10.22.26

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Welcome to the reading of the New York Times for Thursday,
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October 22, 2026. As a reminder, Radio Eye is a
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reading service intended for people who are blind or have
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other disabilities that make it difficult to read printed material.
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Your reader for today is Scott Johnson. We'll begin today
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with the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day. And today's word
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is vocation. Vocation. Vocation can refer simply to an occupation,
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or it can refer to a strong calling to pursue
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a particular kind of work or course of action. Since
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he was a teenager, he knew that he would find
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his vocation in marine biology. She is headed to medical
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school to pursue her vocation as a doctor. Today's front
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page headlines from the National Print Edition of the New
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York Times. As Putin frees American, U.S. sees humanitarian. Envoy
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praises head of Russia as Kiev faces pushback. Trump views
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insults as one-way street. Billionaires pardon hope and a $ 50
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million deal. Venezuelan man gains clemency after job offer to
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Trump ally. Trump's rating hits a new low. Likely voters
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are tilting toward Democrats. Kiev says drones fell from sky
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as U.S.-backed service cut out. Meta is ordered to pay
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$ 25 billion over privacy, 43 million violations in New Mexico ruling.
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Our first story today is headlined, Calling Putin a Humanitarian.
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Witkoff thanks him for releasing an American. It's by David E. Sanger,
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Kim Barker, and Ivan Nechapurenko. David E. Sanger reported from
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Washington and Greenville, North Carolina, Kim Barker from Kiev, Ukraine,
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and Ivan Nechaparenko from Moscow. Praising President Vladimir V. Putin
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as a humanitarian, President Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff thanked
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the Russian leader in St. Petersburg on Wednesday for releasing
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an American held for more than four years on what
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the State Department called fabricated charges. The release came after Mr.
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Trump made a direct appeal last week to Mr. Putin
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to let the 74-year-old teacher, Stephen James Hubbard, return to
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the United States. Russia had accused Mr. Hubbard, who was
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held for over four years, of being a Ukrainian mercenary
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and sentenced him to more than six years in a
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penal colony. Mr. Hubbard had been seized by Russian troops
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in Ukraine, where he was living, but there was no
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evidence he was involved in the battle after Russia's invasion.
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You talk so much about my President Trump being a humanitarian, Mr.
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Witkoff told Mr. Putin, whom he was meeting to discuss
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another variant of plans to end the war, quote, you
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are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that, unquote.
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The phrase hung in the air, because Mr. Putin, who
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started a war of aggression against Ukraine, that has led
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to the deaths of tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers
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and civilians, is wanted as a war criminal by the
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International Criminal Court. Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly expressed sympathies
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for strongmen and parroted Kremlin talking points, has long made
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clear his admiration for the Russian leader, and earlier this
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month imposed sweeping sanctions on the ICC, seeking to cripple
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its work. His envoy's public embrace of Mr. Putin on
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Wednesday capped a tumultuous 12 days in which Mr. Trump
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has repeatedly sided with Russia and sidelined Ukraine. The American
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president has announced that the United States will buy Russian
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diesel fuel and suspend the imposition of new sanctions under
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a bipartisan law he signed recently. Mr. Trump has also
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called on Ukraine to replace President Vladimir Zelensky, Mr. Putin's nemesis.
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Ukraine said the United States had intermittently cut off intelligence sharing,
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limited its access to Starshield, the military version of its
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already limited supply of Patriot interceptors, the only defense Ukraine
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has against Russian ballistic missiles. Mr. Witkoff, over repeated visits
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to Moscow, has been accused by his critics of what
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they term overly solicitous behavior toward Mr. Putin. Mr. Trump
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himself faced similar criticism for welcoming Mr. Putin to Alaska
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with a red carpet in the summer of 2025, ending
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years of diplomatic isolation for the Russian leader over the
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full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Trump administration responds that it
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is doing what it needs to do in an effort
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to rebuild a relationship with the Russian leader as it
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pursues negotiations to end the war. Mr. Trump's posture toward
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Russia is out of step with most Americans. The vast
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majority of them, 79%, have an unfavorable view toward Russia,
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according to polling from Gallup, a number that has been
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on the rise over the past 15 years. On Wednesday, Mr.
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Trump wrote on social media that he had asked Mr.
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Putin last week to release Mr. Hubbard and said the
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longtime prisoner, the last American on the State Department's list
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of wrongfully detained U.S. citizens in Russia, was, quote, on
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his way back home, and will soon be with his family.
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Joseph Coleman, one of Mr. Hubbard's sons, talked to his
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father on the phone shortly after the United States gained custody,
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said his lawyer, Martin DeLuca, who was also on the call,
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along with Mr. Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump's son-in-law. Mr.
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DeLuca said Mr. Hubbard sounded fragile, but he didn't speak much.
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He said how excited he was to see his kids,
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and how excited he was that his kids would be
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waiting for him. Mr. Hubbard's two sons, who live in
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Cyprus and Japan, flew to the United States to meet
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their father. The plane will stop in Washington, then travel
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to a U.S. State Department facility in Texas, where doctors
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will assess Mr. Hubbard's health. Mr. Hubbard could visit the
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White House as early as next week, depending on the assessment, Mr.
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DeLuca said. The United States, out of respect for President Trump,
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was not required to give anything in return, an unprecedented
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situation for Russia, the American president wrote in his Wednesday Post.
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There was no swap necessary for this release. While unilateral
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releases are not unprecedented, they are rare, and Mr. Witkoff
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deflected early efforts by the Russians to release Mr. Hubbard
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only in a swap. He appears to have convinced Mr.
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Putin that the goodwill gesture would be helpful at a
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turning point in the relationship between Washington and Moscow. Turning
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over Mr. Hubbard, who was tortured, sometimes starved, and placed
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in the general prison population in a country where he
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did not speak the language, came at little cost to Mr. Putin,
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but the move buys him goodwill with Mr. Trump, who
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is arguing that he alone has the relationship with Mr.
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Putin needed to get him to end the war. Mr.
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Witkoff's remarks came at the start of talks in St. Petersburg,
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where the U.S. envoy had come to discuss new variants
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of a proposed plan to end the war that began
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with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He told Mr.
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Putin he had brought some papers with, quote, some ideas
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about the different elements of some sort of peace deal, unquote,
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saying that the Russian leader could, quoting again, read that
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at your leisure later. The men met for approximately three hours. Mr.
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Trump had telegraphed that he had sought Mr. Hubbard's release,
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talking to reporters about it on Tuesday when the former
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teacher was still in captivity. But Mr. Trump didn't mention
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that Mr. Hubbard was being held because Mr. Putin's government
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had sought to take American prisoners for leverage. As Mr.
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Putin and Mr. Witkoff were meeting, though, Russia's security services
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announced the arrest of a German citizen on charges similar
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to Mr. Hubbard's. In recent days, as Mr. Hubbard was
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moved out of a penal colony and prepared for release,
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it became clear that his value to Mr. Putin had changed.
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He was now more valuable to the Russian leader as
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a symbol of the renewed relationship with the U.S. President
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than as a pawn in negotiations. Mr. Hubbard was essentially
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abducted by Russian soldiers from eastern Ukraine shortly after Russia
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invaded and accused of fighting for Ukraine. Russian sentencing documents
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said he was given the call signs or nicknames of
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Samurai and Ninja and that he manned a checkpoint on
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a bridge over a river. This was highly unlikely. Mr. Hubbard,
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a Michigan native, was living in the city of Izium
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near Kharkiv after a peripatetic life, teaching English for years
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in Japan and moving for a time to Cyprus where
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one of his sons lived, before settling down with a
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Ukrainian woman. After that relationship ended, Mr. Hubbard opted to
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stay in Ukraine. He had just turned 70 when the
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Russians invaded. His son in Japan told him to keep
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his head down, but Mr. Hubbard did not seem to
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understand that the war had started, text messages between the
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two men showed. Those messages also showed no evidence that Mr.
