And Public Radio 91.5 k c x p. Bush land 89.38 cd 8 style heart streaming online at a speech he r. Dot org your business or organization can support Public Radio in your area by becoming a community sponsor and receiving frequent on air recognition for your support look under the support tab at h.p. P.r. Dot org for details. Good morning and enter a lobby has left the Oval Office saying President Trump opposes gun control after all barely a day after the president said on t.v. He supported a range of measures to have more on Morning Edition from n.p.r. News. Florida lawmakers vote today on gun measures opposed by the n.r.a. I'm David Greene and I'm Steve Inskeep a conservative says which gun policies he would support after the Florida school shootings writer Charles Cook insists that assault weapons ban won't work and that the president is quote entirely incoherent the Pentagon downplays a blot a mere Prudence claim that Russia now as powerful new nuclear weapons but what exactly do the Russians have it's Friday March 2nd day in 836 when the Republic of Texas declared its independence from Mexico. The news is next. Live from n.p.r. News in Washington I'm Korver Coleman the chief lobbyist for the National Rifle Association is hinting that President Trump is back on the side of the gun rights group after a White House meeting last night n.p.r. Shannon Van Sant says the n.r.a. Lobbyist message came on Twitter the n.r.a. Is top lobbyist says President Trump and vice president Mike Pence do not want gun control and a tweet Thursday night Donald Trump said he had a great meeting with the n.r.a. Vice president Mike Pence was also at the Thursday meeting with an arrays Chris Cox who later tweeted that pence and Trump do not want gun control support the 2nd Amendment and strong due process n.p.r. Shannon Van Sant the f.b.i. Is reportedly looking into whether Russian politician Alexander torsion illegally funneled money through the n.r.a. To help the Trump campaign as N.P.R.'s imac reports torsion own communications has led to scrutiny of his ties to the n.r.a. And to American politics Alexander torsion a deputy governor of the Bank of Russia is a prolific Tweeter those tweets provide a window into his efforts to methodically cultivate ties with the n.r.a. Over 6 years is tweets translated from Russian by n.p.r. Torsion talks extensively about leveraging n.r.a. Connections to meet the group's leaders and even he claims to meet with Donald Trump in 2015 he also claims that his membership in the n.r.a. Facilitated is ability to become an international election observer in Tennessee during the 2012 presidential election the n.r.a. Has denied any wrongdoing and the White House did not respond to requests for comment to Mack n.p.r. News Washington the National Weather Service has issued flash flood warnings for southern California communities with Wildfire burn areas as Stephanie O'Neil reports there's concern that a storm in the region could trigger dangerous debris flows this storm is not expected to be as intense as the one that caused the 30 square mile debris flow in the Santa Barbara County town of want to see though. That killed at least $21.00 people in January still the National Weather Service says it has the potential to jump up to a half inch of rain in a one hour period and that's the threshold at which debris flows can happen saying they don't want to take any chances Santa Barbara County officials have ordered the mandatory evacuation of more than 20000 people and as rain began falling Thursday night officials in adjacent than trick County issued voluntary evacuation orders for portions of the county most susceptible to flash flooding and debris flows for n.p.r. News I'm Stephanie O'Neil in Ohio California on the East Coast the National Weather Service says a powerful winter storm will pour several inches of rain on areas from the Carolinas to New England heavy wet snow will pile up too and there's great concern about Powerful winds some of which may reach hurricane strength the weather service is cautioning there may be coastal and inland flooding you're listening to n.p.r. News from Washington. Officials in burkha Faso say 4 militants have been quote neutralized after they attacked the French embassy in the capital Aga Dougal there's a separate attack reported against the Burkean a fossil army headquarters a French and u.s. Embassies and also reported attacks in downtown where the do go the company founded by disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein accused of multiple counts of sexual assault has been sold and P.R.'s Elizabeth Blair reports the buyers are going to change the Weinstein company's name and create a victim's compensation fund a new company a new vision and a new mostly female board of directors lead investor Maria contrary asleep his or team's plan to purchase assets from the Weinstein Company is moving forward in a statement she says the sale will save jobs protect small businesses that are owed money and create a victim's compensation fund the Weinstein Company board of directors released a statement calling the deal a positive outcome under what has been incredibly difficult circumstances the sale has the approval of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman he insisted the deal include adequate compensation for victims the a.g. Filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Weinstein Company for failing to protect employees from Harvey Weinstein's alleged sexual misconduct and discrimination that lawsuit is still active or was this Blair n.p.r. News China is warning global trade could be damaged following President Trump's decision to impose new tariffs on steel and aluminum imported into the United States China's government has not said whether it will retaliate I'm Korver Coleman n.p.r. News in Washington support for n.p.r. Comes from n.p.r. Stations other contributors include Fox Home Entertainment presenting 3 billboards outside adding Missouri starring Frances McDormand Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson written and directed by Martin McDonagh now available on Blu ray and digital. Good morning stick around for regional news coming up in just about 15 minutes here on member supported High Plains Public Radio the time is a dos 6 Central and you're listening to N.P.R.'s Morning Edition it's going to be sunny all across the high plains today highs will be in the upper sixty's to mid seventy's tonight it's going to be clear to mostly clear in the low they'll be in the lower thirty's to lower forty's. And Northwest Kansas northeast Colorado it's going to be sunny with a high near $68.00 tonight it'll be mostly clear with a low around $35.00 in north central Kansas it's going to be windy and sunny with highs in the upper sixty's tonight clear with lows in the lower forty's in southeast Colorado it's going to be sunny with a high near $74.00 tonight it'll be mostly clear with a low around $32.00. In