Transcript

2.13.25 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of the Washington Post for to
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day thirty February thirteen, twenty twenty five. As a reminder,
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Radio I is a reading service intended for people who
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are blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult
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to read preded material. Your reader for today is Mark Webster.
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Today's line front page headlines from the Washington Post are six. First,
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Trump talking to Putin launches bid in war. Second is
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rarely strike to Iran likely, says U S intelligence. Third
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amongst drill instructors, a rising pattern of suicide. Marine drill
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instructors often face breaking points. Fourth, White House shuts by
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out window after legal win. Fifth President is installed as
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Kennedy Center chair. And six and last firings began as
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Musk team works to trim civilian ranks. The first one
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Trump has called has call with Putin kickstarting bid in
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Russia's war in Ukraine. Following the call, Trump focused heavily
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on the terms that Russia cares most about, and he
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appeared to rule out NATAL membership for Ukraine while placing
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the bulk of the burden for defending it on Europe.
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There's a photograph of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin shaking
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hands back at a twenty eighteen news conference. Here is
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the article. President Donald Trump spoke by phone on Wednesday
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to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in their first publicized call
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since Trump returned to the White House, breaking a year's
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long silence between the Oval Office and the Kremlin. As
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US leader kicked off a bid in Russia's war in Ukraine.
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Trump had one words for the Russian leader, who has
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ruled Russia for twenty five years and has repeatedly invaded
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neighboring nations and killed, imprisoned, or exiled his most formidable opposition,
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as he declared that the two men would visit each
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other's countries and quote agreed to work together very closely unquote. Trump,
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who also spoke with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky later in
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the day, said he and Putin would probably meet without
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Zelensky in Saudi Arabia quote in the not too distant future.
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Closed the quote. Quote I think President Putin wants peace,
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and President Zelensky wants peace, and I want peace unquote,
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he told reporters in the Oval Office. Quote I just
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want to see people stop getting killed. We're very far
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away from that particular war, but that's a vicious war. Unquote.
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The call, which a kriminal said lasted nearly ninety minutes,
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illustrated the deepening alliance between Trump and Putin in ways
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that are likely to unsettle Zelensky. In offering the first
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outline of his vision for a piece deal, Trump focused
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heavily on the terms that Russia cares most about, and
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he appeared to rule out NATO membership for Ukraine while
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placing the bulk of the burden for defending it on Europe. Quote.
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I don't think it's practical to have it personally unquote,
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Trump said of Ukraine's efforts to join NATO. Quote they've
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been saying that for a long time that Ukraine cannot
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go into NATO, and I'm okay with that. I just
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want the war to end, whether they are or they
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or not. Close the quote. Trump's declarations offered major concessions
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to Putin even before the negotiation has formally begun. Putin
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has long sought to block Ukraine from NATO, and even
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if Trump had no intention of allowing Kiev into the alliance,
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he could have preserved the possibility as a bargaining ship.
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Putin also has wanted to negotiate about Ukraine's future directly
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with the US leader. Over Kiev's head Akup, Trump also
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appeared to hand him on Wednesday. Trump also said that
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he agreed with comments made earlier in the day by
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who told NATO allies that Ukraine's
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stated goal of reclaiming its full internationally recognized territory was
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quote unrealistic unquote. Trump has suggested he doesn't expect Ukraine
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to reclaim its full territory in the peace deal, but
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he has said and end to the fighting is more
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important than Ukraine's regaining all its land. Trump and his
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administration have not made clear precisely what they want Russia
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to do in any peace deal, but they acknowledge that
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Russia will be able to remain in at least some
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of the territory it is captured from Ukraine in exchange
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for halting the war. They say Ukraine will need security
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guarantees to give its stability and the incentive to set
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down in its arms, and they expect Europe to be
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responsible for the bulk of those guarantees. Trump declined several
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times to say what concessions he expected Russia to make
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after invading a neighboring country. Quote I'm not going to
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tell you my plan. I can tell you we've made
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a lot of progress unquote, he said, saying both sides
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are eager for the fighting to halt. Quote I think
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we'll probably end up at some point getting a ceasefire
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in the not too distant future, closed the quote, he said.
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In the highly charged choreography of diplomacy with an adversarial leader,
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the Trump Putin call was likely to upset Kiev since
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President Joe Biden made a mantra of coordinating closely with
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Ukrainian leaders before any contacts with Russian officials. This time,
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Trump spoke first to Putin and afterward called Zelensky to
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loop him in on the conversation. Trump and Zelensky met
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in Paris in December. Asked whether there was a risk
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of freezing Zelensky out of the conversations involving his own country,
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Trump responded, quote, no, I don't think so, unquote, but
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in a sign of potential peril for the Ukrainian president
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that backing from a major ally of softening, Trump then added, quote,
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as long as he's there, but at some point you're
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going to have to have elections too close the quote quote,
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you know, his poll numbers aren't particularly great, to put
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it mildly, unquote, Trump said. Trump added put in his
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long sought to have a direct negotiation with Washington about
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Ukraine's future, since he has argued that Ukraine is within
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Moscow's sphere of influence and that it has been used
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as a tool by NATO and the West, something Ukrainian leaders.
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Both leaders hotly say ignores their nation's desires to modernize
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and integrate more fully with Europe. The call came a
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day after Russia free to US citizen Mark Foegel, who
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had been in prison for three and a half years,
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into the custody of Steve Whitkoff, a close Trump friend,
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real estate developer and the US leader's Middle East envoy.
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Trump said he had asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio,
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CI Director John Ratcliffe, national security advisor Michael Waltz, and
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Whitcoff to lead the discussions. Notably absent from the list
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was the hawkish retired General Keith Kellogg, whom Trump appointed
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during the transition as his Special Envoy for Ukraine and
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Russia and who has been working on a peace plan.
