Judge Orders $16B Hudson Tunnel Funding and Russian General Wounded

[00:00] Oliver Grant: From Neural Newscast, I'm Oliver Grant. [00:03] Peter Rowan: And I'm Peter Rowan. [00:05] Oliver Grant: Today, a federal judge blocks the Trump administration from freezing $16 billion for the Hudson Tunnel Project. [00:14] Peter Rowan: And a high-ranking Russian general is shot in Moscow as the Department of Justice faces backlash over exposed Epstein victim files. [00:25] Oliver Grant: U.S. District Judge Jeanette Vargas ordered the immediate restoration of federal funding for the massive rail project connecting New York and New Jersey. [00:35] Oliver Grant: The ruling prevents a total construction halt that was scheduled for Friday afternoon after [00:41] Oliver Grant: the administration cited spending concerns. [00:44] Oliver Grant: The administration initially halted the $16 billion by pointing to diversity and equity [00:51] Oliver Grant: principles within the project framework. [00:54] Oliver Grant: This decision created significant friction between federal and state transportation authorities. [01:01] Oliver Grant: State officials argued that stopping now would cause a safety threat and the permanent loss of 1,000 specialized construction jobs across the region. [01:12] Oliver Grant: There is also a political layer here. [01:15] Oliver Grant: Reports suggest the freeze was meant to pressure Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer regarding separate legislative priorities. [01:24] Oliver Grant: Schumer denied claims that he offered to rename Penn Station after the president in exchange for the tunnel funds. [01:32] Oliver Grant: The judge's order effectively bypasses those negotiations for now. [01:37] Oliver Grant: Turning now to Russia, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev is in serious condition after being shot multiple times in a residential Moscow district. [01:48] Peter Rowan: Alexeyev serves as the number two official in the GRU military intelligence and has been a central figure in recent peace talks. [01:57] Peter Rowan: His influence within the Kremlin is substantial. [02:00] Oliver Grant: He was previously sanctioned by the West for his role in the Salisbury nerve agent attack [02:06] Oliver Grant: and recently oversaw high-stakes negotiations with the Wagner Group. [02:11] Peter Rowan: Russian officials immediately accused Ukraine of orchestrating the shooting to derail ongoing negotiations intended to end the war. [02:19] Peter Rowan: Kyiv has not commented on the incident. [02:22] Oliver Grant: This is not an isolated event. [02:25] Oliver Grant: Several high-ranking Russian military figures have been targeted in the capital city over the last year. [02:31] Peter Rowan: Investigators are currently reviewing CCTV footage from the Volokholamsk Highway. [02:37] Peter Rowan: No suspects have been apprehended yet. [02:40] Oliver Grant: In other news, Jeffrey Epstein's victims are calling for accountability after the Department of Justice released millions of files with botched redactions. [02:51] Oliver Grant: The document dump on January 30th accidentally revealed the names, bank details, and personal statements of previously anonymous survivors due to a technical error. [03:04] Oliver Grant: Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated the release was intended to provide closure for the public. [03:11] Oliver Grant: However, legal experts say the error has caused fresh trauma for the victims involved. [03:17] Oliver Grant: Survivors like Ashley Ruberight and Annie Farmer say the breach of privacy feels like a violation of the protection they were promised by the federal government. [03:28] Oliver Grant: Advocacy groups fear these technical errors will discourage other victims of trafficking [03:34] Oliver Grant: from reporting crimes in the future. [03:36] Oliver Grant: They argue the system failed to protect the most vulnerable participants. [03:41] Oliver Grant: Despite the massive scale of the documents, the government maintains there are no grounds [03:47] Oliver Grant: for any new criminal prosecutions. [03:50] Oliver Grant: This has left many survivors feeling that justice remains out of reach. [03:55] Oliver Grant: I'm Oliver Grant. [03:57] Oliver Grant: And I'm Peter Rowan. [03:59] Oliver Grant: Thank you for joining us. [04:01] Oliver Grant: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed. [04:04] Oliver Grant: View our AI transparency policy at neuralnewscast.com.