Transcript

4.28.26 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of the Washington Post for Tuesday,
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April twenty eighth, twenty twenty six. As a reminder, Radio
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I is a reading service intended for people who are
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blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
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read printed material. Your reader for to day is Cindy Fraser.
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To day's frumpage headlines from the Washington Post are Alleged
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gunmen appears in court to face charges, accused of attempt
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to assassinate Trump officials. E mail prioritize targeted government leaders. Next,
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Washington welcomes royal visitors. King and Queen's trip offers Britain
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a chance to mend tize with Trump. Next, White House
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will do review of security in light of shooting. Our
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next headline, Supreme Court weighs bounds of digital privacy law
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enforcement use of Google location data history up for debate.
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And the final headline from to day's front page data
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Center's sprawl in Gulf's tiny Pennsylvania town. Now, let's turn
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to our first item entitled Alleged gunman appears in court
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to face charges accused of attempt to assassinate Trump officials.
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E mail prioritize targeted government leaders. A Savadorrizzo, Jeremy Roebuck,
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Mark Berman, and Perry Stein. The thirty one year old
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man arrested this weekend for allegedly trying to storm the
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White House correspondence dinner was charged Monday with attempting to
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assassinate President Donald Trump. Federal officials said Cole Thomas Allen
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of Torrance, California, traveled across the country last week ahead
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of the black tie event at the Washington Hilton, then
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charged to security checkpoint, leaning toward the gala with a
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shotgun and pistol. In an affidavit, an FBI special agent
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wrote that Allan had an emails set to go out
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to family members and a former employer which described administration
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officials as targets prioritized from highest ranking to lowest. Allen
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made a brief court official Monday when a judge announced
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the charges, which also include transporting firearms across state lines
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and discharging one of them during the violent crime. If convicted,
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he faces a minimum sentence of ten years in prison
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and potentially life in prison. More charges are likely to follow,
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said Jeanne Piro, the u S attorney in DC. Make
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no mistake, this was an attemptive assassination of the President
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of the United States, with a defendant making clear what
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his intent was, Piero said, and that intent was to
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bring down as many of the high ranking cabinet officials
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as he could. Court papers filed Monday shed new light
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on some of what investigators believe occurred in the days
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and minutes leading up to the election tack, but the
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filings and remarked from top Justice Department officialist Monday left
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other lingering questions unanswered. For instance, prosecutors did not say
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whether Allan shot the round that hit a Secret Service
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officer in the chest, a shot that was stopped by
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bulletproof vest Piero previously said Allan would be charged with
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assaulting a federal officer, but that count was not among
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those lodged against him in court Monday. We do believe that,
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as the complaint lays out, that the defendant fired out
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of his shotgun. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said at
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a Justice Department news conference following Allan's court appearance, we
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know that happened. Blanche said that a casing was still
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inside the shotgun and had not been ejected, explaining his
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hesitancy to definitively say where the round had struck the
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secret officer came from. Blanche added, we want to get
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that right. We're still looking at that. Blanche's caution Monday
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was a shift from whose remarks a day earlier, when
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he said on a b C that officials preliminarily believed
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the suspected gunman had shot the officer. At the Monday
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news conference, the Acting Attorney General also said that the
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officer who was hit fired five shots during the incident,
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none of which hit Allan. All the evidence is being
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examined very carefully and expeditiously, and well know more soon,
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Blanche said. The officer was not identified in court records.
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According to the affidavit, on April sixth, Allan booked a
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room at the Hilton for the weekend of the correspondent's dinner.
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He left the Los Angeles area on April twenty first
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took one train to Chicago and then another to d C,
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arriving a little more than twenty four hours before the event.
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The FBI agent wrote, Allan ran through a magnetometer in
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the security screening area steps away from the hotel ballroom
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where Trump, top cabinet of and journalists were gathered. While
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holding a long gun, The agent wrote. As he did so,
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US Secret Service personnel assigned to the checkpoint heard a
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loud gun shot, According to the FBI affidavit, A prosecutor,
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Jocelyn Valentine said in court that Alan had attempted to
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assassinate the president with a twelve gage pompassion shotgun and
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was also armed with a thirty two caliber semi automatic
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pistol and three knives. Alan bought the firearms from dealers
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in California, purchasing the pistol in October twenty twenty three
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and the shotgun in August twenty twenty five, The affidavit said.
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Minutes before the incident, prosecutors said Alan sent an email
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to relatives and a former employer in which he described
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his plans to shoot government officials. Though the message did
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not mention Trump by name. It is filled with complaints
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about the President and his policies, administration officials, not the
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mister Patel. They are targets prioritized from highest ranking to lowest.
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The e mail reads, in part, according to the affidavit,
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making an apparent reference to FBI Director Cash Patel Secret Service,
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the air targets only if necessary and to be incapacitated
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non leathfully if possible. The writer added their sincerest apologies
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for all the trouble I've caused. During his court appearance Monday, Allan,
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dressed in blue prisoner fatigues, gave only brief responses as
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a judge read out his rights and prosecutors requested he
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remain in custody. He did not enter a plea to
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the charges, and his next court hearing was set for Thursday.
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A public offender assigned to his case, to Ziria Abbe,
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said mister Allen has no prior arrests or convictions, and
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under the Bail Reform Act, he's presumed innocent at this time.
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The court appearance came as authorities have continued grappling with
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the incident at Saturday's dinner and scrutinizing Allan and his background.
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The incident has sent tremors across Washington and beyond, leaving
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many attendees at the dinner who hunkered under tables at
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the sound of gunfire before being evacuated shaken. The episode
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also raised questions about the security protocol surrounding the event,
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particularly given that Trump and many cabinet members were in attendance. Blanche, however,
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defended the security response as a success during Monday's news conference.
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Alan was stopped, he said, one floor above the ball room,
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with hundreds of federal agents between him and where Trump
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was seated on stage. Law enforcement did not fail. Blanche said,
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they did exactly what they are trained to do. Still,
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the administration announced plans Monday to review security plans for
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future presidential events. Anne said White House Chief of Staff
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Susie Wilds would convene a meeting later this week to
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go over additional options to ensure Trump's safety. The president
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continues to have trust in the United States Secret Service.
