התמלול המלא של 11.13.26

J. Moss, the sixth book in the Court of 34 00:02:51.349 --> 00:02:56.530 Thorns and Roses series. Former alliances must be restored to 35 00:02:56.629 --> 00:03:02.000 fight the threat of Koschei the Deathless. In second place, 36 00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:06.960 49 weeks on the list, Theo of Golden by Alan Lovey. 37 00:03:07.659 --> 00:03:10.740 A man travels to a small southern town where he 38 00:03:10.819 --> 00:03:16.620 purchases pencil drawings of local residents and exchanges them for stories. 39 00:03:17.520 --> 00:03:20.849 In third place, two weeks on the list, The Hollow 40 00:03:21.069 --> 00:03:26.310 by Michael Connelly. the 21st book in the Harry Bosch series. 41 00:03:26.949 --> 00:03:30.449 Bosch investigates the facility where he was a ward of 42 00:03:30.530 --> 00:03:35.199 the state in his youth. In fourth place, 27 weeks 43 00:03:35.319 --> 00:03:40.379 on the list, The Calamity Club by Catherine Stockett. As 44 00:03:40.500 --> 00:03:44.900 things get tougher during the Depression, several women look for 45 00:03:44.979 --> 00:03:49.849 ways to improve their circumstances. And in fifth place, six 46 00:03:49.909 --> 00:03:54.930 weeks on the list, Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarrows. Thirteen 47 00:03:55.030 --> 00:03:59.759 short stories set in the Empyrean world in which cadets 48 00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:04.960 compete to earn the bond of a dragon. We continue 49 00:04:05.020 --> 00:04:08.530 with today's headlines from the front page of the New 50 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:17.089 York Times. NVIDIA chief quits as second affair adds to scrutiny. 51 00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:21.879 China plays the long game when it sets the gentle trap. 52 00:04:22.730 --> 00:04:27.050 Wong was face of an AI boom and a spy scandal. 53 00:04:28.129 --> 00:04:33.740 Bricks rained down, then apartment walls fell. At least eight 54 00:04:33.899 --> 00:04:40.240 dead and 18 injured in a Brooklyn building collapse. Prostate 55 00:04:40.319 --> 00:04:46.339 cancer screening now broadly urged. All men ages 50 to 56 00:04:46.339 --> 00:04:54.639 69 seen as needing tests. Richard A. Posner, 1939 to 2026, 57 00:04:54.639 --> 00:05:00.290 legal scholar whose works had no equal. We begin with 58 00:05:00.350 --> 00:05:11.389 this story. Jensen Wong resigns from the NVIDIA program After Affairs. 59 00:05:11.939 --> 00:05:17.819 This was written by Trip Mickle and Maggie Haberman. Jensen Wong, 60 00:05:18.060 --> 00:05:23.620 NVIDIA's chief executive, resigned on Thursday after revelations that he 61 00:05:23.689 --> 00:05:26.990 had an affair with an executive who reported to him, 62 00:05:27.610 --> 00:05:31.310 as well as with a woman whom U.S. officials had 63 00:05:31.389 --> 00:05:37.069 identified as a Chinese spy. The chip company's 10-member board 64 00:05:37.240 --> 00:05:41.600 met for several hours Wednesday evening and agreed to name 65 00:05:41.699 --> 00:05:47.319 Colette Kress, the company's chief financial officer, as interim chief 66 00:05:47.420 --> 00:05:52.610 executive until a permanent successor has been named. The board 67 00:05:52.689 --> 00:05:55.350 said on Thursday that it would begin a search for 68 00:05:55.389 --> 00:06:01.129 a permanent replacement and would consider internal and external candidates. 69 00:06:01.810 --> 00:06:08.060 NVIDIA also appointed Harvey Jones, a longtime tech entrepreneur and investor, 70 00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:13.079 as the chip company's chairman. In a statement, Mr. Jones 71 00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:17.050 said that the board was confident in Ms. Kress and 72 00:06:17.089 --> 00:06:21.730 the executive team, and that it expected the company's operations 73 00:06:21.810 --> 00:06:28.389 customer commitments and product roadmap to continue without interruption. Mr. 74 00:06:28.449 --> 00:06:33.629 Huang's exit opens an uncertain chapter for NVIDIA, the premier 75 00:06:33.769 --> 00:06:39.689 maker of artificial intelligence chips, and will have widespread ripple effects. 76 00:06:40.310 --> 00:06:44.110 The Silicon Valley firm is a linchpin of the AI 77 00:06:44.189 --> 00:06:48.449 boom and one of the world's most valuable public companies, 78 00:06:48.649 --> 00:06:54.199 controlling an estimated 90% of the market for the computer 79 00:06:54.259 --> 00:06:58.439 chips used in the big AI projects that are driving 80 00:06:58.699 --> 00:07:03.740 the U.S. economy. That dominance has made Mr. Wang one 81 00:07:03.779 --> 00:07:07.300 of the world's wealthiest people, as well as an ally 82 00:07:07.439 --> 00:07:12.170 of President Trump's. Mr. Trump was previously informed about Mr. 83 00:07:12.230 --> 00:07:16.449 Huang's relationship with the woman believed to be a Chinese 84 00:07:16.589 --> 00:07:22.050 intelligence asset, but took no action. He has defended Mr. 85 00:07:22.110 --> 00:07:25.910 Huang over the past week, saying he was an honorable 86 00:07:25.970 --> 00:07:29.600 man who did not know the woman was a Chinese agent. 87 00:07:30.649 --> 00:07:35.610 Few Silicon Valley executives, with the possible exception of Elon 88 00:07:35.649 --> 00:07:40.009 Musk of Tesla and SpaceX and Steve Jobs of Apple, 89 00:07:40.540 --> 00:07:46.199 have been as synonymous with their companies as Mr. Wong, 63. 90 00:07:46.199 --> 00:07:50.980 He was a founder of NVIDIA in 1993. He manages 91 00:07:51.300 --> 00:07:56.680 all aspects of its business as chief executive, and his 92 00:07:56.740 --> 00:08:01.730 family members have steadily risen through the company's ranks. With 93 00:08:01.750 --> 00:08:08.480 a 3.56% stake, he is also NVIDIA's largest individual shareholder. 94 00:08:09.100 --> 00:08:11.800 He has had such a tight grip on the company 95 00:08:12.180 --> 00:08:16.839 that there is no clear successor. Jensen is very much 96 00:08:16.899 --> 00:08:21.569 the command and controlled, said Patrick Moorhead, the founder of 97 00:08:21.689 --> 00:08:27.199 More Insights and Strategy, a technology research firm. Just like 98 00:08:27.300 -->

00:08:31.420 nobody replaced Steve Jobs and ran the company like him, 99 00:08:32.019 --> 00:08:36.299 nobody can replace Jensen. There has to be a different 100 00:08:36.500 --> 00:08:42.480 operating system. Any fallout may widen because NVIDIA has also 101 00:08:42.600 --> 00:08:48.159 pumped money into AI startups, cloud companies, data centers, and 102 00:08:48.370 --> 00:08:52.899 other chip suppliers. With Mr. Wang as the ringleader, the 103 00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:58.279 company spread its tentacles across the AI industry and put 104 00:08:58.340 --> 00:09:03.870 itself at the epicenter. Public scrutiny of Mr. Wang began 105 00:09:04.110 --> 00:09:07.809 after the New York Times first reported last month that 106 00:09:07.889 --> 00:09:13.149 American intelligence agencies had discovered he had developed a close 107 00:09:13.210 --> 00:09:17.389 relationship with a Chinese citizen and chip buyer who U.S. 108 00:09:17.470 --> 00:09:22.950 officials concluded previously was gathering intelligence for Beijing. The chip 109 00:09:23.009 --> 00:09:27.940 buyer was Alice Wong, or Wong Lei, whose biography said 110 00:09:27.960 --> 00:09:31.980 she worked in China as a TV reporter before becoming 111 00:09:32.500 --> 00:09:37.490 a top executive at a Singapore-based data center company called 112 00:09:37.669 --> 00:09:42.029 Megaspeed that had become one of NVIDIA's biggest customers in 113 00:09:42.090 --> 00:09:48.090 Southeast Asia. Megaspeed has bought more than $ 4. 