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Both Kellogg and Vice President j. D. Vance are headed
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to Munich this week to meet with senior European policymakers
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about the peace efforts. Quote. As for General Kellogg, he
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remains a critical part of this team in this effort,
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White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said, quote. He's playing
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a tremendous role in getting the negotiations to this point
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and is very much still part of the Trump administration.
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Closed the quote. Kremlin's spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters that
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Putin quote mentioned the need to eliminate the root cause
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of the conflict and agreed with Trump that a long
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term settlement can be achieved through peaceful negotiations. The Russian
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president also supported one of the main theses of the
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American has a state that the time has come for
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our countries to work together. Close the quote. Zelensky posted
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a statement on his telegram account confirming the conversation with Trump,
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which he said focused on achieving peace, technological capabilities, including
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drone news, and the two nations ability to work together. Quote.
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President Trump informed me of the details of this conversation
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with Putin. Unquote, Zelensky wrote, adding that he was quote
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grateful unquote for the call. Quote. Ukraine wants peace more
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than anyone. We are defining our joint steps with America
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to stop Russian aggression and guarantee a reliable, lasting peace.
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As President Trump said, let's get it done. Close the quote,
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but further pressurizing Vilensky. Trump noted later in the day
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that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant was en route to Kiev
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to try to secure sources of repayment of money the
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United States has provided in the Ukraine's war effort. Quote.
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He's going there to get a document done where we're
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going to be assured that we're going in some form
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to get this money back. Unquote, he said, quote because
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we're putting up more money than Europe, and Europe is
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in far more danger than we are. Closed the quote.
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He said they will ask for natural resources such as
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rare earth metals, oil, and gas to secure against the
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hundreds of billions in funding. Trump has demanded that Putin
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put an end to the war, which started in February
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twenty twenty two when Russia invaded Ukraine without provocation, but
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Trump has offered few concrete indications about how he would
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foster a breakthrough, and some world leaders are worried he
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could push Kiev into a deal that would simply give
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Russia time to rest, rearm, and re invade. In his
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first term, Trump often had sharper words for Washington's friends
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then for his foes, and at a twenty eighteen meeting
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with Putin, he sided with the Russian leader over US
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intelligence agencies claimed that the Kremlin tried to sway the
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twenty sixteen election. During the twenty twenty four campaign, Trump
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declared he would end the Ukraine War in less than
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twenty four hours, worrying Kiev that he would do so
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on Putin's terms. Wenday's phone call marks an important breakthrough
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for Putin, ending nearly three years of near isolation from
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Western leaders imposed by the Biden administration. The last time
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Putin met a US president was at a summit in
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Geneva with Biden in June twenty twenty one, eight months
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before the Russian leader's invasion of Ukraine. Biden engaged in
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a furry of calls with Putin in late twenty twenty
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one and early twenty twenty two, attempting to dissuade him
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from invading. At a time when Russia insistently denied plans
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to do so, but there has been silence since Trump said.
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Putin also spoke in November, shortly after Trump's election victory,
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according to people familiar with the call, who at the
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time spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a
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sensitive matter. During the conversation, Trump warned Putin not to
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escalate the war in Ukraine. The Krimlin later denied that
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the call took place. Since he took office January twenty,
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Trump has repeatedly been evasive about his contact with Putin
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when pressed by reporters, refusing to make clear whether he
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has he had spoken to Putin since his inauguration. The
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reasons have been unclear. Quote. I don't want to talk
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about it. If we are talking, unquote, he told reporters
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on Air Force One on Sunday. Quote I don't want
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to tell you about our conversation. It's too early, but
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I do believe we're making progress. Close the quote. Putin
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recently told a Russian journalist that he was ready to engage,
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echoing Trump's false allegations that the twenty twenty election was
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rigged and claiming that he might not have invaded Ukraine
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had Trump still been in the White House, then the
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comments seemed calculated to flatter Trump's ego. Quote I have
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always had a business like, at the same time pragmatic
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and trusting relationship with the current US president close the
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quote putin said quote, I cannot but agree with him
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that if he had been president, if he had not
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had his victory stolen from him in twenty twenty, then
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maybe there would not have been the crisis in Ukraine
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that emerged in twenty twenty two. We are ready for
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negotiations on Ukrainian issues, close the quote. In any peace deal,
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Trump is expected to support an agreement where Russia retains
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could control of some or all of the Ukrainian territory
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it has captured since twenty twenty two. Russia wants to
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lock Kiev out of the NATO Defense Alliance. Zelensky said
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last month that he would welcome negotiations on a peace
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deal so long as Ukraine has a full role in
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the talks. He said that he had quote good meetings
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unquote with Trump in recent months and that he supports
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the effort to reach peace. Quote I'm confident he has
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great chances unquote Selensky told reporters in Kiev. Quote, and
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we believe he can succeed, but this can only happen
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with Ukraine. Otherwise it simply won't work, because Russia does
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not want to end the war and Ukraine does close
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the quote. Any deal, according to Lawrence Friedman, Emeritus Professor
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of War Studies at King's College of London, would be
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judged on the extent to which it buttresses Ukraine's independence
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and sovereignty against potential Russian aggression in the future. Quote.
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While this war is about territory and its control, at
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the heart of the conflict is Russia's determination to deny
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Ukraine long term independence and security unquote, Friedman wrote in
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a recent analysis. Quote this sets the standard against which
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any eventual deal would be judged and the issues that
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will still have to be addressed if there is no
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deal unquote. Even if negotiators reached cease fire to prevent
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further bloodshed, a full peace deal would take much longer
14:31
and might never be reached given the complexities of the issues.
