Shumita Basu
Appearances
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Kelly is part of the team at Wired that's been closely reporting on what Doge has been doing, speaking to current and former federal workers. In total, Doge has shrunk the federal workforce to 1960s levels by either firing or pushing out nearly a quarter of a million workers.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Doge has hollowed out or shut down 11 federal agencies, and the team says it has cut more than 8,500 contracts and 10,000 grants. Last month, as Doge was getting more scrutiny, Trump said they would use a scalpel to make cuts. But Kelly says that's not what's happened so far.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Doge has also successfully gained access to troves of data, including Americans' personal data, to what end remains somewhat murky.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Over the last few months, the American public has soured on Musk and Doge. There have been nationwide protests of Tesla, and the company's profits fell by more than 70 percent amid the backlash. Only 35 percent of Americans approve of the government work Musk is doing, according to recent polling, while 57 percent disapprove.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
In the next 100 days, the Doge team will see some big changes. Musk says he's going to step away soon to focus more on Tesla. However, as a special government employee, he didn't really have a choice. He can only spend 130 days a year on government work, and that deadline is coming up in just a few weeks. But that doesn't mean Musk will leave his work in Washington behind entirely.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Reuters spoke with four people who say he's already looking ahead to next year's midterms, where he plans to play a major role as a Republican mega-donor. Now to the United Nations top court, where oral arguments began this week over whether Israel should be compelled to allow the U.N.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
and other organizations to provide uninterrupted access to Gaza and the West Bank to provide humanitarian aid for Palestinians. And please be advised, this story contains graphic details of war injuries and fatalities. Since March 2nd, Israel has allowed no food, medicine, or supplies to enter Gaza. It says to pressure Hamas into freeing the remaining Israeli hostages.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Aid groups say conditions in the enclave are getting increasingly catastrophic for the over 2 million Palestinians who live there. Groups like the World Food Program say they have no more food to distribute. The supplies they managed to stockpile during the brief ceasefire at the start of the year have run out.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
And Doctors Without Borders says access to clean drinking water has reached a crisis point. During testimony at The Hague on Monday, Ammar Hijazi, the Palestinian ambassador to the Netherlands, told the court that today, nine out of 10 Palestinians don't have access to safe drinking water.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
But first, when Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency got to Washington at the start of Trump's second term, they made some big promises, chief among them to cut waste and fraud from federal spending and make the government more efficient in order to save American taxpayers money. Musk originally said Doge would find $2 trillion in savings.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
The International Court of Justice heard via a pre-recorded video from at least one of these doctors who traveled to Gaza in recent months to support Palestinians. Here's Dr. Mohamed Mustafa from Australia speaking from a Gaza hospital where he volunteered last month.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Israel did not send a legal delegation to The Hague this week, and it's argued the proceedings are biased. Israeli Foreign Minister Gidan Saar spoke about this at a press conference on Monday.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Tsar and other Israeli officials have said UNRWA, the main U.N. agency that provides aid to Palestinians, has been infiltrated by Hamas, though Israel has not made public any evidence to support those claims. In recent months, Israel banned both the U.N. and UNRWA from operating in Israel and from communicating with Israeli officials.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
At the ICJ hearings this week, around 40 governments are expected to speak. An opinion from the court on whether Israel should allow uninterrupted aid is not expected for a while, and it will not be binding. However, opinions from the ICJ do carry significant legal weight.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
As The New York Times points out, a ruling against Israel could reshape how governments across the world navigate their relationships and policymaking with the country. As legal battles over people who were detained and deported continue in courtrooms across the country, their families are engaged in their own battles. For them, it's not about what's legal or illegal.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
It's about how to survive when someone you love and rely on is taken away without warning. Like Jennifer Vazquez-Zura, the wife of Kilmar Abrego-Garcia, who the Trump administration wrongly deported to El Salvador.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Good morning. It's Wednesday, April 30th. I'm Shemita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, the U.N. weighs in on Israel's humanitarian aid blockade, how the families of deportees are coping, and everyone's favorite TV painter Bob Ross gets his own happy little exhibition.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
She told The Washington Post last week that she was forced to move to a safe house because Trump administration officials posted a court document on social media that contained her home address, which made her afraid for her and her children's safety. Her husband has been publicly attacked by President Trump, administration officials, and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Here's Vasquez Sura speaking to CBS after learning her husband was sent to the notorious Secot prison in El Salvador. I was very scared.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Then he lowered the goal to $1 trillion, then again to $150 billion. But Doge has struggled to reach even that very lowest target. The Doge team claims to have saved $160 billion, but reporting shows their accounting is inflated and riddled with miscalculations and errors, so it's hard to know what exactly they've accomplished.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
The administration has admitted it deported Abrego Garcia by mistake, but it claims he is a member of MS-13, and it has since defied numerous court orders to help facilitate his return to the United States. Vasquez-Sora says her husband is innocent, and she told The Post, quote, "'This is God's battle, and I'm going to fight it, for Kilmar and for everyone.'"
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
In another case, a Cuban mother was separated last week from her one-year-old baby when she was deported. Heidi Sanchez broke down in tears as she spoke to Reuters from Cuba about the incident. Here she is through an interpreter.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
The Department of Homeland Security called Sanchez's account inaccurate, saying all deportees are given the opportunity to take their kids with them. Reuters could not confirm if she was given a chance to do so. Then there is Dr. Noor Abdullah, a U.S. citizen and the wife of Mahmoud Khalil.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
He's a green card holder who was detained by ICE for participating in protests at Columbia University against Israel's war in Gaza. Abdallah, who was eight months pregnant at the time, was with Khalil when immigration officers in plain clothes stopped them in the lobby of their apartment building and took him away.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
She immediately called their lawyer, who told her to ask the officers questions like their names and which agency they represented. But as you can hear in this video shot by Abdallah, they refused to answer most of them.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Last week, she gave birth to their child without Khalil by her side. He requested a temporary supervised release to be there for the delivery of his son, but ICE denied the request almost immediately. Abdullah told Al Jazeera she suspected Khalil wouldn't be allowed to attend the birth, but also said she's trying to keep the larger picture in mind.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Time magazine reports that cases like these, and in particular Khalil's case, echo Trump's history of using family separations as immigration policy, where over 5,000 children were taken from their parents with no tracking process or records that allowed them to be reunited. To this day, as many as 1,300 children separated during Trump's first term have never been reunited with their parents.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. President Trump says he will scale back 25 percent tariffs on imported cars and auto parts that were set to go into effect this weekend, the latest retreat in his tariff policy that has thrown financial markets into disarray.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
The president says he wants to prevent carmakers from being hit with double tariffs from these and additional new import taxes on foreign metal. Now automakers can apply for 15% price offsets during the first year of tariffs, then 10% the next. Those offsets will expire in the third year, by which point the administration hopes more of the automaking supply chain will have moved to the U.S.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Doge's goals are hitting up against what budget experts and the government's own watchdogs have long said. Finding and eliminating waste, fraud and abuse isn't a path to big fiscal savings. There simply isn't enough of it. The bulk of federal spending is associated with Social Security and Medicare, two programs that Trump has promised he won't touch.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Another Columbia University student who was arrested for his pro-Palestinian advocacy work is speaking out. Mahsan Mahdawi, a lawful permanent U.S. resident, has been in custody since being detained at his citizenship hearing on April 14th. And he told NPR in an exclusive interview he's doing his best to stay positive.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Mahdawi grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank. The federal government in court filings Monday said Mahdawi's presence in the U.S. could undermine policy to combat anti-Semitism and peace negotiations in the Middle East, but they provided no evidence as to how.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
And finally, a museum exhibition honoring the life and work of everyone's favorite public television painter, Bob Ross, will open sometime in the next year. The Minnetrista Museum and Gardens in Muncie, Indiana, will feature about 200 works from his television show, The Joy of Painting, which ran from 1983 to 1994.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
The featured works donated by his estate will include the last painting he ever did on air, an idyllic wilderness path winding through mountains and the horizon. plus a few pieces that he painted in private and never recreated on air. So if you happen to be in Indiana during the show, consider stopping by to enjoy some happy little trees and clouds if you can.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. An emergency physician writes for The New Yorker about the decimation of Gaza's health care system that he witnessed firsthand when he traveled there in late January.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
DOGE set out to save trillions. Here are the results.
Still, Wired senior writer McKenna Kelly tells us Doge, with Trump's support, has had a profound effect on the federal government over the last 100 days.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
Despite the temporary halt on Trump's order, there were reports of nonprofits still having trouble accessing funds through federal websites. Yolanda Fields, who runs a group called Breakthrough, which provides education and housing services, told the Chicago CBS affiliate she doesn't know what would happen if they lost the $2 million in funding that they received from the federal government.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
And in Knoxville, Tennessee, Caitlin McGuire with the Tennessee Valley Coalition for the Homeless says the uncertainty of it all is what has people on edge.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
The big question here is whether the executive branch can make these cuts without Congress. Here's Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
Speaking on MSNBC, former Republican Congress member from Florida, David Jolly, who served on the House Appropriations Committee, said he thinks Trump's justification for doing it this way won't hold water in court.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
The term being used to describe what the Trump administration is doing here is impoundment. That basically means that Congress has written the check for all these programs and the president is now refusing to put it in the mail. In 1974, Congress passed a law limiting the president's ability to claw back funding like this, citing the way Richard Nixon had abused the practice.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
But some Trump allies say that law is unconstitutional and should be struck down, which means this could all be headed for the Supreme Court, with a potential showdown over who really holds the purse strings in Washington. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 's confirmation hearing to become the next head of the Department of Health and Human Services starts today.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
If he's confirmed, Kennedy would be in charge of 18 agencies and would have enormous influence over America's public health. He'd also have a lot of say over how Americans access and are advised on vaccines. In the past, he has spread baseless claims about the safety of vaccines, though he says he is not anti-vaccine.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
Still, experts worry that childhood vaccination rates, which have already been dropping, could fall even faster under his leadership, potentially leading to a resurgence in diseases that we thought were lost to the history books. Dr. Paul Offit, an expert at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, recently testified in a Senate hearing about his concerns.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
According to a poll conducted by the Associated Press and NORC, 40 percent of Republicans and 69 percent of Democrats are very concerned about fewer children being vaccinated. Now, beyond vaccines, Kennedy has long expressed deep distrust in the very institutions he will potentially lead. And in that, he reflects a growing sentiment among Americans.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
But first, President Trump's order to freeze trillions of dollars in federal spending caused widespread confusion on Tuesday. The administration says it's vetting all spending and has promised to cut off money to programs, grants, loans, and anything else that doesn't align with the administration's agenda, in particular what they call woke ideology.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
Data shows public trust in federal health agencies plummeted during the pandemic and crucially hasn't recovered. According to Gallup polling, for example, the percentage of adults who describe the CDC as excellent or good dropped over 20 percent from 2019 to 2021.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
Javier Becerra, the outgoing health secretary, recently told The Washington Post he and other officials acknowledge they made some missteps during the pandemic. Here's how The Washington Post's Rachel Rubin put it.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
Specifically around using clear language with the public, saying what's known and what's not known about how the virus spreads. But Becerra told The Post he believes social media has fueled misinformation and distrust around health.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
This combination of pre-existing doubts in health institutions, plus the pandemic, is what led us to RFK's nomination as health secretary. He's keeping his campaign slogan around, make America healthy again. And he's talking about reforms that a lot of Americans are excited about. Things like
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
The same AP-NORC poll that I mentioned earlier found that 66% of people favor requiring changes to processed foods to remove ingredients like added sugar or dyes. But some other ideas, like removing fluoride from drinking water and lifting restrictions on selling raw milk, have just around 25% support from Americans surveyed.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
The Post says Kennedy is among Trump's most vulnerable cabinet nominees. Some Republicans have raised concerns around his past support for abortion rights. But some other lawmakers, like Pennsylvania's John Fetterman, a Democrat, and independent Senator Bernie Sanders, have said they are open to supporting him. Now to the AI race and how a Chinese company called DeepSeek rattled U.S.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
Good morning. It's Wednesday, January 29th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 's confirmation hearing for health secretary gets underway. What to know about a new AI from China that's rattled American tech companies and financial markets. And the Mona Lisa is moving.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
tech markets and suddenly became one of the most downloaded free apps in the country. The company's open source model called R1 looks and functions a lot like ChatGPT, but DeepSeek claims their chatbot costs far less. And that's upended assumptions and sent top AI companies scrambling to rethink what it takes to make a successful AI product.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
Bloomberg News AI reporter Shireen Ghaffari has been following this story.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
Trump's order, however, was quickly blocked by a judge, putting it on hold at least temporarily until February 3rd. Twenty-two state attorneys general are also suing the administration over the order, saying Trump can't halt approved spending without an act of Congress.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
Ghaffari says part of that assumption had to do with the fact that the biggest AI companies, most of which are based in the U.S., believed that only they could afford to make the most advanced AI systems. Plus, the Biden administration blocked our best AI microprocessors from being sold to China. And there was a widespread belief that better AI came from using more chips, like those made by U.S.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
chipmaker NVIDIA. But DeepSeek claims its model only needed 2,000 chips from NVIDIA to run their chatbot, compared to other top companies, which typically use as many as eight times that amount. Ghaffari says she has heard some pushback to DeepSeek's claim that their chatbot costs a fraction to operate compared to other competitors.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
And she says there's still a lot we don't know about how exactly DeepSeek created their chatbot and whether it drew on work done by American companies.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
At least some leaders of American AI companies, like OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman, have welcomed the competition. Altman praised DeepSeek on social media, writing that it was, quote, invigorating to have a new challenger. Another prominent tech leader, Mark Andreessen, called their product AI's Sputnik moment. And Ghaffari says this will likely light a fire under American companies.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
Here are a few other stories that we're watching in the Apple News app. About 2 million federal workers have been offered the chance to resign and be paid through September as part of the Trump administration's latest effort to overhaul the federal government.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
An administration official told NBC News they expect about 5 to 10 percent of the federal workforce to take the buyout, saving about $100 billion. An email sent to workers contained a resignation letter for review with the option to reply, resign, if they want to quit.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
It wasn't immediately clear what Trump intended to happen when he ordered the freeze of federal grants and loans, but within hours, thousands of government programs seemed at risk of being cut. These are programs that have to do with everything from access to meals for low-income families to child care and health care. For hours, all 50 states said they couldn't access Medicaid's funding portal.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
The email also said a new, quote, enhanced standard of conduct would be implemented to ensure employees are, quote, loyal and trustworthy. The union that represents the largest share of federal employees warned the move will cause vast unintended consequences that will cause chaos for people who depend on government services.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
It's unclear whether Elon Musk, who is now in charge of Trump's new Department of Government Efficiency, was involved in this move, but he famously sent a similar email to employees shortly after he took over Twitter. In other news, the Mona Lisa is getting moved. For a long time, she's been hanging in an area of the Louvre in Paris that gets very overcrowded due to her popularity.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
So now French President Emmanuel Macron announced the piece will get its own room as part of a large renovation of the world's most visited museum. It'll also be accessible separately from the rest of the museum with its own ticket. In a recent memo, the museum's director said the Louvre has become overrun with crowds and is in need of an overhaul.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
Other renovations to the museum will include a grand new entrance near the Seine. And finally, today is Lunar New Year, one of the most important festivals of the year for the more than 1 billion people who celebrate across many Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, and Korea. This ushers in the year of the snake, a symbol of renewal, regeneration, and hopefully positive transformation.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
Jonathan H.X. Lee, an Asian Studies professor at San Francisco State University, described it this way to NBC. It's about shedding the ego, letting go of the past, letting go of anger. This is the year where the kind of growth, personal and macro, internal and external, is very much possible. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Elle profiles Lady Gaga as she gets ready to release her seventh studio album called Mayhem, which the writer describes as a feast. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
The White House later clarified many of those programs are not at risk and never should have been impacted. Here's White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt speaking to reporters on Tuesday.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Hey there, it's Shamita. I've got a quick request for you. If Apple News Today is an essential part of your morning routine, follow the show in Apple Podcasts. And if you have another 30 seconds, leave us a rating and a review too. It helps other people find our show and it helps us know what you like about it. Thanks. Good morning. It's Wednesday, May 28th. I'm Shamita Basu.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
In fact, the scale of Trump's political comeback, winning the White House after being impeached twice and losing the 2020 election, being criminally indicted four times and being convicted of felony crimes by a jury of his peers, is perhaps matched only by the moneymaking that's accompanied his return to power.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Since the early days of his reelection campaign, he has more than doubled his net worth to about $5.4 billion, according to Bloomberg.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
In previous administrations, presidents divested themselves from virtually all of their business interests or put them in a blind trust managed by an independent party, all to avoid conflicts of interest or even the appearance that they were making decisions for personal profit versus the public good.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
But Trump, in both of his terms, has handed off responsibility of his businesses to his children, and his assets are in a trust that's overseen by his oldest son, Donald Trump Jr. When reached for comment, Trump Jr. told Abelson he doesn't think it would be fair to expect him to change his own personal business practices just because his father is president again.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Trump's second term has also broken from some of the guardrails he put in place in his first term. Back then, the Trump Organization said it would not make any new foreign deals. But that's no longer the case. Now the organization is only restricting itself from deals with foreign governments. But in a number of instances, Abelson found that lines had been blurred.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
We'll include a link to Abelson's reporting in our show notes, where you can see all of the deals the Trump family has made since he kicked off his 2024 campaign, with the estimated sales value and revenue generation for each. Now to Gaza, where aid groups have warned that starvation is imminent for over two million Palestinians because Israel has overwhelmingly blocked aid since March.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
This is Apple News Today. On today's show, aid distribution in Gaza gets off to a slow, chaotic start. Syrians struggle with reconciliation after Assad's fall. And RFK Jr. says COVID vaccines are no longer recommended for children and pregnant women. But first, President Trump appears to be deepening his financial links to cryptocurrency.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Yesterday, an aid effort backed by Israel and the United States got off to a chaotic start, with crowds of desperate people rushing to try to get food from a new distribution site. Daniel Estrin, reporting from Tel Aviv, explained for NPR how the system works.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Israel proposed this system of aid distribution, claiming that Hamas was stealing supplies. It was a condition Israel set for lifting its blockade, which forced hundreds of soup kitchens and aid centers across Gaza to close, effectively pushing out all other aid groups except for the organization now running these new sites, which is called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, GHF.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
And this plan has faced heavy criticism since it was announced. The executive director of GHF resigned in recent days, saying it would be impossible to deliver aid to Palestinians under this system without compromising basic humanitarian rules, such as independence.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Humanitarian groups that have been working in Gaza, including the United Nations, have also warned this plan amounts to Israel weaponizing aid. Alex DeWall, the executive director of the World Peace Foundation, told Reuters Israel would use facial recognition technology to target and screen those receiving aid.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
And that's one of the reasons why many Palestinians are avoiding the new aid sites altogether. One Palestinian woman told the BBC, quote, As desperate crowds rushed to an aid site yesterday, the IDF fired what it says were warning shots nearby, causing a moment of panic.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Estrin told NPR this idea of highly targeted aid was devised by Israeli military veterans in the hope of starving Hamas to force them to release the remaining hostages in Gaza.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Critics of this plan have also pointed out these GHF aid sites are exclusively in South Gaza, which raises questions about how vulnerable groups like the elderly, orphaned children, and people who've been injured will be able to travel to distribution sites.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Yesterday, the State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce defended the system, which she says has delivered close to half a million meals so far.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
GHF says it plans to increase the flow of aid daily, but it still represents a fraction of what Gaza's population needs to survive. Let's turn now to Syria, where people are adjusting to life under the new president, Ahmad al-Sharra. In a major policy shift, Trump acknowledged and celebrated the new leader and removed sanctions against the country without preconditions.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Al-Sharra is a former militant commander, and the world is watching to see how he answers fundamental questions about his country's future, its system of government, economic priorities, and how it manages relations with its neighbors, most notably Israel. But for a new leader replacing a brutal regime, confronting the past can be just as important.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
The Washington Post's photojournalist Salwan Georges told us about how Bashar al-Assad's dictatorship cast a long shadow that people are struggling to emerge from.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Assad ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, and his father controlled the nation before him. This past December, when the Assad regime was toppled by rebel forces, jails were emptied of political prisoners, and journalists gained access to files that had been hoarded by the government surveillance apparatus. They learned who had informed on who and what details had been shared.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Yesterday, the parent company of Trump's social media platform, Truth Social, announced a series of deals to raise $2.5 billion, which it plans to invest in Bitcoin. What began as a tech company is seemingly moving toward financial services.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
George has told us about a man named Abu Ayman, a baker whose neighbors say was an informant for the Assad regime during Syria's civil war. Abu Ayman has since left Syria for neighboring Lebanon, but his family who still lives there is dealing with the aftermath of the accusations, which Abu Ayman has denied.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
One of Abu Ayman's sons told the Post he was shot at by neighbors who believe his father was responsible for the detention and torture of their family members.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
In some cases, people who had been loyal to the regime tried to negotiate with their neighbors. One individual gave his apartment to rebel fighters. One family that a man blamed for his imprisonment showed up at his door to offer an expensive car.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Some of Georges' sources told him aligning with the previous regime wasn't presented as a choice, but as necessary for survival. Under the new president, the Syrian government has set up so-called reconciliation centers, places where former soldiers and intelligence agents can hand over their weapons in exchange for civilian ID cards.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
But Georges told us it will take much more for true reconciliation to happen.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the U.S. will no longer recommend the COVID vaccine for pregnant women and children. It comes a week after his department announced tighter regulations that will effectively limit new vaccines to the elderly and those at most risk of serious disease. The recommendation puts the U.S.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
It comes after the private crypto dinner Trump hosted that we mentioned last week on the show, and which sparked allegations that he was corruptly leveraging his position in power to score personally lucrative deals. People who attended the dinner spent a combined $148 million on Trump's crypto token just for the chance to be there.
Apple News Today
The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
in line with some other similar countries, though the WHO continues to recommend getting vaccinated against COVID during pregnancy. The format and timing of the announcement was unusual. Normally, the CDC would meet and vote, and the Health and Human Services Secretary would act on that recommendation. But Reuters reports the CDC's advisory committee has not voted on these changes.
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The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
In higher ed news, the Trump administration has ordered a halt to all new scheduling appointments for student visas, while the State Department reviews its online vetting policies of potential students, according to diplomatic cables seen by Politico. The State Department refused to confirm the story, but said the U.S. will use every tool it could to vet people coming to the United States.
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Right now, it's unclear what posts or statements would make an individual ineligible for a student visa, though Politico says the cable alludes to keeping out terrorists and battling anti-Semitism. And finally, President Trump has announced he will pardon the reality TV couple Todd and Julie Chrisley, convicted for tax evasion and conspiring to swindle community banks.
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The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Their show, Chrisley Knows Best, followed the family's lavish lifestyles in Atlanta as real estate moguls. But they were found to have defrauded banks out of more than $30 million. and were sentenced to a combined 19 years in prison.
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The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Prosecutors said the two submitted false bank statements to obtain millions in personal loans before they became stars and spent the money on luxury cars, designer clothes, real estate, and travel. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next from The Atlantic.
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A carpenter from Los Angeles shares the story of how he was shipwrecked and lost at sea for 13 days on a raft after his fishing boat sank and the captain died. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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The deals pushing the Trump family’s wealth to new heights
Crypto is only one piece of the Trump family's sprawling business empire. It touches everything from real estate to digital trading cards to apparel like watches and sneakers. Max Abelson with Bloomberg recently examined its scope.
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Ratcliffe said during the hearing it's Hegseth's responsibility as the authority on materials classification to determine what was appropriate to share. Republicans on the committee mostly didn't ask about the episode during the hearing, but two said that they would do so in a classified setting later.
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One Republican, Representative Don Bacon from Nebraska, told CNN that he was very concerned about what he had read.
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Trump on Tuesday downplayed the incident and expressed confidence in his national security team, calling it a minor glitch. Meanwhile, Goldberg hasn't ruled out sharing more information from the Signal chat. Although speaking to the Bulwark podcast, he said, just because they're irresponsible with the material doesn't mean that I'm going to be irresponsible with this material.
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Now let's continue following efforts by the Trump administration to deport students who have participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses. At least three foreign-born students living in the U.S. legally have already been arrested.
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And Politico reports that at least two more students, both legal residents, are on the run from immigration officials as they pursue legal action to prevent their deportations. Yunso Chung has a green card, and Mamadou Tal is in the U.S. on a student visa.
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The Justice Department says the State Department canceled Tal's visa for his involvement in pro-Palestinian demonstrations six months ago, which they say created a, quote, hostile environment for Jewish students. And the Trump administration argues Chung, who was arrested in connection with a protest at Barnard College, is a threat to the administration's foreign policy agenda.
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Both Chung and Tal say their First Amendment free speech rights are being violated. A judge Tuesday evening ruled Chung can't be detained as she fights her deportation. Tal spoke to The Intercept on Sunday, saying that just a few days before federal agents showed up looking for him, he and two U.S.
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citizens filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging the executive orders to combat anti-Semitism on college campuses and expel foreign nationals who the administration says pose security threats.
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The administration's efforts to revoke students' legal status has sparked fundamental questions more broadly about the right to free speech and whether it's reserved for citizens only.
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Recently, NPR's Michelle Martin spoke to Troy Edgar, the deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, about the arrest of Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the U.S. who was detained earlier this month for his role coordinating anti-war protests. Martin asked what exactly Khalil did that warranted his arrest and qualified as terrorist activity.
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Edgar, as you'll hear, struggled to answer her questions clearly.
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On the ground in El Salvador with the men deported there by the U.S.
But first, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz says he takes full responsibility for a group chat on the messaging service Signal that included several cabinet members, the vice president and a journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. The text thread included details about upcoming U.S. military strikes in Yemen.
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Martin ended the interview there. Meanwhile, universities and colleges are being pressured by the Trump administration to crack down on student protesters.
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At Columbia University, where the Trump administration recently canceled $400 million in federal funding for failing to protect Jewish students from harassment, the interim president recently agreed to hire an internal security force that will be empowered to make arrests. And she placed the Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department under additional oversight.
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It's being seen as an effort to get that funding restored. In recent days, faculty members have condemned university leadership's decisions in closed-door meetings and publicly protested them. Catherine Franke is a former law professor at the school who says she was pushed to resign in January over her support of the pro-Palestinian movement on campus. She spoke with Democracy Now!
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Federal civil rights lawyers launched investigations into more than 50 schools last month in response to Trump's orders. Several attorneys with the Office for Civil Rights told The Washington Post the administration instructed lawyers to collect the names and nationalities of students who may have harassed Jewish students or faculty.
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And these attorneys say they're concerned these lists could be used to target or deport more students from foreign countries who participated in protests. A representative with the Education Department told The Post they want the information to assess how universities handled cases related to anti-Semitism.
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They did not directly respond to questions about whether these lists would be used for deportations. When the Trump administration deported more than 200 Venezuelan men from the U.S. to El Salvador earlier this month with zero due process, photojournalist Philip Holsinger was on the tarmac in El Salvador when they arrived.
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On the ground in El Salvador with the men deported there by the U.S.
Good morning. It's Wednesday, March 26th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, the fight over non-citizens' right to free speech, what one photojournalist saw when deported Venezuelans landed in El Salvador, and President Trump signs an executive order to overhaul voting.
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On the ground in El Salvador with the men deported there by the U.S.
And he documented what they experienced from the time they landed to the time they were thrown into El Salvador's most notorious maximum security prison, known for its harsh conditions. Please be warned, this story involves descriptions of violence. In a photo essay for Time magazine, Holsinger wrote that what he witnessed was a, quote, theater of fear.
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On the ground in El Salvador with the men deported there by the U.S.
In an appearance on Fox, Waltz said he built the group, called it embarrassing and pledged to get to the bottom of it. Officials who were on that chat deny any classified information was exchanged. Goldberg, in his initial report and again on Tuesday, said the chat did include classified material.
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Holsinger describes the men being chained at their ankles and wrists. Many stumbled or fell to the ground as they tried to walk. And as they were falling, they were kicked, slapped or shoved by the guards. They had their heads shaved. One of the migrants sobbed, telling the guards, quote, I'm not a gang member. I'm gay. I'm a barber.
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On the ground in El Salvador with the men deported there by the U.S.
A guard slapped him, he cried out for his mother, and he was slapped again. We caught up with Holsinger to ask about what he saw.
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On the ground in El Salvador with the men deported there by the U.S.
They were transported by bus to SICAT, short for the Center for Terrorist Confinement. It's a remote facility at the foot of a volcano. El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, has praised its harsh conditions, and Trump has promised to pay Bukele $6 million to hold these men there for one year.
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On the ground in El Salvador with the men deported there by the U.S.
People detained at SICAT cannot make phone calls, have visitors, participate in recreational activities, or receive education, and they're never allowed to go outside.
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On the ground in El Salvador with the men deported there by the U.S.
Holsinger told us at some point it struck him many of these people don't even know where they've landed.
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On the ground in El Salvador with the men deported there by the U.S.
As I mentioned earlier in the week, 238 men in total were sent to El Salvador by President Trump and his administration. They've accused more than half of being part of the Tren de Aragua gang, a group that Trump has called a foreign terrorist group and wartime enemy. The administration has provided little evidence to support those claims. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following.