8 billion in 114 00:09:48.210 --> 00:09:55.620 chips since June 2024. The relationship raised questions of U.S. 115 00:09:55.720 --> 00:10:01.230 national security, given that the U.S. government had barred Chinese 116 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:06.840 companies from buying the advanced chips. It also stoked geopolitical 117 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:11.080 concerns as the United States and China compete for dominance 118 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:16.919 in AI. China has denied the espionage claims. Ms. Huang 119 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:22.600 has not responded to requests for comment. NVIDIA's board has 120 00:10:22.700 --> 00:10:27.730 largely been supportive of Mr. Huang, who is also on 121 00:10:27.769 --> 00:10:33.129 the board. The other members include outside executives and the 122 00:10:33.190 --> 00:10:37.649 company's early investors and longtime partners. They have served on 123 00:10:37.690 --> 00:10:40.100 the board for a combined 161 years, and many have 124 00:10:40.179 --> 00:10:46.529 a long history with Mr. Huang. But after the Financial 125 00:10:46.590 --> 00:10:51.149 Times reported last week that Mr. Wong's relationship with Miss 126 00:10:51.190 --> 00:10:55.769 Wong was romantic, NVIDIA's board said on Sunday that it 127 00:10:55.850 --> 00:11:00.590 was opening an investigation into his conduct. It hired the 128 00:11:00.649 --> 00:11:05.190 law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, and Katz to help lead 129 00:11:05.350 --> 00:11:10.509 its investigation. That same day,

Mr. Wong admitted that he 130 00:11:10.570 --> 00:11:14.600 had been unfaithful to his wife, Lori Wong, to whom 131 00:11:14.679 --> 00:11:18.330 he has been married for 41 years. He said he 132 00:11:18.379 --> 00:11:22.289 was proud and grateful to be an American and apologized 133 00:11:22.370 --> 00:11:28.029 for his behavior. My family bears no responsibility for my choices. 134 00:11:28.389 --> 00:11:31.909 I do, he said in a message to NVIDIA employees. 135 00:11:32.460 --> 00:11:37.019 Please give them privacy. His two children, Madison and Spencer, 136 00:11:37.559 --> 00:11:42.340 also work at the company. Mr. Wang's acknowledgment of the 137 00:11:42.419 --> 00:11:47.970 affair and the company's investigation immediately set off a firestorm. 138 00:11:48.669 --> 00:11:52.210 Nvidia shares are down about a third from their peak 139 00:11:52.330 --> 00:11:55.700 at the start of October, a decline of more than $ 1. 5 140 00:11:55.600 --> 00:12:02.710 trillion in market value. On Wednesday, The Times reported that Mr. 141 00:12:02.789 --> 00:12:08.710 Huang also had an extramarital relationship with Kimberly Powell, a 142 00:12:08.789 --> 00:12:13.769 NVIDIA vice president who reports to him. Under NVIDIA's Code 143 00:12:13.809 --> 00:12:18.370 of Conduct, employees are told to avoid situations where our 144 00:12:18.590 --> 00:12:24.179 actions create conflict, including personal relationships, and the company says 145 00:12:24.279 --> 00:12:29.919 that it promptly investigates reports of misconduct. Many corporations have 146 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:37.090 policies prohibiting managers from having relationships with subordinates. Mr. Wong 147 00:12:37.129 --> 00:12:41.639 and Ms. Powell, 48, were captured on video being affectionate 148 00:12:42.120 --> 00:12:46.940 at a San Jose, California hotel during a NVIDIA conference 149 00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:51.110 in March. Ms. Powell, who is married, has not responded 150 00:12:51.169 --> 00:12:55.690 to requests for comment. After the Times approached NVIDIA on 151 00:12:55.809 --> 00:13:01.250 Wednesday about the second affair, the board began deliberating about Mr. 152 00:13:01.299 --> 00:13:06.129 Wong's future at the company. Ms. Kress is a NVIDIA 153 00:13:06.210 --> 00:13:11.509 veteran who joined the company 13 years ago. She previously 154 00:13:11.590 --> 00:13:16.240 worked at Microsoft and Cisco. In a note to employees 155 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:20.860 on Thursday, she said she believed deeply in this company 156 00:13:21.059 --> 00:13:25.480 and each of its employees. This company has achieved so 157 00:13:25.559 --> 00:13:28.210 much because of the work that all of you bring 158 00:13:28.250 --> 00:13:32.450 to it every single day, Ms. Kress said. You are 159 00:13:32.710 --> 00:13:36.350 our greatest strength. She added that there would be a 160 00:13:36.409 --> 00:13:42.379 company meeting on Wednesday to discuss its future. NVIDIA reports 161 00:13:42.519 --> 00:13:48.919 its

next quarterly earnings on Tuesday. We continue with this story. 162 00:13:50.649 --> 00:13:55.250 In China's spy operations, romance can be a long game. 163 00:13:55.830 --> 00:13:59.889 This was written by Lily Kuo. At the height of 164 00:13:59.950 --> 00:14:04.970 the Cold War, a top official in China's intelligence agency 165 00:14:05.350 --> 00:14:09.230 said that his country would never use seduction to entrap 166 00:14:09.389 --> 00:14:14.009 a person. Such tactics might be for the CIA or 167 00:14:14.070 --> 00:14:18.830 the KGB, the official named Kang Yuan of the Central 168 00:14:19.009 --> 00:14:23.370 Investigation Department, told a group of agents in training in 169 00:14:23.570 --> 00:14:28.750 April 1960. But China was guided by principles. He looked 170 00:14:28.789 --> 00:14:32.730 at the few female comrades in the audience. Rest assured, 171 00:14:33.210 --> 00:14:37.629 we will not be asking you to go run beauty traps. 172 00:14:38.460 --> 00:14:42.179 Despite that pledge, captured in a 2010 memoir by a 173 00:14:42.259 --> 00:14:49.059 former Chinese diplomat, China's intelligence services have, for decades, used 174 00:14:49.159 --> 00:14:55.559 romantic entanglements to compromise or extract information from prominent people. 175 00:14:56.500 --> 00:15:01.210 American officials say that China's Ministry of State Security, which 176 00:15:01.309 --> 00:15:07.470 runs intelligence operations today, recruited a Chinese businesswoman to collect 177 00:15:07.570 --> 00:15:12.639 intelligence on Jensen Wang. Mr. Wang, who resigned on Thursday 178 00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:16.429 as the chief executive of NVIDIA, has been one of 179 00:15:16.490 --> 00:15:21.889 the most powerful figures in the artificial intelligence boom. It 180 00:15:21.970 --> 00:15:25.789 was not clear what role the woman, Alice Wong, or 181 00:15:25.860 --> 00:15:30.460 Huang Lei, might have had with the Chinese spy agency. Ms. 182 00:15:30.500 --> 00:15:33.919 Wong was a top executive of a Singapore company that 183 00:15:34.100 --> 00:15:39.919 operates data centers in Southeast Asia using NVIDIA chips and 184 00:15:39.980 --> 00:15:45.649 that rents their computing power to Chinese firms. Mr. Huang 185 00:15:45.970 --> 00:15:49.029 has acknowledged that he had an affair with Ms. Huang. 186 00:15:49.610 --> 00:15:52.710 President Trump has said that Mr. Huang told him he 187 00:15:52.769 --> 00:15:56.429 was not aware that the woman was a spy. China 188 00:15:56.470 --> 00:16:01.750 has rejected the espionage allegations against Ms. Huang, calling them 189 00:16:01.850 --> 00:16:06.889 smears against the country. U.S. officials have not provided evidence 190 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:10.820 for their claims. Ms. Huang has not responded to requests 191 00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:15.210 for comment. The use of relationships or seduction in the 192 00:16:15.269 --> 00:16:19.009 world of espionage is not new or unique to China. 