10.21 | The nanosecond disavowal

Lindsay Mast (0:05)

Good morning. Democrats make a plan for how to govern and for those who would serve in a GOP administration.

Nick Eicher (0:12)

That's ahead today on Washington Wednesday, Hunter Baker standing by. Also today, World Tour Israeli elections. We have a report from Tel Aviv. Later, what it takes to confront estrangement and rethink what it means to be a mother.

Deborah Sadodek (0:26)

So it was four years of separation where we both changed and learned how to navigate the new me and the new her.

Nick Eicher (0:34)

And commentary from World's Janie B. Cheaney on obstacles in our past that can trip up our present.

Lindsay Mast (0:46)

It's Wednesday, October 21st. This is The World and Everything In It from listener-supported World Radio.

I'm Lindsay Mast.

Nick Eicher (0:53)

And I'm Nick Eicher. Good morning.

Lindsay Mast (0:58)

Up next, Kent Covington with today's news.

Kent Covington (1:01)

In Ukraine, firefighters battled the blaze in the Kyiv area Tuesday after more Russian missiles and drones struck the region, killing at least four people.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a video conference with US lawmakers, suggested that the Trump administration could be withholding intelligence that would give Ukraine early warning of attacks. And he again said his forces are running low on U.S.-made patriot missile interceptors.

Volodymyr Zelensky (1:30)

We have received no clear explanation from our partners, our strategic partners from Washington, why this is happening. And we also know that unfortunately the Pentagon is delaying the delivery of missiles that our partners have already paid for.

Kent Covington (1:51)

But Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that nothing has changed about America's support for Ukraine.

Marco Rubio (1:57)

It's not because we're denying it. We have our own needs too. We have minimum standards that we have to meet internally in our base presence all over the world.

Kent Covington (2:04)

Rubio said the Patriot air defense missiles take time to make, but he added that the US is working to ramp up production. In the Oval Office Tuesday, President Trump invited Americans to help catch people stealing taxpayer money and offered rewards for useful tips.

SPEAKER_7 (2:21)

Independent journalists and everybody and all Americans will now be able to go to the fraud.gov and report cases of corruption and theft of taxpayer dollars in their communities.

Kent Covington (2:33)

Vice President JD. Vance joined him for the announcement. Vance leads the administration's anti-fraud task force. The Treasury Department is putting $25 million into the new reward program, which the Department of Justice will run.

SPEAKER_7 (2:46)

If you turn somebody in and you, let's say, report and you find a billion dollars, we are giving a commission to that person of 1 percent. It's a lot of money.

Kent Covington (3:01)

The Justice Department published rules that allow an initial reward of up to $30,000 after criminal charges are filed, and larger rewards may be available through other whistleblower programs. To qualify, tipsters must provide new information that is not already public. President Trump said he will personally decide if tips are worthy of rewards.

Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has not appeared in public in more than a week as federal investigators look into allegations of immigration fraud. World's Harrison Waters reports from Washington.

Harrison Waters (3:35)

Investigators are sorting through evidence they seized during a raid of the Democratic Congresswoman's home in Washington. They hauled off boxes of evidence, including her phone and a DNA sample. They have also subpoenaed several family members and interviewed Omar's sister, Sara Noor.

Prosecutors have not yet charged Omar with a crime, but immigration officials say investigators suspect, among other things, that Omar may have lied about her age when she became a US citizen. Omar and her family came to the US from Somalia as refugees in the 1990s.

Omar's legal team says there's no legitimate basis for the investigation. A separate probe is analyzing her finances. The Justice Department typically holds off on investigating political candidates so close to an election, but in this case, a federal judge signed off on the warrant. Reporting for World, I'm Harrison Waters in Washington.

Kent Covington (4:30)

Harris, police say curfews have helped to bring calm after a weekend of riots and looting. Authorities extended the overnight restrictions Tuesday in two areas of the city, saying they will remain in place as long as needed.

Meantime, workers in Paris have been clearing debris and scrubbing graffiti off of monuments. One Paris resident said she doesn't understand why some seem to want to tear down the city.

SPEAKER_9 (4:54)

I came to live in Paris when I was 19, so it was in 1980, and for me it's a blessing to live in Paris. It's horrible for all reasons because I don't understand violence anyway.