Transcript

5.9.26 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of Today's Washington Post of Saturday,
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May the ninth of twenty twenty six. Your reader is
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Alistainer with the reminder that radio eyes for those that
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are blind or with other difficulties holding a reading printed material.
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And I will start with the front page of Today's
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Washington Post.
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Speaker 2: On the far left.
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Speaker 1: FDA leader marked for ooster in shakeup. Agency has seen
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a wave of senior staff departures and faced rising scrutiny
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by Dan Diamond and Rachel Rubin. One that particularly is
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interesting to me voter passed Virginia map overturned Democrats were
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poised to gain four seats State High Court says referendum
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violated constitution by Gregory Schneider and Patrick Marley. And out
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of Richmond, my home city. And then below that is
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a picture and it is taken from inside a cruise
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ship with picture of five people went to three four,
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five people visible through the window and most of them
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are holding binoculars looking out at sea, and it says
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Spain readies for evacuations. Passengers on the hantavirus hit cruise
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ship h M Hondius scan the horizon Wednesday. The vessel
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is set to arrive Sunday at the Spanish island of Teneriffe,
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and passengers will be taken to a completely isolated area.
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They have had deaths aboard that ship from the disease
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ants to the right of that and on the right
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hand side of the front page, share of men in
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US label force at New low Down would turn deep
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in slide as male dominated industries shared jobs by Lauren
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Corey Gurley and Frederica Coco. Underneath the FDA article to
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the left, first batch of UFO files released to public.
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Trump tells Americans to hafan with declassified documents by Dan Diamond.
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And then to the right of that, and below the
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picture Rubio's more embrace in Rome offers a contrast by
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Adam Taylor of Rome. And below that is a picture
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of a tiny airport devastated by Spirit's demise. And there
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are two pictures in a room with boxes and computers.
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Speaker 2: And on the wall.
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Speaker 1: Latrobe voted best Spirit station and it's got the yellow
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and black Spirit logo and airplane on that big wall.
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Tiny airport devastated by Spirit's demise. Cindy Reid and Yakara
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woodland workers at the Arnold Palmer regional airport pack up Thursday,
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after the Pennsylvania Airport suddenly lost all its commercial traffic
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and to the right of that Musk confidant central to
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open AI court battle, Shivon Zillis mob up of four
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of his children, opens up about her role by Elizabeth Drooskin,
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Garrett Devinick and says sidiqui out of Oakland, California.
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Speaker 2: We'll start with.
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Speaker 1: Why young and old men are leaving the labor force
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at record rates. The share of American men working or
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searching for a job recently hit the lowest level since
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nineteen forty eight, aside from the pandemic, Labor Department data shows.
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And then there is a picture of two men walking,
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but you do.
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Speaker 2: Not see them. You simply see.
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Speaker 1: Their shadows as they are walking on a sidewalk in Manhattan.
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This is by Lauren Caorre Gurley and Frederica Coco. The
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share of American men in the label force reached a
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record low this spring, fueled by baby boomer retirees and
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young men who are dropping out to study are because
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they are dissa or sick. The only time it has
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been lower was during the first two months of the
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coronavirus pandemic in twenty twenty. Label Department data released Friday
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showed that one in three American men were not working
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or looking for a job in April. The labor market
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has weakened since early twenty twenty five, with most job
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opportunities concentrated in areas typically dominated by women, including healthcare
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and private education. At the same time, several male dominated industries,
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including manufacturing, transportation, and mining, have shed jobs, leaving a
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mismatch between typical skill sets and job opportunities for men.
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It's not all retirement and education dot dot dot. There
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are guys just slopping off the planet. They're not looking
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after their kids, they're not in school, they're not in
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the labor force, said Betsy Stevenson, a professor of economics
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at the University of Michigan, adding, across the board, when
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we look at men, we see challenges that they face
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that leave too many men disconnected. The downward turn in
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twenty twenty six deepens a decade's long slide for men's
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participation in the workforce. Among men sixteen years and older,
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sixty seven percent we're working or looking for a job
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in April, down from seventy three point five percent two
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decades earlier. For years, men in their prime working years,
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ages twenty five through fifty four contributed steadily to the decline,
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but this more recent drop is being peeled about older
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men who are retiring and younger men who are disabled
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or in school, reasons that economists point out are not
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all causes for concern. In March last year, Marc o'dolan,
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fifty seven, of Rockville, Maryland, resigned from his civil service
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job because of the Trump administration's overhaul of the federal government.
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He was distraught by the dismantling of his foreign age work,
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plus he qualified for supplemental income because of his age.
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A year later, Dolan has reignited old friendships, gotten into
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better shape, and cares for his disabled daughter, he said,
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but he remains unemployed and uncertain about future work. I
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don't see myself as retired, but I find it hard
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to pivot, Dolan said. Maybe I can teach. I'm coming
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around that, but I was numb for a long time.
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I really believed in what I did. The disappearance of
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men from the workforce has raised red flags for some
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economists and policymakers a variety of headwinds. That is immigration, restrictions,
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aging and low birth rates are rapidly narrowing the availability
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of workers in the US, which could dampen future consumer spending,
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tax revenue, and economic growth.
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Speaker 2: They say.
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Speaker 1: Men's participation in the workforce also fueled anxiety among policymakers
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and politicians across the political spectrum, from Vice President JD.
