← The World and Everything In It
The World and Everything In It
2.11.26 Japan’s conservative landslide, Hong Kong’s sentencing of Jimmy Lai, and museums rethink how to protect priceless treasures
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- [00:06]
Mary Reichert
Good morning. The U.S. and Europe are reacting differently to the Epstein files.
- [00:11]
Hunter Baker
People in power, if they have been implicated in the files and in ways that shock the conscience should be held accountable.
- [00:19]
Lindsay Mast
That's ahead on Washington Wednesday. Hunter Baker is standing by. Also today, world tour and what a heist at the Louvre revealed about museum security.
- [00:29]
Tim Carpenter
They by their design are not meant to be Fort Knox.
- [00:33]
Lindsay Mast
And world commentator Cal Thomas on how the Washington Post lost the trust of Americans.
- [00:47]
Mary Reichert
It's Wednesday, February 11th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Mary Reichert.
- [00:54]
Lindsay Mast
And I'm Lindsay Mast. Good morning.
- [00:58]
Mary Reichert
Up next, Kent Covington has today's news.
- [01:02]
Kent Covington
Congress is up against another deadline to avoid yet another partial government shutdown. Members have just a couple of days to reach a compromise or funding will expire for the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats are demanding changes at DHS after two fatal incidents between federal agents and demonstrators in Minnesota. They want tougher rules for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including requirements for agents to unmask and to obtain warrants in more situations. Committee on Homeland Security will come to order. Immigration officials testified before the House Homeland Security Committee Tuesday. And Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu questioned the professionalism of immigration enforcement agencies.
- [01:40]
Tim Carpenter
And that's because real police officers are trained to de. Escalate, not to escalate. Real police officers wear body cameras and not masks. And real police officers use judicial warrants and don't engage in racial profiling.
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Kent Covington
Republicans say they're on board with some of the proposed changes, such as more body cameras, but say they will not agree to a Democratic partisan wish list. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Democrats want open borders. Democrats want mass amnesty, and they're willing to shut the government down and wreak havoc with the American people to do it. Republicans say ICE is just trying to enforce the law and what agents really need is more protection. Meantime, the House is expected to vote later this week on a bill that would implement new rules that Republicans say are designed to safeguard elections. They call it the Save America Act. It would require voters to show a valid form of identification when casting a ballot in national elections. Democratic leaders oppose the measure, calling it voter suppression. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer the SAVE.
- [02:46]
Hunter Baker
Act would introduce the 21st century equivalent of a democracy that tolerates literacy texts.
- [02:52]
Kent Covington
Schumer even compared the measure to Jim Crow laws. But House Speaker Mike Johnson counters, Americans need an ID to drive, to open a bank account, to buy cold medicine. I mean, to file government assistance. As is noted by the leader, you even need an ID to attend events of most Democrat politicians and even the Democrat National Convention. So why would voting be any different? The House passed a similar measure last year, which Democrats blocked in the Senate. There is at least one Democrat in the Senate who would likely support the bill if it reaches the upper chamber. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
- [03:26]
Tim Carpenter
Me, as a Democrat, I do not believe that it's, it's unreasonable or to.
- [03:32]
Hunter Baker
Show ID just to vote.
- [03:35]
Tim Carpenter
And I remind everybody that less than.
- [03:37]
Hunter Baker
A year ago in Wisconsin, you know.
- [03:40]
Tim Carpenter
They added that to the constitution by.
- [03:42]
Hunter Baker
A 63%, you know, passing.
- [03:46]
Kent Covington
But Republicans face an uphill battle, garnering enough Democratic support to meet the 60 vote threshold needed to avoid a filibuster. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting once again with President Trump in Washington today. World's Benjamin Eicker reports.
- [04:02]
Kristen Flavin
Netanyahu is expected to press President Trump to expand the scope of high stakes nuclear talks with Iran. The negotiations resumed last week against the backdrop of an American military buildup in the Middle East. Trump has threatened military action if Iran doesn't cooperate. Israel has long called for Iran to cease all uranium enrichment, dial back its ballistic missile program, and cut ties with militant groups across the region. Iran has always rejected those demands, saying it would only accept some limits on enrichment in return for sanctions relief. A top Iranian security official was spotted Tuesday in Oman, the country currently mediating talks between Tehran and Washington. For World I'm Benjamin Eicher.
