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- [00:01]
Constellation Energy Announcer
At Constellation, we bring the energy powering America's growing economy every minute, every day. As the nation's largest producer of clean and reliable American made energy. Constellation is wherever you are, while you.
- [00:18]
Hannah Jewell
Were sleeping, the federal government shut down. That's where we're starting the seven from the Washington Post, I'm Hannah Jewell. It's Wednesday, October 1st. Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories. Last night, lawmakers failed to reach a deal to continue funding the government. Senate Democrats blocked a temporary funding measure that would have kicked the can down the road. And the government shut down just after midnight. That means nearly 750,000 federal workers are furloughed. Many more are working without pay indefinitely. President Trump has warned that he'll use the shutdown to fire federal employees, reshape the government and consolidate more power under the presidency. He foreshadowed his plans in the Oval Office yesterday before the shutdown took effect.
- [01:17]
Donald Trump
We don't want it to shut down because we have the greatest period of time ever. I told you, we have $17 trillion being invested. So the last person that wants to shut down is us. Now, with that being said, we can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.
- [01:41]
Hannah Jewell
So other than that, what does this shutdown mean for you, a humble citizen, resident or fan of the United States? Well, many federal offices, services and national parks that have gates will will be closed, but mail will still be delivered and Social Security checks will be sent out. That's because those services are not funded through annual laws passed by Congress. You can find a full list of the impacts at the link in our newsletter today. Find that in our show notes President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lectured military leaders. That's number two. Hundreds of generals and admirals were ordered to an unusual gathering at a Marine Corps base in Virginia yesterday to listen to Trump and Hegseth. They witnessed an extraordinary exhibition of both men's grievances. They both harshly criticized their predecessors and hyped up their political objectives. Hegseth's fiery warm up act for the president railed against what he called politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement. And at times, Hegseth relied on profanity and crass, inflammatory language. He said the top brass seated before him, each with decades more military experience than he, has needed to crack down on standards such as physical fitness, grooming and discipline it's tiring to look out.
- [03:14]
Pete Hegseth
At combat formations or really any formation and see fat troops. Likewise, it's completely unacceptable to see fat, fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the country and the world. It's a bad look.
- [03:28]
Hannah Jewell
Penxeth was followed by Trump, whose meandering remarks stretched for roughly 70 minutes. He said the Pentagon should be able to use American cities as, quote, training grounds. The assembled generals sat through the presentations, mostly silent, in keeping with the military's nonpartisan tradition. Number three President Trump announced a deal with Pfizer to lower drug prices Trump has long argued that the US Government spends too much on medications. His administration has tried to pressure the pharmaceutical industry to lower prices through a mix of tariffs and and new initiatives. Yesterday, he announced that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer would sell its drugs to the government program Medicaid at discounted rates. Officials at a news conference in the Oval Office also teased a new website. Officials say Trump Rx would expedite direct to consumer sales of medications at discounted rates. But drug pricing experts questioned whether the administration's effort would lead to major savings for the government. They noted that Medicaid sales are relatively minimal for Pfizer and other pharmaceutical companies. Meanwhile, the cost of drugs for many Americans could be about to rise because of Trump's tariffs. Number four Fewer people are crossing state lines for abortions A new report found a decline in the number of abortions carried out in states that allow the procedure in the first half of this year. It's the first such decline in the three years since Roe v. Wade was overturned. The number of patients who crossed state lines for an abortion also decreased. That doesn't necessarily mean there were fewer abortions in the US Though. Data for the report was only collected in states without abortion bans, so the decline could reflect a greater availability of abortion pills in states with near total bans. Abortion providers are remotely prescribing and mailing abortion pills to patients in all 50 states. A comedy festival in Saudi Arabia is sparking a big backlash. That's our fifth story. This festival in the Saudi capital of Riyadh is already underway. The lineup includes some of the biggest names in comedy, including Aziz Ansari, Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Louis CV K, Pete Davidson and Kevin Hart. But not everyone's chuckling. The festival has drawn a wave of criticism from advocacy groups, fans and other comedians. They say Saudi Arabia is using the festival, which is organized by the country's government, to whitewash its human rights record, including the detention and execution of journalists and activists in the country. The festival's contract has been shared on social media and includes restrictions on what the comedians can joke about. That has led others to point out the hypocrisy of comics who have built their reputations on the idea that they are willing to say anything. Whether or not it's taboo, Number six is going to infuriate cyclists A new kind of food delivery bot might be coming to a bike lane near you. DoorDash has built an autonomous delivery robot called.it's RED, with cartoonish LED eyes and actually kind of cute if it's not in your way. At 4 1/2ft tall and weighing in at 350 pounds, it travels at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. It can carry deliveries of up to 30 pounds in a cargo space that opens and closes like a giant mouth. For now, Dot can only be found roaming around the greater Phoenix area, where it has received regulatory approval. DoorDash hasn't said where it plans to roll them out next, and it's unclear how communities will react to the arrival of these red robots cruising down their streets. DoorDash says delivery and service fees will be the same as for a human, but you don't have to tip the robot, which is good news, I guess, if you're cheap. And at number seven, Fat Bear Week has a new grizzled champion. I can't believe Fat Bear Week is already over if you don't know what I'm talking about. Every year, the brown bears of Katmai national park and Preserve in Alaska are pitted against each other in an online single elimination tournament. Members of the public watch bear cans and cast votes for the bear they think is doing the best job of fattening up before their winter hibernation. This year there is a new champion Fat Bear Week veteran, Chunk. And he did it against all odds with a dangling tooth in a broken jaw. He may have gotten that injury during mating season. How romantic. However he got it, it clearly didn't slow down his impressive eating. So congratulations to Chunk. May he be an inspiration to us all. All right, you're all caught up. For your next listen, check out the latest episode of Post Reports. It digs deeper into the MAHA movement's fight against food dyes, corn syrup and seed oils. Our reporters will fill you in on the science and whether targeting these ingredients will actually improve people's health. Find Post Reports wherever you listen to podcasts. I'm Hannah Jewell. I'll meet you back here tomorrow.
- [09:48]
Constellation Energy Announcer
At Constellation. We bring the energy powering America's growing economy every minute, every day, as the nation's largest producer of clean and reliable American made energy. Constellation is Wherever you are.
- [10:04]
Washington Post Subscription Announcer
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