south Kansas it's going to be sunny with a high near 70 tonight it'll be mostly clear with a low around $39.00 in the Oklahoma Panhandle will be sunny and windy with highs in the lower seventy's tonight it will be clear lows in the upper thirty's and in the Texas panhandle it'll be sunny with a high near $69.00 tonight mostly clear with a low around $39.00 support comes from Arkansas Valley Depot service a lot more Colorado since 1902 parts and experience to work on everything from over the road degrades to a t.v. With an expanding line of products and services a.v. Diesel dot com and Facebook. It's Morning Edition from n.p.r. News I'm Steve Inskeep in Washington and I'm David Greene in Culver City California here are just 2 data points from a chaotic week on Wednesday President Trump held a televised meeting with lawmakers he appeared to endure gun legislation including measures opposed by the n.r.a. He Cuse fellow Republicans of being afraid of the n.r.a. When yesterday Chris Cox the top and Ari lobbyist dropped by the Oval Office Cox came out saying that the president does not support gun control and the president wrote on Twitter he had a quote good great meeting with the n.r.a. N.p.r. White House correspondent Tamara Keith is here to help us figure this out Hey Tom Hey so do we know after these last few days where the president stands on gun control not exactly So Chris Cox the n.r.a. Lobbyist came out of that meeting and as you say he tweeted that the president and vice president support the 2nd Amendment support strong due process and don't want gun control now very good spirits compared to what we thought the n.r.a. Was feeling just the day before well that's because they just talked to the president in the oval office late at night and apparently had a good meeting and you know this follows earlier in the week President Trump had this televised meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers where he seemed to side with Democrats on all kinds of things including And he went farther than Democrats on this the idea that he would take the guns 1st and go through due process 2nd he endorsed all sorts of legislation Well now today Sarah Sanders his spokesperson who we should say doesn't always exactly represent the president's views but she was on Fox and Friends and was asked Ok what does the president support Now look the president's already expressed support for Senator Cornyn legislation is also supported Stop Gun Violence Act Those are 2 pieces of legislation as our current form that the president supports the Timmy bill. He is not fully got on board with they're still kind of working out some of the final pieces of that legislation until it gets into its final stage we're not going to weigh in but we're continuing to closely watch that Ok So she's throwing of the names of a lot of bills there Tom but you safe to say that she's talking about some of the things that the president had originally said he would support that the n.r.a. Is again yet so the 1st bill she talked about is a narrow change that would basically make it so that more information gets into the background check system that has been even supported by the n.r.a. The Toomey bill that she's referring to is a more comprehensive background checks bill that at that meeting on Wednesday President trumpeted had said hey this should be the base bill add all kinds of other stuff into it and let's do something comprehensive Now the White House is saying well really no if the president's going to support that bill or not I want to play a little tape here in the nest to something this is Republican Senator John Thune describing that televised meeting with the president where the president soon to be siding with Democrats the other day I saw you start right with his wild I mean he seems kind of perplexed is what Sarah Sanders said this morning going to help out Republicans as they look at this issue and try to figure out where the president is guiding them. Not necessarily there there's just not that much clarity when when things change from day to day and hour to hour members of Congress are going to stick their necks out on an issue that isn't really you know on the Republican side their issue and already mine Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the Senate has said that they aren't even going to vote next week on gun legislation as they had thought they might they're moving on to a banking bill and all of this comes of course in a week where there was a big personnel move at the White House at the resignation of hope ex the president's very close they may be the most loyal person outside his family she's leaving the White House what does the say about the the state of things and the Trump team the presenter circle the president's inner circle has fewer and fewer true loyalists in it and it seems like the president names not be listening to some of those people who are left. The mood that he made this week yesterday on trade sort of surprising everyone making an announcement These wanted to do that a lot for a long time a lot of people have been telling him not to do it and now it seems like he's just doing what he wants to do including these tariffs that you mentioned on steel imports from n.p.r. White House correspondent Tamara Keith Kemp thanks we appreciate it you're welcome Maggie Haberman of the New York Times wrote Trump is becoming engulfed by the chaos he creates every day as a show for his viewing pleasure Habermann wrote this at the end of a week when the many presidential plot lines we just heard about included an abrupt announcement on trade the proposed tariffs on imported aluminum and steel So let's talk through that trade announcement with Wendy Cutler a former deputy u.s. Trade representative in the Obama administration Good morning good morning if the president says we're doing terrorists do they just happen well he has the authority to impose tariffs against imports of other countries so if he wants to do them he can do it Ok And in this case is this something that is going to have an impact around the world. Absolutely our trading partners are not going to be the savior places so wait a minute you're talking about the European Union the German officials have been saying to the Associated Press that the president risks sparking a trade war specifically with the closest u.s. Allies is that is that who is most affected here countries like Germany Well a lot of our allies are affected by this measuring including Germany Mexico Canada Japan and Korea. Although also the United States correct the president has criticized cheap Chinese steel over the years or rather Also China's what I'm trying to say is Russia China will be hit as well but what people need to keep in mind is China is now are a lap and the largest source of steel imports so the measures on steel are going to hurt a lot of other countries a lot more than China now with all of this said the president got on Twitter