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President Trump Tuesday signed an executive order that could have a big impact on elections. The order, which will likely be challenged in court, would require proof of citizenship to register to vote on federal forms. Most people register to vote through their state. It would also bar absentee and mail-in ballots from being counted if they're received after Election Day. The order claims the U.S.
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Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, two other people in the chat, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, and John Ratcliffe, the CIA director, were questioned about the incident by Democratic lawmakers in a previously scheduled Senate Intelligence Committee hearing yesterday. Both Gabbard and Ratcliffe mostly deflected questions about the group chat during that hearing.
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has failed to enforce basic elections protections, but The Wall Street Journal reports states regularly audit rolls to weed out ineligible voters. The order also threatens to pull funding from states that don't comply.
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Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Bilal, who co-directed the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was released from Israeli custody yesterday after being attacked by Israeli settlers in the West Bank on Monday. Bilal was reportedly beaten up by masked settlers before being pulled out of an ambulance and taken into custody by Israeli military and police forces.
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Bilal told the Associated Press he was blindfolded and forced to sleep under an air conditioner while he listened to Israeli soldiers laugh about him. Israeli military officials said that they responded to disperse a confrontation but denied pulling anyone from an ambulance. They did say Bilal was detained for allegedly throwing rocks at IDF police, which Bilal denies doing.
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And finally, today is the one-year anniversary of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore after a container ship crashed into it, killing six people. A blistering NTSB report last week said Maryland leadership could have done more to prevent the collision and that the bridge was vulnerable.
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Governor Wes Moore pinned the blame entirely on the ship's operator, telling Fox News they were reckless. Despite all of the finger-pointing, commuters are the ones still feeling the impact. A survey released this week said 60 percent of people who live within three miles of the bridge say that their lives are still being disrupted a year later.
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You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. New York Magazine examines how workplaces in New York City have largely mandated that workers return to offices in a shift from the early days of the pandemic.
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Except now, many are struggling to find adequate space for all their employees. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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When Ratcliffe was asked if he agreed the incident was a big mistake, he responded no. In one exchange, Independent Senator Angus King from Maine asked Gabbard about the specifics of the operation and why they weren't classified.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
The tension between these goals can be seen clearly in the math. Collectively, this package could add more than $11 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years, and it would aim to reduce spending by about $2 trillion. But all the budget resolution does is tell committees to make spending cuts.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
It's up to the committees themselves to find those cuts, and it's in the specifics where things get tricky. To cut spending by the amount some Republicans want, it's very likely Medicaid, which provides health insurance primarily to low-income Americans, would be a target.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
Earlier this week, several Republican lawmakers signed a letter raising concerns about possible cuts to Medicaid to make the budget work. Recently, President Trump told Fox News that wouldn't happen.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Speaker Johnson managed to unite all but one Republican in the House around a plan that would require significantly reducing Medicaid costs and likely won't accommodate all of Trump's desired tax cuts. Bogage told us if Republicans do go ahead and reduce Medicaid, it could be disastrous for their constituents and for their own political futures.
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This is only the beginning of the budget process. Republicans are hoping to pass this agenda through a process called reconciliation, where the House and Senate have to agree on a budget. And if they do that, it would mean Democrats cannot filibuster in the Senate. Lawmakers have until March 14th to agree on a budget. Otherwise, the government faces a shutdown. Now to the state of the U.S.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
economy. Various consumer sentiment surveys show Americans are feeling jittery. Consumer confidence fell for its third straight month in February, marking the largest monthly decline since August of 2021. The latest survey from the University of Michigan found people are worried about Trump's tariffs potentially raising prices and inflation in general.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
CNN reports that this is a dramatic reversal from the brief burst of optimism in the economic mood after President Trump's election in November. You might remember when he won, a number of experts and polls indicated that anger over inflation played a huge role.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
Greg Ip is the chief economics commentator for The Wall Street Journal.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
That was one of Trump's promises to lower costs on day one. Lately, officials in his administration have tempered that promise, saying it's unlikely the president can do anything to bring down the cost of things like groceries anytime soon. And Ip told us there's a universal truth in that.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
Trump officials say expanding American energy production and rolling back regulations could help lower prices. But Ip told us Trump's agenda of higher tariffs and lower taxes risks making it difficult to keep inflation in check.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
Early polling indicates voters want to see prices drop quickly. A recent Reuters-Ipsos poll found that only 32 percent of respondents approved of the job Trump is doing so far on inflation. And a recent Gallup survey found that 20 percent of people rated the economy as excellent or good, which is lower than any point during Trump's first term, according to CNN.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
As Ip explained to us, every president gets a honeymoon period when they're first elected, but Trump's may be wearing off.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
After initially pulling the measure and seeming to not have the votes, Speaker Mike Johnson minutes later brought it back to the floor as members of Congress rushed, in some cases running, back to vote. It passed in a 217 to 215 vote. The budget resolution in the House is one step of a complicated process that would enable Congress to pass much of Trump's legislative goals.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
One of the first actions President Trump took after he was inaugurated was signing an executive order titled Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation. The order banned the federal government from funding, sponsoring and supporting gender affirming care for kids, which includes things like puberty blockers, hormone treatments and certain surgeries.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
Shortly after the order was signed, The New Yorker reported major hospitals in blue cities like New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. began canceling appointments for patients receiving this type of care. And despite the fact that this month two separate federal judges temporarily blocked Trump's order, not all hospitals have rescheduled.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
Surgeries were canceled at at least two of New York City's biggest hospital systems, NYU Langone and Mount Sinai, as they dealt with pressure from all sides.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
Emily Witt is a staff writer for The New Yorker.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
That threat came directly from New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who published a letter reminding hospitals that canceling care on the basis of gender is illegal in New York. Witt told us some hospitals were canceling appointments even before Trump signed the order. And the parents of those kids who had had their appointments canceled were worried about what it all might mean.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
Good morning. It's Wednesday, February 26th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how inflation became Trump's problem, where trans kids are left after an executive order banning gender-affirming care, and the White House takes control of the press pool. But first, to Washington, where House Republicans narrowly passed a budget framework bill last night.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
One family Witt spoke with told the story of their child who had exhibited signs of self-harm and other worrying behavior before expressing that in her heart and brain, she was a girl. So the family allowed her to seek medical care and start presenting as a girl.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
She's now 14, and under a doctor's supervision, she takes puberty blockers so she can decide later whether to pursue hormone replacement therapy or undergo natural puberty.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
Witt said she spoke to other people who've been receiving care at some of these big institutions for a long time.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
But as they move ahead, Republicans will need to find consensus as much as possible, given their slim three-vote majority in the House. And some GOP lawmakers want completely different things.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. 21 employees from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency resigned yesterday, saying they refused to use their technical expertise to dismantle core government services and jeopardize Americans' sensitive data.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
The people who resigned were part of the United States Digital Service, a department which typically helps federal agencies improve IT systems and websites. It's since been renamed the U.S. Doge Service. In a post on X, Musk said those who resigned were, quote, NPR reports they were mostly software engineers and product managers.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
A federal judge says the Trump administration has until midnight tonight to pay funds to foreign aid contractors and grant recipients. The order is part of a lawsuit brought against the administration by contractors who work with USAID. Reuters reports it's the third time the judge has ordered Trump's team to release aid that was paused under Trump's directive to halt foreign spending for 90 days.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
The administration announced Sunday it would put all 4,700 USAID workers on leave and eliminate 1,600 positions at the agency. And finally, in an unprecedented move, the White House says it will decide which reporters will participate in the presidential press pool, breaking with an almost century-long tradition.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
The rotating pool of reporters who follow the president up close at the White House is usually decided by the White House Correspondents Association, an independent group made up of TV, print, online, and radio journalists. Now the White House says they will pick who gets to participate on a day-to-day basis.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
In a statement, the head of the White House Correspondents Association said, quote, this move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt made the announcement after a judge ruled against the Associated Press, which sued Trump after he denied them access for their refusal to call the Gulf of Mexico by his newly designated name, the Gulf of America. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
Jacob Bogage is the congressional economic correspondent for The Washington Post.
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Inflation helped Trump win. Now it’s becoming a headache.
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Bloomberg Businessweek goes inside the wild world of the massive Chinese e-commerce company Timu, the Americans who love it, and how U.S. trade policy and tariffs could impact its business. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story.
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And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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The Washington Post reports this is the first known dismissal to come from the campaign to crack down on teachers who recognize alternative gender identities in the classroom. Florida is one of 14 states that now have a rule that bars school staff from using students' alternative names or pronouns.
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President Trump signed an executive order in January that directs the Department of Education to rescind federal funds from schools that don't follow its guidance to eliminate DEI and what it refers to as divisive ideology from schools. But the order itself is quite vague, which some educators say has made it extremely difficult for them to interpret and has left them afraid for their jobs.
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In another incident in Idaho, a sixth grade teacher named Sarah Inama was directed by her district to remove two posters from her classroom. One said, quote, everyone is welcome here above an illustration of hands with different skin tones. The other said everyone is, quote, welcome, important, accepted, respected, encouraged, valued and equal. The backdrop of each word was a color of the rainbow.
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The school district told Inama it wasn't the words on these posters that were a potential problem, but rather the colors of the rainbow and the different skin tones on the illustrated hands. The school district said they violated policy requiring classroom content to remain neutral. At first, Inama took down the posters, but she told NPR that made her feel gross, so she put them back up.
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She told NPR a district staffer confronted her.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
She says she still has the everyone is welcome poster up now.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
As a result of the on-again, off-again tariff policy from the Trump administration, there's been a lot of attention on the fluctuations in the stock market. The market swung wildly at the start of the month, prompting brokerages like J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs and S&P to raise their odds of a recession in the United States. And economists are also watching the value of the U.S.
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dollar with growing concern. It dropped to a three-year low at the start of the week. And since Inauguration Day, the dollar has lost almost 10 percent of its value. So what does that mean for the health of our economy?
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We called up David Lynch, a global economics correspondent for The Washington Post, and he explained Trump's tariff announcement in early April was the type of event that usually spurs more investment in treasuries and bonds, which investors typically consider to be more stable assets.
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But that didn't happen in this case.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
Rising yields can drive up interest rates for mortgages, credit cards, and pretty much every type of consumer loan, which can make people hesitant to make big purchases. And long term, it can hurt the financial system by putting a bigger strain on the balance sheets of big banks and firms.
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But first, educators across the country are trying to figure out in real time if their lesson plans, library books, classroom decor, or even how they speak to their students might be perceived as going against the Trump administration or local government's stated goals around eliminating programs that support diversity, equity, and inclusion.
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Now, Lynch told us that it's important to not read too much into what falling bond prices might mean for the future. However...
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In the meantime, investors are continuing to monitor the situation, looking towards company earnings and economic reports, as well as trade talk developments for signals of what will come next. Lynch writes that, at least so far, there aren't indications that the recent change in the dollar's value will impact the currency's global status permanently.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
Do you know just how much of your personal information is floating around on the Internet for anyone to find? Things like your home address, phone number, birthday or names of family and friends? A recent piece from The Wall Street Journal personal tech columnist Nicole Nguyen titled Go Delete Yourself from the Internet tells you how to do exactly that.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
And you better believe that was an instant click from me. Now, I'll get to the tips in just a second. But first, it's important to understand why you should delete personal data from the Internet.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
As Nguyen explains, there are a lot of risks that come with leaving personal data exposed, from relatively benign nuisances like getting more junk mail to much more serious threats like identity theft or impersonation scams.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
A lot of your personal data online can be found by scammers for free through social media and public government records, things like speeding tickets or home sale records. But there's also an entire industry for personal data, where data brokers scrape the internet for information on you,
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Good morning. It's Wednesday, April 23rd. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why economists are worried about the value of the dollar. It might be time to delete yourself from the Internet. And the executive producer of 60 Minutes resigns.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
digging into things like magazine subscriptions, credit card applications, and warranty cards, and then they package that information up for a price. Avoiding the data brokers isn't easy.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
Nguyen recommends using a burner email and phone number to shop online. Don't post publicly on social media either. And try to avoid sharing your birthday with websites.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
Just yesterday, a meeting of the Brevard County School Board in Florida descended into chaos as teachers and others attempted to speak up in defense of Melissa Calhoun, a teacher with over a decade of experience who lost her job in the district after calling a high school student by their preferred name instead of their legal name.
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If you want to figure out what personal information data brokers have collected about you, there are a few tools. Google has a free one called Results About You, which surfaces search results that contain your personal data. You can use it to request to have your data removed from those sites.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
And if you really want to keep your exposure low, you'll have to comb through people search websites and data brokers to request they delete your information too. Now, that can get pretty tedious. There are hundreds of these sites, and you'll need to re-scan the internet a few times a year and repeat the process.
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But there are a couple of tools for a price that can do the work for you on an ongoing basis. The services Nguyen mentions by name in the article are called Optory and DeleteMe.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
And if hearing all of this has you feeling a little overwhelmed, just know Nguyen says the reality is it's really hard to not leave digital breadcrumbs these days. So be patient, be aware, and just do your best to stay vigilant. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following.
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The presidents of more than 200 colleges and universities signed a letter on Tuesday condemning the Trump administration's attempts to shape policy at higher education institutions by threatening to revoke their federal funding.
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The administration has paused billions of dollars in federal grants in recent weeks to pressure some of the nation's most prestigious schools to change hiring and admissions, to shut down DEI programs, and in some cases to hand over disciplinary records for students who participated in protests against Israel's war in Gaza.
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The White House, in response, said the administration, quote, will not be swayed by worthless letters by overpaid blowhards. An unusual moment in a hearing for the gunman who killed 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso in 2019. Yolanda Tinajero, whose brother was killed, told the gunman she forgave him and wished that she could give him a hug, and the judge allowed it.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
Patrick Crucias had driven to El Paso to shoot people and stop what he called the Hispanic invasion of Texas. Tinajero said to him in court, if he would have gotten to know their culture, it would have turned his ugly thoughts around. Crucius will serve multiple life sentences after pleading guilty to capital murder and 22 counts of aggravated assault.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
In media news, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, Bill Owens, quit yesterday because he said he could no longer run the show with editorial independence. CBS and 60 Minutes have been involved in a legal battle with President Trump since 2024, when Trump sued the network for $10 million over an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
In a promotional preview of that episode, 60 Minutes shortened one of Harris's answers, which Trump claims the show did to make her look better. 60 Minutes has described it as a common practice. A number of legal experts have called Trump's argument indefensible.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
Let me finish and I'll let you speak.
Apple News Today
Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
After Owens resigned, the president of CBS praised him for his, quote, "...unwavering integrity, curiosity, and a deep commitment to the truth." And finally, an update on the measles. First, in Texas, officials say more than 600 cases have now been confirmed. So far, two unvaccinated children with no underlying conditions have died in Texas.
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Cases in New Mexico and Oklahoma have been linked to that outbreak. Meanwhile, health officials in Montana last week confirmed the first cases of measles in the state in 35 years. Five individuals who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown are currently isolated at home.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
Montana health authorities say those infected are adults and children who were exposed while traveling outside of the state. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly has been working on a new drug to address diabetes and weight loss.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
What makes it stand out from other options on the market, though, is that it's a pill, not an injection. The early phase studies of its effectiveness have been promising, and Time magazine spoke to the team behind it. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Why it’s time to delete yourself from the internet
School board members threatened to have meeting attendees removed. A motion to bring back this teacher and, quote, retrain her was brought up at the meeting. It failed. Her teaching credentials are also under review by the state board.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
Like in Springfield, Ohio, where Haitian migrants were placed in the national spotlight when Trump, on the debate stage, repeated false claims that migrants in Springfield were eating pets, a claim that Springfield police and officials have repeatedly said was not true.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
Here's Vilas Dorsenville, the executive director of the Haitian Community Help and Resource Center in Springfield, speaking with the Columbus Dispatch.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
And in Miami, Florida, the Associated Press spent time with Nora Sandigo, who runs a foundation for children and has been helping families there prepare.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
During Trump's first term, under his zero-tolerance immigration policy, border officials separated thousands of parents and children at the southern border. This time, we could see families of mixed status pulled apart. Al Jazeera spoke to a family in New York who's preparing for the possibility of being separated. Valeria Reyes-Paz came to the U.S. undocumented as a child,
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
when her mom fled violence in Honduras. Valeria now has permanent status, but that's not the case for all of her loved ones. Here's her mom speaking to Al Jazeera. The mom says, we are fighters. We are not bad people. And Valeria says she's frustrated to see contributions of immigrants overlooked in all of these debates about their status in America.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
Deportations came up yesterday when Trump attended the inaugural prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington, and he was asked directly by Bishop Mary Ann Buddy to show compassion toward immigrants living in the United States.
Apple News Today
Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
There are currently about 11 million people living in the United States without legal status. And it's estimated there are more than 3.5 million pending immigration cases slowly winding their way through our courts. Now to the U.K., where Prince Harry's years-long legal battle against the British tabloids has come to an end with a settlement agreement and a rare apology.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
Rupert Murdoch's newsgroup newspapers, NGN, has admitted to serious intrusions on Harry's personal life and offered a, quote, full and unequivocal apology for things like phone hacking and surveillance. It has also agreed to pay substantial damages.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
A lawyer for Prince Harry says the case revealed NGN unlawfully engaged more than 100 private investigators on 35,000 occasions over at least 16 years. In a statement, the prince called it a monumental victory that represents vindication for others who've been similarly exploited by the newsgroup.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
We caught up with NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik yesterday before news of the settlement broke, and he told us this case has been deeply personal for Harry.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
But first, immigrant advocates and families across the country are preparing for mass deportations now that President Trump is in office. It's something Trump promised for months on the campaign trail. Trump has already signed several orders that will impact immigration. But so far, we know few details about how his proposed mass deportation program would work, including who would be targeted.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
The statement from NGN also apologizes to Harry for intruding on his mother's private life. Prince Harry has long blamed the tabloids for what happened to his mother, who died in a car crash while being chased by paparazzi.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
He has also blamed the British tabloids for their coverage of his wife, Meghan Markle, which he has described as ranging from invasive to racist, and for drumming up drama that's led to a rift between him and the rest of his family. And Harry wasn't alone in these kinds of complaints.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
Over the years, Murdoch's tabloids have paid more than $1.5 billion in settlements to settle more than 1,300 complaints. British civil law encourages settlements. That's because, as the BBC explains, the winner of a case could end up being on the hook to pay the legal cost of their opponent if the damages they're awarded in court are less than what they were offered in a settlement.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
This settlement was unusual in that it came with a detailed apology. Murdoch has tried desperately to avoid any public acknowledgement of wrongdoing in other cases. Folkenflik told us hacking phones, hacking personal records is all quite normal in British media culture.
Apple News Today
Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
Good morning. It's Wednesday, January 22nd. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, a major legal victory for Prince Harry in his battle against Rupert Murdoch's tabloids. What the L.A. fires are like for some of the city's most vulnerable people. And Elon Musk's hand gesture sends a message, intentional or not.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
As the BBC points out, this outcome is a huge win for Prince Harry, but Murdoch's paper has managed to avoid its worst-case scenario, which would have been a full-blown trial, complete with highly-watched court appearances by the prince himself. Let's turn now to Los Angeles, where firefighters are still battling wildfires. Before this crisis, L.A.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
already had a serious housing shortage, and now it's expected to get much worse. At least 200,000 Angelenos were ordered to evacuate, and thousands of homes and businesses have been lost. It all means housing will be even more strained, prices will skyrocket, and insurance will be far harder to come by. And that leaves one group even farther behind, L.A. 's unhoused population.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
Here's Washington Post reporter Daniel Wu.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
Administration officials have said they will prioritize people with criminal convictions, similar to past administrations. And Trump has said that he wants to lean on state and local law enforcement to assist with the deportations. In fact, he has threatened hundreds of state and local officials with criminal prosecutions and lawsuits if they don't comply with his plan.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
Wu told us about Thomas Hutchinson, a 66-year-old who spent years navigating the L.A. homeless services system. He had just settled into a subsidized apartment in Altadena in December, weeks before the fires started.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
He evacuated and was taken to an emergency shelter. But since the fires, the shelter system is in major crisis. Many housing sites were forced to evacuate, and that's leaving Los Angeles' most vulnerable population with few good options.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
Staff at L.A. 's homeless services agencies told Wu that one of their greatest concerns right now is trying to locate people who are still unaccounted for, especially those who are on the streets being exposed to toxic air conditions. Before the fires, L.A. had the second worst homelessness crisis in the country. It'll be a while before we have a clear sense of how much worse it's about to get.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
Now to a few other stories we're following. Trump's nominee for ambassador to the United Nations, Elise Stefanik, faced questions from senators on the Committee for Foreign Relations yesterday. She testified Israel would be a top priority for her and says she does not believe in a two-state solution to the Israel-Hamas war.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
She also says she believes Israel has a biblical right to the West Bank, which Israel has occupied for more than 50 years. On the same day as her testimony, Israeli forces launched an offensive in the West Bank that reportedly killed at least eight Palestinians and injured many more.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
There has been a lot of scrutiny over a hand gesture made by Elon Musk during his speech at President Trump's celebratory rally on Inauguration Day. Musk thanked the crowd for making Trump's victory happen, then placed his hand on his heart before extending his arm straight out above his head. He then turned around and repeated the same motion to the people behind him.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
Plenty have pointed out how much it resembled the fascist salute adopted by the Nazis. Musk himself appeared to brush aside the criticisms on X, saying, quote, the everyone is Hitler attack is so tired. Meanwhile, Wired reports, regardless of Musk's intentions, some right wing extremists are celebrating the gesture.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
One leader of a neo-Nazi group posted on Telegram, quote, I don't care if this was a mistake. I'm going to enjoy the tears over it. And finally, a little history made in the world of baseball. Yesterday, Ichiro Suzuki was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame, becoming the first Asian player to make it to Cooperstown.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
He made his debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2001 and at the time was the first Japanese position player in Major League Baseball. Ichiro told NBC News that he faced racist heckling when he started playing and knew that other Japanese players might be judged based on how he performed in the league. We now know how that turned out.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
The courts will almost certainly get involved. A number of local law enforcement officials have already said they would not participate in mass detentions. Here's what one sheriff told CBS in Las Vegas.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
His career paved the way for current greats like Dodgers star Shohei Otani. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. We've got more for you on the Royals.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
Vanity Fair has a story about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first five years in Los Angeles and why it hasn't always been so smooth. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Trump promised mass deportations. Cities are preparing.
But with Trump's threats looming, immigration advocates are trying to prepare families with the legal knowledge they might need to navigate an encounter with ICE.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
But Smith's family says that doctors at Emory University Hospital have told them they cannot stop or remove the devices that are allowing Smith to continue breathing because of Georgia's abortion law. The law includes an exception if an abortion is necessary to save the life of the woman. But in this case, the family says the doctors are claiming Smith's life is not at risk.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
So the rights the state affords to fetuses takes precedent. Georgia's attorney general released a statement saying that Georgia's law does not require medical professionals to keep a pregnant person alive on life support if they are brain dead. As of now, the hospital plans to keep her on life support until August when doctors intend to deliver her baby via C-section.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
Emory Healthcare said it couldn't comment on the individual case for privacy reasons and that it seeks input from clinical and legal experts to make decisions. Smith's mother told the local NBC affiliate she believes it ultimately should have been up to the family to make this decision.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
And she says doctors have told them the baby has fluid in the brain.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
The family has decided to name the baby Chance. The director of the maternal fetal medicine division at George Washington University told the Washington Post the odds of the baby being born healthy by the end of this are, quote, very, very small. We are in the middle of severe weather season. The U.S.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
has seen over 850 tornadoes this year, much higher than the usual number for this time of year, which is around 600, according to the National Weather Service. The images coming out of Kentucky in particular are shocking. after a series of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes over the weekend, with entire neighborhoods flattened, homes destroyed, and communities in mourning.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
Carrie Davis from London, Kentucky, showed Fox News the wreckage of her home.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
With the frequency and severity of major storms on the rise, this has raised questions about how well-equipped federal agencies like FEMA and NOAA are to prepare for and respond to severe weather events. Both have recently been subject to deep cuts by DOGE.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
Since returning to office, President Trump has threatened to disband FEMA entirely, and he fired the acting head after he said he disagreed with that plan. The agency's preparedness plans, along with billions of dollars in disaster assistance and grant funding, have been stalled.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
The administration stopped approving new money for a federal program that has historically supported disaster-prone states like Florida, Oklahoma, California, and Missouri. The administration also halted federal programs to reduce wildfire risk in the western U.S. About a third of FEMA's permanent full-time workforce has been fired or accepted buyouts.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
At the National Weather Service, which falls under NOAA, fewer weather balloons are being sent into the air. Seth Borenstein, a science writer with the AP, recently explained to PBS NewsHour how they work and why they're important.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
But first, to an issue that abortion rights activists have spent years warning about, laws that restrict abortion or give legal rights to fetuses can lead to scenarios where the rights of the person who is pregnant get pitted against the fetus they're carrying.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
The Weather Service has been hit by staffing cuts, too. According to an AP analysis, almost half of all National Weather Service forecast offices nationwide have a 20 percent vacancy rate. That's double the rate from four years ago. And the Union for the National Weather Service workers says for the first time in decades, not all forecast offices have 24-7 staffing.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
We saw some of these effects in Kentucky over the weekend. A local weather office that serves the eastern part of the state, which saw the highest number of fatalities, had lost employees to federal cuts. They had no meteorologists left working overnight. And USA Today reports that the office had to scramble to call in workers to help fill the gaps.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
Kentucky's Democratic Governor Andy Beshear said that while he was worried about the cuts more broadly, he didn't see any evidence that they impacted the agency's response.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
Earlier this month, five former National Weather Service leaders published an open letter warning about the potential for needless loss of life if forecasting offices aren't fully staffed. Proposed budget cuts to NOAA have led a number of Republican lawmakers from high-risk states like Oklahoma and Louisiana to speak out and encourage the administration to change course.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
All this as Atlantic hurricane season is just around the corner. It starts on June 1st, and forecasters are predicting it'll be quite active right from the start. Now to Oklahoma, where beginning next school year, high school U.S. history teachers will cover topics like the Revolutionary War, the Civil Rights Movement.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
We're seeing this play out in Georgia right now, where over the last few months, a hospital has been keeping a brain-dead pregnant woman alive so she can carry her pregnancy to term. Under Georgia law, abortion is banned in most cases after about six weeks of pregnancy.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
But the state's new academic standards will also require educators to have students, quote, identify discrepancies in the 2020 presidential election results or else risk losing their teaching certificate. That is, despite the fact that claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election have been credibly and repeatedly proven false. Beth Wallace is an education reporter with State Impact Oklahoma.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
Good morning. It's Wednesday, May 21st. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, big cuts at federal emergency planning agencies as severe storm season arrives, why students in Oklahoma will soon be instructed to look for 2020 election discrepancies, and the NBA's age of chaos.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
She told us what these new standards, which apply to K-12 public schools, require.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
Parents, educators, and members of the state legislature, including a number of Republicans, as well as the governor, have raised concerns. Oklahoma's state legislature is led by Republicans, and leaders introduced a resolution to reject these standards. But there wasn't enough GOP support to pass it. Family members and educators, meanwhile, have filed a lawsuit.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
They argue the standards were not properly reviewed and that they quote represent a distorted view that favors a blatantly biased perspective. They're being represented in court by a former attorney general for Oklahoma who is a Republican.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
Part of their concerns stems from how the standards were introduced to the State Board of Education earlier this year, which Wallace says happened just before their vote on academic criteria that had been under consideration for over a year.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
They were introduced at the direction of Ryan Walters, the state's school superintendent, a publicly elected official. He's been a strong ally of President Trump and was reportedly considered for the role of U.S. Secretary of Education.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
Some Republicans in the state have defended the standards. So has Walters, who has said he does not regret introducing them and that he believes they'll encourage critical thinking in classrooms. Wallace spoke to Tammy Patrick, the CEO for programs at the Election Center, which is an association for election administrators.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old mother and nurse, went to a hospital in February when she was eight weeks pregnant with an intense headache. Her mother told the local NBC affiliate 11 Alive what happened next.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
She said she's concerned these new standards in Oklahoma will breed misunderstanding about how elections function and erode public trust. Things like late night ballot counts, for example, are totally standard, not an indicator of a so-called discrepancy.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
If these standards remain in place by the start of the next school year, schools that do not comply risk losing their accreditation status. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Palestinians are still waiting for aid after Israel said it would end its nearly three-month blockade and allow basic amounts of supplies in. International condemnation is growing.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
The UK, France, and Canada issued a joint statement declaring Israel's escalation in attacks and withholding of aid egregious and wholly disproportionate and threatening new sanctions against Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked critical leaders, saying they were handing a huge prize to Hamas. Now to immigration news.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
Lawyers have accused the Trump administration of defying a federal court order claiming they're deporting Asian migrants to South Sudan, a country on the brink of civil war. Lawyers of two men from Myanmar and Vietnam say their clients were being held in U.S. custody and were told on Monday that they would be sent to South Sudan.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
By Tuesday morning, these men had been put on a plane along with as many as 10 other deportees. A Boston judge convened an urgent hearing where the Justice Department said one man had been sent to Myanmar, not South Sudan, but would not reveal where another man was sent. According to the Washington Post, court records show at least one individual had been sent to the African nation.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
A judge ruling had forbidden the administration from sending foreign nationals to, quote, third party countries without providing meaningful notice and the chance to raise concerns. Their lawyers are asking the court to stop future flights to South Sudan and demand their return.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
And finally, last night, the NBA conference finals kicked off, which means there are just four teams left vying for the championship. In the West, it's the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves. And in the East, it's the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. Now, you might not be too familiar with some of these teams and their star players.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
Three of them have never won a title, and the Knicks are looking for their first in over 50 years. And whoever wins this year, the NBA will crown its seventh different champion in the last seven years. The ringer has coined this time in the NBA as the Age of Chaos. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Scientific American looks into the claim that your mother maybe used to make, a little sunlight can cure anything. Well, it turns out maybe not anything, but scientists are trying to understand why sunshine seems to have a calming effect on certain immune system disorders.