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He wrote. While the phone call between Trump and Putin
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expected to pave the way for a face to face meeting,
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Russian officials have taken a maximalist approach on Ukraine peace talks,
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insisting on Putin's Putin's conditions for peace set down in June,
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including that Ukraine renounced plans to join NATO, recognize Russian
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sovereigntyal were five Ukrainian regions, including areas not occupied by Russia,
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and began a military withdrawal. Trump said there were no
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conditions set for a meeting with Putin. Quote we expected
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it'll come here and I'll go there, and we're going
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to meet also probably in Saudi Arabia, unquote, he said.
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Asked whether Zelenski would be included in this meeting in
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Saudi Arabia, he responded, quote probably. We'll have a first
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meeting and then we'll see what we can do about
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the second. Close the quote. That's the end of the article.
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Now we'll go to the second article. Israeli strike on
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Iran likely in coming months, warns US intelligence. A preemptive
15:42
attack would set back Iran's nuclear program by mere weeks
15:45
or months, but significantly escalate tensions across the Middle East.
15:49
According to a US intelligence report, Israel is likely to
15:54
attempt a strike on Iran's nuclear program in the coming months.
15:58
In a preemptive attack that would set back Tehran's program
16:01
by weeks or perhaps months, but escalate tensions across the
16:05
Middle East and renew the prospect of a wider regional conflagration.
16:09
According to US intelligence, the warnings about a potential Israeli
16:16
strike are included in multiple intelligence reports spanning the end
16:21
of the Biden administration and the beginning of the Trump's administration.
16:26
More none more comprehensive than an early January report produced
16:31
by the Intelligence Directorate of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
16:34
and the Defense Intelligence Agency. The report warned that Israel
16:38
is likely to attempt to strike on Iran's four doh
16:42
and Naytan's nuclear facilities in the first six months of
16:46
twenty twenty five. Current and former US officials familiar with
16:50
the intelligence told The Washington Post that the finding derives
16:55
from an analysis of Israel's planning following its bombing of
16:59
Iran in late October, which degraded its air defenses and
17:02
left Tehran exposed to a follow on assault. The officials
17:07
spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss highly classified intelligence.
17:13
The Israeli government, CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Office of
17:18
the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment. A spokesman
17:23
for the White House National Security Council, Rian Hughes, said
17:26
President Donald Trump quote has made it clear he will
17:30
not permit Iran to get a nuclear weapon close the
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quote quote. While he prefers negotiating a resolution to America's
17:38
long standing issues with the Iranian regime peacefully, he will
17:43
not wait indefinitely if Iran isn't willing to deal, and
17:46
soon close the quote, Hughes told the Post. Hughes declined
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to comment on the underlying intelligence. The prospect of illuming
17:57
Israeli strike creates an early test for Trump, who campaigned
18:01
on restoring peace and tempering the armed conflicts raging in
18:05
the Middle East and Europe while also touting his staunch
18:08
support for Israel. The military intelligence report spelled out two
18:13
potential strike options, each involving the United States providing support
18:18
in the form of aerial refueling as well as intelligence,
18:22
surveillance and reconnaissance, said those familiar with the document. Such
18:27
reliance on the United States in any strike on Iran,
18:31
even one that yields only modest results, underscores Washington's leverage
18:36
over Israel's path forward a distance attack known as a
18:41
standoff strike would see Israeli aircraft firing air launched ballistic
18:46
missiles or albms outside of Iranian airspace. The intelligence report
18:52
said a more risky stand in attack would see Israeli
18:57
jets inner Iranian airspace, flying near the new sites and
19:01
dropping Blu one oh nine as a type of bunker buster.
19:05
The Trump administration approved the sale of guidance kits for
19:08
those bunker busters last week, and made a notification to
19:12
Congress that it had done so. The US assessment found
19:17
that an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would have
19:21
best set back its activities by months and potentially only
19:24
by weeks, and current and former officials, said current and
19:28
former officials. Any attack also would incentivize Iran to pursue
19:33
weapons great enrichment of uranium, The officials said, a long
19:37
standing redline for the United States and Israel. The six
19:42
month time frame for a likely operation and details on
19:45
the two potential strike scenarios have not been previously reported.
19:50
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Israel is considering
19:54
a strike on Iran this year. Some Israeli officials disagree
19:59
with US intelligence assessments on the anticipated impact of a
20:03
strike on Iran's facilities, arguing that it could more substantially
20:07
set back to Tehran's capabilities. Quote that was a difference
20:11
between our intelligence and their assessment unquote, set a former
20:15
US official. The revelation coincides with a robust debate within
20:21
the Trump administration about the proper application of military power
20:25
in the Middle East. Trump has surrounded himself with an
20:29
ideologically diverse national security team, including foreign policy hawks such
20:35
as National Security Advisor Michael Waltson, Secretary of State Marco Rubio,
20:40
advocates of military restraint, including Vice President j. D. Vance
20:44
and Director of National Intelligence Tulsey Gabbertt end quote prioritizers
20:49
unquote such as Elbridge Colby, who seek to reorient US
20:54
military resources in East Asia to counter China. In late January,
21:01
Waltz raised the prospect of a US support at Israeli
21:04
strike on Iran's nuclear program, telling CBS News that quote,
21:09
this is a moment to take those to make those
21:12
key decisions, and we'll be doing that over the next month.
21:15
Close the quote. Quote Iran is on its back foot,
21:18
quote he told quote Face the Nation unquote hosts Margaret
21:22
Brennan quote Iran's air defense is Iran's air defenses are destroyed.
