BONUS POD： Reading, Writing…Failing—Pandemic Fallout Leaves Kids Falling Behind Fast
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Summary
In this episode of The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson, Ben Ferguson and Jack Armstrong talk about the devastating effects of the COVID lockdowns, and how the lack of education reform has affected our children and the future of our country.
Transcript
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Why should you listen to Armstrong and Getty On Demand?
00:00:18.900
And help you figure out this crazy modern world.
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Listen to Armstrong and Getty On Demand on the iHeartRadio app,
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Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Hey, head over to iHeart.com, search Body by Jake Radio,
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The House Republicans on the Oversight Committee have released this report on fraud in Minnesota,
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Do you think that this is just about trying to get at those two figures,
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or do you think that there's actually something that Ellison and Walsh have to say for themselves?
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House Republicans are not serious about rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in the United States of America.
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Because the biggest fraud being perpetrated on the people of this country right now is coming out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
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You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
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It's so nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update, and we've got two big stories for you.
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First up, the damage that was done to America's future with our kids being the ones that had the most to lose during the COVID lockdowns.
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And now we're seeing the disaster of the education system we set up and how it's going to have lasting effects on this country.
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Up next, we have an update, and it's really shocking, about more corruption with UNRWA,
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direct ties to terrorist organizations, and how your tax dollars have been going to pay the salaries of these terrorists.
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But before we get to that, I want to take a moment and ask you to help the people in Israel
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with my friends at the IFCJ working right now on the ground for all those in need.
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From America's Revolutionary War to Israel's fight for survival in 1948,
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both nations have faced moments that tested their courage, yet freedom endured.
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In October of 1985, President Ronald Reagan delivered these remarks about America's commitment to stand with Israel.
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In our talks, we paid special attention to two issues,
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our commitment to Israel's security and well-being,
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and our shared desire to move forward together toward a just and lasting peace between Israel
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and all its Arab neighbors. A strong, secure Israel is a shared interest. As America celebrates
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its 250th anniversary, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews reflects on the friendship
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between the United States and Israel, two democracies built on faith, liberty, and hope.
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Sign up to receive a free USA-Israel flag pin when you go online to flagpinifcj.org.
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It's the 47 Morning Update, and it starts right now.
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There were warning signs when COVID was going on.
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There were warning signs from people that were being silenced as well,
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saying that no one was understanding the harm that was being done to our children academically
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You remember when kids stayed home for a couple of years and were having school over their iPads.
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Well, now we are seeing real data of just how much damage was done to the future of this country
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and our children that should have probably just been held back instead of socially promoted.
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Well, not only was children's well-being a decline during that time,
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but now we're seeing a decline nationwide since the COVID-19 pandemic,
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with children now in 29 states, worse off in 2024 than in 2019,
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according to a new report out from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
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Now, the report comes as families struggle with higher costs for food, housing, and other necessities.
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Advocates warn that cuts to government safety net programs could worsen conditions for children,
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But the research is showing something very different.
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In fact, the research shows that kids who are healthy, safe, fed, educated,
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and surrounded by strong family relationships have a much better chance to thrive
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The foundation's vice president saying this to Axios,
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We know that today's children are tomorrow's workforce,
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And that is directly tied to the well-being of kids today.
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measured children in four different categories,
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economic well-being, then education, then health, and then family and community.
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The national score fell from 553 to 547 from 2019 to 2024.
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In fact, five of the top seven states were in the Northeast,
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while 11 of the 15 lowest ranked states were in the South.
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Still, eight Southern states actually improved, including South Carolina,
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which posted the nation's biggest gain at 38 points.
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The share of children, by the way, living in households burdened by housing costs
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It was the first increase since 2010, according to the data as well.
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And the report revealed sharp declines in health and education scores,
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Child and teen deaths actually rose 8%, so much for Obamacare saving kids' lives.
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Education scores took the biggest hit in any category, plunging from 518 to 417,
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driven by massive declines in reading and math proficiency in 47 different states they said the
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rise in child and teen deaths reflect a youth mental health crisis as well that was a real
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problem during covid some states have moved to put more mental health professionals in schools
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and family and community scores improved from 518 to 608 while economic well-being rose to 551
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all the way up to 557. Now here's the part that's really interesting about this.