- [04:49]
Kent Covington
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledged to a Senate panel Tuesday that he met twice with the late sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein after Epstein's 2008 conviction. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen pressed the secretary about a visit that Lutnick and his family made to Epstein's private island years after he claimed to have cut ties with Epstein. Did you see anything inappropriate during that visit?
- [05:17]
Hunter Baker
The only thing I saw with my wife and my children and the other couple and their children was staff who worked for Mr. Epstein on that island.
- [05:29]
Kent Covington
Some Democrats are now calling for Lutnick to resign or be fired over his ties to Epstein, but the White House says that is not going to happen. Press Secretary Caroline Levitt Secretary Lutnick remains.
- [05:40]
Kristen Flavin
A very important member of President Trump's team, and the president fully supports the secretary.
- [05:45]
Kent Covington
Secretary Lutnick told senators that his interactions with Epstein were limited and that he never had a close relationship with him. Meantime, in the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's job appears to be safe for now. He has secured a temporary respite after the fallout from the Epstein files threatened his leadership. Some rivals within his Labour Party have been hesitant about possible consequences of a political coup. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said Tuesday that labor lawmakers decided to unite behind Starmer, and that came as the prime minister renewed his vow to remain on the job.
- [06:19]
Hunter Baker
I will never walk away from the mandate I was given to change this country. I will never walk away from the people that I am charged with fighting for.
- [06:29]
Kent Covington
The political crisis stems from Starmer's decision to appoint Epstein friend Peter Mandelson as UK Ambassador to Washing. Starmer has apologized and said that Mandelson had lied about his ties to Epstein. Pakistan's president is warning that the Taliban's government in Afghanistan is once again fostering terrorism, as it did before the 911 attacks. World's Mary Munsey has more.
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Mary Muncie
President Azif Ali Zardari's warning comes after a shite mosque bombing in Islamabad that killed 31 people. ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombing and investigations are ongoing. In a statement, Zardari said the Taliban regime has created conditions similar to or worse than pre 9 11, when terror organizations posed threats to global peace. He added that Pakistan had long maintained terrorism cannot be confronted by any single country in isolation, and he thanked the international community for condemning the mosque attack. Zardari also suggested that India is assisting the Taliban regime, which India denies. For World I'm Mary Muncie.
- [07:45]
Kent Covington
And I'm Kent Covington. Still ahead, Hunter Baker is standing by for Washington Wednesday. And later, what layoffs at the Washington Post Posts say about the public's trust. This is the World and Everything in It.
- [08:19]
Lindsay Mast
It's Wednesday, 11th February. Glad to have you along for today's edition of the World and Everything In It.
- [08:24]
Onize Odua
Good morning.
- [08:25]
Lindsay Mast
I'm Lindsay Mast.
- [08:26]
Mary Reichert
And I'm Mary Reichert. Time now for Washington Wednesday. Over the weekend, Japan's ruling Conservative Party won three quarters of the seats in the lower house of parliament after a snap election. Prime Minister Sanae Takeichi hopes to use that momentum to strengthen the country's military and its ties to the U.S. world's Mary Muncie has more.
- [08:47]
Mary Muncie
The election gave the party its biggest majority since its founding 70 years ago. Soon after, Prime Minister Sanae Takeichi told the Japanese people that she would work to amend the country's pacifist constitution to help them counter China. She says the nation must defend itself with its own hands and that the party will protect the nation's peace and independence. In October, Takaichi became the country's first first female prime minister. She leads the Liberal Democratic Party, or ldp. The LDP is generally conservative, but because of its size, it's home to a wide range of politicians. Takaichi is on the more conservative side. During the race, Takaichi committed to combating rising prices at all costs. So far, that's meant cutting taxes and bolstering relations with the United States and continuing to observe trade deals. Her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, put in place, resigned in September amid scandal and a series of electoral defeats. Takaichi seems to have reversed the party's popularity, partly because of her relatability. She grew up in a middle class family and shares snippets of her life on social media. She's a former heavy metal drummer who's also into motorcycles. She also has a visible work ethic and spends long hours in her office reviewing policy, championing her catchphrase, work, work, work. She says the supermajority in parliament is a big responsibility and she has a renewed sense of resolve to better her country. Reporting for World I'm Mary Muncie.
