Transcript

1.28.25 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of the Washington Post for Tuesday,
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January twenty eighth, twenty twenty five. As a reminder, Radio
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I is a reading service intended for people who are
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blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
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read printed material. Your reader for to day is Cindy Fraser.
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To day's front page headlines from the Washington Post are
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Internal inquiry of January six cases starts US Attorney for
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d C focuses on prosecutor's use of obstruction statue. Next
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Gossen's head back to scenes of destruction under cease fire deal.
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Thousands returned North after long displacement our next headline. Hexeth
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plunges in at the Pentagon. New Trump orders are coming,
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he says are ready under way. D e I rollback
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border build up Our next headline, d o J Fire's
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officials tied to probes of Trump acting. A g says
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he does not trust members of Special Council team. Next.
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Chinese app stokes spheres of challenge to u S dominance
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In a I and the final headline from to Day's
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front page, Citizenship order would have sweeping effects. Red tape
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errors are likely results of requiring an evalguation of every
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baby's right to be an American. Now, let's turn to
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our first item, entitled internal inquiry of January six cases
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starts U S Attorney for d C, focuses on prosecutor's
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use of obstruction statute by Spencer S. Sue, Keith L. Alexander,
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and Tom Jackman. Edward R. Martin Junior, the interm U
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S Attorney for d C, has asked two top prosecutors
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in his office to undertake an internal review of its
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handling of capital riot prosecutions, focusing on one of the
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most heavily litigated counts in this sweeping investigtionation that President
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Donald Trump has sought to discredit as a witch hunt
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against him. The move follows Trump's grants of pardons or
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sentenced commutations to all of nearly one thousand, six hundred
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people charged in one of the Justice Department's largest prosecutions,
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continuing a striking move to change history's understanding of the
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January sixth, twenty twenty one riot. It comes on the
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heels of a White House executive order to the Justice
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Department and intelligence agencies to hunt for political buyas in
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their ranks. In an e mail to staff. Monday morning,
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Martin stated that he had appointed Denise Chung, chief of
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the Criminal Division, and John Hooks, chief of the Fraud,
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Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section, to lead a special
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project investigating the office's charging of more than two hundred
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fifty capital riot defendants with obstructing an official proceeding of Congress,
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a statute the Supreme Court ruled last June was too
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broadly applied. Obviously, the use was a great failure of
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our office, and we need to get to the bottom
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of it, Martin wrote in the e mail, saying he
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expected a preliminary report by Friday. A copy of the
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email was viewed by The Washington Post. Please deliver to
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Jonathan and or Denise all information you have related to
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the use of fifteen twelve charges, including all files, documents, notes,
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e mails, and other information, Martin wrote, using the number
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that refers to the obstruction Statute Section member in the
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Federal Code. Be comprehensive and assertive in this please, he said,
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adding this fifteen twelve project is important work. The inquiry
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was announced the same day Acting Attorney General James mc
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henry fired several members of Special Council Jacksmith's team that
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prosecuted Trump on charges that he sought to unlawfully subvert
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the results of the twenty twenty election and illegally retain
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an obstruct return of classified materials after he left the
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White House in twenty twenty one. A spokesman for the
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Department said McHenry said that he does not trust these
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officials to assist in faithfully implementing the president's agenda. Martin's
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tasking of two of the highest ranking supervisors in the
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Office of three hundred Federal Prosecutors, the nation's largest US
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attorney's office, to carry out the review, stoked criticism from
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current and former Justice Department officials that he is helping
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the Trump administration sow discord in the office, divert prosecutorial resources,
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and punish prosecutors making reasonable legal judgments. Prosecutor's use of
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the obstruction statute was approved by nearly all judges who
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reviewed it before it reached the High Court, but his
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focus on prosecutor's charging decisions follows calls by Trump and
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some supporters for prosecutors to be prosecuted. Martin fifty four
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was a stop the Steel Organizer for Trump after his
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twenty twenty election loss, and and a board member of
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a non profit group that raised money for January sixth
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defendants as victims of political persecution. He was a defense
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attorney for three such defendants, including a Kansas City prowdboy's
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leader who pleaded guilty to assaulting police with an axe handle.
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Martin's early actions and office show the priority he places
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on reviewing the work of capital breach investigators and the
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role he may play in carrying out Trump administration directives.
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Although appointed January twentieth on an interim basis by Statute
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one hundred twenty days, Martin said in an introductory staff
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meeting last week that he expected to serve as permanent
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U S Attorney, presumably after nomination and Senate confirmation. According
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to a person and attendance and others briefed on the meeting,
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the people spoke on the condition of anonymity out of
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concern of reprisals. Martin closed the office's Capital breech prosecution
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units and removed his chief gret. He has also taken
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on Alisha Long, a career prosecutor in the office and
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former Republican Senate staffer, as his new principal assistant U
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S Attorney and second in command, Martin sent an email
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to his own office congratulating Trump on his pardon of
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two d C Police officers who were convicted of second
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degree murder and obstruction of justice in the twenty twenty
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death of a moped driver, a case prosecuted by career
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attorneys working under Martin's predecessors. According to a person who
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received the email, He also sent an email to the
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office's eight hundred plus personnel telling them not to speak
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to the media, saying we will not tolerate this behavior.
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According to a copy of that message read to the Post.
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Martin's notice of an internal review Monday came one week
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after Trump signed an order quote ending the weaponization of
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the federal government, instructing the Attorney General and Director of
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National Intelligence to scour federal agency for political bias under
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the Biden administration and issue a report and recommendations to
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the White House for quote remedial action. The order accused
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the Justice Department of quote ruthlessly prosecuting more than one thousand,
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five hundred individuals in the riot, and said the Biden
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administration and allies throughout the country engage in an unprecedented
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third world weaponization of prosecutorial power to upend the democratic process.
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The order did not detail when or what type of
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review would be conducted, an ethics investigation like those undertaken
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by the Justice Department's Inspector General or Office of Professional
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Responsibility and Criminal Inquiry, or something else, but said it
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was the beginning of a process to seek quote accountability
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for officials deemed to have acted contrary to the order.
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It was not clear whether Martin's review was related to
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the order, or if he was carrying out the review
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on his own behalf or the department. A spokesman for
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the U. S. Attorney's Office said it did not have
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a comment at this time about Martin's plans, the goal
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of the review, or its next steps. Martin's email appeared
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to follow up on other recent administration announcements restricting communications, hiring,
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and diversity initiatives. We are on a hiring of promotion freeze.
