Transcript

10.20.25 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of The Washington Post from Monday,
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October twentieth, twenty twenty five. As a reminder, Radio I
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is a reading service intended for people who are blind
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or have other disabilities that make it difficult to read
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printed material. Your reader today is Delia Gibbs. Today's front
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page headlines from The Washington Post are Rubio pledge was
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key to pact. MS thirteen informants sealed prison deal, some
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in DOJ wary about reneging on promises. Israeli strikes hit
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Gaza Day's into truce. Dozens killed after IDF says it
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responded to alleged Hamas violation down ballot scandal. Royal Virginia
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governor's race. Defense press confronts new reality of Pentagon acts.
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US outlets barred from entry, pivot to report from outside
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the building in daylight. Heist thieves target the Louvre. Stolen
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pieces included thousands of diamonds and many precious jewels, and lastly,
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as hotel stays plunge, lux bookings are booming. The first
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piece begins. Rubio promised to betray US informants to get
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Trump's El Salvador prison deal to secure Washington's access to
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El Salvador's most notorious prison. The Secretary of State made
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an extraordinary offer to President Naib bucele This is by
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John Hubbs. Make that John Hudson, Jeremy Roebuck, and Samantha Schmidt.
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In the days before the Trump administration deported hundreds of
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Venezuelan immigrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador, the
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president of that country demanded something for himself, the return
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of nine MS thirteen gang leaders in US custody. Secretary
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of State Marco Rubio, in a March thirteenth phone call
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with the Salvadoran President Naib Buccella, promised the request would
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be fulfilled, according to officials familiar with the conversation, but
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there was one obstacle. Some of the m S thirteen
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members Buccelly wanted were informants under the protection of the
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U S government. Rubio told him to deport them to
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L Salvador, Attorney General Pam Bondi would need to terminate
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the Justice Department's arrangements with those men. Rubio said he
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assured Bucella that Bondi would complete that process and Washington
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would hand over the m S thirteen leaders. Rubio's extraordinary
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pledge illustrates the extra extent to which the Trump administration
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was willing to meet Bukelly's demands as it negotiated what
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would become one of the signature agreements of President Trump's
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early months in office. While the outlines of the quid
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pro quo have been public for months, the Trump Administration's
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willingness to renege on secret arrangements made with the informants
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who aided US investigators has not been previously reported. The
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deal between Rubio and Bucella granted the administration access to
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a sprawling foreign prison dubbed the Terrorism Confinement Centre or CECT,
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that would later be integral to Trump's ongoing efforts to
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conduct the largest deportation in American history. The deal would
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give Bucelly's possession of individuals who threatened to expose the
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alleged deals his government made with m S thirteen to
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help achieve l Salvador's historic drop in violence, Officials said
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for the Salvadoran president, a return of the informants was
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viewed as critical to preserving his tough on crime reputation.
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Was also a key step in hindering an ongoing U
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S investigation into his government's relationship with m S thirteen,
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a gang famous for displays of excessive violence in the
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United States and elsewhere. But in promising to terminate the
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informant arrangements, current and former Justice Department officials say Rubio
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threatened to undercut years of work by US law enforcement
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to apprehend and secure the cooperation of high ranking members
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of one of the world's most deadly gangs. The deal
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is a deep betrayal of U S law enforcement, whose
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agents risked their lives to apprehend the gang members, said
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Douglas Fara, a US contractor who worked with federal officials
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to investigate and help dismantle the MS thirteen gang. Nixing
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the agreements also threatens to damage the credibility of the
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Justice Department, which routinely relies on informants to build cases
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against high level criminals. Officials said in foreman agreements are
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based on assurances that the cooperators will be protected by
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the u S. Reneging on promises made in exchange for
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information could hinder the ability of U S law enforcement
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to develop relationships with potential cooperators in the future. Who
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would ever trust the word of U S law enforcement
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or prosecutors again. Fara said at least three of the
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m S thirteen leaders Bouquela requested had divulged incriminating information
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about members of his government suspected of cutting deals with
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the gang. Officials, said one of them, Saysar Lopez Larios,
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whom US prosecutors charged last year with directing m S
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thirteen's activities in the US, was sent back to El
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Salvador two days after the Rubio Buceli phone call. The
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others remain in the US, waiting to learn whether they
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too will be handed over to the very government they
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were cooperating against. The State Department dismissed criticism of Rubio's
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deal making, saying the Secretary's diplomacy allowed the US to
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deport hundreds of alleged members of the gang Tren de
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Aragua or TDA, to l Salvador before they were later
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transported to Venezuela, where the group was founded. The Trump
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Administration's results speak for themselves, said Tommy Pigott, a State
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Department spokesperson. Hardened TDA gang members are back in Venezuela.
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MS thirteen gangs members are being prosecuted in the US.
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In L Salvador, and Americans are safer as a result
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of these incredible efforts. Justice Department spokesperson Gates mcgavic said
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that the department is proud to collaborate with the State
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Department on dismantling MS thirteen. The administration has investigated, prosecuted,
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and taking custody of key foreign terrorists with unprecedented success,
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the official said. The government of L Salvador did not
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respond to requests for comment. Damian Merlow, a lobbyist for
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the Buquell government, defended the Salvadoran president's pursuit of the
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m S thirteen leaders. They are Salvadoran terrorists and he
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wants them to do time in L Salvador. Merlow said
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there's a terrorism center and that's where they should be,
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not in what is considered to be a posh detention
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facility in the US. This article was based on accounts
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from dozens of officials from the US and El Salvador.