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White House Press Secretary at Caroline Lovett told reporters Monday afternoon.
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These are great men and women who are doing their
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jobs and performing their duties honorably. Dan Diamond, Marianna Alfaro,
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and Danielle Paquette contributed to this report. This item is
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accompanied by photos. The first who's captioned. US Attorney for
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DC Jeanine Piro, points out a picture of a shotgun
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carried by Carl Thomas Allen, the suspect in the shooting
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incident at Saturday's White House correspondence dinner. Kyle Cooper Reuters.
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The photo shows Miss Pira out a podium pointing at
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the picture. FBI director Cash metellis to her left and
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two other gentlemanis finking them. The next photo accompanying this
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item is captioned A police canine unit officer works outside
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the venue following the shooting incident Savvey at the Washington
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Hilton Nsadino Writers. The next avon from today's front page
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is entitled Washington welcomes royal visitors. King and Queen's trip
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offers Britain a chance to men ties with Trump by
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Michael Bernbahn and Steve Hendrix. Days after his shooting that
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apparently targeted President Donald Trump's administration and sparked fresh concerns
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about security in the nation's capital, King Charles the Third
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embarked Monday on a rare state visit that promised to
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pit the President's admiration for British Royalty against his fury
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at the British government. The long planned encounter had been
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intended to showcase close Anglo American relations two hundred and
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fifty years after the declaration of independence. Instead, it comes
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in the middle of one of the sharpest fights between
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Washington and London in generations, as Trump and Prime Minister
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Keir Starmer tussle over the President's war on her own
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and whether either side still wants to hold on to
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the close cooperation of the past. Preparations for the event
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were shadowed by Saturday's shooting at the annual White House
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correspondence dinner, which forced the evacuation of Trump, most of
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his cabinet, and hundreds of journalists, officials and celebrities. The
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King and Queen Camilla started their trip by going directly
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to the White House, where they were greeted by Trump
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and First Lady Milania Trump handshakes for the King and
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Queen from the President, double cheek kisses for the royals
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from his wife. The quartet pose for smiling pictures in
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front of the South portico before going inside for tea.
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Most of their visit will take place Tuesday. British officials
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hope their monarch can paper over tensions between Washington and
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London with some pomp, using his royal mystique to remind
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Trump of the advantages of holding close to the Kingdom
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his mother's birthplace. The King does not exclui engaged in politics,
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nor diesy grand interviews a level of discretion that impressed
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some White House officials as they prepared for the encounter
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on behalf of a president who routinie takes calls on
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his cell phone from journalists. Trump has taken aim at
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Starmer over his reluctance to support the war and Britain's
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initial ban on U s Plains using its air bases
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for the attack on Iran. He has drawn a sharp
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line between the King and his Prime minister. I look
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forward to the dinner, Trump said last week, referring to
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the King as a friend of mine. We're really looking
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forward to it. We've spoken and we're going to have
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a great time, he said. By contrast, the President said
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of Starmer last month, this is not Winston Churchill. We're
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dealing with Britain, he said, was no longer the roll's
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roof of Allies. Bridge officials say their hands were tied
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at the outside of the war by laws barring preempt
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to the attacks, but that they were free to assist
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after Iran retaliated. Many British policy makers remain skeptical about
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the war and are frustrated about the resulting spike in
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energy crisis among the British public. The war is hugely unpopular,
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with the country's economy badly hurt by war related inflation
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and turmoil in financial markets, but the British government hopes
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the visit can be a chance to reseat with a
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king who floats above politics, a symbol of his nation,
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who answers to no voter. Despite our small disagreement in
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seventeen seventy six and the fact that we burn down
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the White House I think only once, it has now
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become one of the most enduring alliances in history, said
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British Ambassador Christian Turner, who will shepherd his monarch through
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the visit. The trip will include a garden party at
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the ambassador's Grand Washington residence and the Oval Office visit,
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and a state dinner at the White House. Charles will
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address a joint meeting of Congress, the second British monarch
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to do so, at to his mother in nineteen ninety one.
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British leaders are simultaneously grateful for charles goodwill with Trump
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and the President's starry eyed admiration for the King, and
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anxious about what the President might say while standing next
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to him. Trump's relationship with Starmer has plummeted from collegial
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to contemptuous since the February twenty eighth start of the war.
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Last year, during the president's September state visit to Windsor Castle,
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Trump called Starmer a very good man and praised what
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he described as a strong bond between the two countries.
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It was the payoff of what seemed like a winning
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strategy from the beginning of Trump's second term. Starmer had
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bet on a policy of discipline deference, critiquing Whitehouse policy
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but never the man in the Oval office, shrugging othetons
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and banking the good will. For the first fourteen months.
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It worked when Trump slapped ten percentaires on most of Europe,
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Britain negotiad a more favorable bilateral deal, winning meaningful confessions
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on cars, steel, and aerospace. But Starmar's game, whether checkers
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or four dimensional chess, was always against a president who
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sometimes flips the entire board. With a war in Iran,
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the good will disappeared in London. The decision to proceed
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with a visit has split opinion. Government officials say there
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is no upside in snubbing the leader of Britain's most
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important ally. However difficult a moment a person familiar with
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the deliberations, speaking on the condition of anonymity to talk
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about internal discussions. Since Starmar's team trusts Charles his instincts
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formed by generations of aristocratic reserve and hound across decades
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of carefully anodyne public speaking, to avoid making things worse.
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Even if he cannot make them better, he has to go.
