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Today is Thursday, October 16th. We'll tell you about the latest vote to get funding for at least parts of the federal government as the shutdown drags on. Also, we're Talking about the CIA's new mission in Venezuela and one of the biggest financial takedowns in history. Plus, Netflix's latest push into unscripted entertainment, the protein boom that seems to be taking over all aisles of the grocery store. And a Victoria's Secret fashion show that made history. Those stories and even more news next. Welcome. Welcome to the Newsworthy. All the day's news in around 10 minutes. Fast, fair, fun, and on the go. I'm Erica. Mandy, thanks so much for being here. You ready? Let's do this. Today, the US Senate is set to take a 10th vote on a bill to extend government funding and end the shutdown. As we told you yesterday, Republicans who support the bill need to convince five more senators to come to their side. But the ninth vote yesterday did not attract any more support, something that's been unchanged since the start of the shutdown 16 days ago. So beyond that bill, Senate Majority Leader John Thune says today he's also going to try to move forward on one that would fund just the Pentagon for the next year. And it's possible other funding bills could be attached. As of this morning, lawmakers have not said how they plan to vote on that one. Meanwhile, the White House is moving forward with plans to fire more federal workers for good. The top official at the Trump administration's budget office said the number of federal job cuts during the shutdown could end up topping 10,000. So far, about 4,000 have received notices. But just yesterday, a federal judge actually put the layoffs on hold. It's a temporary pause for now while the case moves through the courts. Federal workers unions say the Trump administration is using employees as political pawns, whereas Trump's lawyers argue the White House needs to do what it can to make sure the government is operating efficiently, even if that means people losing their jobs. It's a topic that's likely to come up when two House leaders debate on C span. Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries both agreed to the debate, but so far, no date has been set. President Trump has authorized covert CIA action in Venezuela. The operations could include gathering information, training guerrilla opposition forces, and conducting lethal strikes. Reports say the CIA could even take action against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, his government and drug traffickers. It's considered a big escalation in the Trump administration's campaign against drug trafficking. In a televised speech Last night, Maduro called on the US to end its pressure campaign. He also ordered Venezuelan military exercises in response. It comes in the face of the biggest American military buildup in the Caribbean in decades. And yesterday, Trump told reporters the US Is looking at strikes on land, since the sea is, quote, very well under control. But the White House is facing questions from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who worry the US Is moving toward a conflict without much transparency or oversight. And those questions are only expected to get louder. It's being called one of the most sweeping efforts by local authorities to push back against immigration raids. Los Angeles county has declared a state of emergency. It could mean eviction protections for people impacted by the immigration sweeps, and it could make it easier for the county to request state and federal assistance. Remember, LA county was the first area under the Trump administration to see widespread immigration raids in public over the summer. And now local officials say they're using those experiences to craft protections. It also comes in the face of clashes between immigration officers, protesters, and others on the streets of Chicago. So recently, people in Chicago have formed volunteer groups to monitor their neighborhoods for federal immigration agents. Some blow whistles at the first sight of them. Others are posting alerts online, though they aren't posting anymore. On one popular Facebook group this week, Meta complied with a Justice Department request to take down the page. Earlier this month, Google and Apple also blocked downloads of phone apps that flag ICE sightings. But dozens of other online groups are still up and running. The U.S. justice Department announced its biggest asset seizure ever. The DOJ seized about $15 billion worth of Bitcoin and charged the founder of a Cambodian business empire with masterminding a massive crypto scam. It allegedly involved labor camps where workers were victims of human trafficking forced to carry out scams. The DOJ says the scams lured millions of victims online through fake romantic relationships, pleas for financial help, or promises of cryptocurrency investments. Then their money disappeared and and workers were apparently disciplined with violence. Prosecutors say at its peak, the operation generated up to $30 million a day. The US treasury says that money helped Prince Group build a business empire with investments in real estate, entertainment, and banking. Criminal proceeds were apparently also used to buy a Picasso painting, private jets, vacation homes, and luxury travel. So the treasury sanctioned more than 100 entities and several people associated with Princess. And the CEO was charged, though as of this morning, he's not in custody and has not commented on the allegations. Today is international shakeout day. This is when millions of people all around the world will participate in earthquake drills where they'll drop to the ground, seek cover and hold onto something solid. Last year, nearly 20 million people took part in the US alone, and now even more people are encouraged to join in from schools, workplaces or home. The drills will happen at 10:16am local time today, the time being in reference to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that killed dozens of people and hurt thousands more. Of course, people are also encouraged to do more to minimize earthquake dangers, like by bolting heavy furniture to the walls so they stay put during a quake. Plus, you're encouraged to download the Myshake app if you live in California, Oregon or Washington. It will give you advance alerts when an earthquake is coming. We have more news for you still coming up, but first a break to talk about our sponsor. I know that sometimes the news can feel heavy. There's so much happening and it's easy for all that information to turn into overwhelm or anxiety. Our goal here at the Newsworthy is to help you stay updated without feeling that way as much. But I also know that sometimes you might need a little extra support. And that's where Calm comes in. Calm is the number one app for sleep and meditation and it's designed to help calm your nervous system, quiet your thoughts and refocus your energy. I love all the options available on calm. I've used guided meditations the most to work through stress, boost focus, and feel more gratitude. There are also short expert LED talks that can be a great boost of