- [10:45]
Lindsay Mast
Joining us now to talk about that and more is political scientist Hunter Baker. He is a World Opinions contributor. Good morning, Hunter.
- [10:53]
Hunter Baker
Good morning, Hunter.
- [10:54]
Lindsay Mast
Takeichi also has plans for tightening immigration policy, and she has been vocal about opposing policies that she says would weaken traditional family structures. So here's another hardline conservative winning office, much like we've seen throughout South America recently. Can you do some compare and contrast here? Is this part of a trend or is it something else?
- [11:17]
Hunter Baker
So you mentioned that she is against policies that weaken traditional family structures. I think that that alone is a really big deal, specifically because my understanding is that she actually opposes same sex marriage. And so, you know, for a lot of Americans, they think of Japan as the land of the future. And so to hear that this new prime minister with this big majority is sort of a traditionalist when it comes to morality is a big deal. And yes, you're right. I mean, we've seen countries in Latin America going conservative one after the other, and not only going conservative, but having policy victories, you know, improvements in the economy and crime and things like that. So if she can do likewise, and she really has an opportunity here, I mean, she has more than 2/3 of the lower house of parliament in Japan, and that means that her policies are effectively veto proof when it comes to the upper house in Japan. So she's gonna be like Margaret Thatcher was back in the late 70s and 80s. She's going to be a policymaker who can do what she wants to do, but she'll also be accountable for it. From the American Perspective. This is pretty exciting. I mean, we spend a lot of time worrying about Taiwan and what China will do about Taiwan. And here we have a Japanese prime minister who has forthrightly said that she is concerned about China taking some kind of offensive step toward Taiwan and that Japan might do something about it. And when the Chinese kind of reared up against her, she did not back down. So that's very helpful. It gives us sort of another power to act as a check upon China in the region. And plus, you know, they're already a great economic partner. They're also talking about maybe doing away with a pacifist language in their constitution. I think at one time, Americans would have been very worried about something like that, but no longer. I think that we count Japan as a definite friend, and we'd like to see them helping us in the Pacific region.
- [13:37]
Mary Reichert
All right, moving on to a different topic. Fallout from the release of the Epstein files continues in Europe. Now, we've reported that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under fire for appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US Two years ago despite known ties to the convicted sex offender Epstein. And you'll remember Prince Andrew was stripped of his titles last year as allegations mounted against him. In the US Response seems to be more muted. So far, Harvard professor and former Clinton and Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is one of the few to step back from public life after his conversations with Epstein came to light. But yesterday, House lawmakers Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna released the names of six more individuals in the files that may be implicated in Epstein's misdeeds. So, Hunter, I want to ask you, what do you make of the response so far in the US as compared to Europe?
- [14:35]
Hunter Baker
I agree that even though this is kind of an American scandal, or we think of it as an American scandal, with Epstein as an American billionaire, sort of an American fixer, we have seen tremendous impact in Europe. And you're right. I mean, Prince Andrew, or maybe the former Prince Andrew, is one of the biggest examples of somebody who has suffered a tremendous loss of prestige and reputation as a result of it. And you're also right that it has been less of a big deal in the US not because of lack of interest. It's just that I think that we have been a little bit less clear about exactly who is guilty and what they are guilty of. When we look at somebody like Prince Andrew, the accusations were was that he had actually procured an underage woman with Epstein's help. With Americans who have sort of come under scrutiny, that has been less Clear. What the line has typically been is we see people who have maintained a connection with Epstein after he was accused. That seems to be the line that after he was accused, people want you to have broken off from him very clearly to distance yourself from his crimes. And anybody who didn't do that, anybody who maintained correspondence or a lot of communication, like Larry Summers, has been sort of expelled from public life. But we'll see. More may be to come out of those six individuals named by the House lawmakers or who helped to expose those names. Leslie Wexner, the billionaire formerly of L Brands, Victoria's Secret, and other important retail brands, has been named, and he's a big name. I think that he's on the board of Ohio State University. And I think that if we went to Columbus, Ohio, we'd see his name on a number of things there. So he's going to get a lot of scrutiny, and we'll find out what happens.