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The safety net programs including the temporary 2021 child tax credit expansion may have actually
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helped cushion families but recent Georgetown University data actually showed fewer children
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enrolled in Medicaid and more uninsured even though Obamacare is out there. Raising concerns now
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about what was going to happen in terms of child well-being
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and outcomes for children with a system that is clearly broken
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in a time when we know costs are rising for food and housing and basic necessities.
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but improved by 22 points largely on economic gains.
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Mississippi ranked last overall but saw stronger education results after a 2013 third grade reading law
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and continued funding in schools, teacher training, and early childhood education.
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All of those things obviously are really, really, really, really, really important.
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Now that's positive proof that when we make direct investments in families and children,
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that children then do well. The teen birth rate, by the way, also fell 24%. I'm going to say that
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again. The teen birth rate fell 24% during the study period. It's the direct results of decades
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of investment in trying to ensure that teen pregnancy rates actually decline, the study says.
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Now, you put all this into perspective right now, and here's what we know for a fact. We know that
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COVID and having children stay home not only literally cost kids their lives with mental
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health issues, but it also took away the quality education or even maybe the bare minimum education
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they were receiving. It made it all worse. And now we have a major economic problem on the horizon.
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Too many kids that don't even know how to read going into college. Let me say that again. The
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New data also shows that more kids are going to college without being proficient in reading.
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Welcome to social promotion of our government schools.
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And the fact that we socially promoted countless children all across the country
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is now really coming back to haunt us, and it will haunt us in the workforce as well.
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All because Democrats wanted to shut down the schools
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We now know it's going to have a lifetime of repercussions
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For so many kids that were in our public school systems
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It's time to give you an update on the new UNRWA scandal
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For years, you and I were told that the United Nations Relief and Work Agency
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better known as UNRWA, was a humanitarian organization just helping the Palestinian
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refugees with schools, medical clinics, food assistance, and social services, all things
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obviously that you should be in favor of. Washington then sent billions of dollars of
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your tax dollars to support these, quote, operations. And American taxpayers were also
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assured that these funds were helping innocent civilians and promoting stability in one of the
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world's most volatile regions. Well, over the last several years, a very different picture has emerged
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and now we're seeing just how bad it really was. Investigators have uncovered evidence that many
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of the UNRWA facilities were allegedly being used by terrorists. Yes, by the actual terrorists
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that are killing innocent people weapons were found near schools questions emerged about
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educational materials promoting anti-israel rhetoric then came the shocking allegations
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that some of the unruh employees which then turned into more than some themselves had actually
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participated in the hamas october 7th terrorist attack against the people of israel now comes
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perhaps the most explosive revelation on top of all of that. According to a new investigative
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summary that was released by USAID and the Office of Inspector General, more than 100 current and
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former UNRWA employees have been referred to the U.S. State Department for suspension
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or debarment because investigators have now found clear evidence directly tying them to Hamas
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Now, let me go over this again in a different way.
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You have now proof of more than 100 UNRWA employees who are being paid by our tax dollars
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and are supposed to be doing humanitarian work that are actually straight-up terrorists
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or directly working with terrorists who are killing and planning the October 7th attack.
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Not only that, many of these employees actually participated in the attack
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and the planning of October 7th, and you and I were paying them their salaries.
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Now, if they weren't actually doing their job, then you have to ask yourself another question.
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Just how bad is the actual corruption to know that they're basically being paid to train for a terrorist attack?
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And again, this would be you and I, our tax dollars, going to what we were told was humanitarian aid,
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instead was going to aid and abet and support the training of terrorists to kill innocent Jews.
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This wasn't just one person. It wasn't 10. It wasn't 20. It was more than 100 UNRWA employees.
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And these weren't obscure employees hidden somewhere in the bureaucracy. That's something
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else you need to understand. According to the investigators, those referred included school
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principals, teachers, counselors, medical workers, security personnel, and administrators.
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This is how bad the terrorist control and the terrorist ties are within this area in
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Now, the inspector general's report also lays out allegations that sound almost unbelievable.
