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Verizon Business Narrator
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Hannah Jewell
Do you do you.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Accept the fact that a million Americans died from COVID I don't know how many died. You're the Secretary of Health and Human Services. You don't have any idea how many.
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Hannah Jewell
Americans died from COVID Senators grilled Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. That's where we're starting the seven from the Washington Post, I'm Hannah Jewell. It's Friday, September 5th. Wednesday. Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories. Yesterday was Kennedy's first appearance before lawmakers since the White House fired the director of the cdc. He got tough questions from both Democrats and Republicans. You just heard Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia at the top of the show. And to clarify, CDC data shows that more than 1.2 million Americans died of COVID 19. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, also a Democrat, questioned Kennedy about how the decision was made to fire CDC Director Susan Menarez, head of the cdc, that if she refused to sign off on your changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, that she had to resign.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
No, I told her that she had to resign because I asked her, are you a trustworthy person? And she said no.
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Hannah Jewell
Just last month, Kennedy had called Minarez, an expert in public health, and said he was confident that she would do everything she can to restore the integrity of the cdc. But yesterday he said the CDC shakeups were necessary and that the agency had failed miserably in the coronavirus pandemic and in the fight against chronic diseases.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
We are the sickest country in the world. That's why we have to fire people at cdc. They did not do their job. This was their job to keep us healthy. Thank you. And I need to fire some of those people to make sure this doesn't happen again.
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Hannah Jewell
Kennedy has emerged as one of the most polarizing officials in the Trump administration. Democratic lawmakers and medical organizations have called for him to be fired, but the White House praised his performance yesterday. For more on the hearing and how state health agencies are responding to upheaval at the federal level, check out the latest episode of Post reports. President Trump is expected to change the Defense Department's name today that's number two. The administration has been teasing this change for weeks, and today Trump is set to sign an executive order to make it happen. The new name will be the Department of War. The administration says the name more accurately reflects the mission of the agency. But it's not clear if the president can unilaterally rename the department, which was created by Congress in 1789. Over the years, each different version of its name has come about through legislation, and an official name change would come with a hefty price tag. The blue seal of the Department of Defense is on hundreds of installations and government buildings across the globe. Official signage, stationery and publications may also need to be overhauled. Number three. Stephen Miller has emerged as a key enforcer of Trump's takeover of DC Policing. Miller is the White House deputy chief of staff. He's one of Trump's most trusted aides, and he's a vocal proponent for the president's crackdown on immigration. This morning, the Post published a behind the scenes look at Miller's recent actions. White House officials say that Miller is effectively running Trump's effort to take over law enforcement in the nation's capital. He is leading weekly meetings in the Roosevelt Room of the White House with his staff and members of the D.C. mayor's office. And his team prepares an updated report each morning on the arrests that were made the night before. His actions reveal how much Miller is actually driving Trump's law and order agenda. Inside the White House. White House officials emphasized that Miller is acting on behalf of Trump, who they say is personally invested in a successful operation. An unusually intriguing jobs report will be released this morning. That's number four. Each month, the federal government publishes a report revealing how many jobs the economy added and what the unemployment rate is. To be honest, it's rarely that exciting for anyone other than economists. But this one comes at an interesting moment. It will offer new insights about worrying jobs data. In July, that report showed signs that the labor market is flagging under new tariffs, and it drew the ire of President Trump. He fired the top official at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which produces the federal jobs data. Analysts predict that the economy added 75,000 jobs in August, similar to July's figures. That's considered meager, but better than job losses. Today's report will be released at 8:30am Eastern. The Justice Department is discussing a ban on transgender people owning firearms. That's our fifth story. These discussions began after last week's deadly Catholic school shooting in Minneapolis, which was allegedly carried out by a transgender person. People familiar with the talks said they were considering whether being transgender is a mental illness and if that could disqualify someone from possessing a firearm under existing regulations. Legal experts have said that such a rule would be difficult to implement and would be certain to face legal challenges. It would also likely face pushback from gun rights groups. They feel that any restrictions on gun ownership could be a slippery slope, leading to more widespread bans. Number six Humanoid Robots are looking for work Robots built to resemble humans are long standing icons of the future up there with flying cars and colonies on the moon, and now they're becoming more of a reality. Some tech leaders and investors think they will transform the economy as we know it, and they say it's time to put more of them to work. Some humanoid robots already have jobs in warehouses and auto plants. The idea is that robots with legs, arms and fingers can literally step into our shoes, navigating the world that we have built for our strange human forms. New advancements have made robots better at balancing and navigating tricky terrain. But can they host a news podcast? Probably. And at number seven, it's time to plan your Fall leaf peeping trip. If you are an appreciator of glorious autumnal scenery, this is your moment. The 2025 fall foliage prediction map has arrived. Since 2013, the tourism site for the Smoky Mountain region has released an interactive map to show travelers when peak fall is projected county by county across the US you can find it in our newsletter today. Plus we have some recommendations for places to visit for autumnal splendor that aren't just Vermont, like the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota, things get golden there earlier than the rest of the country. Or you could try Sedona, Arizona, where fall colors bring the red rocks and desert alive. Find it all at the link in our show notes. That's the show for this week, but one more thing before I go, think of how easy it is to spend $20. Sometimes you can spend $20 just by stepping outside your house. And what do you have to show for it? A pair of artisanal pastries? A day's parking? A sweater that you kinda hate? Well, here's a better idea. Right now, $20 will get you a core subscription to the Washington Post for an entire year. $20 for a whole year of access to exclusive stories, recipes, advice columns, and all of the reporting behind the stories you hear about right here. This thereafter, it renews at $120 per year. You can cancel anytime. Get this $20 deal at washingtonpost.com subscribe that's washingtonpost.com subscribe there's also a link in our show Notes okay, the associate producer of the Seven is Taylor White. Special help this week from Renny Svirnovsky and Emma Talkoff. The staff writers are me and Jamie Ross. John Taylor is our editor. Additional editing by Christina Quinn. Copy editing by Melissa Ngo and Thomas Haliba. Mixing and sound design is by Jim Briggs and Justin Gerrish. Our theme music is by Edith Mudge. Renita Jablonski is our director of audio. I'm Hannah Jewell. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend. I'll meet you back here. On.
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