- [16:33]
Lindsay Mast
Well, Hunter, a story we didn't get to last week was the Trump Accounts Summit. At the end of January, President Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen talked about investing in America's future with seed money in investment accounts for American children.
- [16:48]
Cal Thomas
So, in conclusion, the ultimate success of.
- [16:51]
Hunter Baker
The Trump accounts will be measured not just in the wealth created.
- [16:56]
Cal Thomas
It will be seen in young people.
- [16:57]
Hunter Baker
Buying houses that they could never have even dreamed of buying.
- [17:02]
Cal Thomas
It'll be seen in diplomas earned, companies.
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Hunter Baker
Founded, families formed, and more babies born.
- [17:08]
Lindsay Mast
Now, this comes as young Americans are increasingly not getting married and having children. And apps that let investors play the stock market are growing in popularity, many at the expense of financial literacy. Do you think government incentives like the Trump accounts can do anything to change those trends?
- [17:28]
Hunter Baker
I am extremely hopeful about the Trump accounts. Now, on the one hand, it's a small thing, right? It's $1,000 in an account that grows throughout your life, assuming that you don't take it out. And that's not a lot of money. It's a whole lot less than it used to be. But I think it's a place to begin. I think that the Trump account represents an opportunity to bring all Americans into what we might call the investor class. And I think about when I was in high school, I had a coach who taught an economics class, and he gave all of us a vision and who encouraged us. If you could just invest, you know, just this relatively small amount every year until you were retired, you would retire as a millionaire. And I'll tell you, I think a lot of us did it. I think a lot of us Observe that discipline and, you know, have improved our futures as a result. And I think that that's what I see with the Trump account. You know, the billionaire Michael Dell has already contributed to that account. I think others may take that opportunity. I think family members may take that opportunity. So I think that it will become a bigger thing. I think that it will give young people something to think about and to work on and hopefully help people to appreciate the wealth creation that's possible in a market society.
- [18:52]
Lindsay Mast
Well, Hunter, are you aware of any plans to increase financial literacy or how does that work if you have the money but no financial literacy to go with it?
- [19:03]
Hunter Baker
I don't know that we do have a plan, but hopefully the existence of the Trump account will increase people's interest in the idea of investing and building savings over a significant period. And, you know, we're way past the era where you just put money in a savings account. Interest rates are not that high. But you put it in an index fund like the s and P500 or something like that, and you can see significant growth over a lifetime.
- [19:33]
Mary Reichert
One more question before we go, Hunter. President Trump spoke at last week's National Prayer Breakfast, and he spoke for well over an hour. And he did receive criticism for both the tone and the content of his address. It included personal insults and self aggrandizing. Now, historically, the prayer breakfast has had a much more sober feel to it, but this seems more like just another political event. Do you think that's right? And has that been happening for a while now?