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Vance to California government cabin Newsom. In March, Newsom, a Democrat,
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convened national leaders in Sacramento two tackle rising loneliness, disconnection,
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and lack of opportunity among boys and young men men.
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The Trump administration in particular, has toted its work to
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create jobs for US born workers. President Donald Trump and
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his entire administration are focused on unleashing economic opportunity for
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every American. Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman, said in
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response to a request for comment men's declining participation, adding
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thanks to the President's proven economic policies, prime age male
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labor force participation and employment are both stronger now than
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under Biden. A White House official also said that participation
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of men ages twenty five to sixty four in the
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workforce is at nearly ninety percent and that unemployment for
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men remains low.
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Speaker 2: And stable.
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Speaker 1: Men who are out of the workforce are increasingly likely
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to have never married and delivered their parents. A Washington
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Post analysis of current population survey data found it's much
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more than a dollars and cents issue. Work is a
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service to others that helps to complete you. When you're
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disconnected from work, when you're disconnected from a family, when
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you're disconnected from faith, when you're disconnected from your community,
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people tend to suffer, said Nicholas Eberstadt, the conservative author
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of Men Without Work. The share of men without college
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degrees who are not in the labor force has edged
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up over the past few years. The Post analysis showed
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Andy Breedlove, fifty one, of Griffithville, West Virginia, didn't go
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to college and last year worked as a manager at
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a station. In twenty eighteen, a bone condition made it
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too difficult to stand on his feet for hours, pulling
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him out of work. He now lives with and cares
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for his elderly mother on a nine hundred and ninety
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eight dollars per month in government assistance. If me and
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my mom weren't living together, I would have a really
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hard time living a life. But I'd much rather be working.
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I'd make a lot more money, said Breedlove. The broader
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shift toward a service based economy has also hurt men.
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Economists say between January twenty twenty five and March twenty
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twenty six, the US economy created three hundred and sixty
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nine thousand jobs, of which ninety four percent went to
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women and six percent went to men. An analysis a
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Bureau of Labor Statistics data by the University of Michigan
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Stevenson shows that's partly because new jobs added to the
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economy during that period were in healthcare or private education.
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Men often shy away from jobs in those industries because
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of their lower pay and status, economists said. In Dallas,
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Christopher Roberts, forty one, has applied for more than one
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hundred and fifty truck jobbing jobs since getting his commercial
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driver's license in March, but after disclosing that he is
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on probation for a drug related offense, all prospective employers
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have turned him down. Several weeks ago, Roberts gave up,
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looking it's either I don't have the experience or it's
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my background, Roberts said, How am I going to get
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the experience if no one is going to give me
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a shot. It's just been real mind boggling. Even though
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baby boomer men are more likely than past generation to
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work into their sixties and seventies out of financial necessity,
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millions are hitting retirement age as the youth population shrinks,
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boosting the share of Americans who are retired. Other boomers
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are in good shape to retire early, thanks in part
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to long term investments that have paid off. John Eckert,
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sixty three, sold his insurance business in Taylorsville, North Carolina,
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last year, retiring early after working since high school. His
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social security and stock market investments, as well as his
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wife's robust pension and health care plan, allowed him to
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retire early, said Eckert, who described himself as burned out
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after decades of work in insurance and retail. With these
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pots of money, we have enough surplus to keep saving money,
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said Eckert, who is planning a vacation to Alaska with
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his wife for next year. Don Warren, sixty six, retired
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early after more than four decades working at a plastic
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bag manufacturing company in Indiana. He said, as a plant manager,
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he got fed up with constant labor shortages after the
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pandemic and tapped into his social security early. Warren now
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spends his days golfing, fishing, and maintaining his thirty acre
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property forty minutes outside Indianapolis. I'm pretty happy, he said.
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Over the next eight years, workforce participation of men ages
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twenty to twenty four is projected to fall by four
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point seven percentage points, and Anne Nowgian, an economist at
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the Indeed Hiring Lab, that dip would be due to
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a shrinking youth population and job growth that it is
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concentrated in industries typically dominated by women. Cordell Loll, twenty five,
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of Sailorsburg, Pennsylvania, has never worked due to a chronic
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stomach condition and mental health issues.
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Speaker 2: He said.
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Speaker 1: Instead, he spends his days playing video games and taking
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care of his health, living off mega monthly disability checks.
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I have a lot of trouble going to day to
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day's stuffs sometimes told, said Lowell said, so the thought
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of working seems very impossible. White House prepares to replace
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FDA leader Marty Mockery amid agency turmoil. FDA Commissioner Marty
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Mockery has faced criticism over his leadership of the agency
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that oversees vaccine and drug approvals. By Dan Diamond and
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Rachel Rubin. White House officials have signed off on a
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plan to replace Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Marcury
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after months of turmoil at the agency and the criticism
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of some of his decisions. According to two individuals who
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spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal operations,
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the FDA has seen a wave of senior staff departures
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and faced scrutiny from pharmaceutical industry groups, anti abortion advocates,
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and at times former FDA commissioners Sence Marckery was installed
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as the agency's leader last year. White House and senior
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health officials have spent months discussing whether to reduce Marckery's
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responsibilities or to replace him altogether. The individuals said, the
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decisions with President Donald Trump as to Wednesday evening. About
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reports of Marckery's ooster, Trump disclaimed responsibility. I've been reading
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about it, but I know nothing about it. The President
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told reporters Markery's or Macurey's departure would be accompanied by
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a broader changes to the FDA. After senior administration officials
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assessed the agency in recent months and identified opportunities for
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more efficient operations. The individuals said they did not specify
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the scope of those expected changes, and they cautioned that
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the White House's timing and plans could shift, noting that
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Trump has previously reversed staffing decisions before they were publicly announced.
