The Headlines - The Obamas' Back-to-Back Speeches, and a Secret U.S. Nuclear Defense Plan

Episode Date: August 21, 2024

Plus, why eating meat may raise diabetes risk. Tune in every weekday morning. To get our full audio journalism and storytelling experience, download the New York Times Audio app — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.Tell us what you think at: [e-mail]. On Today’s Episode:Highlights From Night 2 of the Democratic Convention, by Jim RutenbergBiden Approved Secret Nuclear Strategy Refocusing on Chinese Threat, by David E. SangerF.T.C. Issues Ban on Worker Noncompete Clauses, by J. Edward MorenoEating Meat Is Linked With Diabetes Risk, New Studies Suggest, by Alice Callahan

From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Wednesday, August 21st. Here's what we're covering. Yeah, so just wanted to get your thoughts on the convention. How are you feeling going into November? What's your mood? A lot better than it was a month ago.

Yeah, oh my God, yeah. Definitely motivated to like volunteer a little bit more. In Chicago, the Democratic National Convention is rolling on with an energized crowd that's excited and relieved to have Kamala Harris as the party's nominee. Somebody actually described it. They said they weren't expecting this many people because they were really planning for more of a week. And then the amount of enthusiasm and attendance that they've seen has just been so off the charts that it's more of a celebration. The Democrats have been riding a wave of enthusiasm since President Biden stepped aside for Harris.

And the energy has been on full display at the convention. Hope is making a comeback. Last night, the headliners were Michelle and Barack Obama, who took the stage for back-to-back speeches where they praised Harris and zeroed in on Donald Trump. For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black. The former first lady called Trump out for, quote, doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies, tying Trump's attacks on her husband's background to how he's now questioned Harris' Black identity.

And she brought people to their feet as she urged the crowd to make sure everyone they know has a plan to vote in November. I am feeling ready to go. Even if, even if I am the only person stupid enough to speak after Michelle Obama. The former president, meanwhile, credited Harris with rekindling the energy that carried him to the White House 16 years ago. And he denounced Trump as whiny and selfish. We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos.

We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse. Tonight, Harris' running mate Tim Walls will speak for the third night of the convention. The Times has learned new details about how the U.S. government is preparing for a nuclear threat and where they think the threat might come from. For decades, the U.S. had been mainly preparing for an attack by Russia. But in a new top-secret nuclear deterrence plan that President

Biden approved earlier this year, the government has shifted its strategy toward a broader range of threats, which now includes China. The new nuclear strategy is what's called a nuclear employment guidance, and every president revises one. But since the last one was written, the U.S. has seen the nuclear world change considerably. David Sanger covers national security for The Times, and he learned about the changes to the plan, which is so highly classified that it only exists on paper. There are no digital copies of it. He says China's growing capabilities and Russia's friendlier relationship with North Korea has changed the equation. China has undergone the biggest change. It has been rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal.

Russia has threatened the use of nuclear weapons, particularly small battlefield weapons, against Ukraine. And even North Korea, which a few years ago had just a few nuclear weapons that it was beginning to test, now has a stockpile of 60 or more, and the capacity to expand that dramatically. That gives the North far greater strategic capability to strike at the U.S. or coordinate with Beijing and Moscow. The big question is, can the U.S. handle multiple nuclear crises? No one is certain. Imagine, for example, that Russia is threatening to use a weapon against Ukraine or a NATO member and that China or North Korea exploit that crisis to make similar threats against Taiwan or South Korea. David says that in response to the growing threats, the U.S. has moved to deploy more conventional weapons in places like Germany and Japan.

He said there have also been attempts to use diplomatic efforts to lower the temperature, but so far those have mostly gone nowhere. The Biden administration's effort to ban non-compete agreements hit a wall yesterday, when a federal judge in Texas blocked the ban from going into effect. Earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission issued a rule prohibiting most companies from mandating that their employees sign non-competes, contracts that limit their ability to go work for rival companies. The contracts have become incredibly common in recent years. The FTC estimated that one in five Americans deal with them, including everyone from hairdressers to computer engineers to company executives.

FTC Chair Lena Kahn argued getting rid of non-competes would lead to more innovation and new startups and could increase workers' earnings by $400 billion over the next decade. The ban was supposed to take effect next month, but several business groups sued, saying non-competes are necessary to protect trade secrets. And the judge's decision, which upholds a ruling from earlier this summer, says that the FTC lacks the authority to put the ban in place. A spokesman for the commission said it is, quote, seriously considering a potential appeal. And finally, a new study has found a link between diabetes and eating meat,

specifically red meat like steak or processed meat like sausage or bacon. The study, published in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology this week, looked at research data for 2 million adults across 20 countries, including the U.S. and parts of Europe and Asia. After adjusting for risk factors like smoking or physical inactivity, they found that for every 3 and a half ounces of red meat someone ate each day, like a small steak, their risk of getting type 2 diabetes increased by 10%. And for roughly every two ounces of processed meat that someone ate each day, like a sausage or a couple slices of bacon, their risk increased by 15%. The data also suggested

consuming poultry was associated with increased risk, but the finding was less consistent. A researcher who led the study said there are a couple of possible explanations. People who eat more meat may also be eating fewer fruits and vegetables. Another is that cooking meat at high temperatures, like frying and grilling, can form compounds that can damage cells and contribute to type 2 diabetes. There are also other proposed explanations related to saturated fat levels and a specific iron compound. A medical professor and cardiologist not involved

with the study told the Times this does not mean you should never eat processed meat, if that's your thing, but to instead think of it as an occasional treat. Those are the headlines. Today on The Daily, a look at the strategy behind Ukraine's surprise attacks into Russia and how Russian President Vladimir Putin may respond. You can listen on The Times audio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Tracey Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.