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Hubbard had joined the Ukrainian military. He told his son
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that all was well. He gave day updates, like when
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he went to church. He had a hard time buying food,
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but once said that he bought caviar for nutrition. The
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Russians said they arrested him inside the home of an
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acquaintance in April 2022. Ukrainian prisoners of war who were
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held with Mr. Hubbard later told the New York Times
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that he had been repeatedly tortured because he was an American, beaten,
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forced to stand all day, given little food and poor
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medical care. In interviews after they were released, the Ukrainians
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said they feared for Mr. Hubbard's life. In October 2024,
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a Russian court convicted Mr. Hubbard of being a mercenary
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and sentenced him to almost seven years in a penal colony.
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Unlike other Americans held in the Russian prison system, Mr.
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Hubbard was kept in the general population, his lawyers said.
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At times, his family had no idea where he was,
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and the U.S. Embassy had no access to him. Mr.
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Hubbard was designated by the State Department as wrongfully detained
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in January 2025. Shortly afterward, Martin DeLuca, a former federal
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prosecutor instrumental in winning the release in February 2025 of
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another American held by Russia, started working on Mr. Hubbard's case.
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EPAM Law, a Moscow law firm that worked with Mr.
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DeLuca on that earlier release, found out that Mr. Hubbard
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was being held in the IK-12 penal colony in Mordovia,
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the southwestern Russian region commonly referred to as prison land.
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In May 2025, Mr. Hubbard was allowed to call his
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son in Cyprus, Joseph Coleman. Mr. Coleman, who is a
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Greek Orthodox priest, wrote a long letter to Mr. Putin
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in September, making a point of his Orthodox faith, similar
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to Russian Orthodox, and pleading for his father's release. On
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Tuesday night, Mr. Coleman said he was looking forward to
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seeing his father and that he would do whatever he
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could to help him upon his release. I don't want
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to be stressful to him, Mr. Coleman said. I want
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to be in his presence and make sure he's healthy
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and he's well, and you know, if he wants to talk,
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we'll talk. Now, a piece headlined, In Trump's World of
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International Diplomacy, Insults Are a One-Way Street. It's a White
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House memo column written by Peter Baker, the chief White
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House correspondent. He reported from the government guest house in Oslo,
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where President Trump's envoy met with President Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine.
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The rules of the road when it comes to President
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Trump's relations with foreign leaders are clear. He may trash you,
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Woe unto you if you whack back. No one knows
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that better than President Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine, who has
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been through this particular diplomatic ringer more than once. But
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he got a pointed reminder during a closed-door meeting in
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Oslo this week with Mr. Trump's negotiators. Steve Witkoff, the
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president's special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, reproached Mr.
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Zelensky on Tuesday for his sharp comments responding to Mr.
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Trump's sharp comments about him. telling the Ukrainian leader that
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the way he conducted himself has infuriated the president, according
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to a person informed about the exchange. Mr. Zelensky pushed
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back at times during the discussion as the Americans complained
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about certain comments. I never said that, Mr. Zelensky insisted
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at one point, according to the person who shared details
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on condition of anonymity because it was a private conversation.
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But he clearly got the message. When he addressed journalists afterward...
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A subdued Mr. Zelensky strained to offer a positive assessment
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while sidestepping his recent criticisms of Mr. Trump. We are
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thankful to the American side, Mr. Zelensky said, citing the
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resumption of U.S. intelligence help. He noted that he spoke
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with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his way to Oslo,
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which produced, quote, positive signals from the American side, unquote,
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and that he had a very constructive dialogue with Mr.
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Witkoff and Mr. Kushner. But, he added, It was very
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constructive between us because all of us want peace. Ukraine, Europe,
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United States. The one-way street school of diplomacy has worked
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for Mr. Trump in the sense that his belligerence leaves
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many world leaders reluctant to cross him for fear of
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blowback or even, depending on his mood, a fresh round
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of tariffs. Mr. Trump demands deference while rarely giving any,
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except to those who accede to his wishes or to
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those he courts. notably autocrats like President Vladimir V. Putin
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of Russia, President Xi Jinping of China, and Kim Jong-un
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of North Korea. The contrast between how Mr. Trump's attitude
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toward autocrats versus Democrats was made all the sharper a
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day after the Oslo meeting, when Mr. Witkoff landed in St.
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Petersburg for peace talks. Upon securing the release of an
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American-held prisoner in Russia, Mr. Witkoff called Mr. Putin... who
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faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes, a humanitarian. Mr.
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Zelensky has been one of the exceptions in openly challenging Mr.
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Trump at times, but he has to calibrate how far
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he can push that because his country remains so dependent
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on the United States for its survival as it defends
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itself against Russian invasion. The Oslo meeting was intended to
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smooth over the latest rift. Mr. Witkoff stopped in the
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Norwegian capital before heading to St. Petersburg. Mr. Kushner, who
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was ill, did not accompany Mr. Witkoff, but joined the
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conversation via video link. Mr. Trump's recent shift further toward
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Moscow has prompted much speculation that it may be related
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to the upcoming midterm elections. But Mr. Witkoff and Mr.
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Kushner went on at length during their conversation with Mr.
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Zelensky to deny any connection to domestic politics and according
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to the person informed about the session. Mr. Zelensky had
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two friends with him for the encounter, his host, Prime
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Minister Jonas Gahr Stor of Norway, and the visiting President
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Alexander Stubb of Finland. Both of them have been strong
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backers of Ukraine, and like most European leaders, do not
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share Mr. Trump's tilt toward Russia, but at the same time,
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labor not to rile him unnecessarily. I'm happy that we
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were able to get together today to straighten out a
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few things and to agree that what matters now is
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to look ahead, Mr. Storr said. There's nothing to gain
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from digging into what was said yesterday or a week ago.
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We now really have to be focused on what lies ahead. Mr.
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Stubb expressed hope that the back and forth with Washington
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will now end. Today was a success, and tomorrow is
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a new day, and hopefully we don't do any backtracking,
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he said. Mr. Stohr and Mr. Stubb organized the meeting
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in Oslo in hopes of getting peace negotiations back on track.
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The notion that Mr. Witkoff would have gone to Russia
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to meet with Mr. Putin without seeing Mr. Zelensky first
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would have resulted in terrible optics, two European officials said.
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The meeting in Oslo would not fully resolve the fundamental
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issues they added, but there's no real alternative to American leadership.
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The White House did not immediately comment on the Oslo meeting.
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An American close to the talks said that the participants
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had a frank but respectful exchange that allowed them to
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clear the air and move forward. Mr. Zelensky's public criticism
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of Mr. Trump may serve his own short-term political objectives,
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the American warned, but is ultimately counterproductive to Ukraine's longer-term
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goals of ending the war. This has been the calculation
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that many world leaders have had to make, particularly in Mr.
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Trump's second term. When to respond in kind when the
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American president lashes out, and when to swallow pride in
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the interest of not poking the bear. For years, presidents
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and prime ministers of allied nations went out of their
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way to avoid angering Mr. Trump, who prefers escalation over conciliation.
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But in recent months, especially since his threats to take
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over Greenland last winter, leaders have shown less submissiveness and
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more willingness to stand firm. Prime Minister Mark Carney of
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Canada has led the way with his defiance of Mr.
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Trump's attempts to strong-arm America's northern neighbor into making trade concessions.
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Rather than back down, as leaders often did in Mr.
