Latest / Washington Post / 9.24.26

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9.24.26 · Washington Post

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of the Washington Post for Thursday,
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  Speaker 1: September 24th, 2026. As a reminder, Radio Eye is a
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  Speaker 1: reading service intended for people who are blind or have
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  Speaker 1: other disabilities that make it difficult to read printed material.
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  Speaker 1: Your reader for today is Roger Hempirian. Today's front page
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  Speaker 1: headlines from the Washington Post are as follows. In Maine,
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  Speaker 1: an unpolished style could be the point. Next. At UN,
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  Speaker 1: tech leaders plead for limiting AI risks. Next, I am
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  Speaker 1: the code. Trump and architect clashed. Next, COVID shots for
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  Speaker 1: kids on the horizon after delay. Next, ban of U.S.
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  Speaker 1: diesel exports may backfire, experts warn. And finally, at UN,
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  Speaker 1: Iran offers retort. The first article from the front page
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  Speaker 1: of today's edition is titled, Troy Jackson isn't polished. In Maine,
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  Speaker 1: that may be the point. The former logger who replaced
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  Speaker 1: Graham Plattner is running a low-key cargo shorts campaign against
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  Speaker 1: the Republican incumbent. Some voters love it, but others say
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  Speaker 1: they can't hear him. By Ian Ward. The yard signs
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  Speaker 1: outside the banquet hall read, Troy Jackson. But that was
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  Speaker 1: the extent of the introduction that the Senate candidate would
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  Speaker 1: receive on Monday evenings. As a crowd of about 300
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  Speaker 1: Mainers took their seats, former Maine State Senator Linda Sanborn
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  Speaker 1: stepped on stage to introduce the event, a town hall-style
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  Speaker 1: conversation between Jackson, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine,
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  Speaker 1: and Nirav Shah, the state's former top public health official.
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  Speaker 1: After ticking off a long list of Shah's accolades and accomplishments,
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  Speaker 1: she beckoned the duo to the stage, but she'd forgotten
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  Speaker 1: one small thing, introducing Jackson. As Jackson and Shaw took
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  Speaker 1: their seats in opposing armchairs, Sanborn corrected herself. And Troy Jackson,
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  Speaker 1: she added hastily into the microphone, prompting another round of
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  Speaker 1: light applause from the audience, our next U.S. Senator. It
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  Speaker 1: was a fitting introduction, or lack thereof, for Jackson, the
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  Speaker 1: progressive challenger fighting to unseat incumbent Senator Susan Collins, Republican
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  Speaker 1: in Maine's closely watched Senate race. Since replacing Graham Platner,
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  Speaker 1: who withdrew from the race in July amid sexual misconduct
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  Speaker 1: allegations on the Democratic ticket, Jackson has cut a notably
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  Speaker 1: understated figure in the race. His race against Collins could
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  Speaker 1: help decide control of the Senate. A former logger and
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  Speaker 1: former president of the Maine State Senate, Jackson has leaned
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  Speaker 1: into his everyman persona on the trail, showing up to
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  Speaker 1: campaign events in cargo shorts and and crisscrossing the state
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  Speaker 1: in his 2016 Dodge minivan. On Monday, he strode into
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  Speaker 1: the banquet hall in Scarborough, wearing his signature cell phone
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  Speaker 1: holster clipped to his belt before cracking open a can
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  Speaker 1: of Diet Coke on stage. His unassuming aura, bolstered by
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  Speaker 1: his thick Maine accent, has endeared Jackson to some Democratic
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  Speaker 1: voters in the state, where recent polls show him holding
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  Speaker 1: a very slim lead over Collins. He's campaigning in Maine,
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  Speaker 1: said Judy Braley, a Jackson supporter who drove 45 minutes
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  Speaker 1: to the event with her husband from their hometown of Leamington.
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  Speaker 1: We're down-to-earth people. But with just six weeks until the election,
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  Speaker 1: the same question loomed over Jackson's abbreviated campaign and the
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  Speaker 1: town hall in Scarborough. Can a candidate this unassuming beat Collins,
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  Speaker 1: a formidable retail politician who has repeatedly won every race
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  Speaker 1: for three decades and despite running in a state that
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  Speaker 1: has backed Democrats for president in every election since 1992.
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  Speaker 1: Jackson's populism and his unpolished approach to politics were apparent
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  Speaker 1: in his hour-long appearance in Scarborough. On stage, Jackson ticked
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  Speaker 1: off his support for a standard set of progressive policy priorities,
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  Speaker 1: fighting for universal health care and child care, passing the
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  Speaker 1: Pro-Union-Pro Act, overturning the Supreme Court's Citizen United v. FEC decision,
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  Speaker 1: which allows corporations to spend unlimited money on elections and
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  Speaker 1: codifying a legal right to abortion. He largely avoided the
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  Speaker 1: sort of pointed attacks on Republicans that have been a
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  Speaker 1: stump staple of many progressive candidates. His fiercest line of
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  Speaker 1: the evening called out U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents,
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  Speaker 1: whom he derided as misfits who had failed at something else.
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  Speaker 1: His most direct attack on Collins targeted her opposition to
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  Speaker 1: Medicare for All, which he suggested was hypocritical given the
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  Speaker 1: government-sponsored health care she's received in Congress. Afterwards, several attendees
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  Speaker 1: said they had trouble following Jackson at times. His accent,
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  Speaker 1: soft-spoken delivery, and finicky microphones all caused problems. It was
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  Speaker 1: kind of hard to hear him, said Paul Jessen, a
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  Speaker 1: Jackson supporter from Scarborough. I was sort of wishing that
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  Speaker 1: he would speak up a little bit. Troy is who
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  Speaker 1: he is, accent and all, David Farmer, a senior advisor
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  Speaker 1: to Jackson, said in a statement Wednesday. What matters most
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  Speaker 1: to Mainers, Farmer said, is Jackson's willingness to fight corporations
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  Speaker 1: and billionaires, to advocate for Medicare for All and the
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  Speaker 1: abolition of ICE, and to stand up to Donald Trump.
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  Speaker 1: Other supporters saw Jackson's low-key style as a selling point.
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  Speaker 1: Braley's husband, Brian, said that he felt questionable about supporting
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  Speaker 1: Jackson's predecessor in part because he found Plattner's gravelly voiced
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  Speaker 1: and expletive-laden speeches off-putting. By contrast, he said he appreciates
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  Speaker 1: Jackson's plain-spoken presentation. He's not polished, but he's genuine, Braley said,
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  Speaker 1: and I'm anxious for someone genuine. Jessen, who supported Plattner
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  Speaker 1: until allegations of sexual assault emerged in July, said that
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  Speaker 1: Jackson's blandness is a welcome contrast. He's clearly a regular guy,
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  Speaker 1: a working guy. That's not a line. It's not manufactured.
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  Speaker 1: By the same token, Jessen said, Jackson's mellow demeanor cuts
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  Speaker 1: against the image that Republicans have tried to draw of
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  Speaker 1: him as a belligerent and short-tempered bully. A Senate leadership
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  Speaker 1: fund ad in July accused Jackson of a history of
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  Speaker 1: conflicts with women, bullying, even intimidation. citing a 2021 argument
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  Speaker 1: in which he threw a water bottle while confronting a
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  Speaker 1: Democratic colleague, then State Senator Heather Sanborn. Witnesses said the
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  Speaker 1: bottle struck no one. A Washington Post examination in July,
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  Speaker 1: drawing on interviews with more than two dozen people, found
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  Speaker 1: that Jackson's temper was a feature of his tenure as
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  Speaker 1: State Senate President. That included a 2024 dispute over gun
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  Speaker 1: legislation in which two people said he banged on a table,
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  Speaker 1: cursed and got close to then-house speaker Rachel Talbot Ross's face.