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Administration officials have not settled on an acting leader for
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the FDA, people said. The Department of Health and Human
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Services and Mockery did not respond to request for comment Friday.
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The White House on Friday afternoon.
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Speaker 2: Did not respond to questions.
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Speaker 1: About Mockery or broader changes to the FDA. A spokesman
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instead toted the president's record. Spokesman Cash Decie said in
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a statement, President Trump has assembled the most experienced and
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talented administration in history, and administration that continues to focus
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on delivering more historic victories for the American people. The
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Wall Street Journal first recorded the White House's plan to
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replace Macri. The ouster of Macre would be the latest
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shake up at the Department of Health and Human Services,
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with the President increasingly switching out deputies selected by the
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Secretary Health or Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And
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reply them with more conventional choices. Trump last month named
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former Deputy US Surgeon General Erika Schwarz to helm the
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, his third pick to
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run that agency charged with offering public health guidance to Americans.
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The White House last year pulled the nomination of David Weldon,
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a former congressman known for his anti vaccine views and
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Kennedy's first choice to lead the CDC, and pushed out
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Susan Manrez, the administration's second choice, after she clashed with Kennedy.
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Trump last week also unknownced Nicole Seyfield, a long time
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Fox News contributor and radiologist, as his third choice to
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serve as US Surgeon General, and pulled the nomination of
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Casey Means, a health products entrepreneur and popular online personality.
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Speaker 2: Means, who left.
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Speaker 1: The medical establishment in her final year of residency, had
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been championed by some of Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again supporters.
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The White House last year with due the nomination of
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Janette Nishwat, the president's first pick to serve as surgeon General.
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The White House in February also elevated Chris Klomp, a
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longtime health care entrepreneur, to serve as Kennedy's top deputy,
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part of a broader attempt to stabilize the health agency's
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ahead of this falls mid term elections. There are several
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senior vacancies at the FDA, including an acting chief of
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both the Vaccine and Drug Centers. Sarah Brenner, who served
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as acting FDA Commissioner once Trump took office and then
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became the number two agency official, was already moving roles
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to become an HAI as Senior Councilor for Public Health.
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She was slated to have a congratulations and well wishes
21:07
party at the agency Friday, according to an invite obtained.
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Speaker 2: By The Washington Post.
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Speaker 1: Mackery, a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine surgeon and
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former Fox News contributor, came to the White House's attention
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in the first Trump administration and supported its work on
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price parency transparency. He rose to further prominence by criticizing
21:34
the medical establishment amid the coronavirus pandemic. FDA has lost
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the trust of Americans and has lost sight of its
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primary goal as a regulator. Trump said in annunci Mackray
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for his role in November of twenty twenty four, adding
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the agency needs doctor Marty Mackery a highly respected Johns
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Hopkins surgical on college and health policy expert, to course
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correct and refocus the agency. The Senate confirmed mickra in
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March of twenty twenty five to lead the FDA, with
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three Democrats joining Republicans in the fifty six forty four vote,
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a rare instance of bipartisan support for a top Trump
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health pick. Macery has elevated some initiatives key to Kennedy's
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Make America Healthy Again movement, such as pushing companies to
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rid the food supply of artificial dies and working on
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a plan to tighten a decade's old loophole allowing food
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companies to put chemicals in their products without notifying the
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nation's food regulators. He has recently toted his record, and
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his supporters say he is a leader who challenges the
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status quo. But Mockery drew the ire of industry and
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the medical community after the agency's sidelined approvals of drugs
23:00
for skin cancer and Huntington's disease. Micery called criticism over
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the rejections corporate spin in an interview Tuesday with CNBC.
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If your drug works, it's going to get approved. Do
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you throw science out the window? Do whatever the media
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tells you to do, or whatever the lobbyist and corporate
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interests tell you to do, or do you do what's right,
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Mockery said. During Micrey's tenure, the FDA later a stricter
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approach for vaccine approvals that public health experts have pushed
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back against. Vinet Prosad, a top FDA official and key
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micury Allah, laid out the change in an internal email
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that was leaked. Prosad, who's nearly year long tenure as
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top vaccine regulator was controversial, has since left the agency.
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Last year, Mickery launched a program aimed at expediting a
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certain drug review decisions, which has been part of Trump's
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push for lower drug prices and efforts to boost domestic
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manufacturing programs. Richard Preisder, a longtime FDA official, questioned the
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legality and pace of Mackrey's plans to significantly shorten review
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times for some drugs. He decided to retire last year,
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three weeks after taking on the role as the nation's
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top drug regulator. A pharmaceutical executive who spoke on the
24:31
condition of and inimnity to speak candidly about sensitive matters,
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said the industry has opposed some of Marcrey's moves but
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supported others. He's the devil we've gotten to note, the
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executive said, adding that a change at the top FDA
24:50
slot now would be disruptive. Meanwhile, Mackrey has faced heat
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from anti abortion leaders and some Republican senators who have
25:00
sought more restrictions on the abortion mill. MiFi Prestan mif Preston.
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As commissioner, Mercury helped block an effort by a federal
25:12
vaccine panel to potentially stop recommending COVID nineteen m RNA shots.