- [20:01]
Hunter Baker
I think it's a big mistake to politicize that event. I think about reading Chuck Colson's memoir, Born Again, and I think about the people who came alongside him, Republican and Democrat, Christian Brothers. And those people were the same sorts of people, the same community of the people who were big supporters of the National Prayer Breakfast. And so the goal was to really avoid political partisanship and instead to build up a sense of community, of brotherhood and sisterhood under God at that event. That now, over the years, there have been some that kind of stand out. For example, in 1973, Senator Mark Hatfield, Republican from Oregon, gave out a pretty hot address about Vietnam. In fact, afterwards, Billy Graham, who had wanted Mark Hatfield to be Nixon's vp, was somewhat apologetic to Nixon for sort of that stinging rebuke of a speech that Hatfield gave at that event back then. But since then, I think about 2012 with Eric Metaxas, I think that he made some sort of strong yet winsome remarks about the sanctity of life for example and biblical sexuality. But then in 2013, Ben Carson, the famed African American surgeon who ultimately became a cabinet secretary, he made some strong comments regarding healthcare policy. So that was a bit of a politicization. But I think that Donald Trump, as he usually does, has been the guy who breaks through the tape. He is sort of the champion politicizer of the prayer breakfast after what happened recently.
- [21:53]
Mary Reichert
Hunter Baker is provost at North Greenville University and a World Opinions contributor. Thanks so much, Hunter.
- [21:59]
Hunter Baker
Thank you.
- [22:13]
Kent Covington
Additional support comes from water's edge, competitive rates and supporting churches 4.55% APY on a 313 month term investment. Watersedge.com invest from the Master's University equipping students for lives of faithfulness to the master Jesus Christ Masters. Edu and from the Joshua Program at St Dunstan's Academy in Virginia, a gap year shaping young men through trades, farming, prayer. Stdunstonsacademy.org.
- [22:55]
Mary Reichert
Coming up next on THE WORLD and Everything in IT World tour with our reporter in Africa, Onize Odua.
- [23:03]
Onize Odua
We start today in Hong Kong where a court has sentenced media tycoon Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison. The 78 year old's charges include conspiring to collude with foreign forces and to publish seditious materials. His sentence is the harshest yet since authorities began cracking down on activists under the controversial national Security law. Lai is a dual British citizen who published a now defunct pro democracy newspaper called Apple Daily. Sebastian Lai, his son, called the sentence devastating.
- [23:37]
Kent Covington
I think it's one of those moments where you kind of have doubt as to whether I'll see my father again. If it's a 20 year sentence, which is comically large given that my father's 78. You know, at that point in 20.
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Kristen Flavin
Years he'll be 100 almost.
- [23:54]
Kent Covington
But in the conditions he's been kept.
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Kristen Flavin
In, I think even a tenth of.
- [23:57]
Kent Covington
That he might not have. He might die before then.
- [24:00]
Onize Odua
He added that President Donald Trump's call for his father's release and additional pressure from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has brought some hope to the family. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said Lai's sentence demonstrated the rule of law, adding that he used the publication to poison citizens minds. Next Nigeria, where one of the deadliest attacks in months happened outside of the conflict hit north terrorists last week killed more than 160 people in an attack that targeted two villages in western Kwara state. Survivors said the attackers went door to door, killing people and setting homes and shops on fire. The carnage lasted about 10 hours. Weeks before the attack residents said one of the village leaders received a letter, likely from Boko Haram, declaring the group's intent to preach in their communities. Taiwo Adebayo is a Nigerian security expert.
- [25:01]
Hunter Baker
Nigeria is in a tidy conflict trap right now.
- [25:05]
Onize Odua
It's so bad that the country is.
- [25:08]
Hunter Baker
Dealing with a mix of actors with.
- [25:11]
Kristen Flavin
A very complex security landscape.
- [25:16]
Onize Odua
Nigeria's insurgency largely began in the north but has increasingly moved southward as terror groups battle for control. Last year, an Al Qaeda affiliate based in neighboring Mali claimed responsibility for another attack in Kwame. It marked the group's first attack in the country. Nigeria has deployed an army battalion to the state. In response, state officials have also imposed curfews and temporarily closed down schools. Over in Cuba, aviation officials have said they no longer have enough fuel for airplanes to refuel. That comes after US President Donald Trump's executive order last month effectively cut the island's access to to fuel. Trump accused Cuba's communist regime of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region with migration. The move would impose tariffs on goods from countries that sell oil to Cuba, which was already facing an energy crisis. On Monday, Mexico halted their oil shipments. Air Canada has suspended flights to the country, while other airlines issued delays and added extra layovers before taxing in the capital city of Havana. The crunch has affected daily life, with many Cubans facing fewer transportation options to get to work. Solanda Ona is a bookseller in Cuba. She says they could always find at least one bus with transport problems in the past, but now there aren't any available. Authorities have reduced the workweek to four days and also cut in person attendance at universities, among other emergency measures. We end in Europe, where U.S. vice President J.D. vance and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan agreed to a civil nuclear energy deal between the two countries. Armenia is seeking to replace the aging Russian built nuclear reactor that supplies a third of the country's electricity. Vance also said the United States is ready to export advanced computer chips and surveillance drones to the former Soviet republic.