21:30
Like that's the end. Whoops, there's more. Trump earlier this
21:33
week alluded to a growing awareness of Israel's interest in
21:38
a strike. Quote everyone thinks Israel, with our help or
21:42
our approval, will go in and bomb the hell out
21:44
of him. I would prefer that not happened unquote, Trump
21:47
told Fox News. Quote there's two ways to stopping them,
21:52
with bombs or a written piece of paper unquote. Trump added, quote,
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I would love to make a deal with them without
21:58
bombing them. Close the quote. Trump's comments, which followed his
22:03
reapossession of quote maximum pressure unquote on Iran, aimed at
22:08
reducing it's all experts down to zero to achieve a
22:12
nuclear deal, angered leaders in Tehran. Quote These reckless and
22:18
inflammatory statements flaquently violate international law, which prohibits threats or
22:24
use of force against sovereign states, unquote, said Iran's ambassador
22:28
to the United Nations, said Trevani said Iravani Middle East
22:34
policy is one of the more contentious topics within the
22:38
Trump coalition, which includes pro Israeli hawks and skeptics of
22:42
military intervention. The neo conservative wing of the Republican Party
22:50
intent on a sustained US military presence in the Middle
22:53
East through arms exports to Israel, agreements for military bases
22:58
in Persian Gulf countries, and extensive naval rotations in the
23:02
Mediterranean Sea. Has waged anonymous, whispered campaigns against Trump appointees
23:08
who have raised skepticism about US quote forever wars unquote.
23:13
Unlike Trump's first term, were his dubvish instincts met fierce resistance,
23:17
resistance from a phalanx of former generals and prominent George W.
23:22
Bush era of figures such as H. R. McMaster and
23:25
John Bolton. Trump's new team includes senior and mid level
23:29
officials who shared the president's skepticism of foreign military entanglements.
23:34
Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Junior, backed by Vance and
23:39
conservative pundit Tucker Carlson, has been a bulwark against neo
23:43
conservatives entering the administration, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,
23:49
who was under consideration to become Secretary Defense in Trump's
23:52
second term until he was ruled out for any administration
23:56
jobs and revoked of his security detail. It remains unclear
24:01
whether Trump would sign off on an Israeli strike on Iran.
24:06
By the end of the Bidens administration, US officials did
24:09
not believe Iran had decided to pursue a nuclear weapon
24:13
and had not told their Israeli counterparts whether the United
24:16
States would participate in such an offensive. In late January,
24:20
after Trump's inauguration, a Defense Intelligence Agency report reiterated that
24:26
Israel is considering a strike on Iran this year, but
24:29
included much less detail. A similar assessment also came out
24:35
in October on a report by the National Intelligence Council.
24:38
People familiar with intelligence, familiar with the intelligence said, all right,
24:44
that's the end of the article. We'll go to the
24:46
third article, which we'll read for a couple of minutes
24:48
before we take our first break and go to the
24:50
second part. Third article among drill instructors, A rising pattern
24:55
of suicide in one of the marine's most iconic jobs.
25:00
A stunning pattern of suicide. Now, this is a lengthy article,
25:03
and that I will probably cut this off at some point.
25:06
Titania's soul held her youngest child as she stood amend
25:10
the rows of white headstones and the stately mossy oaks.
25:14
Her husband, Logan was buried in this national cemetery nearly
25:18
four years ago, after taking his life and ending what
25:21
his widow describes as a ruinous tenure in one of
25:25
the US military's most iconic jobs, marine drill instructor. He
25:30
was thirty three. Nearby her other children spotted a coin
25:35
regarded within the Armed Forces as a symbol of respect,
25:38
resting atop his grave. Perhaps she thought it was left
25:42
there by someone who worked with him molding new marines
25:45
at Parris Island, just south of here. Soul her gaze, wistful,
25:49
reflected on the times she had driven lobud In to work.
25:53
Quote it was just quiet unquote, she recalled, quote peaceful unquote.
25:59
Logan's Souls suicide in July twenty twenty one is one
26:02
of at least seven in the past five years involving
26:05
the Marine Corps stable of drill instructures. According to military
26:09
casualty reports obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests in
26:15
twenty twenty three, free occurred at Paras Island within less
26:18
than three months. A study completed by the Marine Corps
26:22
in twenty nineteen found that during the previous decade, twenty
26:26
nine drill instructors either ended their lives or openly acknowledged
26:30
they had contemplated doing so, and aberration the studies authors
26:34
characterized as startlingly high compared with the occurrence of suicidal
26:39
ideations among marines who had never held that job. Rates
26:43
of addiction and divorce among drill instructors were also higher.
26:47
Researchers found critics and relatives of those who died accused
26:51
the Marine Corps of fostering an environment that contributed to
26:55
their deaths. They described routine ninety zur plus work weeks,
27:00
sleep deprivation, and an always on culture that frequently caused
27:04
the jobs requisite intensity to seep into their personal lives,
27:09
igniting disputes with loved ones. Others detailed bouts of depression
27:13
and alcohol dependency, while the adrenaline fueled assignment has always
27:18
been high stress. The twenty sixteen death of twenty year
27:22
old Rahid Sidiki, a Muslim recruit who was found by
27:26
investigators who have suffered a vicious suffered vicious abuse while
27:31
at Paras Island, led the institution to sharpen its oversight
27:34
of the men and women who indoctrinate newcomers. There is
27:38
uncompromising accountability now, which has made the hardships long associated
27:43
with being a drill instructor dangerously unbearable for some observers say.
27:48
They note too that the Marine Corps lacks adequate services
27:52
for those who are struggling in need help and tacitly
27:55
condones the culture that stigmatizes those who seek it. Sadikie's
28:00
death generated acute scrutiny of the Marine's approach to entry
28:03
level training, and the service responded with a heavy hand,
28:07
prosecuting some drill instructors and making clear that all infractions,
28:12
real or perceived, would be subject to a Commanding General's
28:15
review and the possibility of severe disciplinary action. Quote We
28:22
put a drastic expectation on them to act perfect unquote,
28:25
instead of Marine officer who has supervised dozens of drill instructors.