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Trump's first term, Mr. Carney decided to hit back and
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slapped dollar-for-dollar tariffs in retaliation. Mr. Zelensky's situation, however, is
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more complicated. Mr. Trump has been predisposed against Ukraine since
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his first term, convinced by advisers that Kiev meddled in
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the 2016 election against him, an unfounded assertion that intelligence
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agencies have called Russian disinformation. His effort in 2019 to
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pressure Mr. Zelensky into opening an investigation into his Democratic rival,
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Joseph R. Biden Jr., led to Mr. Trump's first impeachment
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for abuse of power. The tone for the second term
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was set shortly after Mr. Trump returned to power last
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year and berated Mr. Zelensky in an explosive Oval Office meeting. Mr.
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Zelensky demonstrated at the time that he was unafraid to
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stand up to the president, but under coaching from European
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leaders and congressional allies, Mr. Zelensky has since mostly sought
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to avoid direct confrontations. The past two weeks made that
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more difficult, as Mr. Trump, who has long had a
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convivial relationship with Mr. Putin, pivoted even more dramatically in
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Moscow's direction. Among other things, Mr. Trump and his team
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have struck a deal to buy Russian diesel fuel, lifted
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some sanctions, and exempted Russia from others included in legislation
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that he just signed, curbed some intelligence and satellite assistance
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for Kiev, delayed delivery of interceptors, and worked to broker
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an agreement to sell lucrative Russian oil assets to people
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with ties to Mr. Trump's circle. Mr. Trump has lashed
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out repeatedly against Mr. Zelensky in recent days, calling it
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disgraceful for Ukraine to strike Russian oil refineries and insisting
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that it damn well stop. That's a quote. He once
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again blamed Mr. Zelensky for the war that Mr. Putin
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started and said that Russia has been fine, even as
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intensifying Russian missile and drone barrages are killing more civilians
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in Ukraine than at any time since the beginning of
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the full-scale invasion. Mr. Trump went so far as to
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demand that Ukraine get a new president instead of Mr. Zelensky.
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By contrast, he has had no tough words for Mr. Putin,
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saying that he did not want to, quote, It goes
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well beyond diplomatic protocol to explicitly push for the ouster
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of the leader of a fellow democracy. But when Mr.
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Zelensky responded by calling the diesel move a weak decision,
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Suggesting that he felt betrayed and indicating that it seemed
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that Washington was trying to convince Ukraine to capitulate, Mr.
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Trump adopted the role of the aggrieved party. Just hours
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before the Oslo meeting, he again laid the responsibility for
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making peace on Ukraine rather than on Mr. Putin, who
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could end the war tomorrow by stopping his attacks on
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his neighbor. Zelensky has to want to settle this war, Mr.
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Trump told reporters in Washington. And if he doesn't, I
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think it's going to be a very bad thing. Mr.
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Trump's assertion that Mr. Zelensky, rather than Mr. Putin, is
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the obstacle to peace offends Ukrainians and Europeans alike. Mr.
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Zelensky emphasized in Oslo that, after all, his people are
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the ones under bombardment. We are losing people, and because
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Russia attacks losing people and time, and it's so pity
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that because our children don't have real life, childhood, and
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all the people, to be honest, he said. That's why
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we need to end this war as quick as possible.
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I hope our partners, Americans and Europeans, will help us.
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That's a quote. Now, a story I headlined, A billionaire
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wanted a Trump pardon. His family gave Alina Haba a
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$ 50 million deal. It's a Times exclusive by Tyler Pager,
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reporting from Washington. Julio Herrera Velutini really wanted a pardon.
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A billionaire banker from a prominent Venezuelan family, Mr. Herrera
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00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:16.319
faced felony bribery charges in the United States and struck
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an unusually lenient plea deal in August 2025 for a
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misdemeanor campaign finance violation. But he felt that reduced charge
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was still a stain on his record. So Mr. Herrera
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deployed his lawyer, Christopher M. Kyes, to the former Florida
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Solicitor General, who was on President Trump's personal legal team,
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to help with a plea for clemency. His 27-year-old daughter,
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Isabella Herrera, who is an American citizen, donated $ 3. 5 million
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to a super PAC tied to Mr. Trump. But as
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of last fall, the pardon remained elusive. Then the Herrera
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family hired Alina Haba, who had been one of Mr.
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Trump's personal lawyers and at the time was an advisor
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at the Justice Department. They offered her $ 10 million a
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year for four years, along with a range of bonuses.
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In total, including bonuses, she was guaranteed more than $ 50
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million over four years, according to interviews and documents obtained
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by the New York Times. Under the agreement, Ms. Haba
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would become general counsel at Concord Partners, a company that Ms.
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Herrera set up in late October 2025 in Florida. The
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company has no public profile, and its business remains unclear
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even to some people associated with the Herrera business empire. Ms.
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Habba finalized her deal days after the company was registered,
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while she was still serving as U.S. Attorney in New Jersey.
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She formally began her work for Concord Partners on January 1st.
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Weeks later, Mr. Trump granted Mr. Herrera a full and
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unconditional pardon. By then, Ms. Haba was a senior advisor
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to Attorney General Pam Bondi, overseeing U.S. attorneys. She had
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an office at the Justice Department and a protective detail
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from the U.S. Marshals, a holdover from her time serving
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as the U.S. Attorney in New Jersey. The sequence of
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events raises questions about how Mr. Herrera secured the pardon
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and who might have helped him. People familiar with Ms.
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Haba's contract said they believed that she was brought in
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to help with Mr. Herrera's push for a pardon and
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expressed surprise at the scale of the compensation. Ms. Haba
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denied any role in the pardon. Any insinuation of my employment,
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all of which has been vetted and disclosed to the DOJ,
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had anything to do with securing a pardon, is false,
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she said in a statement. Ms. Haba was a special
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government employee at the time, which allows individuals to work
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for the federal government for up to 130 days and
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maintain outside employment with conflict of interest restrictions. She declined
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to discuss her work for Concord. Ms. Herrera and Mr.
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Herrera did not respond to multiple requests for comment, neither
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did their companies. In a statement, the Justice Department said Ms.
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Haba did not speak to anyone about a pardon. A
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White House official said that Ms. Haba had nothing to
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do with the pardon and that the administration follows a
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pardon review process that includes the White House Counsel's Office
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and the Justice Department. In Mr. Trump's second term, a
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pardon industry has sprouted up, with wealthy criminals paying well-connected lawyers, fixers,
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and lobbyists to appeal to the administration and its allies
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in an effort to secure pardons. Many pardon seekers have
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come to the conclusion that that supporting Mr. Trump and
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his political agenda is the fastest way to secure clemency.
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Some people looking for pardons have reported paying hundreds of
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thousands of dollars or even a million dollars to hire
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people promising access to the president or influence over the
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pardon process. For Ms. Haba, the job from the Herrera
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family came at a pivotal point in her life and career.
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She resigned in December 2025 as U.S. Attorney in New
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Jersey and after a panel of federal judges ruled that
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her appointment by Mr. Trump had been carried out unlawfully.
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Her second marriage was also falling apart. The arrangement with
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the Herreras provided her with a new level of financial security.
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She also found new love. Shortly after the pardon was issued, Ms.
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Habas started dating Turhan Mildon, a Turkish investor. They were
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married last month in a lavish ceremony in New York.
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The guest list included Attorney General Todd Blanch, FBI Director
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Kash Patel, and Will Scharf, the White House Counsel. The
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couple is now engaged in high-profile feud with Richard Grinnell,
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a longtime Trump ally. Ms. Haba has accused Mr. Grinnell
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of misallocating a donation from her husband to the John F.
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Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which Mr. Grinnell was
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running at the time. Mr. Grinnell has denied her accusations,
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calling them false. Absurd. Ms. Haba brought those accusations directly
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to Mr. Trump, who directed Mr. Scharf to investigate them.