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Not going would be far worse for their relationship, said
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a British official familiar with government planning for the trip,
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who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss
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the sensitive arrangements. You can never tell what this president
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is going to do or say when you're standing next
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to him. But the King has a very good poker face,
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the official said. The opposition is less charitable. Liberal Democrat
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leader Ed Davy said Starmer had shown a staggering lack
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of backbone in allowing the visit to go ahead, arguing
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it would hand Trump another huge diplomatic coup. A Yugup
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poll found forty eight percent of Britain supported canceling the
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visit outright, and there are broader questions in Britain about
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the relationship with the United States. There's a sort of
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feeling in the UK that it's kind of the reverse
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of two hundred and fifty years ago, the US treating
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the UK like the colony. The UK military is just
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an appendage for the United States, said Fiona Hill, who
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advised Trump on Russia policy during his first term and
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has advised both US and UK governments on security policy. Unfortunately,
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there's something in that in the terms of the way
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that the UK military was set up, which has been
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to support US overseas military operations rather than to take
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care of British sovereign interests, Hale said, noting that there
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is now a move to shift away from that. Despite
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all the frustrations, she said, Charles still has a chance
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to capitalize on Trump's softness for him. Trump likes to
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boast that he's got this great personal relationship with Putin
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and gen Hale said, referring to the leaders of Russia
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and China, But Charles is of a different category to
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even them. Yes, they have power and money, but King
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Charles has a cachet that none of them have and
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that Trump would love but hasn't. The visit happens as
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both Trump and Starmer have been flailing opinion polls for
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some of the same reasons. Starmer is facing a weak economy,
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a since he has failed to energize Britons about their future,
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and a mounting scandal over the connections that his first
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pick for ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelsson, had to Jeffrey Epstein,
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the Lake financier and sex offender. Ironically, the Iran crisis
17:22
has helped shore up Starmer's position. By refusing to bend
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a Trump's demand to send ships to the Strait of Hormuz,
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he cast himself as the statesman who kept Britain out
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of an unpopular war. Reform UK leader Nitel Farage and
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Tory leader Kemy Badenoch have had to backtrack from initially
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cheering Trump's military campaign. The Mandelsson issue, however, is causing
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mounting damage to him. The Prime Minister has faced questions
17:51
over the now dismissed ambassador's security bedding and his defense
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that he knew nothing about Mandelsson's initial failure to receive
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hisecurity clearance has plagued into a sense from voters that
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he does not have a firm grip on his government.
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The King will also be navigating his own family scandal
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in Washington. Charles is resisting calls to meet with victims
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linked to Epstein, whose ties to the King's younger brother,
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Andrew mount Batten Windsor have royaled the royal family. We
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strongly urge King Charles to meet with us and survivors
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and hear what we have to say. The family of
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Virginia Juffree, who died by suicide last year, wrote in
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an email to The Washington Post earlier this month. Geoffree
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said she was forced to have sex with then Prince
18:39
Andrew three times when she was seventeen. Mount Baton Windsor
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is under police investigation over the allegations, and the King
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has stripped his brother of his royal title and evicted
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him from his mansion on the grounds of Windsor Castle,
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But Buckingham Palace officials, citing legal constraints from the criminal investigation,
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has he would not meet with the families. Queen Camilla,
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who regularly speaks against sexual violence and domestic abuse, is
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expected to meet with activists on those issues during the visit.
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Hendricks reported from London. Ted Muldoon and Mayanna Alfaro in
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Washington contributed to this report. This item is accompanied by
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photos the first he's captioned Britain, King Charles the Third
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and Queen Camilla joined First Lady Malania Trump and President
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Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. The photo
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shows Queen Camilla and First Lady Milania Trump seated on
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his sofa. In front of them is a coffee table
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filled with tea service. On either side of the coffee table,
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said King Charles the Third and President Trump. The other
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photo accompanying this item as caption, King Charles the Third
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left is greeted by President Donald Trump and First Lady
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Malania Trump on Monday at the White House. Alison Roberts
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for The Washington Post via pool. The next item from
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today's front page is entitled White House to review security
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in light of shooting at correspondence dinner. Chief of Staff
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Susie Wiles will meet with officials to consider updating security
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plans in the aftermath of Saturday's shooting. By Dan Diamond,
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The White House is reviewing how best to protect President
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Donald Trump after Saturday's shooting at the White House correspondence
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dinner raised new questions about the protocols and procedures needed
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to keep the nation's leaders safe. White House Chief of
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Staff Susie Wilds plans to convene the meeting this week
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with leaders of the Secret Service and the Department of
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Homeland Security to discuss lessons from Saturday's shooting and next
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staffs to protect the president, official said Monday. White House
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Press Secretary of Caroline loved declined to say what changes
20:52
may be made, but did not rule out new limits
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on Trump's public appearances or other changes. These conversations will
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take place in private, but if adjustments need to be
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made to protect the president, they will be made, Levett
21:06
told reporters on Monday. Saturday's incident, in which had been
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been stormed through the security checkpoint outside the dinner but
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was stopped short of the ballroom where the event was
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taking place, was the third time in less than two
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years that Trump found himself under the threat of gunfire.
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White House officials had defended their existing safety protocols, noting
21:27
that the lledged shooter was apprehended and that no dinner
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attendees were injured. But lawmakers, outside security experts, and even
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some administration officials have acknowledged that the incident highlighted serious
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risks the process used to protect the president and its
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top deputies. Winnessed by hundreds of reporters in person and
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captured by c SPAN television cameras, appeared disordered and in
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need of improvement. Agents evacuated Vice President Jade Vans before
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risking away. Trump and other security personnel needed several minutes
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to collect some cabinet officials, at times walking across tables
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and chairs in the crowded room in an effort to
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retrieve them. Many senior officials, including those without assigned protective details,
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were left defense for themselves. However, many attendees have publicly
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said that the hotel in which the event took place,
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in which dozens of cabinet secretaries and other senior officials
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were present before the dinner, lacked adequate security. The administration
22:31
provided a lower level of security for the dinner than
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it has for other gatherings of high ranking officials, even
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though Trump and most of the officials in the presidential
22:40
line of succession rarely attendants. The Washington Post reported Sunday
22:46
the White House's moved to revisit security protocols comes as
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the president plans to attend a series of high profile
22:53
events this year intended to celebrate America's two hundred and
22:57
fiftieth anniversary, including an Indy car race in Washington and
23:02
an Ultimate Fighting Championship match outside the White House, which
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are expected to draw tens of thousands of attendees. The
23:10
wild led meeting with administration security officials will explore additional
23:14
options to ensure Trump's safety at those events, white House
23:18
officials set Monday. The president is also expected to attend
23:22
World Cup matches hosted in the United States, political rallies
23:27
ahead of November's midterms, and other major events in the
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coming months. We are entering the summer like no other
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summer before, just in term of the scale and scope
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of events, said Juliet cam a former Homeown security official
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and President Barack Obama's administration who now works with public
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and private entities on their events safety planning efforts. It
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doesn't mean that anything bad is going to happen. It
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just means we have to be ready. Leaders on Capitol
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Hill said Monday that they had questions too about insuring
24:01
safety at high profile events. Senators Chuck Grassley, Republican from
24:06
Iowa and Dick Durbin, Democrat from Illinois, scheduled a Monday
24:11
afternoon briefing with Secret Service Director Sean Curran to discuss
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security protocols. A Grassley spokesperson confirmed the Republican senator previously
24:21
probed the attempted assassination of Trump nearly two years ago
24:25
in Butler, Pennsylvania, faulting the Secret Service for failures to
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share key information about threats to the president, and a
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social media post after the meeting, Grassley wrote that the
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Secret Service was closely reviewing its security posture in the
24:40
wake of Saturday's incident. The social media post is reproduced
24:45
in the article. It shows the feed of Chuck Grassley
24:48
on ex saying on setting up a breaking with Secret
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Service leadership and ranking Member Durbin regarding security protocols and
24:57
related law enforcement matters involving the White House correspondence dinner.