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Officials with the FDA, which is charged with the proving vaccines,
25:24
could have interpreted the panel's proposal as a push to
25:28
remove the vaccines from the market. Macri opposed the plan,
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which did not move forward, According to two people familiar
25:36
with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity
25:39
to describe internal discussions. A head of the midterm elections,
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Trump administration officials have been downplaying their overhaul of vaccine policy,
25:52
including a sweeping and controversial reduction of the childhood vaccine schedule,
25:58
and instead toting their work on food and drug pricing.
26:02
It comes as Republican posters have warned vaccine skepticism is
26:08
politically risky. Rubio charms in Rome, but he says Trump's
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verbal attacks may continue. The Secretary of State held warm
26:22
meetings with Prime Minister Giorgio Maloney and Pope Leo the
26:26
Fourteenth after the President's repeated criticism of both leaders by
26:32
Adam Taylor.
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Speaker 2: Rome.
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Speaker 1: Secretary of State Marco Rubio presented a more diplomatic side
26:41
of the Trump administration in meetings this week with Italy's
26:45
premier and the leader of the Catholic Church, but he
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offered no promises that the ammity would last. As Ribio
26:54
told reporters Friday afternoon as he prepared to depart the
26:58
Italian capital, President Donald Trump may well continue his harsh
27:03
public criticisms of Prime Minister Georgier Malony or Pope Leo
27:09
the fourteenth, the first US born pontiff, if they do
27:13
not align with his views on Iran and other issues.
27:18
The President will always speak clearly about how he feels
27:22
about the US and US policy, Ribio said when asked
27:26
by reporters here if he would advise Trump to limit
27:30
his verbal attacks, adding that the President of the United
27:35
States is always going to act on what's in the
27:37
best interest of the United States. The remarks were a
27:42
dose of hard realism as the Secretary closed out a
27:46
trip portrayed by the State Department in warm collegial terms
27:50
and widely viewed in Italian media as an attempt by
27:54
Washington to mendize after Trump in recent weeks granted both
27:59
Malone and Leo as weak after they distanced themselves from
28:04
his war on Iran. Ribio, a practicing Catholic, had brought
28:10
his wife to Thursday's meeting at the Vatican along with
28:13
several longtime staffers and ser Gerald Gore, Trump's ambassador to
28:18
India and a personal friend of the Secretary's.
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Speaker 2: Ribio gifted Leo.
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Speaker 1: A crystal football engraved with the State Department's logo, while
28:28
the Pope gave the Secretary a pin made from an
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olive branch, which he noted was the plant of peace.
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Maloney on Friday presented Ribio with a more unusual gift,
28:41
proof of his family's Italian origins. Rubio received the documentation
28:47
at Italy's Foreign Ministry under the supervision of Foreign Minister
28:51
Antonio Tajani.
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Speaker 2: The honor, Italian.
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Speaker 1: Official said was recognition of Rubio's family history tied to
29:00
Piedmont in the country's northwest. As State Department official, speaking
29:07
on the condition of ammaninity to brief the news media,
29:12
said that the document did not confer Italian citizenship, either
29:17
honorary or legal. In a ceremony, Tijani Piedmont Region president
29:24
alberto's Siroi and Mayor of Cassalmont Monferrato Emmanuel Cappra, presented
29:34
Ribio with the family tree of his Italian origins and
29:38
documents from the research they conducted in the municipal and
29:42
church archives that certified his Italian family history. The State
29:48
department official said Rubio also received gifts from Piedmont. In
29:54
brief remarks, Rubio said it was a true honor to
29:58
receive the documentation that visiting Piedmont would be one more
30:02
reason to be back in Italy. Rubio added that he
30:06
would give a speech in Italian next time he is
30:09
in the country. I need to learn a third language,
30:15
said Rubio. Italian would be by far the easiest one,
30:20
he said, as he already speaks Spanish. Maloney, a member
30:25
of Italy's political right, had been seen as a rare
30:28
European leader who could maintain close ties to Trump, but
30:33
the political and economic fallout from the war against Iran
30:36
and Trump's criticism of Pope Leo prompted her to distance
30:40
herself from the US administration. Trump has unknownced plans to
30:45
withdraw some of US troops from Germany in the next year,
30:50
and suggested he would or could do the same in
30:53
Italy and Spain.
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Speaker 2: This week.
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Speaker 1: He also repeated his threat to raise tariffs on European
31:00
made cars, a favorite cudgel Maloni. Maloney and other Italian officials,
31:08
including Tajani, had stepped up in support of Leo after
31:12
Trump repeatedly attacked the Chicago born leader of the world's
31:17
one point four billion Catholics, claiming this week that the
31:21
Pontiff's foreign policy views were endangering Catholics and a lot
31:26
of people. Ribio projected a different tone than the President
31:31
and others, including Vice President J. D. Vance, who is
31:34
also a Catholic, telling reporters Friday that the Chicago Leo
31:40
is a spiritual leader first and foremost, and noting the
31:45
role he plays connecting with Christian communities in places like Africa.
31:50
Ribio pointed to the direct US Vatican role in Cuba,
31:54
where American humanitarian assistance is distributed by a Catholic organization.
32:00
He said that six million dollars in aid was distributed
32:05
last year after the island was hit by Hurricane Melissa,
32:09
and that Cuban authorities had rebuffed a proposal by the
32:12
administration to send one hundred million dollars to the island,
32:16
which is currently under a US energy embargo. In other
32:21
issues or on other issues, Rubio declined to offer details.
