengthen democracy, advance peace, and
48:50
support vulnerable communities, and instead funnel that money into unaccountable
48:55
slush fund. Representatives for her Republican counterpart sended the James E.
49:01
Reach of Idaho. The committee's sub committee's chairman declined to comment,
49:08
but a separate Republican Congressional Aid pushed back on Cheyenne's description,
49:14
arguing that the State Department had pardoned with Congress on
49:17
the transfer and that the notice was standard procedure. Highs
49:21
Republicans are in full support of states commitment to spending
49:26
these funds in the more responsible ways, specifically for programs
49:30
that support US national security interest, the aide said in
49:34
a statement. The State Department did not respond to rare
49:38
request for comment. Administration officials have seized control over parts
49:44
of the federal budget and at times refused to spend
49:47
money lawmakers passed into law. Its blueprint for these foreign
49:52
assistant initiatives marks the latest escalation in that effort. It
49:58
is not unusual for administration to ask lawmakers for permission
50:02
to move money toward the end of the physical year
50:05
September thirtieth, but two Congressional aids, speaking on the condition
50:09
of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, described the seeds
50:14
of this request as far large in the normal One
50:17
called it unprecedented, and by submitting the list only weeks
50:22
before the physical year ends, the administration is forcing lawmakers
50:26
to make a difficult choice. They could accept the plan
50:30
in risk undermining, Congresses say over federal spending, or they
50:34
could try to fight and risk the money disappearing when
50:37
the clock runs out. I don't think anybody wants to
50:41
see the money expire, particularly given the immense foreign assistance
50:45
cuts that have already taken place, the one Democratic aid said.
50:51
In August, the Trump administration noted fat lawmakers that it
50:55
did not intend to spend almost fifteen billion dollars or
50:59
almost five billion dollars of the foreign aid money, drawing
51:04
blowback from Democrats and some Republicans, who said such a
51:07
maneuver trampled on their authority. Any effort to rescind appropriated
51:12
funds without congressional approvals a clear violation of the law.
51:17
Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee,
51:22
said at the time the administration had been reviewing the
51:27
one point eight billion dollars included in this new plan
51:31
before giving approval to spend the money. The second Congressional
51:35
aid said the State Department then rushed to build a
51:40
program around the funding to prevent it from expiring. In
51:45
conversations with the State Department, the congressional aide said they
51:49
have pressed the administration to provide more detail on the
51:53
new list of projects, in particular the money slated for
51:56
supporting US immigration priorities in Africa and economic development and
52:03
conservation work in Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory Trump has
52:09
repeatedly valued diseased. State Department officials have promised to provide
52:15
more clarity later on that aid said and the last article.
52:21
Trump unveils wall of presidents with an autop Panton standing
52:27
in for Biden. A White House official said that all
52:31
presidents are featured displayed in chronological order, starting with George
52:36
Washington and going up to Trump. President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
52:41
This is by Matt Bisa. President Donald Trump on Wednesday
52:47
unveiled a new portrait series at the White House featuring
52:51
black and white photos of him and his predecessors save one.
52:56
The frame for Joe Biden includes a photo not of
52:59
the sixth president, but of an autopen. The display, which
53:05
Trumps called the Presidential Wall of Fame, lines the West
53:10
Wing Colinade with images burned by thick golden frames, and
53:16
you see it along the wall of the West Wing
53:19
Colonnade in front of the former Rose Garden in other
53:24
presidents other presidents. Trump has criticized spile from the display
53:29
in photos and videos released by the White House which
53:33
feature the autopin and Biden's frame with the googly eyes emoji,
53:39
and he is in there, all in the same golden frames,
53:43
and there are two pictures of Trump with Biden in
53:47
between of the autopen.
53:49
Speaker 2: In between you see a picture.
53:53
Speaker 1: Of Trump walking by the photographs with the military aid
53:58
beside him. A White House official said that all presidents
54:02
are featured displayed in chronicle order chronological order, starting with
54:07
George Washington going up to Trump. The project is managed
54:11
by the White House curators, according to the official, and
54:14
Trump chose all the photos himself. Trump first mentioned the
54:18
idea last month during an interview with The Daily Call,
54:22
saying he took some inspiration from a wall of president
54:25
or portraits at the Washington Hilton. Trump has often ridiculed
54:29
Biden for his use of an autopen, a machine that
54:33
uses real link to duplicate a human signature, and has
54:36
called for investigations into its use, and suggested that Biden's
54:40
aides used it to have a president who was not
54:44
cognitively capable of signing a document himself. Presidents have long
54:50
used auto pins to sign executive orders, and Trump has
54:54
said that he also has used it for routine correspondence.
54:58
Biden has said that whenever an O was used on
55:01
official documents, it was done with his authorization. Biden's office
55:06
did not immediately come in. The series is the latest
55:11
cosmetic change that Trump is made to the White House,
55:14
rearranging portraits inside the White House, sprinkling golden items throughout
55:19
the old Oval Office, and planning an expansive ballroom in
55:24
the East wing. The gallery sits next to the rose
55:27
garden that the President has remade a lad and here's
55:33
the last article. CDC warns of surge and dangerous highly
55:38
antibiotic resistance bacteria. The agency said infections from n dm
55:46
CRE bacteria, which are resistant to some of the strongest
55:51
antibiotics available, are very hard to treat and can be
55:54
deadly by Andrew Young. Infections from dangerous bacteria that are
55:59
resistant to some of the strongest antibiotics available have served
56:04
in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and
56:07
Prevention said Tuesday, citing a CDC study published Tuesday. The
56:13
agency said in a news release that infections from ndm
56:18
CRE bacteria rose by more than four hundred and sixty
56:21
percent in the US between twenty nineteen and twenty twenty three.
56:26
These infections, including pneumonia, bloodstream infections, urinary track infections, and
56:32
wound infections, are extremely hard to treat and can be deadly.
56:37
Speaker 2: The CDC said.
56:39
Speaker 1: In DMCRE a part of a group of bacteria known
56:42
as Carba pennum resistant enter bacterials or CRE, which caused
56:50
around one thousand deaths in the US every year from
56:53
twenty seventeen to nineteen, according to a twenty twenty two
56:57
CDC report. NDM refers to an enzyme that makes the
57:03
bacteria resistant to nearly all available antibiotics, leaving feutreat options.
57:10
The agency said Tuesday, the increasing cases poses a serious
57:15
risk for patients because in DM sieri can spread quickly
57:20
and are associated with high rates of mortality. The CDC
57:24
said a single case generates alarm among infectious disease specialists,
57:30
and we have cause to be deeply concerned about this
57:32
directory trajectory, said Susan s Wan, a professor of infectious
57:37
diseases at the University of California at Irvine School of
57:41
Medicine who has researched highly antibiotic resistant organisms, said of
57:46
the CDC report, lives will be lost, she said.
57:51
Speaker 2: In an interview over email. And with that I conclude
57:55
the day's reading of.
57:56
Speaker 1: The Washington Post for September the twenty fifth of twenty twenty.
58:01
I hope you enjoyed some of the rain that we
58:04
have had. We've sure needed it. Stay dry, but pray
58:09
for more.
58:10
Speaker 2: Have a good day, and I'll be back on Saturday. Bye.