28:31
This top down pressure can render them quote terrified of
28:34
their career's ending unquote, he explained. Quote it causes this
28:38
stress that trickles into their home life unquote. An independent
28:43
investigation conducted by the Marine Corps Inspector General supports that assessment,
28:48
concluded in November twenty twenty three. The inquiry found a
28:52
quote climate that fosters surviving instead of thriving, and a
28:57
perception among staff that drill structor's welfare is of low
29:01
priority to leadership. Investigators reported hearing from several people involved
29:06
with training of recruits who observed personnel quote walking on eggshells,
29:11
quote on pins and needles unquote, and generally quote afraid
29:15
for their careers. One former drill instructor said the experience
29:20
left him and his family shattered, adding quote, I experienced
29:23
a really, really dark side of myself unquote. This account
29:27
of the mental health crisis afflicting Marine Corps drill instructors
29:31
is based on more than thirty interviews with service members,
29:35
their families, and their superiors. Several spoke on the conditions
29:39
of anonymity to be candid about their struggles are to
29:42
avoid retribution for criticizing the service. In response to questions
29:47
from The Washington Post and Military dot Com, the Marine
29:50
Corps acknowledged that its drill instructors have quote one of
29:54
the most demanding roles within the service, and portrayed the
29:58
findings of this investigation as part of an enduring epidemic
30:02
affecting the entire Defense Department. Quote. Suicide rates are shaped
30:06
by various factors, and we are as a service, are
30:10
constantly looking for strategies that could have the most impact
30:14
at reducing suicides in the military, unquote, said Major Hector Infante,
30:19
a spokesman for the Marines. He pointed to quote a
30:23
myriad of mental, physical, psychological, and spiritual wellness resources unquote
30:28
available to all drill instructors along with their families, and
30:32
said that quote leaders at all levels encouraged them to
30:36
utilize these resources unquote. Infante did not address the institutional
30:41
impact of Sadiki's death or how changes implemented as a
30:45
result have affected drill instructors, nor did he comment on
30:49
the circumstances surrounding the suicides addressed in this report. The
30:54
Marine Corps operates two recruiting training depots or boot camps.
30:59
Most recruits who in lists west of the Mississippi River
31:02
complete the thirteen week program in San Diego. Those who
31:05
joined in the eastern United States filter through Paras Island.
31:09
In the past year, the Marines have brought in more
31:12
than thirty thousand endlestees, most not long out of high school.
31:17
The task of turning them into war fighting falls to
31:20
roughly thirteen hundred drill instructors, who, over a three month
31:24
cycle might work one hundred and twenty hours some weeks.
31:28
Former personnel set in teams of three or four. They
31:31
supervised platoons of sixty to eighty recruits around the clock,
31:36
typically waking for work at two thirty am and rotating
31:39
overnight responsibility. In the standard two or three year tour,
31:44
drill instructors might do as many as nine cycles. By
31:48
the way picture in this is a gunnery sergeant Logo
31:53
Soul standing for a photo with his wife and his
31:57
four children. Continuing. They are our national symbol of discipline,
32:01
intimidating and seemingly indefatigable, and many who spoke with the
32:05
post in military dot Com characterized the assignment as the
32:09
most rewarding of their careers. But for some, the drill
32:13
instructor's imposing persona relies a far darker reality, one marred
32:18
by debilitating stress, exhaustion, and, in the most dire circumstances,
32:23
a hopelessness difficult to overcome. One evening in May twenty
32:28
twenty one, Tatiana's Soul, then thirty six, recorded an angry
32:32
encounter with her husband after hiding his car keys keep
32:35
him from driving drunk. Logan had been drinking more than ever,
32:39
she said, recalling her fear that he might hurt her
32:41
or someone else. As their baby cries. On the recording,
32:46
Logan is heard yelling his voice hoarse. Quote, I don't
32:49
give an f unquote, he says, challenging his wife to
32:53
reporting to the supirit of the depot. Quote. All I'm
32:56
going to do after that is blow my goddamn brains
32:59
out the quote. She never made the call. Weeks later,
33:03
Logan was dead. In recounting her husband's downward spiral, she
33:08
said he became overwhelmed by the pressure to be perfect
33:11
at work and the guilty felt being apart from their family.
33:15
Quote that's not the person he wanted to be unquote,
33:18
she said. The Marine Corps Infante said invest quote a
33:22
great deal of effort unquote to ensure the drill instructors
33:26
are quote not only physically but also psychologically prepared for
33:30
the riggers unquote of their assignment. He cited a screening
33:34
that all prospective drill instructors do before they are clear
33:38
to attend the services eleven week preparatory school, where a
33:42
formal psychiatric evaluation is performed. Personnel are quote continuously supervised
33:48
by their command, leadership teams, and peer group for possible
33:52
warning signs and if issues arise are given the opportunity
33:57
to seek assistance unquote, he said. While the Pentagon has
34:02
worked to expand mental health services throughout the military, it
34:06
is run headlong into a nationwide shortage of qualified providers.
34:11
There are eight for boot camp personnel in San Diego
34:14
and fifteen at Parris Island. Infanti said. Former drill instructors
34:19
acknowledge the screening they received before starting to work with recruits,
34:23
but said that such help is needed most after the
34:26
job begins, and that too often is difficult to obtain
34:30
a timely important without declaring a full blown crisis. The
34:34
job's unspoken expectations also can have a chilling effect on
34:38
any impulse to seek care, they said, describing a prevailing
34:46
reluctance to be away from work for mental health reason
34:49
or even a family event, for fear of leaving teammates shorthanded.
34:53
And then there is a sense of having an image
34:55
to uphold. Marine Corps traditions discouraged drill instructors from showing
35:01
emotion other than intense acuity or anger while around recruits.
