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It's go time. And at aaa, we're here for it. Here for front row seats and backyard barbecues. All in for the spontaneous road trip and the well planned vacation for worry free commutes, awesome adventures and great escapes. From camping under the stars to four star hotels here where you need us most with the best roadside assistance like we have been for more than 120 years. Wherever your journey takes you, we're here to power it. Join us@aaa.com AAA here for you.
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Matt Gaetz's nomination for attorney general is attracting fresh controversy. That's where we're starting the seven from the Washington Post, I'm Hannah Jewell. It's Tuesday, November 19th. Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories. An attorney said two women testified that Matt Gaetz paid them for sex. Donald Trump picked the former Florida congressman to be his attorney general last week, but Gates had been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations of sexual misconduct. House Speaker Mike Johnson said last week that he will urge that committee to suppress its report on Gaetz. But Joel Leopard, a lawyer for two women who were witnesses in the House inquiry, went public with details from the investigation. In an interview that aired yesterday on ABC News, Leppard told reporter Juju Chang that one of his clients saw Gaetz having sex with a minor at a party at this particular event. What did your client witness?
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So when she testified in July of 2017 at this house party, she was walking out to the pool area and she looked to her right and she saw Representative Gates having sex with her friend who was 17.
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Both of your clients testified that they were paid by Representative Gates to have sex?
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That's correct. The House was very clear about that and went through each. They essentially put the Venmo payments on the screen and asked about them. And my clients repeatedly testified, what was this payment for? That was for sex.
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Gates has denied the allegations, but even before these claims came to light, his nomination was already facing major pushback. Several Republican senators have raised doubts that he would be able to get the 50 votes needed to be confirmed. Number two, Trump allies have discussed making big changes to Medicaid and food stamps when Trump returns to the White House in January. Republicans plan to extend his tax cuts from 2017, but this would come at an enormous cost, so they're looking for ways to offset it. They have begun discussions about making significant changes to Medicaid, food stamps and other federal safety net programs. Among the options are new work requirements and spending caps. The concern is high among some Republicans about the political downsides of such cuts, they would affect programs that provide support for at least 70 million low income Americans. Number three is an exclusive story from the Post. Aid groups say that criminal gangs looting aid convoys in Gaza are operating in areas under Israeli control. The number of aid trucks that Israel has permitted to enter the Gaza Strip plummeted to near record lows last month. And organized gangs are stealing and reselling much of what Israel does allow into the territory where a hunger crisis is worsening. These gangs are rivals of Hamas. Civil order began to collapse in Gaza in February as Israel targeted civilian police officers who had been guarding humanitarian convoys. Israel cited their affiliation with the Hamas run government. But now a UN memo obtained by the Post said that the gangs looting convoys may be benefiting from the protection of Israel's military aid group officials, humanitarian workers, transport companies and witnesses say the gangs are operating freely in areas controlled by Israeli forces. Number four. Hong Kong sentenced 45 pro democracy leaders to long prison terms. The 45 include the city's most prominent activists. They were arrested over the course of a single day in February 2021. They were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion for taking part in an unofficial primary election. Today. They were sentenced. None received sentences of less than four years and two months. And some were sentenced for up to 10 years. Amelia Wang is the partner of one of the activists. She spoke to the Associated Press about the sentencing. Of course it will silence more people.
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Because you see how a primary can be illegal and lead to 10 years of sentencing. So of course it will silence more people.
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These harsh penalties underscore the repression that Hong Kong has faced from China since massive pro democracy protests took place five years ago. Starting today, the Pacific Northwest will face heavy flooding rains. That's our fifth story. An atmospheric river is set to dump at least 6 inches of rain from the Washington, Oregon border to Northern California. As much as 20 inches of rain could fall in higher elevations of coastal mountain ranges. Along with prolific snow, the rain could lead to landslides and strong winds could cause power outages. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Pacific, four typhoons have hit the Philippines in just 10 days. It's been the most active November on record in a Pacific typhoon season. Number six, a study found that ChatGPT is little help for doctors in diagnosing diseases. In recent years, hospitals have been investing in artificial intelligence tools. But in a recent experiment, the use of OpenAI's chatbot did not significantly improve doctors diagnostic reasoning. That's when compared with doctors who only used traditional resources. But in a twist the study also found that ChatGPT on its own performed better than either group of physicians. That said, the significance of this research is limited by the fact that it was simulated and not performed in a clinical practice setting with real patients. So one of the study's authors said it doesn't really mimic real life and at Number seven A Seaside Town Will Power Thousands of Homes with Waves the rainy coastal town of Newport, Oregon is about to be the site of a hundred million dollar clean energy experiment. Seven miles from its shore buoy, like contraptions in the ocean will capture energy from waves. Then cables buried under the seafloor will deliver that energy to the town. The experiment is an important milestone for the nascent ocean industry of wave power. One expert said that there's enough energy in the waves off America's coasts to power one third of all the nation's homes. The technology needs more development and so far can be more expensive than other renewable energy options. But in small, remote communities that depend on more expensive diesel fuel, like many in Alaska, wave power could someday ease energy woes. And because wave energy projects are relatively unobtrusive, they're far less controversial than offshore wind. Alright, you're all caught up. But take a moment before you go about your day to sign up for the Sevens newsletter. That's where you can find links to all the stories we talk about here on the podcast and more. You can find a link to the newsletter in our show notes. Smash that button to sign up and you can get the seven Morning Briefing delivered to your inbox early every weekday morning. And it's totally free. I'm Hannah Jewell. I'll meet you back here tomorrow.
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