32:26
He did not directly respond when asked about any discussions
32:30
about US troop withdrawals from Italy, stating that he had
32:34
not discussed any specifics with Maloney. That's a decision for
32:39
the President to make, Rubio said. The top US diplomat
32:45
also said that the Trump administration was waiting for a
32:49
response from Tehran that he hoped would put us into
32:53
a serious process of negotiation to end the conflict with Iran.
32:58
Asked if he had made managed to bridge differences on
33:01
Iran with Malaney and the Pope, Ribio said he wasn't sure,
33:06
but emphasized that he believed everyone agreed Iran should not
33:09
have nuclear weapons. The President's perspective is clear. He thinks
33:15
that Iran is a threat and it needed and needs
33:19
to be addressed, Rubio added. Virginia's High Court strikes down
33:27
voter passed House map favoring Democrats. The finding is a
33:33
major setback for Democrats in their effort to counter gop
33:37
led districting in other states. The measure, approved April twenty
33:43
first gave Democrats an edge in four districts by Gregory
33:48
Schnader and Patrick Marley out of Richmond. The Supreme Court
33:53
of Virginia has invalidated the referendum that would have given
33:57
Democrats four extra seats in the US, a major win
34:01
for Republicans who started a national redistricting war to maintain
34:06
control of the chamber. Virginia Court ruled that the General
34:11
Assembly violated the state constitution and establishing the ballot measure
34:16
approved April twenty first by a slim majority of voters.
34:21
A four to three majority of the court ruled the
34:23
legislature had improperly improperly submitted the referendum to voters, rendering
34:29
the results null and void. The court restored the pre
34:35
referendum map that was adopted in twenty twenty one, which
34:39
produced a current slate of six Democrats and five Republicans
34:43
representing Virginia in the House. The decision the gates a
34:48
bruising election battle that saw Democrats spend more than sixty
34:51
four million dollars to persuade Virginians to draw new maps,
34:57
casting the state as the key to winning a blue
34:59
hose majority and slamming the brakes on the administration of
35:03
President Donald Trump. Now, the party faces a catastrophic situation
35:08
where the electoral playing field is tilted against them nationally,
35:13
even if voters mound an anti mag of rebellion. This November,
35:18
National Republicans secured their advantage by changing district lines to
35:22
give themselves an edge in flipping fourteen seats across six states,
35:27
and they may pick up as many as four more
35:30
as several Southern states moved to redraw their maps after
35:34
a favorable US Supreme Court ruling, California voters passed a
35:38
ballot measure giving Democrats the edge in flipping five seats,
35:42
and a court ruling in Utah helps the party win
35:45
another Today is a deeply troubling moment for Virginia, the nation,
35:51
and our entire democracy. Virginians for Fair Elections, the Democratic
35:57
group that organized the redistricting effort, said in a statement
36:01
It comes in a moment when voting rights are already
36:04
imperiled nationwide, when the US Supreme Court is weakening voter
36:08
protections and MACCA politicians and other states are drawing maps
36:13
without any public input at all. Governor Abigail Spanberger, Democrat,
36:19
who was a reluctant convert to the redistricting crusade, said
36:24
in his statement that she was disappointed in the ruling,
36:27
but that my focus as governor will be on ensuring
36:30
that all voters had the information necessary to make their
36:34
voices heard this November in the midterm elections, because in
36:38
those elections, we the voters will have the final say.
36:43
One of the major groups opposing the effort, led by
36:46
former state Attorney General, Jason S. Miraris, a Republican, hailed
36:52
the decision as a triumph over this shameful, deceptive rhetorican
36:56
language of an unconstitutional effort by Virginia a Ric Richmond
37:00
Democrats to carve up the state for themselves. We thanked
37:04
the justices for their swift action to uphold the rights
37:07
of our fellow Virginians.
37:08
Speaker 2: All across the commonwealth.
37:11
Speaker 1: Representative John McGuire, Republican of Virginia, whose bright red district
37:17
in central Virginia would have put blushed Blue under the
37:21
proposed maps, held the outcome, and credited rural voters for
37:25
turning out in force against the referendum last month. I'll
37:29
look forward to continuing to work with President Trump and
37:33
Host leadership to win the midterms so we can continue
37:37
making America great again for all Americans, Maguire said in
37:42
a statement. The referendum saw a massive turnout for an
37:46
off season election, with roughly half of registered voters casting ballots,
37:52
nearly as many people in last year's gubernatorial race.
37:57
Speaker 2: The state Supreme Court could have ruled on.
37:59
Speaker 1: The prices before the election, but chose not to partially
38:03
at the request of Democrats, who hoped a victory would
38:06
add weight to their legal arguments, but the court objected
38:10
to the timing of the measure. The Virginia Constitution requires
38:15
any proposed amendment to be passed twice by the legislature,
38:20
once before and again after an election of the House
38:23
of Delegates before being submitted to voters. Last fall, Democrats
38:29
approved the redistricting referendum less than a week before election day,
38:35
and after early voting had been going on for more
38:37
than a month. Democrats argued that early voting means early
38:42
before the actual election. In their ruling, the majority of
38:46
the court dismissed that argument, noting that the process of
38:50
an election can last for many days. Most voters understand
38:55
election to mean the entire process of casting and counting votes,
39:00
not just this single election day.
39:03
Speaker 2: The majority wrote the plane an ordinary meaning of the.