35:06
There are meant to be models of peak physical fitness
35:09
and always in character. Most recruits, in turn, revere their
35:13
drill instructors, seeing them as quote perfect, justy maculate, like
35:17
gods or goddesses unquote, said one marine who spent three
35:20
years at Paris Island. But there are quote a lot
35:23
of unrealistic expectation unquote from leaders and peers alike, she added.
35:30
Another former drill instructor recalled struggling while going through a
35:33
divorce and feeling shunned and ashamed by colleagues after he
35:37
vocalized that he might need help. Quote, nobody wanted to
35:40
talk to me unquote, he said. Quote it's like you're
35:43
in you're the plague unquote. By his third boot camp cycle,
35:48
the slightest aggravation could trigger an eruption, and that intense
35:52
anger was hard to turn off. At home, he said,
35:55
an unwashed dish left in the sink or a child's
35:58
candy wrapper on the floor could send him into a rage,
36:01
he explained. He turned to alcohol to cope, he said,
36:05
telling himself, quote, let me just have a drink just
36:07
to calm myself down so that I don't overact when
36:10
I might talk to my children and close the quote.
36:13
It was in his fifth cycle that he began to
36:15
experience suicidal thoughts. He said, at the same time he
36:19
sought mental health care. However, he was mistrustful of the
36:23
personnel in charge of scheduling appointments and declined to disclose
36:27
the extent of his distress. They told him to come
36:30
back in two weeks, he said, because of many recruits
36:33
were ahead of him awaiting care. Now, this article perhaps
36:37
is not even half done, but I think we're getting
36:40
the theme of it. I'm going to jump to the
36:44
to the very end in which a sergeant Jana Hernandez
36:55
committed suicide. Hernandez knew she needed help, but refused to
36:59
seek mental health care on base, her parents said, because
37:02
she was low to visit the facility where recruits she
37:05
had train would see her. She worried that exhibiting such
37:08
vulnerability would burst the veneers of toughness she had thrown
37:11
them on the drill field. She had shown them on
37:15
the drill field. Her phone calls to others provided providers
37:18
advertised on base went unreturned, they said Across His death
37:23
on September twenty, twenty twenty three may have been a
37:26
breaking point. The two were friends, and she was shocked
37:29
by his death. Her parents said. Hernandez was found dead
37:33
in her apartment. Two days later she was twenty five.
37:36
Quote she was the best of the best unquote, her
37:39
father said, recalling his daughter's drive to succeed. But you
37:43
still quote but you're still going to have issues no
37:46
matter what. And they didn't provide the help she needed.
37:50
Close the quote. And that's the end of the article.
37:51
But I think my leaping to the end kind of
37:54
gives you the gist of the continuing article. Now I'm
38:00
going to go to the fourth article. White House shuts
38:05
a buyout down. Trump closes down federal workout buyout office
38:09
after judge lifts hold. The administration moved to close the
38:13
buyout program Wednesday evening after a federal judge in Massachusetts
38:17
rejected a call from several labor groups that sued to
38:20
block the initiative. Here's the article. A judge on Wednesday
38:25
lifted his pause on the federal government's deferred resignation program,
38:29
prompting the Trump's administration to swiftly declare victory as it
38:33
closed the offer to any more workers who might still
38:36
have been mulling it. The program, which encouraged federal workers
38:41
to resign with the promise of pay through September, had
38:44
been halted since last Thursday, when US District Judge George A. O'Toole,
38:49
Junior temporarily stopped the Office of Personnel Management from moving ahead.
38:55
Unions representing more than eight hundred thousand federal workers had
38:58
filed a lawsuit to stop the program, calling it and
39:02
quote arbitrary, unlawful, short fused, ultimatum close the quote it
39:10
is rerually. O'Toole wrote that the union's lawsuit could not
39:14
succeed because they lacked standing to sue and because his
39:17
court lacked jurisdiction. The unions, the judge said, were not
39:21
directly impacted by the administration's director quote, but are challenging
39:25
a policy that affects others, specifically executive branch employees. Close
39:30
the quote quote this is not sufficient unquote, he wrote,
39:35
for the unions to sue under the Administrative Procedure Act. O'Toole,
39:39
who was nominated in nineteen ninety five by President Bill Clinton,
39:42
did not open on the buyout program's legality. The ruling
39:48
left a serious question how much time would federal employees
39:53
who had not yet signed up have to throw their
39:55
names in none, it turned out. McLaurin, spokesperson for the
40:01
Office of Personnel Management said the office was closed as
40:04
a seven pm. Quote. There is no longer any doubt unquote,
40:08
she said in a statement, quote the deferred resignation program
40:12
was both legal and a valuable option for federal employees unquote.
40:17
About seventy five thousand workers have accepted the deal. Benover
40:21
said the decision out of the Massachusetts courthouse and the
40:25
Trump administration's move immediately afterward, mark another milestone in a
40:30
tumultuous period of federal workers who have been left scrambling
40:35
to make up their minds since the resignation offer with
40:38
the subject line quote fork in the road unquote, first
40:41
landed in their inboxes January twenty eighth. Some workers jumped
40:47
at the chance to leave. Others urged colleagues to reject
40:50
the deal they considered a trap that will be used
40:53
to eliminate staff without any payout. The moves come as
40:57
the Trump administration began initiating widespread layoffs across the federal
41:01
government starting Wednesday with probationary employees, and with plans to
41:06
extend deeper into the civilian federal workforce of two point
41:10
three million. The drastic measures are led by representatives of
41:14
Elon Musk US DOGE Service, who are deployed across agencies
41:19
with full oversight of the hiring process, and one central
41:23
mission to shrink the sprawling bureaucracy and align it with
41:27
Trump's vision. The unions had sought the right to sue
41:31
by claiming the violent program's rapid deadline, along with what
41:35
they characterized as its confusing and chaotic rollout, impeded the
41:39
union's ability to carry out their missions of counseling and
41:42
advocating for federal workers. The deferred resignation was the administration's
41:47
effort to lure workers into leaving before initiating the more
41:52
direct reductions in force, which can pose as pose legal challenges,
41:57
especially when it comes to union protected employees. Most of
42:01
the two point three million federal workers were eligible for
42:05
the deferred resignation deal. According to the White House. Agency
42:10
heads could make exceptions in military personnel, US Postal Service employees,
42:15
people working in immigration enforcement and national security, and thousands
42:19
of veterans affairs employees in direct care roles or exempt.