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Thanks to Secret Service last night for quick action and
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attention to briefing. It was posted at six oh six
25:08
pm a twenty six, twenty twenty six. Grassly, the longest
25:13
serving Republican Senator, is the President pro tempore of the Senate,
25:18
putting him third in line for presidential succession. Durwan is
25:22
the number two Senate Democrat. Both senators have protective details
25:26
given their roles. Trump and his allies have also used
25:30
the shooting to press their case for the president's planned
25:33
White House ballroom. A federal judge ruled last month that
25:37
Trump lacked unilateral authority to proceed with a project, but
25:41
made an exception for work strictly necessary to ensure White
25:45
House security. A three judge appeals court panel has halted
25:49
the judge's order for now. Trump and his Justice Department
25:53
have called for ballroom construction to move forward and for
25:57
the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the nonprofit organization that
26:01
has filed suit to halt the project, to drop its case.
26:05
It is actually critical for a national security that a
26:08
larger secure building on this complex, which is the most
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secure complex in the world, is built to accommodate not
26:15
only large amounts of guests, but also the president, the
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vice president, members of the cabinet, Levitt said Monday. The
26:22
National Trust said Monday that it would continue its legal challenge,
26:26
rejecting Trump's officials contention that the lawsuit endangers a president.
26:31
Kayum said she was puzzled by the White House's renewed
26:34
calls for a ballroom, particularly given that the annual Correspondence
26:38
dinner is hosted by the White House Correspondence Association a
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private organization. That's like saying, have your wedding in my
26:47
ballroom if you want me to come, Kyum said, it's
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not his wedding. This article is accompanied by photos. The
26:54
first he's captioned an armed Secret Service agent gestures or
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responding to a shooting at the Annual White House Correspondence
27:02
Dinner Saturday in Washington and Johannick Genny images. The Secret
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Service agent is shown in full tactical gearer with a
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helmet that appears to be night vision goggles on the
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helmet and a tactical best he's holding a long gun.
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The other photo accompanying this item is captioned secret Service
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Agents respond to the Shooting Saturday by Tom Brenner a p.
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The photo shows two men in suits who appear to
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be pulling handguns out of their jackets. That starting from
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today's friend page, is entitled Data Centers sprawl in Gulf's
27:38
tiny Pennsylvania town by Tim Craig from Archibald, Pennsylvania. Tim
27:44
Bachik would look out to his backyard most evenings to
27:47
see wildlife emerging from the forest at birch, maple and
27:50
oak trees hugging his property. He regularly spotted black bears, deer,
27:55
and coyotes. Al's would hoot, and turkeys with scurry. Kichak,
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a forty three year old public school teacher, saw the
28:03
activity as a sign this former coal town had recharged
28:06
from its polluting path. Then last month, Bochik woke up
28:11
to the sound of chainsaws. Workers were cutting down the
28:15
forest about one hundred and eighty acres of trees to
28:19
make way for a massive data center. Those animals now
28:23
have no place to go, Bochik said on a recent
28:26
afternoon as he looked out at a vast landscape of
28:29
tree stumps. It's disgusting. Why are they putting these things
28:34
near us, near our schools and near our parks. Throughout Archibald,
28:39
a northeastern Pennsylvania town of seven thousand people tucked into
28:43
a valley near the Pocono Mountains, residents are asking similar
28:47
questions as the community emerges as one of the latest
28:50
frontiers in the nation's increasingly chaotic battles over data centers.
28:56
Developers planned to build six of the sprawling campuses Archwald
29:01
to power the demand for artificial intelligence, eventually covering about
29:05
fourteen percent of the town's land. Those campuses would include
29:10
fifty one data warehouses, each about the size of a
29:13
Walmart supercentre, including seven buildings encompassing more than a million
29:18
square feet near Pachik's home. For years, developers' plans to
29:23
make the community, which sits beneath a major interstate power line,
29:27
a hub for data storage, went largely unnoticed. But a
29:31
word began circulating last year about borough council zoning changes
29:36
to allow for the development. Residents rebelled and have launched
29:40
one of the most contentious grassroots campaigns in local history.
29:44
They're organizing on social media, overwhelming community meetings, and calling
29:49
for the aster of some key local officials. Over the
29:53
past month, most of the seven person Archibald Borough Council,
29:57
along with several Planning Board members, have reasoned. At least
30:01
two of the council members said they left their positions
30:04
out of fear for their safety after shots were fired
30:08
at the home of an Indiana politician who found a
30:11
no Data center's note on his doorstep. As the acrimony
30:15
over data centers intensifies, developers appear to be pressing ahead
30:20
with their plans in Archbald, even as they refuse to
30:23
tell the community what technology firms will occupy the building.