Apple News Today
A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
What doctors had seemingly missed were blood clots in her brain. She was discharged. But just one day later, she woke up gasping for air, and she was rushed to a different hospital. Her blood clots were diagnosed, and within hours, she was declared brain dead.
Apple News Today
A brain-dead pregnant woman is being kept alive, raising ethical questions
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
Hey there, it's Shamita. I've got a quick request for you. If Apple News Today is an essential part of your morning routine, follow the show in Apple Podcasts. And if you have another 30 seconds, leave us a rating and a review too. It helps other people find our show and it helps us know what you like about it. Thanks. Good morning. It's Wednesday, November 20th. I'm Shamita Basu.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
Whether that report comes out or not, let's recap what is publicly known about these allegations. In 2019, the federal government opened a public corruption investigation into a tax collector named Joel Greenberg.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
As part of the investigation, authorities learned that he had repeatedly paid young women, at least one who was underage, to come to parties with him and his friends where they used drugs and had sex.
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The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
One of those people, he said, was Matt Gaetz. Greenberg alleged Gaetz had sex with a girl who was 17 and that Gaetz knew she was being paid. And that's kind of how he initially got dragged into this. The Justice Department spent two years investigating Gates, but never brought charges.
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The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
The House Ethics Committee was also investigating him, looking into not just whether Gates had sex with an underage girl, but also other allegations like, did Gates use illegal drugs? Did he show members of Congress on the House floor nude photos of women? And did he misuse campaign funds for personal purposes?
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
Then, last week, on the same day when Trump tapped Gates to take over the DOJ, Gates resigned from the House, ending the Ethics Committee's investigation. If Gates is confirmed as AG, he'll be in charge of the department that investigated him for the possible sex trafficking of an underage girl.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
According to The Post, Gates has been making calls to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to shore up support, and he's saying he'll be able to clear his name during the confirmation hearings. As for how the House Ethics Committee will vote today, many Republicans, including Senator Chuck Grassley, the incoming chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, say they want to see their findings.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
But Republican Senator John Cornyn said it might not matter either way. Earlier this week, he said the Judiciary Committee could decide to call the women who allege this misconduct to come and testify at Gaetz's confirmation hearing. Let's turn now to the war between Russia and Ukraine, which just passed its 1,000th day.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Texas weighs bringing the Bible into public schools. Trump taps Dr. Oz to manage health care for millions of Americans. And how X lost more than 100,000 users the day after the election.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
This week, the Biden administration announced two major changes in its policy. The first was to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-made long-range missiles. And the second was to agree to supply Ukraine with landmines. For the first time on Tuesday, Ukraine's military used those long-range ballistic missiles to strike inside Russia. Ukrainian officials say they hit an ammunition depot.
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The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin changed Russia's military doctrine to lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. At the same time, President Biden's time in office is coming to a close, and the future of U.S. support for Ukraine is uncertain, which is why the Wall Street Journal reports more European officials are looking for an off-ramp to the war.
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The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
Here's Lawrence Norman, deputy bureau chief for the journal based in Brussels.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
Another problem, in recent months, Russia has been gaining ground.
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The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
And, Norman says, many European officials worry about what a negotiated peace deal might look like under a Trump administration.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
Norman says that dread among European leaders has somewhat eased. They saw Trump's recent meeting with Zelensky, for example, as a positive sign. But still, negotiating a peace deal will be complicated. Putin says he wants Russia to keep all the Ukrainian territory it's occupied. Zelensky says he wants that territory back.
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The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
According to recent polling in Ukraine, the majority of people agree with their president. But Putin's position appears to be gaining traction with time. About a third of Ukrainians polled — that's double the number compared to last year — said they are open to giving up territory if it means ending the war.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
There's a new twist on an oldest time sticking point in our culture wars that's been bubbling up in recent months. What role should religion play in public schools? The U.S. Constitution says none, but conservative lawmakers across the country are pushing the limits of this foundational idea.
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The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
Last week in Oklahoma, for example, State Superintendent Ryan Walters mandated that all schools play a video of him announcing a new Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism. He then invited students to pray for President-elect Trump.
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The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
We should note that students were not required to pray. Meanwhile, in Louisiana, a judge recently struck down a state law that would have required public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. The judge called it, quote, "...unconstitutional on its face."
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
And now, Texas, which already allows religious chaplains to be school counselors, is on the verge of taking things a step further. On Tuesday, a majority of the state's Board of Education signaled they would support a new elementary school curriculum that infuses stories from the Bible into language arts and reading lessons. They argue they can be used to teach concepts like the Golden Rule.
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The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
But as you might expect, these proposed changes are facing heavy scrutiny from some parents, activists, and lawmakers who say it risks alienating kids who aren't Christian. Here's Texas State Representative James Tallarico, a Democrat and a former public school teacher.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
But first, what we know about the allegations of sexual misconduct against former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, who's been tapped by President-elect Trump to become the next head of the Justice Department. Yesterday, we learned that an unidentified hacker got access to documents shared among lawyers whose client said in sworn testimony that Gaetz paid her for sex when she was 17 years old.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
Jonathan Covey, the policy director for Texas Values, a group that advocates for Judeo-Christian values, is defending the Christian-themed curriculum, saying it is protected by the First Amendment.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
A full vote on the new curriculum is expected on Friday. And while schools are not required to use it, the state is offering a financial incentive. About $60 per student will go to districts who choose to adopt the new standards. Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app. Starting in Gaza, where a U.N.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
special committee recently released a report that found Israel's war is, quote, consistent with the characteristics of genocide. The committee said that includes, quote, intentionally causing death, starvation and serious injury using starvation as a method of war. Israeli officials denied that accusation and argued inconsistent U.N.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
distribution of aid is to blame for the widespread hunger in Gaza. Pope Francis, meanwhile, who has defended Israel for much of his tenure, has also come out to say Israel should be investigated for genocide. Last November, he said the conflict had, quote, gone beyond war, saying this is terrorism. Next to U.S. politics.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
Yesterday, Trump nominated Dr. Mehmet Oz to oversee the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, which manages health care for over 150 million Americans. Stat reports the heart surgeon turned TV doctor has been questioned by Congress for promoting weight loss products on his show.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
And he's used his platform to spread misinformation, like saying apple juice contains dangerous levels of arsenic, which is not true. Trump also named former wrestling executive Linda McMahon to lead the education department. She served as the head of the Small Business Administration during Trump's first term and co-chairs his transition team.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
McMahon and her husband were also recently named in a lawsuit accusing them of being aware of sexual abuse of teenage boys working at wrestling events and failing to protect them. Her lawyer has called the allegations baseless.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
Meanwhile, in Congress, Representative Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, is proposing rules that would ban transgender women from using the women's bathrooms on Capitol Hill. She told reporters this proposal is a direct response to the election of Representative Sarah McBride, who will be the first openly trans member of Congress.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
In a statement, McBride called Mace's proposal a distraction. And finally, NPR reports that we're seeing a shakeup in the social media ecosystem. According to data they reviewed, the day after the election, X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, lost more than 115,000 users. That's the largest ever mass exit from the platform.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
Also in the documents is testimony by a second woman corroborating that story, saying she witnessed it. Gates has denied having sex with anyone underage or paying for sex.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
At the same time, traffic on Blue Sky, a competitor platform, skyrocketed, with daily usage up around 500%. But the app is still extremely tiny compared to other platforms. Blue Sky has just over 20 million accounts. There are hundreds of millions of accounts on X and threads and billions on Instagram. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. It comes to us from Scientific American and examines hypochondria, a disorder that makes people have anxiety about their health that's often been treated like a punchline and the more serious ways it's being managed now.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
The allegations that could sink Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
The documents include other information, too, that's under seal with both the DOJ and the House Ethics Committee, whose members are scheduled to meet today to decide whether to release their findings ahead of a Senate confirmation hearing for Gates. Washington Post reporter Liz Goodwin spoke to us from Capitol Hill.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Let's turn to the war in Gaza now, where a wave of deadly attacks by Israeli forces in recent days shattered the country's fragile ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had, quote, resumed combat in full force and that any negotiations would continue under fire.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
A Hamas official said Netanyahu's decision to return to full-scale war will be a death sentence for the remaining hostages. Israel's strikes this week were the largest attacks since the ceasefire started in January, killing hundreds of Palestinians in the first 24 hours. They landed across the Gaza Strip as many people were having their pre-dawn meal for Ramadan.
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Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
The Washington Post received voice notes from Palestinians the morning after the attacks. One of them was 22-year-old Wassam Tabet.
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Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
The strikes also came two weeks after Israel began a blockade on aid entering Gaza. Israeli officials say the strikes exclusively targeted terror targets and weapons stockpiles. And Hamas has confirmed that several of its leaders were killed in the strikes, including its de facto head of government.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Health workers in Gaza have reported many women and children among the casualties, and hospitals are reportedly struggling to treat the sudden volume of patients.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Medical professionals with Doctors Without Borders, who were working from Nasser Hospital, posted on social media yesterday that the injuries they're seeing are disastrous and that, quote, "...doctors in the emergency room were crying due to the intensity and difficulty of the situation."
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
The AP reports the Israeli military has ordered people to evacuate eastern Gaza, a sign that Israel could soon launch renewed ground operations. With both Gaza and Ukraine, President Trump has spoken about how he plans to swiftly end the conflicts. But so far, the president and his negotiators have not been able to make lasting deals that all parties can agree to.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Two NASA astronauts made their long-awaited return to Earth last night after an unexpected nine-month stay in space.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Last June, astronauts Sonny Williams and Butch Wilmore arrived at the International Space Station on a Boeing Starliner, the first time the spacecraft launched with a human crew. They were originally slated for an eight-day mission to the ISS, but early on, they ran into problems.
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Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Andrea Leinfelder is a space reporter at the Houston Chronicle.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
That pause led to a decision straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster. Williams and Wilmore were left behind, and the Starliner returned to Earth without a crew. Now, President Trump has claimed credit for bringing the astronauts home, saying he directed Elon Musk to, quote, go get them on one of SpaceX's Dragon capsules after they were abandoned by President Biden.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Leinfelder told us this plan between SpaceX and NASA was already in the works before Trump came into office.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
The astronauts themselves also don't say they were abandoned or needed to be saved. Wilmore recently said in a press conference from the ISS that astronauts are generally prepared for the possibility that they would have to stay longer.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
There's also one small upside to the length of the trip that Leinfelder pointed out.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Let's start with Ukraine. Hours after a phone call between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which Putin agreed to a halt in attacks on energy infrastructure, that agreement appeared to crumble. Russia launched fresh missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, striking both civilian and energy infrastructure.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Across the country, colleges and universities are scrambling to interpret an executive order issued by President Trump in January, which declared programs focusing on DEI, diversity, equity and inclusion, are, quote, illegal. The order instructed schools to stop using DEI principles to shape employment practices and admissions. The president says these policies contribute to discrimination.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
although DEI initiatives were initially created to help close the gap for marginalized groups that have not historically had equal opportunities for jobs or education. There's one place in the country to look to that's had an early start on adopting these kinds of changes and could be an early indication for what campuses might start to look like nationwide.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
That's Florida, where under Governor Ron DeSantis, local Republicans have enacted a series of laws in recent years to dismantle DEI initiatives. One policy bans public colleges and universities from spending on DEI programs. It also bans educators from teaching critical race theory in general education courses.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Doug Belkin, a higher education reporter for The Wall Street Journal, told us how college curricula have changed.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Good morning. It's Wednesday, March 19th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why a pair of astronauts on an eight-day mission ended up in space for nine months, how Florida's rollback of DEI policies changed college campuses, and some tips for filling out your NCAA tournament brackets. But first, updates on two big international crises, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Belkin recently spent time at the University of Florida, Gainesville, and he told us these laws have transformed the campus.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
The university eliminated 28 jobs related to DEI. It scrubbed all DEI language from its websites, changed the name of its Center for Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement to the Office of Community and Belonging. Within that office, photos of civil rights leaders were taken down from a center for Black students. Rainbow flags were removed from the LGBTQ office.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Belkin says the new rules on campus have been welcomed by some students, particularly conservative ones.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Other students and some faculty say these laws have had a chilling effect on free speech.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Ukrainian officials say two hospitals were hit, a violation of international law. Ukraine also launched long-range drones into Russia overnight. Russian officials say one of those hit an oil depot. Before Russia's most recent attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was open to the partial ceasefire and supported continuing negotiations for a full ceasefire.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
The new laws also allow students to record classes without professors' consent, which some faculty and students told Belkin makes them worried their comments in the classroom could be shared on social media or used against them by someone with a political agenda. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts yesterday issued a statement, a rare rebuke of a president pushing back against Trump and his allies who have called for the impeachment of judges that have blocked the administration's agenda. Roberts wrote the correct reaction to a ruling that a party disagrees with is to file an appeal. This comes as Trump is calling for the impeachment of the U.S.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
district judge who blocked the deportation of Venezuelan migrants over the weekend. That flight landed in El Salvador despite the judge's ruling. Trump told Fox News on Tuesday he believes the Supreme Court will ultimately rule in his favor on this issue.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Sticking with courts, a federal judge ruled yesterday that Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency likely acted unconstitutionally in its shuttering of USAID. The judge, ruling in favor of 26 current and former employees, ordered email access restored to current workers and blocked the Doge Department from taking any action related to USAID.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
The Hill reports it's also the first time a judge ruled that Musk himself might be exercising enough independent authority that would require him to be confirmed by the Senate, rejecting the administration's assertion that he's an advisor and not the head of an agency. A White House spokesperson called the ruling a, quote, miscarriage of justice.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
And finally, the shot clock is winding down to finalize your March Madness predictions. For the men's tournament, you have until around noon Eastern today to submit your brackets in most places. And for the women's tournament, you've got a little more time by 11.15 Eastern Friday morning. To help you figure out your picks, we asked two pros at The Athletic for their best tips.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Here's senior writer Justin Williams, who's covering the men's tournament.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
For the women's tournament, staff writer Sabrina Merchant told us you're going to basically want to do the polar opposite with your bracket for the first two rounds.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
And when in doubt, just get a little silly with it. Pick your favorite colors, your favorite mascots, your favorite cities. Just focus on having fun and you could end up lucky. You can get live tournament scores super fast on the lock screen of your iPhone by downloading the Apple Sports app.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
And if you're listening to today's show in the Apple News app, we've got a narrated article coming up next. What happens when young people aren't interested in dating? The Atlantic has a story on how Gen Z in particular is withdrawing from the dating scene, begging the question, does becoming a well-rounded grown-up require romantic experience?
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
Trump described his phone call with Putin as very good and productive, and a Kremlin spokesperson indicated Putin would consider a long-term ceasefire if all foreign military and intelligence aid to Ukraine were halted. But today, Zelensky said Russia's overnight attacks show that Moscow's claimed support for a full ceasefire is not real. Zelensky is expected to speak with Trump sometime today.
Apple News Today
Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
The Social Security Administration is responsible for managing pension payments to more than 70 million Americans. Musk says he's uncovered widespread waste and fraud at the agency, though neither he nor the White House have yet shared evidence to support those claims.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
During a press conference from the Oval Office last week, Musk said his team found examples of people receiving Social Security benefits when they shouldn't have been.
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Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
Bogach told us Musk is most likely misreading the agency's data because of a quirk in how birthdates are coded in its very old programming language.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
That was the year of an international standards-setting conference.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
The U.S. already has a policy, which has been in place for a decade, that blocks Social Security payments for anyone in the system recorded as being 115 years or older. The Social Security Inspector General released an audit last year that found from 2015 to 2022, the agency paid almost $8.6 trillion in benefits.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
Of those, less than 1% of payments, which is just shy of $72 billion, were classified as improper. They typically involved Social Security recipients getting too much money.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
As another round of brutal winter weather hits a large portion of the country, millions of people are preparing for potential disasters, especially in Kentucky, where a winter storm arrived last night on the heels of deadly flooding over the weekend that caused the deaths of at least 14 people.
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Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
That flooding prompted the Trump administration to authorize a disaster declaration for the state, which unlocked resources and funding from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. President Trump floated the idea of eliminating FEMA altogether during a trip last month to areas in North Carolina damaged by Hurricane Helene.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
Trump stopped short of closing down FEMA altogether, but signed an executive order creating a council to review its operations. Trump has said disaster aid should be managed by states instead. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who is a Democrat, says shuttering FEMA would be a very bad idea. His state has seen 12 federal disaster declarations since 2019 for tornadoes, flooding and storms.
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Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
Here's Beshear talking with CBS News on Monday.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
FEMA was created in 1979 by Jimmy Carter and became part of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003. The agency essentially works with states before and during disasters. Local officials can apply for disaster declarations, which a president has to approve. That then unlocks federal funds for things like emergency response, debris removal, and restoring infrastructure.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
It also earmarks money for people who need help in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. FEMA has been somewhat of a maligned agency. It famously bungled relief efforts during Hurricane Katrina. And recently, similar criticisms have popped up over its response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which hit North Carolina and Florida last year.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
But first, to the Social Security Administration, where the acting commissioner resigned over the weekend after members of Elon Musk's government efficiency team requested access to the agency's internal data. That includes things like employment information, financial data and medical records.
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Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
That prompted some residents in North Carolina to say they would be fine if President Trump did away with FEMA.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
That's Emily Russell, whose home was badly damaged by Hurricane Helene, speaking to the Associated Press. She said she was quick to file for help from FEMA.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
But, she said, the process stalled, leaving parts of her claim pending or outright rejected.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
One expert told the AP it's important not to mistake the function of FEMA, which is intended to meet immediate needs, with insurance companies, which cover longer-term rebuilding costs. Politico reports it's a tumultuous time for FEMA as it struggles with an increasing amount of major disasters and as climate change makes floods, storms and fires worse.
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Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
And a politically complicated time for leaders in red states, which are experiencing some of the costliest disasters. According to Politico, while some Republican lawmakers have expressed they're open to overhauling FEMA, many are against the idea of eliminating it entirely, saying states alone will struggle to shoulder all of the logistical and financial burdens for disaster recovery.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
Congressman Mark Pless, a Republican representing Western North Carolina, told Politico, "'I think FEMA failed me. But if they failed, I want to know why they failed, and I want to know what we can do to make a difference.'" Now to the impact of the 90-day freeze on U.S. foreign aid ordered by the Trump administration last month. USAID has borne the brunt of it so far.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
But today we're going to look at how the freeze has affected a different group, the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, or INL. This group, which falls under the State Department, oversees efforts around the world to combat the spread of dangerous narcotics. The Trump administration has said stopping the flow of fentanyl across the southern border is one of its top priorities.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
The president cited it as a key concern when threatening tariffs against Mexico. But Reuters reports that counter-narcotics programs in Mexico are now suffering because of the U.S. foreign aid freeze. We spoke with Reuters Mexico correspondent Laura Gottesdiener, who told us the INL is designed to help Mexican authorities go after pretty much every piece of the fentanyl supply chain.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
Good morning. It's Wednesday, February 19th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, the debate over the future of FEMA, how Trump's freeze on foreign aid hurts efforts to fight fentanyl trafficking from Mexico, and how everyone survived that upside-down plane crash in Toronto.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
Jacob Bogage, The Washington Post's congressional economic correspondent, told us who has been tapped to step in and temporarily lead the agency. Leland Dudek, who managed Social Security's anti-fraud office.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
Those drug-sniffing dogs helped Mexican authorities seize millions of fentanyl pills in 2023 alone, according to the Bureau's reporting. Reuters asked the White House for its comment about how the freeze on foreign aid could impede those efforts.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
Recently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has talked about the possibility of issuing waivers that would unlock some of the frozen foreign aid impacted by Trump's order. But it's unclear if anti-fentanyl programs in Mexico would resume. Some U.S.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
officials and security analysts that Reuters spoke to are concerned the freeze could impact U.S.-Mexico relations and make it more difficult for our countries to work together on combating the drug crisis.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
Close to half a million Americans have died of synthetic opioid overdoses over the past decade. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. President Trump last night signed an executive order aimed at making in vitro fertilization treatment more affordable and accessible. CBS reports insurance companies are not currently required to cover IVF.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
And it can get very expensive, into the tens of thousands of dollars. Trump promised on the campaign trail IVF would either be covered by the government or insurance companies would be mandated to cover all costs. His order directs policy advisors to come up with ideas on how to reduce costs and ease regulations within the next 90 days.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
In international news, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement with mediators to expedite the release of hostages agreed to in phase one of the ceasefire deal. Now, on Saturday, Hamas plans to free six living hostages. They were previously planning to release three, which would conclude the release of living hostages. On Thursday, they'll release the bodies of four other hostages.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
In return, Israel says it will free more than 100 detained Palestinians. It will allow heavy machinery into Gaza to help clear rubble. And it will allow hundreds of mobile homes to enter Gaza. Axios reports that this agreement could indicate both sides are feeling nervous that the deal could crumble before phase two of negotiations begin. Those talks were supposed to start three weeks ago.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
And after Monday's plane crash in Toronto, where all 80 people on board survived after the aircraft flipped upside down while landing, aviation safety experts who spoke to The Washington Post are attributing the high survival rate to a number of factors. They say the crash worthiness of this aircraft helped minimize the number of injuries.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
That's a term that means critical safety elements of the plane worked as they should have, like seatbelts staying secure and seats staying attached to the floor of the plane when it flipped. They also credited the four-person crew for their preparedness and getting people out of the upside-down craft quickly. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Since early 2020, car theft has surged by about 30 percent, especially in Washington, D.C. Bloomberg Businessweek found many of these stolen vehicles are being smuggled to Western Africa. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Unpacking Elon Musk’s claims about Social Security
The Post reports that Dudek had posted positive remarks on social media about Musk's efforts to cut costs at federal agencies before he was tapped for this role, which is, again, a temporary one. President Trump's pick to lead the agency long term, Frank Bisignano, still has to go through a Senate confirmation process.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
Losing her hair, losing weight, losing her memories. She says entire days would just disappear. She thought she might have Alzheimer's. Here is some of her testimony, translated by the BBC, about the day police notified her.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
Pelko has received apologies from some of the defendants, including her ex-husband, who confessed to everything. Others say they're innocent. If convicted, these men face sentences ranging from 4 to 20 years in prison. To understand where the case could go next, it's important to know how France defines consent.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
That's Alex English with Marie Claire. She told us during the trial, some of the defendants made the argument that they were told she had consented.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
The trial has sparked debate in France over whether the country's legal definition of rape does enough to recognize the role of consent. Last year, French Parliament considered adopting an EU resolution which would create a standard definition and punishment for rape across all member states. That failed.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
But more recently, French officials, including the president and the justice minister, have said they support amending the legal language.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
Whether that legal wording changes or not, the trial has shaken France. This is a country where the MeToo movement struggled to find footing. But in recent years, that's started to shift. A number of French women actors have filed lawsuits against male directors alleging abuse.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
And Pellico's case seemingly lit a fuse, drawing supporters, mostly women, to the court to cheer her on as she entered and left each day.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
Let's turn now to Washington and one of President-elect Trump's many promises to shake up D.C. He says he'll move 100,000 federal jobs out of the city, which would impact roughly one in three federal workers in the area. Now, it's not a new thing for incoming presidents to target what they see as government bloat.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
And Washington Post enterprise reporter Todd Frankel told us this figure, 100,000 jobs, has been popular.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
But what sets Trump apart is his focus on D.C. jobs.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
Trump tried this on a smaller scale in 2019, moving a number of agencies out of D.C., about 1,300 jobs in all. Frankel says it didn't play out exactly as he imagined, like at the Bureau of Land Management.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
Frankel reports that short of moving the Pentagon, the National Institutes of Health, or another very large agency, it's not clear how Trump would move 100,000 jobs out of Washington. Still, local economists and leaders told him it would be a huge blow to their economy.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
And a warning, the segment has descriptions of sexual abuse. Any day now, judges will hand down verdicts for dozens of men accused of raping Gisele Pelico. She stunned the world by rejecting her right to anonymity and demanding a public trial for her now ex-husband Dominique and at least 50 other people allegedly involved.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
Trump's transition team did not respond to a request for comment from the Post. The America First Policy Institute, a Trump-aligned group, has argued that moving these jobs would save over $1 billion in payroll costs by going to places they claim are less expensive. Critics of the plan say Trump's past attempts prove that cost savings are questionable.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
And they say these plans interrupt government work and put experienced talent at risk. So far, Trump's team has named two small agencies they want to move. Together they have about 1,000 people on staff. From hurricanes to wildfires, we are increasingly seeing how climate change can affect the cost of home insurance.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
Many big names in the insurance game, like Allstate and Liberty Mutual, have decided to pull out of some areas. They say it's just not worth the cost as the price tag of extreme weather gets higher. And as these conventional, highly regulated insurers pull away, smaller, less regulated insurers are popping up to fill the void.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
That's Leslie Kaufman, who reports on climate change for Bloomberg News.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
These smaller businesses, known as non-admitted insurers, don't have that protection, which means you run the risk of not getting a payout. Kaufman found some of these companies are not as financially sound as more established insurers. They might be structured in a way that makes price hikes or sneaky hidden fees for consumers more likely.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
Good morning. It's Wednesday, December 18th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why Trump wants to move 100,000 federal jobs out of D.C., how climate change is affecting home insurance across the country, and how scientists successfully transplanted a kidney from a pig to a human. But first, to a trial in France the world has been following in horror for months.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
These companies represent a small portion of the overall insurance market, but they're growing in high-risk markets where homeowners have few other options, like in California, Florida, and Louisiana. These states and others offer state-sponsored insurance, too, as a sort of last resort option.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
However, in Florida, officials have said so many people use it because so many big insurance companies left that they're just one disaster away from serious trouble. And in California, many residents say the payout isn't enough to cover the full price of their properties.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
Kaufman says it really calls into question how long these sort of startup insurers will be around and what that means for the people buying into them.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app. New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lost her bid to be the top Democrat on the House's Powerful Oversight Committee. We talked about this on the show recently.
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How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
She said she wants to show the world that survivors shouldn't be ashamed of abuse. Police say Pelico's ex-husband, over the course of about a decade, repeatedly invited men to their home to rape her after he drugged her with sleeping pills, leaving her unconscious. He arranged the abuse in chat rooms with men between the ages of 26 and 74 from all walks of life.
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How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
Ocasio-Cortez and a number of other younger Democrats sought to replace aging members of the party who've held on to powerful positions, sometimes for decades, as they prepare for the second Trump administration. Yesterday, Democrats passed over Ocasio-Cortez to elect 74-year-old Jerry Connolly to that committee seat.
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How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
NBC reports the votes were a litmus test of the future of the Democratic Party to get that younger, bolder leadership. But ultimately, Connolly had strong support from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other centrist Democrats. Connolly, who announced last month he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, said he is ready to lead the committee in overseeing the incoming Trump administration.
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How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
Meanwhile, President-elect Trump has made it clear that he's willing to go after the media even before stepping into office. He's suing the Des Moines Register over a poll released before Election Day that said Vice President Kamala Harris led the state by a significant margin. Trump ended up winning the state handily.
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How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
The Hale reports Trump accused the paper and its pollster of violating the state's consumer fraud laws, calling it election interference. The pollster, Jan Selzer, announced she was ending her polling work after the election.
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How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
In a separate media-related case just a few days ago, ABC News agreed to pay $15 million in a defamation suit brought by Trump over inaccurate on-air statements by the anchor George Stephanopoulos. And finally, for the first time in eight years, Tawana Looney, a woman from Alabama, is off of dialysis after receiving a kidney transplant from a genetically modified pig.
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How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
That's according to the health publication STAT. She herself donated a kidney to her mother in the late 90s. But after a complicated pregnancy, her other kidneys started to fail. It's the third time doctors have transplanted a pig kidney to a living recipient. And STAT reports the latest procedure inches us closer to a world where xenotransplantation is more common.
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How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
Looney says she feels blessed, full of energy, and can't wait to travel again. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next all about risotto. No one knows for sure when this highly finicky but tasty rice dish first appeared or where exactly it came from.