42:24
According TOPM, in physical year twenty twenty three, one hundred
42:29
and fifteen thousand, nine hundred federal workers either retired or
42:33
quit from their government jobs. According to the Partnership for
42:36
Public Service, employees at first had nine full days to respond.
42:41
Then came the lawsuit. Three government unions, the American Federation
42:46
of Government Employees, the National Association of Government Employees, and
42:52
the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees challenged
42:57
the legality of the offer. They are represented by the
43:00
nonprofit group Democracy Forward. In a statement Wednesday evening, AFGE
43:06
National President Everett Kelly called the ruling quote a setback
43:10
in the fight for dignity and fairness for public service unquote.
43:14
The union's lawyers, he said, are evaluating next steps. Quote. Importantly,
43:19
this decision did not address the underlying lawfulness of the program.
43:23
We continued to maintain it as illegal to force American
43:26
citizens who have dedicated their careers to public service to
43:30
make a decision in a few short days without adequate
43:34
information about whether to upreach their families and have their
43:37
careers and leave their careers for what amounts to an
43:40
unfunded value from Elon Musk unquote. This statement continued the
43:45
legal back and forth in recent days, left tens of
43:47
thousands of employees who already had accepted the deal in limbo.
43:52
Some expressed regret that they jumped at the offer too quickly,
43:56
now worrying they might have a target on their backs
44:00
the administration's blitz of actions to slash the federal workforce
44:04
and warnings of layoffs ahead, some employees saw the resignation
44:07
plan as their best way out. Quote. My team has
44:11
already been dismantled, so coming back to work for me,
44:14
I don't even know what that would look like unquote,
44:17
an OPM employee who had opted into the offer previously
44:20
told the Post. Amid its pressure campaign, the administration also
44:24
deployed an upbeat tone in its push to sell the program,
44:29
pitching it as a chance to take a second job
44:33
or travel to a quote dream destination while on the
44:36
federal payroll, while White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt called
44:41
it quote very generous unquote. For some federal workers weighing
44:46
the career decision, such messages seem tone death. A lawyer
44:50
with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, who spoke on the
44:53
condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal, characterized OPM's
44:57
emails about the offer as quot reasonally condescending unquote. Others
45:02
were left scratching their heads about whether they were ever
45:05
whether they were even eligible, trying to decipher the vague
45:09
conditions of the offer and its uncertain legal standing. Employees
45:14
at the CIA who were previously exempted were told that
45:17
they had become eligible to participate. Employees at the Department
45:20
of Defense were also left confused when they received the
45:23
resignation offers, despite OPM stated on its website that employees
45:27
and positions related to national security were not included. Dozens
45:32
of lawsuits have been filed challenging Trump's flurry of executive
45:36
orders in the first weeks of the administration. Federal judges
45:40
so far have halted his ban on birthright citizenship, issued
45:44
temporary restraining orders against his freeze on federal grants and loans,
45:48
and at least for now, blocked the administration from putting
45:51
two thousand, two hundred and twenty workers with the US
45:54
Agency for International Development on leave. That's the end of
45:58
that article. We'll go back in try to squeeze in
46:00
the remaining two. The next one is President is installed
46:05
as Kennedy chair. New Kennedy Center board elects Trump chair,
46:09
fires Rudder as President. President Trump's refashioned board of trustees
46:14
voted him chairman and replaced the Kennedy Center's president, Deborah Rudder,
46:19
with Trump ally Richard Grennell. Now, for time reasons, I'm
46:22
going to have to cut this short. The Kennedy Center
46:26
Board of Trustees voted Wednesday afternoon to install President Donald
46:30
Trump as chairman of the board, cementing the planned Trump
46:35
announced Friday to overhaul the storied arts institution with him
46:39
at its helm. It also voted to terminate Deborah Rudder
46:43
as president and made former acting Director of National Intelligence
46:47
Richard Grenell interim president. According to multiple people with knowledge
46:52
of the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity
46:55
because they were not authorized to speak publicly, Trump attended
46:59
the virtual meeting. The refactioned board of trustees is made
47:03
up entirely of Trump appointees, many of whom were appointed
47:07
after he terminated all of former President Joe Biden's appointees.
47:11
New members include White House Personnel Office Director Sergio Gore,
47:16
Chief of Staff Susie Wilds, and Usha Vance. Quote. It's
47:20
a great honor to be chairman of the Kennedy Center,
47:22
especially with this amazing board of trustees closed, the quote,
47:26
Trump wrote on truth Social after the vote, quote, we
47:30
will make the Kennedy Center a very special and exciting
47:33
place unquote. Meanwhile, musician Ben Foldes and opera singer Renee
47:38
Fleming said they were stepping down as artistic advisors with
47:41
the Center, as did the treasurer of its Board of trustees.
47:45
TV producer Sean de Rimes, her spokesman confirmed in a statement.