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Lawyers representing M S thirteen gang members, prosecutors, diplomats, former
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Justice Department officials, and political appointees. Most spoke on the
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condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive law enforcement matters. The
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deal Rubio's central role in brokering the deal highlights his
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evolution from a one time Trump critic to a dogged
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implementer of the president's agenda, exploiting his Spanish fluency and
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rapport with Latin American leaders to supercharge Trump's most hard
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edged policies. As Rubio was finalizing the deal with Buchuele
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in March, he was on a multi day trip to
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Saudi Arabia and Canada and had received multiple phone calls
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from Trump about the status of the deal, said two
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political appointees. The White House was conncerned that if the
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Venezuelans weren't deported immediately, a federal judge could order their
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release in response to challenges to their detention. The trade
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that Rubio brokered helped both Trump and Bukele tackle core
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issues to their political ascendancy. Trump, who campaigned on ridding
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the country of undocumented immigrants, needed a foreign partner to
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accept deportees regularly of make that regardless of nationality or
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legal considerations. Bukele, who cultivated a reputation as a crime
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fighting visionary, needed the US justice system to help award
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off threats to that image. The Central American leader in
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self described world's coolest dictator, is enormously popular in El
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Salvador for his aggressive crackdown on organized crime in record
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reductions and homicides, but his curtailment of civil liberties, sweeping
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accumulation of executive power in oversight of a prison system
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beset by abuse allegations have earned condemnation among human rights advocates.
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Those criticisms have been brushed aside by Trump, who hailed
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his leadership during a high profile meeting at the White
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House in April. You're doing incredibly for your company, and
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we appreciate working with you because you want to stop crime,
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and so do we, Trump told Bukeley in the Oval Office,
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We're very eager to help. Bou Kelly replied, you have
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a crime problem, a terrorism problem that you need help with.
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Thus far, Bukelly has helped hold up his end of
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the bargain, housing roughly two hundred and fifty deportees in
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the co Cot prison before they were sent to Venezuela
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in the sub subsequent deal broker between Washington San Salvador,
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and the same cannot be said of the Trump administration,
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which has returned only one of the nine men Buceuell
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demanded Lopez Laios prosecutors moved to dismiss the case against him,
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citing geopolitical and national security concerns. As he was deported
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to El Salvador in mid March. The other eight men
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remained in custody. It's unclear if the Trump administration still
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intends to send them back, and if so, whether it
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can prevail over legal hurdles that could prevent the deportations.
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The administration began the process for deporting Vladimir are Lavo Chavez,
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an alleged MS thirteen leader known as Vampiro, in April,
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but the effort has drawn scrutiny from a federal judge
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in New York, who imposed a delay. Such obstacles were
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top of mind for Bukela during his mid March calls
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with Rubio. Set officials familiar with the conversations. The Salvadoran
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president worried his request would get bogged down in the
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US legal system, and he repeatedly pressured Rubio to guarantee
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all nine m S thirteen leaders would be returned. These
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officials said he promised to incarcerate hundreds or even thousands
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more immigrants from the US if that helped sweeten the deal,
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and he vowed that no physical harm would come to
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the m S thirteen members once in his custody. Rubio
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assured Bucele he would be make that he would get
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his men, and stressed that the American public cared little
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about the fate of Salvadoran gang members. Official said each
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of the eight men who remain in US custody could
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be removed to El Salvador at a moment's notice, putting
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them at immediate risk of potential reprisal from ms D
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thirteen members or the Bukeli government. My life is in
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very danger if I'm deported, Arevalo Chavez wrote in June
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in a letter to the judge overseeing his case. I
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will be tortured and disposed of the investigation. The investigation
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that brought the nine men into US custody was among
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the most significant gang prosecutions undertaken by the Justice Department
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in years. Late in Trump's first term, the Justice Department
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convened a special team of investigators and prosecutors from across
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the country, known as Joint Task Force Volcan. Its goal
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was to target not just low level MS thirteen gang
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members believed to be responsible for kidnappings, drug trafficking, and
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murders in the US, but also more senior gang members
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directing the gang's activities from El Salvador. When the task
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force announced its first high profile indictment in twenty twenty one,
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more than a dozen alleged MS thirteen leaders were named
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as defendants, including Lopez Latios. The charging document detailed how
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a council of top gang leaders, many of them incarcerated
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in El Salvador, maintained an iron grip in that country
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through acts of violence and a lucrative trade in drugs
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and weapons throughout Central America, Mexico, and the US. A
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second indictment followed a year later, laying out striking allegations
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about MS thirteen's ties to the Bukelly government. Though the
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prosecutors did not charge or even name Bucelli or any
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specific officials in El Salvador, they alleged they alleged unidentified
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members of his administration had secretly met numerous times with
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MS thirteen's leaders in prison in El Salvador. Bukelly's government,
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the US indictment said, had agreed to give them financial
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benefits in less restrictive prison conditions. In exchange for their
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promise to reduce the number of m S thirteen's public
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murders so it would appear the country's homicide rate was decreasing,
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a development Bukelli's subordinates had hoped would boost him and
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his party at the polls. Court documents allege the gang