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  Speaker 1: A Jackson advisor acknowledged in July moments when he let
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  Speaker 1: his frustration get the better of him, but denied any
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  Speaker 1: physical intimidation or bullying. Jessen said he doesn't think criticisms
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  Speaker 1: of Jackson's temper land with Mainers, given the mild-mannered persona
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  Speaker 1: he has displayed on the trail. He's just salt of
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  Speaker 1: the earth, just a good, decent man, Jessen said. Jackson's
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  Speaker 1: race against Collins, a formidable political stalwart who chairs the
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  Speaker 1: Senate Appropriations Committee, was jolted on Tuesday, the day after
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  Speaker 1: Jackson's town hall in Scarborough, when non-profit newsroom ProPublica reported
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  Speaker 1: that an FBI public corruption inquiry involving a close Collins
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  Speaker 1: ally died after the Trump administration gutted the bureau's anti-corruption units.
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  Speaker 1: According to ProPublica, The investigation was looking into Collins' dealings
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  Speaker 1: with the defense contractor Navitek and a $ 150, 000 donation to
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  Speaker 1: her allied Super PAC. A spokesperson for Collins has denied
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  Speaker 1: as categorically false allegations in the report that Collins' campaign
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  Speaker 1: attempted to circumvent campaign finance rules. In a social media
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  Speaker 1: post Tuesday, Jackson called the allegations corruption of the highest
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  Speaker 1: order and called for answers about every contract and every
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  Speaker 1: conversation that Collins and her team facilitated on the backs
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  Speaker 1: of taxpayers. But at the town hall Monday night, before
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  Speaker 1: the report landed, there was little indication that Jackson was
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  Speaker 1: losing much sleep over the state of the race. As
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  Speaker 1: Shaw put it as the event hit the one-hour mark,
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  Speaker 1: it was time to wrap things up. It's almost eight
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  Speaker 1: o'clock in Maine, Shaw said, which means it's well past
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  Speaker 1: all of our bedtimes. The next article from the front
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  Speaker 1: page of today's edition is titled, At UN, Tech Leaders
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  Speaker 1: Urge Global Effort to Limit AI's Risk to Humanity. OpenAI's
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  Speaker 1: Sam Altman and Anthropix's Dario Amadei called for nations to
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  Speaker 1: work together on regulations as fears about technology's capabilities grow.
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  Speaker 1: By Pranshu Verma and Ian Duncan. Leaders of several major
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  Speaker 1: artificial intelligence companies told United Nations members on Wednesday that
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  Speaker 1: robust international efforts to regulate the technology are required amid
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  Speaker 1: escalating concern that AI could pose a significant risk to humanity.
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  Speaker 1: Sam Altman, the chief executive of chat GPT maker OpenAI,
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  Speaker 1: addressed leaders in the UN Security Council chamber, saying the
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  Speaker 1: pace of AI progress could accelerate rapidly. and calling for
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  Speaker 1: extreme care and for nations to work together in deciding
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  Speaker 1: how to regulate the technology. instead of concentrating power in
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  Speaker 1: the hands of a few firms. Regulation must be shaped
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  Speaker 1: through democratic processes by governments accountable to the people they serve,
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  Speaker 1: Altman said. At the international level, that means cooperation. Anthropix
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  Speaker 1: chief executive Dario Amadei remotely addressed the body and said
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  Speaker 1: that as AI models become more powerful, stringent safety measures
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  Speaker 1: will be required and labs making the technology must exercise caution.
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  Speaker 1: We will slow down as much as necessary in order
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  Speaker 1: to make sure every successive AI technology release is actually safe,
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  Speaker 1: he said. The remarks represent the prominent purge that the
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  Speaker 1: issue of AI regulation has taken among lawmakers in Washington
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  Speaker 1: and abroad. sparked by fears that the technology could become
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  Speaker 1: unwieldy and pose dangers to the human race. The two
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  Speaker 1: CEOs have been increasingly vocal in calling for more government
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  Speaker 1: oversight of their industry in recent weeks, as the top
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  Speaker 1: AI models have become increasingly powerful. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google
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  Speaker 1: have explored creating an industry body to set standards for
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  Speaker 1: the technology, and in some versions of that idea, the
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  Speaker 1: body would be tied to a government agency, a model
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  Speaker 1: employed in the financial sector. But it's unclear how their
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  Speaker 1: views meld with those of President Donald Trump. The U.S.
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  Speaker 1: president is set to meet China's Xi Jinping in Washington
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  Speaker 1: this week, with AI high on their agenda. On Saturday,
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  Speaker 1: Trump said that he would appoint a new AI czar
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  Speaker 1: and create a government AI force. But officials have not
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  Speaker 1: detailed what role that force might have, and the president
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  Speaker 1: has shown no interest in steps to rein in the
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  Speaker 1: industry calling safety fears a hoax. The United States also
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  Speaker 1: totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to
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  Speaker 1: control for the artificial intelligence being spoken of so much now,
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  Speaker 1: hereinafter officially called superintelligence, Trump said in his own address
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  Speaker 1: to the United Nations on Tuesday. Worries about advanced forms
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  Speaker 1: of artificial intelligence running amok have a long history in
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  Speaker 1: the industry. But they took on a new urgency this
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  Speaker 1: summer when OpenAI disclosed that a swarm of agents created
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  Speaker 1: by its models had hacked into another company in the
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  Speaker 1: hunt for answers to a test. Other companies have since
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  Speaker 1: said they experienced similar incidents. Then this month, a researcher
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  Speaker 1: quit Anthropic, saying the company was not being careful enough
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  Speaker 1: in how it developed a technology that he warned had
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  Speaker 1: the potential to bring about human extinctions. Executives at the
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  Speaker 1: two leading companies have been more circumspect, but have said
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  Speaker 1: they are increasingly concerned about the risks their systems carry.
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  Speaker 1: Ammo Day issued a call for the industry to slow
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  Speaker 1: down to gain more time to work on safety, an
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  Speaker 1: idea that Altman and SpaceX founder Elon Musk quickly endorsed.
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  Speaker 1: While the companies at the cutting edge of building AI
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  Speaker 1: systems are American, they have sought to cast ensuring the
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  Speaker 1: technology's safety as a global imperative. In a blog post Monday,
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  Speaker 1: OpenAI said the world should work toward developing common standards
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  Speaker 1: for assessing systems as AI tools come to build their
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  Speaker 1: own successors in a process called recursive self-improvement. The company
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  Speaker 1: said government safety labs in different countries should work together
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  Speaker 1: on the effort, with the United States taking a leading role.
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  Speaker 1: Other nations face difficult choices when it comes to AI adoption.
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  Speaker 1: especially after the Trump administration abruptly imposed export controls on
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  Speaker 1: a leading American model this summer, effectively shutting it down
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  Speaker 1: around the world. The leaders of 20 countries led by
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  Speaker 1: Norway and Finland signed a joint declaration this week saying
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  Speaker 1: that AI must remain under human direction, oversight, and control.
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  Speaker 1: The declaration said safeguards should be put in place without
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  Speaker 1: widening the gap between countries in access to the benefits
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  Speaker 1: of AI. The United States and China, the world's other
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  Speaker 1: leading AI power, did not sign. Michael Kratios, the science
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  Speaker 1: advisor to Trump, told members of the UN that the
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  Speaker 1: United States will not support any attempts at global regulation
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  Speaker 1: of artificial intelligence and that the fast pace of AI
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  Speaker 1: progress should not incite more rulemaking. That is not a
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  Speaker 1: reason to pause AI's further development or to constrain it
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  Speaker 1: with new global government structures, he said. The next article
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  Speaker 1: from the front page of today's edition is titled, I
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  Speaker 1: Am the Code, Trump Clashed with Ballroom Architect Over Safety Issues.