193 00:16:19.669 --> 00:16:24.610 The tactic was made infamous by East Germany's Romeo's male 194 00:16:24.870 --> 00:16:29.690 Stasi agents tasked with seducing the clerks of Western officials 195 00:16:30.190 --> 00:16:34.210 and by the Soviet Union's longtime use of sexual blackmail, 196 00:16:34.450 --> 00:16:39.169 among other examples. What is unique about China's use of 197 00:16:39.230 --> 00:16:43.580 the tactic is the amount of time invested, according to 198 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:50.720 Nicholas Efetimadze, a retired senior American intelligence officer who writes 199 00:16:50.840 --> 00:16:57.019 about China's espionage operations. They play this long-term, he said. 200 00:16:57.720 --> 00:17:04.259 These are long-term relationships, sometimes marriages. Perhaps the most famous 201 00:17:04.420 --> 00:17:10.420 example involves Xi Peipu, a Peking opera singer, whose two-decade 202 00:17:10.480 --> 00:17:15.859 relationship with Bernard Brescott, who worked on French diplomatic missions 203 00:17:15.960 --> 00:17:22.279 in Beijing and Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, drew Mr. Borchardt into 204 00:17:22.359 --> 00:17:27.240 spying for China. Both were arrested in France, at which 205 00:17:27.349 --> 00:17:33.529 point Mr. Borchardt learned his lover was a man. In 1986, 206 00:17:33.529 --> 00:17:38.859 they were convicted of espionage. Their story inspired the play M. 207 00:17:39.109 --> 00:17:45.970 Butterfly by David Henry Huang. More recent cases include Christine Fang, 208 00:17:46.410 --> 00:17:51.230 or Fang Fang, who was believed by counterintelligence officials to 209 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:54.440 be a Chinese spy and who was in a physical 210 00:17:54.519 --> 00:18:00.079 relationship with former U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell between 2012 and 2015. Separately, 211 00:18:04.210 --> 00:18:08.069 a retired U.S. Army officer who was working as a 212 00:18:08.150 --> 00:18:12.750 contractor for the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii, was sentenced 213 00:18:12.809 --> 00:18:19.319 to prison in 2014 for emailing defense secrets, including details 214 00:18:19.430 --> 00:18:25.400 about joint training exercises between the United States and South Korea, 215 00:18:25.940 --> 00:18:30.220 to a 27-year-old Chinese woman with whom he had been 216 00:18:30.279 --> 00:18:38.400 involved romantically for almost two years. In 2003, an FBI agent, 217 00:18:38.819 --> 00:18:44.460 James J. Smith, who worked in Chinese counterintelligence, admitted that 218 00:18:44.539 --> 00:18:47.700 he had had an affair for nearly 20 years with 219 00:18:47.789 --> 00:18:53.390 a Chinese-American businesswoman suspected of being a Chinese double agent. 220 00:18:54.130 --> 00:18:57.970 The woman, whom he had recruited as an asset, was 221 00:18:58.049 --> 00:19:02.700 found to have given classified U.S. government information to Beijing. 222 00:19:03.640 --> 00:19:07.240 Both the United States and China appear to be concerned 223 00:19:07.319 --> 00:19:12.369 about the possibility of emotional or

other manipulation by the 224 00:19:12.450 --> 00:19:18.289 other side. Last year, the U.S. government prohibited American personnel 225 00:19:18.369 --> 00:19:24.480 in China from having romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese citizens, 226 00:19:24.940 --> 00:19:32.960 according to the Associated Press. China's intelligence agency itself frequently 227 00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:37.640 warns its citizens to look out for foreign operatives attempting 228 00:19:37.880 --> 00:19:42.529 to trap them. In May, China's Ministry of State Security 229 00:19:42.630 --> 00:19:47.170 published an article on WeChat that called on residents to 230 00:19:47.210 --> 00:19:51.829 be weary of sudden advances and overt displays of affection 231 00:19:52.410 --> 00:19:57.950 from seemingly perfect individuals of the opposite sex. Avoid falling 232 00:19:58.130 --> 00:20:03.890 into the gentle trap, it said. Alex Joski, managing director 233 00:20:04.150 --> 00:20:09.190 at Garnaut Global, an advisory firm, said the Chinese ministry's 234 00:20:09.420 --> 00:20:13.700 warnings about espionage are usually based on the kinds of 235 00:20:13.799 --> 00:20:18.519 things that they do, rather than what other countries actually do. 236 00:20:19.319 --> 00:20:24.730 Compared with Western intelligence agencies, the Chinese government is more 237 00:20:24.809 --> 00:20:29.869 willing to use blackmail and coercion in its operations, including 238 00:20:30.150 --> 00:20:35.730 romance and sexual activities, he argued. Western governments see blackmail 239 00:20:35.890 --> 00:20:40.690 as a less reliable way of motivating a source or asset, 240 00:20:40.769 --> 00:20:46.470 he said. China's Ministry of State Security, which oversees operations 241 00:20:46.650 --> 00:20:50.950 abroad as well as security within the country, is known 242 00:20:51.009 --> 00:20:55.869 for its highly coercive methods that include threats of arrest 243 00:20:56.089 --> 00:21:01.880 and detention. The agency also exploits other forms of relationships, 244 00:21:02.140 --> 00:21:06.509 like family ties. a former FBI agent in New York, 245 00:21:06.710 --> 00:21:10.309 was recruited with the help of his mother in China 246 00:21:10.549 --> 00:21:15.410 to pass information about the agency to Beijing. He pleaded 247 00:21:15.509 --> 00:21:20.690 guilty to the charges in 2016. China does engage in 248 00:21:20.710 --> 00:21:24.809 the kind of sexually baited entrapment one might see in 249 00:21:24.849 --> 00:21:30.759 the spy drama, according to former American intelligence officers. A diplomat, 250 00:21:31.160 --> 00:21:34.079 walks into his hotel room, and there's a girl in 251 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:38.549 his bed. I mean, that stuff happens. It's just kind 252 00:21:38.609 --> 00:21:44.630 of ridiculous, Mr. Efetemad said. Dennis Wilder, who was senior 253 00:21:44.690 --> 00:21:48.779 China director at the National Security Council during the George W. 254 00:21:48.809 --> 00:21:54.859 Bush administration and a former senior intelligence officer, describes how 255 00:21:54.920 --> 00:21:59.240 when he traveled to Beijing, a woman would often be 256 00:21:59.319 --> 00:22:02.740 waiting in the elevator for him when he returned to 257 00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:07.349 his hotel. She'd say, You know, I can come to 258 00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:11.329 your room. And I'd say, Well, why do you want 259 00:22:11.369 --> 00:22:14.630 to come to my room? And they did this over 260 00:22:14.789 --> 00:22:17.450 and over again to see if they could get me, 261 00:22:17.589 --> 00:22:21.289 he said, noting that if he was ever to publicly 262 00:22:21.390 --> 00:22:24.880 accuse the Chinese of trying to entrap him, They could 263 00:22:24.950 --> 00:22:29.180 say the women were prostitutes working on their own volition. 264 00:22:29.960 --> 00:22:34.400 That's the beauty of this kind of thing. It's totally deniable, Mr. 265 00:22:34.460 --> 00:22:39.980 Wilder said. But more often than not, Mr. Atifamed said, 266 00:22:40.539 --> 00:22:47.279 Beijing is not sending operatives to stage romantic encounters for blackmail. Instead, 267 00:22:47.819 --> 00:22:51.539 it looks for people whose personal or professional lives give 268 00:22:51.579 --> 00:22:56.660 them access to potential targets, he said. Many details of 269 00:22:56.720 --> 00:23:01.299 the relationship between Mr. Wang and Ms. Wang, including when 270 00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:06.680 they met and under what circumstances Ms. Wang may have 271 00:23:06.740 --> 00:23:13.630 begun gathering information for Beijing, remain unclear. China's large diaspora 272 00:23:13.750 --> 00:23:18.829 includes executives, students, and others who can be recruited in 273 00:23:18.890 --> 00:23:25.430 what Mr. Atifamedz calls the country's whole-of-society approach to espionage. 