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leaders also demanded that El Salvador refused to extradite them
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to the US. According to the indictment, Bukelly has repeatedly
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denied negotiating with gang members. How can they put out
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such an obvious lie without anyone questioning it, he tweeted
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after the Treasure Department under the Biden administration sanctioned two
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Salvadoran officials for their roles in alleged gang negotiations. In
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the months following Task Force Vulcan's first m S thirteen indictment,
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the Salvadoran government released from prison at least four of
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the gang's charged leaders. One of those men, elmare Canalis Rivera,
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also known as Crookda Hollywood, was among the lead negotiators
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of MS thirteen's packed with the Bukel government. According to
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the Justice Department's twenty twenty two indictment, A Bukelly official
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arranged for his release an attempt to show the gang
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his loyalty. According to recordings obtained by the investigative news
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outlet El Fado, US prosecutors alleged that high level Salvadoran
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government officials personally escorted Canalis Rivera from prison hausdom in
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a luxury apartment, provided him with a gun, and drove
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him to the Guatemalan border to be smuggled out of
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the country. After the Justice Department made public its allegations
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about the Bukelli government's role in canal As Rivera's escape,
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he was apprehended in Mexico in November twenty twenty three,
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and authorities in that country quickly agreed to send him
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to the US. Once in US custody, Canales Rivera offered
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to hand over recordings, photos, videos, and other documentation, according
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to three people familiar with the matter, that would implicate
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the Salvadoran government in deal making with MS thirteen. He
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agreed to a confidential plea deal and provided investigators information
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central to an investigation that they had been building for years,
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one aimed at exposing how the deals struck between MS
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thirteen and the Bukeli government used US resources and put
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Americans in harm's way. Several people familiar with the matter
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said Canales Rivera is Lower declined to discuss details of
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his cooperation, but three officials with knowledge of the matters
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that Vulcan investigators had been pursuing two top bucell officials
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who allegedly facilitated the deals to benefit the gang ruders.
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Reported in late twenty twenty one that US authorities were
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preparing indictments against Carlos mora Quin Moraquin make That, who
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ran the government's social welfare agency, and Bucelly's deputy Justice Minister,
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Osiris Luna. Motto Quin and Luna did not respond to
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comments make That requests for comment. A Justice Department spokesperson
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declined to answer questions about that investigation. US authorities suspected
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Bucellay's government had used US Agency for International Development programs
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to benefit MS thirteen's leaders, according to three people familiar
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with the investigation, though it is unclear how much evidence
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investigators found to back up those claims. We were trying
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to follow the money to locate who was involved in
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moving money and how the gang received money, and that's
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where we started to find the connections to political figures,
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said Chris Mustow, a former Homeland Security Investigations agent who
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worked on Vulcan until twenty twenty one. A former State
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Department official said the US government believed Canalis Rivera could
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provide a mountain of evidence that DOJ needed to pursue
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these indictments. If he were returned to El Salvador, as
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Rubio promised Bucele, the entire case could fall apart, one
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current US investigator said the aftermath. On March eleventh, the
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US took its first formal steps to comply with bucella requests.
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Justice Department lawyers asked a federal court to dismiss the
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case against Lopez Latios, one of the men who return Bucella,
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whose return Bucela had demanded. Prosecutors provided little explanation for
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that request, which was initially filed under seal, and made
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no mention of any deals struck with bucel They wrote
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that while they believed the evidence against the gang leader
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was strong, the US had determined that sensitive and important
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foreign policy considerations outweighed the value in bringing Lopez Latios
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to trial. Like Canalis Ruvera, Lopez Latios had provided at
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least some information to US investigators and had a third defendant.
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According to three people with knowledge of that investigation, at
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the time of Rubio's promise to Bucellay, neither Lopez Latios
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nor the third defendant had cemented a formal plea agreement
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with US prosecutors, as Canales Rivera had done with four
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days of the Justice Departments make that within four days
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of the Justice Department's request, U S District Judge Joan
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Azrak had signed off, and Lopez Latios was flown out
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of the country on one of the first flights the
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Trump administration launched as part of its deal to ship
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Venezuelan migrants to l Salvador. A video posted by Bucele
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showed authorities loading a shackled Lopez Latios onto a military vehicle,
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where he was told to say his name on camera
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as he was shorn of his beard on bended knee. Now,
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he resides at what one salvador An official described as
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a safe house, a measure that could be aimed at
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protecting him from gangs seeking to kill him in prison.
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Lopez Ladios's lawyer, Jeff Freese G. Patel, declined to comment.
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Attorneys for the third defendant did not respond to multiple
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requests made over months to discuss his case. In early April,
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US prosecutors asked to drop charges against another of the
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alleged m S thirteen leaders, are Valo Chavez, who had
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been in the U S custody since early twenty twenty three,
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but according to his attorneys, is not among those who
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have been cooperating with US authorities. But this time in
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a remarkable ruling, Asrak acknowledge that she now regrets taking
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the government at its word and so quickly agreeing to
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its requests for secrecy amid Lopez Latios's removal. Given details
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that have since emerged in the news media, she questions
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the propriety of some aspects of the US agreement to
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return Lopez Latios, Arevalocha and the other men to Bukelly's control.