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  Speaker 1: James McCreary II resigned in October after warning that the
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  Speaker 1: president was insisting on designs that violated fire and safety
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  Speaker 1: codes by Sarah Blaske and Jonathan O'Connell. In the weeks
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  Speaker 1: leading up to his resignation last year, The first architect
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  Speaker 1: on the White House ballroom clashed with President Donald Trump
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  Speaker 1: over design features that the architect believed violated building safety codes,
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  Speaker 1: according to two people with knowledge of the discussion and
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  Speaker 1: corroborating documents reviewed by the Washington Post. James McCreary II
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  Speaker 1: withdrew from the project last October after warning repeatedly that
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  Speaker 1: that Trump was insisting on a preliminary design that did
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  Speaker 1: not provide adequate emergency exit routes or fire containment measures,
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  Speaker 1: said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity
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  Speaker 1: to describe the private discussions. Trump brushed off McCreary's concerns,
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  Speaker 1: they said, and the president countered that no building codes
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  Speaker 1: apply to White House construction. I am the code, Trump said.
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  Speaker 1: That episode, as described by the people familiar with the matter,
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  Speaker 1: offers new insight into Trump's priorities for the ballroom at
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  Speaker 1: a time when he is flexing executive power to fast-track
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  Speaker 1: construction projects across the nation's capital. The interviews and documents
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  Speaker 1: obtained by the Post, including early ballroom designs and images
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  Speaker 1: Trump appeared to have marked up with his traditional black
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  Speaker 1: ink sharpie, also show how deeply involved the president has
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  Speaker 1: been in details of the project. White House renovations and
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  Speaker 1: construction are typically handled by federal agencies required by law
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  Speaker 1: to comply with nationally recognized building safety standards to the
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  Speaker 1: maximum extent feasible, unless doing so would present a national
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  Speaker 1: security risk. But Trump's White House construction projects are being
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  Speaker 1: routed through the executive residence, a tiny office that is
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  Speaker 1: not a federal agency and is therefore exempt from rules
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  Speaker 1: governing agencies. The District of Columbia government, has no jurisdiction
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  Speaker 1: to enforce local building codes on federal property. The contractors
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  Speaker 1: hired to design and build the ballroom are responsible for
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  Speaker 1: adhering to safety standards as they work nearly round the
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  Speaker 1: clock to meet Trump's ambitious deadlines, according to experts. Discussions
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  Speaker 1: about the safety measures in the ballroom's design continued for
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  Speaker 1: months after McCreary resigned. According to White House records, it
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  Speaker 1: is not clear from the records reviewed by the Post
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  Speaker 1: whether the safety issues he identified have been resolved in
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  Speaker 1: more recent designs by Shalom Baranis Associates, the architecture firm
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  Speaker 1: that replaced McCreary's firm late last year. Shalom Baranis Associates
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  Speaker 1: initially declined to comment. In a statement after this story
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  Speaker 1: was published, Shalom Baranis, the company's founding principal, said, I
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  Speaker 1: can unequivocally state that the ballroom complex has been designed
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  Speaker 1: to conform to applicable National Building Code standards. When Post
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  Speaker 1: reporters visited McCreary's office this month, he asked them to
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  Speaker 1: leave and not contact him again. On Tuesday, in response
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  Speaker 1: to questions from the Post and details about its reporting
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  Speaker 1: for this story, McCreary issued a statement through a spokesman.
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  Speaker 1: President Trump entrusted me with the earliest stages of the
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  Speaker 1: new ballroom design, the statement said. I am truly grateful
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  Speaker 1: for that honor. and for the rich experience of working
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  Speaker 1: for him alongside all the highly talented and committed patriots
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  Speaker 1: at the executive mansion. Having completed the earliest designs, I
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  Speaker 1: stepped aside and a new firm was engaged. The Post
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  Speaker 1: previously reported that McCreery clashed with Trump over the size
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  Speaker 1: of the ballroom. In response to questions Tuesday, McCreery did
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  Speaker 1: not provide a specific reason for his resignation. A White
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  Speaker 1: House spokesman emailed a statement that said it would be
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  Speaker 1: factually false and totally inaccurate to say that McCurry's departure
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  Speaker 1: from the project was in any way associated with code issues.
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  Speaker 1: Compliance with safety codes has been a priority since the
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  Speaker 1: East Wing project began, and aesthetics have not outweighed fire
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  Speaker 1: and safety standards, the statement said. The current team of
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: architects and consultants is responsible for designing the East Wing
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  Speaker 1: according to nationally recognized fire and safety codes, it said.
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  Speaker 1: Life safety issues have been addressed and resolved continuously as
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  Speaker 1: the design has evolved, the statement said. McCreary was a
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  Speaker 1: valued member of the initial design team of the East
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  Speaker 1: Wing Modernization Project, the statement said. The decision was made
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  Speaker 1: to move in another direction for the second phase of
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  Speaker 1: the project, and we continue to make tremendous strides in
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  Speaker 1: realizing the goal of providing a world-class military and functional
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: facility for future presidents to utilize. The ballroom is the
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  Speaker 1: most expensive of the projects Trump has initiated to leave
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  Speaker 1: his imprint on monumental D.C. The president has described the
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  Speaker 1: project as a gift to the American people. Polls show
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  Speaker 1: that it is deeply unpopular. The Post previously reported that
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: as of March, the ballroom project was expected to cost
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  Speaker 1: hundreds of millions more than the administration has publicly acknowledged,
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  Speaker 1: and that half the cost was expected to be covered
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  Speaker 1: by taxpayers. Renderings show an ornate and gilded interior that
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  Speaker 1: departs from the simplicity of the original White House and
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  Speaker 1: echoes the look of the ballroom at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate
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  Speaker 1: in Florida, a look he has said was inspired by
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  Speaker 1: the Palace of Versailles in France. A March budget for
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  Speaker 1: the new White House ballroom included nearly $ 6 million in
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  Speaker 1: gold leaf. The project also includes secure underground facilities that
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  Speaker 1: Trump has said are necessary for national security. McCreary, a
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  Speaker 1: classical architect and professor at Catholic University of America, runs
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  Speaker 1: a boutique firm on Capitol Hill that specializes in designing churches, libraries,
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  Speaker 1: and buildings for college campuses. During his first term, Trump
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  Speaker 1: appointed McCreary to the United States Commission of Fine Arts,
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  Speaker 1: a position in which the architect consulted on projects in
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  Speaker 1: the Capitol through President Joe Biden's administration. Trump handpicked McCreary
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  Speaker 1: architects to design the above-ground portion of the ballroom, and
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  Speaker 1: the firm began drafting drawings as early as April 2025,
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  Speaker 1: documents show. I am honored that President Trump has entrusted
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  Speaker 1: me to help bring this beautiful and necessary renovation to
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  Speaker 1: the people's house while preserving the elegance of its classical
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  Speaker 1: design and historical importance, McCreary said in a White House
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  Speaker 1: news release announcing the project. Trump was immersed in the
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  Speaker 1: minutiae of the project that spring and summer. often spending
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  Speaker 1: hours at a time discussing it at the White House
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  Speaker 1: with McCreary, the people with knowledge of the meeting said.
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  Speaker 1: The president also called McCreary on his cell phone at
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  Speaker 1: all hours to relay his thoughts on the design, they said.