- [27:27]
Cal Thomas
Peace is not made by cautious people.
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Kent Covington
Peace is made by people who are.
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Hunter Baker
Focused on the future.
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Onize Odua
In August, Pashinyan visited the White House to sign a commitment to work towards a peace treaty to end decades long territorial conflicts with its neighbor Azerbaijan. On Tuesday, Vance and second lady Usha Vance also laid flowers at the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex in the Armenian capital city of Yerevan. The visit to the Caucasus region country is a first for any sitting US President or vice president. In his remarks, fans noted that Armenia is one of the world's oldest Christian.
- [28:12]
Kent Covington
Countries, a true bedrock of Christian civilization and culture.
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Hunter Baker
As a devout Christian myself, I know the meaning of this country to the.
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Kent Covington
Entire world and to the religion that.
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Hunter Baker
The prime minister and I share.
- [28:26]
Onize Odua
That's this week's World Tour. I'm Onizi Adua in Abuja, Nigeria.
- [28:46]
Mary Reichert
In pro tennis, the cameras follow players everywhere, including when they lose. After a defeat at the Australian Open, Coco Golf tried to find a quiet place away from the court, out of view, but there wasn't one. Cameras caught her on the way to the locker room, venting her frustration by smashing her racket. Footage that quickly went viral. Later, Goff explained why she tried to step away in the first place.
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Kristen Flavin
I don't try to do it on court in front of kids and things like that, but I do know I.
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Hunter Baker
Need to let the frustration out.
- [29:16]
Mary Reichert
World number two, IGA Witek says moments like that raise a bigger question. Are we tennis players or are we.
- [29:22]
Kristen Flavin
Like animals in the zoo?
- [29:24]
Mary Reichert
Witek's point is simple. Zoos have closing hours at modern tennis tournaments. Camera cameras don't. It's the world and everything in it. Today is Wednesday, February 11th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning. I'm Mary Reichard.
- [29:54]
Lindsay Mast
And I'm Lindsay Master. Coming next on the World and everything in it, a heist at the museum. Last October, thieves broke into the Louvre in Paris in less than 10 minutes. They made off with more than $100 million in crown jewels. World reporter Becca Bernhardt dug into this. And Becca, I think for many people, the word heist probably drums up the idea of a movie plot. Maybe Ocean's Eleven or impossible. I mean, heist movies are a specific genre, but really, this sounds like a massive security failure for the Louvre. Why is it that this specific museum is such a target?
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Kristen Flavin
Well, it's the world's largest museum, and it's also famous for being stolen from. The Mona Lisa became a household name because it was swiped in 1911.
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Lindsay Mast
So it's about the prestige.
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Kristen Flavin
Exactly. But here's the twist. Paintings aren't the hot target anymore.
- [30:50]
Lindsay Mast
Why not? I would assume that the Mona Lisa is still the ultimate prize.
- [30:55]
Mary Muncie
You'd think.
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Kristen Flavin
But I spoke with Tim Carpenter. He's the former head of the FBI's Art Crime Team. He said it's hard to find a buyer for a stolen painting, especially one so recognizable like the Mona Lisa. So criminals often end up hiding it for decades and then try to sell it or they'll give up and destroy the painting.
- [31:15]
Lindsay Mast
Okay, so that brings us to last year.