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For now, the judge has refused to grant an immediate
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dismissal of Arevalochaves's case, while she presses for more details
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on the Trump administration's deal with Bucel and whether the
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accused gang leader should be granted an opportunity to challenge
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his deportation on grounds as he could not be make
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that as he could be tortured or disappeared should he
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be returned to El Salvador. Still, Asrak ultimately has little
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legal latitude to deny prosecution requests, to withdraw charges against
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any of the alleged gang members, or to stop the
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government from eventually deporting them, a fact that's left the
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remaining m S thirteen leaders in US custody wondering if
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they could be next. The U s Attorney's Office for
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the Eastern District of New York, which is prosecuted the cases,
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referred all questions to the Justice Department, which declined to
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discuss its plans. Bucelly, as recently as July, expressed frustration
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that the US hadn't delivered the MS thirteen leaders that
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Rubio promised to send, according to a Salvadoran official, Some
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Justice Department officials, meanwhile, have bristled out attempts to deport
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people the US spent years trying to arrest in persuade
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to cooperate. It would be very disheartening if I worked
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my butt off for a year to collect that evidence,
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to get him into custody, to bring him to justice,
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just for the Department of Justice or the State Department
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to turn around and say, Okay, We're going to drop
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all charges, said Daniel Brunner, a former FBI agent who
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worked on Vulcan. It would get me as a case agent.
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While the Justice Department's investigation formally continues into the election
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agreements between MS thirteen and the Salvadoran government, current and
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formal officials said resources have been redirected to boost efforts elsewhere.
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No one is wanting to investigate anything related to El
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Salvador or Bucele because the Bukela administration right now has
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a direct line to the White House, said one former
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State Department official who was in El Salvador. No one
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is touching that. There's a note here that says Samantha
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Schmidt reported from Bogota and Salvador. Rizzo in Washington contributed
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to this report as well. For the next article, we
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have amid Shaky truce, Israel says it struck Gaza after
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Hamas attacks. The Israel Defense Forces said Hamas militants fired
25:52
at troops and Rapha in southern Gaza, and later announced
25:56
that two soldiers had been killed. This article was written
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by Shira Rubin, Leor Soroka, siham Shamalak, and Heidi Levine
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from Tel Aviv. The Israeli military launched a wave of
26:13
strikes across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, killing about forty
26:16
four people, according to local hospitals, after Israel accused Hamas
26:21
of violating a nine day old truce by attacking its
26:25
troops behind the ceasefire line. In a statement, the Israel
26:30
Defense Forces said that militants fired at troops in Rafa
26:35
in southern Gaza, including with an anti tank missile. Later,
26:40
it announced that two soldiers had been killed. Hamas's armed wing,
26:47
the Isidine al Cassam Brigadis Brigades make that said it
26:53
was unaware of any clashes in Rafa, where the IDF
26:59
maintains control, and that it had long ago lost contact
27:03
with any fighters there. The escalation Sunday was the most
27:08
serious challenge yet to an already tenuous ceasefire backed by
27:12
the US. Israel and Hamas signed on to the first
27:16
phase of the deal, which required Israel to partially withdraw troops,
27:20
allow the free flow of humanitarian aid, and release a
27:24
specific number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Hamas agreed to
27:29
release the remaining hostages it abducted in the attack on
27:34
October seven, twenty twenty three, including the bodies of those
27:38
who either died that day or were killed in captivity.
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So far, the group has freed twenty living hostages in
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the remains of twelve others. Hamas said it will take
27:50
time to find and exhume the bodies of sixteen others
27:55
without specialized equipment. We are aware that when Hamas feels
28:00
the pressure from Israel in the US, they start to
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return more of our hostages remains, shosh Bedrosian, an Israeli
28:09
government spokeswoman, told reporters on Sunday. Also Sunday, the office
28:16
of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he met with his
28:21
Defense minister and other secretary officials and directed that strong
28:27
action be taken against terrorist targets in the Gaza strip.
28:33
Hamas will learn today the hard way that id EF
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is determined to protect its soldiers and prevent any harm
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to them, Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
28:47
An Israeli security officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity
28:51
because they were not authorized to speak with the media,
28:55
said Sunday that Israel would halt humanitarian aid to Gaza
29:00
until further notice, but shortly after eight officials familiar with
29:05
the plans and who spoke on the condition of anonymity
29:08
to discuss the sensitive issue, said relief deliveries would resume
29:12
on Monday. Following a series of significant strikes in response
29:17
to Hamas's violations, the IDF has begun the renewed enforcement
29:22
of the ceasefire, the military said still the strikes Sunday
29:27
hit southern, Central and northern Gaza, killing people in killing
29:33
people in Khanyunis Zawieda and the Neurasat and bey Rouge
29:40
refugee camps Boo Rage make that refugee camps. Videos and
29:47
photos of the aftermath of the strikes showed people fleeing
29:51
and others rushing wounded to hospitals. The IDF said that
29:56
it struck dozens of targets, including weapons storage facilities, infrastructure
30:01
used for terrorist activity, firing posts, terrorist cells, and additional
30:08
terrorist infrastructure sites, and used more than one hundred and
30:12
twenty munitions to attack underground infrastructure. The agreement is only
30:18
a piece of paper, and yet there are lots of
30:21
gray areas as today proves. The war is not over yet,
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said Charon, a reservist soldier who spoke on condition that
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he be identified only by his first name, in line
30:35
with military protocol. Stationed on the border with Gaza on Sunday,
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Sharon said he had served more than three hundred and
30:44
sixty days in the enclave since the war began. Hamas
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killed around twelve hundred people and took another two hundred
30:53
and fifty one hostage when it attacked southern Israel on
30:56
October seventh, twenty twenty three. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed
31:02
more than sixty eight thousand people in Gaza. According to
31:06
the local health Ministry. The toll does not differentiate between
31:10
combatants and civilians in Gaza, Israel's military operations have destroyed
31:17
much of the enclave, displaced ninety percent of the population,
31:22
and caused a famine to take hold in Gaza City
31:25
in August, experts said. Shamalac reported from Cairo and Levine
31:30
from Israel. Louisa Lovock in Jerusalem and Emily Davies in
31:37
Palm Beach, Florida contributed to this report as well. The
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next article is called Scandals down ballot shake up Virginia's
31:47
high profile race for governor. Republicans are focusing on text messages.