this morning and talked about trade and he said if the u.s. Has a trade deficit quote trade wars are good and easy to win example when we're down $100000000000.00 with a certain country and they get cute don't trade any more we went big it's easy is it that easy to win a trade war if you the United States no one wins a trade war just talk to our farmers are our auto companies our airplane manufacturers everyone loses from a trade war if other countries close their markets to our exports that hurts u.s. Companies and their workers and will repl through our economy but the calculation the president is making at least in this tweet is that if we have a trade deficit with a country and we shut down that trade are that there's a net gain for the United States is that just not true I can follow that logic I think while we might gain in one sector will lose another sector and there will be a net loss given our reliance on overseas markets for growth and employment is this much true Wendy coupler that u.s. Administrations Republican and Democrat have been somewhat stymied as to how to approach constant u.s. Trade deficits with the rest of the world because the United States is simply supports free trade there are a lot of American companies that depend on it depend on imports depend on doing some exports and it is hard to strike back against countries that do not trade the same way. Well we can strike against countries that pursue unfair trade practices and we should do that but trying to use trade to balance trade deficits is not the way to go really macroeconomic factors have a lot more to do with our trade deficit we as a nation consume a lot we don't save a lot and by definition that can lead to a trade deficit all of that creates motivation to buy things from overseas even if you try to slap tariffs on certain products correct. When you cover thanks very much thank you she was a former deputy u.s. Trade representative during the Obama administration all right mother news now the sale of the Weinstein Company is now back on last week the company said it would file for bankruptcy instead but now is going forward with a deal that includes money for victims of Harvey Weinstein's alleged sexual abuse Here's N.P.R.'s Andrew Limbaugh late yesterday a group of investors then the Weinstein Company and finally New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman released statements confirming that they reached an agreement over the sale of the Weinstein Company assuming there are no more twists in this sale the move would save about $150.00 jobs and create a fund for quote those who have been harmed a source familiar with the deal says the fund will be between $80.00 and $90000000.00 The buyers group is led by Maria can sure as sweet she is around the Small Business Administration under President Obama also part of the group she leads is billionaire investor Ron Burkle they're planning on launching a new company led by a board of directors made up of a majority of women the company has been up for sale since last year after dozens of women accused movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment assault and rape the sale was reportedly set for 500000000 dollars last month then the New York attorney general filed a civil rights lawsuit against Harvey his brother Bob Weinstein and the company Here's Schneiderman that they knew how pervasive it was and not only did they fail to stop it they enabled it and covered it up just last Sunday the Weinstein Company said the deal was off because the investors apparently wouldn't put up interim funding for the business the only option was bankruptcy the company said that would have put any money for victims in jeopardy the Weinstein Company said in an statement last night quote We consider this to be a positive outcome under what have been incredibly difficult circumstances the attorney general's office says the lawsuit remains ongoing it's worth mentioning that Harvey Weinstein still also facing a number of criminal investigations Angeles. On n.p.r. News. This is n.p.r. News Bryan bureau here with you for Morning Edition on member supported High Plains Public Radio it's currently 18 minutes after the hour coming up at half past the hour is the oil and gas markets and in just 2 minutes is your area news support comes from Garden City family y.m.c.a. Where value meets values putting Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit mind and body for all on the web at Garden City y.m.c.a. Dot org. Hey there is so much like and then we've got a new answer to the old question how do you get to Carnegie Hall all the answer practice us or opera bring the exploring music express Hamel not only get you to Carnegie Hall We'll take you inside for to use a great music infested in history that's Carnegie Hall or expert music this week weekdays at noon Central. From n.p.r. News in Washington I'm David Mattingly President Trump says last night's White House meeting with executives from the National Rifle Association was a good one the n.r.a. As Chris Cox said afterwards the president wants safe schools and to keep guns away from dangerous people but he says the president and vice president pence don't want more gun control Here's White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders the president made clear he wants to talk to all of the big stakeholders in this process he's spoken with students with parents with teachers with local law enforcement with state and federal authorities as well as members of the n.r.a. He's going to continue to have those conversations continue to work with Congress Sanders was speaking this morning to Fox News president Trump's decision to impose tariffs on u.s. Imports of aluminum and steel sent stocks in Asia lower today Wall Street ended yesterday with sharp losses the Dow fell $420.00 points or more than one and a half percent and carp and Chuck says the tariffs are a major concern for Canada President Trump's plan is a 25 percent tariff on steel and 10 percent on the aluminum can it is the number one supplier of those to the u.s. It's not yet known of Canada will be targeted there have been many calls in the u.s. Including from the United Steelworkers for a special exemption for Canada stock futures are lower ahead of the open this morning on Wall Street I'm Dave Mattingly n.p.r. News in Washington. In regional news if you want to find a place in Texas where conservatives are bucking the state's rightward shift of recent years look no further than the Texas panhandle at least that's what the Dallas Morning News alleged in a recent commentary the editorial by logic author j. Leeson begins by noting that quote in the Panhandle conservatives still means to conserve Leeson goes on to write whatever political tides have flooded Texas they've continually failed to rise much higher than the Cap Rock left to their own to think and do their own frequent rebellions against various taxes establishment have