- [31:18]
Kristen Flavin
Right. And the Louvre wasn't the only one robbed. It was one of several museums and most of them were in Europe. And in just about every case, the criminals forced their way in and grabbed as much as they could carry.
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Lindsay Mast
Fascinating. So just really a different approach to it entirely. Well, thank you, Becca. And now for more on the Louvre heist and what the future of security looks like for museums, here's World's Kristen Flavin.
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Kristen Flavin
On the morning of October 19th, an eight minute theft at the Louvre shocked the world. Audio here from CBS New York.
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Lindsay Mast
Surveillance video shows the thieves breaking into.
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Kristen Flavin
Cases where jewels were stored, stuffing them.
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Lindsay Mast
Into their pockets and getting away.
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Onize Odua
The thieves made off with jewels tied.
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Mary Muncie
To 19th century royalty and more.
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Kristen Flavin
The heist made international headlines, but it wasn't very sophisticated. That's according to former FBI agent Tim.
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Tim Carpenter
Carpenter, kind of a brute force attack. This wasn't Mission Impossible.
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Kristen Flavin
The theft didn't have to be Mission Impossible. Carpenter says it's quite common for high profile museums to have mediocre security measures.
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Tim Carpenter
You know, I've seen museums that have a half a billion dollars in paintings hanging in a gallery and without a single camera, exit doors that lead out to the parking lot.
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Kristen Flavin
Some of the rooms at the Louvre had no cameras. Plus the control room didn't have enough monitors. That meant the guards couldn't watch a live feed of the robbery. A 2018 audit flagged the balcony the thieves broke into as a security vulnerability. As recently as 2007, many fine art galleries put marbles behind picture frames as a safety mechanism. If a thief tried to lift a valuable painting off the wall, the marbles would spill onto the floor and alert bystanders of the robbery.
- [33:00]
Hunter Baker
Rather rudimentary and rather inexpensive.
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Kristen Flavin
That's Bill Anderson. He's the president of artguard. His company provides sensor technology used in galleries like Sootheby's and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Anderson says security has gotten better and more. Most museums have moved far beyond marbles. Some use motion triggered alarms and AI powered cameras that can anticipate the warning signs of theft. And although it wasn't enough to deter the criminals, the Louvre did have some measures in place. Alarms sounded when the thieves entered and staff evacuated tourists. But criminals have more effective tactics, too.
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Hunter Baker
The target increasingly is things that can be monetized quickly. So gold and jewels become then the primary target.
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Kristen Flavin
Weeks before criminals broke into the Louvre, a group of thieves stole about $800 million in gold samples from France's Natural History Museum. In late January, thieves stole an entire collection of silver from a Dutch museum Some museums are taking this growing risk seriously. After the Louvre theft, Anderson said he received calls from museum officials around the world asking for security services. But Tim Carpenter believes the majority of museums tend to underestimate their risk.
- [34:16]
Tim Carpenter
So there is an institutional victim mentality like that can't happen here. Well, until it does happen.
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Kristen Flavin
It took a robbery for the Louvre to get serious. Museum leaders said they will spend more than $90 million on security upgrades. Laurence Dakar is the director of the Louvre. She gave testimony to the French Senate after the heist. Here's a translation.
- [34:38]
Mary Reichert
This plan will double the number of.
- [34:39]
Hunter Baker
Cameras within the 37 hectare Louvre domain.
- [34:42]
Onize Odua
It will completely modernize badge access to the museum. It will put in place a new.
- [34:47]
Hunter Baker
System of hypersurveillance in the control positions of the museum.
- [34:51]
Kristen Flavin
For European museums in particular, it's difficult to perform security updates.
- [34:56]
Tim Carpenter
What if it's a historic building like the Louvre and that building itself is several hundred years old? So that means the building is a piece of art. It too has to be treated as part of the collection.
- [35:08]
Kristen Flavin
But even for American museums, there's a threefold tension between showing art, keeping it secure, and the budget it takes to do both.
- [35:16]
Tim Carpenter
They, by their design, are not meant to be Fort Knox. They're not impermeable. They are not intended to be impermeable.