274 00:23:26.269 --> 00:23:29.750 Of the many cases of Chinese spying that have come 275 00:23:29.809 --> 00:23:33.930 to light over the past few years, only a handful 276 00:23:34.039 --> 00:23:40.539 involve romantic relationships. In most cases, the best motivation is money, Mr. 277 00:23:40.579 --> 00:23:44.680 Joski says, but when it comes to targeting wealthy elites, 278 00:23:45.259 --> 00:23:50.599 money is not always as powerful a recruitment tool. So instead, 279 00:23:51.150 --> 00:23:54.329 You try to co-op someone in their circle, he said. 280 00:23:54.849 --> 00:23:59.230 That includes someone with whom that person has a close relationship. 281 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:05.559 A close relationship is also conducive to another major goal 282 00:24:05.720 --> 00:24:10.599 of China's intelligence operations, which is to exert influence on 283 00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:15.640 key decision makers or gather information to sway other prominent 284 00:24:15.759 --> 00:24:21.049 figures to support policies favorable to Beijing. Once you become 285 00:24:21.230 --> 00:24:27.980 emotionally involved with somebody, your baseline judgment

changes, said Matthew Brazil, 286 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:33.519 a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation focusing on Chinese 287 00:24:33.700 --> 00:24:41.549 intelligence operations. People want to please their lovers. We continue 288 00:24:41.589 --> 00:24:47.750 with this story. Rescue ends in Brooklyn after eight die 289 00:24:48.029 --> 00:24:52.980 in building collapse. This was written by Troy Clausen, Nate Schweber, 290 00:24:53.579 --> 00:24:59.269 Andrea Barnes, and Michael Levinson. After a night of frantic 291 00:24:59.349 --> 00:25:02.809 searches through the rubble of a Brooklyn building collapse that 292 00:25:02.890 --> 00:25:07.769 killed eight people, New York City officials announced on Thursday 293 00:25:08.289 --> 00:25:12.349 that they were ending their rescue efforts, concluding there were 294 00:25:12.450 --> 00:25:18.269 no more victims. Eighteen other people, including four firefighters, were 295 00:25:18.450 --> 00:25:24.519 injured in the collapse and its aftermath at 1321 Flatbush Avenue. 296 00:25:25.220 --> 00:25:28.519 Two children who were cousins were among the eight killed, 297 00:25:28.680 --> 00:25:33.670 according to an internal police report. Three were construction workers. 298 00:25:34.670 --> 00:25:39.450 The tragedy shattered the heavily immigrant neighborhood and set off 299 00:25:39.569 --> 00:25:45.460 a city investigation into excavation at the construction site next door, 300 00:25:45.900 --> 00:25:52.539 at 2625 Bedford Avenue. The collapse occurred around 4 p.m. 301 00:25:52.640 --> 00:25:57.180 on Wednesday. James Williams, who works at a deli across 302 00:25:57.240 --> 00:26:01.559 the street, said he had been hearing an incessant, loud 303 00:26:01.660 --> 00:26:06.130 hammering noise every few minutes from the construction site on 304 00:26:06.210 --> 00:26:10.990 Wednesday afternoon. He went outside and saw bricks falling from 305 00:26:10.990 --> 00:26:17.690 1321 Flatbush, a three-story apartment building. I'm like, oh hell, 306 00:26:18.130 --> 00:26:21.910 what is going on, he said. He watched as the 307 00:26:21.970 --> 00:26:26.410 building started to crumble, its front and sides sliding away, 308 00:26:27.000 --> 00:26:31.359 and a Czech cashing shop that he frequented underneath, all 309 00:26:31.859 --> 00:26:36.579 collapsing into the open construction site next door. He saw 310 00:26:36.700 --> 00:26:40.980 clothes and a microwave oven thrown into the dust-filled air. 311 00:26:41.720 --> 00:26:47.410 He heard people scream. the first firefighters arrived within a minute, 312 00:26:47.950 --> 00:26:51.069 followed by more from around New York City and from 313 00:26:51.150 --> 00:26:55.829 New Rochelle, New York, in Westchester County. The search and 314 00:26:55.910 --> 00:27:03.930 rescue efforts involved about 250 personnel in all. At 2625 Bedford, 315 00:27:04.470 --> 00:27:08.759 city officials had approved plans for a three-story building, and 316 00:27:08.819 --> 00:27:12.279 the developers of the site had submitted paperwork for a 317 00:27:12.380 --> 00:27:18.160 nine-story building with 64 apartments, a community space, and a 318 00:27:18.200 --> 00:27:23.359 grocery store. Previously, it had been home to a one-story building. 319 00:27:24.329 --> 00:27:29.210 City officials said that the developers had an active permit 320 00:27:29.309 --> 00:27:33.690 for excavation and foundation work on the lot, and that 321 00:27:33.769 --> 00:27:39.309 workers were excavating at the time of the collapse. Photos 322 00:27:39.470 --> 00:27:43.369 of the site showed shoring holding up the walls of 323 00:27:43.410 --> 00:27:48.329 the excavation site. In March, the New York City Department 324 00:27:48.369 --> 00:27:52.109 of Buildings had ordered the property owner to stop demolition 325 00:27:52.150 --> 00:27:55.730 work at the site after it found that there was 326 00:27:55.950 --> 00:28:01.430 inadequate protection for nearby properties. The department lifted the order 327 00:28:01.569 --> 00:28:05.849 in August after finding that the project team had corrected 328 00:28:06.109 --> 00:28:12.049 the violations. Mayor Zoran Mamdani, who pledged a full and 329 00:28:12.130 --> 00:28:17.390 thorough investigation into the collapse, said that officials had identified 330 00:28:17.509 --> 00:28:22.960 five entities associated with the construction site and were commencing 331 00:28:23.099 --> 00:28:27.720 sweeps of roughly 100 other sites across the city that 332 00:28:27.799 --> 00:28:33.509 had ties to them. Mr. Mamdani said he was incredibly troubled. 333 00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:37.759 that construction had continued at the site even though an 334 00:28:37.839 --> 00:28:42.299 inspection report in March had identified cracks in the north 335 00:28:42.380 --> 00:28:46.420 facade of the collapsed building. He said the city would 336 00:28:46.480 --> 00:28:52.230 hold anyone responsible for unsafe conditions fully accountable. This has 337 00:28:52.309 --> 00:28:56.630 been a devastating evening and mourning for our city, the 338 00:28:56.670 --> 00:29:00.730 mayor said. We are mourning too many people who we love. 339 00:29:01.920 --> 00:29:06.509 The general contractor at the construction site, Townhouse Builders, and 340 00:29:06.569 --> 00:29:13.329 the engineer on the project, LMW Engineering Group, did not 341 00:29:13.390 --> 00:29:18.079 respond to requests for comment. The limited liability company that 342 00:29:18.240 --> 00:29:23.000 owns the property is associated with two women, Faggy Fishman 343 00:29:23.140 --> 00:29:26.519 and Judy Swimmer. A man who answered a phone number 344 00:29:26.599 --> 00:29:30.200 listed for Ms. Fishman declined to speak to a reporter. 345 00:29:30.710 --> 00:29:33.819 Miss Swimmer did not respond to a message left at 346 00:29:33.839 --> 00:29:38.210 a phone number listed under her name. The collapsed building, 347 00:29:38.609 --> 00:29:42.660 which had faded letters on the

