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- [00:00]
Hannah Jewell
Foreign Donald Trump said he is canceling all trade negotiations with Canada because of a TV ad. That's where we're starting the seven from the Washington Post, I'm Hannah Jewell. It's Friday, October 24th. Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories. There has been another twist in Trump's global trade war. The US And Canada had been negotiating over new tariffs that Trump imposed this year on our neighbor to the north. But things took a turn late yesterday. Trump said he was terminating the negotiations because of a video ad that was paid for by the province of Ontario. The ad featured audio from a 1987 radio address by by President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs.
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Ronald Reagan (archive audio)
High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. Then the worst happens. Markets shrink and collapse, businesses and industries shut down, and millions of people lose their jobs.
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Hannah Jewell
In a post on social media, Trump described the ad as fraudulent and cited a statement from the Ronald Reagan Presidential foundation and Institute that said the ad misrepresented Reagan's address by using, quote, selective audio and video. The incident has once again cast a shadow over ties between the US and its second biggest trading partner. The East Wing of the White House is gone. That's number two. It's been a busy three days for demolition workers at the White House. By the middle of the day yesterday, wrecking crews had completely removed the decades old annex that once housed the offices of the first lady. The teardown is to make way for a Trump passion project, a 90,000 square foot ballroom. The demolition has prompted a massive backlash from preservationists and Democrats. They accused Trump of destroying a national landmark and doing so under a cloak of secrecy. The work has drawn thousands of tourists to Pennsylvania avenue in Washington, D.C. to watch, or at least to listen to the heavy machinery. But the Trump administration has restricted the public from most vantage points and escorted away journalists trying to shoot video. And it ordered employees of the Treasury Department, which is next door to the work site, not to share photos of what they can see.
- [02:49]
Washington Post Announcer
Foreign.
- [02:54]
Hannah Jewell
Number three is bad news for federal workers who haven't been getting paid during the shutdown. More than 700,000 employees have been furloughed without pay during this government shutdown, which has entered its fourth week. Those workers whose roles involve protecting life and government property have been expected to continue working despite not getting paid. Yesterday, the Senate rejected three measures to pay two from Democrats to pay all federal workers and one from Republicans to pay those still on the job. By law, all workers are entitled to back pay once the government reopens but the Trump administration has been moving money around to pay some employees, mostly military and law enforcement staffers. This has created an uncomfortable situation where some workers in an agency may be receiving their paychecks while their colleagues are going without, experts say. It is unclear whether such moves are even legal. NBA stars were arrested by the FBI in a massive gambling probe that's number four. This is a story that has rocked the world of pro basketball. Yesterday, the FBI announced that more than 30 people, including an NBA coach, a player and a former player, were charged in sports betting and illegal poker investigations. One of those arrested was Portland Trailblazers coach Chauncey Billups. He's also a Hall of Fame former player. He is accused of involvement in a mob run rigged poker scheme. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was also arrested. FBI Director Cash Patel spoke about the investigation yesterday.
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FBI Director Cash Patel
But as you now know, individuals such as Chauncey Billups, Damon Jones and Terry Year were taken into custody today. Former current NBA players and coaches. What you don't know is that this is an illegal gambling operation and sports rigging operation that spanned the course of years. The FBI led a coordinated takedown across 11 states to arrest over 30 individuals today responsible for this case, which is very much ongoing.
- [05:15]
Hannah Jewell
This all comes seven years after the Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on sports betting and as professional sports leagues grapple with the potential pitfalls of widespread gambling. Number five, Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to rapidly intensify into a hurricane this weekend. Melissa is churning northwards through the Caribbean about 250 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica. The storm is moving slowly, which means that the destructive impacts will probably last for days as the strengthening storm lurks just offshore. That could lead to a weather disaster in Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba through early next week. Some Caribbean islands could see heavy rain and life threatening flash flooding. One meteorologist said Melissa could become one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Atlantic. Foreign researchers may have identified a happiness hack for our chaotic times. It turns out that having a sense of purpose can be really good for you. That's according to a Cornell study of college and high school students. About 1200 of them received A$400, no strings attached contribution to pursue what matters most to them. The cash could be used for something that benefited their community, their family or even themselves. They were given six to eight weeks to spend the money. After that, researchers compared their mental health to those who hadn't received the cash. Those who did scored much higher on, well being, sense of purpose, sense of belonging, and their sense of feeling needed and useful. Among other measures, the study builds on recent research which suggests a greater sense of purpose is associated with longevity and and slower age related cognitive decline. Seven rocks in New Mexico may reveal what really killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago, a six mile wide asteroid collided with the earth, triggering a mass extinction event that was the beginning of the end for the dinosaurs. But there's a debate in paleontology about what dinos were up to before they were obliterated by a space rock. Some scientists argue that dinosaurs were already in decline, perhaps due to a changing climate. But in a new study, high tech precise dating techniques of a century old fossil site in New Mexico suggest that dinosaurs were actually doing just fine. It argues that dinos were diverse, abundant and flourishing right up until the end. Skeptics say the finding may apply only to that one fossil site where dinos were clearly living it up. In any case, here's a treat to send you off with. If you go find this story in our newsletter today, you will be pleased to see that it was written by my colleague whose name is Dino Grandoni. Dino was clearly the perfect man for the job. That's the show for this week. Before you go, our friend Christina Quinn has a new season of Try this Out Now. It's about brain health. Christina explores and unpacks with experts what a healthy brain is, when forgetting things like your keys is normal and when it isn't. She also gets into what kinds of lifestyle changes can reduce your risk of dementia. The first episode is out now. Search for Try this wherever you listen to podcasts. The associate producer of the Seven is Taylor White. The staff writers are Jamie Ross, Izanakabau and me. Special thanks to Renny Svenofsky. John Taylor is our editor. Additional editing by Christina Quinn. Copyediting is 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 Jablonsky is our director of audio. I'm Hannah Jewell. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend. I'll meet you back here on Monday.
- [10:04]
Washington Post Announcer
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