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This is complete, no hiring, no promotions, no excuses, he
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wrote Monday. He also notified employees that all DEI efforts
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or diversity equity and Inclusion have been ceased, whether they
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go by that name or others, and wrote that staff
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should report all DEI and related efforts, materials, decisions, etc.
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To meet asap. Failure to do so is a problem.
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Staff members are angry and fearful that colleagues will be
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informing on each other about their work and programs. One
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person in the office set speaking on the condition of
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anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Former
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officials with the office called the investigation in an obstruction
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charge puzzling, while the Supreme Court last June ruled that
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federal prosecutors could only apply it to defendants who sought
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to impair the integrity of physical evidence used to certify
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the twenty twenty presidential election result, and not to impede
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Congress's overall certification. On January sixth, twenty twenty one, all
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but one of the fifteen trial judges to rule on
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the question had sided with the prosecutor's broader catch all view,
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as did two of three federal appellate judges. The Supreme
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Court ruling had prompted judges to reduce sentences in some
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cases where defendants had not completed their time or been
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convicted of more serious offenses, and prosecutors drop charges or
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brought new ones against other defendants pending trial. With litigations
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still pending before Trump's pardons wiped the slate clean. We
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want prosecutors to be aggressive and entrepreneurial, to think of
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all options on behalf of the American people, and now
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we want to make them subject to investigation because the
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Supreme Court reversed course after lower court had blessed the
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use of the statute. One former official said, you want
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away to deflight morale, make people cautious, and make people scared.
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I can't think of a better way to do it.
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Days after Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of nearly
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one thousand, six hundred people charged in the investigation, the
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Justice Department erased websites containing information about the historic capital
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breach prosecutions over the weekend. Charging decisions in the January
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sixth Briest investigation or May beginning while Trump was still
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president at the end of his first term. Under a
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Trump administration appointee and Justice Department official, acting US Attorney
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for d C. Michael R. Sherwin, in an interview before
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he stepped down January seventeenth, Biden appointed U S Attorney
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Matthew M. Grave said, all that we did was continued
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to bring the same kinds of cases that the prior
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administration brought. And when I say we, I am talking
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about career prosecutors. Career prosecutors and career supervisors came up
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with guidelines for who would be charged and what they
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would be charged with in the weeks after January sixth,
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and those guidelines have been followed throughout and that is
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a consistency, and a good consistency, I would argue. Our
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next item from to Day's front page is entitled Gozmin's
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head back to scenes of destruction under cease fire deal,
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Thousands returned north after long displacement by Jerry she Abbe, Cheeseman,
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Hazim Balusha, Leor Soroka and Sierra Reuben from Tel Aviv.
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It was just after dawn in Gaza on Monday when,
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for the first time in fifteen months, hundreds of thousands
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of displaced Palestinians streamed into the Enclad's north. They returned
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under a provision of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Ramas,
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in some cases walking for hours to reach the cratered
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landscape that was once Gaza's busiest urban center. Israeli troops
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and tanks had melted away withdrawing to buffer zones on
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the territory's edges. Families trek for miles along the coastal road,
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carrying their children or burlap sacks. Stopped with belongings, they
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hastily fled with others. Strapped mattresses onto cars, were piled
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folded tents into truck beds, and waited at slow moving
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newly established checkpoints operated by a group of private security contractors.
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In one instance, a man rode north in a canoe
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with his family along the Mediterranean coast. All told, three
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hundred thousand Palestinians crossed Ansarum Corridor after it opened on
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seven a m. On Monday. According to the militant group Ramas,
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the dramatic mass mike was a reversal from the early
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weeks of the war, when the Israel military ordered more
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than one million Palestinians to evacuate south of the corridor,
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which bisects the Gaza Strip, as it turned the dense
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urban north into a dedicated war zone against entrenched Hamas fighters.
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On Monday, dia As'ad fifty one walked for eight hours
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from Nusarat to Gaza City on a potholed road with
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his six children, a distance of about seven miles. He
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said he encountered almost nothing during the journey back and
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knew there would be nothing waiting for him at the end.
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There were no cars, no services along the way, not
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even water, As'ad said, describing a scene of destruction in
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northern Gaza. As he rested for the night inside an
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eye hospital in Gaza City. On Tuesday morning, he said
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he planned to find his destroyed home in Jabalia, one
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of the hardest hit areas in Gaza, now reduced to
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still He worried about finding shelter. The tentius slept in
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for months was too heavy to carry on the trek north.
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I have no harm to return to nor to our relatives.
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All of northern Gaza has been completely destroyed, he said.
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While I am relieved to have returned to Gaza City,
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I am overwhelmed with sadness. Allowing residents to return to
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northern Gaza was a key demand of Hamas during the
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months of negotiations that preceded the agreement. Hamas led fighters
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attacked Israel on October seventh, twenty twenty three, killing about
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twelve hundred people and taking another two hundred fifty back
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to Gaza. As hostages. Isur responded with a ferocious military
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campaign that killed more than forty seven thousand people, according
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to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between
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civilians and combatants, but says the majority of the dead
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are women and children. The military isolated northern Gaza from
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the rest of the territory, prompting aid groups and the
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world's leading body on hunger to warn of looming famine. Now,
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as Palestinians arrived back north, Israel wants to show how
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Gaza can be rebuilt independent of Haramas, said an official
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familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of
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anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation. The officials said Hamas
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members were also moving northward, mixing in the civilians, but
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for every one going north, there's not a lot to
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go back to. There's not a lot there. Israel's opening
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of the Nessarim Corridor was delayed by one day after
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it accused Hamas of failing to deliver arbal Yehood twenty nine,
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a female civilian, as part of a hostage release. On Saturday,
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the militants freed female Israeli soldiers instead, despite the fact
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that under the terms of the deal, civilian women were
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supposed to be prioritized for release. The dispute led to
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frantic discussions with mediators, including Egypt, Qatar, and the United
16:02
States to prevent the CeaseFire's collapse as thousands of Palestinians
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began lining up at checkpoints. Late on Sunday, Qatar's Foreign
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Ministry said an agreement was reached for Hamas to release
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Shahut along with two additional hostages in a special handover
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on Thursday. Palestinian Islama Chihad, a militant group aligned with
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Hamas and whose fighters are holding Yehud, released a video
16:27
of her on Monday. In the footage, she said she
16:31
was okay and asked both Israeli Prime Minister of Benjamin
16:34
Netan Yahoo and President Donald Trump to continue supporting the ceasefire.