emanated from the panhandle the editorial mostly concerns empower Texans and shadowy group that is rumored to be sticking its fingers into the gears of Panhandle politics the movement of the group leads Leeson to wonder is a Texas style Russian oligarch he at work in the top of Texas you can find more stories like this on our website h.p.r. Dot org for High Plains Public Radio I'm Jonathan Baker. Start each day with great music on high plains morning tune in weekdays at 9 am central for a spirited mix of folk Americana blues and classic songwriters from then and now I play Morning after morning edition only on High Plains Public Radio. Support for n.p.r. Comes from this station and from t.i.a. For investing advice banking and retirement working to help customers achieve financial wellbeing so they can give back to the world t.i.a. Calls this the new success story t. I am a dot org. From the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation committed to supporting ideas and institutions that advance the wellbeing of women and improve lives and livelihoods in developing countries more information is available at Hewlett dot org from the estate of Joan b. Kroc whose bequest serves as an enduring investment in the future of public radio and seeks to help n.p.r. Produce programming that meets the highest standards of public service in journalism and cultural expression and from the ne Casey Foundation It's Morning Edition from n.p.r. News I'm Steve Inskeep And I'm David Greene This week President Trump pressed lawmakers to come up with a unified plan on gun policy that he can support we have to pursue commonsense measures that protect the rights of law abiding Americans while keeping guns. And we have to keep the guns out of the hands of those that poses a threat but it is not entirely clear what measures the president really supports an n.r.a. Lobbyist met Trump yesterday and said that the president does not support gun control Charles Cook is editor of National Review Online and while cook supports some regulations he told Rachel Martin that the recent school shooting has not shaken his belief in gun rights we need to give law enforcement as long as there is a due process component a stronger purpose component more leeway in removing guns from people who have shown themselves to be violent towards made threats but in terms of sweeping gun control I haven't changed my view and the reason for that is not that I don't care about what happened or that I don't think it was a disaster for those involved or that I wasn't certain in fact that I have chosen myself but because I just strongly disagree that the gun control is the way you will solve this President Trump met with Democrats and Republicans from both House and Senate and in that discussion about what to do about gun violence in the country the president a Republican actually suggested that assault weapons ban could be a good idea but I think the president is entirely incoherent he's also somebody who does not have particularly strong views in favor of gun grandstander he has been defended by the n.r.a. Both on his policy positions and also oddly enough i just in general but if you go back to Donald Trump 20 years ago you will find somebody who was in favor of an assault weapons ban or waiting period and so forth so we're dealing with an anomaly within the system I do think it is much more useful politically to look at the underlying political reality here and that means looking at what Republicans think of this issue and you know as much as dominant flails around I don't think that's going to change there have been other Republicans who have at least softened their language when thinking about an assault weapons ban I interviewed a top Republican donor recently who said that he. Who's going to stop supporting candidates who didn't fully embrace an assault weapons ban Why do you argue that that's a bad idea. I think I think it's a red herring I don't think it will do anything I mean there are already 10000000 a r 15 in the country it's curious to me that we focus in on this weapon it doesn't have a more lethal capacity than a handgun especially in close range situation do you support raising the age limit for someone to buy an assault style weapon from $18.00 to $21.00 as the president has suggested and which is getting traction among Republicans right now. I don't know I'm not quite sure whether we have thought this through a what point do we think somebody is capable of exercising their own judgment and I feel what's happened here is that we looked at the age of this guy in Florida he was 19 and we said well we would like to stop that post talk and say why don't we change the age at which he would have been able to buy arrival the fact that this guy was on the radar and there weren't any tools with which the local sheriff's office could stop him is a big problem and that proposal which is in picked up by Marco Rubio among others strikes me as the most fruitful one so this is the idea of expanding the so-called red flag laws because so many people had warned about Nicholas Cruz's behavior there were red flags right and a handful of states in this country have already passed these laws that say listen someone like Nicholas Cruz a parent a teacher someone in his life if they had alerted a judge and the judge had made a decision that this young man should not have weapons they could have removed those guns from him would you advocate more expansive set of those laws across the country yes absolutely providing of course that there is sufficient to present but I think in this case there would have been more than enough evidence I mean the big fear that gun owners have is that the system will be abused for example and I'm a semi public figure someone will call the f.b.i. And say you know child cook is crazy he made a joke on Twitter and he's probably going to shoot up a school but the point is that if that happened a judge or police of they would come and see me and I would ask my wife and my employer my friends and others whether I was a threat and they would of course say no but with Nicolas Cruz they would have said yes. You just explained a scenario in which you have faith in in American institutions to some degree and we're living in a moment where a lot of people don't and quite frankly the n.r.a. Has spun up that fear that paranoia that you will not get due process that this will be left up to some subjective liberal judge who wants to strip you of your 2nd Amendment rights and I think there are 2 reasons for that nothing about stat One is that often when the laws are implemented they are implemented by left leaning politicians the 2nd thing here and again I think Democrats have themselves to blame for that is that you have seen over the last 2 years an almost endless push to restrict 2nd Amendment rights and strip them in many cases from people who the government has put on secret lists which you so flagrantly unconstitutional