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The Times had previously reported that the investigation centers on
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a bank transfer from the Democratic Republic of Congo to
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a Texas defense company. Mr. Herrera, who also has Italian citizenship,
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is a member of the Herrera family, a banking, real estate,
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and fashion dynasty that dates back to the 14th century.
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The family owns estates and castles in Caracas, Venezuela, the
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Canary Islands, Spain, and Germany. Mr. Herrera founded a bank
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based in Puerto Rico in 2008. In August 2022, he
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was charged for his role in a scheme to bribe
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Governor Wanda Vasquez of Puerto Rico to dismiss a regulator
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who was investigating the bank. Mr. Herrera, Ms. Vasquez, and
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and a former FBI agent who had worked as a
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consultant for Mr. Herrera, all pleaded not guilty to felony charges. Mr. Kyes, Mr.
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Herrera's lawyer, helped negotiate a deal with the Justice Department
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under which Mr. Herrera pleaded guilty in August 2025 to
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a single misdemeanor campaign finance charge. Ms. Vasquez and the
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former FBI agent also pleaded guilty to misdemeanors disappointing career
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prosecutors who had pushed for harsher sentences. All three were
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pardoned by Mr. Trump at the same time shortly before
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they were scheduled to be sentenced for the misdemeanor charges.
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In July, Banvelka, the Herrera's family office since 1781, announced
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that Ms. Herrera, a member of the eighth generation and
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the daughter of Julio Herrera Velutini, was assuming leadership of
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the company. Neither the news release nor her bio on
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the company's website makes any mention of Concord Partners, the
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vehicle employing Ms. Habba, who now goes by Mrs. Mildon.
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Our next story is headlined, Trump Approval Hits New Low
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Two Weeks Before Midterms, Poll Finds. It's by Lisa Lehrer
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and Ruth Igielnik. President Trump's approval rating hit a new
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low just a few weeks before the midterm elections, driven
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down by broad disapproval of his handling of the economy,
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the war in Iran, and high gas prices, according to
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a new national poll from The New York Times and
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Siena University. Just 36% of likely voters said they approved
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of Mr. Trump's performance, while 59% said that they disapproved.
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That is his lowest approval rating recorded in any Times-Siena poll.
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More than two-thirds of independent voters said that they disapproved
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of the way he has handled his job as president.
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Likely voters said that they preferred Democratic candidates over Republicans
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by 11 percentage points in their congressional districts, in the
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final Times-Siena national poll before the midterm elections, a slight
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improvement for Democrats since last month. The metric is widely
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seen as a strong indicator of political momentum. The national
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political environment is bleak for Republicans. Americans broadly disapprove of
461
00:31:42.690 --> 00:31:46.849
economic conditions under the Trump administration, with three-quarters rating the
462
00:31:46.910 --> 00:31:51.480
economy as fair or poor. A majority of voters blame Mr.
463
00:31:51.519 --> 00:31:56.039
Trump for the declines. 69% disapprove of his handling of
464
00:31:56.079 --> 00:32:00.680
the cost of living, 65% disapprove of his handling of
465
00:32:00.740 --> 00:32:04.819
the war in Iran, and nearly three-quarters disapprove of his
466
00:32:04.859 --> 00:32:08.380
handling of gas prices, which are above $ 4 a gallon.
467
00:32:09.720 --> 00:32:13.789
But Democrats still face serious challenges, particularly as they seek
468
00:32:13.809 --> 00:32:17.109
to win control of the Senate. To do so, they're
469
00:32:17.130 --> 00:32:22.250
trying to flip seats in Republican-leaning states including Texas, Iowa, Alaska,
470
00:32:22.720 --> 00:32:27.849
and Ohio, which Mr. Trump won by double digits in 2024.
471
00:32:27.849 --> 00:32:31.009
Other polls show that Democrats and Republicans are locked in
472
00:32:31.109 --> 00:32:36.650
tight races in several key Senate contests. Still, the deep
473
00:32:36.750 --> 00:32:40.970
economic frustration has even broken into the coalition that elected Mr.
474
00:32:41.019 --> 00:32:45.240
Trump to his second term. Over the past year, Democrats
475
00:32:45.279 --> 00:32:49.880
have improved their standing among men, young voters, and Hispanic voters.
476
00:32:50.390 --> 00:32:53.640
winning back some voters in those groups who helped propel Mr.
477
00:32:53.700 --> 00:32:58.619
Trump to victory two years ago. Paul Gettings, a Republican
478
00:32:58.660 --> 00:33:01.799
who lost his job running a logistics company in June,
479
00:33:02.400 --> 00:33:06.029
said that he supported Mr. Trump in 2024, but plans
480
00:33:06.069 --> 00:33:10.349
to back Democrats this year. He cited frustration with high
481
00:33:10.390 --> 00:33:13.789
gas prices, the war in Iran, and what he sees
482
00:33:14.150 --> 00:33:18.599
as harsh immigration enforcement in Simi Valley, California, where he lives.
483
00:33:20.130 --> 00:33:22.789
I'm very disillusioned with the Republican Party and how they
484
00:33:22.829 --> 00:33:26.910
can continue to support Trump, said Mr. Gettings, 62, who
485
00:33:26.970 --> 00:33:31.019
is unemployed. Quote, He's turned into a politician just like
486
00:33:31.039 --> 00:33:33.900
the rest of them. That is a lot of empty promises. Unquote.
487
00:33:35.099 --> 00:33:38.180
Among all registered voters, including those who are less likely
488
00:33:38.200 --> 00:33:42.720
to vote, Mr. Trump's approval rating was even worse, with
489
00:33:42.720 --> 00:33:46.950
34 percent approving of his job performance. Mr. Trump built
490
00:33:46.990 --> 00:33:50.869
his 2016 and 2024 wins by partly on the strength
491
00:33:50.930 --> 00:33:54.029
of his support among white voters without a college degree.
492
00:33:54.690 --> 00:33:57.789
But the poll found that group is about evenly split
493
00:33:57.950 --> 00:34:02.500
in its approval of his job, with 48% approving and
494
00:34:02.500 --> 00:34:08.760
46% disapproving. As views of Republicans have declined, public perceptions
495
00:34:08.820 --> 00:34:12.320
of Democrats have grown increasingly positive over the last two
496
00:34:12.380 --> 00:34:16.869
years on an array of measures. A majority of likely
497
00:34:16.909 --> 00:34:19.349
voters now see the Democratic Party as the party of
498
00:34:19.389 --> 00:34:23.710
the working class, a shift from 2022 when voters gave
499
00:34:23.750 --> 00:34:27.840
the Republican Party the edge. Voters also see Democrats as
500
00:34:27.909 --> 00:34:31.889
more likely to keep their promises than Republicans, a striking
501
00:34:31.980 --> 00:34:35.659
reversal from two years ago when Republicans held an advantage
502
00:34:35.760 --> 00:34:40.519
on that question. And majorities across nearly every demographic group
503
00:34:41.119 --> 00:34:44.929
now view Democrats as more understanding and able to fix
504
00:34:44.989 --> 00:34:50.250
the problems of average Americans. The Republican Party is, if anything,
505
00:34:50.590 --> 00:34:55.050
causing more problems for people like me, being Latino, feeling
506
00:34:55.090 --> 00:34:57.510
the weight of that kind of prejudice that I think
507
00:34:57.570 --> 00:35:01.929
the Republican Party tends to kind of portray, said Vince Cordero,
508
00:35:01.929 --> 00:35:05.550
25 and independent in Oaklawn, Illinois, who said he plans
509
00:35:05.630 --> 00:35:09.110
on voting Democrats this year. Quote, I also think the
510
00:35:09.130 --> 00:35:12.550
Democratic Party deserves an opportunity to see if they're really
511
00:35:12.590 --> 00:35:18.179
up to snuff, unquote. By a 15-point margin, more voters
512
00:35:18.239 --> 00:35:21.860
trust the Democratic Party over the Republican Party to tackle
513
00:35:21.900 --> 00:35:24.780
the cost of living, the single most important issue to voters.