30:27
The showdown could have nationwide implications over whether local activists
30:32
can stop massive data center projects. This debate has destroyed
30:37
this community. Archbald Mayor Shirley Barrett, a Democrat, said, we
30:42
want answers, but we have no clue what is going
30:45
on because this is all happening so quickly. In recent months,
30:51
clashes over data centers have become some of the testiest
30:54
local and state political debates. President Donald Trump and many
30:58
state leaders have welcome data center construction, arguing the fuel
31:03
economic development and are needed to fortify the nation's technological advancements.
31:09
But a growing number of communities, from small towns to
31:12
big cities, are pushing back against the often secretive plans.
31:17
They cite a range of concerns, from the size and
31:20
noise to fears that could overwhelm local energy grids and
31:24
water supplies. Public opinion has rapidly shifted against data centers
31:30
in several communities. Lawmakers are responding with local moratoriums on
31:35
large data centers. This month, legislators in Maine passed the
31:39
nation's first statewide ban on large data centers, a move
31:44
the governor has since feed out here in Pennsylvania, opposition
31:48
is forcing some political leaders, including Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat,
31:54
to rethink how the project should be managed. Shapiro, who
31:58
have implemented policies that would fast tracked data center construction
32:02
to spur economic growth, is now supporting tighter reviews on
32:06
how they affect local communities. We need to be selective
32:10
about the projects that get built here, Shapiro said during
32:13
his budget address this spring. A big slow surprise residents
32:19
in Archbald, located in Lekawana County, are baffled over how
32:25
their community became ground zero in the push to build
32:28
more data centers. The town is so small that some
32:32
of its most recognizable buildings are funeral homes. A representatives
32:37
for the developers say the area is attractive because it
32:41
sits near the nuclear powered five hundred kilobold Susquehanna roseland
32:45
power line that slices through the county. Archbald also has
32:50
abundant fresh water and land since most of its coal
32:54
mines shut down by the early twentieth century. In twenty
32:57
twenty three, Archbald's government took the first steps towards allowing
33:01
data centers when they approved new zoning requirements that contained
33:04
language permitting data centers, including an quote internet server building.
33:10
The ordinance passed with little community opposition, but in early
33:14
twenty twenty five, Kayleie Cornell and several other residents began
33:19
hearing that the project Gravity Data Center had begun applying
33:23
for permits needed to begin construction on seven two story
33:27
buildings near her family home. Cornell quickly learned that two
33:32
other data center projects were also proposed under the twenty
33:35
twenty three zoning changes. That's when things got real for me,
33:40
said Cornell, who also heads up the Archibald Neighborhood Association.
33:45
So I just started looking around to what the impacts
33:48
would be. It was kind of a big, slow surprise.
33:53
Quarnell began organizing community meetings last summer at a local
33:56
library to research and discuss the data center project. By
34:01
the fall, hundreds of presidents had gotten involved. Despite the
34:05
building opposition, the Archbald Borough Council moved to amend the
34:09
town's zoning code in November, which clarified some parts of
34:13
the twenty twenty three law, but also opened up more
34:16
areas of the town for development. It defined what a
34:20
data center was, said David Moran, who was borough council
34:24
present when the new zoning ordinance was approved. It laid
34:27
out what restrictions developers had to work with and to
34:31
find where they could be built. Within weeks of the
34:34
approved changes, three more developers applied to construct data centers
34:38
in the town. Meanwhile, community opposition continues to swell from
34:44
those who said leaders aren't doing enough to communicate possible risks.
34:48
I want to know the effects of electricity usage, water usage,
34:52
noise pollution, light pollution, said Michaelpilch fifty four, a resident
34:57
who joined the campaign. A Facebook group opposing the data
35:01
centers now has nearly ten thousand members, outstripping the population
35:06
of the town. Hundreds have put bright yellow no Data
35:10
Centers signs on their front lawns, and residents have turned
35:13
council and Planning board meetings, typically sleepy affairs, into racous
35:18
community events. Opponents were further energized in March after de Smog,
35:24
an environmental news website, reported that developers had been in
35:28
contact with borough officials before the zoning changes were made.
35:33
The company successfully pushed to Smog reported to decrease the
35:37
distance between data centers and residential properties Archbald residents crammed
35:43
into the next borough council meeting on March eighteenth and
35:46
launched a petition calling to oust the council members who
35:50
supported the rezoning, as well as a Borough's manager, solicitor
35:54
and zoning officer. The public trust has been violated. The
35:58
petition reads borough governance must be conducted in the interests
36:03
of the public, not shaped in private by the interests
36:06
of developers seeking approvals hidden scars developers plans would drastically
36:13
alter Archibald's landscape, residents have said. One project, Wildcat Ridge,
36:18
has applied to build fourteen two story data centers on
36:22
four hundred acres of forest land near the base of
36:25
a mountain. The developer, Cornell Realty Management, mailed residents a
36:31
magazine style pamphlet describing the complex as ultra modern, adding
36:36
that it would help generate seven million dollars in annual
36:39
tax revenue for the borough and another twenty three million
36:43
dollars for the school system. The Wildcat Ridge Data Center
36:47
campus will be designed with integrated architectural and landscaping elements,
36:51
the pamphlet said. The flyers part of an extensive public
36:56
relations campaign designed to win over residents said the camp
37:00
would be at least one thousand, five hundred feet from
37:02
anyone's home, would be no later than a normal conversation
37:06
at home, and create one thousand, two hundred and eighty
37:10
permanent jobs. The buildings would also use an average of
37:14
fifty thousand gallons of water a day, not the three
37:18
point three million gallons that opponents had suggested. Developers noted
37:23
the tensions came to a head at a meeting in
37:25
mid April for the borough Council to consider the Wildcat
37:29
Ridge zoning application. About five hundred residents packed the meeting,
37:33
where Edmund J. Campbell Junior, a lawyer for the developer,
37:37
was met with jeers, whistles, and taunts. One by one,
37:42
residents approached the stage and threw the glossy pamphlets about
37:46
the Wildcat Ridge project into the garbage. They think we're
37:50
stupid and think we're pushovers, said Judy Quinlan eighty one,
37:55
who added Archibald residents were ready to stand in front
37:58
of bulldozers to the construction. Several prominent local officials, including
38:04
the Laquawana County Controller, a county commission and a former judge,
38:09
spoke out during the hearing to oppose the Walkout Ridge development.