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How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
But the New Yorker tries to follow the trail while sampling a lot of varieties along the way. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
Police identified dozens of suspects from footage of the abuse her husband collected, but authorities believe more than 70 men were involved. Authorities started looking into the husband after he was caught filming up women's skirts in public. It was only until that incident was investigated that Pelico came to learn what happened to her. For years, she had been confused about strange symptoms.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
Notably, Columbia University agreed to the administration's demands in an attempt to preserve some federal funding. Columbia's interim president, who has since resigned, put new restrictions on face masks on campus, gave more power to security officers to remove or arrest people, and changed leadership of its Middle Eastern Studies department.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
The administration paused $400 million in funding anyway. Professors at Columbia held a rally on Monday, demanding that the school do more to stand up to Trump. Here are professors Adina Bargad and Joseph Hawley speaking at that rally.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
But Harvard's decision could shift the tone in how higher ed institutions respond to the administration's threats moving forward. I reached out to Michael Roth, the president of Wesleyan University, who has been very outspoken about pressures from the Trump administration on higher ed. And he told me why federal funding is so critical to these institutions.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
Roth also told me he finds the Trump administration's claims that anti-Semitism is running rampant on college campuses to be in extremely bad faith.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
And he says the public should be concerned as more and more students and academics who have been vocal against Israel's war in Gaza are getting detained by immigration authorities and student visas are being canceled.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
Let's turn now to tariffs and their impact on international alliances. As the Trump administration's exact targets and numbers change frequently, their highest tariff remains on China at 145%. And China has grown more aggressive in its response to the United States, responding with retaliatory tariffs of 125%.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
This conflict could have repercussions on other negotiations with China, from TikTok to fentanyl and more. If the White House's aim by pausing the so-called reciprocal tariffs on other countries but upping China's was to isolate the Chinese government in global trade talks, it hasn't appeared to work yet. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant has said that the U.S.
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could reach a deal with allies and then approach China as a group to address trade. But so far, at least, The Wall Street Journal reports that key American allies are not lining up to join this fight alongside the United States. or at least they're hedging their bets.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
But first, to President Trump's escalating attacks on colleges and universities. Harvard President Alan Garber announced Monday that the university will, quote, not surrender its independence to comply with Trump's demands to change its hiring, admissions, and curriculum. Federal officials moved swiftly to punish the school.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
Yaroslav Trofimov is chief foreign affairs correspondent at the Journal, and he told us that a lot of allies are still trying to regain balance after the tariff announcements earlier this month.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
Given all of this, some European leaders have signaled an openness to different policy with China. For example, an EU-China summit is set to take place this summer, and talks have restarted over a dispute regarding Chinese electric vehicle imports.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
Though at the same time, they have their own issues with Chinese market practices and what they see as the country's support of Russia during its war in Ukraine.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
The White House has dismissed concerns about the possibility of alienating allies, saying they're too reliant on American markets to survive without U.S. trade. But many are trying to figure out how to operate in this world of uncertainty.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
Now to some updates on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man mistakenly deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador last month. Despite a unanimous ruling from the Supreme Court saying the Trump administration should facilitate his release from custody in El Salvador and his case should be handled as it would have been if he hadn't been improperly deported.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
The government has said it's powerless to intervene in the matter since Abrego Garcia is already in El Salvador. The justices also said that the government's argument that U.S. courts can't grant relief once a deportee crosses the border is, quote, plainly wrong.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
Yesterday, a federal judge rebuked the Trump administration and said she would compel Trump officials to answer questions detailing what steps they have taken so far to resolve the matter, saying, quote, there will be no tolerance for gamesmanship or grandstanding.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
Good morning. It's Wednesday, April 16th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how U.S. allies are recalibrating after the tariff ramp up and roll back. What we know about conditions at the mega prison in El Salvador, where many deportees have been sent. And how many people in California knew an earthquake was coming seconds before it hit.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
And in a court filing yesterday, the DOJ said if Abrego Garcia manages to return to the U.S., he will be detained and removed from the country. Frustrated with the administration's response so far, some Democratic lawmakers say they're planning to travel to El Salvador.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen says he'll travel there today and hopes to visit Abrego Garcia at the mega prison Cicat, where he's being held, and, quote, check on his well-being. In this prison, Abrego Garcia and more than 235 other men who were deported by the Trump administration against a judge's order last month are being held in the same conditions as convicted gangsters.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
Trump threatened Harvard's tax-exempt status, and the government says it's freezing over $2.2 billion in contracts and grants. a move that will most likely impact research at Harvard and the university-affiliated hospital system. Harvard is the oldest and richest university in the country, which gives it some unique leverage that other schools don't have.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
That's what Secott's prison director recently told CNN. And I'll remind you, Abrego Garcia has no criminal record in the U.S. or in El Salvador. When 60 Minutes investigated the criminal records of this group at large, it found no criminal records for 75 percent of them.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
We know very little about the specific conditions this group is being subjected to, but we know there are close to 40,000 people detained at Sakat in all. They're put in communal cells that can hold up to 100 people each. There's no privacy. The toilets are open. The lights are on 24-7.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
People are not allowed any personal possessions, any visitors or phone calls, and they're not allowed to go outside. And some of the people detained there, like Abrego Garcia, are not supposed to be there. That's because in 2022, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency in El Salvador to respond to a surge in gang violence.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
That order is still in place, and it allows police to carry out mass arrests. Violent crime has declined since, but human rights advocates say more than 80,000 arrests happened with no due process, and thousands of innocent people were jailed.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
That's Noah Bullock, the executive director of a human rights organization in El Salvador. He spoke with PBS about the lack of legal protections for people in this prison.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
And he says that judicial black hole and the Salvadoran government's insistence that no detainees at CICOT will be released makes it practically impossible to help people who aren't supposed to be there.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
In recent days, the administration sent 10 more men to El Salvador. And President Trump told Bukele he wants him to build, quote, five more places to hold more people, even going so far as to suggest that Trump is open to sending American citizens there next. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
Big Bird and Daniel Tiger are back on the chopping block as the Trump administration plans to ask Congress to rescind nearly all funding for public media, including PBS and NPR. That's according to a memo reviewed by NPR. The order will ask Congress to take back $1.1 billion in federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which partially funds both entities.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
That's two years' worth of appropriations. Trump and other Republicans have accused PBS and NPR of bias against conservatives. In a statement, NPR said cutting CPB funding would have a devastating impact on American communities. In many rural areas, NPR stations are some of the most reliable sources of information, particularly during emergencies when other communications can go out.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
Trump reportedly plans to send this memo to Congress when it returns from recess later this month. As the Trump administration continues its crackdown at college campuses, a Columbia student who was one step away from becoming a U.S. citizen was arrested on Monday at what he thought was his naturalization interview.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
And it's now the very first school to hold its ground against the administration's demands. The administration is targeting schools that it claims allowed anti-Semitism to go unchecked at campus protests last year against Israel's war in Gaza, and is pressuring these schools to do things like get rid of DEI initiatives.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
Mohsen Madawi, a green card holder, participated in protests at Columbia and founded a pro-Palestinian student group with Mahmoud Khalil, another Columbia student being held by ICE. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he would revoke the student visas and green cards of those who protested in support of Palestinians and who he claimed helped spread anti-Semitic sentiment.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
Madawi spoke to 60 Minutes in 2023 about a walkout on Columbia's campus that fall where he observed anti-Semitic behavior, and he shared how he responded.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
A judge on Monday ordered Madawi not to be deported. And finally, after a 5.2 magnitude earthquake in Southern California on Monday scared residents and even elephants at the San Diego Zoo, the quake is being seen as another success for the state's early warning system. Known as a shake alert, people can download an app called MyShake that warns them when an earthquake is about to hit.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
The LA Times reports people across social media praised the alerts, some which came as many as 10 seconds before the shaking even began. The app is currently active in California, Oregon, and Washington state, and is run by the U.S. Geological Survey. Authorities say the system provides crucial seconds of heads-up time, which may be pivotal in the event of a major earthquake.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. New York Magazine examines the relationship between convicted murderer Robert Durst and his second wife, who stands to inherit his multi-million dollar estate.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Why Harvard is leading the higher-ed fight against Trump
At least seven universities have been threatened with federal funding cuts in recent weeks, but the full list of schools under government scrutiny is actually much larger. A total of 60 received letters from the U.S. Department of Education last month warning them of potential federal action.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
Several Democratic senators did bring up his past, including allegations of excessive drinking and an incident in 2017 where a woman accused Hegseth of sexual assault. He paid her an undisclosed amount of money to settle, and he's described the encounter as consensual, but he was married at the time.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
Some Republican senators defended Hegseth, like Senator Mark Wayne Mullen, a Republican from Oklahoma.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
One of the key Republicans who Hegseth needs to win over is Iowa Senator Joni Ernst. She's been outspoken about being sexually assaulted while she served in the military. And she was one of the few Republican senators heading into the hearing who hadn't publicly promised to vote for Hegseth.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
As a result, the Des Moines Register reports that she's been the focus of a pressure campaign by Trump and his allies to confirm Hegseth. And Kapoor told us she appeared more open to his nomination yesterday than before.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
During Ernst's round of questioning, Hegseth walked back past comments he made. He previously said women should not hold combat roles because, quote, men in those positions are more capable. Yesterday, he told Ernst that women would continue to hold combat roles under his leadership. After the hearing, Ernst put out a statement saying Hegseth has her support.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
Senator Jack Reed, the Democratic-ranking member on the committee, criticized Hegseth for injecting partisan politics into a role that was meant to stay above it. Reed said Hegseth's nomination will be the first he has opposed over many years on the Armed Services Committee, having voted to confirm the previous eight defense secretaries.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
Let's turn now to a court case involving ChatGPT, what's being called the first big test for AI in the copyright space.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
A number of news organizations, including the New York Times, the New York Daily News, and the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting, have merged their individual lawsuits into one case against OpenAI and its biggest investor, Microsoft, accusing OpenAI's chatbot of copyright infringement. Both sides appeared in court on Tuesday.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
The news outlets say training the artificial intelligence bot by feeding it millions of copyrighted articles is basically making ChatGPT a substitute for the publisher's original work.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
OpenAI argues the more journalistic data they provide the chatbot, the more accurate and relevant results will be, and that they're protected by fair use rules, because this is a case where copyrighted work is being used for education and research purposes. This combined lawsuit is a sign that ChatGPT has a lot of news organizations worried.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
That's NPR's tech correspondent Bobby Allen speaking on NPR after the suits were first filed in 2023.
Apple News Today
Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
But first, to Capitol Hill, where Pete Hexeth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense, faced tough questions from senators on the Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing. It was also a test of loyalty to Trump, not just for the nominee, but for the Republican lawmakers questioning him.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
NPR explains OpenAI's fair use defense. The law around this can be murky, but the gist is, to clear the bar of fair use, a copyrighted piece of work must be transformed into something brand new. And it cannot compete with the original content in the same marketplace.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
The Times wants ChatGPT's dataset, its most valuable asset, to be destroyed. Allen says that would be an extraordinary measure, but it means the court could force OpenAI to rebuild using only authorized materials. Either way, the suit could lead to big changes on both sides of the argument.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
Now to Southern California, where the L.A. wildfires are still burning and dangerous winds have picked back up. Tens of thousands of acres have burned over the last week. They've wiped out neighborhoods, businesses, schools, community centers, and so many homes. Many people tend to think of Los Angeles as a city filled with mansions and rich celebrities, but that's certainly not true all over.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
And today we're going to focus on Altadena, a middle-class town of roughly 42,000 people affected by the fires just north of L.A. in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
That's Atlantic staff writer Xochitl Gonzalez.
Apple News Today
Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
Altadena has been a sanctuary of sorts for people of color for generations. It started out overwhelmingly white due to discriminatory redlining. But the Fair Housing Act of 1968 made that racist policy illegal. And more people of color started to make their homes in Altadena. The rate of Black home ownership there is around 80 percent, nearly double the national average.
Apple News Today
Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
Good morning. It's Wednesday, January 15th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, chat GPT goes to court over copyright infringement. How one middle class majority minority community in Southern California has been hit hard by the fires. And some good news for the Princess of Wales.
Apple News Today
Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
Many Altadena families have lived there for generations. One of the first identified victims of the LA fires was a 66-year-old Black man named Victor Shaw. He died while battling the fire with a garden hose, trying to defend his family home of more than 50 years. It's too soon to say exactly how many families in Altadena lost their homes.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
In his opening statement, Hegseth, a military veteran and former Fox News host, acknowledged criticisms from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle that he lacks the qualifications to lead the Pentagon and one of the world's largest military forces.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
But so far, across the community, more than 7,000 structures have been reported lost in the fires. One local official told NPR they estimate around half of the small businesses are gone. Five of Altadena's public schools were severely damaged, plus several private schools. And Altadena lost a senior center, a public golf course, a country club, and multiple places of worship.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
Gonzalez says residents have come together to support each other during this crisis, trying to navigate FEMA applications and insurance claims. Many are worried they won't be able to afford the cost of rebuilding, particularly as major insurance companies have pulled out of California in recent years.
Apple News Today
Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
Before we let you go, here are a few other stories we're following today. We've talked a lot about how the wildfires have been affecting people, their homes and communities. They're also impacting animals. Dogs, cats and a number of other pets and wild animals have been seen wandering the streets of L.A. on social media. Many were left behind as people evacuated in a hurry.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
The Pasadena Humane Society says it alone has taken in hundreds of animals since the fires started. Vox has a guide on how you can help, where you can donate money, or if you're local, places where you can take small and larger animals in need of a place to stay. The guide says if you can, fostering pets is also a big help. We'll link to that story and those resources in our show notes page.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
Impeached Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was arrested for questioning yesterday, becoming the first South Korean leader to be detained while in office. The arrest is the latest in the fallout of Yoon's brief declaration of martial law in December. He's being criminally investigated on allegations of insurrection, which he has called meritless.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
He was stripped of his presidential power after being impeached last month. This ends a weeks-long standoff between Yoon and law enforcement. while deepening Seoul's leadership crisis and paralyzing the country at a critical moment. And finally, the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, says her cancer is in remission.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
Middleton visited the hospital in London where she received treatment over several months and thanked the staff, saying, "...it makes you appreciate all the small things in life that you take for granted." Middleton announced in March last year she had been diagnosed with cancer and completed treatment in September. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a Narrated article coming up next. As 100-year lifespans become more common for Americans, The Atlantic says it's time for us to reconsider how we approach school, work, and retirement. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Inside the first major test of Republicans’ loyalty to Trump
Heading into this hearing, a number of Republican senators seemed to be on the fence about his nomination, but NBC senior political reporter Sahil Kapoor watched from Capitol Hill yesterday as, one by one, they seemed to fall in line.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
But Flatley told us it's difficult to know if the threats, delays, and reversals are part of Trump's strategy and an indicator that it's working as intended because he's getting some concessions from foreign leaders, or if these walkbacks signal that his plans are flawed.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
In Trump's first term, he did not issue tariffs as widely as he has in this term. But those tariffs didn't result in the promised increase in American factory jobs or heightened inflation that those for and against the tariffs had forecasted. This time, the president has said he believes being more aggressive with tariffs could lead to bigger economic impact.
Apple News Today
Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
He also didn't rule out the possibility of a recession in a recent interview with Fox News.
Apple News Today
Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
Trump has claimed credit for the market in more bullish times, but he says right now he's not paying attention to how the stock market reacts to tariffs to consider adjustments to his policy. However, Flatley told us the Treasury and Commerce Secretaries certainly are watching the markets. They say Americans just have to be patient during this period.
Apple News Today
Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
However, economists by and large do not agree with the president's approach to tariffs. They've warned shoring up American manufacturing could take a long time, and the risk of tariffs could scare off companies that are considering making long-term investments in the U.S. Ultimately, Flatley says, Trump's tariff strategy appears to be a big gamble.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
Let's turn now to education news. Yesterday evening, the Department of Education said it will cut its workforce nearly in half this month as President Trump works to eliminate the agency altogether.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
Meanwhile, the DOE's Office of Civil Rights on Monday sent letters to 60 colleges and universities telling them that they're under investigation or being monitored for alleged violations relating to, quote, anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
And the letters warned further action would be taken if schools do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus. The schools that received this letter include a mix of large, small, public, and private institutions nationwide.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
To name just a few, Columbia University, Middlebury College in Vermont, Ohio State University, the University of Southern California, and the University of Virginia. At these schools over the course of the last year plus, some students have gathered to protest the war in Gaza and express support for Palestinians.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
Many demonstrators called on their schools to divest from companies that are profiting from the war. And in some of those cases, like at Northwestern University and Brown University, their efforts succeeded. In an interview with CNBC yesterday, Education Secretary Linda McMahon characterized the protests as attacks on Jewish students and faculty.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
But first, widespread tariffs from the Trump administration on foreign steel and aluminum are expected to take effect today, which would impact all countries the U.S. imports these resources from. Both steel and aluminum will be tariffed at 25 percent.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
Some Jewish students at Columbia and other schools told reporters at the height of protests last year they did feel unsafe at times on their campuses. Students reported verbal harassment from protesters. And at Yale, a student says she was hit in the eye by a Palestinian flag. She believed she was targeted for wearing a Star of David necklace.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
But some Jewish students and faculty members have pushed back on assessments of anti-Semitism and say they've supported the anti-war causes on their campuses. And the protesters more broadly have said there is nothing anti-Semitic about protesting Israel's attacks on Gaza, calling for a ceasefire or expressing solidarity with Palestinians.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
Joseph Hawley, an associate professor at Columbia University who is Jewish, made a similar point in a recent conversation with Democracy Now!.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
Columbia is the Trump administration's biggest higher ed target at the moment. The administration recently canceled $400 million in federal grants and contracts with Columbia, claiming the school failed to respond to allegations of anti-Semitism on campus.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
And it says a federal task force will be reviewing more than $5 billion in federal grants for the school to make sure it's in compliance with civil rights responsibilities. Last summer, Columbia's interim president, Katrina Armstrong, established an Office of Institutional Equity to address reports of discrimination.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
And more recently, when federal funding cuts were announced, Armstrong said in an internal letter that the university was, quote, Trump has vowed to make similar cuts at other schools now under investigation. The measles outbreak in Texas has now infected more than 200 people in the South Plains region of the state.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
And for one of those countries, Canada, Trump initially planned to double the tariff rate in response to a recent surcharge on electricity announced by Ontario. But he withdrew that threat after Ontario rolled back their tax. Trump's tariff strategy has been a roller coaster so far, with threats and reversals. The stock market has been on a similar volatile ride.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
At least 29 people have been hospitalized and one child who was unvaccinated has died. It's been a challenge for state officials to respond. The Texas Tribune reports in rural parts of the state, issues like a shortage of primary care providers and long distances between labs and testing sites have been difficult to overcome.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
Good morning. It's Wednesday, March 12th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, the Trump administration threatens big funding cuts for higher education, lessons learned from the last major measles outbreak, and a possible beginning of the end of the war in Ukraine.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
Public health officials in Texas can look to the East Coast for some lessons learned from another major, fairly recent measles outbreak, one in which officials were able to stave off a larger epidemic in a much more densely populated area.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
Deidre McPhillips is a data editor with CNN's health team. That outbreak was mostly concentrated in two Orthodox Jewish communities, one in Brooklyn and another in Rockland County, north of the city. And it was much bigger than what's happening now in Texas.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
McPhillips reports work had already been underway to reach out to these communities about measles. But once the outbreak hit, one thing that really helped strengthen the response was state officials declaring a state of emergency. That helped unlock resources, fuel outreach, and in some cases even find schools that were letting unvaccinated kids attend.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
Some of the most impactful campaigning involved gaining trust in the Orthodox community and understanding what kinds of conversations were happening around vaccines.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
McPhillips says health officials came up with a highly individual approach and went door-to-door to answer questions.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
The city ended up administering 200,000 doses of the measles vaccine in New York City and another 30,000 in Rockland County. A retrospective study said those efforts averted a crisis that could have been 10 times worse, with as many as 80,000 infected. McPhillips says even though New York was somewhat of a success story, how to prevent measles has been known for a long time.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. In Congress, House Republicans passed a bill to avert a government shutdown scheduled to start on Friday. The bill now goes to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain. The stopgap measure passed along a party-line vote with the exception of one Democrat voting yes and one Republican voting no.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
And it's left many wondering what exactly the president is trying to achieve with these tariffs. So we called up Dan Flatley, who covers national security and economics for Bloomberg News, for more insight into Trump's goals.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
The measure funds the government through the end of the fiscal year, which is September 30th, and largely keeps spending flat with a slight increase in defense spending. Senate Democrats, the New York Times notes, are in a bit of a bind. Either pass the bill and give President Trump and Elon Musk wider leeway to continue slashing the federal workforce and programs, or be blamed for a shutdown.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
In international news, the United States lifted its pause on military and intelligence aid to Ukraine on Tuesday as Kyiv agreed to a proposed ceasefire that could signal the beginning of the end of its three-year war with Russia. Here's Secretary of State Marco Rubio after negotiating the deal in an eight-hour session with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
Russia has not yet signaled whether it will agree to the deal, which proposes an immediate 30-day ceasefire to start. One expert told The Washington Post this is a savvy move by President Zelensky, whose standing in the war was weakened by his Oval Office spat with Trump. The onus, that expert said, is now on Russia to accept or risk angering Trump.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
And finally, the National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday released its preliminary report on the D.C. plane crash in late January between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet, in which all 67 people died. It doesn't offer an explanation for the cause of the crash. CNN reports that's expected to take more than a year.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
In this report, the NTSB is recommending a ban on all helicopter flights near Reagan Airport while certain runways are in use and new routes for helicopter pilots, saying the current routes pose an intolerable risk, which should have been recognized earlier.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he will adopt the NTSB's recommendations, saying helicopters no longer will be threading the needle flying under landing planes. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
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Amid the tariff frenzy, what are Trump’s actual goals?
The New Yorker examines how the battle over free speech and campus activism is playing out at Harvard, another one of the universities that received a letter from the Trump administration threatening to rescind federal funding. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
Fosterfrau told us where these migrants are being housed at Guantanamo also has lawyers concerned.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
It's called Camp 6. It's where suspected terrorists were sent after the September 11th attack. Lawyers and aid groups say the living conditions there are inhumane. Some prisoners have called it a tomb above ground. Under U.S. law, this facility is only authorized to be used for suspected members of al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or terrorist organizations affiliated with those groups.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
The Trump administration has said the detained migrants at Guantanamo are part of a violent Venezuelan gang called Tren de Aragua. But that gang has not been designated a terrorist group by the administration or connected to the terrorist groups affiliated with September 11th. So lawyers say migrants at Guantanamo cannot be held at Camp 6 legally.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
The Defense Department responded to these allegations by saying they technically consider migrants to be in custody of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, not the Department of Defense, despite where they're currently detained. But one lawyer Foster-Frau spoke to said that distinction is difficult to make.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
Trump says he wants to send up to 30,000 migrants to Guantanamo, and he's ordered the construction of new detention space. This week, a federal court in New Mexico blocked his administration from sending three Venezuelan men to the island. Other legal challenges are expected as well. Let's turn to President Trump and Elon Musk's efforts to reshape Washington by gutting federal agencies.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
Yesterday evening, Musk joined the president in the Oval Office as Trump announced a new executive order aimed at drastically cutting federal jobs. The White House said agency heads would be ordered to consult with Musk's Department of Government Efficiency and prepare to initiate a large-scale reduction in the workforce and limit hiring to essential positions only.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
Meanwhile, one of Musk's recent targets is the CFPB, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an independent agency within the Federal Reserve that oversees financial products and services used by Americans and aims to protect consumers from predatory or fraudulent behavior. It was created by the Obama administration in response to the 2008 financial crisis.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
That's Brian Schwartz, a reporter with The Wall Street Journal who covers economic policy. He told us about one recent occasion when the CFPB went after a big bank.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
After the CFPB's orders, Bank of America said they voluntarily reduced overdraft fees and eliminated insufficient fund fees. But this week, as we mentioned on Monday's show, the entire agency was put on pause when Russell Vogt, the new head of the Office of Management and Budget and acting director of the CFPB, ordered it to close for at least the week.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
But first, just over a week ago, a military aircraft carrying around three dozen detained migrants departed for Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. naval base in Cuba. Officials with the Trump administration say these migrants are dangerous criminals, describing them as, quote, the worst of the worst. But right now, we don't have a way of verifying that.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
The agency has a budget of $823 million for the 2025 fiscal year, and the money comes from the Federal Reserve. In his first term, Trump proposed slashing the agency's budget and rolling back regulations. He's raised concerns without providing evidence of possible fraud, and he's accused the agency of weaponizing its power.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
Elon Musk, meanwhile, recently proposed on social media to, quote, delete CFPB, calling the work it does duplicative of other regulatory bodies. However, consumer advocates and ethics experts tell CNN Musk's involvement in trying to gut the agency is a concerning conflict of interest because he owns several businesses that could benefit from looser financial regulations.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
There's a financing arm of Tesla, for example, that provides car loans, which are subject to CFPB oversight. Just last month, Musk's social media platform X announced plans to launch a digital wallet and peer-to-peer payment platform in partnership with Visa. And there are concerns about whether Musk now has access to information about digital payment systems from his direct competitors.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
The CFPB has investigated the owner of Cash App, to name one.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
Democrats in Congress say the CFPB's work is critical to protect consumers and it can't be shut down without congressional approval. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who serves on the Committee for Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and who helped create the CFPB, joined protesters and some of the Bureau's employees who were protesting the stop work order in Washington on Monday.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
Vote, for his part, has restored at least one key function that the CFPB performs, the weekly publishing of the average prime offer rate. That's a tool used by the mortgage market, signaling that some of the agency's functions are vital to the economy.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
Good morning. It's Wednesday, February 12th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why President Trump and Elon Musk want to gut an agency that protects consumers, American teacher Mark Fogel's been released from Russia, and Hollywood hits a promising gender parity milestone.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
But as one industry analyst notes, Vote has broad power over the direction of the agency, including slowing it down or, as this analyst said, putting it to sleep. Now to international news. Mark Fogel, the American teacher imprisoned in Russia since 2021, is back on American soil.
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We know very little about who's been sent there, how long they'll be kept at Guantanamo, or the crimes they're accused of committing. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CNN over the weekend that the administration intends to move people slated for deportation quickly in and out.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
He addressed reporters late last night from the White House alongside President Trump, whom he thanked, with an American flag draped around his shoulders.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
The White House called this an exchange, and the Kremlin acknowledged a Russian citizen was being freed from the U.S., but didn't immediately give more details. The White House said it was a show of good faith from Moscow that things are moving in the right direction on efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Vogel was traveling from the U.S.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
back to Russia, where he worked at the Anglo-American School of Moscow, when customs officers at the airport discovered marijuana and cannabis oil in his suitcase. His family said that a doctor recommended it for back issues. Vogel pleaded guilty to charges of transporting and possessing illegal drugs and was sentenced to a 14-year prison term.
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The case bore some similarities to that of WNBA star Brittany Griner, who was released from Russian custody in December of 2022. Fogel's 95-year-old mother, Malfeen, worked hard to keep his story in the news and even personally brought up his case with Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania last year, the event where there was an assassination attempt on Trump's life.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
She told a local ABC affiliate about finding out that Mark was finally coming home.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
Advocates for the family had hoped that Fogel would be included in the prisoner swap deal that brought home Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. They were freed six months ago. At least nine other Americans remain in Russian custody. Fogel's release comes as Trump is expected to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin again soon.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
CNN senior international correspondent Frederick Pleitgen spoke to the network about how the Trump administration is positioning Fogel's release.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
In recent days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he would be ready for talks as well. And according to The Washington Post, Keith Kellogg, the retired three-star general who's been appointed as the special envoy to the war by Trump, is expected to consult with other European leaders about a plan this week in Munich. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're watching.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
President Trump met with Jordan's King Abdullah in Washington yesterday, and the two discussed the ongoing tensions over the ceasefire deal in Gaza. Trump has repeatedly said he wants nations, including Jordan and Egypt, to resettle displaced Palestinians as part of a plan for the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip, a plan he reiterated on Tuesday.
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In a post on X later in the day, King Abdullah said there was a unified Arab position against the displacement of Palestinians and described talks with Trump as constructive. In other news, everyone you know is sick or getting over something or coming down with something. The CDC says flu cases surged to a 15-year high this winter.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
Overall, flu infections are up 31 percent, and almost 50,000 people were admitted to hospitals with the flu this week, according to the CDC. USA Today reports flu shot rates are at a six-year low, and fewer than half of Americans have been vaccinated in 2025. And finally, in the world of movies, at long last, some kind of parody.
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Among last year's top-grossing films, there were just as many movies featuring women protagonists as there were male protagonists. That's according to an annual report that tracks this information, which said it's the first time this has happened in recent history.
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The report also said that with the exception of certain movies like The Substance, featuring Demi Moore, an actor over 50, there are far fewer roles for older female actors than male actors. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
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But Sylvia Foster-Frau, immigration reporter for The Washington Post, has been talking to some human rights lawyers who say they are troubled by what little they've learned so far.