514
00:35:26.119 --> 00:35:29.989
The party holds an eight-point advantage on the economy, an
515
00:35:30.070 --> 00:35:32.849
area that has historically been a strength for Mr. Trump.
516
00:35:33.849 --> 00:35:37.429
Democrats have also grown their lead since September on who
517
00:35:37.469 --> 00:35:43.179
voters trust to handle foreign wars and artificial intelligence. But
518
00:35:43.340 --> 00:35:46.340
even amid his declining numbers, Mr. Trump has held on
519
00:35:46.360 --> 00:35:51.469
to strong support from his base. The vast majority of Republicans, 82%,
520
00:35:51.469 --> 00:35:55.130
still approve of his job performance and his signature policies,
521
00:35:55.210 --> 00:36:00.289
including the Iran war and tariffs. People are upset. Oh,
522
00:36:00.369 --> 00:36:02.789
Trump put those tariffs on people and now our food
523
00:36:02.829 --> 00:36:07.130
costs go up, said Sheila Murdoch, a retired nurse from Shelley, Idaho,
524
00:36:07.510 --> 00:36:12.280
who's already voted absentee for Republicans this year. Quote, Well, yes.
525
00:36:12.750 --> 00:36:14.750
But if you look at the bigger picture and what
526
00:36:14.809 --> 00:36:20.099
it eventually does, it makes things better, unquote. The poll
527
00:36:20.179 --> 00:36:25.719
also found immigration re-emerging as a defining concern for voters.
528
00:36:25.719 --> 00:36:28.179
10% of voters now say it's their top issue this fall,
529
00:36:28.280 --> 00:36:33.340
up from 6% in September. Among Republicans, almost 20% now
530
00:36:33.400 --> 00:36:37.059
say it is their top priority, nearly double the percentage
531
00:36:37.079 --> 00:36:40.880
who said the same last month. While Democrats hold an
532
00:36:40.960 --> 00:36:44.360
edge over Republicans in who voters trust to handle immigration,
533
00:36:44.760 --> 00:36:48.239
which had long been a Republican strength, that advantage has
534
00:36:48.340 --> 00:36:53.440
shrunk since September. Now 46% of voters say they trust
535
00:36:53.500 --> 00:36:59.639
Republicans on immigration. 50% say the same of Democrats. Still,
536
00:36:59.880 --> 00:37:03.300
the survey indicates that even as Democratic candidates gain support,
537
00:37:03.860 --> 00:37:08.039
there is lingering discontent with their party. Just 28% of
538
00:37:08.099 --> 00:37:11.099
voters said they're satisfied with the Democratic Party, eight points
539
00:37:11.159 --> 00:37:15.199
lower than the share who expressed satisfaction with the Republican Party.
540
00:37:16.840 --> 00:37:21.989
Much of the unhappiness stems from Democratic voters themselves. 43%
541
00:37:21.989 --> 00:37:25.789
of Democrats said they're unsatisfied with their party compared to
542
00:37:25.829 --> 00:37:29.929
just 16% of Republicans who said the same thing about
543
00:37:29.989 --> 00:37:37.360
the GOP. We now move to a story headlined When
544
00:37:37.420 --> 00:37:44.019
Starshield Cut Out, Ukrainian Drones Fell from the Skies. It's
545
00:37:44.079 --> 00:37:49.739
by Shabano Grady, Karlada Gall, and Anton Troianovsky. Shabano Grady
546
00:37:49.940 --> 00:37:54.070
reported from Kyiv, Ukraine, Karlada Gall from Kharkiv, Ukraine, and
547
00:37:54.139 --> 00:38:00.010
Anton Troianovsky from Washington. A senior Ukrainian commander said he
548
00:38:00.070 --> 00:38:04.210
had dozens of armed drones soaring toward Russian military targets
549
00:38:04.269 --> 00:38:07.969
last week, when all at once, the video feeds streaming
550
00:38:08.010 --> 00:38:12.070
their flight paths went fuzzy. The drones had lost their
551
00:38:12.110 --> 00:38:15.550
connection to pilots on the ground through Starshield, a Pentagon-funded
552
00:38:15.610 --> 00:38:20.000
satellite internet service, said the commander Oleg, who spoke on
553
00:38:20.059 --> 00:38:22.639
condition that he be identified only by his first name
554
00:38:23.079 --> 00:38:27.320
to protect operational security. Many of the drones simply fell
555
00:38:27.360 --> 00:38:30.280
from the sky, he said. The effect cost his units
556
00:38:30.360 --> 00:38:34.519
more than a million dollars worth of weaponry. The Starshield
557
00:38:34.559 --> 00:38:38.829
disruptions forced Oleg to halt almost all operations for the
558
00:38:38.889 --> 00:38:42.369
next three days, he said, including strikes on Russian command
559
00:38:42.429 --> 00:38:46.630
posts and fuel hubs. Such attacks, he said, helped save
560
00:38:46.670 --> 00:38:49.610
the lives of Russian troops holding positions on the front
561
00:38:50.230 --> 00:38:55.619
and slow Russian advances. Ukrainian accounts of Starshield's abrupt throttling
562
00:38:56.000 --> 00:38:59.679
have become a flashpoint in a worsening feud between President
563
00:38:59.719 --> 00:39:04.559
Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and President Trump. A week after
564
00:39:04.579 --> 00:39:07.909
the first problems were reported, Ukrainian troops said that the
565
00:39:07.949 --> 00:39:13.349
situation had improved, but that connectivity issues remained. The Trump
566
00:39:13.369 --> 00:39:17.030
administration has offered mixed messages, both denying any change to
567
00:39:17.070 --> 00:39:22.690
Starshield service and saying that service has been restored. Ukrainian
568
00:39:22.730 --> 00:39:26.389
officials fear that the Trump administration ordered the disruptions to
569
00:39:26.449 --> 00:39:30.329
punish Ukraine over its strikes on Russian oil refineries, and
570
00:39:30.349 --> 00:39:33.949
to force Kiev to capitulate in the war. Ukraine has
571
00:39:34.010 --> 00:39:37.280
also reported gaps in the sharing of U.S. military intelligence
572
00:39:37.800 --> 00:39:41.900
and delays in the delivery of American interceptor missiles. U.S.
573
00:39:41.960 --> 00:39:48.340
officials deny any such disruptions. Starshield is a military-grade sister
574
00:39:48.380 --> 00:39:52.659
system to Elon Musk's Starlink, and European countries pay for
575
00:39:52.780 --> 00:39:56.940
Ukraine's access to it. The more advanced Starshield system is
576
00:39:57.000 --> 00:40:00.500
not available to all Ukrainian troops, but many rely on
577
00:40:00.539 --> 00:40:04.030
it to fly drones that use standard Starlink connections for
578
00:40:04.070 --> 00:40:09.289
more basic communications. Ukrainian officials have reported slowdowns with both
579
00:40:09.409 --> 00:40:15.190
Starshield and Starlink. Mr. Musk has said that Starshield is
580
00:40:15.230 --> 00:40:18.949
controlled by the Pentagon. Secretary of State Marco Rubio added
581
00:40:18.989 --> 00:40:22.309
to the confusion on Wednesday when he asserted that it
582
00:40:22.349 --> 00:40:26.809
was Mr. Musk's company, SpaceX, that determined access to Starlink
583
00:40:27.230 --> 00:40:32.949
and Starshield. The initial Starshield throttling caused Ukrainian drones to
584
00:40:33.059 --> 00:40:36.320
lose their connection to the system when flying at speeds
585
00:40:36.400 --> 00:40:39.360
as low as 40 miles an hour, Ukrainian officials said.