31:52
The Democratic candidate for Attorney General sent in twenty twenty two.
31:57
This article is by Gregor Schneider from Richmond. The Virginia
32:04
governor's race was supposed to be the marquee contest of
32:07
twenty twenty five, a historic showdown between two women who
32:11
national Democrats and Republicans alike hope can rally their parties
32:16
into next year's congressional midterms, But two down ballot contests
32:23
keep stealing the limelight in unpredictable ways. In October, Surprise,
32:28
involving the emergence of violently worded text messages sent by
32:33
Democratic Attorney General nominee j Jones in twenty twenty two,
32:38
has become the focal point of Republicans closing arguments in
32:42
the final weeks before election day on November fourth. Even
32:46
in the governor's race, everything is about j Jones period.
32:52
Mark Harris, the political consultant for GOP gubernatorial nominee Winsome
32:58
Earl Sears to reporters after his candidate debated the Democratic nominee,
33:03
Abigail Spanberger on October nine in Norfolk. In April, it
33:09
was Republicans dealing with a scandal when Governor Glenn Youngkin,
33:14
Republican pressed GOP Lieutenant governor nominee John Reid to drop
33:20
out over lewd photos of men posted to a social
33:24
media account that Youngkin said was Reed's. Reid, who is
33:29
openly gay, disavowed the account and stayed in the race,
33:32
but has struggled to raise money, while some Conservatives have
33:36
continued to distance themselves from him. The controversy flared anew
33:41
this month when Democrats charged that some of the images
33:45
were reposted from accounts that promoted Nazi porn. Reid, a
33:50
Richmond talk radio host, is running against Democratic state Senator
33:55
Gazala F Hashmi Richmond. It's odd that these two down
34:01
ballot races are affecting the governor's race, said Rich Mager,
34:06
a political scientist at Randolph Macon College, who added that
34:10
the timing poses an interesting test of voter impact. Because
34:15
the Read controversy took place early in the campaign. Republicans
34:19
were off balanced for several months as Earl Sears avoided
34:23
appearing with Read or mentioning him at events. The Jones
34:27
scandal erupted October third, when early voting, which began September nineteenth,
34:33
was well under way and some three hundred and fifty
34:36
thousand ballots had already been cast, with Democrats locked into
34:40
their slate of candidates. I wonder if an October surprise
34:45
is less of a thing now when people make up
34:47
their minds so early, Meger said. Both Earl Sears and
34:53
GOP Eternal General Jason S. Mayaris, who is seeking re election,
35:00
put out ads last week focused on the text messages
35:03
and mentioned the subjects repeatedly on social media. In the texts,
35:09
which Joan admitted sending to Republican Delegate Carrie E. Cooiner Chesterfield,
35:17
during a heated conversation, Jones mused about putting a bullet
35:20
in the head of then House Speaker Todd Gilbert, Republican
35:25
from Shannandoah, in urinating on the graves of other political opponents.
35:31
Jones apologized after the texts were first to closed disclosed
35:36
in National Review and again in his debate with Miaris
35:40
on Thursday, saying, let me be very clear, I am ashamed,
35:45
I am embarrassed, and I am sorry. It was not
35:49
the only apology Jones had to make. The day before
35:53
news broke about the texts, the Richmond Times Dispatch reported
35:57
that Jones had been convicted of reckless striving for speeding
36:01
at one hundred and sixteen thousand, one hundred and sixteen
36:05
miles per hour on I sixty four. Also in twenty
36:09
twenty two, he paid a fifteen hundred dollars fine and
36:13
was sentenced to one thousand hours of community service, but
36:17
Republicans have questioned why he was allowed to submit work
36:20
for his own political action committee Meet Our Moment to
36:25
satisfy five hundred of those hours. Jones disappeared from the
36:29
campaign trail for a few days after the revelations, but
36:33
soon began returning to low key events welcomed by several churches,
36:39
in gatherings of campaign volunteers on his home turf of
36:43
Hampton Roads and in Richmond. On Saturday morning, he led
36:48
a neighborhood canvass event in Norfolk. Members of the Virginia
36:54
Legislative Black Caucus have defended Jones, who is black, though
36:58
the full caucus did not officially weigh in until issuing
37:02
a statement of support on Friday, two weeks after the
37:06
controversy broke. Span Berger has condemned the violent language and
37:12
resisted endorsing Jones, saying it's up to every voter to
37:16
make their own individual decision privately. Democrats say they are
37:20
dug in, determined to ride out the scandal, and hopeful
37:24
that their candidate's margins in the polls will hold through
37:27
election day. Spanberger has consistently led in polling, with a
37:33
twelve point margin over Earl Sears in a recent Washington
37:38
Post Shar School poll. The other races have been much closer.
