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- [00:04]
Hannah Jewell
Millions of Americans are on track to lose food assistance. Kennedy center ticket sales have plummeted and the time has come to embrace the darkness of winter. That's some of what we'll get to on the Seven from the Washington Post, I'm Hannah Jewell. It's Friday, October 31st. Happy Halloween. Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories. Number one is a Post exclusive. A classified U.S. report found hundreds of possible human rights violations by Israel. The Leahy laws are legislation that bars U.S. security assistance to foreign military units that have been credibly accused of human rights abuses. A State Department watchdog found that Israeli military units committed many hundreds of potential violations of U.S. human rights law in Gaza. That's according to U.S. officials who share details of the report with the Post. The incidents in the report include the killing of World Central Kitchen workers and of aid seekers last year. But former State Department officials who spoke to the Post are doubtful there will be accountability. Part of the problem is the sheer scale of the incidents listed in the report. It could take multiple years to review them all. Another is the nature of the review process itself, which is deferential to the Israeli military. Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. aid in the world. Some of the government shutdown's most dramatic effects are about to hit. That's number two. Starting tomorrow, SNAP and Head Start programs will start losing funding. SNAP is commonly known as food stamps. Head Start funds childcare and health and education programs for low income children. If the government wasn't shut down, funds for both would have started to go out on November 1st. But because of the shutdown, President Trump's administration has said those payments can't be made. On the Senate floor on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune blamed Democrats for voting against measures to reopen the government.
- [02:28]
Senate Majority Leader John Thune
SNAP recipients shouldn't go without food. People should be getting paid in this country. And we tried to do that 13 times and you voted no 13 times. This isn't a political game. These are real people's lives that we're talking about. And you all just figured out 29 days in that, oh, there might be some consequences.
- [02:54]
Hannah Jewell
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, meanwhile, blamed Republicans for refusing to extend subsidies for health care plans offered through the Affordable Care Act. That's been a key sticking point in the shutdown.
- [03:07]
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer
Let's put it succinctly. Because of these vicious, drastic cutbacks, millions will lose their health care altogether. Tens of millions will pay thousands and tens of thousands more for health care. And 51,000 people will die in the next year because they won't have health care.
- [03:31]
Hannah Jewell
Without the subsidies, Americans who log on to their federal or state healthcare marketplaces tomorrow could see their insurance premiums increase by 30% on average. So this is the weekend the pain of the government shutdown will be felt a lot more widely. Foreign Number three is another Post exclusive Kennedy center ticket sales have plummeted since President Trump's takeover. When Trump was named chair of the Kennedy center in February, he accused the former Leadership of the D.C. arts Institution of not doing a good job of selling tickets. He also said his new team would make the institution hot again. But nearly nine months later and more than a month into its main season, ticket sales for the center's three largest performance venues are the worst they've been in years. That's according to a Washington Post analysis of ticketing data. It shows that tens of thousands of seats have been left empty since early September. Only 57% of tickets were sold for the typical production, and some tickets may have been comps, which are given away. That compares with 93% sold or comped in fall 2024 and 80% in fall 2023. The Pentagon is readying thousands of National Guard reaction forces. That's number four. The federal government used to only send military forces into American cities during extraordinary emergencies, but under President Trump, it could become the norm. The Pentagon has ordered thousands of National Guard personnel to complete civil unrest mission training over the next several months, according to internal Pentagon documents seen by the Post. A quick reaction force within the National Guard is said to be trained, equipped with riot control gear and ready for deployment by January 1st. The National Guard Reaction Force, meanwhile, is an existing separate but similar structure. It is expected to complete civil unrest training by April 1st. The total size of the force will be 23,500 troops across all 50 states and three territories. Number five King Charles stripped his brother Andrew of his prince title because of his links to Jeffrey Epstein. In a statement yesterday, Buckingham palace announced that Prince Andrew would now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. The palace initiated a formal process to remove the royal titles and privileges that Andrew has enjoyed since birth and said he must move out of his royal residence, a 30 room mansion known as the Royal Lodge. This is the most severe action the British royal family has taken against Andrew over his links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. So why is it happening now? The move follows public pressure after the publication of Virginia Giuffre's memoir. Giuffre, who died by suicide this year, said she was forced to have sexual encounters with Andrew as a teenager. He denies the allegations. Londoners reacted to the news yesterday, speaking to Reuters. Here's Charlie Carter.
- [07:15]
Charlie Carter
It's sort of, it's a bit of an embarrassment, to be honest, on the nation, on the country, everyone in general, this is a member of our royal family, these are our leaders, and this is what's happening. This is what's happening.
- [07:31]
Hannah Jewell
Number six Covid during prison pregnancy could be linked to autism A new study analyzed more than 18,000 births in Massachusetts from the early months of the coronavirus pandemic through the start of 2021. It found that children born to mothers infected with COVID 19 during pregnancy faced a higher risk of autism, along with other neurological differences, such as delays in speech and motor development. The study's authors emphasized that their findings do not prove that COVID 19 in pregnancy causes these conditions. They just signal an association, and they stressed that the overall risk remains low. But public health experts say the findings underscore the importance of COVID 19 vaccination during pregnancy. Protecting expectant mothers helps safeguard both their health and that of their babies. FOREIGN despite the best efforts of President Trump, your clocks will turn back this weekend. Lawmakers have spent decades arguing over daylight saving time. Last year, Trump vowed to end America's semiannual clock changes. But the difficult politics of the matter have proved too much for Trump and his allies to overcome. So in most of the country, you will have to change your clocks back one hour this weekend. If you're grumpy about the looming dark evenings, you're not alone. 56% of Americans say they would prefer year round daylight saving time. And a study this year from Stanford found we would be a little less prone to obesity and strokes if we ditched the switch. At least you can enjoy the extra hour of sleep. Or if, like me, you have a toddler, enjoy your child being aw and full of beans at 5am on Sunday. That's the show for this week. The associate producer of the Seven is Taylor White. The staff writers are Jamie Ross, Izzanakbao and me. John Taylor is our editor. Additional editing by Christina Quinn. Copyediting 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 you.
- [10:24]
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