586
00:40:40.219 --> 00:40:44.440
Connectivity has still been improved, Ukrainian officials say, but drones
587
00:40:44.579 --> 00:40:48.409
still lose their connection, when they exceed 100 miles an hour.
588
00:40:49.389 --> 00:40:52.820
Some models can operate normally under that speed, including those
589
00:40:52.960 --> 00:40:56.579
used by Olex troops, but they must fly faster to strike.
590
00:40:58.019 --> 00:41:01.139
The speed limits have also thwarted interceptors used to take
591
00:41:01.199 --> 00:41:04.949
down Russian drones that attack Ukrainian cities, Mr. Zelensky said.
592
00:41:05.989 --> 00:41:08.849
Fearing that the systems may never be fully restored or
593
00:41:08.969 --> 00:41:13.190
could cut off abruptly again, Ukraine is searching for workarounds.
594
00:41:13.659 --> 00:41:17.420
a scramble that commanders say is diverting soldiers' attention from
595
00:41:17.460 --> 00:41:21.969
the battlefield. Ukrainian officials say they are seeking answers about
596
00:41:22.050 --> 00:41:26.170
who ordered the slowdowns of Starshield and Starlink and why.
597
00:41:27.449 --> 00:41:30.010
Asked for comment, a White House official said in a
598
00:41:30.050 --> 00:41:33.079
statement that there had been no changes to satellite Internet
599
00:41:33.139 --> 00:41:37.780
in Ukraine. On Friday, Mr. Trump said that any change, quote,
600
00:41:38.099 --> 00:41:42.449
wasn't me, unquote, and that, quote, From what I understand,
601
00:41:42.550 --> 00:41:46.829
it's the same as it's always been, unquote. Mr. Rubio
602
00:41:46.869 --> 00:41:50.190
said a day later that a Starlink slowdown in Ukraine had,
603
00:41:50.250 --> 00:41:53.980
in his words, sort of happened, but added that, my
604
00:41:54.039 --> 00:41:59.699
understanding is, it's been restored. Mr. Zelensky has called on
605
00:41:59.719 --> 00:42:05.010
the changes to Starshield's planned operation. On the NBC show
606
00:42:05.030 --> 00:42:08.150
Meet the Press on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said,
607
00:42:08.610 --> 00:42:12.769
said that, quote, President Trump and Secretary Rubio have categorically
608
00:42:12.829 --> 00:42:15.590
said that no one in the Trump administration did that,
609
00:42:16.110 --> 00:42:18.789
and I think it is very reckless for President Zelensky
610
00:42:19.150 --> 00:42:24.369
to make such a charge, unquote. In Washington, politicians from
611
00:42:24.449 --> 00:42:28.889
both parties called on Mr. Trump to restore Ukraine's satellite connectivity.
612
00:42:30.070 --> 00:42:33.300
After a group of lawmakers spoke by video call with Mr.
613
00:42:33.340 --> 00:42:37.460
Zelensky on Monday, Senator Tom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina,
614
00:42:38.000 --> 00:42:42.650
said that the Ukrainian leader, quote, has confirmed ongoing Starlink disruptions,
615
00:42:43.230 --> 00:42:47.949
reported interruptions to critical U.S. intelligence sharing and raised concerns
616
00:42:48.010 --> 00:42:54.949
about delays in air defense interceptors, unquote. Degrading Ukraine's satellite communications,
617
00:42:55.070 --> 00:42:59.510
weakening its air defenses and easing sanctions against Russia only
618
00:42:59.630 --> 00:43:04.119
emboldened Putin to prolong this war, Mr. Tillis said, referring
619
00:43:04.159 --> 00:43:06.780
to a move by Mr. Trump to allow the United
620
00:43:06.820 --> 00:43:12.019
States to buy Russian diesel fuel. On Tuesday, Mr. Zelensky
621
00:43:12.059 --> 00:43:16.019
said he and Mr. Rubio had a substantive discussion about Starshield,
622
00:43:16.559 --> 00:43:19.980
as well as about shortages of missile interceptors and recent
623
00:43:20.019 --> 00:43:24.280
disruptions to early warning systems about Russian ballistic missile attacks.
624
00:43:25.400 --> 00:43:28.159
Any claim that the United States held back on warnings
625
00:43:28.199 --> 00:43:31.460
for Ukraine is simply not accurate, Mr. Rubio said after
626
00:43:31.500 --> 00:43:35.239
his call with Mr. Zelensky. He also noted that Patriot
627
00:43:35.320 --> 00:43:39.059
interceptors were in short supply around the world. Nothing is
628
00:43:39.099 --> 00:43:44.050
being deliberately denied to Ukraine, he said. While the American
629
00:43:44.150 --> 00:43:49.809
political machinations over Starshield remained murky, Ukrainian commanders said the
630
00:43:49.829 --> 00:43:53.599
effects of restrictions on the system were clear on the battlefield.
631
00:43:55.179 --> 00:43:59.139
General Andrei Beletsky, who recently assumed command of thousands of
632
00:43:59.179 --> 00:44:02.000
troops of the Central Grouping of Forces in eastern Ukraine,
633
00:44:02.650 --> 00:44:06.210
said troops were adapting to the new speed limits. Before now,
634
00:44:06.730 --> 00:44:10.829
Ukrainian drones using Starshield flew as fast as 250 miles
635
00:44:10.889 --> 00:44:14.530
an hour with a stable connection, he said. The formal
636
00:44:14.610 --> 00:44:18.110
limit had already been 100 miles per hour, but it
637
00:44:18.170 --> 00:44:22.190
had not been enforced, General Beletsky said. That leaves open
638
00:44:22.230 --> 00:44:25.789
the possibility that the United States could assert that no
639
00:44:25.889 --> 00:44:29.659
change had occurred in the system, even as Ukraine experienced
640
00:44:29.800 --> 00:44:33.630
changes on the front. Even if Ukraine can adapt to
641
00:44:33.690 --> 00:44:37.090
allow its attack drones to work under the limits, General
642
00:44:37.150 --> 00:44:42.630
Beletsky said, interceptors that used Starshield to counter Russian jet-powered
643
00:44:42.690 --> 00:44:45.949
drones could still be hindered. The only way to take
644
00:44:45.989 --> 00:44:49.500
down an incoming drone is to outrace it, and jet-powered
645
00:44:49.539 --> 00:44:52.920
Russian weapons fly far faster than 100 miles per hour.
646
00:44:54.199 --> 00:44:57.659
Reducing the speed limits for air defense... is a painful
647
00:44:57.719 --> 00:45:01.460
decision that literally undermines the protection of our cities first
648
00:45:01.519 --> 00:45:05.219
and foremost, General Beletsky said. So when the Pentagon took
649
00:45:05.280 --> 00:45:09.590
this step, it was undoubtedly an unfriendly move toward Ukraine's
650
00:45:09.739 --> 00:45:15.230
civilian population. In command posts across Ukraine, there was little
651
00:45:15.269 --> 00:45:17.989
doubt that the Starshield restrictions were the result of a
652
00:45:18.030 --> 00:45:23.690
political decision, not a technical glitch. Ukrainian troops had long
653
00:45:23.750 --> 00:45:27.440
feared that Washington would pressure Kiev into concessions by cutting
654
00:45:27.539 --> 00:45:32.219
off satellite connections. As Oleg's drones fell last week, his
655
00:45:32.280 --> 00:45:36.869
three phones buzzed with expletive-laden calls from stunned troops who
656
00:45:36.929 --> 00:45:39.789
rushed to redirect and save as much of their gear
657
00:45:39.849 --> 00:45:43.469
as they could. Oleg called soldiers, telling him that they
658
00:45:43.530 --> 00:45:47.489
felt abandoned. He said that it was well past time
659
00:45:47.530 --> 00:45:51.409
for Ukraine to take off its rose-colored glasses and stop
660
00:45:51.449 --> 00:45:57.699
seeing the United States as an ally. Lieutenant Yuri Butusov,
661
00:45:58.289 --> 00:46:02.590
company commander of the 23rd Assault Regiment in Ukraine's Kartia Corps,
662
00:46:03.210 --> 00:46:06.050
said his troops had been hamstrung by the slowed connections,
663
00:46:06.429 --> 00:46:11.360
which essentially gave the Russian military a vacation day. This
664
00:46:11.440 --> 00:46:16.119
day without Starlink saved many lives and many trucks for Russia, unfortunately,
665
00:46:16.460 --> 00:46:20.219
Lieutenant Butusov said. It's a big cost for us, he added,
666
00:46:20.699 --> 00:46:26.289
and much more blood. Our blood. Now a story headlined,
667
00:46:26.849 --> 00:46:32.260
Meta Ordered to Pay $ 25 Billion for Deceiving Users on Privacy.