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Pasi Nayaim, a Hamas political official, said Monday that the
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group reported to Israeli officials that eight of the thirty
16:47
three hostages slated for release during the first forty two
16:50
day phase of the seasfire deal were dead, a tally
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that matched Israel's estimates. Since January nineteenth, when the ceasefire
16:59
went into effect, Seven of the twenty five still living
17:02
hostages have been released, It remains unclear whether the cease
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fire will last be on the first phase, which expires
17:10
in early March. The second stage calls for Hamas to
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release all of the remaining hostages and for Israel to
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completely withdraw from the territory. Only then will the two
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sides and the mediators begin discussions on how to rebuild
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and govern Gaza. On Saturday, Trump told her porters that
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Gaza was too heavily damaged and that Palestinians living there
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should be forcibly relocated to Egypt or Jordan. We just
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clean out the whole thing, Trump said, in remarks that
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were roundly criticized by Arab leaders. Nasiri Isam Mohamma Na
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Sir Hijo, a nineteen year old studying computer engineering at
17:50
a university before the war, said he felt overwhelmed at
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the sight of the mass migration on Monday, which he
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said should be etched in history. He was traveling north
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to clear their rubble from his home in the Shatti
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refugee camp in Gaza City and set up a tent
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before his parents joined him. While spending a year in
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southern Gaza, he worried about his people being uprooted, like
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in nineteen forty eight when Palestinians were displaced during the
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conflict that led to the creation of Israel. He was worried,
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he said, that we won't smell Gaza or its soil.
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Now that he was almost back home, he had different worries.
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His university was destroyed, so with the five year plans
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that he had laid out for his life and career,
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there is nothing clear in front of me. There is nothing,
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he said. Now. Our biggest dream is to leave and
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go abroad. Cheesemen reported from Beirut and Belusha. From Toronto.
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Mohammed El Chauma and Barut contributed to this report. Next
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from to Day's front page, Hexath plunges in at the Pentagon.
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New Trump orders are coming, he said, already under way
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d EI rollback, border build up by Missy Ryan, Dan
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Lamouth and John Hudson. President Donald Trump's return to the
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White House is already generating turbulence of the Pentagon, where
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newly confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegsath got to work Monday
19:20
on a mission to shake up the U. S Military
19:22
and align it more closely with the returning President's America
19:26
First agenda, Heath, just days after its historically narrow confirmation vote,
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promise to roll back diversity programs, use a military to
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block migrants from entering the United States illegally, and hold
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the Biden administration accountable for perceived foreign policy failures. He
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begins his assignment as what the White House has lauded
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as a long overdue disruptor. There are more executive orders coming,
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Hexath said, referencing measures to eliminate diversity efforts and to
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reinstate military personnel fired during the Biden years for rejecting
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a coronavirus vaccine mandate. Our job is letholly and readiness
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and war fighting. Hexath, a former National Guard soldier and
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Fox News host, is already demonstrating that intent, posting a
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hand written note on Defense Secretary Stationary Sunday, vowing there
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would be no exceptions, name changes, or delays in the
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Pentagon's enforcement of an administrative wide effort to end diversity,
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equity and Inclusion or de e I initiatives. Those who
20:30
do not comply will no longer work here, he wrote.
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He spoke as a new administration plunges a hat with
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steps already pulling America's armed forces more deeply into politically
20:41
charged issues, including decisions to deploy troops to secure the
20:45
southern border to counter what Trump has called an invasion
20:49
of emigrants, and his move to fire the first woman
20:52
to lead the U. S. Coast Guard for, among other
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sided rivances and excessive focus on diversity issues. Hexeth rose
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to prominence, championing some of Trump's preferred military causes, advocating
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lean treatment of service members accused of four crimes, and
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pushing back against what he has decried as woke military policies.
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Now he has taken charge at the Pentagon after a
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divisive confirmation process that aired allegations of heavy drinking, sexual assault,
21:23
and mismanagement of the veteran's advocacy organizations he once led.
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Hexseth vehemently denied wrong doing, and during his confirmation hearing
21:32
blamed anonymous smears and addressing some of the accusations. How
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far Heseth will go and pushing his previously voiced fus
21:40
remains unclear. While he has been an ardent opponent of
21:44
the twenty fifteen decision to let women serve in combat unit,
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Hexeth appeared to mute those views after being tapped by Trump.
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Speaking outside the Pentagon, Heseth forty four said that every
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moment that I am here, he would be thinking about
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the guys and gals in Guam and Germany, in Fort
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Benning in Fort Bragg, using the former titles of army
22:07
installations that were renamed during the Biden administration because they
22:11
honored Confederate generals. Aspects of the administration's agenda are already
22:16
creating uneasiness in the ranks, as military officials, as they
22:20
have done in the past, seek to adapt to their
22:23
new elected leaders and in this case, attempt to interpret
22:26
new diversity and personnel guidance that is accompanied by the
22:30
threat of discipline or dismissal. Among those most affected could
22:35
be General Charles Q. Brown Junior, the chairman of the
22:38
Joint Chiefs of Staff, who welcome Hasseth for the building Monday,
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and whom Hexath had criticized at length before Trump chose
22:46
him for the Defense Secretary role. Asked by a reporter
22:50
if he would fire the veteran Air Force officer who
22:52
stood next to him, the new secretary padded Brown's arm
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standing with him right now, Hexath said, look forward to
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working with him. Speaking at a Republican conference in Florida.
23:04
Later Monday, Trump touted the orders referenced by HEXA, saying
23:08
they would protect Americans with a far reaching missile shield,
23:12
revised the military's handling of training and education related to race,
23:16
put troops dismissed over vaccine refusals back in the ranks,
23:20
and get transgender ideology the hell out of our military.
