Latest news with #TheWashingtonPost
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Who is Thomas Pham LeGro and what did Washington Post editor do? Details on pornography charges
Thomas Pham LeGro, an award-winning journalist with The Washington Post, was charged Friday with possession of child pornography, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. Washington Post editor Thomas Pham LeGro is facing child pornography charges(X) The 48-year-old journalist was the subject of an FBI investigation, which led to the execution of a search warrant at his home on June 26. During the search, federal agents seized several electronic devices. 'A review of LeGro's work laptop revealed a folder that contained 11 videos depicting child sexual abuse material,' the press release stated. 'During the execution of the search warrant agents observed what appeared to be fractured pieces of a hard drive in the hallway outside the room where LeGro's work laptop was found.' Read More: Donald Trump says terminating trade talks with Canada over digital services tax, warns of new tariff 'This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking,' it added. Who is Thomas Pham LeGro? According to Fox5DC,Thomas Pham LeGro joined The Washington Post in 2013 as a video editor on the breaking news desk. By 2015, he had been promoted to senior producer, overseeing the International, Style, and Technology teams. In 2017, LeGro was part of the Post team that received a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Senate candidacy of Roy Moore. In 2021, he was named executive producer, leading the outlet's Politics, National, International, and Technology video teams. His accolades include a Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting in 2018 (as part of a team) and an Edward R. Murrow Award for investigative journalism.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New study uncovers big banks' alarming practices that could be harmful to homeowners: 'It's quite concerning'
Big banks are issuing fewer mortgages in wildfire-prone areas in California, which could make it harder for prospective buyers to afford homes. As The Washington Post reported, the shifting climate is contributing to larger and more frequent fires in the Golden State, prompting traditional lenders to hesitate in approving home loans, and some are pulling out of the market altogether. However, online or "fintech" lenders have moved in to fill the void, offering more attractive loan terms to borrowers in areas with high fire hazard severity. While online lending platforms give homebuyers more options, experts worry that the trend could be disastrous if too many residents default on their loans after a fire or other natural disaster. Tyler Haupert, an assistant professor of urban studies at NYU Shanghai, told the Post that the practice "could cause losses for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored mortgage giants whose debts are guaranteed by taxpayers." Meanwhile, if home insurance is more expensive and harder to obtain, it could discourage homeownership in high-risk areas. Parinitha Sastry, an assistant professor of finance at Columbia Business School, said that big banks are increasingly incorporating insurance into their climate risk management strategies. "But if you look at the actual trends on the ground with insurance markets, it's quite concerning." As the warming planet contributes to more extreme weather events in vulnerable places, such as California, big banks are becoming more cautious about extending home loans to borrowers, as the risk of defaults increases substantially. Across the globe, major disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and fires have caused significant damage to properties, making it more expensive to repair them and causing insurance companies to raise premiums. In places like California, where properties and insurance rates are already expensive, the shifting climate is making homeownership unaffordable for many. Those who can afford it may have to settle for costly insurance policies, or last resort options such as the California FAIR Plan, which is less expensive but only covers the basics. Do you think America is in a housing crisis? Definitely Not sure No way Only in some cities Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Online lenders are another option, but Haupert said that "he fears these companies' willingness to lend in areas with high wildfire risk could have far-reaching effects on the housing market." While government-backed mortgage giants have plenty of resources at their disposal to weather climate shocks, the system is under increasing strain on multiple fronts. As insurers exit markets that they've deemed too risky to continue operating in, or increase rates to offset losses, homebuyers are more likely to default on home loans, according to a study by S&P Global. California lawmakers are employing catastrophe models that can gauge wildfire risks and estimate costs of potential disasters, which could make it easier for insurers to manage risks. The state has also implemented measures designed to protect homeowners in wildfire-prone areas by requiring insurance providers to write a certain percentage of policies in these areas. Some city councils have also proposed fire prevention regulations — such as requiring homeowners to clear debris near their properties and create firebreaks — that could keep homes from burning down in wildfires. This can lead to lower premiums and more affordable insurance. If you live in a high-risk area, it's a good idea to keep tabs on the specific climate issues that may impact your city or town. By staying one step ahead, you can make smart choices to mitigate potential hazards and keep you and your property safe. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump reportedly considering new Africa travel restrictions
