Biden lifts ban on Ukraine using US weapons to strike deep inside Russia | The Excerpt
On Monday's episode of The Excerpt podcast: The Biden administration will allow Ukraine to use U.S. weapons to strike deep inside Russian territory. Paste BN White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers discusses how world leaders are approaching the transition from Biden to Trump. As President-elect Donald Trump retakes the White House, climate-change experts are preparing for another fight. Paste BN Congress, Campaigns and Democracy Reporter Sudiksha Kochi talks about how Donald Trump could still face some pushback from members of his own party, despite GOP trifecta control in Washington. Forensic science failures persist as labs fail to adopt standards.
Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
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Taylor Wilson:
Good morning, I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Monday, November 18th, 2024. This is the The Excerpt. Today, Biden lifts the ban on Ukraine using weapons to strike deep into Russian territory, plus how world leaders are approaching the transition from Biden to Trump and how Trump could face some pushback from within the GOP on Capitol Hill despite Republican's trifecta control.
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The Biden administration has lifted restrictions that had blocked Ukraine from using US provided weapons to strike deep into Russian territory, that's according to a Reuters report citing three sources familiar with the matter. The move marks a change to US policy in the conflict. "Ukraine plans to conduct its first long range attacks in the coming days," the sources said, "without revealing details due to operational security concerns." The move comes after months of requests by Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to allow Ukraine's military to use US weapons to hit Russian military targets far from its own border and after Russia's deployment of North Korean ground troops to supplement its own forces.
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President Joe Biden will make his final appearance at the Group of 20 Summit this week in Brazil, as world leaders shift their attention from Biden back to President-elect Donald Trump. I spoke with Paste BN White House correspondent, Francesca Chambers, for more on how leaders around the world are bidding farewell to Biden and getting set to approach a new Trump era. Francesca, always happy to have you on, thanks for making the time.
Francesca Chambers:
Thank you so much.
Taylor Wilson:
So just starting here, Francesca, really who are some of the world leaders who have kind of rushed to reach out to Trump in the week since his election victory?
Francesca Chambers:
Oh my gosh, Taylor, who hasn't rushed to reach out to Trump? Might be a shorter list, more than 80 leaders in the very first few days after Trump won the US election called him on the phone, and some of the first ones who got in touch with him were the Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, as well as Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Then of course you saw European leaders who were close behind, you had France's Emmanuel Macron, you also had Keir Starmer, who is the prime minister of the UK. So many world leaders trying to talk to him, and by the way, several world leaders who've also asked for meetings with him already.
Taylor Wilson:
Interesting. And he did already have one or two of those meetings correct, Francesca?
Francesca Chambers:
He already met with the Argentine president, Javier Milei. So that happened at Mar-a-Lago, Milei was going to be there for a conservative conference already, but he spoke at a gala at Mar-a-Lago that Trump was also at, and the two leaders took turns praising each other. Taylor, it's important to know that Milei is one of the leaders who has been elected since Donald Trump first held office. He was inaugurated about a year ago, and he has been compared to Trump for his views, his conservatism, and also because he has cut government jobs and he's really tried to tamp down inflation in his country. So this could be more robust alliance with Argentina than you've seen under the previous administration.
Taylor Wilson:
Well, Francesca, you're right that many do appear to be taking a different approach to the previous Trump term in office. What else are you hearing also?
Francesca Chambers:
The way that it's been different, Taylor, is that they were slow to embrace Donald Trump the first time around, but this time leaders are more prepared, dating back to the NATO Summit over the summer when Joe Biden, you might recall, just before that had faced off against Donald Trump in the debate, it didn't go so well for him and then he ended up dropping out of the presidential race a short time after. So they were already prepared heading into that Washington summit for a situation in which Donald Trump could wind up being president again. They have had months since the NATO Summit to begin preparations for what a Trump administration could look like. That could include slapping tariffs on both Europe and on China, as well as Trump pulling back from some key alliances. He said that he wants Europe to pay more for Ukraine's defense, and there have been some questions about how robust his support would be for the NATO Alliance.