facade that read, Caesar Building, 348 00:29:42.839 --> 00:29:47.059 was built in 1930 and had four apartments, with a 349 00:29:47.099 --> 00:29:50.920 commercial space on the ground floor, according to city records. 350 00:29:51.599 --> 00:29:54.859 It was the last in a row of ten nearly 351 00:29:55.039 --> 00:29:58.660 identical buildings and sat on a block with a corner 352 00:29:58.700 --> 00:30:03.380 deli a furniture store, a nail salon, a pharmacy, a 353 00:30:03.440 --> 00:30:08.950 Pentecostal church, and a daycare center. The dead, Mr. Mamdani said, 354 00:30:09.430 --> 00:30:14.009 included parents and children, young families building their lives in 355 00:30:14.069 --> 00:30:20.490 our city, and immigrants from Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Trinidad, and beyond. 356 00:30:21.480 --> 00:30:25.769 As rain started to pelt Brooklyn on Thursday, Rescue workers 357 00:30:25.849 --> 00:30:30.289 were still scouring the site with search dogs, drones, helicopters, 358 00:30:30.410 --> 00:30:34.769 fire trucks, and heavy machinery. The collapse sheared off the 359 00:30:34.829 --> 00:30:39.920 wall of an adjacent building, leaving a staircase, a pink bedroom, 360 00:30:39.980 --> 00:30:44.819 and closets filled with clothing exposed to the elements. The 361 00:30:44.900 --> 00:30:49.480 American Red Cross said 14 adults and five children in 362 00:30:49.579 --> 00:30:55.430 seven households had signed up for emergency assistance, including... temporary housing. 363 00:30:56.289 --> 00:31:01.329 The police and family members identified the eight victims as 364 00:31:01.730 --> 00:31:09.660 Nicole Daniela Salvada Rodriguez, 9, Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzalez, 10, 365 00:31:09.660 --> 00:31:19.059 Gabriel Siguencia, 22, Mamadou Bouy Barry, 23, Edgar Zapon, 26, 366 00:31:19.059 --> 00:31:26.829 Jose Luis Gaguana Cosquillo, 26, Mamadou Boy Nidae, 31, and 367 00:31:26.910 --> 00:31:34.170 Juan Daniel Salvada Guzman, 31. Mr. Seguencia migrated from Ecuador 368 00:31:34.369 --> 00:31:38.750 in March 2025 and started working on the construction site 369 00:31:38.930 --> 00:31:43.130 two weeks ago, according to his mother, Leonor Yupa. She 370 00:31:43.190 --> 00:31:47.130 had watched his rescue crews haul debris out of the site. 371 00:31:47.690 --> 00:31:50.450 When she learned that her son was among the dead, 372 00:31:50.869 --> 00:31:55.589 she dropped to her knees and screamed. A family friend, 373 00:31:55.970 --> 00:32:00.529 Javier Ortega, said that Mr. Seguencia came here looking for 374 00:32:00.569 --> 00:32:04.069 a better life, a means to live, like so many 375 00:32:04.150 --> 00:32:09.130 migrants do. Mr. Sapon, who was also a construction worker 376 00:32:09.190 --> 00:32:12.750 at the site, came to the United States from Guatemala 377 00:32:12.809 --> 00:32:16.640 three years ago. His relatives had spent the night searching 378 00:32:16.700 --> 00:32:19.920 for him at the morgue and then watching as bodies 379 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:25.720 were pulled from the rubble, said, Maricela Vasquez, 35, whose 380 00:32:25.839 --> 00:32:30.759 niece was married to Mr. Sapon. He had a six-year-old son, 381 00:32:31.279 --> 00:32:35.470 and his wife arrived Wednesday evening after hearing of the collapse, 382 00:32:35.750 --> 00:32:40.990 hoping to find him. Mr. Caguana Cosquillo, an immigrant from 383 00:32:41.170 --> 00:32:45.009 Ecuador and also a construction worker at the site, was 384 00:32:45.069 --> 00:32:48.829 supporting a growing family. He would pick up his four-year-old 385 00:32:48.869 --> 00:32:54.750 son at a nursery school in Bushwick, Brooklyn, said Alexandra Simonian, 386 00:32:54.970 --> 00:32:58.490 the son's teacher, and his wife is expecting a child 387 00:32:58.549 --> 00:33:02.880 this month. They were very attached, a very sweet kind 388 00:33:02.900 --> 00:33:07.359 of family, she said. After the collapse on Wednesday, more 389 00:33:07.400 --> 00:33:10.779 than a dozen firefighters pulled a pregnant woman from the 390 00:33:10.839 --> 00:33:14.500 rubble as her husband broke down in tears. She is 391 00:33:14.559 --> 00:33:18.880 still alive. the man said at an impromptu news conference 392 00:33:18.950 --> 00:33:23.720 near the scene. I am very happy. Farah Lewis, a 393 00:33:23.779 --> 00:33:28.299 city council member who represents the neighborhood, said on Thursday 394 00:33:28.700 --> 00:33:32.000 that the woman, who was from the West African nation 395 00:33:32.339 --> 00:33:37.170 of Guinea, was in stable condition at a hospital. This 396 00:33:37.250 --> 00:33:41.609 is a very close-knit community, Miss Lewis said, adding. These 397 00:33:41.710 --> 00:33:46.049 folks are our neighbors. They're our friends. That's why the 398 00:33:46.109 --> 00:33:51.150 community is so heartbroken. The collapse renewed concerns about the 399 00:33:51.230 --> 00:33:58.140 rapid development that has been transforming Brooklyn. Godlo A. Sisuda, 400 00:33:58.420 --> 00:34:01.599 president of the New York Building Congress, a construction and 401 00:34:01.660 --> 00:34:07.500 real estate trade group, said smaller projects outside midtown Manhattan 402 00:34:08.059 --> 00:34:12.659 often do not get the same close scrutiny, a frustration 403 00:34:12.699 --> 00:34:16.340 that many residents share. I know a lot of people 404 00:34:16.639 --> 00:34:20.780 are not a fan of the new construction, said Yolanda Salomon, 405 00:34:21.039 --> 00:34:26.239 a pastor in Flatbush. It seems it happened so fast. 406 00:34:27.320 --> 00:34:33.139 We continue with this story. Prostate cancer screening now broadly 407 00:34:33.239 --> 00:34:39.500 recommended reversing past guidance. This was written by Nina Agrawal. 408 00:34:40.500 --> 00:34:45.820 The American Cancer Society on Thursday issued new guidelines recommending 409 00:34:46.239 --> 00:34:52.019 that all men ages 50 to 69 undergo prostate cancer 410 00:34:52.079 --> 00:34:57.010 screening using a blood test every two

years. Black men 411 00:34:57.070 --> 00:35:01.429 and those with strong family history of prostate cancer should 412 00:35:01.489 --> 00:35:07.710 start annual screening at 45, the guidelines said. Universal screening 413 00:35:07.789 --> 00:35:12.440 for prostate cancer, which accounts for about 2.5% of all 414 00:35:12.500 --> 00:35:17.139 deaths among U.S. men, has long been a subject of controversy. 415 00:35:17.780 --> 00:35:20.880 The evidence of the benefits of regular testing of blood 416 00:35:20.940 --> 00:35:27.420 levels of prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, is somewhat limited, and 417 00:35:27.460 --> 00:35:32.630 there are well-documented harms associated with diagnosing and treating all 418 00:35:32.670 --> 00:35:37.469 prostate cancers, which are typically slow-growing and may not ever 419 00:35:37.550 --> 00:35:41.579 cause issues in men who have them. The new guidelines 420 00:35:41.659 --> 00:35:47.340 diverge from earlier recommendations that patients and physicians decide together 421 00:35:47.500 --> 00:35:52.260 about screening based on careful consideration of the risks and 422 00:35:52.369 --> 00:35:58.010 benefits and patients' values. This is truly a reversal, said Dr. 423 00:35:58.050 --> 00:36:02.670 Philip Dumb, a professor of urology at the University of Minnesota, 424 00:36:03.010 --> 00:36:07.139 who was not involved in the guidelines. The ACS said, 425 00:36:07.599 --> 00:36:11.389 It was updating its guidance based on new evidence and 426 00:36:11.469 --> 00:36:16.809 changes in how doctors monitor and treat prostate cancers. While 427 00:36:16.989 --> 00:36:21.329 experts agreed with the rationale for the update, some worried 428 00:36:21.550 --> 00:36:25.260 that the guidelines would lead doctors and patients to default 429 00:36:25.409 --> 00:36:30.559 to screening rather than having nuanced conversations about its pros 430 00:36:30.699 --> 00:36:35.619 and cons. That could lead men to unnecessarily undergo screening. 