The Trump administration is reportedly considering extending its travel restrictions to 25 more African countries. The expansion would include Africa's most populous country, Nigeria, as well as other large nations including DR Congo, Egypt, and Ethiopia. Angola, which US President Donald Trump's predecessor Joe Biden visited in December, is also on the new list, according to The Washington Post and The New York Times. US concerns about the listed countries range from doubts about government competence in issuing authentic identity documents, to anti-semitism, and visa overstays. Country-specific data from a 2023 Department of Homeland Security report, cited by the White House when announcing its restrictions, showed around 400 people from Chad overstayed — 49.5% of visitors from the country that year. And 200 from Equatorial Guinea (21.9%) did the same. But this compares to 20,000 overstays from Spain, at a rate of 2.4%, and 15,000 from the UK (0.4%). An affected country could gain a reprieve by agreeing a deal with the US to be a 'safe third country' to receive deported citizens from another nation, the Times reports.
Washington Post
15 hours ago
- Business
- Washington Post
D.C. Housing Authority reaches $20,000 settlement with former agency head
After a year-long legal fight, the D.C. Housing Authority has agreed to pay its former executive director Brenda Donald $20,000 to settle a lone breach-of-contract claim left standing after a judge dismissed all of her other allegations surrounding her decision to leave that position. In exchange, she has agreed not to disparage an agency long criticized over its performance serving some of the city's neediest residents, according to the settlement agreement, which The Washington Post obtained this week through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Washington Post
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
How Iranian threats to Trump and his aides shaped the 2024 campaign
Iran nearly succeeded in orchestrating an assassination of former secretary of state Mike Pompeo at a European hotel in 2022, and then-candidate Donald Trump and his campaign were told by intelligence officials last September that the longtime U.S. foe had recruited hit men who were active at the time on American soil, according to a forthcoming book about the 2024 presidential campaign. Security threats to Trump and his aides dramatically changed their practices and worldview on the trail, according to an account obtained by The Washington Post from '2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America,' by Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf. The book is scheduled to publish next month. Much of the changes stemmed from the two assassination attempts that Trump survived during the final months of the campaign. But threats from Iran in particular appear to have imbued the candidate and his aides with a level of fear and anxiety that informed their thinking every day and prompted major changes to Trump's schedule and movements, according to the book. Authorities have investigated whether either of the men in the attempted assassinations have ties to Iran but so far have not revealed a connection. The details add new context to the president's decision last weekend to authorize a bombing mission to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities, although it is not yet known how much these events factored into Trump's decision. The threats described in the book were not limited to Iran. And the book ends with Trump's inauguration in January, so it does not capture the possibility of any ongoing threats. Iranian hit men tried to assassinate U.S. officials at least three times in the three years preceding Trump's election, as his campaign for president ramped up. Two of those attempts have been widely reported, but the incident involving Pompeo in Paris has not previously been disclosed. Also new is the account in the book that U.S. intelligence officials told Trump's team in September of last year that Iran had recruited hit teams that remained active inside the country. In 2022, Iranians learned of the Paris hotel where Pompeo was staying and tried to assassinate him. He narrowly escaped, the book says, but it provides no other details. The book's reporting is based on interviews with hundreds of people including senior campaign, White House and law enforcement officials