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  Speaker 1: The Post reviewed draft plans and other images featuring dozens
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  Speaker 1: of undated handwritten notes that appeared to be from Trump
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  Speaker 1: to McCreary as the two worked together on early designs
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  Speaker 1: for the ballroom. The notes were later returned to the
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: White House, where images show they were stored in a
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: box containing the label, Docs Bearing POTUS's Mark. Sharpie markings
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: on one of the documents expanded the footprint of McCreary's
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: sketch of a ballroom that would have seated 640 guests.
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: The Sharpie marks also scratched out proposed service corridors, extending
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: the ballroom the entire width of the second floor. The
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: markings offer input on tiny details in the design, including
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: how far decorative interior columns should extend into the ballroom
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: or whether doors should hinge on the left or right.
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: They emphasize a preference for Corinthian-style columns over simpler columns,
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: and they cross out two sets of service stairs. The
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: documents reviewed by the Post also hint at friction, previously
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: reported by the Post and others, that grew last summer
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: as Trump insisted on expanding the ballroom until it was
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: nearly twice the size of the historical mansion. a size
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: that would seat more than 1,300 guests. One document features
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: an image of a planned data center overlaid on a
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: map of Manhattan, a mashup that demonstrated the data center's
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: massive size. James begins a note for McCreary at the top,
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: an apparent reference to the architect's concerns about the size
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: of the ballroom, and you think we are big. Trump's
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: growing vision for the ballroom triggered a cascade of design issues,
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: including conflicts with building standards McCreary was trained to follow,
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: according to the people familiar with their discussions. McCreary informed
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: the White House that Trump's ballroom design did not meet
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: fire safety codes, which require the majority of guests to
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: be able to quickly exit through the main entrance during
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: an emergency, according to the people and documents. The architect
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: also pointed out that alternative emergency exit routes out of
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: the building were insufficient, and that there was little in
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: the design to prevent a kitchen fire from rapidly spreading
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: into the event space on the floor above. In addition
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: to fire safety concerns, Trump's desired ballroom design did not
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: include enough toilets to accommodate the structure's maximum occupancy, according
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: to documents, and there were few options for adding more,
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: as the event space occupied most of the building's footprint.
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: One early ballroom design featured just seven stalls in the
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: women's bathrooms. On September 30, 2025, a White House team
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: met to review the ballroom design, and they discussed areas
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: of concern and comments from contractors on the project, according
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: to a White House official's meeting notes. Life safety, big concern,
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: the notes said. Major renovations and construction on the White
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: House are supposed to be handled by the General Services
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: Administration or the National Park Service. according to a memorandum
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: of understanding governing site operations. The GSA, which handles most
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: non-military government real estate projects, has previously told the Post
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: that it has no role in the ballroom project, and
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: Tuesday referred questions to the White House. The Park Service
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: is acting as a pass-through for private donations to the project,
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: but is not running the construction. The Park Service did
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: not respond to a request for comment. Instead, the work
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: has been routed through the White House executive residence, an
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: unusual arrangement that has allowed the president to dictate the
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: terms of the project the Post previously has reported. Typically,
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: the GSA and other federal agencies write language into their
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: construction contracts that allows them to enforce code compliance. According
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: to Kevin Campshorer, who oversaw numerous federal construction projects in
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: a 50-year career at the GSA, While it's difficult to
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: quantify the risk of designing a structure without adequate emergency
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: exits and other fire protection mechanisms, Kampscherer said, bottom line is,
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: I don't know any commercial building owner that would cheat
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: on the fire code because the risk is too great.
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: The Post has not reviewed McCreary's contract with the White House,
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: but has examined the contract between the White House and
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: the project builder, Clark Constructions. The agreement says Clark must
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: conduct its work in accordance with federal, state, and local laws, regulations, codes, directives,
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: or guidance provided by the contracting officer. The contracting officer
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: in this case is Joshua Fisher, Director of White House
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: Management and Administration, and an assistant to Trump. Fisher did
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: not respond to a request for comment. Clark has hired
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: a private company to do third-party inspection of the construction,
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: according to a memo notifying the White House of its
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: plan to issue a no-bid contract for the work. A
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: spokesperson for Clark Construction, the project's general contractor, said in
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: a statement, as demonstrated by our successful history delivering projects
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: for federal clients across the United States, we consistently follow
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: applicable building codes and life safety requirements. Documents show that
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: McCreary resigned the week of October 20th, the same week
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: demolition began on the former East Wing. In the months
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: that followed his resignation, documents show, the White House team
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: continued to discuss life safety issues and a code review
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: for the ballroom project. It is unclear if a review
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: was ever completed. Life safety needs POTUS buy-in, read one
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: White House official's notes from a November 6th meeting on
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: the project. The ballroom plans should have been finalized by
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: early June 2026, according to an initial schedule reviewed by
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: the Post, but current and former administration officials, who spoke
• 27:31
  Speaker 1: on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations, told
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: the Post in late August that the president was still
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: tweaking the design as construction continued. Refinements to the design
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: are continuing as construction proceeds, said the White House statement
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: to the Post. These refinements are primarily associated with the interiors.
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: The next article from the front page of today's edition
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: is titled, States Can Now Access COVID Vaccines for Low-Income
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: Children After Delay. The Vaccines for Children program, which serves
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: nearly half the nation's youths, had been in limbo for
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: almost a month with doctors unable to obtain the shots.
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: By Lena H. Sun and Rachel Rubin. States are now
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: able to access updated coronavirus vaccines through a Centers for
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: Disease Control and Prevention program serving nearly half the nation's
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: children after it had been in limbo for nearly a month,
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: according to an email obtained by the Washington Post. Earlier Wednesday,
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: the Post reported that ordering was set to begin as
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: early as Wednesday or Thursday, citing two people familiar with
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: they weren't authorized to speak publicly. Within a few hours,
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: an email sent out shortly before 5 p.m. from a
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: CDC official informed partners in the federal program that COVID-19
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: vaccines were now available for ordering. Dear partners, CDC has
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: opened COVID-19 vaccine ordering for the 2026-2027 season, the email said.
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: It said orders were no longer being filled for last
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: season's vaccines. Doctors had been unable to obtain shots for
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: low-income children as infections rise in parts of the country,
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: even though the Food and Drug Administration had approved the
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: updated vaccine last month. States are expected to be able
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: to start ordering shots through the Vaccines for Children program,
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: which is administered by the CDC. The Vaccines for Children
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: program serves children on Medicaid and those without adequate insurance,
• 29:37
  Speaker 1: among others. Opening orders for states with clear a key hurdle,
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: although providers would still need to receive shipments before administering doses.
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: Earlier Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services did
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: not immediately comment on the prospect of coronavirus vaccine ordering
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: beginning soon. Pediatricians like Deborah Greenhouse part of a practice
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: in Columbia, South Carolina, say they have families that are
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: eligible to have their children get the vaccines through the
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: federal program, but we have no ability to make that happen,
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: she said. It's incredibly frustrating. At the same time, the
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: practice has been able to order vaccine for children covered
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: by private insurance. The idea of having an inequity in
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: my practice for some patients to be able to get
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: the shots and some patients are not, CDC career officials
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: had previously completed preparations to make the vaccines available, leaving
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: what people familiar with the process described as essentially pushing
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: a button to open ordering, according to two other people
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: familiar with the matter, but the shots had not yet
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: been made available. The delay had appeared to be linked
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: in part to a slowdown in approving CDC's clinical guidance
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: for health care professionals and public health officials on using
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: the vaccine, according to a federal health official who spoke
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: on the condition of anonymity to share internal discussions. The
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: guide was sent for review to an external expert, the
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: person said. The clinical guidance was posted online late Wednesday.