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This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
Bloomberg Businessweek takes us to the Himalayas, where a type of mushroom grows that's revered by practitioners of traditional medicine as a cure-all. and possibly an aphrodisiac. The catch? It costs $136,000 a pound. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
They're the ones who say this isn't about negotiating with other countries, that this is, as Navarro put it, quote, a national emergency triggered by trade deficits caused by a rigged system. Then in the middle, you've got Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, who says tariffs will force other countries to come to the table and offer major concessions.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
Musk, who is the world's richest man, has lost an estimated $31 billion since Trump announced his tariffs, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. His company SpaceX has said new trade barriers will negatively impact how its Starlink communications service can operate in foreign countries. And although Tesla makes all of the cars it sells in the U.S.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
within the United States, it does get parts from other countries. And this has led to Musk and Navarro, Trump's top trade counselor, openly feuding. On X, Navarro called Musk a, quote, car assembler, not a car manufacturer, calling attention to how Teslas are made. Musk defended Tesla and called Navarro, quote, dumber than a sack of bricks. Here's Sink again.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
While this spat is taking place on social media, Trump says he's open to talking to world leaders to strike deals that he says will be better for America. Specifically, he's indicated he feels confident a deal could emerge with South Korea. He also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
And CINC told us next week Italy's Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni will meet with Trump to talk tariffs, too. The big outlier here, though, is China.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
Chinese officials called the U.S. tariff policy, quote, blackmail yesterday and said Beijing would fight to the end. On social media, Trump wrote, quote, China also wants to make a deal badly, but they don't know how to get it started. We are waiting for their call. It will happen.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
Let's turn now to the 238 men from Venezuela that President Trump deported to El Salvador last month with no due process, despite a judge's order blocking their deportations. According to 60 Minutes, around 75 percent of these men had no criminal records in the U.S. or abroad.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
And of the roughly 22 percent who did have criminal records, most of their offenses were nonviolent, such as theft, shoplifting or trespassing. And yet the administration has stood by its decision to deport them. And we're starting to learn more about its system for justifying many of these deportations.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
According to recent court filings in a case brought by the ACLU, the government is using a point system to designate people as possible members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and mark them eligible for deportation under the Alien Enemies Act. To be deported, the bar is quite low.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
But first, President Trump's latest round of tariffs went into effect overnight, bringing our total levy against China to at least 104 percent. In response, China raised its retaliatory tariff on U.S. goods to 84 percent starting Thursday. Trump acknowledged that so far his tariffs have been met with a lot of angst, but insisted that he, quote, knows what the hell he's doing.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
On the scoring scale that goes up to nearly 90 points, a person with as few as six points could be flagged for deportation. And in many cases, according to The New York Times, people have reached that number in part based on wearing certain clothing the administration believes to be connected with the gang. Things like a Michael Jordan Bulls jersey or, quote, high-end urban streetwear.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
That's NPR immigration reporter Sergio Martinez Beltran. Clothing deemed suspicious by the government is worth four points, and certain tattoos are worth four points as well. Martinez Beltran told us about the types of tattoos the government is looking for.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
In one case, a man who was deported was accused of having a crown tattoo that symbolizes his involvement with a gang. But his lawyers say the tattoo is actually just a nod to his favorite soccer club, Real Madrid, which has a crown in its logo. In another case, the Miami Herald spoke to a man who had been granted refugee status by the government after a 17-month background check.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
But when he finally arrived in the United States, immigration officials detained him over his tattoos — a crown, a soccer ball, and a palm tree — saying there were sufficient evidence he belonged to the gang. And in yet another case, a family that Martinez Beltran spoke to say their loved one's clock tattoo was misconstrued.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
Making the point system even more confounding, experts who have studied Latin American gangs for years say Tren de Aragua does not necessarily use tattoos to identify members. Administration officials have claimed that they are handling these deportations as a national security issue and have largely deflected when asked about releasing more information that supports their claims.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
Let's stick with immigration and look at the impact of the Trump administration's crackdown on children who cross the border without a parent or legal guardian. Among the many federal contracts that have been canceled by Trump since he took office is one that provides legal representation to children who are under the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. nearly 26,000 kids total.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
Good morning. It's Wednesday, April 9th. I'm Shemita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, the point system determining who gets flagged for deportation, what happens when unaccompanied minors cross the border and need a lawyer, and what to know about the upcoming deadline to get your real ID card.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
That decision is now in dispute. Nonprofits representing these kids sued the administration, arguing that an anti-trafficking law requires the government to provide representation. And a federal judge in California last week ordered the administration to temporarily restore funding. The government, meanwhile, has argued the funding is discretionary and part of a contract dispute.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
Immigration attorneys told the L.A. Times if the funding is cut, it will have a devastating impact on the children, leaving them more vulnerable to rapid deportation. Many of these kids are too young to read or speak, let alone represent themselves in court, according to one immigration attorney. Here's L.A. Times reporter Rachel Uranga.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
He also said he would soon impose tariffs on pharmaceuticals, lamenting that America doesn't make our own medicines. The reaction from Wall Street to Trump's tariff plan has been unequivocally negative.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
In the West Los Angeles Immigration Court, dozens of these cases are heard every month.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
Uranga told us about a 16-year-old girl named Itzel who came to the U.S. without an adult from Mexico when she was 14. Her mother is addicted to drugs. Her father left when she was young. And Itzel decided to leave Mexico after members of her family were murdered by a cartel.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
Her case is one of roughly 33,000 nationwide, involving unaccompanied kids that immigration courts are trying to work through. One immigration attorney told the LA Times they will continue to fulfill their ethical duty to help with these cases for now, but without new funding, it's unclear how long they'll be able to continue their work.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
On Tuesday, the markets closed down for the fourth consecutive day in a row, and The Wall Street Journal reports that many CEOs are starting to break their silence, with people from JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon to billionaire hedge fund manager and Trump backer Bill Ackman sharply criticizing the moves, and Republican donor and billionaire Ken Griffin calling them a huge policy mistake.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. As damage from record floods in the central US continues to impact millions of people, the National Weather Service says it will no longer provide automated weather alert translations in other languages. The changes come after the contract with an AI company that provides translation lapsed.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
The weather services turned to AI in 2023 after determining manual translations were too labor-intensive. Nearly 68 million people in the U.S. speak a language other than English. The director of the Weather Service previously said the AI translations would benefit underserved communities, but the Washington Post reports that could run counter to Trump administration policy.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
Trump declared English the official language of the U.S. and has directed agencies to scrub words like diversity and equity from their websites. A National Weather Service spokesperson confirmed translations are on pause, but gave no further comment. An update to some court cases involving the Trump administration that we've been following.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
First, the Supreme Court says Trump can proceed with firing more than 16,000 probationary federal workers for now. The court did not rule whether the firings were legal, but said the nonprofits who brought the cases did not have legal standing to do so. NPR notes the ruling will make it harder for groups to challenge government layoffs.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
Meanwhile, a federal judge in Washington sided with the Associated Press, who sued after Trump barred the organization from the White House press pool and Air Force One. The judge called it political retaliation and ordered the administration to immediately rescind its denial. The case stems from the AP's decision to continue using Gulf of Mexico instead of Gulf of America.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
The administration has said it's not singling out the AP, but rather narrowing down the number of journalists covering small events and to allow smaller publications to join bigger legacy media. And finally, if you haven't already taken care of this, now is a good time to get your real ID card or risk having your travel plans seriously disrupted.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
Starting May 7th, TSA will require all passengers flying domestically to use a real ID card or an approved alternative like a passport in order to go through security checkpoints. To get your real ID, check the rules in your state. They vary.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
But the basic process involves going to a DMV location and providing documentation that shows your full legal name, your birth date, social security number, your lawful residence status, and two forms of proof for your address. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
Rolling Stone traveled to Greenland and spent time talking with locals about what they want for their future as President Trump continues to discuss trying to take over the Danish territory. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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The infighting inside the White House over tariffs
The policy has also led to some infighting inside the White House, with basically three different camps emerging. Here's how Justin Sink, a White House correspondent for Bloomberg News, described the competing schools of thought.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
This blackout meant controllers couldn't see where each plane was, and their backup systems didn't work.
Apple News Today
The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
Ultimately, there were no crashes. Thousands of flights have been delayed or canceled since, and dozens more were diverted to other airports. Tangle says the whole experience was traumatizing for the controllers. Their union has said that many have since taken trauma leave. As for the cause, the Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has blamed, quote, antiquated technology.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
He says he'll propose a plan to modernize the air traffic system later this week that will cost tens of billions of dollars. What happened at Newark, along with other recent aviation disasters like the fatal collision near Reagan National Airport in January, have put longstanding problems in the industry into sharp focus.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
Air traffic control alone has been facing issues for years due to inadequate funding, dated systems, and staffing shortages. The report from the Government Accountability Office last year found that close to three-quarters of air traffic systems were obsolete or potentially too hard to fix or maintain. The FAA says it's understaffed by about 3,000 fully certified controllers nationwide.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
Duffy has rolled out new incentives aimed at increasing the number of certified controllers. In February, he announced a 30 percent pay increase for students at the Air Traffic Academy. More recently, he announced the FAA will give $5,000 to all graduates of that academy. And he announced annual bonuses for air traffic controllers who are eligible for retirement but choose to stay on the job.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
So far, controllers have been exempt from federal workforce cuts. As for what's going on at Newark Airport, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has now called for an investigation, and it remains unclear how long it'll take for flights to resume their regular schedules.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
Now let's turn to some major military developments in Southeast Asia, as the world is watching nervously after India sent a series of strikes into Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir. Pakistan responded, according to an army spokesman, by shooting down Indian jet fighters.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
The strikes follow a recent militant attack in a part of Indian-administered Kashmir in April, which killed 26 people, primarily Indian tourists. India has accused Pakistan of having links to last month's attack, which Pakistan has denied. A video shared by Reuters appeared to capture the moment bombs descended near the Pakistani-administered city of Muzaffarabad.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
According to Pakistani officials, multiple civilians, including children, have died. We are now in the midst of a standoff between two nuclear powers engaged in some of the most dangerous fighting in years. But so far, there's a lot of disagreement between them on what's taken place. Pakistan described India's attack as an act of war and said it will not go unpunished.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
But first, to last week's communications meltdown at Newark Airport that put air traffic controllers completely in the dark and set off a chain reaction that's still resulting in canceled and delayed flights. Yesterday, audio from air traffic control was released, offering us a window into the incident.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
An armed forces spokesperson claimed they had specifically targeted places of worship in a BBC interview. But India says it struck sites of, quote, terrorist infrastructure and insisted its actions were, quote, measured, responsible and designed to be non-escalatory. Yesterday, President Trump was asked about the strikes shortly after they happened.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
The Washington Post reports over the last week the United States has been urging de-escalation between the two countries. A spokesperson for the U.N. secretary general expressed concern, saying, quote, the world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
This is not the first time the two countries have come dangerously close to escalation over Kashmir, a divided area that both make a claim to. There have been attacks as recently as 2016 and 2019, but they targeted security forces based in the region.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
Conclave, the process to select a new pope, begins today. It's a centuries-old Catholic tradition where cardinal electors from around the world come to the Vatican, take an oath of secrecy, lock the doors of the Sistine Chapel, and stay there until they select a new pontiff. In fact, the word conclave, which comes from the Latin with key, literally refers to being locked in.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
Bill Chappell, a correspondent for NPR, told us about the voting process.
Apple News Today
The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
And the commitment to secrecy extends beyond the cardinals. Workers at the chapel are instructed to sweep the room for bugs to make sure nothing gets recorded and leaked to the press. Selecting a new pope will require a two-thirds majority vote from the 135 eligible electors, all of whom are men.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
Good morning. It's Wednesday, May 7th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. The conclave to choose a new pope begins today. And a mostly cordial meeting between Canada's new prime minister and President Trump.
Apple News Today
The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
The process can go on for days. When a pope is eventually selected, white smoke is the signal and the largest bell at St. Peter's Basilica will ring. The new pontiff is then asked two questions.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
Then the cardinal deacon of the church emerges from the central balcony of St. Peter's to announce Habemus Papam, which is Latin for We Have a Pope. This conclave is unique in its makeup. While most of the electors hail from Europe, Chappell reports this actually will be the least European conclave ever. At least 70 countries will be represented, and 17% of the electors are from Asia.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
There are a number of lists floating around naming cardinals who might possibly be the next pope. But observers point out Pope Francis was an obscure pick. It's better to wait and see the outcome. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to implement its ban on transgender people serving in the military.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
While legal challenges will continue to play out, in practice, yesterday's decision from the court allows the armed forces to discharge current transgender members and to reject prospective recruits. The ban had previously been blocked by lower courts. An estimated 4,200 service members are transgender, representing about 0.2 percent of the military.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
Canada's newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney met with President Trump yesterday for the first time since his victory. Trump, who has leveled heavy tariffs against Canada and even threatened to make it the 51st U.S. state, was much more cordial in this conversation. As he said, he just wanted to be Canada's friend and praised Carney for his victory.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
However, Carney did assert again to Trump that his country would never become part of the U.S.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
We called up Andrew Tangle, who covers aviation safety and regulation for the Wall Street Journal, to tell us what was happening there.
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The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
And finally, one more update on real ID, which we talked about on yesterday's show. Yesterday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that travelers who have not already gotten their ID will still be able to fly for now with additional security checks. She also said that over 80 percent of travelers have identification that is compliant with the new federal requirements.
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The TSA said that if you travel today and don't have a real ID, just be prepared to show up a bit earlier to the airport. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
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Elle examines a group of women, often referred to as trad wives or traditional wives, that are privately meeting to discuss how trapped some of them feel by the traditional gender roles in their marriage and how they're ready to break out. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Trump also celebrated Elon Musk's work with the Department of Government Efficiency, claiming Doge has found hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud, a figure that's been hard for journalists to verify, though many outlets have found instances of Doge overstating its savings. Trump attacked federal workers, though notably he didn't mention how much the government is saving with mass layoffs.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
And he said the days of being ruled by, quote, unelected bureaucrats are over, to which Democrats responded by pointing to Elon Musk sitting up in the gallery. Trump later turned to his plans for the future, spending quite a bit of time on tariffs and the economy.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
His speech came just a day after he implemented tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, moves that sent stocks tumbling for a second day and have some notable economists, including from the International Chamber of Commerce, warning of a recession.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
But Trump defended his decision, claimed it will be good for American farmers, even though farmers have sounded the alarm, saying they produce more than Americans consume and need foreign markets to buy their goods. And Trump also announced his intention to impose reciprocal tariffs on a whole host of countries on April 2nd.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
Trump spent just a few minutes on foreign policy, with a passing mention of Gaza and calling for the war in Ukraine to end. He tempered the recent hostility we've seen toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, instead noting that he appreciated a letter he recently received from Zelensky, saying he is ready to come to the negotiating table and sign the minerals deal.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
And Trump reiterated his desire to expand the United States, saying he intends to take the Panama Canal and inviting the people of Greenland to join our country.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
Since this was, after all, a speech addressing Congress, Trump did call on the lawmakers to support his agenda by removing taxes on tips, among other things, by funding his deportation agenda, quote, without delay, and by agreeing to pass laws criminalizing parents who allow their children to undergo gender-affirming medical operations. Two opposing dynamics were on display all night.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
Republican exuberance for the president's agenda and Democratic objection, which Trump called attention to several times. Some Democrats held up signs that said false, acting as a sort of live fact check on Trump. At one point, a small group of Democrats staged a small protest before walking out. Others filed out at various other points during the speech.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
Trump's speech was the longest ever given by a president to a joint session of Congress in modern history, eclipsing Bill Clinton's one hour and 29 minute record set in 2000. According to the American Presidency Project, Trump's address clocked in at one hour and 39 minutes. Senator Alyssa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan, provided the Democratic Party response following Trump's speech.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
Let's start with President Donald Trump's address last night to a joint session of Congress, his first since taking office in January. From the moment he entered the chamber, he was greeted by Republican cheers. And Democrats protesting. Several dozen held up signs reading things like, Musk steals and protect veterans.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
While President Trump touted his popular vote victory in the presidential election, a trio of recent polls found that Americans are largely split on the president so far, and economic concerns still dominate with many. In one of these recent polls conducted by CBS and YouGov, 82% said they want the president to make the economy a high priority.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
And in an NPR Marist survey, a majority of Americans said that they expect prices to climb higher in the next six months. Now to the Middle East, where leaders of the Arab League states held an emergency summit in Cairo yesterday to discuss a post-war plan for Gaza and to counter President Trump's proposed plan for a, quote, Middle East Riviera.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
In January, the president floated the idea of the United States taking control of Gaza to develop the enclave into a tourism destination, forcing millions of Palestinians to leave their land with no guarantees they could return. His suggestions have been widely denounced by leaders across the Middle East and worldwide, with some saying it's equivalent to ethnic cleansing.
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At yesterday's summit, Arab leaders endorsed a plan proposed by Egypt that would allow Palestinians to remain in Gaza after the war between Israel and Hamas ends. Egypt, which neighbors both Israel and Gaza, has been heavily involved in peace negotiations since this conflict started. International correspondent Eya Batraoui, reporting from Cairo, explained for NPR what their proposal includes.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
Egypt's plan to rebuild Gaza would cost an estimated $53 billion and take about five years to complete, but the plan didn't specify who would fund reconstruction. The Guardian notes it would likely require money from oil-rich Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
Good morning. It's Wednesday, March 5th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Trump touts his early victories before Congress, the Arab state's proposal to rebuild Gaza after the war ends, and the astronauts stuck at the International Space Station are finally getting ready to come home.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
The first phase of reconstruction would focus on clearing debris and unexploded bombs and creating temporary shelters. The second phase would focus on restoring critical infrastructure and rebuilding homes.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
The Egyptian government presented a 112-page document full of AI-generated images of housing developments, gardens, and community centers, plus plans for a commercial harbor, a technology hub, hotels along the beach, and an airport. But critically, the plan still doesn't give a clear answer to one of the biggest unanswered questions of this conflict. Who will govern Gaza if the war ends?
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
Egypt proposed an independent administrative committee will temporarily govern and be responsible for managing aid. while preparing for the return of the Palestinian Authority. This leaves Hamas out of the power equation. United Nations Secretary Antonio Guterres, who attended the summit, endorsed Egypt's plan.
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The Trump administration rejected it, saying the president stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza. And The Guardian reports the Arab League-endorsed proposal does not have the support of Hamas or Israel. A senior Hamas official said while they support ideas that do not displace any Palestinians, the group will reject attempts to impose development projects on people in Gaza.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
Texas Congressman Al Green stood up to disrupt the president's speech and protest threats to Medicaid, and he was escorted out by the sergeant at arms.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said he wants Israel to permanently control all Palestinian territories. The Arab summit and proposal comes as the delicate ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas reaches a crucial juncture to see whether the parties can agree to proceed with phase two of the ceasefire and commit to ending the war.
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Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. The Wall Street Journal reports that Republican leadership in Washington have advised their members to stop holding town hall style events after viral videos of angry constituents confronting their representatives about issues like government layoffs and feared cuts to Medicaid spread across the Internet.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
The guidance came from Representative Richard Hudson, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, who warned that it could have negative consequences for the midterms. House Speaker Mike Johnson, meanwhile, said lawmakers should still communicate with their constituents, but not in ways that, quote, give the other side soundbites.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
In some good news, the American astronauts who've been at the International Space Station since June of 2024, when the original stay was only supposed to last a few days, are finally scheduled to come home. NASA's Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams are expected to return to Earth on a SpaceX capsule later this month.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
Recently, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said the ISS has served its purpose and should be taken out of orbit as soon as possible. The station is set to be decommissioned in 2030. In a press briefing from Space yesterday, Williams told reporters that she thinks it would be a mistake to halt the work happening on board any sooner.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
And finally, the famous Iditarod dog sled race across the Alaskan wilderness is underway this week after it was delayed for a second year in a row due to warm temperatures and too little snowfall. This year, the lack of snow impacted a particularly dangerous portion of the course, forcing organizers to move the starting line several hundred miles to the north.
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This is the fourth time in recent years organizers have been forced to make changes due to rising global temperatures. And it means the mushers and their dogs will have to race longer. The course change added more than 100 miles to their usual route. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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Throughout his speech, Trump suggested he had a sweeping mandate from the American people to enact broad changes across the federal government. At one point, he said that God had spared his life from assassination in order for him to return to the presidency. With that mandate, Trump touted his long list of early actions. Everything from dismantling DEI programs and U.S.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. A report released last month found the amount of plastic making its way into the human brain today is roughly 50% higher than just eight years ago. Give you a visual that's about the size of a disposable spoon.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
New York Magazine looked into the research and what we know about how microplastics affect our bodies. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Trump’s speech to Congress is met with cheers and protests
government agencies like USAID to increasing resources at the southern border and renaming key landmarks like the Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali.
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Elon Musk’s takeover of Washington
The comments are stunning, coming from an American president. And while he didn't offer many tangible details, it suggests a massive reshaping of American foreign policy in the region.
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Elon Musk’s takeover of Washington
For decades, it's been American policy that Palestinians have a right to live in Gaza, even as there have been vast disagreements among American politicians about what that should mean and whether it should include a two-state solution. Late last night, some lawmakers offered early reactions to Trump's comments.
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Senator Josh Hawley, who is a Republican, said that he doesn't think it's a good use of American resources or money to invest in Gaza and would prefer that investment be spent in the United States first.
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Senator John Fetterman, who is a Democrat, said he would support an American occupation of the Gaza Strip, saying that Palestinians have failed to provide security and economic development for themselves. After Trump's remarks, Palestine's ambassador to the UN rejected his suggestion.
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Hamas, which controls Gaza, also rejected the idea. In a statement, they said Palestinians will not be, quote, expelled from their land. Many of the people who live in Gaza today are descendants of Palestinians who were forced out of their homes during the 1948 war in an event known as the Nakba, or catastrophe.
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Ever since, many Palestinians have been determined to do all that they can to cede no more of their territory. Jordan and Egypt have also rejected the idea of taking in Gazans. Netanyahu, meanwhile, praised Trump's ideas and applauded him for thinking outside the box.
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Trump's plan would clear a major obstacle for Netanyahu. Many analysts believe it will be nearly impossible for Netanyahu to fully end the war in Gaza if Hamas is still in control of the Strip. This announcement comes at a critical time in a very fragile Middle East. Israel and Hamas are still in phase one of the ceasefire deal.
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Israel and Hezbollah are also in a pause of fighting in Lebanon, and there are growing concerns about Iran's nuclear capabilities. Trump's proposal will surely rattle all sides in an already volatile situation. Since President Trump entered office, his right-hand man, tech billionaire Elon Musk, has been on a blitz to reshape the federal government.
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He's led efforts to shut down agencies like USAID and the Department of Education. He's offered buyouts to thousands of federal workers, which over 20,000 have accepted. And he's gained access to core infrastructure of the federal government, like...
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Elon Musk’s takeover of Washington
That's Isaac Arnsdorf, who covers the White House for The Washington Post.
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Elon Musk’s takeover of Washington
All of this is raising major questions about the scope of Musk's role in the federal government and has already prompted legal challenges. After all, Musk is the world's richest man, a private citizen who did not get elected or go through congressional hearings to get this role.
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It was only in recent days that the White House said he was acting as a, quote, special government employee, a distinction that's intended for people working for the government in a short-term capacity and meant to put up some guardrails about potential conflicts of interest.
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Elon Musk’s takeover of Washington
As a special government employee, Musk will be required to complete a financial disclosure, though Arnstorf says it's not clear if that will be made public.
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Elon Musk’s takeover of Washington
In a meeting at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said the United States will seize the territory and have long-term ownership over its future development.
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Elon Musk’s takeover of Washington
Arnstorf also sees parallels in how Musk is approaching federal staffing cuts to how he's handled things at his companies.
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Elon Musk’s takeover of Washington
A recent Quinnipiac poll found that 53 percent of those surveyed disapproved of Musk's role in the government. Trump has said that Musk won't do anything without his approval. But for Trump, Arnsdorff says, there's a benefit here. Musk offers strategic political cover for the president.
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Let's turn now to a group of Americans whose lives have been upended by some of President Trump's early actions in office. Transgender people make up less than 1% of the adult population, but the administration has made rolling back their rights one of its top priorities in the first 100 days.
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That's Kate Sossin, who covers issues related to the LGBTQ plus community for The 19th.
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Elon Musk’s takeover of Washington
Good morning. It's Wednesday, February 5th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Elon Musk's takeover of Washington, how President Trump has rolled back rights for transgender Americans, and the NFL sends a different message ahead of the Super Bowl. But first, President Trump made extraordinary statements yesterday about the future of Gaza.
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On day one, Trump issued an executive order that the federal government would only recognize two sexes, male and female, although scientists and other experts have long said gender and sex are distinct and that gender is not binary.
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Elon Musk’s takeover of Washington
Trump ordered the Education Department to block federal funding from schools that educate students about the fluidity of gender, also schools that support students who are transitioning. Trump directed his defense secretary to ban trans people from openly serving in the military. He also moved to ban trans women from federal women's prisons.
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Today, he's expected to sign an order to ban transgender women and girls from participating in women's sports in schools and colleges. He's also signed an executive order aiming to restrict doctors from giving gender-affirming care to patients under the age of 19, which studies have shown can be life-saving treatment. Sossin told us about the impossible choices medical providers are now facing.
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There have been a number of legal challenges filed so far against these moves. Sossin says trans people are terrified and overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of actions Trump has taken so far to eliminate their rights, even if some of these attempts are ultimately overturned by the courts.
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Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Last night, the Senate confirmed Pam Bondi as the next attorney general. Meanwhile, two other Trump nominees, Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health and human services, have advanced out of Senate committees and will head to a full confirmation vote.
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Getting less attention is Darren Beattie, who Trump has appointed to a top role in the State Department. The reason to know his name is because he has a controversial past. He is a former Trump speechwriter who was fired in 2018 after CNN reported he spoke at a conference attended by white nationalists.
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Then just four months ago, Beattie posted on social media that he believes, quote, competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work. In his State Department role, Beattie will manage public diplomacy. In legal news, the trial for the man charged with stabbing writer Salman Rushdie began yesterday with jury selection.
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Hadi Mattar, who has pleaded not guilty, is accused of stabbing Rushdie 10 times at an event on stage in front of a live audience. The attack damaged Rushdie's liver, left him blind in one eye, and caused nerve damage in his arm. Rushdie, who has written a memoir about the incident, described it to the BBC last year.
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Because of Rushdie's celebrity and the notoriety of the attack, jury selection in the case could take up to two weeks. And finally, just ahead of Super Bowl Sunday, The Athletic is reporting that the NFL plans to remove the end racism message from the end zone. The phrasing has appeared at every Super Bowl since 2021. It'll be replaced with phrases including choose love and it takes all of us.
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Trump also said Palestinians should leave Gaza and go to neighboring Jordan and Egypt. When pressed on this plan by a reporter, he said anyone could eventually return after American development in the Strip.
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The statement from the NFL came the same day that the White House confirmed President Trump will be attending the Super Bowl. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
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Vox looks at how a shortage of affordable housing has more Americans moving in with empty nesters twice their age. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Housing is expensive. Homebuilders worry it’s about to get worse.
Rumler said this idea that health care procedures can be banned for certain purposes or certain groups has some experts concerned about what this case could mean for all people.
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Housing is expensive. Homebuilders worry it’s about to get worse.
Similar bans have ended up in court before, though with mixed results. A judge in Arkansas temporarily blocked that state's ban from going into effect, though state lawmakers ended up passing a law that makes it difficult for physicians to get malpractice insurance coverage for gender-affirming care, effectively what some call a backdoor ban.
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Sarah, the mother in Tennessee, told CNN she sees her son's treatment as absolutely vital. Before receiving hormone therapy, she says her son was withdrawn, frustrated with puberty, and had attempted suicide. But since getting treated, she sees him feeling more confident and more at peace.
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She says she'll do whatever it takes to, quote, keep us safe and him happy, even if that means moving to another state. Although oral arguments begin today, the Supreme Court's decision won't be known until sometime next year. There are two policies President-elect Trump has repeatedly promised to enact when he takes office in a few weeks.
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One, deporting massive numbers of migrants who are in this country illegally. And two, imposing tariffs on non-American goods. Those two policies together could have major impact on one industry in particular, construction. Elizabeth Findell, a national reporter for The Wall Street Journal in Texas, has been speaking with people who work in construction.
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Undocumented workers make up an estimated 13 percent of the construction industry. That's more than twice the number for the entire American workforce. And in places like Texas, California and New Jersey, that number is even higher. Trump's promise of mass deportations could make hiring for these jobs much more difficult.
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Housing is expensive. Homebuilders worry it’s about to get worse.
But first, when Tennessee banned gender-affirming care for transgender kids last year, Sarah took time off from work to drive her son hundreds of miles from Nashville to a clinic in North Carolina that would treat him. A month later, North Carolina enacted a similar ban. Sarah, who's using a pseudonym out of concern for her family's safety, told CNN she did the math and she panicked.
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Housing is expensive. Homebuilders worry it’s about to get worse.
Trump has also proposed tariffs of up to 25 percent on goods coming in from Canada and Mexico. That could hit some of the essentials for home building, like imported lumber, steel and cement. And the effects won't be limited to just construction. It'll impact the whole housing market.
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Housing is expensive. Homebuilders worry it’s about to get worse.
At the same time, the construction industry largely supports Trump, in part because Trump has said he would ease regulations to allow for more building to take place, even on federal land. Industry leaders told Findel that although there's a lot of anxious energy right now, a lot of them are hopeful they'll have Trump's ear. Let's turn now to the war in Gaza.
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On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump said there would be, quote, hell to pay if hostages being held by Hamas aren't released before he takes office in January. Israel estimates there are at least 60 hostages presumed to still be alive and held in Gaza, including three Americans. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for his strong statement.