39:07
Speaker 1: Expression matches the historical definition embraced by the courts and
39:12
legal scholars. They wrote, making the comparison that a wedding
39:17
can last for hours, but the bride and groom are
39:20
not lawfully wed until the officient declares them so at
39:24
the end of the wedding. Trump kicked off the national
39:29
redistricting arms race last year. States ordinarily redraw congressional maps
39:35
once every ten years at the start of each decade,
39:39
but Trump pushed to Republican led states to break that
39:43
tradition and overhaul their maps. Democrats quickly moved to redraw
39:48
districts and states they controlled, but they haven't been able
39:52
to keep up.
39:53
Speaker 2: Until recently.
39:55
Speaker 1: The two sides were at a near draw, with Republicans
39:58
getting more favorable alliance in only a few more districts
40:02
than Democrats. That started changing dramatically when the US Supreme
40:08
Court last week issued a decision weakening the Voting Rights
40:12
Act and clearing the way for Republicans to redraw more
40:16
districts ahead of this falls elections. Florida Republicans were already
40:22
working on a new map, and within hours of the
40:25
decision adopted a plan giving them as many as four
40:28
more host seats. On Thursday, Tennessee Republicans approved a map
40:33
that is expected to give them another host seat. GOP
40:37
lawmakers in Alabama, Louisiana, and South Carolina are working on
40:41
maps that could give them as many as four more.
40:45
Critics of the Virginia Court's decision said it's part of
40:49
a troubling black backslide in the South, where black voters
40:53
have been historically shut out of politics. In the former
40:57
capital of the Confederacy, the will ofvoters was overridden, with
41:01
the only two black justices on the court dissenting, and
41:05
other Southern states voters don't even have us say as
41:09
black representatives are poised to lose their seats. The timing
41:14
of this ruling speaks volumes. Senator Tim Caine, Democratic Virginia
41:19
said in a statement.
41:21
Speaker 2: The U.
41:22
Speaker 1: S Supreme Court eviscerates the Voting Rights Act in a
41:26
lawsuit brought by a January sixth extremist and Southern States
41:31
race to craft backroom deals disenfranchising minority voters and candidates. Meanwhile,
41:40
Virginia voters choose to stand up against national disenfranchisement, only
41:45
to see their votes cast into the trash by a
41:48
four to three ruling. Together, the recent court decisions and
41:53
fleury of legislative activity have boosted Republicans' chances of hanging
41:58
on to the House, and in a difficult political environment,
42:02
Republicans controlled the hosts two one hundred and eighteen to
42:06
two hundred and twelve, and a handful of races could
42:10
make the difference on who controls the Chamber for the
42:13
second half of Trump's second term. Virginia Democrats were pivoting
42:19
Friday to promises that they would flip seats even under
42:22
the old maps. Spanberger run two districts now held by
42:26
Republicans by two percentage points in Representative Rob Whitman's first
42:32
district and by more than seven percents in Representative Jen
42:36
Kagan's second district. We won at the ballot box in April,
42:41
and we will do it again. In November since State
42:44
Senator Lamont Bagbie, Democrat of Henriko, Chairman of the Democratic
42:50
Party of Virginia. I'm now going inside when too the
42:55
picture of the Spirit is line folding in that tiny airport.
43:00
When Spirit folded, this tiny airport suddenly had zero flights.
43:05
A week into his new job, the airport's executive director
43:09
may have to lay off co workers he is known
43:12
for years as he scrambles to find a replacement airline
43:17
by Casey Parks, mojas knew the worst could happen when
43:22
the county Airport Authority announced his promotion with a yellow
43:27
Spirit Airline's cake. For years, Arnold Palmer Regional Airport had
43:34
depended on Spirit to run all of its flights out
43:37
of Latrobe, a small town about an ay east of Pittsburgh.
43:42
But now the airline was in deep financial trouble. Still,
43:46
House was hopeful when he took over his executive a
43:49
week ago. The airport had just launched a non stop
43:53
service to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and soon it would
43:57
open a new twenty two million dollars terminal, a feat
44:01
that would double the number of passengers it could serve. Then,
44:05
on Saturday, three days after Has took over, one of
44:10
his workers texted at three am that Spirit had begun
44:15
an orderly win down of its business. Every flight was canceled.
44:21
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport was for commercial passengers. All of
44:25
a sudden defunct across the nation, Spirit customers scrambled to
44:32
rebook their flights on United and Jet Blue, But as
44:35
Has drove to Arnold Palmer several hours before dawn, he
44:40
knew that his town and his employees would have no
44:43
other options. The airport still had private planes and chartered flights,
44:49
but Spirit was its only commercial carrio. Other airports lost
44:54
just a percentage.
44:55
Speaker 2: Of their flights.
44:57
Speaker 1: Arnold Palmer was the only one in the entire country
45:00
to lose one hundred percent of its commercial traffic. Without Spirit,
45:05
Has knew the first thing he would have to do
45:07
as the new boss was lay off the coworkers he
45:10
had known for most of his life. That's very tough
45:15
because everyone here puts their heart and soul into this place.
45:19
They're very dedicated to this airport and want to see
45:22
it grow.
45:22
Speaker 2: Has said.
45:24
Speaker 1: Latrobe is a rural speck nestled in the Laurel Highlands,
45:29
but he has had an airport for at least a century.