as well as contemporaneous notes, emails, calendar entries and recordings. The threat to Pompeo adds new perspective to Trump's decision in January to revoke security protection for him, former national security adviser John Bolton and another top aide who were facing threats from Iran, which the New York Times reported at the time. The president said, 'when you have protection, you can't have it for the rest of your life.' Asked Thursday if the president is considering reinstating security protection for former officials including Pompeo given heightened tension with Iran, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, 'That's not under consideration right now.' A spokesman for Pompeo declined to comment for this story. In his book published in 2023, 'Never Give an Inch,' Pompeo wrote that a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps charged with plotting to assassinate Bolton also sought to hire a contract assassin to kill Pompeo for $1 million. Pompeo wrote that the plan was not 'hapless,' and that 'would-be attackers had cased homes and offices' as part of their preparations. 'This threat is but one of many that my family and I have experienced since leaving office,' he wrote. 'While details must be omitted here, other Americans — some former Trump administration officials, some senior American military leaders, and some ordinary Americans — remain on the Iranian kill list. Most disturbingly for us and our families, Iran's assassination campaigns have no expiration date.' Trump had taken an aggressive stance toward Iran during his first term. He withdrew from an agreement with other Western nations in which Iran had pledged to eliminate or reduce aspects of its nuclear program. He reimposed economic sanctions. And he ordered a military operation that killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, prompting multiple Iranian attempts at vengeance starting with a flurry of missile strikes and later escalating to assassination plots, including the one that targeted Pompeo. Previously reported attacks on U.S. soil have been linked to Iran, including an incident in 2022 in which a hit man tasked with killing an Iranian dissident got as far as her front door in Brooklyn with an assault rifle. That same year, U.S. authorities arrested the Revolutionary Guard member on charges of plotting to assassinate Bolton. Two years later, the day before Trump was shot at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, authorities arrested a Pakistani man who was planning to assassinate an unidentified American politician on Iran's behalf. In addition, The Washington Post previously reported that Iran has cultivated relationships with criminal networks in the West to carry out its attacks, including hiring two members of Hells Angels biker gangs in a plot against a former Iranian military officer living under an assumed identity in Maryland. In the aftermath of last weekend's bombing campaign, U.S. and other Western security officials have said they expected Iran or its proxies to respond similarly or perhaps with even more force than it did after Soleimani's death. Iran was only one of many sources of threats to Trump's safety through 2024. But together, these threats changed the way his campaign functioned, according to the book. Security officials effectively transformed Mar-a-Lago, Trump's home and private club in Palm Beach, Florida, into an armed camp. They persuaded Trump to travel in a decoy plane owned by Steve Witkoff, a real estate investor who is now his special envoy to the Middle East. Trump switched planes for one trip after Secret Service agents grew especially concerned about his jet, which could be vulnerable to surface-to-air missiles with fewer defensive systems than Air Force One, the book says. That day, his campaign staff boarded the plane and waited for him to join. Instead, the door shut, and Chris LaCivita, one of the campaign managers, explained what was happening, the book says. The book then recounts the following dialogue: 'The boss isn't flying with us today,' LaCivita said. 'So we're the bait?' one staffer said. LaCivita said no, but he stressed the importance of making more unexpected moves. 'Right now,' he said, 'we're too predictable.' On the other days, when Trump did travel in his own jet, Secret Service agents started flying decoy planes and driving down the runway behind him as he took off, extra precautions in case someone were to shoot at the jet. Trump's team began meeting at Mar-a-Lago for security sweeps instead of converging at the airport. One time, an agent yelled at staff as they boarded: 'Get on the plane as fast as you can! Keep your head down!' The agents, the aides later learned, were worried about snipers and missiles. Even still, Trump was the target of two assassination attempts — one at the July 13 rally in Butler, in which a bullet grazed the candidate's right ear, and the other on Sept. 15 in West Palm Beach, Florida, where authorities arrested a man who had pointed a rifle at a golf course where Trump was playing, leaving a note saying he had intended to kill him. Authorities have not linked the incidents