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Hamas has said the war needs to end and Israel needs to withdraw from Gaza as part of any deal to release the remaining hostages. Netanyahu won't agree to those terms and says the war will continue until Hamas is eradicated. In the 14 months since the war began, 44,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's military offensive. The U.N.
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says that almost all of Gaza's population of 2.3 million people has been displaced. Earlier this week, Israel's former defense minister called Israel's operation in Gaza an ethnic cleansing. Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza are bracing for a long and cold winter. Aid groups say that malnutrition, hypothermia, and the flu will become some of the less visible consequences of war.
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CNN spoke to displaced families living on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea who were hit by the first really heavy rainstorm of the season earlier this week. CNN captured video of children walking around barefoot as their parents shoveled sand in an attempt to protect their nylon and plastic tents from the tides.
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Strong winds and dropping temperatures added to the damage, with nighttime temperatures dipping into the 40s. Um Fadi told CNN that they are trapped from all directions, by the sea, by Israel, displacement, and hunger. And here's another displaced Palestinian, Mohamed Younis. He says the sea engulfed us. Where do we go? We can't live. We can't eat.
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Housing is expensive. Homebuilders worry it’s about to get worse.
Good morning. It's Wednesday, December 4th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why home builders are worried about Trump's next term, Gaza prepares for a brutal winter, and how to keep your packages safe from porch pirates.
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The closest state without a ban was now Ohio, more than 400 miles away. This is a scenario more and more parents of transgender kids are facing, as states ban the type of care that they say they need. And today, the Supreme Court will weigh in on the issue of health care for trans minors for the first time.
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And he asks how he'll keep his kids warm tonight and through the winter. Aid workers told NPR that it's been hard to prepare for winter because not enough aid is getting into the country. Last week, the U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees said it was pausing aid deliveries along a key route because armed gangs have been threatening aid workers and looting convoys. The U.N.
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blames Israel for restricting the flow of aid. Israel blames Hamas and says it is allowing aid in. But the head of a humanitarian group on the ground says at the rate aid is moving in, it would take at least two years to get the supplies needed to cover people in Gaza just for this winter. Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app.
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President Biden is in Angola this week on what is possibly his final overseas trip before he leaves office. He's the first sitting president to visit the country. He's there to promote American investment in sub-Saharan Africa at a time when the U.S. and China are vying for influence over the region. He also visited a slavery museum yesterday where he called slavery America's, quote, original sin.
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Reporters traveling with the president also asked about his decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden. The White House press secretary told reporters that Biden wrestled with the decision but stands by it. In other news, yesterday, the Department of Labor announced a new rule that could impact the wages of roughly 40,000 Americans with disabilities.
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Bloomberg News explains that since the FDR-era reforms in the New Deal, there had been a law on the books that allows employers to pay some workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage, which is currently $7.25. The justification for the law at the time was that disabilities hinder productivity. But we have, of course, come a long way since then.
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The new rule announced yesterday would phase out this practice. And finally, as all your Black Friday and Cyber Monday online shopping is starting to make its way to your doorstep, beware of porch pirates. Tis the season for grinchy behavior. According to one safety and security group that tracks package theft, more than 120 million packages were stolen across the U.S. in 2023.
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NPR says there are a lot of new services out there that can help to keep your packages safe, including porch pirate bags, which lock to your front door. Amazon can also deliver directly into your garage in certain locations if you're a Prime subscriber. Experts say smart doorbells are a good deterrence, too, and can help police catch thieves.
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And The Wall Street Journal has an article about a new insurance service called Porch Pals to cover the cost of stolen packages. But as the article points out, no option is really foolproof. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
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The court will decide whether Tennessee can keep a ban in place on things like puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgery for transgender minors. But as reporter Orion Rumler with The 19th tells us, this goes beyond Tennessee.
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Rolling Stone has the story of a body found in a New York nightclub and why it took more than 20 years to figure out the victim's identity and what happened. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And we'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Housing is expensive. Homebuilders worry it’s about to get worse.
Last year, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against Tennessee arguing that banning this type of health care for trans kids violates the 14th Amendment. That is discrimination based on sex. Tennessee's attorney general has said the law is not discriminatory because it applies to all genders and that it sets age and use based limits on these treatments.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
According to the Conference Board, a group that tracks consumer confidence on a monthly basis, the consumer confidence index dropped by 7.2 points in March, its lowest since January of 2021.
Apple News Today
What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
Two-thirds of consumers believe that unemployment will increase. And when that happens, people tend to be more conservative with their spending.
Apple News Today
What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
It's easy for Americans to blame or thank the president when it comes to how they feel about their bank accounts. Typically, the president alone doesn't really control the outlook for the economy. But Stewart says we are living in remarkable times.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
President Trump has acknowledged prices will go up, but says the pain of tariffs will be worth it, with his senior trade advisor, Peter Navarro, estimating the U.S. will raise about $600 billion to $700 billion a year from tariffs. But CNBC spoke with some economists who say, in reality, the U.S. will probably bring in less than half of that. Results are in from yesterday's elections.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
All three are being seen as a warning sign for President Trump and the Republican Party. In Wisconsin, Susan Crawford, a liberal circuit court judge, beat her conservative counterpart for a seat on the state Supreme Court. The race drew national attention after Elon Musk and allies spent $25 million backing Crawford's opponent, Brad Schimel, making it the most expensive judicial election in U.S.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
history. Here's Crawford at her victory party last night.
Apple News Today
What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
This means Wisconsin's Supreme Court will maintain its liberal majority. This is a nonpartisan office, but the court might take up cases with implications for national politics, like redistricting, abortion rights, and election rules, according to CBS. The court might also hear a case involving a lawsuit brought by Musk against the state of Wisconsin involving Tesla.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
Crawford's victory was the latest in a string of small wins for Democrats who recently flipped state legislative seats in special elections in Iowa and Pennsylvania and defeated four Republican-backed referendums in Louisiana. The New York Times notes it's the first time the party has been on its front foot since November.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
But first, today, President Trump will hold an event in the Rose Garden where he'll detail plans for his next batch of tariffs. Now, Trump is no stranger to proposing, delaying, enacting and even dropping tariffs. As of March 21st, tariffs were placed on roughly $800 billion worth of goods, with many countries, including several of our allies, imposing their own tariffs back at us.
Apple News Today
What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
Moving on to two special elections that took place in Florida yesterday, both Republican Trump-backed candidates won their races, Randy Fine and Jimmy Petronas, shoring up Republicans' slim majority in the House. As we mentioned on yesterday's show, these are heavily Republican districts, so Democrats weren't expected to flip either seat.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
But what's caught the attention of observers nationwide is the margins of those victories. The word you'll see in most coverage of these races? Underperform. Trump won both of those districts in November by more than 30 points. Patronus and Fine each won by around half of that. Here's pollster and MSNBC analyst Fernand Amandi speaking on the network about what that might mean.
Apple News Today
What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
It's also a reflection of turnout. Off-year, non-presidential elections often have much lower turnout. But so far, as The Times notes, Democrats seem to be doing well in lower turnout elections since Trump returned to office, meaning these types of off-year races could swing their way. CNN's conservative political analyst Scott Jennings says that matters.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
Let's turn now to Gaza. Israel's defense minister is saying it plans to expand its military offensive, seize large areas of the enclave, and evacuate people in combat zones. The defense minister also urged Palestinians to remove Hamas from power. This comes on the heels of thousands of Palestinians protesting Hamas last week, holding demonstrations in the streets.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
NPR reports that some people chanted that Hamas are terrorists, while another chant called for the militant group to get out. And it calls this a rare show of discontent, the first major protests in Gaza against Hamas since the war began more than a year ago. We reached out to Daniel Astran, an international correspondent in the Middle East for NPR, to tell us what's happening.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
Good morning. It's Wednesday, April 2nd. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, a trio of election results sends a warning sign to President Trump and the Republican Party. A rare spate of protests in Gaza against Hamas's leadership. And Senator Cory Booker breaks the record for longest ever Senate floor speech.
Apple News Today
What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
Typically, Estrin said, Hamas does not tolerate protests without consequences.
Apple News Today
What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
Taken all together, economists say there's little doubt consumer prices will go up and could even lead us into a recession.
Apple News Today
What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
The protests have subsided at the moment. There are reports that one protester was killed by Hamas, but NPR couldn't independently verify that information. In recent days, Israel and Hamas have signaled openness to a new ceasefire deal. That comes after Israel broke the ceasefire on March 18th, with surprise airstrikes resuming in Gaza and ground troops increasing their presence.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
Meanwhile, CNN reports all bakeries in Gaza have shut down as a result of an Israeli blockade on aid, which some say will deepen famine conditions. Many people are reportedly going hungry as the holy Muslim month of Ramadan drew to a close. And as many Palestinians protested, Israelis have also hit the street to protest their government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's actions.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
Estrin said that it's unclear what will happen with this pressure mounting on all sides.
Apple News Today
What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione. Mangione is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan. Mangione, who has gotten support from many Americans who are angry with the health care system, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
Bondi said the decision is part of President Trump's agenda to stop violent crime and make America safe again. In Washington, New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker broke the record for the longest ever speech on the Senate floor after he spoke for more than 25 hours, protesting President Trump's agenda.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
Booker criticized the administration's, quote, complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the needs of the American people.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
Tens of thousands of people watched via livestream as Booker discussed health care, immigration, education, free speech, and social security. The previous record was held by South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond, a segregationist who in 1957 spoke for 24 hours in a filibuster against the Civil Rights Act.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
And finally, the Trump administration says they deported a man to El Salvador due to an administrative error and that they are powerless to bring him home. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was arrested last month by ICE agents who believed he was a leader of a gang. The Maryland husband and father denied any gang affiliation and hasn't been charged with any crime.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
In fact, in 2019, an immigration judge ordered that he was to remain in the U.S., citing a credible fear that he would be killed or tortured if he returned to his country of origin, El Salvador. An acting field office director with ICE called his deportation a, quote, oversight.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
Garcia's lawyer filed a motion asking the Trump administration to work with the government of El Salvador to bring him home. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
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What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
Time spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on what it's been like to try and keep Trump on his side and momentum for international support going forward. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
What new election results tell us about how attitudes are shifting
On paper, economic indicators are somewhat mixed. The labor market is, at least for the moment, in pretty solid shape, with unemployment rates low, historically speaking. But the stock market just had its worst month in years. And consumer confidence is way down.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
But some Trump supporters are much more on edge, like Stephen Egan in Florida and Jim Hartman in North Carolina, who spoke with Reuters and CNN.
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How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
Beyond the economy, another big area of concern are the cuts being made by Elon Musk and his team. Here's Tamara Varga, a lifelong Republican and Trump supporter from Arizona, speaking to CNN.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the only way Republicans will be able to turn the blueprint for Trump's spending bill into policy would be by making cuts to Medicaid. On the other end of the spectrum, Fox News recently spoke to a panel of Gen Z voters. Here's one happy with how Trump has gone after universities.
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How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
Meanwhile, many Democrats told reporters that they're watching what's happening with horror. Here are the voices of two Democrats speaking to CNN, Melissa Cordero, an Air Force veteran who voted for Trump in 2016 but not in 2024, and Becky Hofer. He's like crazed right now.
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How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
While these voices of voters don't alone paint the full picture, what they do reveal is that there is waning enthusiasm among Americans for Trump's time in office so far, even among many Trump backers who say they are willing to wait and see. And three weekend polls are also fairly bleak for Trump, with his approval rating somewhere between 39 and 45 percent.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
Those are some of the lowest numbers for any president at the 100-day mark in more than 70 years. Sticking with Trump's 100 days in office, we're going to spend a few minutes now diving deeper into the state of the economy. As we just heard from so many voters, it's the top issue on their minds.
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How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
But new analysis suggests this has been the worst opening 100 days for the stock market of any president since Richard Nixon. Both the Federal Reserve and the International Monetary Fund are now predicting slower U.S. growth as a result of Trump's tariffs. And several economists have said a recession in 2025 is likely.
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How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
That's Nick Timuros, chief economics correspondent at The Wall Street Journal.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Besant has argued the turmoil is a feature of their strategy, not a bug. But for businesses, the uncertainty doesn't feel strategic, with many saying it makes it impossible to plan how to hire, how to restructure supply chains, and how to price goods and services. Timros also reminds us that all of this was pretty avoidable.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
Since starting his second term, Trump has fundamentally changed the country and our economic prospects. He launched a global trade war that's led to mass uncertainty about whether the country is headed for a recession. He and Elon Musk have slashed spending and staffing across numerous government departments.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
And though Donald Trump said multiple times on the campaign trail that he would enact sweeping tariffs, a lot of consumers say this isn't the outcome they were hoping for. Instead, they're yearning for the type of results they saw Trump get in his first term.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
The White House has defended its economic policies, saying any pain being from tariffs will only be short-lived and will lead to longer-term gains. They've also promised trade deals, peace deals, and tax cuts in the next 100 days, with White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt saying, quote, "...more American greatness is on the way."
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
Let's turn now to the Supreme Court, which will hear a case tomorrow that could have huge implications for not just education, but for the separation of church and state.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
Good morning. It's Tuesday, April 29th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, a pulse check on the state of the economy, an education case challenging the separation of church and state, and Canada's Liberal Party wins national elections. But first, today marks Donald Trump's 100th day in office.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
The school in question is based in Oklahoma. It teaches all of its classes online and has a mission to, quote, fully embrace the Catholic Church's teachings and fully incorporate them into every aspect of the school, from everything from reading class to math.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
A few years ago, it was recognized by Oklahoma's state charter school board, meaning taxpayers pay for the school to operate and students attend for free. But Oklahoma's attorney general, who is a Republican, filed a lawsuit arguing that allowing the school to operate as a charter school and receive public funds would violate state and federal law.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
The state Supreme Court sided with the attorney general. Other conservatives in the state urged the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case, including the governor and the superintendent who supports teaching the Bible in public schools. They cite recent Supreme Court cases that have expanded religious institutions' access to public money.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
And Trump has clashed with the judiciary, seemingly ignoring court orders in a few instances related to his immigration policy. He's fulfilled other promises, too, like ending DEI initiatives, reversing protections for transgender Americans, deporting and detaining migrants who are here illegally, and bringing border crossings to historic lows.
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How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
Here's how Kate Anderson, one of the lawyers for the statewide charter school board, put it to NPR.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
But opponents say it would open the door to taxpayers funding religious schools, violating the core American value of separation of church and state. Here's Rachel Laser, president and CEO of a group whose mission is disassociating government and religion, speaking with NPR.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
One potential twist in tomorrow's oral arguments? Only eight justices will weigh in. Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself, reportedly because she has close ties to someone connected to the school. Barrett's recusal means that the 6-3 conservative majority on the court will now be a 5-3 majority.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
If the court were to allow the school to move forward, it could make charter schools the next frontier in the debate over religion and public education. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. The CBC reports Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals will win Canada's federal elections. Carney will now keep the job of Prime Minister, which he assumed just last month.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
Previous polls showed Conservative leader Pierre Poliev would easily cruise into power. But after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned and Trump's tariffs, the political winds shifted dramatically. Carney campaigned on the message that Trump is trying to break Canada so America can own it. His message to voters on the campaign trail was, that will never happen.
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How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
The Washington Post reports that about half of the nearly 400 lawyers in the DOJ's Civil Rights Division either have left or are leaving. Their departures come as the new head of the office has redirected staff to focus on things such as anti-Christian bias, anti-Semitism, and combating DEI initiatives.
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How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
A big departure from their mission under previous administrations, which focused much more heavily on racial discrimination. In addition to changing their mission, the Washington Post reports more than a dozen career staffers were reassigned, some to areas outside of their legal expertise.
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How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
While many are used to the goalposts shifting when administrations change, some attorneys said this time around the new directives have been more extreme than anticipated. And Spain and Portugal suffered a massive power outage Monday that caused chaos across the Iberian Peninsula.
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How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
Trains stopped working, ATMs and traffic lights went dark, hospitals, airports and other emergency services operated on backup electrical systems. Both countries declared states of emergency as authorities worked to restore power. One interesting detail, CNN notes that Portugal imports its electricity from Spain. So if Spain's power goes down, so does Portugal's.
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How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
So let's start today by hearing from voters in their own voices. Journalists from outlets like Reuters and CNN have been traveling the country in recent weeks to ask Americans where they stand on the Trump administration. Rod Orrud is a farmer and Trump supporter in South Dakota.
Apple News Today
How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
Portuguese officials ruled out a cyber attack and an EU commission executive called it one of the most serious episodes recorded in Europe in recent times. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next, and it's the Apple News Plus Story of the Month for April.
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How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
New York Magazine investigated a podcast called The Telepathy Tapes, which has been climbing up the charts. It focuses on non-speaking people with autism who seem to have telepathic abilities, which has launched a nationwide debate about what's really happening. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. We'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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How voters feel about Trump’s first 100 days
He told CNN that while he's concerned about the impact tariffs could have, he is urging Americans to be patient and give Trump a shot to see if he can get the kind of foreign trade deals he's promising.
Apple News Today
Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
Meanwhile, his latest outburst comes just a week after he celebrated a, quote, very good call with Putin. Now relations appear to have gone cold again, with Putin's spokesperson describing this as a moment prone to emotional overload. Given the ambiguity of the administration's diplomacy, it can be difficult to know what to pay attention to and predict where things might go next.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
But one place to look might be to those who did this for a living and who worked for the Trump administration in his first term. Here is retired Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, Trump's former national security advisor, speaking to CNN last week as Trump was preparing to call Putin.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
But McMaster's optimism that Trump will eventually pivot to a more conventional U.S. approach and help Ukraine isn't shared by everyone.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
That's Fiona Hill, one of the Trump administration's most senior Russia advisers in his first term, speaking recently to Radio Free Europe.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
If Trump's actions in recent weeks show any consistency, it's in their deviation from diplomatic expectations and an attraction to bilateral deals. In one sense, a staunch defender of Israel, Trump sidelined the country in recent hostage talks with Hamas. He made a deal with the Houthis in Yemen despite their ongoing conflict with Israel.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
And in Syria, he warmly embraced the new president, a former member of a group the U.S. regards as terrorists, and unilaterally dropped sanctions, a move the EU followed shortly after. Here's Fiona Hill again.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
In recent days and weeks, college and university graduates across the country have walked the stage and received their diplomas. It comes at a time of mounting uncertainty within higher ed institutions, grappling with Trump administration policies toward international students and its attacks on pro-Palestinian protests.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
For some 2025 grads, these commencement ceremonies have become a place to voice frustration over how schools have responded to the conflict in Gaza and conflict with the Trump administration. At George Washington University in D.C., student speaker Cecilia Culver used her graduation speech to express solidarity with Palestinians and to criticize the school's ties to Israel.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
But first, Russia's war in Ukraine took dramatic military and diplomatic turns over the weekend. Russia struck Kiev and launched its largest combined aerial attack since the start of its full-scale invasion in February of 2022, killing at least 13 people. In response, President Trump came out attacking Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
The university issued an apology for Culver's remarks and banned her from GW's campus and other university events for not following her pre-approved speech. At New York University, student graduation speaker Logan Rosos had his degree withheld after deviating from previously approved remarks to add this.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
In a statement, a university spokesperson said that NYU is withholding his diploma while they pursue disciplinary actions. And recent detentions and deportations of students have also been a focal point for commencement ceremony protests. Mohsen Mahdawi, a lawful permanent U.S.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
resident and Columbia student who was arrested by immigration officials during a naturalization interview and eventually released on bail, walked across the graduation stage last week with his classmates. The Palestinian student wore a keffiyeh with his cap and gown as he crossed the stage. After, he spoke at a vigil for students targeted for deportations.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
The student he name-checked there was Mahmoud Khalil, a fellow Columbia student and U.S. green card holder who's currently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Louisiana. His name was also evoked by Columbia's acting president, Claire Shipman, while addressing graduates.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
Columbia has faced fierce student criticism for agreeing to many of Trump's demands on policing its protests in the face of funding cut threats. She was booed last week at commencement.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
Good morning. It's Tuesday, May 27th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, some college students are using commencement as a last effort to protest university leadership, how police used facial recognition technology to secretly surveil New Orleans, and the not-so-fresh names breaking box office records.
Apple News Today
Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
While some of the other students who were detained have since been released, Khalil remains in custody because a federal judge in New Jersey has yet to make a decision on whether or not to release him on bail.
Apple News Today
Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
Meanwhile, he appeared in immigration court in Louisiana last week, where he made the case that he's been mislabeled as anti-Semitic or as a Hamas supporter, which isn't true, and that if he is eventually deported to the Middle East, he would be fearful of being targeted by Israel. His lawyers have said they will take his case all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
Let's turn now to an investigation from The Washington Post. Reporters learned that police in New Orleans were secretly monitoring people for two years using facial recognition cameras and software. Now, facial recognition software is something that police nationwide are increasingly using. Officers typically scan still images from surveillance cameras to support their search for suspects.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
But The Post learned police in New Orleans had been taking this technology a step further.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
Doug McMillan is a business and tech investigations reporter who broke this story with colleagues after filing public record requests for months.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
If this facial recognition software detected a possible match in a list of crime suspects, officers would get a notification on their phones through an app.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
Since early 2023, police have made dozens of arrests in New Orleans using this technology. But Macmillan learned it might violate city laws around how this type of tech can be used. For one, the Post learned that the company that manages the bulk of the cameras, Project NOLA, a nonprofit run by a former police officer, has no formal contract with the city.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
The chief public defender for New Orleans told the Post that the lack of formal relationship means that Project NOLA is not required to share information about their suspect matches that could be evidence in a courtroom. Officers who were involved in many of the arrests that used this technology didn't disclose that fact in their police reports.
Apple News Today
Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
Following the Post's requests for records in reporting the story, the New Orleans Police Department at least partially paused the program back in April.
Apple News Today
Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
Later on social media, he said Putin had gone, quote, absolutely crazy. But he also took aim at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he was doing his country no favors. Trump's unpredictability with Russia has left analysts, allies and enemies alike searching for a strategy.
Apple News Today
Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. The leader of an organization set to distribute aid in Gaza has resigned. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is backed by the U.S. and Israel, said it began operations on Monday, but its now former head, Jake Wood, stated that the outlined plan would be impossible to implement without compromising on basic humanitarian rules.
Apple News Today
Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
Humanitarian groups that have been working in Gaza, including the United Nations, have warned that this change to how aid is dispersed runs the risk of weaponizing the future of aid. This comes as Israel launched another wave of attacks over the weekend, with strikes hitting a school building where dozens of Palestinians sheltering inside were killed.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
Now to England, where celebrations turned to horror as a car drove straight into a parade celebrating Liverpool Soccer Club's Premier League title. Thousands were gathered in the city to celebrate as a 53-year-old white man swerved a car into fans. Videos showed people protesting to the driver before he accelerated. Dozens have been injured, including several children.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
BBC correspondent Matt Cole was attending the parade with his family and says the car missed them by inches.
Apple News Today
Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
Police say they're treating this as an isolated incident, not as an act of terrorism, and they have detained the driver. And finally, here in the U.S., it was a Memorial Day weekend comeback for Hollywood, with Disney's Lilo & Stitch remake and Tom Cruise's eighth Mission Impossible breaking box office records for the holiday.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
According to The Wall Street Journal, it was the news the film industry needed, coming off the back of a poor first quarter with flops like the Snow White remake and Mickey 17. The success of Lilo & Stitch may come as a surprise to those who remember the 2002 original, which was only a modest hit.
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Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
But over the last two decades, its social media fandom has made it one of the most profitable brands for the company, and it's now on track to gross close to $1 billion. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
Apple News Today
Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
Dozens of religious leaders tried magic mushrooms for a university study. The New Yorker explains how that experience turned many of them into psychedelic evangelists. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Trump says Putin has gone “CRAZY.” What next for the war in Ukraine?
He has, on the one hand, denounced the democratically elected Zelensky as a dictator and suggested Ukraine is at least partly responsible for the war. On the other hand, Trump has, with some caveats, allowed military aid to continue flowing into the country and signed a minerals deal that could tie the two countries closer together.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
Hey there, it's Shamita. I've got a quick request for you. If Apple News Today is an essential part of your morning routine, follow the show in Apple Podcasts. And if you have another 30 seconds, leave us a rating and a review too. It helps other people find our show and it helps us know what you like about it. Thanks. Good morning. It's Tuesday, March 25th. I'm Shmeeta Basu.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
And sure enough, he started to see reports on social media about explosions in Yemen's capital. Here's Goldberg talking to PBS.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
Both the National Security Council and the White House have since confirmed the existence and authenticity of this group text. However, President Trump told reporters in a press briefing on Monday that he didn't know about the chat.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
In addition to the highly classified military information Goldberg was given access to, this group text also revealed information about the identities of active CIA personnel, and information that Goldberg says could have conceivably harmed U.S. military and intelligence operatives in the Middle East.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
I should note, The Atlantic did not publish any of those plans or other classified details, but former U.S. officials told Goldberg, this is why a messaging app like Signal should never be used for sensitive information. Had any of these officials' phones been lost, stolen, or hacked, the signal messages could have been accessed, which would have been a serious threat to national security.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
That's why the government has its own internal system for sharing classified information, which all cabinet-level members have access to. Raising further legal questions, Waltz, the national security advisor, also set some of the messages in the group chat to disappear after a period of time.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
A former director of litigation at the National Archives and Records Administration told The Atlantic, unless these Trump officials forwarded the messages from the signal chat to an official government account or copied them to one, they may have violated federal records law. Text messages about official acts are considered records that must be preserved.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
Goldberg told PBS all of these oversights highlight the recklessness of the group chat.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
Retired Army General Barry McCaffrey, who served in the Clinton administration, told MSNBC it's shocking to see that not only a mistake like this was made, but also that it wasn't caught and corrected, calling the group chat, quote, amateur hour.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
This is Apple News Today. On today's show, what we know about legal residents and visitors who've been detained or deported by the Trump administration, how tariffs are hitting consumers and businesses, and why privacy experts say you should delete your 23andMe data right away.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said in a statement the administration has, quote, the utmost confidence in its national security team. The White House says it's reviewing how Goldberg was added to the chain. Now to the targeting of legal residents and tourists in President Trump's immigration crackdown.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
In recent weeks, there have been a number of high-profile cases, including a backpacker from Wales who spent nearly three weeks at a detention center, a German woman who spent 45 days in detention, including a week in solitary confinement, and at least two people on college campuses who are in the U.S. legally but were detained for their involvement in pro-Palestinian protests.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
Today, we're going to take a few minutes to run through some of these cases and others. Let's start with the arrest last week of Indian-born Badar Khan Suri, a father of three kids, a husband, and a researcher at Georgetown University. Like Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, Suri is being accused by Department of Homeland Security officials of spreading Hamas propaganda.
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Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
And officials say Suri has, quote, close connections to a senior advisor to Hamas. Suri's wife is a U.S. citizen of Palestinian descent. Politico reports her father at one point had a high level role in Gaza's government, a role which he left roughly 15 years ago. Suri's lawyers deny the allegations that he or his wife have any connections to Hamas.
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Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
and say the government is retaliating against them for their support of Palestine. A judge has blocked Suri's deportation. In Khalil's case, the government is now saying his deportation is justified because he misrepresented information on his green card application. A lawyer for Khalil called the government's claims meritless.
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Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
CBS reports that both Suri and Khalil were detained under an obscure provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows noncitizens to be deported if they're deemed a threat to U.S. foreign policy interests. Here's CBS legal reporter and attorney Katrina Kaufman.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
Meanwhile, in Orange County, California, a couple who lived in the U.S. for 35 years was deported to Colombia. Gladys and Nelson Gonzalez were undocumented when they came to the U.S. in 1989 to escape drug violence. Their children say they followed all of the rules, they committed no crimes, and exhausted all legal avenues trying to become citizens.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
They were arrested last month when they showed up for a routine appointment with immigration officials, who have confirmed the couple had no criminal history. Their daughter, Stephanie Gonzalez, told the Fox affiliate in Los Angeles that her parents' arrest is the opposite of what Trump said he would do on the campaign trail.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
In another instance, a Canadian actress and entrepreneur named Jasmine Mooney, who obtained a three-year work visa last spring, had it revoked after a visit back home to Canada in November. In early March, she tried to enter the U.S. through the Mexico border with her visa paperwork and a new job offer.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
But first, earlier this month, just before the United States launched new strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, top officials in the Trump administration discussed those plans in detail using a non-government-sanctioned group messaging app called Signal. And they added a journalist to their group by mistake, Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
But Newsweek reports, since her name had already been flagged a few months prior, Customs and Border Protection officers didn't allow her to go back to Mexico. She was instead detained for almost two weeks. Mooney told CTV in Canada she was held in chains and slept on a mat at a detention center in Arizona.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
There's also a French scientist who was denied entry into the U.S. on March 9th. A minister in France's government told AFP that U.S. border officials found messages on the scientist's phone that were critical of President Trump. A diplomatic source told AFP the messages showed, quote, hatred toward Trump's policies, which they said could qualify as terrorism.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
The acting commissioner of Customs and Border Patrol told USA Today any traveler entering the U.S. is subject to having their electronic devices searched. She said any claims that searches are politically motivated are, quote, completely unfounded. U.S. citizens can reject having their devices searched, but foreign nationals or people with visas do not have the same rights.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
Many of the cases we mentioned today are in the process of being appealed in courts. Let's turn now to the state of the economy, particularly when it Tariffs on these countries have been announced, altered, paused, and implemented in the last month or so. Those nations, as well as the European Union, have announced retaliatory tariffs on American goods.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
NPR's personal finance reporter, Laura Wamsley, spoke to us about the impact all of this is having on businesses and consumers.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
The other thing to note is companies stateside that aren't directly impacted by tariffs might raise their prices anyway.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
According to the Tax Foundation, tariffs on Chinese goods alone are estimated to add $329 in costs per U.S. household annually. And Wamsley told us when prices go up, they don't tend to come back down.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
Goldberg reports that he has no idea how or why he was added to the group chat, which appears to have been created by National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and included the vice president, secretary of state, director of national intelligence and others. Goldberg says he initially wasn't sure it was real. But over the course of several days, he watched the conversations unfold.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Wildfires returned to the Carolinas just weeks after crews battled a number of recent blazes. Now, areas that were devastated by Hurricane Helene last year are being hit with fresh fires, prompting the governor of South Carolina to declare a state of emergency and North Carolina officials to order mandatory evacuations.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
Hurricane Helene was the most destructive natural disaster in North Carolina history, and experts say the downed trees and destruction left behind by the storm have made the wildfires spread more easily and harder to fight.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
In other news, a panel of judges in Washington, D.C., did not make a decision Monday on whether to lift a lower court ruling barring the administration from deporting migrants under what's known as the Alien Enemies Act.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
Earlier in the day, a judge denied the government's request to lift that hold, saying Venezuelans who the administration wants to deport should be given the chance to defend themselves against allegations they belong to the gang called Tren de Aragua.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
Meanwhile, the administration also said Monday it's invoking a rare legal doctrine known as state secrets privilege to avoid handing over flight data that's at the center of a legal dispute over whether the government ignored a judge's order to turn around deportation flights leaving the U.S. And finally, have you ever done one of those 23andMe DNA tests?