38:14
Pack your bags and get out of this place. Thomas Munley,
38:18
who retired as a county's chief judge in twenty twenty two,
38:21
yelled at Campbell and several consultants for the developer don't
38:25
come back. Campbell declined a comment. Cornell Realty Management officials
38:31
did not return requests for comment. If all the data
38:35
centers are built, they would occupy about two point five
38:39
miles of land and be clustered near Archbald Pothole State Park,
38:44
a one hundred and fifty acre forest that includes a
38:47
thirty eight foot hole that dates to the ice Age.
38:50
One of the data center campuses would be built over
38:53
a trailer park, forcing out dozens of tenants. Joseph Pullman,
38:58
who said his three bedroom house is about nine hundred
39:01
feet from the proposed weld Catridge campus, wonders if he'll
39:04
be able to stay in his home as the project
39:06
moves ahead. The seventy year old retired mechanic, who is
39:10
raising his nine year old granddaughter, recently paid off the
39:13
house he has lived in for thirty eight years. Side
39:17
plans show it might soon sit near five hundred seventy
39:21
four diesel generators designed to be a back up power
39:24
source for the data centers. I didn't work thirty eight
39:28
years to sit here and listen to a data center
39:30
twenty four seven, three sixty five days a year, said Pullman,
39:35
who added as his voice broke with emotion, that he
39:38
worries it's too late to fend off the development. We
39:42
know we are going up against some really wealthy people.
39:45
Pullman said this all seemed too baked in already for
39:49
anyone to really do anything about it. Others in the
39:53
town said their fight is far from over. Pilch, a
39:56
lifelong Archbald resident, said he's incre reasingly heartened by several
40:01
small wins in the community's battle over data centers. Last month,
40:06
the Archbald Borough Council unanimously denied a permit to an
40:10
applicant that proposed an eighteen building campus. Opponents had argued
40:15
during hearings on the project that plans were not properly
40:18
communicated to the public. An attorney for the applicant, Provident
40:22
Realty Advisers, did not respond to a request for comment.
40:27
Provident has appealed the decision. It was during the meeting
40:31
when a permit was denied that an archbald council member
40:34
who had initially supported this owning amendments abruptly resigned. Two
40:40
weeks later, when the council met to fill the vacant seat,
40:43
Three more council members who had voted for the zoning
40:46
that allowed data centers, also resigned, including Morn, the former president.
40:52
As their resignations were announced, audience members cheered and exchanged hugs.
40:57
In this resignation, letter said he had great concern for
41:01
his health and his family after gunshots were fired at
41:05
the home of the Indianapolis politician who supported data centers
41:09
in his state. I want to caution my fellow council members,
41:13
the Planning Commission members, and zoning board members to be
41:17
careful of the many unstable people, Moron wrote. Please remember
41:21
your family should come first. Maren also appeared to take
41:25
aim at his archball critics, writing social media is proving
41:29
to be the downfall of good government. Another council member
41:32
who resigned, Marie Andreoli, said in an interview she had
41:36
grown overwhelmed by data center opponents quote meanness on social media,
41:42
adding criticism has become personal instead of business. Three of
41:47
the four council members who resigned have now been replaced
41:50
by data center opponents, with one seat still vacant. It
41:54
could be months or years before any data centers are
41:58
built in ARCHBALLD, once plans are approved by the local
42:02
planning board, State and local permits are needed before construction
42:06
can start. Project Gravity was accepted last fall into a
42:10
fastrack permitting process launched by Shapiro to stimulate economic development,
42:16
but the application is now on hold pending additional documentation
42:20
from the developers. State officials said the developer's decision to
42:25
clear the trees from the proposed development site angered community members,
42:29
who accused the company of taking advantage of an environmental
42:33
regulation loophole. In Pennsylvania, developers must obtain permits for quote
42:39
earth activities and stormwater discharged. Project Gravity had applied for
42:44
those permits, but none were issued, said Paddy Monaghan, a
42:48
spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of the Environment. But permits
42:53
are not required to simply cut trees on private property
42:56
so long as the earth is not disturbed. Project Gravity
43:00
hurdly took that action last month, said Jerry Styles, a
43:04
district manager for the Lakawana County Conservation District. If you
43:08
literally walk around with a chainsaw, cutting them and felling
43:12
them and leaving them where they fell. That is not
43:15
earth disturbance styles, said Larry West, a local activist and
43:20
Newborough Council member, said the tree cutting revived the wounds
43:24
and hidden scars in the community where it took decades
43:28
for the coal dust to be cleared the town's trees.
43:31
West noted cover abandoned mines. Now it's happening again, but
43:37
this time it's data centers, he added. Batok also believes
43:41
his property will never be the same even if the
43:45
project gravity Side is never completed. He recently installed blinds
43:49
on his enclosed patio in an attempt to dull the
43:52
pain he felt whenever he looked out at what used
43:55
to be the forest lining his back yard. No one want,
43:59
says Bojak said, except the people making money off it.
44:04
This side him is accompanied by photos. The first is
44:07
captioned Megan Pharrell sells No Data Centers Merchandise and Archibald,
44:12
where six data centers are planned. The autumn shows a
44:15
woman in a yellow T shirt raising her arm next
44:18
to a pile of similar yellow T shirts. To her
44:21
side is a pile of signs upside down which read
44:25
no data centers. The signs are the same color as
44:28
a t shirts. Next is a video by Heather Ainsworth
44:32
for The Washington Post which does not have a caption.
44:36
It is an aerial video that shows rooftops of a
44:39
town next to a field of felled trees. Next is
44:44
a photo captioned Donnie Kerry stands on his porch in Archibald,
44:48
Pennsylvania on April fifteen. Archibald is experiencing a contentious boom
44:52
in proposed data center projects Heather Ainsworth for The Washington Post.
44:58
It shows a man leaning on the railing of a
45:01
front porch. In front of him on the lawn is
45:04
a sign that says no data centers. The next lawn
45:07
also has a sign that says no data centers. The
45:11
next image is a map entitled data Center Proposals in Archball, Pennsylvania.