431 00:36:36.050 --> 00:36:40.610 biopsies and treatment like radiation and surgery, which can leave 432 00:36:40.710 --> 00:36:48.449 men with erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and bowel problems. That way, 433 00:36:49.610 --> 00:36:55.340 that'll be operationalized by most physicians as they're just going 434 00:36:55.679 --> 00:36:59.460 to get this test on everyone, said Dr. Alex Christ, 435 00:36:59.599 --> 00:37:04.159 a professor of family medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University. who 436 00:37:04.219 --> 00:37:09.530 helped write another widely used prostate cancer guideline issued in 437 00:37:09.530 --> 00:37:13.730 2018 by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. It's a 438 00:37:13.789 --> 00:37:16.949 lot of harm still, and I'm not sure it's going 439 00:37:16.969 --> 00:37:22.230 to have the benefits they're predicting. How have the recommendations changed? 440 00:37:22.869 --> 00:37:26.889 The previous ACS guideline essentially left it up to men 441 00:37:27.300 --> 00:37:30.869 starting at age 50 to To make an informed decision 442 00:37:30.969 --> 00:37:34.619 with her doctors about whether to undergo a PSA test, 443 00:37:35.059 --> 00:37:38.619 which is done with a blood draw, the U.S. Preventive 444 00:37:38.679 --> 00:37:43.280 Services Task Force, a government advisory panel that also makes 445 00:37:43.340 --> 00:37:47.530 screening recommendations, gave the same advice for men ages 55 446 00:37:47.530 --> 00:37:48.489 to 69. In 2023, less than 40% of men in 447 00:37:48.769 --> 00:37:59.550 that age group received a PSA test. In explaining the 448 00:37:59.610 --> 00:38:04.719 decision to recommend screening every two years, Robert Smith, Senior 449 00:38:04.760 --> 00:38:08.960 Vice President of Early Cancer Detection Science at the ACS, 450 00:38:09.579 --> 00:38:15.079 cited a new follow-up study on a randomized controlled trial 451 00:38:15.260 --> 00:38:20.710 of prostate cancer screening in Europe. After 23 years, the 452 00:38:20.789 --> 00:38:23.909 risk of death from prostate cancer was 13% lower among 453 00:38:23.929 --> 00:38:29.800 men who were screened regularly compared with those who were 454 00:38:29.860 --> 00:38:34.420 not screened, meaning that about two deaths from prostate cancer 455 00:38:34.460 --> 00:38:39.949 were averted per 1,000 men screened. The European study also 456 00:38:40.050 --> 00:38:46.210 found that prostate cancer screening reduced the incidence of metastatic disease. 457 00:38:46.789 --> 00:38:52.039 The ACS published an analysis last year that suggested that 458 00:38:52.119 --> 00:39:00.179 advanced prostate cancer diagnosis rose after a recommendation not to screen. Dr. 459 00:39:00.239 --> 00:39:04.059 Smith also pointed to changes in how doctors now manage 460 00:39:04.239 --> 00:39:09.920 a high PSA result, including by conducting repeat testing and 461 00:39:10.119 --> 00:39:16.070 ordering an MRI before proceeding to biopsy, and by actively 462 00:39:16.309 --> 00:39:23.760 monitoring low-risk cancers rather than treating them immediately. The guideline 463 00:39:23.820 --> 00:39:28.269 recommends that doctors ensure patients are informed about the risks 464 00:39:28.429 --> 00:39:32.880 and benefits of screening. and give them the opportunity to 465 00:39:32.980 --> 00:39:37.760 raise any questions. It does not recommend rectal exams as 466 00:39:37.840 --> 00:39:41.860 a primary way of screening. Given the burden of disease 467 00:39:41.920 --> 00:39:44.599 and the fact that many men still want to undergo 468 00:39:44.699 --> 00:39:48.940 regular testing for prostate cancer, we felt it was important 469 00:39:48.980 --> 00:39:54.050 to be clear that prostate cancer screening does save lives, Dr. 470 00:39:54.130 --> 00:39:58.880 Smith said. And, he added, we have strategies right now that, 471 00:39:59.010 --> 00:40:03.940 if they're followed, will significantly reduce the risk of harms. 472 00:40:04.920 --> 00:40:09.659 Why is the

recommendation different for black men? Data show 473 00:40:09.719 --> 00:40:13.480 that black men are about 1.7 times more likely than 474 00:40:13.559 --> 00:40:17.519 white men to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and about 475 00:40:17.579 --> 00:40:21.369 twice as likely to die of it. Diagnosis in black 476 00:40:21.429 --> 00:40:24.909 men also start to climb at an earlier age, Dr. 477 00:40:24.969 --> 00:40:29.630 Smith said, which is why the ACS guideline recommends they 478 00:40:29.690 --> 00:40:35.139 begin screening at 45. Dr. Otis Brawley, a professor of 479 00:40:35.420 --> 00:40:40.880 oncology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, who has studied 480 00:40:40.960 --> 00:40:46.530 cancer disparities, said he understood the recommendation to begin screening 481 00:40:46.750 --> 00:40:51.079 earlier but he wasn't aware of data suggesting that prostate 482 00:40:51.139 --> 00:40:56.369 cancer behaves more aggressively in black men. The primary reason 483 00:40:56.449 --> 00:40:59.829 black men have worse outcomes, he said, is because they 484 00:40:59.869 --> 00:41:04.969 have less access to high-quality care. Research has shown that 485 00:41:05.030 --> 00:41:08.289 when black men receive the same care in the same 486 00:41:08.389 --> 00:41:12.670 hospital system as white men, they have the same outcomes. 487 00:41:13.690 --> 00:41:20.420 What about the risks of over-diagnosis and over-treatment? Overdiagnosis occurs 488 00:41:20.519 --> 00:41:23.519 when cancers that would not have caused any harm during 489 00:41:23.579 --> 00:41:29.170 a person's lifetime are diagnosed. Overtreatment occurs when those cancers 490 00:41:29.369 --> 00:41:34.550 are then treated unnecessarily, providing no benefit at best and 491 00:41:34.610 --> 00:41:40.070 causing harm at worst. These are real risks. With prostate 492 00:41:40.139 --> 00:41:44.960 cancer screening, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has not 493 00:41:45.079 --> 00:41:50.219 backed universal screening. because it concluded that the potential benefits 494 00:41:50.300 --> 00:41:55.679 did not outweigh these harms. The task force estimated that 495 00:41:55.739 --> 00:42:01.590 for every 1,000 men offered screening, 100 true prostate cancers 496 00:42:01.650 --> 00:42:05.730 would be diagnosed, up to half of which would never grow, spread, 497 00:42:06.010 --> 00:42:11.369 or become harmful. Most would be treated nonetheless, and 65 498 00:42:11.369 --> 00:42:17.340 men would experience erectile dysfunction or urinary incontinence while five 499 00:42:17.420 --> 00:42:24.460 men would still ultimately die from prostate cancer even after treatment. Dr. 500 00:42:24.519 --> 00:42:28.820 Dahm of the University of Minnesota said the guidelines did 501 00:42:28.880 --> 00:42:34.929 establish guardrails to lessen these risks, including by recommending testing 502 00:42:35.449 --> 00:42:39.670 biannually and limiting testing to a core age group that 503 00:42:39.710 --> 00:42:44.260 was most likely to benefit. What should I do? if 504 00:42:44.480 --> 00:42:49.539 I have a high PSA result. The guidelines recommend that 505 00:42:49.619 --> 00:42:54.769 someone who has an elevated PSA be retested, as other 506 00:42:54.829 --> 00:43:00.469 conditions can cause elevated levels. If the repeat test also 507 00:43:00.550 --> 00:43:06.739 produces an abnormal result, the ACS recommends an MRI in 508 00:43:06.940 --> 00:43:13.340 order to distinguish between low-risk cancers and high-risk cancers. which 509 00:43:13.449 --> 00:43:19.000 need to be confirmed via biopsy. Tumors that appear to 510 00:43:19.059 --> 00:43:23.679 be low-risk can be treated with active surveillance, which can 511 00:43:23.760 --> 00:43:33.159 include PSA testing, monitoring, and biopsy. We continue with this story. 512 00:43:36.809 --> 00:43:42.550 The U.S. has lost its measles elimination status, data suggests. 513 00:43:43.239 --> 00:43:50.860 This was written by Apoorva Mandavili. Measles is once again endemic, 514 00:43:51.139 --> 00:43:56.289 a constant and predictable presence in the United States. 