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AT&T Business Announcer
Wake up to the power of AT&T business. Get fast, reliable and secure coverage. Today, connecting changes everything.
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Hannah Jewell
It looks a lot like the government shutdown is coming to an end. The Post analyzed 47,000 conversations with ChatGPT and stick around to the end to hear some nice birthday wishes for us. That's some of what we'll get to on the Seven from the Washington Post, I'm Hannah Jewell. It's Wednesday, November 12th. Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories. Number one, the house will vote today on a bill to end the government shutdown. The Senate passed the bill on Monday after enough Democrats broke ranks to support it. After weeks of deadlock, today, it's the House's turn. The bill is expected to pass with the support of almost all of the chamber's Republicans and a handful of Democrats. Most House Democrats, though, are expected to vote against the bill. They're furious that the proposal would not extend the Affordable Care act subsidies that Democrats have been pushing to protect before they expire at the end of the year. Representative Mary gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania's 5th district is one of them. Here she is yesterday. We need a budget that protects all Americans. That's what governing and leadership is supposed to be about, and that's what Americans deserve. So I can't in good faith support this deal to reopen the government because it doesn't meet those basic standards. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson cast the bill as a victory for Republicans on CNN Monday.
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Mike Johnson
It was long overdue. And the irony is, Jake, it really was a shutdown about nothing. I mean, what we're voting on is effectively exactly what we offered them several weeks back. We've added some appropriations bills now which we're in favor of because it's getting us back to the regular order. We'll take care of some other details, but I don't think Chuck Schumer got anything out of this other than a political show. And sadly, I think that's what he was after the whole time.
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Hannah Jewell
President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into law, bringing the longest shutdown in U.S. history to an end. Foreign Venezuela ordered a massive mobilization because of an approaching U.S. aircraft carrier. That's number two. Yesterday, the USS Gerald R. Ford entered waters near Latin America, along with three accompanying warships. The Ford, which is the Navy's largest carrier, has 4,000 sailors on board. That naval buildup prompted Venezuela to put the entire country's military arsenal at the ready, including almost 200,000 soldiers. The move from the US fuels speculation that the Trump administration intends to dramatically escalate a deadly campaign that it says is countering narcotics smugglers. That campaign has already killed more than 75 people aboard speedboats and semi submersibles. Experts on the law of war argue that those strikes are illegal. President Trump, though, has repeatedly suggested land strikes could be next. But in recent days he has denied that he is considering an imminent attack inside Venezuela. 3. A Post investigation shows why parts of the US are are increasingly vulnerable to extreme rainfall and floods Flooding Rains have long plagued parts of Appalachia, turning roads into rivers as water rages through its steep mountains. But a mostly invisible yet profound atmospheric shift is creating conditions for more frequent and intense floods as the air gets warmer and wetter over time. States within central Appalachia lie within a region particularly vulnerable to extreme rain. These changes high above are exacerbating devastation below, in an area where mountainous terrain, widespread poverty and infrastructure built along waterways makes preparing for floods difficult. Number four Part of a newly built bridge in China collapsed in seconds Hongqi Bridge opened recently in China's mountainous southwest. It soars nearly 2,500ft high, or at least it did until it partially crumbled yesterday. Officials said the collapse was caused by a landslide. Video showed a section of the bridge breaking apart, sending its columns into the river below and massive plumes of dust across the surrounding mountainside.
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Mike Johnson
Oh.
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Hannah Jewell
That was a bystander saying the bridge collapsed. The bridge collapsed in a video first posted on social media and verified by Reuters. There were no reports of casualties. Authorities had identified cracks in the bridge and instability on surrounding slopes on Monday night and cordoned off the area. The contractor that built the bridge removed promotional materials about the structure's opening from its website following the collapse. Number five the Post analyzed more than 47,000 ChatGPT conversations. More than 600 million people are using the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT each week. That's according to its maker, OpenAI. Full disclosure the Post has a content partnership with OpenAI. Anyway, most of those conversations are private, but a Post analysis of publicly shared conversations revealed the deeply intimate role the tech is playing in people's lives. About 10% of the chats appear to show users talking about their emotions. People are also sharing private data, such as contact details and children's names, as they try to resolve family and work workplace disputes. And more often than not, the chatbot is agreeing with what they say. The Post found that ChatGPT began its responses with variations of yes or correct, almost 10 times more than it started, with no or wrong. Some unexpected symptoms could could be a sign of cancer. That's number six. In a guest column for the Post Today, oncologist Mikhail Secris shared four surprising things that can sometimes be cancer symptoms. One is pain in a lymph node or the lower back after drinking alcohol. That could indicate Hodgkin lymphoma. That kind of pain is possibly due to the dilation of blood vessels in the lymph node from alcohol intake or the release of inflammatory chemicals. Another possible sign is getting a broken bone without much trauma. These kinds of fractures that happen too easily could indicate bone cancer. If this story has you a little freaked out, don't worry. Remember that these symptoms are rare and unusual. And the oncologist stresses not every twinge is cancer. But of course, if you're concerned about a new symptom, go see your doctor. And at number seven A Scientist Discovered a Bee with Devil Horns Kit Prendergast is a native bee scientist in Australia. She's also an artist who does bee themed performances. I may have taken a deep dive on her Instagram this morning. Anyway, in 2019 she discovered a very unusual bee on an endangered flower in a remote part of Western Australia. It appeared to have a pair of demon like horns. It turns out it was a never before seen species. This week Prendergast and her fellow scientists published a report on the bee which she named Megachili Lucifer. Only the females of the species have these horns. They might be used to access flowers, compete for resources or to defend against competitors over nest sites. If you'd like to get a look at this devilish bee, you can find a picture in our newsletter today. She's not as scary as she sounds. Alright, you're all caught up. Thank you to everyone who sent in a lovely audio message to help us celebrate the seven Podcasts third birthday this week. Like David, Lauren and Rick, happy three year Birthday anniversary to the seven Podcast team. I listen to you guys every morning and will listen to the next 700 and beyond.
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Podcast Listener / Birthday Well-Wisher
Happy Birthday Washington Post Happy Birthday from.
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Hannah Jewell
Rick and Lauren Klingman in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Can't wait for another episode from Hannah, Jewel and team. Thanks. We are loving and appreciating the good vibes of these voice notes. So feel free to email us yours to the7podashpost.com that's the7podashpost.com with the number 7. We may get to play it in another episode this week. I'm Hannah Jewell. I'll meet you back here tomorrow.
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AT&T Business Announcer
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Podcast Listener / Birthday Well-Wisher
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