23:25
Our next article is entitled doj fires officials tied to
23:29
probes of Trump? Acting Age says he does not trust
23:34
members of the Special Council team By Perry Stein. The
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Justice Department fired more than a dozen officials who work
23:42
on the Special Council team that investigated Donald Trump in
23:45
two separate criminal cases, citing a lack of trust in them,
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a department spokesman said Monday. Acting Attorney General James McHenry
23:54
informed the officials of their firings, saying that he does
23:57
not trust these officials to assist in face fully implementing
24:00
the president's agenda. The firings were effected immediately and focused
24:05
on officials who played key roles in prosecuting Trump, the
24:08
spokesman said. In a letter sent to the officials, McHenry
24:13
referred to Trump's claims that previous administrations weaponized law enforcement
24:17
to hurt political enemies. Nowhere was that effort more salient
24:21
than in the unprecedented prosecutions the Justice Departments vigorously pursued
24:26
against President Trump himself. Reads a copy of the letter
24:29
obtained by The Washington Post, you played a significant role
24:33
in prosecuting President Trump. The proper functioning of government critically
24:37
depends on the trust's superior officer's place in their subordinates.
24:41
The terminations are the latest example of the Trump administration
24:45
reshaping the Justice Department since the inauguration last week, transferring
24:50
or firing veteran career officials who the president's allies believe
24:54
would impede or interfere with their agenda. The shake up
24:58
has hit nearly every major department and could eliminate some
25:02
guardrails at the Justice Department intended to keep politics from
25:06
interfering with investigations, according to people familiar with the moves.
25:11
Among the people transferred to a less influential position was
25:15
Bradley Weisenheimer, the Justice Department's most senior career official. His
25:20
position included being involved in some of the department's thornious cases,
25:24
acting as a mediator in ethical disputes and telling of
25:27
political appointees in the law enforcement agency what they could
25:31
and could not do. The chief of the Justice Department's
25:36
Public Integrity Section, Corey Amundsen, was also being removed from
25:40
his post, According to people familiar with a personnel move,
25:44
the section oversees election crimes and investigations into public officials,
25:49
and as chief, is a non partisan career official. According
25:52
to the Justice Department website, veteran career officials in the
25:57
National Security, Criminal, Environmental, and Civil Rights divisions were also
26:02
removed from their positions. Some were transferred to a newly
26:05
created division focused on sanctuary cities and immigration enforcement. The
26:10
transfers to less desirable positions are probably in part intended
26:15
to skirt career civil service protections and push at least
26:19
some of these people to resign if they do not
26:21
want to accept the transfers, according to legal experts familiar
26:25
with the workings of the Justice Department. Legal experts said
26:28
the Attorney General will have the authority to convert some
26:31
of these career positions into political ones, giving the Trump
26:35
administration authority to pick whomever at once for the powerful posts.
26:40
All the people removed from their positions have deep expertise
26:43
in complicated legal areas. Some experts said it was important
26:47
to note whom the administration puts in their place. We
26:51
have to wait and see, said Harvey Eisenberg, a recently
26:54
retired national security prosecutor in Maryland. We need to calm
26:58
down and evalue, wait each step on its merits, not
27:02
on speculation. In November twenty twenty two, soon after Trump
27:07
announced his presidential bid, Attorney General Meyrick Garland said he
27:11
would appoint Jack Smith to serve as special counsel to
27:14
oversee the investigations of Trump. The special council prosecutors fired
27:19
Monday were concentrated in the U. S. Attorney's Office for
27:22
the District of Columbia, where the election interference case against
27:25
Trump was prosecuted. Many were longtime career prosecutors who had
27:30
expertise in national security and public corruption prosecutions. Those people
27:35
have protections as career government employees, and it is unclear what,
27:40
if any legal ramifications the Trump administration could face because
27:44
of the firings. This is, without a doubt, retaliation, pure
27:50
and simple, said Stephen A. Salzburg, a former Justice Department
27:54
official who now teaches at George Washington University's Law school.
27:58
We have never had a situation like this before. On
28:02
the other hand, we have never had a president who
28:04
was invited in two different federal cases. It was unclear
28:08
how many people on the Special Council team were terminated Monday.
28:12
Smith built a team of at least forty lawyers to
28:15
investigate Trump. They looked into Trump's alleged mishandling of national
28:19
defense secrets after he left the White House in twenty
28:22
twenty one, and his alleged attempts to overturn the results
28:26
of the twenty twenty election. Smith brought some people from
28:30
outside the government to serve on the Special Council team,
28:33
though many were career employees who were detailed to work
28:36
on the team. Once the prosecutions were over, some officials
28:40
left the Justice Department or retired, but many went back
28:44
to their career positions in different parts of the department.
28:47
In light of their actions, the acting Attorney General does
28:50
not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the
28:53
President's agenda. This action is consistent with a mission of
28:57
ending the weaponization of government the jests, this department spokesmen said.
29:02
The two Special Council investigations resulted in indictments, but Smith
29:06
dropped the cases against Trump after the election, citing long
29:10
standing federal guidelines that prohibit the prosecution of the sitting president.
29:15
Smith was hired from outside the government and left the
29:18
Justice Department before Trump was inaugurated. Days before the inauguration,
29:23
Garland released Smith's Special Council report detailing the findings of
29:27
the DC election interference case against Trump. Smith concluded in
29:31
the report that he was confident prosecutors had ample evidence
29:35
against Trump to secure a guilty verdict had the case
29:38
gone to trial. A separate volume of the Special Council's report,
29:43
detailing the findings of the classified document case, has not
29:46
been released. Garland has said he would not publicly release
29:51
the report because litigation is ongoing against Trump's two former
29:55
co defendants in the case, but per Special Council regulations,
30:00
the former Attorney General had wanted to show the report
30:03
to some Senate and House leaders. A court blocked the
30:06
Justice Department from releasing the report to Congress. It is
30:10
now up to Trump's Justice Department to determine how to
30:13
handle the ongoing litigation and the potential release of the report.
30:18
Trump nominated one of his top personal defense attorneys, Todd
30:21
Blanche to serve as a Deputy Attorney General, the second
30:25
most powerful position in the Justice Department. While Blanche awaits
30:29
Senate confirmation, Another Trump defense attorney, Emil Bau, is serving
30:34
as the acting Deputy Attorney General. Jeremy Roebuck contributed to
30:39
this report. Our next item is entitled Chinese app stokes
30:44
fears of challenge to U S dominance inn a I
30:48
the Ibadao, Aaron, Greg Katzakruski, Natasha Tiku, and Shannon Nashmabadi.