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: A note at the top of the webpage states that
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: because of legal uncertainties and inquiries, CDC states the recommendations
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: for COVID-19 vaccinations from the July 2025 immunization schedule remain
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: in effect for the 2026-2027 respiratory illness season. The CDC
• 31:32
  Speaker 1: is pointing to the earlier guidance for COVID vaccination, stating
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: that the updated shot is recommended for all adults ages
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: 18 years and older. Healthy children should first discuss whether
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: to get a shot with a doctor or other health professional.
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: During President Donald Trump's second term, Health Secretary Robert F.
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: Kennedy Jr. had moved to fundamentally alter the nation's vaccine policy.
• 31:57
  Speaker 1: But many of his efforts were halted by a federal judge,
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: including an influential panel switch from a universal coronavirus vaccine
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: recommendation to a more restrictive approach that everyone should first
• 32:09
  Speaker 1: consult with a health care provider before getting a shot.
• 32:13
  Speaker 1: Kennedy has made two changes to coronavirus shot recommendations that
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: weren't paused by the court. Revisions regarding healthy children and
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: pregnant women. There is currently no recommendation for pregnant women,
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: and the vaccine is recommended for healthy children through shared decision-making,
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: meaning parents and children should talk with their health care
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: providers to decide whether to get vaccinated. Referring to the delay,
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: Emily Hilliard, a HHS spokeswoman, said in an earlier statement,
• 32:42
  Speaker 1: that CDC has not yet finalized procurement decisions for COVID-19
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: vaccines through the federal program. HHS and CDC are committed
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: to responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources and to ensuring that
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: vaccines purchased through federally funded programs are appropriate for the
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: populations those programs serve, the statement read. Participating doctors say
• 33:06
  Speaker 1: they would normally have vaccinated dozens of children in their
• 33:09
  Speaker 1: practices by now. Opening orders would clear a key hurdle,
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: although providers would still need to receive shipments before administering doses.
• 33:18
  Speaker 1: A spokeswoman for the Minnesota Department of Health said earlier
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: Wednesday that the state had been told that CDC leadership
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: approval is needed before distribution of the vaccine can begin.
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: New York state health officials had already told participating providers
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: they could use COVID-19 vaccine doses that had been ordered
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: for privately insured patients for for those patients in the
• 33:41
  Speaker 1: federal program. Providers would replace those doses once the federal
• 33:45
  Speaker 1: program is reopened, state officials said. Vaccination remains the best
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: protection against serious illness from COVID and other respiratory illnesses,
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: especially for young children. New York State Health Department spokeswoman
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: Cadence Aquaviva said in a statement, a child's ability to
• 34:03
  Speaker 1: receive a recommended vaccine should not depend on their family's income.
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: Although most COVID-19 infections in children are mild and the
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: severity of disease among children has decreased over time, children
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: can have severe outcomes, including hospitalization, intensive care, and death.
• 34:21
  Speaker 1: A September 2025 study in pediatrics that analyzed data on
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: hospitalizations among children found that of 2,490 children hospitalized for
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: COVID-19 from October 1, 2022 to April 30, 2024, Nearly
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: half were children between 6 and 23 months old. Elias Kass,
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: a naturopathic clinician who practices in Seattle, said his practice
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: would have been reaching out weeks ago to families with
• 34:50
  Speaker 1: babies that just turned 6 months old so they could
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: get their first COVID shot, he said. We would normally
• 34:56
  Speaker 1: be giving 50 COVID doses a day because usually, with
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: the respiratory season, we front load before the season gets going,
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: Kass said. The coronavirus vaccines were first approved during Trump's
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: first administration. He referred to them as a modern-day miracle. Kennedy,
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: the founder of a prominent anti-vaccine group, had previously criticized
• 35:18
  Speaker 1: coronavirus shots. In the absence of new federal recommendations for
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: this season's COVID shots, major medical societies banded together to
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: provide comprehensive guidance for all respiratory viruses. The American Academy
• 35:33
  Speaker 1: of Pediatrics is recommending the updated vaccine for all children
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: ages 6 months through 23 months. For older children, the
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: medical group recommends those at higher risk for severe COVID
• 35:45
  Speaker 1: get vaccinated. Even healthy children not in risk groups should
• 35:49
  Speaker 1: be offered a dose to protect them against the disease.
• 35:53
  Speaker 1: Uptake of the COVID vaccine among children has been generally limited.
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: Last year's data shows that less than 10% of children
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: were up to date with the 2025-2026 COVID vaccine, according
• 36:05
  Speaker 1: to the CDC. The next article from the front page
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: of today's edition is titled, How a Ban of Diesel
• 36:12
  Speaker 1: Exports Could Lead to Higher Prices, Even in the U.S.
• 36:17
  Speaker 1: A Diesel Export Ban Could Backfire, Experts Say, by Rachel
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: Lerman and Federica Cocco. Lawmakers are pushing for a ban
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: on diesel exports, seeking relief for truckers and farmers who
• 36:31
  Speaker 1: are paying record high prices for the crucial fuel. But
• 36:35
  Speaker 1: economists and oil experts say the plan could backfire and
• 36:38
  Speaker 1: lead to higher costs at the pump for Americans. President
• 36:42
  Speaker 1: Donald Trump said Tuesday that he's calling for a ban
• 36:45
  Speaker 1: on diesel exports, and his administration confirmed they are examining
• 36:49
  Speaker 1: the issue. The United States is the largest exporter of
• 36:54
  Speaker 1: diesel in the world. sending on average 1.4 million barrels
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: of distillate fuel a day to trading partners, mainly in
• 37:01
  Speaker 1: Latin America and Europe. Experts say that a blanket ban
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: on shipments would imperil those economic allies and push domestic
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: refineries to cut production. That, in turn, would almost certainly
• 37:14
  Speaker 1: lead to higher gasoline prices. Here's what is being proposed
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: and what could happen. Why is a ban being considered?
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: farmers and truckers are paying more for diesel than ever before.
• 37:28
  Speaker 1: The national average hit $ 6. 53 per gallon this week, according
• 37:33
  Speaker 1: to the Energy Information Administration, well above the previous record
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: of $ 5. 81 set in June 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: Continued attacks in that region, as well as the U.S.-Israel
• 37:47
  Speaker 1: war in Iran, have compromised oil infrastructure globally, sending the
• 37:52
  Speaker 1: price of diesel soaring. That's making it more expensive to
• 37:56
  Speaker 1: produce food and move groceries, clothing, and other items around
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: the country, pressuring farmers and consumers. Politicians are looking for
• 38:04
  Speaker 1: a way to lower those prices. A ban might initially
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: lower diesel prices in the U.S., analysts say, but the
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: relief likely wouldn't last long. It's very, very temporary, said
• 38:17
  Speaker 1: Debnell Chowdhury, head of Americas and Europe Fuels and Refining
• 38:21
  Speaker 1: at S & P Global Energy. It would lead to
• 38:23
  Speaker 1: higher gasoline prices for everyone. How would a ban affect
• 38:28
  Speaker 1: oil production in the U.S.? Diesel and gasoline are made
• 38:32
  Speaker 1: partially in a combined process. U.S. refineries produce far more
• 38:37
  Speaker 1: diesel than is needed for domestic usage. If the companies
• 38:40
  Speaker 1: were no longer able to export, they would likely reduce
• 38:43
  Speaker 1: their production to avoid having to store all that excess
• 38:47
  Speaker 1: diesel and to keep profits in check. Producing less diesel
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: also means producing less gasoline and jet fuel and could
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: send prices for those products even higher. Americans are already
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: paying significantly more at the pump now than they were
• 39:02
  Speaker 1: a year ago. Everything you do is a little bit
• 39:05
  Speaker 1: like robbing Peter to pay Paul, said Rebecca Babin, a
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: senior equity trader at CIBC Private Wealth. The whole system
• 39:14
  Speaker 1: is super tight right now. it's not clear how quickly
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: refiners would reduce production or how much they would cut
• 39:22
  Speaker 1: the longer any export controls are in place the more
• 39:25
  Speaker 1: impactful it becomes said patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis
• 39:30
  Speaker 1: at the price-tracking platform GasBuddy. The longer this goes on,
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: the more refiners are going to look to evade the
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: huge impacts this will deliver. And not all regions of
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: the country are equal. Diesel prices tend to be lower
• 39:44
  Speaker 1: in the Gulf Coast region where the fuel is refined.