to Iran, but the investigations remain open. Some of the Trump campaign's worries about Iran and other actors were previously reported by Axios. The new book offers additional details about internal reactions and steps taken. As Trump's campaign continued, threats to his safety became omnipresent, the book says. When Trump visited the southern border, local police searched the desert for a man who threatened him on social media. Another time, agents stepped in when an inebriated man stumbled toward Trump on the patio of Mar-a-Lago. Authorities warned Trump's team about poison and drones. They told Trump to avoid touching phones while taking selfies with supporters in case adversaries used them to expose him to chemical weapons. He greeted fans less frequently at airport rope lines. Once, while leaving a rally on Long Island, the Secret Service told campaign managers LaCivita and Susie Wiles, now the White House chief of staff, that they were on alert for someone trying to shoot at the motorcade. 'I wish I had my f---ing rifle,' the book describes LaCivita as saying in the car. 'Give me my M4.' Wiles reclined her seat all the way back, away from the windows. Another time, on a trip to a farmers market in western Pennsylvania, Wiles got a call from the Secret Service saying there was an unknown drone overhead, following them down country roads an hour southeast of Pittsburgh, and they couldn't shake it. Wiles thought to herself, 'This is it,' according to the book. The drone continued to follow them but never did anything. As the threats mounted, Trump reduced his tendency to do what he wanted regardless of safety risks, becoming more deferential to his security team. When he spoke at a bitcoin conference in Nashville, someone got past the security screening and disappeared into the crowd. Trump, delayed for more than an hour, repeatedly asked the agents for an update. When an agent told him that they were still clearing the area, he nodded and said, 'I'm going to listen to my guys,' the book says. The book describes a previously unreported scene in which people close to the campaign spoke with Erik Prince, the founder of military contractor Blackwater, who suggested asking for protection from Delta Force commandos, a covert U.S. Army Special Operations unit. Then, on Sept. 24 of last year, national security officials briefed Trump at Mar-a-Lago that Iran had multiple hit teams inside the country. As previously reported, U.S. authorities arrested an 'Iranian asset' six weeks later, in November 2024, claiming that the suspect had been tasked by the Iranians with 'surveilling and plotting to assassinate President-Elect Donald J. Trump.' It is not clear if that arrest was related to the security threats Trump was briefed on in September. There have been no subsequent arrests of hired gunmen accused of stalking the candidate on behalf of Iran. What is clear is that Iran weighed heavily on Trump's mind, according to the book. He asked multiple times if Iran was connected to the gunmen in Butler and West Palm Beach and grew increasingly frustrated with the acting director of the Secret Service, Ronald L. Rowe Jr., when he felt like he would not answer his questions. Wiles, LaCivita and a spokesperson for Witkoff declined to comment for this story. Rowe could not immediately be reached for comment. Trump's team began discussing how excited they would be to fire Rowe as their concern grew that they and Trump were in peril. Trump replaced Rowe in February. 'The apparent reluctance of our own government to address this situation immediately and with grave seriousness is concerning, to say the least,' Wiles wrote in an Oct. 2 email obtained by the authors. She also asked for a plane equipped with defensive countermeasures, such as one of the Air Force's Boeing 757s typically used to transport senior U.S. officials. She never got them. So Trump and his team took their own precautions. Trump had a chemical weapons detection device installed in his office. At Mar-a-Lago, a bomb-detecting robot roamed the lawn. James Blair, campaign political director and now White House deputy chief of staff, borrowed an armored vest from a friend in the military and stored it under his desk. Some campaign staff brought guns to the office. The Republican National Committee stationed armed guards outside LaCivita's house in Virginia for the last several months of the campaign after he received three death threats. The security concerns became so central that Trump's team worried that he would be in a worse mood and self-sabotage more often because it became harder for him to play golf. By the end of the campaign, Trump felt the election had become bigger than his political victory. It was also about his survival. 'I have to win,' the book recounts him telling a visitor at Mar-a-Lago, newly fortified by Secret Service, reporting from the book shows. 'Stay alive and win. Because if I don't, we are f----ed.' Clara Ence Morse contributed to this report. Dawsey, Pager and Arnsdorf, the authors of the book, '2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America,' are current or former Washington Post reporters.