37:43
The same poll conducted before the Jones scandal arose found
37:47
Hashmi leading Read in the lieutenant governor's race by four points,
37:53
in Jones leading Miyaris by six points, both within the
37:57
survey's margin of error. There's no question that some people
38:01
are very upset. Some Democratic voters are very upset about
38:05
the situation, said Senator Scott A. Surovelle, a Democrat from
38:10
Fairfax and the Senator and the Senate majority leader. But
38:16
I'm hopeful once people sit down and focus on their choice,
38:20
they realize they have no choice if we want to
38:23
have any chance of fighting back against the Trump administration.
38:28
For Democrats, challenging President Donald Trump and the economic impact
38:32
of his actions remains the focus of the race. Only
38:36
Virginia and New Jersey have statewide elections this year, and
38:39
both national parties view them as a referendum on the
38:43
Trump White House and approving ground for strategies in next
38:48
year's congressional midterms. Jones repeatedly turned aside Miars's attacks in
38:54
their debate by pointing out that as attorney general, the
38:57
Democrat would join other states in ursuing the Trump administration
39:02
over policies and funding cuts that affect Virginia. State attorneys
39:07
general have filed some fifty lawsuits against Trump so far
39:13
this year, including a challenge to eleven billion dollars in
39:18
cuts to CDC and prevention grants that resulted in blue
39:24
participating states recovering about eighty percent of their money, while
39:28
red states recovered five percent, according to an analysis by
39:32
KFF Health News. Some who support Jones say that they
39:37
deplore his words, but believe he is being held to
39:40
a double standard given the long record of controversial statements
39:45
from Trump, who has called on Jones to step down
39:49
in his pardoning of violent January sixth, twenty twenty one.
39:53
Capital rioters. Many also cited that recent report that the
39:59
recent report from Politico that Republican staffers in various states
40:04
exchanged private messages praising Hitler and joking about slavery and rape.
40:11
There have been so many people that don't look like
40:14
me or Jay that have said so many hateful things
40:17
to people, and it's just another day at the office,
40:20
said Petersburg Democratic Committee chairwoman Janel Sinclair, who was black.
40:26
J d Vance has repeatedly responded to calls to condemn
40:30
the Republican staffers by pointing to Jones, calling his comments
40:35
far worse. House Speaker Don Scott, Democrat from Portsmith, said
40:42
Republicans' attempts to using the texting scandal against Spanberger are
40:47
disingenuous given the Democrats position that voters should make up
40:51
their own minds. Is similar to Earle Sears's initial response
40:56
to the Read controversy. When reporters ask to Earl Sears
41:02
in June whether she would appear in public with Read
41:06
after his defiance of young Kin, she did not directly answer. Well, actually,
41:11
as you know, we are all running our campaigns and
41:14
we're all together. I am focused on Abigail Spanberger, Earl
41:19
Sears said at an event in falls Church. Scott also
41:24
noted that the recent ads from Mirus and Earl Sears
41:29
make opposing arguments. In the Earl Sears ad, a clip
41:33
of span Berger refusing to respond during the debate when
41:37
Earl Sears questioned whether Jones should step down, suggests that
41:42
the Democrat approves of Jones's violent statements. One of the
41:48
Yaris ads, on the other hand, uses a clip of
41:51
Spanberger condemning Jones's language to suggest that she has rejected
41:57
his candidacy. The Mayaris adds appeal to Democrats and Spanburger
42:03
supporters to vote for him, capitalizing on the fact that
42:06
Virginia's statewide candidates run individually, not as a ticket. The
42:12
state has a history of electing attorneys general of one
42:16
party and governors of another, though that hasn't happened in
42:20
twenty years. With the Earlsears campaign lagging Spanberger in polls
42:27
in fundraising, national Republicans have pegged Mayaris as the most
42:32
likely GOP winner In concentrated resources on him. The Republican
42:37
Attorney's General Association has showered eight point five million dollars
42:43
on the Millaris campaign, more than it has ever given
42:46
to a Virginia race. State Senator Mark J. Peake, a
42:52
Republican from Lynchburg, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia,
42:57
said the Jones texts are a large part of the
43:00
closing argument for the GOP with all one hundred seats
43:04
in the House of Delegates. Also on the ballot illegal immigration,
43:10
law and order, energy costs, and Jay Jones. That's what
43:14
you're going to hear, he said. We feel really good
43:17
about how these campaigns are going. The next article is
43:23
called Pentagon Press confronts new reality of Trump Era being
43:28
banned from the Pentagon. After correspondents refuse to sign the
43:33
Defense Department's new press policy, they lost their permanent credentials,
43:38
barring them from the Pentagon. Here's how that will change
43:42
military and defense coverage. This article was written by Scott Nover.
43:48
When a throng of military journalists relinquished their credentials Wednesday
43:52
after refusing to sign the Defense Department's new restrictive press policy.
