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- [00:01]
Hannah Jewell
President Donald Trump signaled that he will help anti government protesters in Iran. That's where we're starting the seven from the Washington Post, I'm Hannah Jewell. It's Wednesday, January 14th. Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories. Iran's government has imposed a communications blackout on the country. Anti government protests broke out last month and have been met with a brutal crackdown by authorities. Reports from activists and opposition news sites estimate that more than 2,000 people have been killed in the protests. President Trump has repeatedly threatened that the US could use military force if the government in Tehran keeps killing demonstrators. Yesterday, on social media, Trump posted the phrase help is on its way. He said that again speaking at the Detroit Economic Club yesterday. And the words make Iran great again.
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Donald Trump
And by the way to all Iranian patriots, keep protesting. Take over your institutions if possible, and save the name of the killers and the abusers that are abusing you. You're being very badly abused.
- [01:20]
Hannah Jewell
Some Trump allies have warned against a potential military strike in Iran. They are worried about the dangers of American entanglement in another overseas conflict and the potential domestic costs of abandoning the America first foreign policy that Trump campaigned on. Prosecutors are quitting their jobs over the Trump administration's handling of a fatal ICE shooting. That's number too. Last week, an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis. Federal officials have excluded state and local authorities from the investigation, causing dismay among prosecutors. At least five prosecutors have left the U.S. attorney's office in Minneapolis, according to people familiar with the matter. They left after demands by Justice Department leaders to investigate. The widow of Renee Good. Goode's wife, was protesting ICE officers before the shooting. The Post reported that five senior prosecutors in the criminal section of the Justice Department's Civil rights division also said they are leaving. Their exits are widely seen as a vote of no confidence by prosecutors at a moment when the Justice Department is under extreme scrutiny. Number three President Trump made an obscene gesture and mouthed an expletive at a factory worker. Yesterday, the president took a tour of a Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan. It didn't go exactly according to plan. A cell phone video captured a confrontation between Trump and a worker. In the video, a person can be heard yelling pedophile protector At Trump. That's an apparent reference to the Trump administration's handling of the investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump is then seen on the video twice mouthing an expletive as he pointed to someone calling up to him from the factory floor. He then raised his middle finger toward the heckler and continued walking. The White House said Trump's reaction was appropriate. 40 year old TJ Sabula told the Post that he was the heckler. He said he has been suspended from work but that he has no regrets whatsoever about shouting at the president. Number four is a Post exclusive. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. S new pick for a key vaccine panel called herself an anti vaxxer. Kimberly Biss is a Florida based ob gyn. Yesterday, Kennedy expanded a federal vaccine advisory panel to include her and another vaccine critic. The Post reviewed some of her past comments in interviews, podcast appearances and social media. In podcast interviews in recent years, she explained how she became critical of vaccines. Here she is in 2023.
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Kimberly Biss
So I've definitely gone down the rabbit hole since COVID started and when they were pushing these shots so hard I was like, what is going on? So you know, up until Covid, both my kids are 23 and 26. They had all the childhood shots, including Gardasil. I had a flu flu vaccine pretty routinely. My husband as well. We both grew up getting vaccines. So I was not anti vaccine. I am now.
- [05:02]
Hannah Jewell
Bis's questioning of vaccines aligns her closely with Kennedy and his allies and some vaccine critics on the advisory panel who have repeatedly questioned the necessity and safety of some shots. Foreign we analyzed hundreds of earnings calls to see what executives really think about the economy. That's number five. An earnings call is a quarterly ritual in which corporate leaders meet with investors. Our reporters analyzed hundreds of these conversations to see how businesses navigated economic changes in 2025. They found that corporate leaders struck a more optimistic tone as the year progressed, even as consumers soured on the economy. Earlier in the year, executives spoke about volatility. They repeatedly warned investors and analysts about tariffs, trade and an uncertain policy environment. But in calls from September to early December, they talked more about growth, strength and expansion. And they increasingly pointed to artificial intelligence as a driver of future gains. Six. Temperatures are about to tumble in many states. Perhaps you have been enjoying some of the record warm temperatures we have experienced in January so far. Well, that's over now. A disrupted polar vortex system will send waves of frigid air into parts of the country. The colder weather is forecast to arrive in three phases, with the first expected from tomorrow. That should bring frigid air to the central and eastern U.S. causing temperatures to drop 10 to 20 degrees below average. It could snow in some areas, too, but the third wave of cold weather is expected to be the harshest. It may bring widespread sub zero temperatures from Minnesota to Maine. And at number seven, we asked three top nutrition experts how much red meat we should really be eating. Last week the government released new dietary guidelines. They reversed long standing advice to cut back on red meat. Instead, they advised cutting back on sugar and ultra processed foods. So what do nutrition experts think about this? On the one hand, they applauded the new dietary guidelines for stating explicitly for the first time that Americans should eat real food and avoid highly processed packaged foods. But they were more skeptical of the red meat thing. One said her advice is that eating moderate amounts of red meat and dairy is just fine if you're consuming a wide variety of foods and not overeating. But the experts pointed to other problems with red meat, like its carcinogenic compounds and impact on the environment, to see what else they had to say and to help you decide whether or not to make juicy steaks tonight. Follow the link in today's newsletter. You can find that, as always, in our show Notes. Alright, you're all caught up. But before you go, a reminder that if you're a subscriber to the Washington Post, you can get access to our shows ad free in Apple Podcasts. All you have to do is find the Washington Post channel in Apple Podcasts and connect your post subscription. Then stay tuned for more subscriber only audio benefits like exclusive and early access episodes. If you're not a subscriber, this is a great time to start. You can sign up at our channel and Apple Podcasts or through the link in our show Notes. I'm Hannah Jewell. I'll meet you back here tomorrow.