and is obviously going to inspire a lack of trust but again that bill when it was introduced was defeated hopefully it will be defeated again and because just because you know that bad idea has been put to the fore it doesn't mean they can't be done correctly I don't have to say I do have a lot of faith in American institution Jeff maybe I have the optimist I have an immigrant but I think that our institutions are holding up pretty well what do you make of this moment writ large when you think about the gun debate in America and how it has been intractable for so many generations now do you think this is a moment where something might change if you agree that something should change. Well I say I hope that the call in mercy bill passes which would fix the background check system and I hope that we have some sort of gun violence restraining order though so I do hope something changes I still think the gun debate is intractable both because there are so many guns in circulation that it seems to me that we are always going to be tinkering around the edges and also because this issue has over the years largely been won by conservatives and so to dismantle the victories that they have won would take such a long time that even if you could somehow do it I'm not convinced there would be a great change Charles thanks so much for your time I think of having me Rachael talking there to Charles Cook eat the editor of National Review Online this is n.p.r. News. The great American composer Aaron Copeland once said to stop the flow of music would be like the softening of time itself incredible and inconceivable Copeland is one of the many great composers you'll hear on Sinfonia 1 pm Central time weekdays on High Plains Public Radio. Good morning I'm Steve Inskeep somebody stole the sousaphone from Preservation Hall in New Orleans sousaphone of course is a to both of wraps around your bodies he can play it while marching the whole director says the last sousaphone was lost in Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and now the replacement has vanished so if you see a single person marching on Bourbon Street playing a giant instrument that says Preservation Hall in the bell there is a reward. It's Morning Edition. It's going to be sunny all across the high plains today highs will be in the upper sixty's to mid seventy's tonight it's going to be clear to mostly clear and the lows will be in the lower thirty's to lower forty's. In northwest Kansas northeast Colorado it's going to be sunny with a high near $68.00 tonight it'll be mostly clear with a low around $35.00 in north central Kansas it's going to be windy and sunny with highs in the upper sixty's tonight clear with lows in the lower forty's in southeast Colorado it's going to be sunny with a high near $74.00 tonight it'll be mostly clear with a low around $32.00. In southwest Kansas it's going to be sunny with a high near 70 tonight it'll be mostly clear with a low around $39.00 in the Oklahoma Panhandle will be stony and windy with highs in the lower seventy's tonight it will be clear lows in the upper thirty's and in the Texas panhandle it'll be sunny with a high near $69.00 tonight mostly clear with a low around $39.00 not much to do about nothing the 1st trading day of March Texas panhandle feels like paid out success lisper barrel through the $711.00 inch Yari 512570 five's as well or fall of food at $57.00 also down so the 5 sets again for him we have now introduced the April contract stuff to 207 that's the front in morning or week I was reporting this is when Here's. 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News I'm David Greene and I'm Steve Inskeep the Pentagon is downplaying Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim that his country now has power full new nuclear weapons Here's the Pentagon spokesperson Dana White were not surprised by the statement. And American people should rest assured that we are fully prepared Ok but what exactly do the Russians have and what does it mean Andrew Weiss is a Russia specialist he's from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Welcome to the studio sir great to be here do you believe the claims of the Russians have a nuclear powered missile that could fly endlessly around the Earth people are raising some questions about that claim the whole appearance yesterday was was very over the top Putin if anything just loves attention he's got an election about 2 and a half weeks from now this is a message aimed largely at the Russian people to show how you know Russia is back on the world stage it's on a par with United States and it's invested its national treasure in building up its military whether the announcement is true or not does it suggest an aggressive posture against the United States by Russia there's no doubt that the u.s. Russian mission ship is now inherently adversarial there are very few guardrails in place we saw a couple weeks ago a very dangerous incident Syria where you had u.s. Forces basically taking out a contingent of Russian military contractors going how many people were killed but we're seeing this kind of desire to from both sides to to really sort of bump up against each other and there's a you know there's unfortunately very few lines of dialogue that are left so the channel the communication of broken down now you said a desire on both sides to bump up against each other there's a couple of things to ask about on the u.s. Side in the 1st is this yesterday if I'm not mistaken the Pentagon said that the u.s. Has now gone ahead with the sale of weapons to Ukraine which of course Russia tried to dismember as the trumpet ministration finally ready to pressure Russia unclear most obviously President Trump has said very little that's critical of Russia so I the campaign trail now as president I'll try constantly engages in puffery and flattery about the team or Putin and the rest of the cabinet of a very different place both General Mattis general as Master secretary state arson all take much more mainstream more hawkish he is of Russia and so you end up with this picture of well who can show. Large what's what u.s. Policy actually about how do you think the Russians hear that when everybody who is senior the administration other than the president says one thing but the president goes the other direction I think Nat on that what is going on washing is a huge boost to the Kremlin We have a u.s. That's discredited internationally that's increasingly separated from our allies and whose involvement in leading international system is increasingly in doubt so for them the us which is either a deeply political crisis the worst I've seen in my lifetime or that it's basically just running in circles because of basic functions of government are not are not on in the shape they should be is discredited the right word for the standing of the United States abroad right now I think we're in a place where the confidence that our allies place