Taylor Wilson:
Francesca, can you help us understand this transition period we're now in from Biden to Trump? The US has this long stretch of time every four years, it's kind of unique compared to the rest of the world in that way. I'm curious, how do world leaders navigate now balancing relationships with the current Biden administration and the incoming Trump team?
Francesca Chambers:
Taylor, as you noted, there's a months long stretch where there is only one President of the United States, and that is Joe Biden, but there is also a President-elect, and that is now Donald Trump. So you've seen some world leaders in the same exact week meet with Joe Biden, but then also seek those meetings with Donald Trump. At the White House last week, you saw the Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto, meet with Joe Biden. He is a G20 leader. You saw the Japanese Prime Minister do the same thing, meet with Joe Biden at APEC, while at the same time ask for a meeting with Donald Trump. So some leaders have tried to split the difference here.
Taylor Wilson:
So Francesca, as for Donald Trump himself, what are some of the early signals from him about how he'll approach these relationships we've been talking about around the world?
Francesca Chambers:
Well, you can look at some of the picks that he's made for foreign policy, both for his cabinet and his White House, and their backgrounds as well as their views on foreign policy to draw some potential conclusions about what he might try to do when he is in office. Look at Marco Rubio, his Secretary of State pick. Now Marco Rubio is also someone who in the last year has pulled back on his support for Ukraine when it comes to the US sending military assistance. He has said that the US should be worried about its own borders, and when asked earlier in the week about how Donald Trump would solve the war between Russia and Ukraine, he said that that would be up to Donald Trump. Trump notably has said that he would solve it one day, maybe even before he gets into office, but has said little else about how he plans to get it done. So embassies, foreign governments, even the sitting administration is looking to Donald Trump's picks to try and figure out what stances he might end up taking.
Taylor Wilson:
All right, should be an interesting next few weeks. Francesca Chambers, White House correspondent with Paste BN. Francesca, I always appreciate your time, thanks so much.
Francesca Chambers:
Thanks so much, Taylor.
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Taylor Wilson:
As Donald Trump retakes the White House, climate change experts are preparing for another four-year fight. They'll face a presidency that's widely expected to downplay the risks of a warming world and will look to democratic governors and mayors to again pick up the fight along with environmental nonprofits. During his first term, Trump prioritized oil and gas development and softened efforts to fight climate change, including withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accords. He has promised to again prioritize the nation's economy over fighting climate change. Last summer was the hottest since people began taking instrument readings in the 1800s and tree-ring studies show it was the hottest in at least 2000 years. Climate experts say extreme heat alone causes thousands of deaths annually in the United States, on top of the billions of dollars in damage caused by climate change-strengthened hurricanes and wildfires. In his election day victory speech, Trump said, "We have more liquid gold than any country in the world." Highlighting his plans for more oil and gas extraction, which he argues will bring prices down at the gas pump and grocery store.
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Trump announced that he would name former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin to run the Environmental Protection Agency. In announcing the appointment, he said that Zeldin will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions in a way to bring power to American businesses while also maintaining environmental standards, including what he called, "The cleanest air and water on the planet." You can read more with with the link in today's show notes. Even amid a unified GOP government, Trump will have to face some intra-party detractors when he begins his second term in January. I spoke with Paste BN Congress, Campaigns, and Democracy reporter, Sudiksha Kochi, for more. Hello, Sudiksha, thanks for joining me today.
Sudiksha Kochi:
Thank you so much for having me.
Taylor Wilson:
So as you wrote, Sudiksha, Trump could get some pushback from members of his own party, even with this trifecta control in Washington. Let's start with folks at either end of the GOP political spectrum in the house. Who are some of the figures we're really thinking about?
Sudiksha Kochi:
In terms of moderates, the figures that we're really thinking about are vulnerable house Republicans who won in tight races this year. So we're looking at Don Bacon of Nebraska, Michael Lawler of New York and, David Valadeo of California, who were actually very critical to the Republican Party retaining control of the house this year. We're seeing that these lawmakers will probably take a more moderate policy approach against Trump's more partisan agenda as they eye the 2026 midterm elections when all the house seats are up for reelection. And so going down the list, in terms of Bacon, he previously drew Trump's anger after voting in support of President Joe Biden's 1.2 trillion Infrastructure Bill in 2021, and he's also criticized Trump for the January 6th, 2021 Capitol attack, so he could definitely be jousting with Trump on those issues.