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
Well, it might be time to delete your data as the company heads to bankruptcy court to sell its assets. Those assets include genetic samples and DNA testing results. The Washington Post reports the company says nothing will change in the way they handle privacy, but unless you take action, there's a chance your genetic information could end up in someone else's hands. The
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Gossip gets a bad reputation, but for one podcast host and author, it's her life's work, literally.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
The New Yorker spoke to Kelsey McKinney, the former host of the podcast Normal Gossip, about her new book and why she firmly believes gossiping is one of life's greatest virtues. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake
And on Saturday, March 15th, a Signal user in the chat named Pete Hegseth texted the group operational details of planned strikes against the Houthis, what kind of weapons the U.S. would be using, and information about targets. The Hegsath account said the strikes would start in several hours, so Goldberg waited to see what would happen.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
The Washington Post examined one agency within the Defense Department where there's a lot of fear about the impact of cuts to staffing and budget.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
Alex Horton is a national security reporter for The Post.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
The agency has around 700 people on staff, and their backgrounds are quite unique. There's forensic anthropologists, historians, even underwater archaeologists. That's because this agency does the difficult and painstaking work of finding, identifying, and repatriating the remains of Americans who died in wars overseas.
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Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
Horton told us about one veteran recovered by the agency during Trump's first term when the U.S. struck a deal with North Korea to repatriate the remains of Americans who died during the Korean War. Master Sergeant Charles McDaniel was last seen in 1950 tending to wounded soldiers in battle.
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Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
His remains were identified by the agency in 2018, 68 years later, and parts of his skull, clavicle, and dog tag were returned to his sons. They spoke to the agency that year about what it meant to finally be able to lay their father to rest.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
It's unclear how exactly this agency might be affected by upcoming cuts, but staff are bracing for them to be widespread and indiscriminate. One employee of the agency told Horton, "...out of every DOD agency there is, we're the only one above reproach from a moral standpoint. It's not about making weapons. It's about returning loved ones to their families."
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
While Congress was in recess last week, many Republican lawmakers returned to their districts and held some of their first town halls with constituents since Trump took office. And a lot of them received an earful. People demanded answers about how sweeping budget cuts might impact them locally, about the mass firings of federal workers, and about the authority President Trump has given Elon Musk.
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Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
Here's how one town hall sounded in Georgia.
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Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
President Trump's efforts to expand executive powers came up too.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
Republican Representative Rich McCormick was hosting this particular town hall, and that woman you just heard who introduced herself as Virginia told McCormick she is a descendant of founding father Patrick Henry, and she quoted Henry.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
McCormick responded.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
He went on to say that he believes executive power should be restricted because it feels out of balance right now with other branches. And he later told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he believes the pace of federal employee firings has been too fast.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
Yesterday, the Office of Personnel Management, which is effectively the government's HR department, told federal agencies that they can ignore Elon Musk's email, demanding they outline what they accomplished last week or risk losing their jobs. President Trump commented, too, saying some employees work with sensitive information and should be exempt from the email request.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
In Wisconsin, constituents at one town hall were angry that their Republican representatives weren't pushing back on Trump and keeping executive power in check. On the West Coast, in Oregon, a woman named Sue Oliver expressed similar concerns, speaking directly to her representative, Republican Cliff Bence.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
The White House said these town hall incidents include just a handful of critics. NBC reports that these contentious town halls could be an early sign that the honeymoon period for the Trump administration is coming to an end. And the New York Times notes that with a slim majority in the House, Republicans are in a precarious position, especially for members in vulnerable districts.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
But the fact that this pushback is also happening in deeply red areas... could be a sign of a larger problem for the party down the road. Let's turn now to a recent investigation from ProPublica that found pregnancy in Texas has become much more dangerous in recent years.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
The state implemented a six-week abortion ban in 2021, which became a total abortion ban in 2022, soon after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. But since then, no one at the state or federal level had studied the impacts of the policy on patients. So ProPublica did their own analysis using hospital data from 2017 through 2023. Reporter Lizzie Presser told us what they learned.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
Good morning. It's Tuesday, February 25th. I'm Shamitza Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Republican lawmakers are feeling the heat from their constituents at town halls. A look at how abortion bans affect sepsis rates. And a controversial pick could win the Oscar for Best Actress. But first, to the ongoing fallout from federal job firings.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
Developing sepsis is one way the body's immune system responds to infection, and it can be incredibly dangerous.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
Before Roe v. Wade was overturned, the recommended standard of care for patients with pregnancy complications or miscarriages before fetal viability was to offer to terminate the pregnancy because of how dangerous infections can be. But today, under Texas law, a physician cannot terminate a pregnancy unless they can document the patient's life is at risk.
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Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
And doctors face up to 99 years in prison for violating that law.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
But he also suggested employees could still be fired or, quote, semi-fired for noncompliance. One DOJ employee described the past few days to Politico as massive whiplash all the time. The next large scale cuts are coming for the Pentagon. On Friday, the Defense Department announced plans to cut 5,400 probationary workers starting this week, which would reduce its workforce by up to 8 percent.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
According to ProPublica's analysis, that uncertainty physicians are facing could explain why Texas hospitals are seeing rising sepsis rates for pregnant patients.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
Between 2019 and 2023, the maternal mortality rate rose in Texas by 33%. Meanwhile, nationwide, it dropped by 7.5%. And Presser says this trend with sepsis is not limited to Texas. Other states that have similar laws banning abortion are seeing sepsis rates climb, too, for patients experiencing complications before their pregnancies are viable.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
Texas abortion law is under review this legislative session. As a result of ProPublica's reporting, Presser says Republican lawmakers in Texas, including several of the authors of abortion policy in the state, have expressed a willingness to amend the law to better protect the lives of patients. But it's unclear if proposed amendments will receive a public hearing this session.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're watching. The United States on Monday joined Russia to vote against a U.N. resolution condemning Russia's war against Ukraine. CNN reports the U.N. measure, which was backed by longtime European allies, called for immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine and a peaceful resolution to the war now marking its third year.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
The AP called it a sign of a shift in transatlantic relations, with the United States continuing to signal a willingness to split from Europe and refuse to blame Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Now to an update on the closely watched mass rape trial in France, where 51 men were convicted two months ago of raping Gisele Pelico.
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Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
Six of the 50 men are already out of jail and living relatively normal lives. The Sunday Times reports the men who have been released were let go because of their poor health or because they'd served their time in pretrial detention. Now many are back in villages in France. Some have returned to their families, to their job.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
Giselle Pellico's lawyer says she is trying to return to normal life, too. And the Oscars are this weekend, and after skipping several awards season ceremonies, Carla Sofia Gascon, who is nominated for Best Actress for her role in the film Amelia Perez, says she will attend the Oscars ceremony.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
Gascon was largely left out of Oscar campaigning and has kept a low profile after years-old offensive tweets resurfaced where she made charged statements about Black people, Islam, and immigrants. Gascón is the first openly trans woman to be nominated for Best Actress and said, quote, I'm grateful to be back. Emilia Perez led all Oscar films with 13 nominations.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Popular Mechanics has the story of a puzzling archaeological object that spent 2,000 years at the bottom of the Aegean Sea before some of it got hauled up. It might have been the world's first computer.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Republicans feel the heat from voters over Trump and Musk’s cuts
The Pentagon also said it plans to put a hiring freeze in place and it's proposed cutting 8 percent of its budget per year over the next five years. That's roughly 50 billion dollars a year. However, the Pentagon says a number of defense priorities will be exempt from cuts, like money that goes toward border security and countering China in the Pacific.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
His term doesn't run out until next May, and he's repeatedly said he has no plans to resign before 2026. But he and Trump have bumped heads. Powell has been critical of Trump's tariffs, saying they will likely cause both higher prices and slower economic growth. Trump is upset that Powell hasn't cut interest rates.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
The Fed's role is to keep inflation low and employment levels high, not to keep politicians or even presidents happy. If the court overturns the legal precedent that keeps the Fed politically independent and makes it so that a Fed chair can be fired by the president, Ip says that could potentially affect how the chair sets policy.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
And historically, this has happened before with disastrous consequences. Ahead of Richard Nixon's re-election in 1972, he pressured the Fed chair to keep interest rates low. What followed was a decade of economic damage that stemmed from high inflation. Ip says if we see a repeat of that kind of political pressure, it'll come with several risks.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
Keeping the Fed independent is just a part of what's at stake here. This case before the court involves two federal officials, one from the National Labor Relations Board and one from MSPB, the Merit Systems Protection Board, who were fired by Trump. Both are Democrats and both are suing, saying they were wrongfully terminated and can only be fired for cause.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
In fact, MSPB is the agency that's supposed to protect civil servants from politically motivated firings. So if the court rules to expand presidential powers here, we could possibly see Trump start to unravel protections for civil service workers as well. Let's turn now to immigration and the continued aggressive policies of the Trump administration and their impacts. At the U.S.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
southern border, illegal crossings have diminished significantly, with migrant encounters with Border Patrol reaching historic lows in March. Crossings began to drop in the final year of the Biden administration, and The Wall Street Journal notes that some of the policies employed toward the end of Biden's term have benefited Trump's immigration goals.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
At one point during Biden's term, there were about 250,000 Border Patrol arrests in a single month. In March of this year, that number was just over 7,000. Meanwhile, NPR reports that some immigrants in the U.S. without legal status are considering self-deporting or leaving the country of their own volition. It represents an explicit strategic approach from the Trump administration.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
Here's NPR immigration correspondent Jasmine Garst.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
Like this ad featuring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that was part of a $200 million ad campaign.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
Aside from the ads, the headlines speak for themselves in encouraging people to consider self-deportation. People have been taken off the streets by immigration officers with no warning. Some have been deported and imprisoned in El Salvador with no due process. Others are lingering in ICE detention centers that are becoming overcrowded and unsanitary.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
Garst told us that Trump isn't the first to push a strategy of self-deporting. Back during the 2012 presidential campaign, Mitt Romney proposed self-deportations as part of his immigration plan and received wide mockery, including from Trump.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
The question then was for people who had fought so hard to flee danger in their countries and pursue a life in the United States, why would they choose to leave? But Garst told us that now people are in fact grappling with that very difficult choice.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
At least one family she spoke with has had real disagreements about what to do. The father wants to return to Guatemala, while the mother wants her children to continue to go to school in the U.S.,
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
Trump has called Powell a major loser and has said that Powell's termination cannot come fast enough. The thing is, the Federal Reserve is one of a few government agencies designed to be entirely independent. The idea is that it allows them to do their work untouched by political pressures. But that could soon change.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
If this family leaves, the kids who are U.S. citizens can come back in the future under current U.S. laws, but the possibility of the parents ever returning is far from clear. Now to an ongoing trial involving Google.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
The Department of Justice argued in court yesterday that in order to break Google's monopoly on the Internet search market, the Silicon Valley giant should be forced to sell off its Chrome web browser and change other key parts of its business. The DOJ argued for years that Google is a monopoly in online search. And last summer, a judge agreed, ruling that it's illegal.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
Good morning. It's Tuesday, April 22nd. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why some immigrants are considering self-deportation, Google might have to break up its businesses, and on Earth Day, a look at how clean energy is winning. But first, President Trump is suggesting he wants to remove Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Here he is talking with reporters last week.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
Today was the first day in a three-week trial to decide how Google should remedy that and open up competition. This is the second such ruling against Google in the past year. Last week, a judge also ruled Google illegally monopolized certain ad tech markets.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
In that case, the DOJ argued Google maintained dominance with a three-pronged digital ad business that includes technology advertisers use to get their ads in front of people, exchanges to determine which ads people are served, and the platform publishers use to sell ad space on their web pages.
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Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
Josh Sisko is a reporter for Bloomberg who covers tech and antitrust litigation. He says much of the government's argument centered around previous acquisitions of companies that are key parts of the online advertising ecosystem.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
And the DOJ has argued if Google weren't allowed to act this way, it would be better for advertisers.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
Google says it disagrees with the decision and plans to appeal, saying in a statement, publishers have many options and they choose Google because our ad tech tools are simple, affordable and effective. All these court cases could lead to some big changes in how Google operates.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
In addition to potentially being ordered to sell Chrome, which is the world's leading web browser, Google could be told to sell its Android operating system, which is used by more smartphone users than any other OS. And perhaps most importantly, the company could be forced to terminate agreements with other big tech players that make Google the default search engine on smartphones and web browsers.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
In any case, Cisco says what the DOJ is arguing for is all about a more equal internet.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Today, the Supreme Court hears a case over whether parents should be allowed to opt their kids out of reading books in school that include LGBTQ plus characters and themes.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
The case originated in Maryland's largest school district that in 2023 said it would no longer let parents exclude their children from such lessons, saying they're providing a curriculum that represents families in the district. The district is in a deep blue progressive county.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
A group of parents, many of them either Muslim or Christian, argued that taking away the opt-out option conflicts with their religious views and violates their First Amendment rights to practice their faith without discrimination. The results of the case could have broad implications over how much say parents have in their children's public school education. In economic news, the U.S.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
That's The Wall Street Journal's chief economics commentator, Greg Ip.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
dollar fell to a three-year low on Monday, and the yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose as investors weighed concerns about tariffs and the Federal Reserve's future independence.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
Also, three weeks after President Trump implemented tariffs on nearly every country in the world before pausing some of them, we're about to get a slew of new economic forecasts and data points that will help us know how the world and investors are viewing the fallout.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
Today, the IMF releases its Global Financial Stability and World Economic Outlook reports, while on Wednesday, the Fed will release its Beige Book, a qualitative review of economic conditions in the United States. And finally, today is Earth Day.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
And while President Trump has moved quickly to embrace fossil fuels and unwind environmental protections, Vox has 10 charts that prove that clean energy is on the up and growing the global economy. Take wind power. Despite recent executive actions specifically against wind power, U.S. wind capacity grew 23 times over 20 years, and it's drawn massive capital investment.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
The biggest wind producers are in states that are heavily Republican. The capacity of our electric grids is also improving with advances in battery technology. There's also solar power, where costs to scale have plummeted and growth is on a steep trajectory. The push to more sustainable vehicles is also a big factor.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
Cars and other transportation vehicles are the biggest greenhouse gas emitters in the U.S., but more and more people want and are buying EVs and hybrids. And one more sign that clean energy is thriving, the jobs numbers. In 2023 alone, 150,000 new clean energy jobs were created. The sector now outnumbers jobs in the fossil fuel industry globally.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. New York Magazine describes how a young couple got drawn into a Bay Area based cult with a very specific mission.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
Convert everyone to becoming vegans or else risk AI becoming powerful enough to do to humans what we do to factory farmed animals. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Will the Supreme Court allow Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell?
The case before the court is called Trump v. Wilcox. It's being heard as part of what's known as the shadow docket, meaning there are no oral arguments and little public visibility into what each side is arguing or how the justices are thinking about the issue. Now, for some backstory here, Powell was appointed by Trump during his first term. He was then reappointed by President Biden.
Apple News Today
Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
But for now, just for today, let's look at three of Trump's executive orders, what he wants to do, and the immediate reaction we're seeing. Starting with the January 6th pardons. Trump granted broad pardons to more than 1,500 people charged with crimes related to January 6th and commuted the sentences of several others. The decision appears to apply to both nonviolent and violent offenders.
Apple News Today
Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
People like former Proud Boys leader Henry Enrique Tarrio, who prosecutors described as helping plan the insurrection and who was sentenced to 22 years for sedition. The longest sentence handed down in connection with January 6th. Here's CNN's chief legal affairs correspondent, Paula Reid.
Apple News Today
Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
NBC News captured the reaction of one rioter, Gabriel Agustin Garcia, who was convicted of two felony charges for obstructing an official proceeding and obstructing law enforcement that day. Here he is as he cut off his ankle monitor.
Apple News Today
Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, who was speaker of the House during the attack, called Trump's order an outrageous insult to our justice system and a betrayal of the law enforcement officers who protected the Capitol that day. Onto the second issue, the border. Trump signed a few executive orders to do with the border.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
Some of them revived policies from his first administration, like forcing asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while they wait for a hearing in U.S. immigration court. Minutes after Trump was sworn in, the app introduced by the Biden administration to assign appointment slots to migrants seeking to enter the U.S. legally disappeared. And so did people's appointments.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
The Washington Post spoke with migrants waiting in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and captured the moment that some found out the appointment they had been waiting months for had suddenly been canceled. One person told the Post, if only I had had the appointment for three hours earlier.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
Trump also rescinded a Biden executive order that created a task force that reunited 800 children with their parents who were separated under the first Trump administration. And Trump rolled back another Biden executive order to rebuild the U.S. refugee program. His team also fired several top immigration officials. And the third issue we'll touch on today is related to immigration.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
That is Trump's call to end birthright citizenship. This one is perhaps his biggest attempt at reshaping immigration in America by saying children born in the United States to unauthorized immigrants should no longer be granted automatic citizenship. This order in particular will likely be challenged in court as birthright citizenship is protected in the Constitution.
Apple News Today
Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
While he was signing the order in the Oval Office, Trump said he thinks that won't matter.
Apple News Today
Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
There are, in fact, dozens of other countries that have some form of birthright citizenship, including Canada and Brazil. Democrats have decried this first wave of actions, but Republicans and Trump supporters hailed Trump's first day in office as a moment that ushered in hope. Here's how Fox host Jesse Waters described Trump's inaugural speech.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
This is just the first wave of actions the president says he plans to take. We'll be covering the reaction to these policies and what they'll mean for all of us in the days and weeks to come.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
Now to the legacy of Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood and a longtime activist for reproductive rights who died yesterday at the age of 67 fighting an aggressive form of brain cancer. Here's how Sarah McCammon, a national political correspondent for NPR, described her reputation.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
Richards led Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of reproductive health care in the United States, from 2006 to 2018, spanning three presidential administrations, George W. Bush, Obama and Trump. During that time, she grew Planned Parenthood's base of supporters and volunteers from 2.5 million people to 11 million, according to The New York Times.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
It was also a time when Republicans aggressively went after abortion funding and access. Though Richards was able to fend off many such attempts in Republican-controlled state legislatures, she ultimately was not able to overcome the political headwinds. During her tenure, Trump changed a federal program that assists in family planning, which cut off federal funding to hundreds of clinics.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
Trump began signing executive orders within hours of retaking office, choosing to sign a number of them on a stage in front of a crowd of his supporters at the Capital One Arena in Washington.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
Texas led the charge to defund Planned Parenthood, forcing hundreds of clinics in the state to close. And the conservative supermajority in the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Apple News Today
Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
Good morning. It's Tuesday, January 21st. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Trump's busy first day in office, remembering Cecile Richards, a champion of women's health care, and Prince Harry goes to court. Let's start in Washington, where President Donald Trump promised in his inaugural speech a packed day of executive actions.
Apple News Today
Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
Richard's advocacy work continued after she left Planned Parenthood. After the fall of Roe, she launched an online chatbot to provide confidential information on how people could access abortion care. And recently, she helped launch a website devoted to sharing stories of people who sought abortions under new restrictions.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
At the Democratic National Convention in 2024, she spoke about how her work had taken on new meaning as her own family grew.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
And that mentality of do everything you can is one that Richards had championed for a long time. She told Rachel Maddow in 2018 why it was a cornerstone of her philosophy.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
Now to a few other stories we're following today. President Trump's newly launched crypto coin skyrocketed in the days leading up to yesterday's inauguration. The meme coin, simply called Trump with a dollar sign in front of it, launched last Friday. It soared to a market cap of $10 billion by the time Trump was being sworn in.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
Reuters reports that 80 percent of the currency is owned by Trump's company or a close affiliate, meaning Trump-linked businesses could have gained $8 billion worth of crypto over the weekend. Some ethics experts and industry insiders are saying the coin and other tokens created by Trump's family raises significant conflict of interest concerns.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
Trump has said he wants to reduce regulations for the industry and promote even greater adoption of digital assets. In other Trump news, The Wall Street Journal has a story on how several Trump campaign promises might cause serious slowdowns for major disaster recovery efforts across the country. North Carolina and Florida are still reeling from huge hurricanes.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
Los Angeles is still battling wildfires. All these places will need to rebuild on a massive scale. The journal points out how Trump's pledge to impose tariffs on certain imported goods and to deport undocumented workers could impact construction and rebuilding in these hard-hit areas.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
Builders rely on imported steel and lumber, much of which comes from trading partners Trump has threatened with tariffs. And undocumented workers make up about 13 percent of the construction workforce in the U.S. And lastly, to the U.K., where opening arguments begin in Prince Harry's case against Rupert Murdoch.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
The prince is suing Murdoch's British news division, News UK, alleging the company's journalists and private investigators illegally obtained personal information about him for years. Harry has blamed the tabloids for the strife between him and the rest of the royal family and for creating emotional distress for his wife, Meghan Markle.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
When he wrapped up there, he headed to the Oval Office to sign more orders. Among them, pardoning hundreds of people charged with crimes related to the January 6th mob, withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization, delaying the ban of TikTok, and issuing a series of measures on immigration.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
According to the BBC, News UK has paid around $1.5 billion in settlements to people who have sued over the use of their private information, like voicemail messages, health and financial records, and other sensitive materials. Of the 40 original complaints against News UK, Prince Harry is one of only two who have not settled. The prince is expected to appear in court in the coming weeks.
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Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next from Bloomberg Businessweek. It explores how a deal between Walgreens and a company that makes smart displays for refrigerators went sour.
Apple News Today
Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
The idea was to use the doors in the refrigerated and frozen food aisles to advertise to shoppers, but it ended in a $200 million lawsuit. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Trump had a busy first day. Here’s what you missed.
Meanwhile, his Republican colleagues in the Senate also went straight to work. They approved Marco Rubio to be our next secretary of state, and a committee advanced Pete Hegsett's nomination for defense secretary for a full vote. There is lots to talk about and lots of questions about whether these orders will stand or be challenged in courts.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
almost 10 years ago with their mom, who was fleeing poverty and gang violence. They were detained at the border. Their asylum request was denied. But the family was released into the U.S. while their appeal process continued. And the brothers were pursuing green cards under special immigrant juvenile status for those under 21 years old who've been abused or neglected by a parent.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
in this case, their father. In March of this year, Josue and Jose went with their mom to a routine check-in with immigration officials in Manhattan, and they were both detained.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
That's Mark Chisano, who told the family's story for New York Magazine.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
Josue missed his high school graduation. He told Chisano that an immigration official told him to not worry about that stuff anymore because, quote, you're not from here anymore. But their mother told Chisano the United States is all they know. El Salvador is so foreign to them at this point that she doesn't know who they will live with. And she can't leave the U.S.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
to go be with them because she can't leave her youngest son, a U.S. citizen who's eight years old, behind. He has a neurological disorder that requires constant care.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
Let's turn to Congress, as House Republicans race to pass a major tax and spending package before Memorial Day. In doing so, they're preparing to face a basic math problem. The scale and scope of their proposal could increase the deficit by several trillion dollars, just at a time when borrowing costs appear to be climbing and concern over mounting debt rises.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
On Friday, Moody's Credit Agency, which monitors a country's capacity to pay back its debts, downgraded the U.S. 's rating from the highest AAA. It blamed, quote, But it also sounded the alarm over this bill.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
That's Richard Rubin, a tax policy reporter at The Wall Street Journal.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
Changing the U.S. credit rating is unlikely to seriously damage the economy. Only 11 countries now hold the top rating. But it's an important signifier. And as Rubin notes, incurring more national debt may lead to more expensive borrowing over time. And it may eventually give future politicians some unpalatable choices. One notable fact from Moody's report, interest payments in the U.S.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
But first, yesterday, the Supreme Court gave the administration permission to terminate the temporary protected status former President Biden had granted to about 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants. This had given them legal rights to work and live in the U.S. as their home country was deemed unsafe or impossible to return to.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
are set to consume 30 percent of the federal government's revenue by 2035, compared with 9 percent in 2021. Still, Republicans are moving forward with this bill. They advanced it out of a key House committee over the weekend, securing the votes of several who had blocked the measure just days before, and they hope to put the bill up for a vote by Thursday.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
Rubin says Republicans believe that core elements of this legislation, like expanding and extending tax cuts, will help spur economic growth and offset what's added to the deficit.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
Economists largely agree that the legislation could boost economic growth, but many say not anywhere close to the level Republicans are projecting. One expert at the Libertarian Cato Institute told Rubin, Republicans like to use this argument of economic growth as a, quote, magic wand to wave away problems in legislation.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
But while there are some self-styled deficit hawks in the congressional ranks, Rubin says they will struggle to balance economic realities with political ones.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
Today, President Trump is expected to meet with House Republicans as they try to pull their votes together as soon as they can. Now to travel, where a string of high profile aviation disasters have left people wondering just how safe our air traffic control system really is. Just yesterday, we learned about another close call.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
Earlier this month, a passenger jet at LaGuardia Airport in New York was forced to abort takeoff to avoid a potential collision as another United Airlines plane was on the runway at the same time. Air traffic controllers realized just in time and frantically pulled their go-ahead to take off.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
Good morning. It's Tuesday, May 20th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, the upcoming GOP bill may have hurt the U.S. credit rating. Another airport near miss makes America's air traffic issues unignorable. And a second high-profile exit at CBS News made tensions with Trump.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
Then there was the deadly collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight near Washington, D.C. in January that killed 67 people. In that case, just one air traffic controller was managing both helicopter and commercial traffic, which is a job normally done by two people.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
The Trump administration is planning to end similar rights for 500,000 Haitians later this year. Although border crossings are down substantially, President Trump is working to fulfill his promise of deporting millions of people.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
In April, air traffic controllers at Newark in New Jersey, one of the busiest airspaces in the country, lost all radar and radio contact with planes for 90 seconds. And it happened again just over a week later. Then last week, the same thing happened to air traffic controllers in Denver for about two minutes.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
All of these incidents have raised questions like, are these staffing issues and communication outages normal and we're just now hearing about them? Or is something new happening here?
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
Zach Wichter covers consumer travel for USA Today.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
Right now, there are some bigger holes in that system because of how the FAA is funded.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
In a recent New York Times analysis of air traffic control facilities nationwide, reporters learned that 99 percent of facilities are operating below the recommended staffing levels set by the FAA and the union representing air traffic controllers. And the administration has said that the U.S.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
air traffic control system is so outdated that it still relies on technology like floppy disks to function. And certain replacement parts can only be found on eBay. Here's Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaking at a press conference earlier this month, shortly after the Newark incidents.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
According to the Brookings Institute, the best available data indicates that daily deportations are below Biden-era levels, in part because of the lull in border activity. But conflicting data from government agencies makes it difficult to know the true number. One way the administration is trying to boost its numbers is by detaining people at routine and mandatory immigration check-ins.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
Duffy recently announced that his department plans to build a brand new, multibillion-dollar air traffic control system within three years. It would involve new hardware and software paid for by Congress. The exact price tag is unknown. Duffy has suggested he wants lawmakers to tell him what they would be able to fund.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
So far, the House Transportation Committee has approved $12.5 billion, but Duffy says he'll need more. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. President Trump claims ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine are to start immediately after he had a two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and a separate call with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
But his post on social media made no mention of the unconditional ceasefire demanded by some European leaders, nor did it reference the talks in Istanbul last week, which seemingly went nowhere. Trump instead touted the potential trade wins for Putin in the event of peace. Putin, meanwhile, stressed again the need to address, as he put it, the root causes of the war in any deal.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
In media news, the head of CBS News has become the second high profile person to step down as the network confronts a lawsuit from the Trump administration. CBS's corporate parent, Paramount Global, is currently involved in settlement negotiations with lawyers for Trump. over the editing of an October interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
Now former CBS CEO Wendy McMahon's resignation made clear that she was not happy with the way those talks were going, declaring that the company and I do not agree on the path forward. The veteran executive producer of 60 Minutes, Bill Owens, resigned in April, saying Paramount Global was infringing on his journalistic independence. And finally, Trump signed the Take It Down Act into law today.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
It makes it a federal crime to post real and fake sexually explicit imagery online of people without their consent. And it requires social media companies to remove images and videos, including deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence, within 48 hours after a victim's request. The bill had bipartisan support as well as public backing from the first lady, Melania Trump.
