Monday, November 18, 2024

But Donald Trump made another pick for his administration. Organic carrots are linked to a deadly outbreak of E. coli. And if you've ever wanted to battle at the Colosseum, now's your chance. That's some of what we'll get to on the 7th from the Washington Post. I'm Hannah Jewell. It's Monday, November 18th. Let's get you caught up with today's 7 Stories. 1.

Donald Trump picked Brendan Carr to be the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Carr is currently the senior Republican among the FCC's five commissioners. Earlier this year, he laid out an aggressive agenda for the agency in Project 2025. That's the controversial proposal for Trump's second term that was published by a conservative think tank last year.

And in recent days, Carr has vowed to take on what he called a quote, censorship cartel, which he says includes Facebook, Google, Apple, and Microsoft. His appointment sets up the FCC to do battle against social media companies and TV broadcasters that Republicans portray as too liberal.

Meanwhile, another of Trump's cabinet picks has drawn more scrutiny in recent days. Pete Hegsef is Trump's choice to lead the Department of Defense. Documents obtained by the post showed that he paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault as part of a non-disclosure agreement. Hegsef has denied her claim. Hegsef and Carr both need to be approved for these positions in a Senate vote.

Number two, President Joe Biden approved Ukraine's use of long-range US weapons in Russia. Until now, the US has restricted Ukraine's use of certain weapons capable of striking deep inside Russia. But according to senior officials, Biden has now changed course. The reversal comes in response to North Korea's deployment of thousands of troops to aid Russia's war effort against Ukraine.

Some 10,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia's Kursk region to help Moscow's forces try to retake territory. That region along Ukraine's northern border has become a sticking point in the quest to reach a ceasefire. Russia wants the return of the Kursk region before any peace negotiations take place, but Ukraine isn't budging.

Number three, Pope Francis called for an investigation into whether genocide is taking place in Gaza. The Pope has criticized Israel's war in Gaza before, and he's privately used the word genocide to describe Israel's actions there. But this is the first time he is publicly called for an investigation into whether those actions meet the legal definition of genocide. He made the comments to an Argentinian reporter for an upcoming book.

Israel already faces accusations that it has violated international law. In December, South Africa filed a case to the International Court of Justice alleging that Israel's actions are genocidal in character. Israel has denied and condemned the allegations. Number 4.

Carrots are being recalled over an E. coli outbreak. The CDC said yesterday that at least one person has died and 15 have been hospitalized in this outbreak. Its link to organic carrots and baby carrots sold under a number of popular brand names, including Wegmans, Trader Joe's, and Nature's Promise.

The CDC says that young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, and international travelers are the most likely to get infected. The affected products are no longer sold in stores, but the CDC said they may still be in consumers' homes. So it's worth checking your fridge and the full list of affected products, which we link to in our newsletter today. You can find that in our show notes.

Spirit Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection. That's our fifth story. The low-cost airline made the announcement in a press release this morning. The carrier has struggled to recover from the pandemic. It had hoped a merger with JetBlue planned for this year would solve its problems. But that was blocked by the Justice Department, which said the merger would lead to higher fares and fewer consumer choices.

If you have a flight booked with Spirit, don't worry. The airline said people can still use all tickets, credits, and loyalty points as normal. Number 6. Scientists studied a 35,000-year-old sabertooth kitten.

In 2020, researchers made a stunning discovery in the Siberian permafrost. It was the mummified body of a saber-tooth cub. Its pelvic bones, a femur, and shin bones were encased in a block of ice along with the cub's frontal remains. Amazingly, those were still covered in fur, including whiskers, mummified flesh, and muscle. That allowed scientists to study the cub in incredible detail.

They compared the remains of the saber-tooth kitten to that of a three-week old lion cub, and they found some significant differences described in a new study. For one thing, its neck was longer and more than twice as thick as that of a modern-day lion cub. It also had broad furry paws, good for walking and snow. You can take a look at the kitten in today's newsletter. Even after 35,000 years, it's still somehow kind of cute.

and at number seven. Airbnb is offering a gladiator experience at the Colosseum, but actual Romans aren't happy about it. Airbnb recently dangled an unusual possibility for fans of history, shields, and very long movies. It's offering a small number of people the chance to follow in the footsteps of fighters in ancient Rome.

It promised a thrilling showdown by seasoned gladiators, a meal of victuals like grapes, pomegranates, almonds, and walnuts, and then a face-off with fellow warriors, which would hopefully have a less bloody outcome than it might have had 2,000 years ago. It's part of a promotion for one of this holiday season's most anticipated movies, Gladiator 2, which comes out this weekend. Did you hear that crowd? The greatest temple, room of a build.

But some people in Rome aren't on board with the hype. One local official said the idea turns the important monument into a theme park. And others say it trivializes the life and death of historical gladiators. So maybe it's best to leave pretending to be a gladiator to Paul Meskel.

Alright, you're all caught up. But there's so much more the post has to offer in this huge news moment. Our colleagues have been publishing exclusive stories about Donald Trump's incoming administration, global conflicts, and more. We're even helping you plan your holiday feasts. To get access to it all, you should become a Washington Post subscriber.

Right now, you can get a year's all-access digital subscription for just $29. Head to washingtonpost.com slash subscribe or follow the link in our show notes. That's washingtonpost.com slash subscribe. I'm Hannah Jewell. I'll meet you back here tomorrow.