45:16
It shows the outlines of the proposed data centers near
45:20
State Game Land and Archbald Pothole State Park. First data
45:24
Center Proposal Tracker July later, the Washington Post. The next
45:29
photo is captioned Tyler Chescoe gives his one year old
45:33
daughter Lily a ride on his lawnmower. Earlier this month,
45:36
in Enan, Pennsylvania, located in the borough of Archbald. Heather
45:40
Ainsley for The Washington Post. It shows a riding mower
45:45
riding on a page surface with a man holding a
45:49
young daughter in his lap. Next is a photo captioned
45:52
a street in downtown Archbald, which is home to about
45:55
seven thousand people. Heather Ainsworth for The Washington Post. The
46:00
letto shows a side of a brick building on which
46:02
is painted for God and Country, next to a bald
46:05
eagle flying in front of an American flag. Next Phetto
46:09
is captioned Michael Pilch fifty four as a local leader
46:13
against the proposed data centers in Archbald. Heather Ainsworth for
46:17
The Washington Post. Next is a photo captioned Joan Longworth
46:21
expresses her concerns about a proposed data center being built
46:25
about two hundred feet from her newly purchased home during
46:28
an Archbald Borough Council meeting. I'm heartbroken, Longworth told council members.
46:33
Heather Ainsworth for The Washington Post. Next Phetow is captioned
46:38
members of the Archbald Borough Council listened to residents express
46:41
their concerns about proposed data centers, Heather Ainsworth for The
46:45
Washington Post. The next pheto is captioned Archbald resident Joseph
46:50
Pullman seventy wonders if he will be able to stay
46:53
in the home that he just finished paying off. I
46:55
have no problem with data centers, but not nine hundred
46:58
feet from my house, said said Heather Ainsworth for The
47:02
Washington Post. The final image accompanying this item is a
47:05
video by Heather Ainsworth for The Washington Post. Is an
47:09
aerial video which again shows a field of felled trees.
47:14
And the final item from today's front page is entitled
47:18
Supreme Court weighs bounds of digital privacy. Law enforcement use
47:22
of Google location data history up for debate by Julian Mark.
47:28
The Supreme Court on Monday grappled with the constitutionality of
47:32
law enforcement's use of Google location history data to track
47:35
down a suspect in a case that could further define
47:39
the Constitution's protections for digital privacy. Some of the justices
47:44
seemed inclined to uphold what are known as geofens warrants,
47:48
a new tool the police use to narrow down suspects
47:52
based on location data collected by companies such as Google.
47:56
Although some justices seem to agree that a warrant is
47:59
necessary to obtain that data. They wrestled with how such
48:03
warrens square with a constitution drafted long before the advent
48:07
of technology that could pinpoint an individual's location. Two stessins,
48:12
John G. Roberts JI said one of the central concerns
48:16
about the warrants is that they could enable the government
48:20
to catalog everyone who was at a particular location, such
48:23
as a place of worship or political organization, at a
48:27
particular time. What are the restraints that would prevent that
48:32
from becoming a problem, Roberts asked. Attorneys for the Trump
48:36
administration argue that the warrants, which seek to locate everyone
48:40
who is within a specific geographic area at a particular time,
48:44
can help investigators crack difficult cases without infringing on Americans.
48:49
Constitutional rights. Critics say the warrants are too broad, letting
48:55
police see into the lives of people not suspected of crimes.
49:00
The High Court is considering whether a Geofans warrant violated
49:04
a bank robbery defendant's constitutional right to be protected from
49:08
unreasonable government searches and seizures. An attorney for armed robbery
49:12
defendant of Kellochatri, who was swept up in a geofans warrant,
49:16
faced evidence skepticism from many of the justices. They questioned
49:21
whether Google uses such as Chawtri could have a reasonable
49:25
expectation of privacy after they themselves turned on their device's
49:29
location history function. If you don't want them to peer
49:33
into your window, you can close the shades, Robert said,
49:37
But Jessice Sonya Sotomaiar noted that it can be difficult
49:40
to turn off location history. She noted that Google's privacy
49:44
policies allowed the company to respond to law enforcement requests
49:48
for photos, email, and documents as well as location history.
49:54
If this is consent, that means the government can seek
49:57
those documents for any reason, not just the commiss of
50:00
a crime or no reason correct. Sinamayor said, So that
50:05
means the government a police officer randomly who decides I
50:09
don't like that person. Let me just go look at
50:11
their life to see if I can find a crime.
50:13
That would be okay, adding Yukowski, Chautu's lawyer said that
50:19
without of finding that such data is protected by the constitution,
50:23
police could do so. The case is the latest skirmish
50:27
over how to balance cutting edge data collection with Americans'
50:31
right to privacy. In twenty eighteen, the Supreme Court ruled
50:35
five to four that police need a warrant, which requires
50:39
a sign off by a judge, to obtain self high
50:42
location data from phone companies. The majority, led by Roberts,
50:46
found that timestamp data provides an intimate window into a
50:50
person's life, revealing not only his particular movements, but through them,
50:55
his familial, political, professional, religious, and sexualist associations. Now the
51:02
court is looking at a different kind of location data,
51:06
Google's location history, which is far more precise and comprehensive,
51:10
acting like a digital diary of a person's travels as Google,
51:14
which opposes the broad nature of many of the geofans
51:17
warrants put in court findings. Users must activate the feature
51:22
for it to work, and they have the ability to
51:25
review and delete it as they wish. According to the company,
51:29
Google said that since last year, it no longer stores
51:33
location history on its servers and cannot respond to geofense warrants,
51:38
but it was still collecting and storing the data. In
51:40
twenty nineteen, when a robbery took place at a credit
51:44
union in Richmond, Chawtrey, who had his location history turned
51:48
on at the time of the robbery. Pleaded guilty after
51:51
police tracked him down with a Geofense warrant. The warrant,
51:55
signed by local judge, asked the company to provide an
51:59
anonymized MANNP of every Google user within one hundred fifty
52:03
meters of the bank and within a half hour of
52:06
the robbery. According to court filings, that search returned information
52:10
on nineteen users and their movements, but Google had reservations
52:15
when detectives asked for the identities of those nineteen users,
52:19
and the company told the detectives to narrow the list.