the United States their ability to kind of count on the United States in a crisis all of that is now far more in question and it should be very briefly any idea why the United States would have been so slow to sanction Russia for interfering in the elections something the Congress passed a law to provide for well you remember as a candidate Donald Trump slammed the sanctions against Russia and then when he was both in the transition and then early days of his presidency we're looking for ways to get rid of the sanctions program so the fact that he's not looking to punish Russia but still trying to find ways to somehow work things out and let bygones be bygones I think speaks volumes about his you know of Russia that's why Thanks very much for coming by great to be here Andrew Weiss of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace authorities in Guatemala want to arrest a man for alleged war crimes but they can't until the u.s. Deports of from member station w b u r Simone Rios reports 3 years ago a woman waiting in line at a Walgreens in Providence Rhode Island recognized the man behind her his face and black sombrero the man she believes is responsible for the disappearance of her father and uncle it was one some of your a paramilitary leader from the Guatemalan civil war who's haunted her since she was a little girl she confronted him outside the. For instance if you want equal measure that is considered I told him he is very famous then I asked if he remembers my uncle and father he started to shake and his facial expression changed and then I got a lump in my throat and I never saw him again the Providence woman is an indigenous Mayan part of a group that suffered what is widely seen as a genocide in a war that claimed roughly 200000 lives the woman is from the same town in the eastern highlands of Guatemala where some of us has admitted to leading a paramilitary unit of 500 men she requested anonymity because she fears allies of the alleged war criminal could come after her children here in the United States somebody see my father disappeared on July 12th of 1982 and 2 years later my mother died of cancer we were alone we suffered hunger pains fear and insecurity we were children and the man she believes killed her father owns a house Listen a mile from her home in Providence. Some of us 67 years old and has been living in the city illegally since the 1990 s. He's been in and out of immigration proceedings since he fled Guatemala but managed to stay in Providence working as a landscaper last fall immigration authorities arrested him for immigration violations after investigating his activity during the war authorities in Guatemala say they're waiting for some of you all with an arrest warrant for crimes including rape and murder voices of up to no subtitles that's what we're looking for for him to be sentenced based on the facts the Lepi never has Guatemala's top human rights prosecutor she says she wants some of us to be deported so we can face charges their face Ok it's not enough but I think he's a very blunt 30 person with a great level of cruelty given the way he killed his victims they were subjected to torture Guatemalan court documents point to some of us involvement in 38 murders dozens of kidnappings and 14 rapes carried out in the early 1980 s. The allegations include burying people alive and torching their homes you know slave labor some Iowa Blanka some Iowa was a housewife during Guatemala Civil War She paints her husband as a man who works hard and does good in the world like us on a yacht wouldn't respond to allegations of rape and murder against her husband but because of those allegations she says she now lives in fear so that Ok may now fact that of course the suspect me because we are working people and we're proud of that we are people who don't hurt anybody we helped people in immigration court some of yours lawyer Hans Bremmer cast doubt on the accusation of war crimes Bremmer told the judge that some a u.s. Role as a paramilitary leader was basically self-defense during a horrible war but for the local Guatemalans who believe some Iowa is responsible for the death of their loved ones his deportation proceeding is a cause for hope I meet them Lisa was having the Providence woman who ran into somebody oh I had a pharmacy says she hopes they'll be forced to identify the place where her father's bones are she wants to give them a Christian burial as for some Iowa and the prosecutors trying to deport him they will lay out their arguments in court for n.p.r. News I'm Seimone Rios this is n.p.r. News. All right we've got a new segment coming up in just a few minutes called Marketplace Tech we'd like for you to listen to it maybe tell us what you think about it you can write to us you can give us a call just let us know what you think the time is 841 central hey it's Peter Sagal resolve to lose a few 1000 years how about a few 1000 donate your old car truck or r.v. Drop a lot of unwanted weight from your garage and support public radio. You can take a trip every week. To high plains morning escape every morning with fresh. Americana singer songwriters from the past and present morning after morning edition. I Plains Public Radio. From n.p.r. News in Washington I'm Dave Mattingly power outages and school closings are common this morning along the East Coast of the u.s. Because of a strong nor'easter hurricane force winds and coastal flooding are possible from Virginia to New England in Massachusetts evacuations are taking place south of Boston here's N.P.R.'s sounds dampen officials and forecasters warn this is a large and potentially slow moving storm widespread coastal flooding is possible utilities are preparing for delayed recovery times until the winds subside airlines are allowing flight changes today and tomorrow is delays airport closures are expected across the northeast and Southern California thousands of people have evacuated their homes in Santa Barbara County where a storm threatens to trigger mudslides a new poll from n.p.r. And its close finds strong support for tougher gun laws in the u.s. Following last month's deadly shooting at a high school in Florida and P.R.'s a small college reports 3 quarters of Americans want stricter gun laws and in fact there is widespread bipartisan support for a range of gun control policies including raising the legal age to purchase a gun and banning stocks the only policy intended to curb gun violence that's actually opposed by a majority of people in the poll is the one most frequently touted by President Trump the idea of training teachers to carry guns in school I'm Dave Mattingly n.p.r. News in Washington. In regional news a national organization which is seeking to create a new moderate political party is teaming up with a grassroots effort in Kansas that's attempting to do the same to McLean of the Kansas News Service has more Scots Morgan of Lawrence was a Republican until he lost a Kansas is conservative Secretary of State Chris Kobach in the 2014 g.o.p. Primary now he's spearheading an effort to establish a new party for disaffected Republicans and Democrats he's calling it a party of the center we are not trying to build a mini Republican or Democratic Party we are building in its early new style a party for the brand office that the voters a safe and sane choice up and down the ballot from the center Morgan says workers from the nonprofit serve America movement are helping collect the 800000 signatures needed to register the party so it can field candidates for the legislature and at least one statewide office in the upcoming election for the Kansas new service from Jim a clean the Kansas news service is a collaboration covering health education and politics across campus. Listen after Amarillo Friday March 2nd don't know if Michael Howard and Caroline Cotter live that chalice Abbey or the 7 and you can r.s.v.p. At h.p. P.r. Dot org 2 great artists live together Friday March 2nd via their. 