45:33
The Longview Flying Field open in nineteen twenty four, and
45:37
by nineteen thirty nine the airport was so well regarded
45:41
Congress chose it as the site for the country's first
45:44
airmail pickup. It hosted flight schools and hobby pilots, and
45:49
before Spirit arrived in twenty eleven, regional airlines like USAir
45:54
Express and Northwest Airlines feried rural Pennsylvanians.
45:58
Speaker 2: To Detroit and Chico.
46:00
Speaker 1: Cargo has started working there in nineteen ninety when he
46:04
was twenty four. He was hired as a maintenance firefighter
46:08
by Gay Monzo, who was also the chief of the
46:10
local fire department, where has volunteered. Has fixed things that
46:15
went wrong in the terminal, and occasionally, though thankfully not often,
46:19
has said he rescued people from aircrafts. Back then, the
46:25
airport was called west Moreland County Airport, but in nineteen
46:29
ninety nine locals decided to change the name to honor
46:33
one of its most famous residents, the golfer. Arnold Palmer
46:37
grew up a mile from the airport, and he learned
46:40
to fly there too. Renaming the airport after Palmer was
46:44
a big joyous moment, but has learned in those years
46:48
that at an airport can also hold sadness. Around the
46:53
time West Mooland became Arnold Palmer USAir reduced its fleet
46:58
and pulled out of Latroue completely, has watched as his
47:02
bosses beat the streets and looked for prospects and eventually
47:06
found one. But that service didn't last forever either, and
47:10
by two thousand and nine the airport was again without
47:13
a carrier. Another workplace might have gotten given into the
47:18
grief of losing the engine that fuels it. Bemonzo made
47:21
the workplace fun. Has said he was a great cook
47:25
and he hosted so many dinners at the airport. Has
47:28
put on twenty pounds just eating at work. Two years
47:32
passed before the airport struck a deal with Spirit, but
47:36
once it did, traffic boomed. Locals started showing up every
47:40
day the flight of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After the company
47:43
added an non stop to Orlando, the lobby filled up
47:46
with Mickey matisseer at kids on their way to Disney World.
47:50
But twenty fifteen, more than three hundred and fifty five
47:53
thousand people a year of flying out of Arnold Palmer
47:56
up From seven thousand and twenty ten, airport's loan restaurant
48:01
and Italian chop post and Sinatra bar called Nuzio's even
48:07
became something of a local hangout. Business executives stayed for
48:12
long lunches, and players for the Pittsburgh Steelers stopped by
48:15
after training camp at a nearby college for a nightcap.
48:20
Everybody loves this airport, has said. We had people come
48:24
from Canada and Ohio just to jump on a flight.
48:28
President Trump was in here a few times, and he
48:31
seemed like he really loved the airport. When officials announced
48:37
in February that Monzo was retiring and Hans would replace him,
48:41
the airport staff celebrated Haus's promotion alongside another milestone, Spirit's
48:47
fifteenth anniversary at the airport. By then, how the airport
48:53
had filed for bankruptcy twice and attempted a merger with
48:57
Jet Blue. President Donald trumpet in dedicated to the government
49:01
might baile at the airline if the price was right.
49:04
That deal fell through on Hass's second day as director,
49:09
when the last looked flight left for Myrtle Beach on
49:12
Friday evening at five thirty. Has said he had an
49:16
inkling the airline might fold before its passengers made it
49:20
home to Latrobe. He stayed up late checking his email.
49:25
Then he woke up early to the text from his employee.
49:28
About three thirty am. He was back at the airport.
49:31
The parking lot, he noticed as he pulled into a spot,
49:35
was still full of cars whose drivers were now stranded
49:38
in South Carolina. Has was still so new to the
49:42
job when Spirit announced it shutdown that he hadn't even
49:46
found time to change the greeting on the director's voicemail.
49:51
Reporters and customers left dozens of message on a line
49:54
with Monzau's voice. Days would pass before Has could get
49:59
to most of those messages. He had other airlines to
50:02
call employees to console. I told the staff just bear
50:08
with us. We're not sitting on our hands, not doing anything,
50:11
he said. In interviews with local stations, Has said the
50:17
airport would have to do a workforce reduction, but that
50:22
kind of business speak didn't begin to touch the pain
50:25
he felt. This wasn't just a workforce to him, it
50:29
was a family. I know their children's names, he said,
50:34
I know what the names of their dog is, what's
50:36
going on in their life, what they were like, when
50:39
they were young. It's really a hard thing to do.
50:42
It takes a toll. Has isn't sure how many pepe
50:46
Lee will have to lay off. The airport still has
50:49
the aviation school and private flights, and he hopes the
50:53
deals with other carriers will go through by the end
50:57
of the summer. In the meantime, Has is channeling his
51:01
old boss. He might not be able to whip up
51:05
a meal the way Monz could, but he can't hit
51:08
the streets, and he can find another carrier to keep
51:11
the airport going.
51:14
Speaker 2: I look back and think, what would Gabe do.
51:17
Speaker 1: He taught me you respect the people who work here,
51:22
listen to what they have to say, keep them happy,
51:26
make it a good place to work. Has said, when
51:32
I first moved here, Piedmont Airlines or USARE could get
51:36
me back to Virginia in three and a half hours
51:39
via Roanoke. That sure went by the wayside, fav and
51:44
now I have to go somewhere else, either to Detroit
51:48
or to Atlanta or anywhere else other than a direct
51:51
flight home.