52:23
They did so by specifying the target's movements and additional
52:26
thirty minutes before and after the initial time frame. The
52:31
search turned up three suspects. Google then unmasked those users,
52:36
providing their names and account information. One of them was Shawtri,
52:40
whose movements appeared to match those of the robber. Detectives
52:44
then obtained another warrant to search Chatri's home, finding a handgun,
52:49
two robbery demand thods, and nearly one hundred thousand dollars
52:53
in cash. According to court records, some of the cash
52:57
was wrapped in bands signed by a teller from the
53:00
robbed credit Union. Although Chawtrey pleaded guilty, he reserved his
53:04
right to challenge evidence obtained through the gfense warrant. A
53:08
federal judge in Virginia found that the warrant violated Chawtrey's
53:12
Fourth Amendment rights, but ruled that the detectives were acting
53:16
in good faith so that data could not be excluded
53:19
as evidence. A Panele of the US Court of Appeals
53:22
for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the decision, as did the
53:26
full Appeals Court. Central to the case is whether Chawtrey
53:30
had a reasonable expectation of privacy because he had his
53:34
Google location history turned on during the robbery. The government
53:39
argues that he in effect volunteered a record of his
53:42
movements and had no reasonable expectation of privacy, meaning a
53:46
warrant was not even necessary. Attorneys for Charatury argue that
53:51
his location history is his property, which Google was storing
53:55
for his personal use. When police obtained it, it was
53:59
as if they had rummaged through his house. The attorneys argue.
54:04
Although Google has taken no position on Chawtrey's case, specifically,
54:08
the company urged the court in an amicus brief to
54:11
find that law enforcement officers must obtain warrants from individual's
54:15
location history data. They should not be sweeping warrants like
54:19
the one in Chawtrey's case, which captures the location data
54:22
of people not involved in crimes. Google argued a contrary
54:26
rule would leave the intimate details of millions of Americans
54:30
daily lives data that will exist in many forms as
54:33
technology rapidly develops, exposed to warrantless surveillance. The company wrote.
54:39
This item is accompanied by a photo which is captioned
54:42
security officers stand guard outside the Supreme Court on Monday.
54:47
Cassos cataputus get they images. Our next item is from
54:51
the interior of the A section and is titled Poplio
54:55
meets Sarah Malali, first woman to be Archbishop of Canterbury.
55:00
At the Vatican, the Anglican archbishop met a pope who
55:03
had signaled no intention to change Catholic doctrine to allow
55:06
ordaining women by Anthony Fiola of Rome, Archbishop of Canterbury.
55:12
Sarah Malali, the first female spiritual leader of Anglicans around
55:16
the globe, met and prayed Monday with Pope Leo the
55:19
fourteenth in a closed door encounter at the Vatican that
55:23
signaled both the promise and limits for women in Christian faith.
55:27
The papal audience was the highlight of a four day
55:30
Roman pilgrimage by Malali, a sixty four year old former nurse,
55:34
who broke the stained glass ceiling in March with her
55:37
enthroned as a Primate of the Church of England and
55:40
touched on for the global Anglican Communion. Following the private audience,
55:44
her office said she joined Leo in prayer inside the
55:48
ornate seventeenth century chapel of Urban the Eighth at the
55:52
Apostolic Palace. Lali stood publicly in solidarity with the Pope
55:57
this month after he was upbraided by President Donald Trump
56:01
in response to the Pontiff's withering criticism of the US
56:04
Israeli war in Iran, and during a visit on Monday,
56:08
she reiterated her own message of peace in the face
56:12
of inhuman violence, deep division and rapid societal change. We
56:17
must keep telling a more hopeful story, she declared inner
56:21
Vatican address. Her journey to Rome is her first international
56:25
trip as archbishop, and to come some sixty years after
56:29
a landmark thaw between the faiths saw Pope Paul the
56:33
sixth become the first pontiff to hold an official meeting
56:36
with an Archbishop of Canterbury since the sixteenth century, when
56:41
Henry the Eighth broke with Rome. Hopezy Catholicism with one
56:46
point four billion adherents worldwide and Anglicanism with eighty five
56:51
million faithful globally might reunify have failed to materialize in
56:56
the decades since, in part because of sharp differences over
56:59
the world role of women. In his address to the
57:02
Archbishop on Monday, published by the Vatican, Leo said, while
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much progress has been made on some historically divisive issues,
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new problems have arisen in recent decades, rendering the pathway
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to full communion more difficult to discern. For my part,
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I add that it would also be a scandal if
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we did not continue to work towards overcoming our differences,
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no matter how intractable they may appear. Malaley's apartment has
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divided the church she serves, which was already riven by
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the issue of female clergy. By washing embodies the hard
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won progress of women Anglicanism. On Monday, she interfaced with
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a Catholic Church that repeatedly has rejected the ordination of women.
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Leo in his first year's pope has shown little appetite
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for changing an all male clergy. I hope that this
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normalizes the image of a woman in a high ecumenical
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role and that it will sort of plant a seed,
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said Kate mcgowie, executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference,
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a group pressing for the ordination of women in the
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Catholic Church. Maybe it will be a reminder to the
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Catholic Church that this is an unsettled question. Maybe Filio
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personally it will inspire him to find more courage and
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to act boldly. Catholic churches in various parts of the
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world are suffering a chronic shortage of priests and deacons,
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a shortfall, then advocates say, the church could easily address
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by ordaining women. Yet in recent years the prospect of
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a women ass priests has not been seriously discussed. Due
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to the constraints of time, we will be unable to
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complete this item. This concludes the reading of the Washington
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Post for to Day, Tuesday, April twenty eighth, twenty twenty six.
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Your reader for to Day has been Cindy Fraser. If
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you have any questions, comments, or suggestions concerning this program,
58:55
please fail free to call us at eight five nine
58:57
four two two six three nine zero. Thank you for
59:00
listening and now please stay tuned for continuing programming and
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