2 unknowns with city way to me that. They have nowhere to go with the government. Support for n.p.r. Comes from this station and from people for the American way committed to defending a free press protecting the right to vote fighting for equality and building the bench of progressive leaders more it p.f. a w Dot org from the John d. And Catherine t. MacArthur Foundation supporting creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just a verdant and peaceful world more information is at max found dot org And from the listeners who support this n.p.r. Station. How to get the whole ball for batteries without using children in Africa a minute from American Public Media this is Marketplace fact I'm Ali would. 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Cobalt is a metal that is essential to the lithium ion batteries that power electronics and cars most of that metal comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo and a report by Amnesty International from 2016 found that about 20 percent of cobalt is mined by hand by children Bloomberg reported last week that Apple might be in talks and buy a cobalt directly from miners that could reduce abuses and cut out violent militias who sometimes act as middlemen It would also lock down a future supply for Apple after enduring hunger is a b.b.c. Reporter based in Uganda next door to d.r. See I asked her how many other companies are getting their cobalt in Africa Amnesty International has been trying to look at this supply chain and what this found is that there is the possibility that some of America's biggest tech companies Apple Microsoft Tesla hate speech Dell have possibly getting some of the call both used in but she's quite a devices from the d.s.c. Well and it certainly Apple Samsung plenty of companies have come under fire for benefiting from using what are essentially conflict minerals and yet we see this really reported as Apple's attempt to sort of secure a reliable. Supply exactly but what we've seen when companies have tried to secure these rights to to crumble is that they've tended to go to. Australian companies for example or to the us where they can say that it's Ok to supply chain is trusted this trusted that the one being human rights abuses but the difficulty in the long term is going to be that's the big issues that are in the d.r. See it produces over 50 percent of kobolds mind around the world then let's talk about the d.l.c. And let's talk about this broadly you know Cobalt is the sort of latest conflict minerals to be very hot right now the price has gone up you know dramatically in the last 18 months but there are about 40 different kinds of rare or precious minerals and metals in smartphones alone and it sort of starts to feel like a bit of a forever cycle of resource exploitation is that fair is phase one extent compost is slightly different because it's mined in a pos the d.s.e. That doesn't have any major active conflicts at the moment so for loss of human rights organizations what they're concerned about is the fact that these I think is no mind so basically structures that dug into the ground by people with their bare hands there's a risk that they could caves in and mine is die when they're digging for coal both children I used in these mines as well just for fly listening is the d.s.c. Is a huge country the size of Western Europe the government is weak and that's about it is no mine is look at the price of kobolds which has tripled has gone up tremendously just a few years so they're willing to take the risk to be able to to solicits men with that could potentially change their lives what is the perception of these large electronics trends in Africa and in the r.c. There is a running joke of the moments that whenever there is a big new in. Vention the aroma too is needed for the invention I usually found in the deep sea so you look at the bicycle and the route the needed for that was often gotten from the d.s.c. The atomic bombs that were dropped in Japan the Ukrainian came from the d.s.c. And now couple excess needed for smartphones but the people offering straighted they produced this will material that they really eventually benefit from that's Catherine Bianca from the b.b.c. Speaking to us from Uganda the 2010 Dodd Frank Act trying to address conflict minerals from the d r c It directed companies to trace whether metals in their products were connected to human rights abuses or militia groups there last month Reuters reported the trumpet ministration may suspend that portion of the law altogether. Produces Marketplace Tech Eve Troeh is our senior editor there bigger and then your pal engineer the program I'm Molly Wood. This is a pm. People of the plains you know how it's done wake up grab a hot beverage and flip on high plains morning every weekday at 9 am Central you get a daily dose of classic folk Americana and blues from our region and across the world plus new artists and live in studios that I planed morning after morning edition only on listeners supported High Plains Public Radio. You've been listening to Morning Edition on High Plains Public Radio Stay tuned for some great music on high plains morning with Jenny and 0 coming up next or for more news tuned to 949 connect to hear N.P.R.'s On point that's 94.9 on your radio if you're in the Amarillo area for the rest of you just go to h.p.r. Dot org Have an awesome day let's do this again soon. The reaction after President Trump announces that all imported steel will carry a 25 percent tariff imported aluminum a 10 percent penalty Marketplace Morning Report is supported by the light with programs to help companies look again and be ready when their i.p.o. Window of opportunity opens dot com slash u.s. Flashy g.c. And by Sony Pictures Classics presenting call me by your name about a young American Summer of romance in Italy starring Armie Hammer Timothy Shallum a and Michael still barred now playing and David Brancaccio