668
00:46:33.659 --> 00:46:37.260
It's by Eli Tan and Cecilia Kang. Eli Tan reported
669
00:46:37.300 --> 00:46:43.059
from San Francisco, Cecilia Kang from Washington. A New Mexico
670
00:46:43.099 --> 00:46:47.119
judge ordered Meta to pay $ 25 billion on Wednesday for
671
00:46:47.179 --> 00:46:51.059
deceiving users about its data privacy practices, one of the
672
00:46:51.119 --> 00:46:56.369
largest penalties levied against a tech giant. New Mexico sued
673
00:46:56.409 --> 00:47:00.889
Meta in 2021 over a scandal involving the political consulting
674
00:47:00.949 --> 00:47:05.940
firm Cambridge Analytica, saying the social media company had misled
675
00:47:06.059 --> 00:47:10.239
users with its public statements about their data privacy. Last month,
676
00:47:10.360 --> 00:47:13.599
after a two-week trial, a jury in the state district
677
00:47:13.659 --> 00:47:17.260
court in Santa Fe ruled against Meta, saying the company
678
00:47:17.300 --> 00:47:22.460
had committed 43 million violations of New Mexico's consumer protection laws.
679
00:47:23.449 --> 00:47:29.190
Each violation carried a penalty of up to $ 5, 000. On Wednesday,
680
00:47:29.570 --> 00:47:32.949
Judge Francis J. Matthew of the Santa Fe Court issued
681
00:47:32.989 --> 00:47:36.650
the landmark penalty, writing that the company and its executives
682
00:47:36.789 --> 00:47:41.280
purposefully misled the public. The harm in this matter is
683
00:47:41.320 --> 00:47:44.659
difficult to overstate and goes to the heart of Facebook's
684
00:47:44.760 --> 00:47:49.719
basic business proposition, said Judge Matthew wrote in a 20-page judgment.
685
00:47:50.449 --> 00:47:54.909
He said, the extraordinary number of willful violations that repeated
686
00:47:55.010 --> 00:47:59.739
over years support the highest level of penalty. The order
687
00:47:59.800 --> 00:48:02.820
is the biggest yet to Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram,
688
00:48:02.860 --> 00:48:06.000
and WhatsApp, as it has racked up court losses over
689
00:48:06.039 --> 00:48:09.219
the harms that its social media platforms have caused users.
690
00:48:10.179 --> 00:48:13.800
States and consumers have filed thousands of lawsuits over issues
691
00:48:14.179 --> 00:48:18.099
such as how Facebook and Instagram endangered child safety, led
692
00:48:18.159 --> 00:48:22.000
to social media addictions, used people's data without their consent,
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and infringed on their privacy. New Mexico has been leading
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00:48:26.670 --> 00:48:30.150
the charge against Meta and winning. In August, a New
695
00:48:30.190 --> 00:48:35.130
Mexico judge ordered the company to pay $ 567 million in
696
00:48:35.190 --> 00:48:39.760
damages after a jury ruled the company had enabled harm
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00:48:39.920 --> 00:48:44.239
to young users on top of a $ 375 million penalty
698
00:48:44.659 --> 00:48:48.219
in the same case in March. In both cases, New
699
00:48:48.239 --> 00:48:52.519
Mexico accused Meta of violating state consumer protection laws, which
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00:48:52.579 --> 00:48:55.699
have emerged as an effective way to litigate against tech
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00:48:55.739 --> 00:48:59.409
companies that have been previously shielded by laws that protect
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00:48:59.469 --> 00:49:03.590
free speech, said Vincent Jorleman, the director of the Life
703
00:49:03.630 --> 00:49:07.070
Sciences Law and Policy Center at the Berkeley Center for
704
00:49:07.130 --> 00:49:11.210
Law and Technology. The takeaway from this will be that
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00:49:11.250 --> 00:49:14.739
consumer protection laws will be the way to hold tech
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00:49:14.800 --> 00:49:18.840
companies accountable, Mr. Joy Lemon said, adding that the penalty
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00:49:18.920 --> 00:49:23.920
could inspire other states to pursue similar lawsuits. In August,
708
00:49:24.380 --> 00:49:28.179
Meta reached a landmark settlement with 47 states, the District
709
00:49:28.219 --> 00:49:33.690
of Columbia and U.S. territories, agreeing to pay up to $ 17. 1
710
00:49:33.250 --> 00:49:37.750
billion in penalties and make major changes to its products
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00:49:37.889 --> 00:49:42.099
over claims it endangered children with addictive social media platforms.
712
00:49:43.360 --> 00:49:48.480
As part of the settlement, Meta agreed to pay $ 459
713
00:49:47.199 --> 00:49:53.050
million to settle similar privacy claims regarding Cambridge Analytica, meaning
714
00:49:53.119 --> 00:49:55.989
other states are unlikely to pursue the charges that New
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00:49:56.030 --> 00:50:01.710
Mexico did. New Mexico will apply the $ 25 billion awarded
716
00:50:01.809 --> 00:50:04.849
on Wednesday toward a public education fund, according to the state.
717
00:50:05.940 --> 00:50:09.809
For too long, powerful technology companies have operated as though
718
00:50:09.869 --> 00:50:13.170
their size and influence put them beyond the reach of
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00:50:13.230 --> 00:50:16.750
the law, Raul Torres, the Attorney General of New Mexico,
720
00:50:16.829 --> 00:50:20.710
said in a statement, quote, Today's result makes clear that
721
00:50:20.769 --> 00:50:24.739
no corporation is too powerful to be held accountable, unquote.
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00:50:26.300 --> 00:50:30.019
Meta said it would appeal the decision. At its core,
723
00:50:30.510 --> 00:50:33.449
This lawsuit seeks to impose a tax on speech to
724
00:50:33.530 --> 00:50:37.570
enforce new rules for what people can say online, C.J. Mahoney,
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00:50:37.739 --> 00:50:41.239
Metta's chief legal officer, said in a statement. Quote, We
726
00:50:41.280 --> 00:50:45.900
are confident we will prevail on appeal. Unquote. Some legal
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00:50:45.980 --> 00:50:49.039
experts said the penalty could be the largest for any corporation,
728
00:50:49.099 --> 00:50:52.539
from a jury verdict. It is a shockingly big number
729
00:50:52.579 --> 00:50:55.699
that jumps off the page, said Darrell West, a senior
730
00:50:55.739 --> 00:50:59.739
fellow at the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington. Quote,
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00:51:00.360 --> 00:51:03.699
In the absence of congressional action, juries are stepping up
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00:51:03.760 --> 00:51:08.019
to the plate, unquote. The data privacy case in New
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00:51:08.059 --> 00:51:10.780
Mexico was in some ways a throwback to an earlier
734
00:51:10.840 --> 00:51:14.840
tech era, when social media and not artificial intelligence was
735
00:51:14.900 --> 00:51:18.550
in the spotlight. In 2018, the New York Times and
736
00:51:18.590 --> 00:51:23.070
other publications reported that the British firm Cambridge Analytica had
737
00:51:23.210 --> 00:51:26.550
acquired the private data of tens of millions of Facebook
738
00:51:26.650 --> 00:51:30.519
users without their knowledge, to build profiles of American voters.