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investigators identified a school deputy principal who allegedly served as a Hamas
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military commander. And you and I were helping pay for his salary. Another deputy principal
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allegedly served as a squad leader in a Hamas infantry battalion. Again, that would be a
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terrorist organization. One teacher allegedly worked in Hamas intelligence operations,
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Another allegedly served as a platoon commander for the terrorist organization.
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And one teacher was reportedly identified as a Hamas, well, master sniper.
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That's who our tax dollars were going towards.
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There was also another one that received orders involving anti-tank missiles
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Now, these are not accusations involving political opinions
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or even social media posts these are allegations involving direct participation in a designated
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terrorist organization and in some cases direct involvement in the deadliest terrorist attack
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in israel's history the inspector general says its investigation has now produced referrals
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involving 108 individuals and that additional referrals could also be quote forthcoming
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The report also notes that potential criminal referrals remain possible as investigators continue reviewing the evidence.
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For decades, the United States was one of the largest funders, largest financial backers of UNRWA.
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American taxpayers contributed not millions, but billions of dollars over the years to fund the agency's operations across Gaza.
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and the line that we were sold was, hey, this is no-brainer for America.
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We're helping civilians that would reduce the instability in that part of the world
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and create conditions for peace instead of war.
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But instead, now what we find out is American taxpayers, you and I,
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were actually helping fund an organization that failed to prevent extremists
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from embedding themselves inside of its workforce.
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And in fact, it's pretty clear they were allowing it to happen on purpose.
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Now, the allegations, thank goodness, are fueling outrage on Capitol Hill.
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Many lawmakers have spent years warning that Unruh's oversight mechanisms were inadequate
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and that the agency had become vulnerable to be infiltrated by Hamas.
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Those warnings, by the way, were often dismissed as, you know, political attacks.
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Well, those critics are pointing to the latest investigation and asking a simple question.
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How did individuals connected to Hamas end up working as teachers, principals, counselors, and administrators inside an organization receiving international support?
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How were these individuals able to remain employed while holding positions inside of a terrorist organization at the highest levels?
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And perhaps even more important than that, what safeguards failed or were they purposely not used?
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Now, UNRWA has consistently denied institutional support for Hamas, but their employees, well, they tell a very different story.
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They, of course, point to internal investigations and employee screening efforts.
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The organization has said it takes allegations seriously and has terminated employees when credible evidence emerges.
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The United Nations has also conducted, they claim, investigations into previous allegations involving staff members' ties to terrorism.
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Now, the latest development is different because of the scale, and this is the part that matters.
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The number is no longer a handful of employees.
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And what makes this such a political moment is this.
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The USAID inspector general says these referrals are intended to prevent these individuals.
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from receiving future benefits through U.S.-funded aid programs.
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Now, one former UNRWA school principal previously received a government-wide debarment
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after investigators linked him to Hamas activities directly connected to October the 7th.
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review approximately 1,500 UNRWA personnel and their records,
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That means what I'm telling you right now in this story, well, it's far from over.
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And politically, it arrives at a moment when many Americans are already demanding greater scrutiny
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over how our taxpayer dollars are being spent not overseas, but actually in this country
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Supporters of the foreign aid, of course, they're saying, no, no, no, we've got to keep sending the money.
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Well, why would you send our tax dollars directly to terrorists?
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because that's exactly what we're looking at now.
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And this is also a story about lack of accountability
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or previous administrations deliberately looking the other way,
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like why were so many people in Washington asleep at the wheel on this?
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And it's also a story about whether American taxpayers can really trust our government
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and knowing that billions of dollars were sent overseas
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that are actually reaching the people they claim to be reaching,
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well, instead, no, no, no, it's going to the terrorists.
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Now, the USAID Inspector General's investigation is, quote,
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More referrals are expected, more evidence, they say, is being reviewed.
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And lawmakers in Washington are already signaling that they want real answers.
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Now, one thing is certain, the pressure on UNRWA has never been greater.
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And after this latest bombshell report, the questions surrounding the agency are only getting louder.
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And help you figure out this crazy modern world.
00:21:10.620
Listen to Armstrong and Getty on demand on the iHeartRadio app,
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Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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