26 515 00:43:56.289 --> 00:44:00.210 years after it was declared eliminated in the country, an 516 00:44:00.289 --> 00:44:04.989 analysis of genetic data from outbreaks of the disease has found. 517 00:44:05.789 --> 00:44:09.420 Data from the outbreaks will be the focus of deliberations 518 00:44:09.519 --> 00:44:14.809 by an international panel of scientific experts convening on Tuesday 519 00:44:14.889 --> 00:44:19.449 to decide whether the United States should lose its official 520 00:44:19.530 --> 00:44:25.260 designation as a nation that has eliminated measles. An announcement 521 00:44:25.320 --> 00:44:29.420 of the decision is expected on November 17. The New 522 00:44:29.460 --> 00:44:34.070 York Times asked several scientists to analyze the publicly available 523 00:44:34.130 --> 00:44:39.869 genetic data before the meeting. Achieving elimination status in 2000 524 00:44:39.869 --> 00:44:44.010 was a hard-fought public health victory for the United States, 525 00:44:44.809 --> 00:44:48.710 but with skepticism about the safety of vaccines growing in 526 00:44:48.789 --> 00:44:54.230 recent years, outbreaks have become more frequent. Over the past 527 00:44:54.329 --> 00:45:00.190 two years, cases have soared, with nearly 5,200 reported so 528 00:45:00.269 --> 00:45:05.159 far this year. Last week alone, Pennsylvania, New York, and 529 00:45:05.199 --> 00:45:10.710 Wisconsin reported each reported a death associated with measles, bringing 530 00:45:10.769 --> 00:45:14.510 this year's total to eight, more than the combined deaths 531 00:45:14.610 --> 00:45:22.530 from 2000 through 2024. To officially lose elimination status, a 532 00:45:22.590 --> 00:45:26.289 committee of the Pan American Health Organization, a branch of 533 00:45:26.349 --> 00:45:31.070 the World Health Organization, must determine that the country has 534

00:45:31.139 --> 00:45:35.300 had uninterrupted transmission of measles for more than 12 months. 535 00:45:36.820 --> 00:45:41.309 Publicly available data shows that several chains of transmission have 536 00:45:41.349 --> 00:45:44.550 continued for more than a year in the United States, 537 00:45:45.110 --> 00:45:48.880 according to scientists who analyzed the data at the request 538 00:45:48.920 --> 00:45:53.000 of the New York Times. Three chains that were continuing 539 00:45:53.059 --> 00:45:57.820 in July 2026, two in Utah and one in Arizona, 540 00:45:58.400 --> 00:46:01.610 can all be traced to an outbreak in Texas more 541 00:46:01.650 --> 00:46:05.199 than a year earlier. One of those, which was still 542 00:46:05.260 --> 00:46:10.099 continuing in Utah in September, had been circulating for over 543 00:46:10.239 --> 00:46:14.980 a year in that state, occasionally spilling over into Oregon 544 00:46:15.360 --> 00:46:19.780 and Washington. This alone is strong evidence that there has 545 00:46:19.860 --> 00:46:25.320 been ongoing transmission for over a year, said Bill Hanage, 546 00:46:25.829 --> 00:46:29.710 co-director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at the 547 00:46:29.769 --> 00:46:35.590 Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Another transmission chain 548 00:46:35.650 --> 00:46:38.889 detected in Virginia at the start of the year was 549 00:46:38.929 --> 00:46:44.539 still spreading in Iowa, Indiana, and Pennsylvania as of mid-October. 550 00:46:45.239 --> 00:46:48.480 There is often a delay of several weeks before genetic 551 00:46:48.519 --> 00:46:53.880 data is available online. There's a general pattern of outbreaks 552 00:46:53.960 --> 00:46:59.989 seeding other outbreaks, said J.T. McCrone, an evolutionary biologist at 553 00:47:00.070 --> 00:47:05.369 the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, who helps oversee Nextstrain, the 554 00:47:05.449 --> 00:47:10.869 publicly available database that contains genetic information for measles and 555 00:47:10.949 --> 00:47:18.449 many other pathogens. Measles is very contagious. It spreads very easily, Dr. 556 00:47:18.510 --> 00:47:22.389 McCrone said. We have a lot of connected communities in 557 00:47:22.429 --> 00:47:26.039 the U.S., and so you can hop from population to 558 00:47:26.099 --> 00:47:33.139 population and maintain a transmission chain. Some critics consider the 559 00:47:33.199 --> 00:47:38.579 potential loss of elimination status a referendum on Health Secretary 560 00:47:38.739 --> 00:47:43.300 Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has for decades questioned the 561 00:47:43.380 --> 00:47:48.380 safety of vaccines in general and the measles vaccine in particular. 562 00:47:49.059 --> 00:47:52.980 He has falsely said that the measles vaccine can be fatal, 563 00:47:53.469 --> 00:47:58.179 that it contains fetal debris, and that its effectiveness plummets 564 00:47:58.280 --> 00:48:01.900 over time. None of the eight Americans who died from 565 00:48:01.960 --> 00:48:06.599 measles this year had been vaccinated against the disease. Four 566 00:48:06.699 --> 00:48:10.389 were infants who were too young for the shot. Mr. 567 00:48:10.449 --> 00:48:14.849 Kennedy has repeatedly noted that measles is on the rise 568 00:48:14.929 --> 00:48:19.949 in many countries beyond the United States. Due in large 569 00:48:20.030 --> 00:48:24.809 part to a rise in vaccine hesitancy and misinformation since 570 00:48:24.889 --> 00:48:30.849 the pandemic, seven countries, including Canada, Spain, and Britain, have 571 00:48:30.949 --> 00:48:35.309 lost their elimination status in the past two years. Mexico 572 00:48:35.389 --> 00:48:38.309 is expected to lose it this month, along with the 573 00:48:38.389 --> 00:48:43.190 United States. But the explosion of cases in the United 574 00:48:43.269 --> 00:48:48.559 States has coincided precisely with his time in office. Last year, 575 00:48:48.639 --> 00:48:53.900 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded nearly 2,300 576 00:48:53.900 --> 00:48:58.460 cases and three deaths. Most cases of measles in the 577 00:48:58.539 --> 00:49:04.010 years since elimination were linked to travel abroad, particularly in 578 00:49:04.110 --> 00:49:09.909 countries where the disease is still endemic. But those importations 579 00:49:10.010 --> 00:49:14.039 did not spread widely and died out quickly. because more 580 00:49:14.079 --> 00:49:17.670 than 95% of children in the United States had been 581 00:49:17.869 --> 00:49:24.340 immunized against the disease. That percentage dropped to 92.4% in 582 00:49:24.639 --> 00:49:31.780 the school year beginning in 2025, leaving nearly 300,000 kindergartners 583 00:49:32.039 --> 00:49:37.699 at risk. Rising vaccine hesitancy has led to sharp increases 584 00:49:37.880 --> 00:49:43.460 in parents seeking exemptions for their children from school vaccination requirements. 585 00:49:44.219 --> 00:49:50.469 The COVID pandemic exacerbated the problem, first by derailing routine 586 00:49:50.630 --> 00:49:56.989 immunizations and then by intensifying mistrust of vaccines. Mr. Kennedy's 587 00:49:57.030 --> 00:50:01.260 statements from his pulpit as the country's top health official 588 00:50:01.539 --> 00:50:06.710 also fueled misplaced fears, that childhood vaccines might be more 589 00:50:06.809 --> 00:50:12.150 dangerous than the diseases they are intended to prevent. Regaining 590 00:50:12.309 --> 00:50:18.360 elimination status will require more than ending the current transmission chains, 591 00:50:18.590 --> 00:50:23.780 experts said. Public health officials will need to increase immunization 592 00:50:23.840 --> 00:50:27.400 rates across the country and cut down on the number 593 00:50:27.460 --> 00:50:31.639 of pockets into which the virus can jump. The measles 594 00:50:31.739 --> 00:50:37.000 virus evolves slowly, allowing the vaccine to be effective even 595 00:50:37.059 --> 00:50:42.420 without frequent updates. But its slow