30:56
The sudden popularity of the Chinese artificial intelligence app called
31:00
deep Seek pommelled tex stocks and captivated Silicon Valley on Monday,
31:05
prompting debate in political and tech industry circles about how
31:09
the United States can maintain its lead in AI. President
31:13
Donald Trump said late Monday that Deep Seek's release should
31:17
be a wake up call for our industries that we
31:19
need to be laser focused on competing to win. Trump
31:23
separately said he planned to place new tariffs on computer
31:26
chips produced overseas, a policy that could create further challenges
31:31
for the U S. Tech industry, which depends heavily on
31:34
ship manufacturing. In Asia. The deep Seak app rocketed to
31:38
the top of the downloads chart in the Apple Store
31:40
over the weekend and remained there Monday after its release
31:43
last week by Chinese startup of the same name founded
31:47
in twenty twenty three. The app offers similar functionality to
31:51
open AI's popular chat GPT chatbot, answering questions and generating
31:56
text in response to a user's queries. Tech companies that
32:01
have banked on the surge of AI interest sold off Monday,
32:04
with US chip maker Navidia down almost seventeen percent, losing
32:10
five hundred eighty nine billion dollars in market capitalization. The
32:14
tech focused Nasdaq composite Indecks finished the day down three percent.
32:20
Deepseek's explosive debut also escalated concerns about China's ability to
32:25
challenge the US league in advanced artificial intelligence. Both nations
32:29
have positioned prowess in AI technology as central to their
32:33
future economic and military power. The Biden administration introduced several
32:38
measures intended to restrict Chinese AI development, including sweeping new
32:42
export controls this month to limit the country's access to
32:46
powerful chips known as GPUs, which under pin advanced AI projects.
32:51
Those latest controls were in part aimed at blocking Chinese
32:55
efforts to circumvent previous export controls. Victoria Lassity, a spokeswound
33:01
for the White House Office of Science and Technology, said
33:04
former President Joe Biden's policies had failed to limit access
33:07
to American technology and created an opportunity for China and
33:12
other foreign adversaries to make gains in AI development. David Sachs,
33:16
President Donald Trump's AI and cryptos are said in a
33:20
post on Acts that Deep Seek shows that the AI
33:23
race will be very competitive. The Trump administration has shared
33:27
few specifics about its own approach to AI policy. The
33:31
President last week rescinded a sweeping executive order on AI
33:35
signed by Biden in twenty twenty three, and signed in
33:38
an executive order of his own directing agencies to rescind
33:41
all actions taken under the Biden order that are inconsistent
33:45
with enhancing America's leadership in AI. Trump, in his remarks
33:50
like Monday in Doral, Florida, said that the US had
33:53
the greatest scientists in the world and that American companies
33:56
could benefit from building on Deepseek's ideas. He also criticized
34:01
the billions of dollars of grants provided to encourage you
34:04
as semiconductor manufacturing under the Biden administration, although the twenty
34:09
twenty two Chips Act that provided the funding received bipartisan support.
34:13
At the time, Trump said the tariffs he planned to
34:16
place on imports of foreign made chips would be more effective,
34:20
but did not specify details of that policy or when
34:23
it might take effect. Deep Seek was founded by Liengwynfeng,
34:28
co founder of the hedge fund. High Flyer Anne says
34:31
it has developed ways to create the AI models needed
34:34
to power chapbots and other tools more cheaply. It claims
34:38
to need fewer and less advanced chips to develop AI
34:41
software that can compete with technology from U s rivals.
34:46
Annals said. The Monday selloff underscores anxieties about whether the
34:50
massive recent spending by US firms on specialized chips, data centers,
34:55
and related power infrastructure to power AI projects is justified.
35:00
Davidia in particular, has exploded in value in recent years
35:04
because it dominates the market for the g p U
35:06
chips at the center of the global AI race. It
35:10
is now one of three companies with a market capitalization
35:13
above three trillion dollars. Markets are sensitive to this situation
35:19
as heightened price competition raises doubts about the timing of
35:22
when profits from multi billion dollar investments will materialize. Alex Kupsikovitch,
35:27
chief market analyst at f x pro, said in an
35:30
email Monday. Navidia's booksman John Rizzo, in a statement Monday,
35:35
called deepseek and excellent AI advancement that shows what can
35:39
be done with computing power that is fully export control compliant.
35:44
Deploying advanced AA models requires significant numbers of Navidia chips,
35:48
he said. Microsoft's CEO Satcha Nadella argued Sunday night that
35:53
the huge investments in AI infrastructure will still pay off.
35:58
As AI gets more efficient and its essipol, we will
36:01
see its use skyrocket, turning it into a commodity we
36:04
just can't get enough of, he wrote in a post
36:06
on x Microsoft stock dropped two point one percent Monday.
36:11
The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, which
36:15
has advocated stronger technological sanctions begins Beijing, said over the
36:19
weekend that it had warned the Commerce Department that dangerous
36:23
loopholes in US chip export controls could lead to events
36:27
like this. Trump has said that the United States needs
36:30
to remain competitive with China in developing artificial intelligence. He
36:35
appeared focused on the technology during his first week in office,
36:38
hosting tech leaders at the White House to announce a
36:41
venture called Stargate that will invest one hundred billion dollars
36:45
in private funds into new data centers to power AI projects.
36:50
Trump told reporters Saturday that he was considering using emergency
36:54
powers to provide the tremendous energy that US companies need
36:58
to develop AI models. We're already leading, Trump said on
37:01
Air Force One. Very shortly, we're going to be leading
37:04
by a lot. As Americans rushed to download the app.