- [35:26]
Kristen Flavin
The Louvre intended for visitors to see crown jewels up close. But the emphasis on public interest cuts both ways.
- [35:33]
Tim Carpenter
When I go to a museum, and I've been to a lot of museums, I want a positive experience. I want to be able to go in and have a personal experience with the artwork in the museum, but I also want them to protect it. That needs to be an equal part of every museum's mission is that fiduciary responsibility to protect and preserve the collection for future generations.
- [35:57]
Kristen Flavin
Carpenter expects thieves will attempt to copy the Louvre heist in coming months.
- [36:01]
Tim Carpenter
You know, as criminal crews see that this is not as complicated a thing to do as they may have thought it was. And there's some chance they can monetize these commodities and steal them.
- [36:13]
Kristen Flavin
Police arrested eight culprits connected with the Louvre case, but authorities have yet to recover the stolen jewels. For world, I'm Kristin Flavin with reporting from Becca Bernhardt.
- [36:47]
Mary Reichert
Good morning. This is the world and everything in it. From listeners supported world radio. I'm Mary Reichardt.
- [36:53]
Lindsay Mast
And I'm Lindsay Mast. For decades, the Washington Post shaped how Americans understood politics and power. Today, its audience is shrinking and so is its influence. World commentator Cal Thomas on what happened and why it matters beyond one storied newsroom.
- [37:13]
Cal Thomas
Unless you work or once worked in journalism, you may not realize how much trouble the Washington Post is in. Publisher Will Lewis recently resigned after owner Jeff Bezos announced a major restructuring of the paper. The entire sports section was shut down. Roughly a third of the staff was laid off, including hundreds of newsroom journalists. This is not an isolated event. It reflects a broader collapse across the newspaper industry. Younger audiences increasingly get their news online, and advertisers have followed them out the door. The Post did not help itself when it declined to endorse Kamala Harris for president, prompting an estimated quarter million subscribers to cancel. That reaction says something about audience expectations and about how narrow the paper's appeal had become. Before anything else, journalism is a business. Consumers will not buy a product they do not want. One problem Bezos appeared to recognize is the Post's long standing ideological tilt, not just on its opinion pages, but in what it covers, how it covers it and sometimes what it ignores. Even the language of its obituaries often reflects a worldview that treats liberals generously and conservatives more skeptically. The answer is not for the Post to become more partisan, but more representative of the country it claims to cover. For decades, the Post lived off its Watergate reputation, but that was 50 years ago. Two generations have grown up since then. The journalists who made the paper famous inspired many young people to enter the profession. But that legacy alone cannot sustain an institution indefinitely. The Post, like much of the media, has ignored or stereotyped a large portion of the country. That vacuum helped give rise to alternative outlets that pursued readers. The Post no longer seemed interested in serving. Some of those outlets struggle financially, too. But they retain loyal audiences and precisely because they know who they are writing for. The result is a crisis of trust. A recent Gallup poll found that barely 3 in 10Americans have even a fair amount of confidence in the media to report the news fully, accurately and fairly. More Americans now say they have no trust at all in the media than say they trust it. This is the only business I know of that appears indifferent to what its customers think. A restaurant that insists on serving food diners do not want will soon be empty. Growing up near Washington, D.C. newspapers were part of daily life in my home. Their journalism helped draw me into this profession. But today, where would a young person who wants to become a journalist apply? Probably not at a place where the front door is opening, mainly for people on the way out. For World I'm Cal Thomas.
- [40:00]
Lindsay Mast
Tomorrow, changes that could roll back recommendations on greenhouse gases and climate change and congressional concerns about Muslim influence on legal matters. We'll have a report that and more tomorrow. I'm Lindsay Mast.
- [40:14]
Mary Reichert
And I'm Mary Reichardt. The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires the Bible records how the chief priests and Pharisees told Pilate, sir, we remember how that imposter said while he was still alive. After three days, I will rise. Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away. And tell the people he has risen from the dead. And the last fraud will be worse than the first verses 63 and 64 of Matthew 27. Go now in grace and piece.