evolution also means that 596 00:50:42.500 --> 00:50:48.860 pinpointing how the virus is changing or moving requires deeper analysis. 597 00:50:50.659 --> 00:50:55.239 Scientists have typically relied on snippets of the measles virus, 598 00:50:55.340 --> 00:50:59.059 which was enough to identify the sporadic cases in the country. 599 00:50:59.739 --> 00:51:03.639 but they now have the technology to decode the full 600 00:51:03.679 --> 00:51:08.920 genetic sequences of the samples, giving them clearer insight into 601 00:51:08.980 --> 00:51:13.019 how the virus is changing and moving and enabling them 602 00:51:13.119 --> 00:51:20.260 to distinguish endemic circulation from travel-associated cases. If this outbreak 603 00:51:20.300 --> 00:51:26.130 had occurred in 2006, We wouldn't have the technology to 604 00:51:26.170 --> 00:51:29.940 be able to do this, said Robert Potter, a clinical 605 00:51:30.159 --> 00:51:35.039 microbiologist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. We never really 606 00:51:35.079 --> 00:51:39.889 had to study measles from a genomic perspective before because 607 00:51:39.949 --> 00:51:43.730 there were no measles to sequence, he added. It's giving 608 00:51:43.829 --> 00:51:47.409 us a lot of new information, but it's information that 609 00:51:47.449 --> 00:51:54.110 we didn't necessarily need to have. We continued. with this story. 610 00:51:54.130 --> 00:51:59.449 At a civil rights landmark, a night of jubilation over 611 00:51:59.550 --> 00:52:05.809 Collins' victory. This was written by Emily Cochran and Jennifer Medina. 612 00:52:07.369 --> 00:52:11.159 On the lawn of Tougaloo College, steps from the chapel 613 00:52:11.199 --> 00:52:14.840 where the civil rights leaders Fannie Lou Hammer and Medgar 614 00:52:15.000 --> 00:52:20.039 Evans gave speeches, they danced. Students from Tougaloo and other 615 00:52:20.099 --> 00:52:26.349 nearby Historically, black institutions lined the sidewalk to cheer and applaud. 616 00:52:26.969 --> 00:52:31.269 Members of black fraternities and sororities, dressed in their letters 617 00:52:31.349 --> 00:52:35.780 and colors, embraced one another. Thank the Lord, we did it, 618 00:52:36.159 --> 00:52:39.559 one woman declared. It was a day that many had 619 00:52:39.619 --> 00:52:43.679 prayed would come, though they could never know when. That evening, 620 00:52:44.099 --> 00:52:48.699 Scott Column, made their hopes a reality, speaking in front 621 00:52:48.760 --> 00:52:55.380 of the college chapel as the senator-elect from Mississippi. Tyler Dotson, 21, 622 00:52:55.369 --> 00:53:00.369 a freshman at Tougaloo College, was awestruck. It was everything, 623 00:53:00.590 --> 00:53:03.449 he said, describing how it felt to hear that Mr. 624 00:53:03.530 --> 00:53:08.269 Column had won. We've been waiting a long time. It's 625 00:53:08.329 --> 00:53:12.880 something big, remembered in history, he added, grinning. We'd back. 626 00:53:13.730 --> 00:53:17.550 When the U.S. Senate

race in Mississippi was called for Mr. Collum, 627 00:53:17.929 --> 00:53:20.889 who will become the first black senator from the state 628 00:53:20.969 --> 00:53:25.920 since the Reconstruction era, shouts of celebration erupted at the 629 00:53:25.980 --> 00:53:31.900 local NAACP office. At a law office in Jackson, everyone 630 00:53:31.980 --> 00:53:36.820 stopped working and screamed for joy. At Tougaloo, The rows 631 00:53:36.860 --> 00:53:40.769 of chairs filled long before the victory speech began, as 632 00:53:40.889 --> 00:53:43.710 hundreds gathered at the college that had been both a 633 00:53:43.769 --> 00:53:47.469 haven and a proving ground for a generation of civil 634 00:53:47.550 --> 00:53:52.369 rights activists and black leaders. It had been eight days 635 00:53:52.690 --> 00:53:57.730 since the election. It had been 63 years since Medgar Evers, 636 00:53:58.150 --> 00:54:01.349 the civil rights leader who led voting rights drives in 637 00:54:01.389 --> 00:54:06.869 the state, was assassinated in his driveway. and it had 638 00:54:06.909 --> 00:54:10.929 been more than 150 years since a black senator had 639 00:54:10.989 --> 00:54:16.739 been chosen to represent Mississippi. For generations, Mississippi was a 640 00:54:16.800 --> 00:54:23.840 bastion of slavery, segregation, lynching, and black voter suppression. Mr. 641 00:54:23.900 --> 00:54:27.880 Collum will be the third black senator to represent the state. 642 00:54:29.139 --> 00:54:32.610 The first two were chosen by the state legislature and 643 00:54:32.730 --> 00:54:37.340 served during Reconstruction. Mr. Column will be the first chosen 644 00:54:37.420 --> 00:54:42.199 by voters. It lets me know that my work isn't 645 00:54:42.320 --> 00:54:47.380 in vain, said Jamarius Everett, 20, wearing a black and 646 00:54:47.420 --> 00:54:52.090 gold jacket of Alpha Phi Alpha, the fraternity to which Mr. 647 00:54:52.119 --> 00:54:57.210 Column also belongs. I can sit in the seats that 648 00:54:57.409 --> 00:55:05.309 once controlled people like me. Some in Mississippi, including Nadia Colum, Mr. 649 00:55:05.389 --> 00:55:11.070 Colum's wife, pointed to President Barack Obama's election in 2008 650 00:55:11.070 --> 00:55:15.059 as the last moment where this kind of hope reverberated 651 00:55:15.239 --> 00:55:21.579 through their communities. At a bar in downtown Jackson, Robert Morris, 37, 652 00:55:21.579 --> 00:55:25.260 sat on the patio and said the Senate election had 653 00:55:25.340 --> 00:55:29.719 made history he never expected to witness as a lifelong 654 00:55:29.820 --> 00:55:34.460 resident of the Deep South. I never thought I'd see 655 00:55:34.500 --> 00:55:37.829 a black president. Never thought I'd see a black senator, 656 00:55:37.909 --> 00:55:43.750 especially a black senator from Mississippi, Mr. Morris said. Remember 657 00:55:43.849 --> 00:55:48.940 when Andre 3000 said the South has something to say? Well, 658 00:55:49.280 --> 00:55:53.900 now Mississippi does. Everybody is paying attention to us, and 659 00:55:53.960 --> 00:55:59.250 we're going to do things right. Many college-educated residents of 660 00:55:59.329 --> 00:56:02.429 Mississippi have left the state over the years to seek 661 00:56:02.510 --> 00:56:08.500 jobs in more progressive environments elsewhere. Terry Rogers II, a 662 00:56:08.519 --> 00:56:14.000 21-year-old senior studying political science at Tougaloo, said Mr. Colum's 663 00:56:14.099 --> 00:56:17.840 win could help change that. This is what we've been 664 00:56:17.880 --> 00:56:22.530 praying for, for years, for generations, he said. Mr. Rogers 665 00:56:22.590 --> 00:56:26.670 had spent Tuesday driving a college van to shuttle students 666 00:56:26.750 --> 00:56:30.510 between government offices to check on their ballots as the 667 00:56:30.570 --> 00:56:35.030 race remained uncalled. This makes me want to continue to 668 00:56:35.110 --> 00:56:39.500 be a Mississippian. This makes me love my state even 669 00:56:39.599 --> 00:56:44.320 more than I already did. As Mr. Rogers spoke, another 670 00:56:44.380 --> 00:56:49.920 student shouted in joyous disbelief. He won. You see that? 671 00:56:50.579 --> 00:56:54.210 You see that? This concludes the reading of the New 672 00:56:54.250 --> 00:56:57.940 York Times for today. Your reader has been Blanca Michael Ward. 673 00:56:58.460 --> 00:57:03.159 If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions concerning this program, 674 00:57:03.699 --> 00:57:10.579 please feel free to call us at 859-422-6390. Thank you 675 00:57:10.679 --> 00:57:14.489 for listening, and now please stay tuned for continued programming 676 00:57:14.829 --> 00:57:15.679 on Radio Eye.