In terms of Lawler, he told me that when he agrees with the president, he'll say, if he disagrees on something, he'll say that too, so he does look like he will push back against Trump on some ideas. These lawmakers are really calling for bipartisanship, and so Lawler in particular did knock his party last year for derailing a funding plan to avoid a government shutdown, and so these moderate lawmakers will definitely be looking for more of that, especially as Trump brings in his more partisan agenda. On the ultra conservative side, the person that we're really looking at is Chip Roy. And so Roy actually campaigned for Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, during the 2024 presidential primaries, and during that time, he actually bashed Trump for failing to secure the border in his first term.
When I spoke with Roy, he said that he's going to agree with the president nine times out of 10. I will note with Chip Roy, it's interesting because he was one of the few conservative firebrands who voted to certify the 2020 election, and so I think Trump will definitely be facing some opposition from him. The other person that we're really looking at is Representative Thomas Massie, who also campaigned for Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, during the primaries, and he also knocked how speaker Mike Johnson's foreign policy and labeled him a neocon, even after Trump had endorsed him. So we will definitely be expecting pushback from Chip Roy and Thomas Massie on the ultra conservative side.
Taylor Wilson:
As for the Senate, there are clearly already some major Republican voices who haven't always cozied up to Trump there. Who are we talking about on this chamber, Sudiksha? Largely speaking, do we expect the Senate's GOP arm to cooperate with the Trump agenda?
Sudiksha Kochi:
We will see pushback, I think, from the Senate, especially as it's a very fertile ground for conflict. I think with senators, they typically have the final say in a lot of things, especially as Trump is choosing a lot of these house members and others for cabinet positions. What's interesting is that Tom Tillis, who is up for re-election in 2026, he is a Trump supporter, but when Trump had selected Matt Gaetz, who's a Florida representative, as Attorney General, he did not immediately agree to confirm Gaetz, and so that was pretty interesting.
The other people that we expect pushback from is Susan Collins. She actually voted to convict Trump in his 2021 impeachment trial in the Senate, and she also refused to endorse his presidential bids. And what's interesting about her is that she could potentially head the Senate Appropriations Committee and she could slow or stop many of the funding demands that Trump has. The other people that were really eyeing here are Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and then Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana who have also been very outspoken on Trump. They've previously knocked his anti-immigration rhetoric, and Murkowski in particular has expressed very strong support for codifying Roe V. Wade, which directly clashes with Trump's view that abortion should be left up to the states. I think a majority of Republican senators will probably cooperate with Trump, but we will expect to see pushback from these particular senators, and even some that are up for reelection in the 2026 midterm elections.
Taylor Wilson:
All right, Sudiksha Kochi covers Congress, Campaigns, and Democracy for Paste BN. Thank you, Sudiksha.
Sudiksha Kochi:
Thank you, Taylor.
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Taylor Wilson:
It's been 15 years since a scathing report blasted the practices at forensic labs across the country, including shoddy analysis of bite marks and blood splatter, and five years since federal researchers began issuing new standards designed to make forensic science more reliable. But only half of the more than 400 largest crime labs across the country have publicly adopted the standards. Experts say many labs are short-staffed and cash strapped, in some cases, receiving only hundreds of dollars to complete tests that can cost thousands, such as analyses of rape kits or firearms. Some may have adopted standards but have not said so publicly because they fear being held accountable for them in court. Lab results are a crucial piece of evidence in criminal cases, and falling short would undermine their credibility, potentially jeopardizing justice and public safety.
Beyond that, many labs are connected to law enforcement agencies, which experts say leads to bias and pressure to churn out results that solve cases quickly rather than follow national standards federal researchers have developed, but shortcuts and errors in forensic science can have life or death consequences. Research has found that when the wrong person is put behind bars, the real perpetrator often goes on to commit more crimes. That's according to Kate Judson, Executive Director of the Center for Integrity in Forensic Sciences. In one study in North Carolina, six perpetrators went on to commit 99 crimes while the wrong people sat in jail.
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Thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio, and if you're on a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson, and I'll be back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from Paste BN.