43:58
It ended more than eighty years of in building coverage
44:02
by major news organizations, including The New York Times, The
44:06
Washington Post, and CBS News, which reported live from the
44:10
Pentagon on D Day in nineteen forty four. The Defense
44:15
Department's new policy blocks any journalist from soliciting information the
44:21
Department has not authorized for release, even unclassified details. With
44:27
only fourteen individuals agreeing to the rules. Dozens of outlets
44:32
are confronting a new reality, the challenges of covering the
44:36
Defense Department from a purely outside of its five sided
44:41
nerve center on the Potomac. Will it be a little tougher,
44:46
will it require a little more elbow grease? Perhaps, said
44:50
Barbara Starr, a former CNN reporter who covered the Pentagon
44:55
for more than twenty years. But it's also the case
44:58
that we have seen in the last couple of days,
45:01
the Pentagon Press Corps is continuing to get scoops. The
45:06
media policy is the latest press restriction imposed by Defense
45:10
Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has altered norms by rarely holding
45:15
press briefings and requiring reporters to use Pentagon escorts to
45:20
walk in certain parts of the building. The limitations represent
45:27
a sharp departure from the twice weekly briefings, free movement,
45:32
and dedicated in building desk space that Pentagon reporters have
45:36
traditionally been granted. Media organizations say there are still deciding
45:41
how to confront the new restrictions, which could include suing
45:45
to regain access or strike down some of the Pentagon's requirements.
45:51
Some publications that they are considering increasing foreign reporting to
45:55
prepare for decreased material out of Washington. Because the Pentagon's
46:00
new policy prohibits reporters from soliciting information the government hasn't authorized,
46:07
some media experts say it might serve as a warning
46:10
to would be leakers about the consequences of talking to
46:13
the press, and while being blocked from facilities won't prevent
46:18
journalists from reporting, it will make it harder to land
46:23
key details and scoops, veteran reporters, said Starr, who left
46:29
CNN in twenty twenty two is now a senior fellow
46:33
at the University of Southern California, said there are perks
46:38
that come with building access. You lose the convenience of
46:42
on your way to the cafeteria for lunch running into
46:45
the chairman of the joints chiefs and saying, Hey, what's
46:49
going on. Here's the story I'm working on. Can you help?
46:53
She said. The building itself can be a reporting tool
46:58
for those who grace its halls. You feel what's happening
47:02
before it's announced, said Mark Thompson, a national security analyst
47:06
at the Project on Government Oversight and a former Time
47:10
Magazine national security correspondent who covers the Pentagon for decades.
47:17
Make that who covered the Pentagon for decades. Any good
47:21
reporter just picks up on vibes. However, proximity isn't everything.
47:27
Many reporters who cover the military already work outside the Pentagon.
47:32
The big stories on defense over my lifetime haven't come
47:35
from inside the building, Thompson said. They've been stories that
47:41
outside reporters with good resources in their own intrepidity, have
47:46
tracked down, reported, and published, much to the chagrin of
47:50
the powers that be inside the Pentagon. Thomas Evans, editor
47:56
in chief of NPR, agreed that access isn't everything. Physically,
48:01
being in the building helps build relationships, but that's not
48:04
where the rubber meets the road usually, he said. But
48:08
the routine accounts of staffing and budgets and deployments that
48:13
military families depend on will suffer without regular briefings. Evans said.
48:19
What is really going to die is actually the day
48:21
to day coverage of what the men and women in
48:24
the military are doing, he said, often reported by military publications.
48:30
Hundreds of journalists have decided not to agree to the
48:33
Pentagon's policy, including several more conservative outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax,
48:40
The Washington Times, and The Washington Examiner. Chief Pentagon spokesman
48:47
Sean Parnell defended the policy in a statement to The
48:51
Washington Post, saying reporters decided to move the goalpost by
48:56
refusing to sign the statement. We stand by our policy
48:59
because it's what's best for our troops and the national
49:02
security of this country, he added in a message Monday morning.
49:10
Timothy Parlatory, an attorney and adviser for Hegseth, said Defense
49:15
Department employees have become more bold in committing crimes in
49:19
recent years. That's what we are looking to stop, only
49:23
that activity, which Congress has designated as criminal activity. Some
49:30
media experts fear the press policy will usher in a
49:33
chilled environment, preventing government employees from sharing information with reporters.
49:40
I think there is a greater chance that even if
49:42
someone is passing along a non classified memo, they can
49:46
get into trouble, Evans said. Others are argued that the
49:51
policy could backfire, inspiring a new crop of leakers to emerge,
49:55
or energizing those already inclined to speak to the press.
50:00
I think it could actually have a reverse effect, said
50:02
Clay Calvert, a first Amendment scholar at the University of
50:06
Florida's Levin College of Law, the policy might actually frustrate
50:11
and upset many employees, who feel the policy is intended
50:15
to prevent them from speaking to journalists. The state of
50:20
affairs could also catalyze new links between reporters and sources
50:25
outside the building. I think many military people are quite
50:29
concerned about this clamp down and will embrace finding other
50:32
ways to communicate with reporters, Starr said. Bill McCarron, director
50:38
of the National Press's Club National Press Club's Press Freedom Center,
50:44
said the policy reveals what he argues is a chasm.
50:49
Make that chasm between Defense Secretary Hegseeth and the military
50:54
and civilian personnel that report to him. This is a
50:58
battle with the press, but it's also something else, he said.