739
00:51:31.780 --> 00:51:35.659
The revelations set off an outcry over how Facebook was
740
00:51:35.739 --> 00:51:41.380
harvesting people's information and treating their privacy. Facebook, like many
741
00:51:41.460 --> 00:51:45.019
social media platforms, is offered as a free digital service,
742
00:51:45.659 --> 00:51:48.920
but users provide their information to the sites and are
743
00:51:48.960 --> 00:51:53.460
targeted with ads. Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive, appeared in
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00:51:53.539 --> 00:51:58.269
Congress to testify on his company's handling of data. Over
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00:51:58.309 --> 00:52:02.030
a two-week trial last month, lawyers from New Mexico presented
746
00:52:02.090 --> 00:52:06.139
evidence on how Meta's executives misled users with statements about
747
00:52:06.179 --> 00:52:11.099
their privacy. The lawyers contrasted public comments from Mr. Zuckerberg
748
00:52:11.179 --> 00:52:15.679
and Sheryl Sandberg, then Meta's chief operating officer, against their
749
00:52:15.719 --> 00:52:21.130
private email conversations. Meta's lawyers argued that its users have
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00:52:21.170 --> 00:52:24.210
the power to choose what data they share on their platforms.
751
00:52:24.710 --> 00:52:28.809
and said its policies around third-party companies harvesting Facebook data
752
00:52:29.289 --> 00:52:35.889
had changed significantly since 2018. Mr. Zuckerberg did not testify
753
00:52:35.929 --> 00:52:39.170
at the trial, but a video of his hour-and-a-half deposition
754
00:52:39.389 --> 00:52:43.610
was shown to the jury. The jurors ultimately found that
755
00:52:43.610 --> 00:52:47.610
26 of the 29 statements made by Meta and its
756
00:52:47.670 --> 00:52:53.769
executives were unfair or deceptive. New Mexico had asked for
757
00:52:53.809 --> 00:52:59.329
as much as $ 40 billion. Judge Matthew awarded the state
758
00:52:59.329 --> 00:53:04.309
$ 219 billion in damages before reducing the penalty to $ 25 billion.
759
00:53:05.670 --> 00:53:08.929
Facebook was aware that its users did not understand its
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00:53:09.010 --> 00:53:12.579
privacy settings and took advantage of that to a grossly
761
00:53:12.780 --> 00:53:17.380
unfair degree, Judge Matthew wrote, citing an email from Mr. Zuckerberg.
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00:53:18.460 --> 00:53:23.130
Facebook's misrepresentations about users' control of their data were not
763
00:53:23.230 --> 00:53:28.289
isolated incidents, but rather a systematic pattern of deception at
764
00:53:28.329 --> 00:53:33.429
the core of Facebook's business model. Through September of this year,
765
00:53:34.050 --> 00:53:40.340
Meta made $ 52. 48 billion in profit. The company is valued
766
00:53:40.380 --> 00:53:45.420
at roughly $ 1. 8 trillion. Most states will not be able
767
00:53:45.460 --> 00:53:48.639
to sue Meta for the same data privacy violations related
768
00:53:48.659 --> 00:53:52.219
to Cambridge Analytica, because they've already settled their cases, Mr.
769
00:53:52.260 --> 00:53:55.449
Joel Lemon said. But the door could still be opened
770
00:53:55.469 --> 00:53:58.929
to sue Meta for other violations on the same grounds
771
00:53:59.070 --> 00:54:04.210
of the company's violating consumer protection laws and making false statements,
772
00:54:04.250 --> 00:54:09.679
he added. Among the stories you'll find deeper in today's
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00:54:09.739 --> 00:54:16.300
edition of the New York Times, in business news, Alaska's
774
00:54:16.340 --> 00:54:22.139
journalists join forces. The state's taxing geography and newspapers' economic
775
00:54:22.199 --> 00:54:28.360
reality have stretched reporters covering the election. Signs in black
776
00:54:28.420 --> 00:54:33.449
jobless rate. As the black unemployment rate rises, economists warn
777
00:54:33.489 --> 00:54:38.449
that the job market is weaker than it appears. In
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00:54:38.530 --> 00:54:43.989
international news, data center backlash in UK. Plans to build
779
00:54:44.090 --> 00:54:48.940
one of Europe's largest AI facilities in Devon have been
780
00:54:48.980 --> 00:54:53.300
met by strong opposition from residents as environmental concerns grow.
781
00:54:55.239 --> 00:55:00.809
In national news, AI uncovers security flaw. A bug was
782
00:55:00.869 --> 00:55:05.070
found in a widely used Internet software revealing a new
783
00:55:05.170 --> 00:55:13.800
vulnerability to hacker disruptions. Idaho's health coverage crisis. The state's
784
00:55:13.840 --> 00:55:18.090
public health clinics struggle to provide care as insurance premiums
785
00:55:18.190 --> 00:55:26.039
rise and Medicaid cuts kick in. In sports, when James calls,
786
00:55:26.880 --> 00:55:31.199
you answer. Nick Nurse, the coach of the 76ers, was
787
00:55:31.300 --> 00:55:35.019
on a golf course when his phone buzzed. His conversation
788
00:55:35.079 --> 00:55:42.550
with LeBron James would alter the NBA. In obituaries, Felicity
789
00:55:42.590 --> 00:55:45.610
Green was a London fashion editor in the swinging 60s
790
00:55:46.340 --> 00:55:52.050
When skimpy styles and their required undergarments ruled, she was 100.
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00:55:52.050 --> 00:55:58.070
In Thursday Styles, fighting through a whiteout. In a new book,
792
00:55:58.150 --> 00:56:03.730
Wendy S. Walters takes issue with the unimaginative default of
793
00:56:03.829 --> 00:56:12.449
painting walls white. Beyond downtown mocking. As Nolita Dirtbag, Alex
794
00:56:12.469 --> 00:56:16.389
Hartman has made a mark with his online critiques. Now
795
00:56:16.409 --> 00:56:23.440
he's expanding his gaze. In the arts, pop hanger-on to superstar.
796
00:56:24.579 --> 00:56:30.119
Sweden's Zara Larsson broke out at 10, but found success
797
00:56:30.340 --> 00:56:35.360
this past year with her Midnight Sun album, popular remixes
798
00:56:36.000 --> 00:56:41.150
of TikTok virality. Also in the news today at a
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00:56:41.269 --> 00:56:46.760
Last Hope health clinic, desperation, kindness. and fear for what's next.
800
00:56:47.539 --> 00:56:51.079
These doctors and community health workers are a safety net
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00:56:51.119 --> 00:56:55.699
for patients losing coverage as premiums soar and Medicaid cuts
802
00:56:55.820 --> 00:57:00.710
mount even as their clinic struggles to stay afloat. This
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00:57:00.750 --> 00:57:03.130
concludes the reading of the New York Times for today.
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00:57:03.210 --> 00:57:06.969
Your reader for today has been Scott Johnson. If you
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00:57:07.010 --> 00:57:11.030
have any questions, comments, or suggestions concerning this program, please
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00:57:11.090 --> 00:57:13.659
feel free to call us at 859-422-6390. 859-422-6390. Thank you
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00:57:13.780 --> 00:57:17.440
for listening, and now please stay tuned for continued programming
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00:57:17.480 --> 00:57:18.079
on Radio Eye.