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: but some areas of the country, such as the Northeast,
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: import some of their supply because it is logistically easier
• 39:53
  Speaker 1: to do so. If an export ban is put in place,
• 39:57
  Speaker 1: it would send global diesel prices up because the U.S.
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: would be removing a large chunk of the product from
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: the global market. You can't fence off a globally traded
• 40:07
  Speaker 1: commodity by executive order and expect the global price to
• 40:10
  Speaker 1: stop applying to it, DeHaan wrote in a GasBuddy newsletter
• 40:14
  Speaker 1: on the topic. which trading partners would feel the pinch?
• 40:19
  Speaker 1: A ban on diesel would fall first on countries with
• 40:21
  Speaker 1: no other supplier close at hand, whose truckers, farmers, and
• 40:25
  Speaker 1: power plants run on fuel that arrives by tanker from
• 40:28
  Speaker 1: the Gulf Coast. Mexico, the U.S. 's biggest customer, took
• 40:33
  Speaker 1: 96% of its imported diesel from American refineries in the
• 40:37
  Speaker 1: year ending in June. And Ecuador and Costa Rica relied
• 40:41
  Speaker 1: on the U.S. for roughly 90% of their imported diesel.
• 40:45
  Speaker 1: according to a Washington Post analysis of national customs data
• 40:49
  Speaker 1: compiled by Trade Data Monitor. Europe and the United Kingdom
• 40:54
  Speaker 1: have also become key importers of U.S. diesel, turning increasingly
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: to the U.S. as supplies from the Middle East are disrupted.
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: A year ago, the U.K. received 18% of its imported
• 41:06
  Speaker 1: diesel and heating oil from the U.S. In the first
• 41:09
  Speaker 1: half of 2026, it had grown to 30% of its
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: imported diesel and heating oil. Supplies to the Netherlands have
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: also spiked, due in part to its massive port of Rotterdam,
• 41:21
  Speaker 1: which serves as a hub to export diesel to other
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: European nations. We would be hurting some of our allies
• 41:27
  Speaker 1: in the global economy, said Babin of CIPC Private Wealth.
• 41:32
  Speaker 1: It would drastically increase diesel prices to Europe and Latin America.
• 41:37
  Speaker 1: When would a ban take place? Trump said Tuesday that
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: the administration would make a decision about a potential export
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: ban fast. It's far from certain the U.S. will put
• 41:47
  Speaker 1: a ban in place. On Wednesday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: came out in opposition of the idea, according to Reuters,
• 41:55
  Speaker 1: saying a ban definitely doesn't work and would push up
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: gas and jet fuel prices. The ban also has faced
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: significant pushback from the oil and gas industry. Trade organization
• 42:07
  Speaker 1: American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers said a ban would backfire.
• 42:13
  Speaker 1: If exports are banned, refiners cannot simply stockpile unlimited diesel,
• 42:17
  Speaker 1: the organization wrote in a blog last week. They would
• 42:21
  Speaker 1: have to reduce production. Because gasoline and diesel are produced together,
• 42:26
  Speaker 1: producing less diesel also means producing less gasoline. A White
• 42:30
  Speaker 1: House official said the president wants to see gas prices
• 42:33
  Speaker 1: fall and is evaluating all the options on the table.
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: The next article from the front page of today's edition
• 42:40
  Speaker 1: is titled, Iran's president tells UN his country must be
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: powerful so as to avoid being threatened. Massoud Pazeshkian spoke
• 42:49
  Speaker 1: before the UN General Assembly, even as Iran remains at
• 42:52
  Speaker 1: war with the United States, and a day after President
• 42:55
  Speaker 1: Donald Trump threatened to annihilate the country, by Susanna George
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: and John Hudson. Iranian President Massoud Pazeshkian spoke before the
• 43:05
  Speaker 1: UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, as his
• 43:09
  Speaker 1: country remains at war with the United States and a
• 43:12
  Speaker 1: day after President Donald Trump threatened in a speech before
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: the same body to annihilate Iran. Pezeshkin began his address
• 43:19
  Speaker 1: by saying that he had planned to deliver different remarks
• 43:22
  Speaker 1: before hearing Trump's speech Tuesday. The United States president described
• 43:27
  Speaker 1: us as terrorists. We have been the victims of terrorism,
• 43:30
  Speaker 1: Pezeshkin said, holding up pictures of children killed in an
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: airstrike on a school in Manab in southern Iran. You
• 43:38
  Speaker 1: see these children? These children perished under bombs with weapons
• 43:42
  Speaker 1: used by the United States and Israel, he said. A
• 43:46
  Speaker 1: UN report last week found that the United States may
• 43:49
  Speaker 1: have committed war crimes in that attack, allegations the Trump
• 43:53
  Speaker 1: administration has denied. Such injustices, Pozeshkin argued, demand that Iran
• 43:59
  Speaker 1: project strength on the world stage. Iran must be powerful
• 44:03
  Speaker 1: so as to avoid being threatened, to avoid its future
• 44:06
  Speaker 1: being threatened, he said. A world without power is dangerous,
• 44:11
  Speaker 1: but a world that only understands the language of war
• 44:13
  Speaker 1: and bullying will not be safe. Pozeshkin touched on Iran's
• 44:18
  Speaker 1: nuclear program, a key sticking point in talks describing peaceful
• 44:22
  Speaker 1: nuclear technologies as an inherent right. He said Iran would
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: not seek nuclear weapons, reiterating a long-held position. We are
• 44:31
  Speaker 1: ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations without accepting the
• 44:35
  Speaker 1: language of force, he said. leaving the door open to
• 44:38
  Speaker 1: further peace talks. Iranian officials are pursuing a flurry of
• 44:43
  Speaker 1: diplomatic meetings in New York this week. Trump administration officials
• 44:48
  Speaker 1: on Tuesday held their first meeting with Iran since June.
• 44:52
  Speaker 1: Iranian officials said Qatar and Pakistan were mediating. We engaged
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: in lengthy talks with the Iranian delegation through the mediators
• 45:00
  Speaker 1: who shuttled between the two sides throughout the day, U.S.
• 45:04
  Speaker 1: Envoy Steve Witkoff said in an ex-post. He said he
• 45:07
  Speaker 1: hoped the discussion will prove constructive and promising. The mediators
• 45:12
  Speaker 1: will continue their work. In a news conference with reporters
• 45:16
  Speaker 1: on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized Iran harshly,
• 45:21
  Speaker 1: but praised the resumption of talks with the United States.