37:09
Users also reported instances of censorship in line with China's
37:13
strict Internet controls. One screen recording posted online appear to
37:18
show deep seek deleting a response in real time after
37:21
a question about Chinese President Jijin Ping asked bautiananman square
37:27
side of a deadly government crackdown on protesters in nineteen
37:30
eighty nine. The app response, I am sorry, I cannot
37:34
answer that question. I am an AI assistant designed to
37:38
provide helpful and harmless responses. Deep Seek also releases the
37:43
AI model underlying this assistant, app Free, which some technologists
37:47
argue allows others to subvert its design more easily than
37:51
the products of competitors like open Ai. Across Silicon Valley,
37:55
investors and executives debated what Deep seek success meant for
37:59
the future of AI development. Long time technology investor Mark
38:04
Anderson A. Trump ally called deep Seek's AI model one
38:08
of the most amazing and impressive breakthroughs I've ever seen
38:11
and a profound gift to the world. In a post
38:14
on x, former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger posted that wisdom
38:19
is learning the lessons we thought we already knew, saying
38:22
that Deep Seek was a reminder that constraints and limited
38:25
resources could push a company to find creative solutions Leaving
38:30
Tech firms have spent billions building out artificial intelligence technology
38:34
for sale to large businesses. Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg
38:38
said in the Facebook post last week that his company
38:41
plans to invest between sixty billion and sixty five billion
38:45
dollars on AI and build a massive data center. Open Ai, Oracle,
38:51
and soft Bank are leaving. The Stargate venture announced with
38:54
Trump last week that seeks to spend up to five
38:57
hundred billion dollars building out data sentence to AI projects.
39:02
Monday selloff also shaded one point four to six percent
39:05
off the broader SMP five hundred index. The Dow Jones
39:09
Industrial Average, which contains fewer tech socks, gained zero point
39:13
six percent. Wall Street's fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility Index,
39:18
climbed almost twenty two percent. Some analysts suggested that Wall
39:23
Street's reaction may be a premature reflection of fear in
39:26
the markets, noting that US companies have dominated artificial intelligence
39:31
innovation so far. Red Bush senior analyst Dan Ives, who
39:35
has been bullish on AI, called Monday's route a golden
39:39
buying opportunity despite the reaction in US markets. The final
39:44
item from today's from page is entitled Citizenship Order would
39:48
have sweeping effects. Red tape errors are likely results of
39:53
requiring an evaluation of every baby's right to be an
39:57
American by Sylvia Foster Frau, David Nakamura, and Molly Hennessy Fisk.
40:04
A month and a half before she was due to
40:06
give birth, Drulgnela started having contraction and was rushed to
40:10
the hospital, where doctors performed an emergency sea section and
40:13
his directment, the undocumented that a Squalen woman had been
40:17
grieving her son's traumatic injury into the world, but her
40:21
perspective changed after Donald Trump took office on Monday and
40:25
issued an executive order to end the birthright citizenship. Her
40:29
baby boy was originally due February twenty fourth. Instead, he
40:33
arrived on January eighth, well before Trump's executive order would
40:37
take effect. Now, she takes comfort in knowing there are
40:40
no questions about his right to U S citizenship. It
40:44
doesn't matter the pain I went through or the scars
40:47
I have said, Ruleunyela, thirty one, speaking from the neonatal
40:51
intensive care unit in Texas where her new born lay sleeping.
40:55
She spoke with The Washington Post on the condition that
40:58
her last name not be used cause she fears being
41:00
targeted for deportation. I know he will be able to
41:04
live in peace in this country. The directive has sparked
41:08
fear and uncertainty for tens of thousands of immigrant families
41:12
and foreign workers, students and tourists, and let hospitals, state
41:16
and local governments, and even some in Trump's administration searching
41:20
for answers over how it would be implemented, Though it
41:24
is likely to face a lengthy battle in court. Legal
41:27
experts said that if it were to go forward, the
41:30
policy would have vast and sweeping implications, and not just
41:34
for the undocumented population. Lawyers say the logistical hurdles of
41:39
instituting a system that would determine which babies born in
41:42
the United States do and don't qualify for citizenship would
41:46
add to government bloat. It could also result in delays
41:50
and errors in obtaining proof of citizenship even for the
41:53
millions who do qualify. This could impact all US citizens,
41:59
said Jacob Hamburger, a visiting professor at Cornell University who
42:03
focuses on how immigration effects state and local jurisdictions. Twenty
42:08
two states and four civil rights organizations have filed lawsuits
42:12
claiming the order is unconstitutional, and if federal judge has
42:16
temporarily blocked it from going into effect, those cases could
42:20
take years to resolve. Proponents of ending breathright citizenship are
42:25
hoping the matter is settled at the Supreme Court, where
42:27
Trump had a mixed record on immigration related cases during
42:30
his first term, but some states have already begun laying
42:34
the potential groundwork for enforcing the law by asking hospitals
42:38
to identify undocumented patients. Federal lawmakers have already started preparing
42:43
bills in support of Trump's order. They argued the measure
42:47
is needed to disincentivize ilegal immigration. America's citizenship laws should
42:53
reflect fairness and respect for the rule of law, said
42:56
Representative Brian Babbin, Republican from Texas, was filed a bill
43:00
that would limit automatic citizenship. He faulted decades of misuse
43:04
and the loophole that incentivized illegal immigration and exploits US
43:09
citizenship through birth tourism so Thorigny. The White House action
43:14
aims to end automatic citizenship for US born children of
43:18
undocumented immigrant parents and those born to foreign workers, students,
43:23
and tourists on temporary visas. Some studies suggest more than
43:27
one hundred fifty thousand children born in the United States
43:30
each year would no longer qualify for citizenship. The result
43:34
would be a new class of undocumented children, including some
43:38
who might end up stateless. The total number of undocumented
43:42
people in the United States would probably rise beyond some
43:46
general guidelines. The order offered few details about how agencies
43:50
would put it into effects. Federal government lawyers said in
43:53
a court filing that the measure would impact children born
43:57
after the directive takes effect on February nineteenth. Agencies like
44:01
the Social Security Administration would be required to align their
44:05
policies to comply. Some legal experts said enforcing the new
44:09
rule would be a major challenge, in part because of
44:12
the way hospitals and local governments report birds. In most cases,
44:17
information about the parents and newborn is collected at the hospital,
44:21
a process aimed at helping families quickly secure birth certificates
44:24
and Social Security numbers for their babies. The White House
44:28
order does not specify who would be charged with verifying
44:31
that the parents are US citizens or legal permanent residence.
44:35
The implementation question is so thorigning, and it could create
44:39
a new level of bureaucracy that affects everybody, said Ammand
44:42
de Frost, an emigration law professor at the University of Virginia.