motivation in the middle of my day. Calm also has sleep stories, calming music and more. So whether you want a break from the news, need to handle grief, improve self esteem, or strengthen relationships, the Calm app puts all these tools right there in your pocket. Calm your mind, change your life. Calm has an exclusive offer just for our listeners of our show. You can get 40% off a Calm Premium subscription at calm.com newsworthy. This is an amazing value. Go to c a l m.comnewsworthy for 40% off unlimited access to Calm's entire library. Com.comnewsworthy and tell.com you heard about them from me. Now back to the news. President Trump hosted a glitzy dinner at the White House to reward wealthy donors. They included nearly 130 contributors, allies and representatives of major companies like Amazon, Apple, Google, Lockheed Martin, Meta and T Mobile. The guest list also included oil billionaire Harold Hamm, crypto entrepreneurs Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, and many more. They've all pledged contributions to a massive new White House ballroom. Its price tag is now estimated at $250 million. Trump says it will be large and grand enough to even host a presidential inauguration one day, able to accommodate nearly 1,000 people, and all four sides will be made of bulletproof glass. The president also formally unveiled another project last night, an arch that will stand on one end of the Arlington Memorial Bridge. President Trump is now offering all colleges a deal offering them priority federal funding for research. That means they could get more resources to compete for students, hire faculty and expand program offerings. But in return, they would have to commit to specific policy changes like banning diversity, equity and inclusion. Well, already two schools have rejected that deal. For example, mit, which said it believes scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone. And Brown University said accepting would mean restricting academic freedom, which it won't do. Only one college has actually accepted the invitation so far, the University of Texas. Others are still mulling their responses. President Trump says those who reject the deal will face investigations into whether they're compliant with federal laws. Two of the biggest streamers are joining forces. Spotify is now partnering with Netflix to bring some of its top video podcasts to the Netflix audience. For example, the Bill Simmons podcast, Conspiracy Theories, the Big Picture and more that will start to come out on both platforms next year. Then the companies say they'll add even more podcasts to the partnership. Video podcasts have been growing in popularity these days. More than a billion people watch podcasts on YouTube every month. Amazon has also ramped up video support recently, adding Jason and Travis Kelce's new Heights podcast to Prime Video. The NBA is leaning on teams to address inappropriate fan behavior this season. A memo was sent out to all 30 pro basketball clubs ahead of the season's opening games this week. It said arena staff have to be trained to identify rule breaking behavior and to respond to it proactively. Fan behavior has become a hot topic across several sports lately. The NBA, like many leagues, has a video detailing a code of conduct for fans played in every arena before each game. But still, fans have been ejected for inappropriate behavior. So teams and arenas are now being reminded to vigorously enforce the code of conduct and not to tolerate any misconduct. The Victoria's Secret Angels were back on the Runway last night and for the first time, the world famous models were joined by some athletes who traded their uniforms for angel wings of their own. For example, WNBA star Angel Reese and Olympic gymnast Suni Lee, who have both become more involved in the world of fashion. When they're not competing, they had to add walk training to their usual regimen. Rapper Missy Elliott, singers Madison Beer and Carol G and K pop group twice also perform for the crowds. The show was live streamed on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Prime Video. That's it for the main news today. So now it's time for Thing to Know Thursday. But first, this episode is sponsored by Skims. Some days I want to feel polished. Other days I just want to feel cozy. Thankfully, my skims tees cover both. The Boyfriend T shirt has become my go to lately. It's that perfectly oversized fit that's just right. It's so soft, it's light, it drapes beautifully. It's one of those pieces that makes even a simple outfit feel intentionally put together. I wear it around the house. I wear it out. It's really versatile. Then there's the cotton jersey tee which is kind of the opposite. It's smooth, it's form fitting and it's very flattering. I love the short slee version with jeans or joggers and the long sleeve one for layering as the weather cools this fall. Other long sleeves would typically ride up or bunch at the waist, but this one stays put no matter what I'm doing. Every skims tee I own has the same thing in that luxuriously soft feel and a great fit. Shop my favorite T shirts now@skims.com newsworthy after you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you. Select podcast in the survey and choose our show from the drop down menu that follows. That's skims.com newsworthy. Now back to Thing to Know Thursday. So you've probably noticed protein is popping up everywhere. The macronutrient has been added to popcorn, pasta, bread, cookie dough, ice cream, macaroni and cheese, pancakes and a lot more. Just a couple of weeks ago, Starbucks launched a new menu of protein boosted drinks and snack makers have announced protein packed versions of foods like Pop Tarts and Doritos. Coming soon, even more are expected. Research has shown protein infused foods and drinks are moving toward a $100 billion market by the end of this decade. The demand is rising from fitness Fans, older adults, GLP1 users and more. In fact, a new survey from the International Food Information Council shows 70% of Americans say they're now trying to eat more protein. But how healthy the new offerings actually are depends on who you ask. Studies show many of the products are ultra processed and loaded with sugar or sodium. In fact, the National Institutes of Health points to an international review that found 91% of foods that make protein marketing claims are actually less healthy overall. So many experts say protein goals are great, but that it's better to go for whole food options like chicken, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, lentils, and more. That is if health is your main concern. But if you're just looking for a way to feel full fast, your options are seemingly endless. Well, thank you so much for listening today. You can further support our work here and get access to ad free episodes by becoming a Newsworthy insider. Start your free trial@thenewsworthy.com Insider and Wondery plus subscribers can listen to episodes of the newsworthy ad free in the Wondery app. Thanks so much to all of our current insiders and for all of you letting others know about the show. We'll catch you up on more news to know tomorrow. Until then, have a great day.