in New York the Commerce Department had already outlined the options but the actual announcement of metal tariffs yesterday has roiled markets around the world of this is driven by the risk of retaliation which could erupt into a trade war analysts say big users of metals from breweries with their cans to Toyota with its cars are worried about higher prices cutting into profits are being passed on to consumers a senior European Union official said it will wait until the formal policy is released next week but warned that Europe would have no choice but to respond to u.s. Tariffs and in Asia years Marketplace's Jennifer back in Shanghai one of Korea's largest automaker Pasko says the u.s. Tariffs on steel may cause some damage to the supply and price of the material and that it will lobby the u.s. Government to exclude its materials from the tariff measure Meanwhile Japanese carmaker Toyota says this move will raise its production costs and warn consumers that they will have to pay more for its cars and trucks sold in the u.s. And as for China the country often blamed for dumping its excess supply on the world market and dragging down prices while the impact won't be big here Chinese steel accounts for just 2 percent of u.s. Imports of the material nice in trying with the China Iron and Steel Association has reportedly called this move by President Trump as extremely stupid but listen to the head of the United Steelworkers Union it's insulting to to our members and to. Workers when these you know nuffin economists say well we're going to start a trade where the response is What should we do just keep getting beat up and do nothing or should we respond by using the rules that are there I spoke to Leo Gerard who heads up the Steelworkers Union this morning what we are encouraged the president to do is to bring the cheaters in line we're not necessarily enamored with the broad brush approach we think we ought to go after what euphemistically call the evil doers the words the sanctions announced yesterday cover all aluminum and steel imports from any country not just for instance China and you'd like to see that perhaps a little bit more targeted exactly part of the concern that I have is that if you give everybody the same remedy then those that were cheating are still going to be cheated only there to be will not be subsidized some of these economists who are saying we can't do anything because we'll be in a trade where we're in a trade war now in the last 30 years we do cumulated somewhere between $7.10 trillion dollars of accumulated trade deficits so we're talking to the president not only about steel but getting the trade deficit in line and demanding that aren't really windsurfer we're not anti trade we're just anti trade which eaters that won't play by the rules a longer version of that interview if you missed it on the air that we have marketplace dot org soon to do the numbers and talk to today draw a line between slumping share price of any terrorists the Dow is down 1.3 percent 319 points at and t. 501 percent we've been watching Germany all morning index is down more than 2 percent Georgia lawmakers are just voted to approve a bill that lowers taxes in the state what's now out of that legislation is a tax break that would have benefited Delta Airlines which is headquartered in Atlanta Republican lawmakers dumped a tax break after Delta cut ties with the National Rifle Association Marketplace's Marial. There is here what happened so this tax bill originally included a sales tax exemption for jet fuel it could have saved Delta tens of millions of dollars every year but then after the recent school shooting in Florida Delta was one of several companies that cut ties with the n.r.a. And Republican state lawmakers decided to retaliate they cut the tax break out of the bill Georgia's Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle who heads the state Senate and is running for governor tweeted quote I will kill any tax legislation that benefits Delta unless the company changes this position and fully reinstates its relationship with the n.r.a. All right so the Georgia legislature has approved this revised tax bill but what happens now it heads to the governor's desk that's Governor Nathan Deal a Republican he said he'll sign it but that he also supports the fuel tax break and wants to move ahead with it separately as for Delta It hasn't responded at least publicly but it does have some power in this situation you know it's the state's biggest private employer with about $33000.00 workers it pays hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local taxes and fees every year and it provides a lot of the traffic at Hartsfield Jackson Airport in Atlanta so if Delta moved some of that business elsewhere that would hurt the state by the way Democrats in other states are already trying to woo Virginia governor Ralph Northam tweeted a delta that it and its airline hubs are welcome in the state anytime All right Carol thank you Marketplace Morning Report is supported by the candied of fund working to advance individual dignity and sustainable communities through investments and transformative leaders and ideas learn more at Katie and e e g a fund dot org And by absence the new eco tank 4750 printer comes with up to 2 years of ink in the box for all your business printing needs cartridge free printing with a co tank more information at Epson dot com slash eco tank marketplace the Oscars are Sunday and a.b.c. Has. Sold off all of its ad space with 32nd spots going for upwards of $2000000.00 each but if traditional t.v. Ratings are down why are the slots so dear Marketplace's Erica Barrett has more for a.b.c. This year's Oscars will bring record revenue as t.v. Viewership continues to decline live events like the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards are even more attractive for advertisers because there are so few places these days to aggregate a mass audience on television that's Brian hsien who teaches advertising at Syracuse University this year's audience will be around $30000000.00 people reliably a big night for parties now says advertising professor and Dylan close time bomb from the University of Texas at Austin the urge to tweet and post makes it even more social because once you get people so filled up for these events there seems to be much more special media activity advertisers know that analyst Ashwin the dean says most ads will be 2nd screen campaigns aiming to drive viewers from the t.v. Screen to the screen in their hands brands can tell a story across friens even though the linear audience is down the drain says many after viewers may tune in to see what Hollywood has the same about the need to do an time campaign. For marketplace updating the falling down here down 370 points one and a half. The Marketplace Morning Report from. American Public Media. Coming up. As. Little Milton. On. Friday evening. Insults with the world at home on the.