44:47
How will the Social Security system require proof of a
44:49
parent status? How will hospitals gather data? Are parents going
44:54
to have the ability to grab a passport before going
44:56
to the hospital? Trump administration officials did not respond to
45:01
a request for comment for this story. White House Press
45:04
Secretary Caroline Leavitt told reporters that the administration plans to
45:08
appeal the temporary restraining order of blocking the directive. It
45:12
will be the policy and the view of this administration
45:15
that a pregnant woman or parents cannot just come to
45:18
the United States of America, give birth and expect that
45:21
their child can have automatic citizenship in the United States
45:24
of America, she said. Without automatic citizenship, hospitals would have
45:29
to absorb the costs of providing treatment to newborns who
45:31
need intensive care and no longer qualify for Medicaid, said
45:35
Cassandra jaw An, Austin based midwife who is the executive
45:38
director of the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives. Parents
45:43
of babies who do qualify the US citizenship might also
45:46
find themselves in a financial bind, she said, as they
45:50
could encounter delays in accessing Medicaid while the government verifies
45:54
their eligibility, and there could also be impacts even before
45:58
a child is born. Expecting parents who are undocumented might
46:02
be less likely to seek out pre natal and delivery
46:05
care out of fear of deportation. Ja added, it's the
46:08
undocumented people. It's all the Medicaid people, regardless of citizenship.
46:13
So the most vulnerable of our population will be the
46:16
ones though disproportionately affected by this policy change, JAW said
46:21
in a pair of federal lawsuits. Five Tuesday officials in
46:25
twenty Tuesdays, along with d C and the City of
46:27
San Francisco, argued local jurisdictions would be required to undertake
46:32
disruptive new operational and administrative burdens. The state officials also
46:37
said they would lose revenue from the federal government to
46:40
help provide benefits for children who are effective. Lawyers with
46:44
the Justice Department countered that the executive order does not
46:47
require states to change their systems and argued that states
46:50
cannot claim economic harm in this case as a reason
46:53
to sue the federal government. Gabriel Chin, a law professor
46:58
at the University of California Davis, said that creating a
47:01
new process for identifying you as citizens at birth could
47:04
also lead to costly mistakes in correctly determining who qualifies.
47:09
When you create a complex system like this one over
47:12
something so fundamental, he said, you are inviting tragic errors
47:18
legal limbo, while ending breathright citizenship would mean back tracking
47:22
on a bedrock American legal principle. The United States has
47:26
a history of monitoring undocumented immigrants and creating special classes
47:31
of people who exist in legal limbo In Texas, hospitals
47:35
are already required to collect information on whether patients are undocumented,
47:40
including those who are pregnant. Texas Governor Gregg Abbott, a Republican,
47:45
ordered hospitals to track undocumented patients and the costs associated
47:49
with them last November. At the time, Abbot said he
47:53
issued the order because Texans should not have to shoulder
47:56
the burden of financially supporting medical care for illegal immigran parants.
48:01
Texas officials also have a history of challenging birthright citizenship.
48:06
Texas's Vital Statistics Unit denied seventeen undocumented Mexican and Central
48:11
American families FIR certificates for US born children in twenty fifteen.
48:16
The families and the American Civil Liberties Union sued in
48:19
federal court, claiming the state policy violated their children's constitutional rights.
48:25
State officials countered that the policy was necessary to prevent
48:28
identity fraud and that federal courts didn't have jurisdiction. The
48:33
state eventually reached an agreement with the families. Texas state
48:37
and congressional lawmakers have also proposed measures to track migrants
48:41
and limit birthright citizenship. At least nine other Texas Republicans
48:46
have signed on as co sponsors to Babin's bill to
48:49
restrict citizenship to children born in the United States with
48:53
at least one parent who was a citizen, a lawful
48:55
permanent resident, or an immigrant serving in the military. County
49:00
Attorney Christian Menite, Democrat, said his Texas jurisdiction, which includes
49:05
the city of Houston, has not heard from state or
49:08
federal authorities about how the president's executive order would be implemented.
49:12
He expressed concern that any such process could be disruptive
49:17
and that the Trump administration will try to disqualify as
49:21
wide a group of IMMO and children as possible. I
49:25
expect the guidance that comes out of this from the
49:27
Trump administration to be very punitive, overwhelming, he said. I
49:31
expect that they will gravely over reach. Hospitals have also
49:35
been required to request the immigration status of their patients
49:38
in Florida since May twenty twenty three. In Florida, hospitals
49:42
must state to patients they will not report them to
49:44
immigration authority, a provision that's not included in Texas's order.
49:49
In both cases, hospitals are still required to treat patients
49:52
regardless of their status under federal law if anything does happen,
49:57
though probably started in the States already leaning towards these
50:00
more hostile measures, said Jason Demion, a professor of anthropology
50:04
and Chicano Chicano Studies at UCLA. The United States also
50:09
has a history of leaving residents on its land in
50:12
citizenship limbo. In eighteen eighty two, the Chinese Exclusion Act
50:17
not only barred Chinese immigrants from entering the United States,
50:20
but also denied a pathway to citizenship to those who
50:23
are already in the country. In nineteen thirty five, the
50:27
Philippines was established as a U. S Commonwealth, and its
50:30
residents were considered US nationals but were not granted citizenship.
50:35
Filipinos could not vote for the president, but they could
50:38
join the U. S. Military. The arrangement lasted until nineteen
50:42
forty six, when the Philippines became its own independent nation.
50:47
Residents and other territories in the United States still exist
50:50
in a limbo status today, such as in Puerto Rico,
50:54
where residents living on the island, while granted US citizenship,
50:57
are not allowed to vote in presidential election. This is
51:02
the latest chapter in a long story of hostility to
51:05
people based on alleged cultural differences, Chin said, off the
51:10
charts anxiety pester. Diane Garcia of Iglecia Cristiana roc Fugio,
51:17
a Mennonite church in San Antonio whose congregants and leaders
51:21
include many recently arrived immigrants, said she wouldn't be here
51:24
if it weren't for birthright citizenship. Her immigrant mother was
51:28
allowed back in the country only after visiting family in
51:31
Ecuador because her son was a citizen living in the
51:34
United States. Soon after she was allowed to re enter,
51:38
she gave birth to Garcia. She said about three hundred
51:41
immigrants have arrived at her church's doorstep since it opened
51:44
nearly two years ago, days after crossing the border in
51:48
need of food, shelter, and clothes. She said the executive
51:51
order won't be an effective to turn for illegal immigration.