• 45:24
  Speaker 1: One diplomat familiar with those discussions said the conversation between
• 45:28
  Speaker 1: Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, Witkoff, and their Iranian counterparts was
• 45:33
  Speaker 1: largely surface-level and and the two sides did not delve
• 45:37
  Speaker 1: in complex negotiations over key sticking points. Rubio declined to
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: weigh in on how substantive the talks were, but confirmed
• 45:46
  Speaker 1: that it was a continuation of conversations that have occurred
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: in the past with people involved in those conversations. But
• 45:53
  Speaker 1: given the lack of in-person contacts between the two sides,
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: Rubio said it was significant that at least there was
• 46:00
  Speaker 1: a conversation. If there's an opportunity to exchange ideas and messages,
• 46:05
  Speaker 1: we will. And that's what largely yesterday was. It was
• 46:09
  Speaker 1: positive in that regard, he said. Iran is using the
• 46:13
  Speaker 1: assembly as a chance to reach out to its neighbors.
• 46:16
  Speaker 1: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arachi met Tuesday with Qatari Prime
• 46:21
  Speaker 1: Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Months of war have
• 46:25
  Speaker 1: shaken the Persian Gulf countries and ignited fronts of interrelated
• 46:29
  Speaker 1: conflict across the Middle East. as Iran launched attacks across
• 46:33
  Speaker 1: the region in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes. Iran
• 46:38
  Speaker 1: does not seek our security in the insecurity of others,
• 46:41
  Speaker 1: Pozeshkin said. The attacks were retaliatory in nature and did
• 46:45
  Speaker 1: not target civilians, Pozeshkin claimed. Many of the hundreds of
• 46:49
  Speaker 1: missiles and drones Iran has launched at neighboring countries and
• 46:53
  Speaker 1: others across the region have hit hotels, airports, and energy infrastructure.
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: When Trump addressed Iran from the same General Assembly Hall
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: on Tuesday, he said the country faced a choice to
• 47:05
  Speaker 1: make a deal with the U.S. that could bring prosperity
• 47:08
  Speaker 1: or face annihilation. I have a big decision to make.
• 47:13
  Speaker 1: Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them
• 47:15
  Speaker 1: rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever
• 47:18
  Speaker 1: was before, Trump said in his address to the U.N.
• 47:21
  Speaker 1: General Assembly, or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and
• 47:25
  Speaker 1: do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill
• 47:29
  Speaker 1: and destroy people and countries again. Do I drive them
• 47:32
  Speaker 1: into hell with no chance of survival and no hope
• 47:35
  Speaker 1: of future greatness or generations? Pozeshkin said such comments go
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: against the very essence and charter and the spirit of
• 47:43
  Speaker 1: the United Nations. That characterization drew a direct repute from Rubio,
• 47:49
  Speaker 1: who said Iran was in no position to criticize the
• 47:51
  Speaker 1: United States about norms. I think slaughtering 10,000 of your
• 47:56
  Speaker 1: own people in protests is a violation of the UN.
• 48:00
  Speaker 1: I hope it's a violation of the UN principles, Rubio said,
• 48:04
  Speaker 1: referring to Iran's crackdown on dissent that predated the start
• 48:08
  Speaker 1: of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. I think sponsoring terrorist
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: organizations in the region to attack your neighbors, attack energy infrastructure,
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: attack civilian sites is a violation of the UN system,
• 48:21
  Speaker 1: he added. I don't know how you stand up there
• 48:24
  Speaker 1: and argue on behalf of the international system when you
• 48:27
  Speaker 1: are the world's leading violator of the international system, he said.
• 48:32
  Speaker 1: More than six months into the war with Iran, the
• 48:35
  Speaker 1: Trump administration has struggled to secure a decisive military victory.
• 48:39
  Speaker 1: The two sides agreed to a framework of a deal
• 48:42
  Speaker 1: in June that was intended to kickstart talks on a
• 48:45
  Speaker 1: broader peace agreement, but it fell apart within weeks. Last month,
• 48:50
  Speaker 1: the Trump administration launched an economic pressure campaign against Iran.
• 48:55
  Speaker 1: The measures have deepened a long-simmering economic crisis in the country,
• 48:59
  Speaker 1: pushing up inflation as Iranians report new shortages of electricity
• 49:03
  Speaker 1: and gas. On Wednesday, Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads U.S.
• 49:08
  Speaker 1: Central Command, briefed members of the Senate Armed Services Committee
• 49:12
  Speaker 1: to update them on the Iran war. Members of both
• 49:16
  Speaker 1: parties exited the session saying they had discussed the next
• 49:19
  Speaker 1: step in the conflict and how to increase oil flows
• 49:23
  Speaker 1: in the Strait of Hormuz. Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican
• 49:27
  Speaker 1: whose colleagues from the Iowa congressional delegation have recently called
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: on Trump to end the war, shared similar sentiments after
• 49:34
  Speaker 1: the briefing. I would like the administration to come back
• 49:38
  Speaker 1: with a very clear plan on how we bring this
• 49:40
  Speaker 1: to an end, Ernst told reporters. I do support the president,
• 49:44
  Speaker 1: but this is really having an impact on everyday Americans.
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: The next article from today's edition is titled, Hacking Group
• 49:52
  Speaker 1: Claims to Have Stolen Thousands of FBI Employee Records. The
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: Bureau did not confirm the extent of the breach, but
• 50:00
  Speaker 1: said it is investigating the claims from a notorious cybercriminal outfit.
• 50:05
  Speaker 1: by Jeremy Roebuck. The FBI said it is investigating a
• 50:10
  Speaker 1: reported breach of its systems by a notorious cybercriminal group
• 50:14
  Speaker 1: that claimed Tuesday to have stolen a trove of very
• 50:17
  Speaker 1: sensitive data on the Bureau's personnel. The group, a digital
• 50:22
  Speaker 1: extortion collective known as Shiny Hunters, posted an online message
• 50:26
  Speaker 1: claiming it had breached the FBI's online jobs portal and
• 50:29
  Speaker 1: stolen information on almost all FBI agents and individuals who
• 50:34
  Speaker 1: filed an application with the FBI for a job. The
• 50:38
  Speaker 1: Bureau's jobs website remained offline Wednesday afternoon. The FBI said
• 50:44
  Speaker 1: in a statement Wednesday it was aware of the claimed hack,
• 50:47
  Speaker 1: but said the point of the breach is still undetermined.
• 50:51
  Speaker 1: Investigators were working to identify whether the hackers had compromised
• 50:55
  Speaker 1: a third-party system used to administer the job site or
• 50:58
  Speaker 1: breached actual FBI systems. We are actively and aggressively investigating
• 51:03
  Speaker 1: this matter and working closely with those third-party providers that
• 51:07
  Speaker 1: support FBIjobs.gov to mitigate any and all risk, the Bureau said.