47:49
Fleming said she would leave quote out of respect unquote
47:53
to both Rutterer and former board chair David M. Rubinstein,
47:56
adding quote, I've treasured the bipartisan support of this institution
48:00
as a beacon of America at our best unquote. Field
48:03
said on Instagram that he would leave his role with
48:06
the National Sympathy Symphony Orchestra. Rudder tearfully addressed a packed
48:12
room of Kennedy staff members after the vote at a
48:15
meeting in the Center's Reach complex. Quote I hope I'm
48:20
not saying goodbye as a friend and colleague to all
48:22
of you, but I am leaving now unquote, Rudder said, quote,
48:26
and I just want to keep these ideals that we
48:28
wear in our lanyard central to the work that we do,
48:31
and they are from GF. JFK and his family. They
48:35
were the ones that confirmed them and added one. So
48:37
let's remember courage, justice, freedom, service, and gratitude. Close the
48:44
quote quote, I hope you know how much I care
48:47
about all of you, and I pray for the best
48:49
for each of you, unquote, she concluded, as staffers rose
48:52
and applause before the vote. At least one board member
48:56
had grown agitated by what he considered resistance from Rudder
49:00
to ideas he had pressed. Paola Zampoli, appointed to the
49:04
board by Trump in twenty twenty, sent her a message
49:07
on Monday, obtained by the Post. Quote, as our president
49:11
would like to see at the Center new development, and
49:13
we previously discussed these are the few topics that were
49:17
never addressed on a proper time manner, quote, he wrote,
49:20
quote maybe it should be the right time now unquote.
49:23
He attached an eleven point draft proposal to upgrade offerings
49:28
at the Kennedy Center, some of them reviving ideas Zampoli
49:31
floated upon his appointment. Among them were quote thematic and
49:35
cultural lounges unquote for cutter Israel, Africa and more. Quote
49:40
global representation unquote, partnerships with NASA or SpaceX for quote,
49:45
artistic collaborations and zero gravity quote, a blue carpet, a
49:50
Valentino designed fashion event inspired by Jacqueline Kennedy, and new
49:54
marina and ferry connections on the Potomac River. As news
49:58
of Trump's appointment and Rudder's termination spread on Wednesday, the
50:03
Kennedy Center's website crashed frequently, citing an overload of visitors.
50:07
On Monday, Trump named Grenell as the interim executive director
50:11
of the Kennedy Center in a post on truth Social
50:14
The position plunged leadership at the Kennedy Center into confusion,
50:18
as the position quote executive director unquote does not exist.
50:23
Following Rudder's address, employees were alerted that Grenell was expected
50:27
to visit the building that day. The staff meeting concluded
50:30
with several colleagues cheerfully embracing one another before returning to work.
50:35
A termination email sent Friday by Gore to several Biden
50:38
appointed board members read quote on behalf of President Donald Trump.
50:43
I'm writing to inform you your position on the board
50:45
of the Kennedy Center is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you
50:50
for your service. Close the quote. The Kennedy Center removed
50:53
the names of those who had been terminated from its
50:56
list of board members and designated them as emeritus members.
51:00
They included all of Biden's appointees and its chair Rubinstein,
51:04
the billionaire co founder of the private equity firm the
51:06
Carlisle Group and principal owner of the Baltimore Orioles. Now
51:11
I'm going to stop there just so I can squeeze
51:13
in the sixth and last article, at least part of it.
51:16
The sixth article, firings begin as Musk's team works to
51:21
trim civilian ranks. Musk team kicks off federal layoffs as
51:26
White House eyes big cuts. The Trump administration's plan for
51:30
shrinking the civilian workforce is coming into increasingly clear view.
51:34
There's a photograph of Trump, Musk, Musk's sun and another
51:40
aid in a photograph. Now again, I'm going to have
51:42
to cut this off, but I'm gonna read as long
51:44
as I have time. Billionaire Elon Musk's team has initiated
51:48
sweeping layoffs of federal employees as the Trump administration races
51:53
to shrink the government's civilian workforce. An official with the
51:57
Office of Personnel Management, which is now run by US Allies,
52:01
emailed staff Wednesday morning, stating that widespread layoffs, known as
52:05
quote reduction in force have begun and are already overwhelming
52:10
the small agency that functions as a human resources department
52:14
for the government. According to a copy of the message
52:16
obtained by the Washington Post, OPM has also begun to
52:20
assert more control over all federal hiring, according to four
52:24
employees of the agency and additional internal communications also obtained
52:29
by the Post. Meanwhile, White House officials are eyeing cuts
52:33
to agency budgets between thirty and forty percent on average
52:37
across the government, centered on significant staff reductions. According to
52:41
two other people briefed on internal conversations who also spoke
52:45
on the condition of anonymity to recount private deliberations, that
52:49
target would vary greatly, and it's expected to exempt agencies
52:53
favored by President Donald Trump, such as the Defense Department
52:58
and the Homeland Security Department. A White House spokeswoman declined
53:02
to comment on that figure. The people cautioned those plans
53:05
are not yet finalized and could change. Late Wednesday, of
53:08
federal judge also lifted a pause on a deferred resignation
53:12
program that would pay workers through September if they quit now,
53:16
and the administration said it would not accept new applications.
53:20
The developments reflect the accelerating pace of the effort by
53:23
Trump and Musk to defang the federal workforce, a campaign
53:27
they view as necessary to enact their conservative agenda and
53:31
slash spending. Now, I'm sorry, I'm going to have to
53:34
stop there. This concludes the reading of the Washington Post
53:37
for today, Thursday, February thirteenth, twenty twenty five. Your reader
53:42
today has been Mark Webster. If you have any questions, comments,
53:46
or suggestions concerning this program, please feel free to call
53:49
us at eight five nine four two two six three
53:53
nine zero. Thank you for listening, and now please stay
53:57
tuned for continued programming on Read where you want