51:55
There's a narrative that immigrants come here to have babies,
51:58
So that's why we have to take is away, because
52:01
we want to take away this driver of immigration, Gapcia said,
52:06
just speaking from a personal experience, that is a false narrative.
52:10
I haven't seen anyone who is desperate to have their
52:12
baby here. Now, the immigrants at her church are experiencing
52:17
off the charts anxiety and as sort of multiplied, she said. Maria,
52:22
thirty six, an asylum seeker from Venezuela, is among them.
52:26
She is seven and a half months pregnant and fled
52:29
the South American nation in December twenty twenty three. Her
52:33
husband was a member of the military who did not
52:35
agree with the practices of the Venezuelan government and military.
52:39
He left his role there and then received threat and
52:42
was put in jail, Maria said, under accusations of treason,
52:46
so she, her husband, and their young son fled. They
52:50
journeyed through the Darien Gap, where they saw bodies of
52:53
migrants who died while trying to traverse the dangerous jungle,
52:57
and then traveled by van and on foot through Mexico.
53:00
Trump's election has taken a toll on her, both physically
53:03
and mentally, she said. November, she was hospitalized for a
53:07
month and a half because she started having premature contractions.
53:11
She was treated and eventually released. I am afraid that
53:14
they will take away my child or they will deport us, all,
53:17
Maria said from her small apartment in San Antonio. She
53:21
spoke on the condition that only her first name be
53:23
published for fear of deportation. She said she is even
53:27
afraid to give birth at the hospital for the same reason,
53:30
though she plans to. Maria said she wanted the public
53:34
to understand a lot of us are startled, uncertain, fearful.
53:39
Are not all bad. Most of us came to sacrifice
53:42
ourselves for a better future for our children. Annessy Fisk
53:46
reported from Houston. While that is our last article on
53:50
the front page, the front page also includes a photo
53:53
with the caption marking eighty years since Auschwitz's liberation. Holocaust
53:59
survivors and Rose leaders gathered at Auschwitz, the Nazi death
54:02
camp in Oshwim, Poland, on Monday. As a far right
54:07
gains power around the world, Survivor's Voice concerns that safeguards
54:11
to never again repeating the atrocities of the Holocaust are failing.
54:17
There's a story on this topic on page a twelve
54:19
of today's Post. Now let's turn to the interior of
54:23
today's Washington Post, where next article is entitled The Trump
54:28
McConnell plot just thickened. We shouldn't expect McConnell to be
54:32
the next John McCain or Knit Romney, but his vote
54:35
Friday against Pete Hegsath previews some fascinating dynamics ahead. This
54:40
is an analysis by Aaron Blake. President Donald Trump has
54:44
posted incendiary social media rants about Senator Mitch McConnell, including
54:49
at one point musing that the Kentucky Republican had quote
54:53
a death wish. He has repeatedly called McConnell's Hiwuan born
54:57
wife a racist nickname. He has called McConnell an old,
55:00
broken crow who is largely responsible for GOP divides. McConnell has,
55:06
in turn said Trump was practically and morally responsible the
55:10
attacks on the U. S. Capitol on January sixth, twenty
55:13
twenty one. He has blamed Trump for the GOP's poor
55:16
twenty twenty and twenty twenty two election results, and has
55:20
called Trump a despicable human being, a narcissist, stupid, and
55:25
ill tempered. According to a recently released biography, On Friday
55:29
came confirmation that this very same McConnell could prove to
55:33
be a creaky fulcrum for much of Trump's second term
55:36
agenda if he chooses to go that route. McConnell has
55:40
a potential to play the role of disruptor in a
55:43
largely fawning GOP Senate because he is no longer its
55:46
leader task with keeping the GOP together and protecting the
55:50
Republican majority. He is now just one of one hundred senators,
55:55
and as such he can choose to exercise a different
55:58
kind of power that of Thorn and Trump's said, if
56:02
he obst to and have an outsized impact on the
56:05
president's appointments and agenda, then again mc connell may over
56:10
time bowed a party unity and the political winds of
56:13
the day, as he has before. Mc connell's decision to
56:17
buck one of Trump's cabinet appointments on Friday thickned one
56:20
of the most intriguing subplots the next two years. Mcconnald's
56:25
vote against Trump's nominee for Defense Secretary, Pete Hexath was
56:28
the most surprising of the day. Mc connell was one
56:32
of three Republicans to vote with all Democrats against the
56:35
former Fox News host. The others were the usual suspects,
56:38
Senator's Lisa Markowski, Republican from Alaska, and Susan Collins, Republican
56:43
from Maine, both moderates who had voted against Trump nominees
56:47
before that effectively put mc connell's smack in the middle
56:51
of the Senate, which is seemingly where he could be
56:54
on plenty of things. Mc connell hassimul a desire to
56:58
reorient his party with a reaganess hawkish Republican values that
57:02
had been on the decline in the Trump era. His
57:05
also signaled at least some potential resistance to other Trump nominees,
57:10
including Director of National Intelligence pick Tulcy Gabbard and Health
57:14
in Human Services Secretary pick Robert F. Kennedy Junior. At
57:18
the same time, McConnell's opposition to Hexseth was a somewhat
57:21
familiar story. His vote was startling but relatively meaningless practically speaking,
57:27
much like his January sixth comments, in that neither of
57:30
those things managed to turn the wheel and achieve a
57:33
measurably damaging outcome for Trump. The Senate vote on Hecseth
57:37
was tied fifty fifty, and that meant Vice President J. D.
57:41
Vance cast a predictable tie breaking vote to confirm Heath,
57:46
but mc connell still chose to lodge his protest vote
57:49
even as it was clear Hexseth was about to be confirmed.
57:53
Senator Tom Tillis of North Carolina, the GOP's other holdout,
57:57
had publicly signaled his support when the boat began, erasing
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any real drama from the proceedings, and unfortunately, due to
58:04
time constraints, we will need to end this item at
58:07
this time. This concludes a reading of the Washington Post
58:11
for to Day, Tuesday, January twenty eighth, twenty twenty five.
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Your reader to day has been Cindy Fraser. If you
58:18
have any questions, comments, or suggestions concerning this program, please
58:22
feel free to call us at A five nine four
58:25
two two sixteen nine zero. Thank you for listening, and
58:29
now please stay tuned for continuing programming on Radio I