• 51:13
  Speaker 1: Officials sent agents a memo Tuesday outlining the claims of
• 51:16
  Speaker 1: the alleged breach and urged personnel to take steps to
• 51:20
  Speaker 1: safeguard their personal information, according to three people familiar with
• 51:24
  Speaker 1: that message who spoke on the condition of anonymity to
• 51:27
  Speaker 1: discuss the internal communications. The hack, which was first reported
• 51:32
  Speaker 1: by the online news site 404 Media, would represent a
• 51:36
  Speaker 1: significant security failure by a government agency charged with investigating
• 51:40
  Speaker 1: cyber threats. If the hacking group's claims are borne out,
• 51:45
  Speaker 1: agents fear it may have exposed the FBI's roughly 37,000-member
• 51:49
  Speaker 1: workforce to potential threats by revealing personal details such as
• 51:53
  Speaker 1: home addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth to foreign
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: intelligence services and criminal groups. As proof of its breach,
• 52:01
  Speaker 1: Shiny Hunters allegedly provided 404 Media with a sample of
• 52:05
  Speaker 1: the stolen data that appeared to include such identifying information
• 52:09
  Speaker 1: on some 5,000 FBI employees. The news organization said it
• 52:14
  Speaker 1: confirmed that some of that data corresponded to known agents
• 52:18
  Speaker 1: by running the information through public databases and previous leaks
• 52:21
  Speaker 1: that exposed information on some FBI personnel. In its online
• 52:27
  Speaker 1: statement Tuesday, which was addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel
• 52:31
  Speaker 1: and the assistant director in charge of the FBI's cyber division,
• 52:35
  Speaker 1: Johnny Hunter said the hack was in retaliation for the
• 52:38
  Speaker 1: FBI issuing a public advisory in May identifying the group
• 52:42
  Speaker 1: as a threat. The advisory accused it of targeting major
• 52:46
  Speaker 1: companies across tech, finance, and retail, often stealing millions of
• 52:50
  Speaker 1: customers' records at once. It was released after the Bureau
• 52:54
  Speaker 1: determined the organization was behind a hack of the online
• 52:58
  Speaker 1: learning system Canvas, which temporarily disrupted the service for thousands
• 53:02
  Speaker 1: of schools and universities nationwide. Threat actors often use their
• 53:06
  Speaker 1: real or exaggerated claims of access to sensitive or personal
• 53:10
  Speaker 1: information to prompt payments from victims, the advisory read. Shiny
• 53:15
  Speaker 1: Hunters in its post Tuesday maintained that its FBI hack
• 53:19
  Speaker 1: was not financially motivated. We have been severely offended, the
• 53:23
  Speaker 1: message read. The group said it would give the FBI
• 53:26
  Speaker 1: one week to amend or remove its advisory, but did
• 53:29
  Speaker 1: not specify what action it was threatening to take should
• 53:32
  Speaker 1: the Bureau refuse to do so. The next article from
• 53:36
  Speaker 1: today's edition is titled, Using AI, A Professor Wrote 200
• 53:41
  Speaker 1: Papers This Year, Researchers Are Alarmed. An online platform removed
• 53:47
  Speaker 1: 257 papers written or co-written by the University of Chicago's
• 53:51
  Speaker 1: Nicholas Polson after other academics raised questions. By Todd Wallach.
• 53:58
  Speaker 1: Many academic researchers publish only a handful of papers each year,
• 54:02
  Speaker 1: seeking scientific discoveries or solutions to everyday problems facing businesses
• 54:07
  Speaker 1: and government agencies. Some especially busy professors might publish a
• 54:12
  Speaker 1: dozen or more studies a year. Then there's the curious
• 54:16
  Speaker 1: case of Nicholas Polson. The University of Chicago statistician has
• 54:21
  Speaker 1: authored or co-authored more than 200 papers and as many
• 54:25
  Speaker 1: as 14 books released this year, unleashing speculation on the
• 54:29
  Speaker 1: internet about whether he used artificial intelligence to inflate his
• 54:33
  Speaker 1: production without disclosing the assistance. The controversy highlights a growing
• 54:38
  Speaker 1: concern in academia about whether some researchers could rely too
• 54:42
  Speaker 1: heavily on AI to churn out a wave of papers
• 54:44
  Speaker 1: that overwhelms journals charged with vetting the work. There's going
• 54:48
  Speaker 1: to be a flood of poor-quality research that the system
• 54:51
  Speaker 1: is not equipped right now to handle, said Claudine Gartenberg,
• 54:56
  Speaker 1: senior editor for an academic journal called Organization Science. which
• 55:00
  Speaker 1: publishes peer-reviewed studies on organizations, referring to research submissions in general.
• 55:07
  Speaker 1: Before AI, researchers noted that flawed or fraudulent studies can
• 55:11
  Speaker 1: create significant problems when they slip through the cracks, misleading
• 55:15
  Speaker 1: the public and policymakers alike. A flawed 1998 paper in
• 55:20
  Speaker 1: the Lancet Journal suggested a link between the MMR vaccine
• 55:24
  Speaker 1: and autism. The paper, which was later retracted, helped fuel
• 55:28
  Speaker 1: concerns about the safety of vaccines and drive down vaccination rates.
• 55:33
  Speaker 1: Subsequent studies found no link to autism. Separately, now-discredited cancer
• 55:38
  Speaker 1: studies led Duke University researchers two decades ago to use
• 55:43
  Speaker 1: questionable genetic tests to help select treatments for patients enrolled
• 55:47
  Speaker 1: in clinical trials. The online platform where Polson posted his
• 55:52
  Speaker 1: papers said it removed 257 of his works over the
• 55:56
  Speaker 1: past month after his surge in releases. Critics have not
• 56:00
  Speaker 1: accused Polson of fraud, but have raised questions about whether
• 56:04
  Speaker 1: Polson properly disclosed his use of AI and whether it's
• 56:08
  Speaker 1: even possible to produce that many high-quality papers in so
• 56:11
  Speaker 1: short a span. Polson acknowledged in an email to the
• 56:15
  Speaker 1: Post that he used AI to help produce the work,
• 56:18
  Speaker 1: but he did not say whether he disclosed the use
• 56:21
  Speaker 1: of AI in any of the papers he published. Most
• 56:25
  Speaker 1: of Polson's papers focus on advanced statistics and mathematics, though
• 56:29
  Speaker 1: some touch on topics of broader interest. Those include efforts
• 56:33
  Speaker 1: to understand the financial pressures that could lead to cuts
• 56:36
  Speaker 1: in Social Security and other benefit programs, why players excel
• 56:40
  Speaker 1: at certain strategic games like chess, and how TikTok serves
• 56:44
  Speaker 1: up certain videos that engage viewers without informing them. University
• 56:48
  Speaker 1: of Central Arkansas economist Jeremy Horpedal was stunned by Polson's productivity.
• 56:55
  Speaker 1: 200-plus papers in nine months is both unheard of and unbelievable,
• 56:59
  Speaker 1: he said. The questions about the papers were so significant
• 57:03
  Speaker 1: that SSRN, the platform Polson used to share the research papers,
• 57:08
  Speaker 1: took down the articles over the past month and froze
• 57:11
  Speaker 1: the accounts used to post the works. Polson suggested the
• 57:15
  Speaker 1: complaints stemmed from jealousy. Clearly, AI makes a productive researcher
• 57:20
  Speaker 1: far more productive, he wrote in an email to the Post.
• 57:23
  Speaker 1: Though many other researchers agree that AI can help scholars
• 57:27
  Speaker 1: speed up mundane tasks, such as tracking down previous research,
• 57:31
  Speaker 1: some warn it could also inadvertently pollute the research pipeline
• 57:35
  Speaker 1: with plagiarism, redundant works, fabricated citations, and critical errors in
• 57:40
  Speaker 1: data and analysis. One review this year of 3,200 peer-reviewed
• 57:45
  Speaker 1: papers found 2% contained at least one reference that couldn't
• 57:49
  Speaker 1: be verified. A separate study of papers accepted by several
• 57:52
  Speaker 1: conferences related to AI found more than 300 contained at
• 57:57
  Speaker 1: least one non-existent citation. Due to time constraints, we'll need
• 58:01
  Speaker 1: to end this article at this time. This concludes the
• 58:05
  Speaker 1: reading of the Washington Post for today, Thursday, September 24, 2026.
• 58:11
  Speaker 1: Your reader for today has been Roger Hampirian. If you
• 58:15
  Speaker 1: have any questions, comments, or suggestions concerning this program, please
• 58:20
  Speaker 1: feel free to call us at 859-422-6390. Thank you for listening,
• 58:27
  Speaker 1: and now please stay tuned for continued programming on Radio Eye.