51:02
It's a battle within the Pentagon about control. Evan said
51:08
NPR is considering increasing international coverage to capture stories that
51:12
would have previously been fleshed out through Pentagon channels, but
51:17
he emphasized that the newsroom won't change its editorial approach.
51:22
I view this as a legal and First Amendment disagreement
51:25
with them, not an editorial disagreement, he said. I think
51:30
our coverage at the Pentagon can't be any different than
51:33
it was before, even if they want it to be different.
51:38
The next piece is called Thieves Steel treasured jewelry from Luvra.
51:43
In seven minute daylight heist, thieves broke into the Apollo Gallery,
51:48
which houses the French Crown Jewels and took them with
51:51
objects adorned with thousands of diamonds. This article was written
51:56
by Jennifer Hassan, Leo Sans and Sammy Westfall. Not long
52:03
after Paris's Louvre Museum opened its doors to visitors on Sunday,
52:08
the thieves made their move Using mechanized furniture elevators attached
52:13
to a truck. They forced their way through a window
52:16
and into the Apollo Gallery, home to the French Crown Jewels.
52:21
It took the robbers just seven minutes to execute their
52:24
daytime heist. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said they used
52:30
a grinder to cut through the display cases, helping themselves
52:34
to precious jewelry before making their escape on motorbikes. Two
52:39
high security display cases of Napoleon era jewelry were targeted.
52:44
The thieves took nine objects, one of which was recovered
52:47
near the scene. Paris Prosecutor Lord Bacau told the local
52:53
news together the stolen pieces included thousands of diamonds and
52:59
many press jewels. The pieces of jewelry stolen included a tiara,
53:05
necklace and an ear ring from sapphire from a sapphire
53:10
jewelry set of Queen Marie Amilie and Queen Horsenne. According
53:16
to the French Ministry of Culture in a statement posted
53:19
by the Louverra, the thieves took an emerald and diamond
53:23
necklace and earrings from the collection of Empress Marie Louise.
53:28
They also stole a diamond brooch and the tiara of
53:33
Empress Eugenet, which has over two hundred pearls and nearly
53:38
two thousand diamonds. They attempted to steal the crown of
53:43
Empress Eugene, the wife to Napoleon the Third, but it
53:47
was found near the scene as subjects. As suspects escaped,
53:51
authority said they are examining its condition. The museum said
53:58
the stolen items have immeasurable heritage and historical value beyond
54:04
their market price. The theft committed at the Louverra is
54:08
an attack on a heritage that we must cherish because
54:12
it is our history. The French President Emmanuel Macran wrote
54:17
on x the robbery sparked an immediate investigation and hunt
54:22
for the stolen goods, led by the Paris Prosecutor's office.
54:27
Those inside the world's most visited art museum were evacuated
54:31
without injury as it closed for the day in an
54:35
attempt to preserve evidence, the Louver said in an emailed statement.
54:40
In messages posted earlier on the official website and social media,
54:44
the museum said it was closing for exceptional reasons. Nunez
54:50
told the radio station France in Terror that the stolen
54:55
items were of inestimable value. He said the robbery unfolded
55:00
very very fast. The group broke into the museum through
55:04
a window, entering from the outside using an elevated platform,
55:08
which was positioned on a truck. He said. Those mechanized
55:13
elevators are used across the city to deliver furniture to
55:16
upper floor apartments. Photos from the scene showed police swabbing
55:21
the lift. It's unclear if the lift was already in
55:25
place or if the suspect drove it over. They are professionals.
55:30
French Culture Minister Rachida Dati told France's TF one news
55:36
channel Sunday. Referring to the thieves, she said one item
55:42
of the jewelry was located, believed to have been dropped
55:44
by the thieves on their way down. As news of
55:49
the heist spread on social media, many initially expressed concern
55:53
for Leonardo Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa painting, which was
55:57
stolen from the Louver in at nineteen eleven by a
56:01
former Louver handyman, Vincenzo Perugia, who hid the painting for
56:07
two years. When he tried to repatriate it to the
56:11
Eufizi Gallery in Florence for a price, authorities reported Perugia
56:17
and returned the painting to Paris. This year. The museum,
56:22
home to thousands of famous paintings, sculptures and other valuable
56:25
objects on display, said that its buildings were deteriorating in
56:31
that overcrowding inside the landmark on Rue de Voli was
56:35
taking its toll. Louver workers went on strike in June
56:39
to protest over tourism and unmanageable crowds, forcing a rare
56:44
hours long museum closure. Later, about eight point seven million
56:49
people visited the museum. Make that last year, that's how
56:53
many people visited the museum. In January, Macran announced plans
56:59
to expand the museum and move the Mona Lisa to
57:02
a new exhibit exhibition space. Macrons that the overhaul would
57:07
deliver a redesigned, restored, expanded Louverra. Last month, thieves stole
57:14
gold nuggets worth about seven hundred thousand dollars from Paris's
57:19
National Natural History Remuseum, just a few miles away from
57:25
the Louverra. This concludes the reading of the Washington Post
57:30
for today, Monday, October twentieth, twenty twenty five. Your reader
57:36
for today has been Delia Gibbs. If you have any questions, comments,
57:41
or suggestions concerning the program, please feel free to call
57:46
us at eight five nine four two two six three
57:50
nine zero. Thank you for listening, and now please stay
57:54
tuned for continued programming on RADIOI