51:53
Speaker 2: It just makes me so sad. In the last article,
51:58
these blue.
51:59
Speaker 1: States aren't getting fire prevention money from Trump. FEMA slowed
52:04
grants intended to help states such as California and Colorado
52:08
prepare for and prevent forest fires. A Washington Post analysts
52:14
shows Babrianna, Sax and Kevin Crow nestled in the middle
52:19
of rural northern California woods. The Hoopa Valley Reservation is
52:25
primed to burn. Wildfires sweep through every few years over
52:29
the same burned scars, threatening to consume the nearly nine
52:33
hundred homes on the bush Brushfield Valley floor. And with
52:38
the wild intensifying swing of historically wet winters often followed
52:43
by unrelenting heat, the dense vegetation surrounding the reservation's hoses,
52:48
dirt roads, and evacuation routes has become dangerous. The tribe
52:53
has gotten lucky in the past, but Rob Roy Latham
52:57
knows that it only takes minutes for the bone Sacred
53:00
mountains to erupt and file. The tribe's emergency manager and
53:05
disaster expert, Latham spent nearly four years working on a
53:10
grant to clear about six hundred acres of potential fire
53:13
fuel and create defensible spaces around evacuation roads, communication towers,
53:20
water tanks, and dozens of vulnerable homes. Documents provided to
53:24
The Washington Post showed the Federal Emergency Management Agency obligated
53:31
seven million dollars for the work, Latham said, and the
53:34
state agreed to match ten percent of the grant. According
53:37
to an email reviewed by the Post, then Latham said
53:41
everything stopped. The hazard mitigation grant the Hope of Valley
53:46
Tribe sought comes out of an often bureaucratic program under
53:49
the Department of Homeland Security that helps recovering communities prepare
53:54
for the next big disaster. It's one of about a
53:57
one thousand such grants set up in present and Donald
54:00
Trump's second term. According to internal records obtained by the Post,
54:06
FEMA dramatically slowed its distribution of these grants last summer.
54:10
According to a Post analysis of public data through May fourth,
54:14
the agency went from awarding roughly ninety one million dollars
54:18
per month between February and June twenty twenty five to
54:22
about three million dollars per month for the rest of
54:25
the year. An al analysis shows after facing legal scrutiny
54:30
for upholding disaster related funds, the agency reversed course and
54:34
released seven hundred and sixty million in grant funding in
54:38
March alone, of a total of one point one billion
54:41
so far this year, but two states facing heightened wildfire
54:46
risk this year, California and Colorado, have received scarcely any
54:51
of the money. Since last July. The Post analysis found
54:56
the delay has affected about twenty wildfire related projects across
55:00
the West, according to internal records, most of those in
55:04
California and Colorado. Although the Trump administration has made it
55:09
clear it wants to give states less federal money for disasters,
55:13
especially for projects related to climate change, ten current and
55:17
former FEMA staffers, state officials, and disaster experts say it's
55:21
unusual for Pacific states to consistently not receive federal assistance.
55:28
There's a pattern a state like Colorado is repeatedly being
55:32
denied FEMA aid, and others like California are awaiting on
55:36
FEMA money that's already been approved, said Deborah Gough, a
55:41
research assistant at Carnegie Endowment Sustainability, Climate and Geopolitics Program
55:48
who has studied the grant data, adding HAWS ad mitigation
55:52
funding is designed to help communities prepare for the next disaster,
55:56
with aided communities of rebuilding into the same risk. In
56:02
a statement, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said there is
56:07
no politicization to the President's decision on disaster relief. The
56:13
President responds to each request for federal assistance under the
56:17
Stamford Act with great care and consideration, ensuring American tax
56:21
dollars are used appropriately and efficiently by the states to supplement,
56:25
not substitute, their obligation to respond to and recover from disasters.
56:31
Jackson said. The administration, she added, remains committed to empowering
56:37
and working with state and local governments to invest in
56:40
their own resilience before disaster strikes, making response less urgent
56:46
and recovery less prolonged. Beama's and a handful of other states,
56:50
including Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Minnesota, less than five hundred
56:55
thousand each since last July. By CONTRASTMA spent three hundred,
57:01
two hundred and thirty nine million and has ad mitigation
57:04
grant funding to Florida, one hundred and thirty one million
57:07
to Texas, and one hundred and seventeen million to Louisiana
57:11
during the same time period. In a statement, FEMA said
57:15
the seventy six day lapsed in appropriations for agency significantly
57:20
impacted FEMA's capacity to review and process grant applications across
57:25
the country. FEMA is actively working to clear the backlog
57:30
and expedite approvals for all pending projects, including those in
57:34
California and Colorado. The delays to those grants, however, predate
57:40
this year's shutdown, which began in mid February in an
57:44
exchange within DHS Secretary Christiel Name in March. Representative Kevin Kylie,
57:50
Republican of California set his office starting to press her
57:55
department in December set his office starting pressing her department
58:00
in December to send him a two million dollars designated
58:05
in June twenty twenty five for Plumbers County, a highly
58:10
fire vulnerable region he represents. And with that, I conclude
58:14
the day's reading for the Washington Post of Saturday, the
58:19
ninth of May twenty twenty six.
58:22
Speaker 2: Have a great day, Gary.
58:23
Speaker 1: And I are going to play put putt golf this morning,
58:26
so I've got to get myself organized to go.
58:29
Speaker 2: Have a good weekend. Please stay tuned to Radio II.
58:33
Bye