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The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
The 19th has some advice on how you can request the takedown of explicit images created or shared without permission, including some resources on how to fight online abuse. You can find those links and all the stories we talked about today in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next from Wired.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
This month, Airbnb will launch the first phase of a $200 million reinvention. This version of the company won't just be about booking a vacation, according to Airbnb's CEO. It'll be a hub to solicit almost any kind of service, including a super concierge with AI that knows you well enough to plan your trips for you.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
The GOP’s tug-of-war over spending cuts
The Guardian analyzed immigration arrests made during Trump's first month in office and found roughly 1,400 happened during ICE check-ins or right after. That's around 8% of the total arrests made during that time. Some of the people detained have no criminal records. Like Josue and Jose Lopez Diaz, brothers from El Salvador who are 19 and 20 years old. They came to the U.S.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
At the start of the ceasefire, people were finally able to return to northern Gaza, and a surge of crucial aid and food started coming in. But in recent weeks, Netanyahu has been threatening to resume the war and has stopped aid from entering to pressure Hamas to accept a new proposal.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
Humanitarian organizations, rights groups, and countries in Europe and the Middle East say this violates international law and amounts to collective punishment. This is a developing story, and you can follow the latest in the Apple News app. Now to domestic news.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
The executive and judicial branches clashed in a court hearing yesterday where a federal judge pressed Justice Department officials to explain why flights carrying more than 200 Venezuelan migrants were allowed to land in El Salvador despite a ruling he issued to turn the flights back. The Associated Press reports U.S.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
District Judge James Boasberg was incredulous after Trump administration lawyers argued the judge didn't have jurisdiction in the case because the flights had already left the United States when the directive was issued for them to turn around. The government also said it couldn't reveal the timing of the flights, citing national security concerns.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
In response, the judge said he did have jurisdiction and that it would have been better for the flights to turn around and for the government to appeal the issue in court. And he demanded the government provide more information on the flights by noon today. Here's how White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt defended the government's actions in yesterday's press briefing.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
We mentioned the Alien Enemies Act yesterday. It's a somewhat obscure 1798 wartime law that gives presidents broad authority to deport immigrants without them going before an immigration or federal court judge. The Trump administration has said the group that was deported over the weekend were suspected members of a Venezuelan gang that's conducting, quote, irregular warfare in the United States.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
Although officials did not provide any evidence, they are in fact gang members or that they committed any crimes. Yesterday's hearing was a critical moment and the latest in a standoff between the Trump administration and the judiciary. And it comes as over the past several weeks, Trump administration officials have suggested they would be OK with defying the courts.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
In fact, early yesterday, Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, told Fox News the administration would continue its deportation actions despite court rulings.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
And on the day of the flight, El Salvador's president seemed to openly mock the judge's order to turn the flights around, posting on social media, quote, Oopsie, too late, with a laughing emoji. That post was shared by Elon Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
University of Virginia law professor Amanda Frost spoke to NPR about Trump's recent actions and whether we've entered constitutional crisis territory.
Apple News Today
Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
Now, Republicans are also saying words like constitutional crisis, except they're talking about the judge in this case, not Trump. Texas Congressman Brandon Gill, who's a Republican, says he plans to file articles of impeachment against the judge this week.
Apple News Today
Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
But first, after weeks of relative calm in Gaza under the ceasefire deal, Israel launched a series of strikes overnight, killing at least 400 people, according to Palestinian authorities.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
And Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican who is chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said we're headed for a constitutional crisis if the Supreme Court or Congress doesn't step in to check the judge's ruling.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
Politico describes this as the sort of crescendo moment of the tension that's been building since Trump took office again, saying the administration's legal tangles underscore its make decisions first, figure out a legal defense later approach to policymaking. Continuing with immigration, The Wall Street Journal has new reporting on how one facet of Trump's immigration agenda has fallen apart.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
His plans to send tens of thousands of migrants to Guantanamo Bay. In recent weeks, Trump sent just shy of 300 Venezuelan migrants to Guantanamo, placing many of them in a military prison meant for suspected terrorists. Others were put in a migrant center. And he promised to build an expansive tent city to house up to 30,000 people total.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
His administration said it would prioritize deporting people with serious criminal backgrounds, people they called the worst of the worst, though the journal reported that a significant number of migrants at Guantanamo were deemed low risk, meaning that a judge had ordered them removed from the country, but they hadn't committed crimes. These days, there are zero migrants detained at the U.S.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
naval base. That's because operational and legal challenges force the Trump administration to largely abandon their plan and move people to facilities in the United States. Shelby Holliday, a senior video reporter with The Journal, told us, "...one reason why the plan failed is because the tent encampment set up by the Trump administration didn't meet government standards for migrant detention."
Apple News Today
Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
The surprise attack came during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and called into question whether this was a one-off pressure campaign to get Hamas to give in to Israel's demands in negotiations or a full-on return to a state of war. Israel says Hamas is stalling progress on peace talks.
Apple News Today
Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
The operation was also very expensive. The Journal reports it cost over $3 million just to get the tents out of storage and set up. Government officials who recently briefed lawmakers said the plan has cost at least $16 million so far overall, though that total didn't include the cost of flights to carry migrants, U.S. troops, and supplies to the island.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
Some of those flights involved expensive military aircraft before ICE later switched to using cheaper civilian planes.
Apple News Today
Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
Good morning. It's Tuesday, March 18th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Trump's plans to expand Guantanamo Bay are starting to unravel, an investigation into a secretive policing unit in New York City, and how Severance fans are looking for real-world connections.
Apple News Today
Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
And even though there are no migrants being detained at Guantanamo anymore, there are still roughly 1,000 military personnel at the base who had been deployed to guard the facilities. A defense official told the journal there are plans to reduce the number of troops in the coming weeks.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
There are also many outstanding questions about the conditions that people were subjected to while they were detained. We recently told you the story of several Venezuelan men who were held in the military prison known as Camp 6 for weeks. They and other migrants have described inhumane conditions.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
Let's turn now to an investigation from ProPublica into a policing unit in New York City and its history of hidden abuse. Please be warned, this story involves graphic descriptions of violence. The NYPD's Community Response Team, or CRT, was founded in 2022, several months after Mayor Eric Adams took office.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
Crime in New York was rising at the time, and Adams, a former NYPD captain himself, promised to take action against not just violent crimes, but also general quality-of-life issues that New Yorkers were complaining about. One of this policing unit's first priorities was cracking down on people using motorcycles and ATVs around the city unlicensed.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
ProPublica editor-at-large Eric Umansky told us about one of the most troubling cases he encountered involving a father from the Bronx named Sammy Williams. He took an unlicensed motorcycle out for a ride on Memorial Day in 2023. Officers with CRT saw him approaching and swerved their patrol car into oncoming traffic, hitting Williams head-on.
Apple News Today
Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
The AP reports Israel wants Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in return for a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is saying Israel will, quote, act against Hamas with increasing military force until it releases all remaining hostages.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
The officer who was driving that police car did not respond to ProPublica's request for comment. The NYPD said he forfeited 13 vacation days after William's death, and the department's website shows he's still part of the CRT unit today. Mayor Adams declined to be interviewed for this story, but ProPublica learned that Adams is closely connected to this unit.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
It's been led by close allies of his and often focuses on his priorities. At one point, he had special access to a live stream of the body cameras worn by officers. A former top NYPD official told ProPublica the unit effectively reports directly to City Hall. And when people inside the department raised red flags about officers' conduct, leadership in the unit would complain to Adams.
Apple News Today
Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
On numerous occasions, NYPD officials tried to warn that CRT's policing tactics were too aggressive. In one audit from 2023, one official wrote that officers were wrongfully stopping New Yorkers and failing to document those incidents. ProPublica also learned that many of the officers assigned to CRT had concerning records.
Apple News Today
Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
By comparison, 15% of officers across the entire NYPD have been found to have engaged in misconduct. And Umansky told us he learned that many officers involved with CRT were hired not because of their record, but because of their personal networks.
Apple News Today
Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
An NYPD spokesperson told ProPublica the new police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, is making changes. She ordered hundreds of officers to return to their assigned units. And in January, she ordered officers to curtail high-speed chases. This spokesperson said she's working to ensure accountability and strengthen our ability to fight crime. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
The Texas Tribune reports a Houston-area midwife and her employee were arrested for allegedly providing illegal abortions. It's the first such arrest since Texas implemented an almost complete ban on abortions when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Apple News Today
Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
The Texas attorney general says 48-year-old Maria Margarita Rojas is charged with practicing medicine without a license and the illegal performance of abortion. The charge is a second-degree felony, which means she faces up to 20 years in prison. A lawyer for Rojas couldn't immediately be reached.
Apple News Today
Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
Hamas says Israel is trying to sabotage the initial ceasefire agreement and endangering remaining hostages in Gaza.
Apple News Today
Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
The astronauts, stranded at the International Space Station for over nine months, are now on their way home. The Crew-9 mission undocked early this morning and is scheduled to splash down off the Florida coast later today.
Apple News Today
Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
Astronauts Sonny Williams and Butch Wilmore were initially scheduled for an eight-day mission, but were left behind after the Boeing Starliner they arrived in experienced serious technical problems. And finally, the work may not be mysterious or important, but that hasn't stopped people on social media asking companies named Lumen whether their employees are severed.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
That's a term from the hit Apple TV Plus series Severance, where workers at a fictional company called Lumen have their psyches split between their in-e work personas and their out-e outside work ones.
Apple News Today
Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
The Wall Street Journal looks at several companies in the real world named Lumen who are now trying to figure out if they should ignore or embrace this opportunity to connect to the pop culture zeitgeist. For some, it's an easy call. You've probably heard the saying, there's no such thing as bad press. But let's just say Lumen isn't the hero of this story. So it's not quite that simple either.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
And Hamas instead wants to follow the terms of the original deal reached by the two sides, which calls for negotiations to begin on the ceasefire's second phase, which is supposed to lead to a permanent end to the war, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and a return of all hostages.
Apple News Today
Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Wired investigates how Elon Musk and the Doge team have gained access to dozens of federal agencies and cut tens of thousands of jobs since Trump took office.
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Trump says he’s not defying court orders. A judge says otherwise.
To get more insight into the inner workings of the group, journalists interviewed more than 150 current and former federal employees, experts, and Musk supporters. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
Multiple outlets are reporting, however, that Toronto had windy conditions with gusts up to 40 miles per hour at times. Former National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg spoke to CBS News shortly after the crash. He said in strong wind conditions, a plane will start to turn into the wind, sort of like a weather vane because of the tail.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
Landsberg said, however, these were his preliminary impressions and investigators will learn more. This comes less than a month after the crash outside of Washington, D.C., when a Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet, killing all 67 people on both aircraft, an incident which has left many people nervous about air travel right now.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
Scott Hamilton, an aviation expert speaking to the NBC affiliate in Seattle, says flying remains an extremely safe mode of transportation.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
This incident also happened as the Trump administration is making cuts to staffing at the Federal Aviation Administration. But Hamilton says that has nothing to do with what happened here.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
Two runways remain closed at the airport in Toronto, while American and Canadian officials work together to investigate the crash. Just over four weeks into President Trump's second term, we're getting some early snapshots of how voters are feeling. A recent survey from CBS News and YouGov found slightly more Americans, 53%, approve of Trump's job performance, 47% disapproved.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
Polling by Pew Research Center earlier this month revealed a similar narrow margin, though in their polling, slightly more people disapproved of Trump's performance. So people seem to be quite divided at first glance. But we are seeing more alignment on some specific policies.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
For example, when asked about Trump's pardons of January 6th offenders, about three quarters of the people who responded to Pew's survey said they disapproved of pardons for violent crimes. On other issues like immigration, a recent NPR-Ipsos poll found most people said they support Trump's call for mass deportation of immigrants without legal status.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
But far less popular are the administration's effort to end birthright citizenship and its policy of holding immigrants at Guantanamo Bay. Republican strategist Sarah Longwell has been conducting focus groups with voters. She spoke with PBS NewsHour about some of the people she has met. Monty from New York told her he's happy with Trump's work so far.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
But first, a Delta Airlines plane flipped over while landing at Toronto's Pearson Airport yesterday afternoon. Officials say there were no deaths, but at least 18 people on board were injured, three critically, including a child. A man named John Nelson was on the plane and described what happened to CNN.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
The Wall Street Journal recently did a pulse check with roughly two dozen people who voted for Trump. And national politics reporter Eliza Collins told us many of them are excited about what he's doing.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
But a handful of people told Collins while they like the idea of what Trump is doing, they want him to slow down.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
At least one person Collins spoke to said she voted for Trump because she wanted lower prices and to stop fentanyl from coming into the U.S. But now she's worried her family might lose their house if her partner gets laid off from his government-adjacent job.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
Of course, these are conversations with a small number of voters. We have only a handful of polls so far, just a few weeks into Trump's term. So we'll have to wait and see how public opinion evolves in the coming months. Let's turn to a series of critical meetings about the future of Russia's war in Ukraine.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Saudi Arabia today to meet with officials from Russia to negotiate an end to the war. Ukraine, notably, is not part of this conversation. President Volodymyr Zelensky told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday that he will not accept any terms of a deal that's reached without Ukraine's involvement.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
Meanwhile, in Paris, the leaders of eight European nations in the NATO alliance held an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the fact that they, too, were shut out of the U.S.-Russia peace talks by the Trump administration. Their meeting was called after a series of recent actions by U.S. officials that have raised alarm in Europe.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
Good morning. It's Tuesday, February 18th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, a snapshot of how Americans are feeling about Trump's presidency one month in. European leaders worry about being sidelined by the U.S. on talks with Russia. And a polar vortex warning for later in the week.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
Last week, on Wednesday, reportedly Trump had a phone call with Vladimir Putin, raising concerns that they might be close to brokering a deal that favors Russia and undermines European security. Then on Friday at the Munich Security Conference, Vice President J.D.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
Vance gave a critical speech about the state of European democracy, saying the nation's leaders were suppressing free speech and not taking concerns about migration seriously.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
His speech was widely denounced by European leaders. The German chancellor criticized Vance for meeting with and voicing support for German far-right leaders on his visit. And then over the weekend, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told European allies that the U.S. has bigger priorities in Asia and Europe needs to take care of itself.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
European leaders have said if the Trump administration expects Europe to be the primary source of financial and military support for Ukraine, they expect to be at the negotiating table for peace talks. But with the U.S. sending these signals, NBC reports NATO allies have been discussing the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine for peacekeeping.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
Both Trump and Rubio have tried to downplay the recent comments from U.S. officials by saying Ukraine and Europe would be part of real negotiations with Russia, raising further questions about Rubio's goals in his talks with Russia today. As all of this plays out, a recently released poll conducted in November and December on behalf of the European Council on Foreign Relations said,
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
found public perception in Europe of the relationship with the United States has soured since Trump's election. Respondents were more likely to describe the U.S. as a necessary partner than an ally. The exception to the trend were people who support far-right parties in Europe. Before we let you go, a few other headlines we're following.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
He said there was a fireball on the left side of the plane and described it as chaos.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
As authorities prepare to investigate yesterday's Delta plane crash, a team from Elon Musk's aerospace company SpaceX is being brought into the Federal Aviation Administration to help overhaul its systems. The move was announced as hundreds of FAA employees were laid off, as we mentioned earlier.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
The Department of Transportation said the agency has retained employees who perform critical safety functions. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X, the SpaceX team would, quote, envision how we can make a new, better, modern and safer system. Pope Francis is spending more time in the hospital after doctors diagnosed him with a complex respiratory infection.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
The pontiff was admitted to the hospital on Friday with a case of bronchitis, but doctors changed their diagnosis and said the 88-year-old will remain hospitalized as long as necessary. The pope recently made headlines for criticizing the Trump administration's policy on immigration, saying in an open letter it will end badly. He also condemned Vice President J.D.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
Vance for using the ancient theological theory of ordo amoris, or order of love, to defend mass deportations. And finally, more brutal winter weather is on its way to the central and eastern part of the country.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
The polar vortex, a ring of frigid air found near the North Pole, will cause about 60 million people to experience sub-zero temperatures and might also provide fuel for another ice and snow storm. The Washington Post reports freezing temperatures will stretch from Montana to Maine and could break records for some central and southern states. It's the latest round of bad weather to hit the country.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
A winter storm is also expected to move into Kentucky as early as tonight as the state recovers from dangerous flooding that caused the deaths of 11 people. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Protein is having a huge moment in American food culture.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
New York Magazine examines how the hype has transformed grocery aisles across the country. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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What we know about the plane crash in Toronto
In a statement, Delta said the flight was carrying 80 people, including four crew members, flying from Minneapolis before it crashed on the Toronto runway. Toronto Pearson Fire Chief Todd Aitken said during a briefing it's too early to speculate as to what caused the crash.
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“Make America Healthy Again”? RFK Jr.’s plans for 2025.
How does any 15-year-old get a hold of a gun, or anyone for that matter? You know, you get into the philosophical question about guns and gun safety, something that we all should be talking to our loved ones about. That's something that will be a part of this investigation.
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“Make America Healthy Again”? RFK Jr.’s plans for 2025.
That will give us an idea of not only what unfolded, but it could answer the question to motivation because, again, the students who unfortunately had to witness this. But that's not something that we want to rush. We're not going to interrogate students.
Apple News Today
“Make America Healthy Again”? RFK Jr.’s plans for 2025.
At 10.57 a.m., A second grade student called 911 to report a shooting had occurred at school. Don't let that soak in for a minute. A second grade student called 911.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
And more recently, it has said the language of the Supreme Court's order only means U.S. officials have to allow him back into the country if El Salvador chooses to release him. Here's Attorney General Pam Bondi speaking to reporters on Monday.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
Meanwhile, Abrego Garcia's wife, Jennifer, says their family hasn't heard from him in a month.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
Lawrence Tribe is a professor emeritus at Harvard Law School. He told NPR the administration's response runs counter to the Supreme Court's ruling.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
As Abrego Garcia's case continues to play out, Trump says he is considering expanding his partnership with El Salvador by also sending incarcerated U.S. citizens to El Salvador prisons. He told reporters at the Oval Office yesterday he, quote, loved the idea, which has alarmed civil rights advocates. Trump said he would only use this approach if it's legal.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
But legal experts say it would be flagrantly illegal to deport U.S. citizens under both U.S. and international law. Let's turn to Congress, where at the end of last week, House Republicans passed a budget plan that sets the groundwork for President Trump's legislative agenda. On that agenda are tax cuts and additional new tax breaks, which will cost a lot of money.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
And analysis shows there really aren't many places to find that money other than by making big cuts to Medicaid. House Speaker Mike Johnson has promised to protect Medicaid, but some Senate Republican lawmakers are eyeing the math and saying they definitely won't support a bill that contains Medicaid benefit cuts.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
Joseph Walker, a reporter with The Wall Street Journal, says one potential cut that Republicans are considering are what are known as provider taxes. These are taxes that states impose on hospitals, nursing homes, any place that's providing health care.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
So when states levy these taxes on hospitals, that counts toward the state's budget for Medicaid.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
This system has made provider taxes popular among governors and state legislators on both sides of the aisle. And it's why advocates have warned that eliminating or changing them would negatively impact eligible patients. But if Congress were to eliminate just those taxes, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that it could save more than $600 billion over the next decade.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
But first, President Trump and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele say they will not return a Maryland man who was wrongfully deported to a notorious mega prison in El Salvador. Bukele met with Trump in the Oval Office on Monday and addressed the situation directly with reporters.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
Supporters of eliminating provider taxes say they've allowed states to game the system, to artificially inflate their Medicaid contributions, and to enrich politically powerful hospitals. One former Trump advisor called it a kickback. Defenders maintain that it helps hospitals cover what they say insufficient Medicaid reimbursements won't.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
Congress is currently in recess, but lawmakers are on a tight timeline. Speaker Mike Johnson wants House members to confer with their Senate counterparts on proposed changes to the bill and have those ready by May 9th. That same week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid, is expected to begin identifying more than $800 billion in spending cuts over 10 years.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
Pregnancy-related deaths are on the rise, despite the fact that more than 80% of these types of fatalities are preventable, according to the CDC. And a particularly dangerous period that's long been overlooked is finally getting counted. Almost one-third of these deaths are taking place anywhere from six weeks to a year after childbirth.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
That's according to a recently published study looking at CDC data from 2018 to 2022. It found a 27 percent increase in pregnancy-related death rates in the U.S. Anel Oza with Stat News spoke to us about the study.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
Last month, much of the CDC department that oversees maternal and child health was put on leave. Some researchers studying maternal mortality have had their funding taken away. This division is aimed at identifying the health gaps that still exist that lead the U.S. to have, compared to all other high-income nations, the highest rate of maternal deaths.
Apple News Today
Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
Good morning. It's Tuesday, April 15th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Republicans look for budget cuts to meet Trump's legislative agenda, why maternal mortality rates are rising in the U.S., and the WNBA gets its latest star in last night's draft.
Apple News Today
Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
Also, by expanding the window to up to a year postpartum, the study's authors were able to identify several chronic diseases as the leading causes of late maternal deaths, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mental disorders. Compared to white women, maternal mortality rates are higher among Indigenous and Black women.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
The study found that maternal health disparities also varied by geographic location.
Apple News Today
Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
Just last week, Alabama lawmakers unanimously passed a bill to provide immediate access to Medicaid for pregnant women, even as their application for the program is being considered. Medicaid was used to pay for almost half of all births in the state in 2023, and the bill would increase Medicaid spending statewide by about $1 million per year over the course of three years.
Apple News Today
Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
This comes despite a unanimous Supreme Court order directing the administration to, quote, facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States. He's originally from El Salvador, but he lives in Maryland under legal protected status with his wife and children, who are U.S. citizens. He has no criminal record in the United States or El Salvador.
Apple News Today
Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Convicted rapist and disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is back on trial starting today. Jury selection begins in New York in a redo of the high-profile Me Too era case where Weinstein was initially convicted of sexual criminal assault in the first degree and rape in the third degree.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
Those charges were overturned a year ago after an appeals court ruled the judge had unfairly allowed testimony from women whose allegations were not part of the charges. The Guardian reports that this retrial will most likely be an abridged version of the original case, but there will be one crucial difference.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
It includes a new charge based on an allegation from a woman who was not part of the first prosecution. Over the years, Weinstein has argued he is innocent and pleaded not guilty to all charges brought against him. His criminal convictions in California still stand, and he remains in prison for those. Now to reporting from The Washington Post on Tufts University doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
You might remember she was grabbed off the streets by her home near Boston last month and detained by masked immigration officials. The Trump administration revoked her student visa and targeted her for deportation over an op-ed that she co-wrote last year for the student newspaper, which criticized Tufts' response to Israel's war in Gaza.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
The Department of Homeland Security has said that Op-Ed is proof that she engaged in activities, quote, in support of Hamas. But the Post learned of an internal government memo that refutes that narrative. It turns out DHS recommended the State Department to investigate Osterk before she was detained.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
And days before she was arrested, the State Department determined the Trump administration had not produced any evidence showing Ostark engaged in anti-Semitic activities or made public statements supporting Hamas. And the memo concluded Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not have sufficient grounds to revoke her visa. Today, Ostark is being held in a Louisiana detention center.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
Neither DHS or the State Department offered comment to the Post. Fresh off of her 2025 NCAA National Championship, former UConn Huskies guard Paige Beckers was selected first in last night's WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings. Beckers averaged just under 20 points per game in her last year at UConn before capturing that elusive national championship.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
The WNBA isn't the only place Beckers is taking her talents, though. She also signed a deal to play in the unrivaled three-on-three league that launched earlier this year, where she'll earn significantly more money than at the WNBA. Unrivaled was established to provide players with sustainable offseason opportunities.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
Its first year was a huge success, and with an average player salary of $220,000, Beckers Becker's could earn more there than her entire four-year WNBA rookie contract combined. And just one quick reminder before we let you go, today is tax day, so don't forget to file your 2024 taxes if you haven't already.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
But if you live in a state or a county where FEMA declared a disaster over the last year, you automatically get a little extra time. Your deadline to file is May 1st, and you can find the list of locations that qualify in our show notes. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Over our planet's vast history, 99.9% of the species that once existed are now extinct. But a genetic startup called Colossal is trying to bring some of them, like the woolly mammoth and the dodo, back.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
The White House has called his deportation an administrative error, but at least one Trump advisor, Stephen Miller, contradicted that, saying, quote, this was the right person sent to the right place. In court filings, the Trump administration has claimed there's nothing they can do to bring Abrego Garcia home because he's no longer in U.S. custody.
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Trump is considering sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador
The New Yorker has the story of how they say they've already succeeded in creating living animals with ancient DNA. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
Trump responded to the report's release on social media, saying the prosecution was politically motivated. This report is the most detailed assessment we have seen to date of the decision-making by Smith's team to bring federal charges against Trump. Smith resigned from the Justice Department last week.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
A second volume of the special counsel's report focusing on the classified documents case against Trump has not been publicly released. As always, you can follow the latest on breaking news in the Apple News app. Now to Southern California, where wildfires have leveled entire communities over the past week.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
While firefighters are making progress, dangerously strong winds in the forecast could halt that progress and threaten even more communities. Battling a disaster of this magnitude requires a lot of hands on deck. More than 15,000 people are part of firefighting efforts, and not all of them are from California. Some are from nearby states, others from Canada and Mexico.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
Here's Governor Gavin Newsom speaking on Saturday.
Apple News Today
Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
Private firefighters are also on the ground, employed by wealthy Los Angeles residents and, in some cases, insurance companies to protect property. One notable group among the firefighting personnel right now is incarcerated people. There are nearly 1,000 imprisoned people out on the front lines battling multiple fires for the past week.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
About 10 to 15 percent of California's firefighting force is made up of incarcerated people. Incarcerated firefighters in California are technically volunteers. They choose to join the fire program. They do get paid about $5 to $10 a day, plus an extra dollar per hour in active fires. They also have to be accepted to a specialized training program before they're sent out.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
That's Amika Mota, a formerly incarcerated person who worked as a firefighter in California, speaking to NowThis. Mota says that convicted people can shave time off their sentences for volunteering, which she says is a big reason a lot of prisoners try to get into these programs. But despite that, she says the low compensation and dangerous conditions are a steep price to pay.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
And while some prisoners volunteer in the hopes of securing a career in firefighting when they get out, a California state law barring former felons from obtaining EMT licenses, which is a requirement for most municipal firefighting jobs, has prevented many incarcerated people from doing that.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
Governor Newsom signed a law in 2020 making it easier for former prisoners to have their records expunged, eliminating some of the barriers. But critics say it hasn't helped enough people. Still, for those it has helped, it's turned into a worthwhile career.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
Royal Ramey, a former incarcerated firefighter who now helps former prisoners get jobs fighting fires, told ABC he saw the volunteer program as beneficial.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
The Marshall Project spoke to some prison firefighters who say, yes, it's risky work. Yes, it's low pay. And yes, even though it's voluntary, the ethics around it are murky. But it's also the best job they can get behind bars. Let's turn now to President Biden's legacy, which we're going to continue to examine during his final week in office.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
Israel and Hamas are finalizing the terms of a ceasefire deal, according to officials. The Wall Street Journal reports both parties have agreed to the bigger points of the deal, including pausing the fighting in Gaza and releasing dozens of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians held in Israel.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
Yesterday, we looked at some of his domestic achievements. We'll spend more time talking about his struggles at home. But today we're going to focus in on foreign policy. Biden delivered what was billed as his final foreign policy speech yesterday.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
Almost exactly four years ago, Biden spoke about the importance of countries working together to confront the major crises of the moment. He promised not just a change in specific U.S. policies compared to Trump's administration, but a fundamentally different approach.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
In his address yesterday, Biden claimed he accomplished those goals.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
And that's true in some ways, looking at things like the U.S. 's standing in NATO, which has improved significantly under Biden compared to Trump. But Biden's foreign policy legacy will certainly be defined by three major crises. First, the U.S. 's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, during which more than a dozen U.S. troops and 170 civilians were killed. Second, Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
And finally, Hamas's attack on Israel and the war in Gaza that Israel launched in response, which has killed over 46,000 Palestinians. The withdrawal from Afghanistan accomplished a goal that eluded Biden's predecessors, but the way it happened significantly tarnished his reputation at home and abroad.
Apple News Today
Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
Good morning. It's Tuesday, January 14th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why incarcerated firefighters are battling the flames in California, the defining global crises that are part of Biden's foreign policy legacy, and Trump's cabinet picks face scrutiny on Capitol Hill. But first, a few big breaking stories we're watching this morning.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
On Ukraine, Biden did help bolster international support for Ukraine, but the administration faced criticism from both sides that it was doing either too much or not enough. NPR national security correspondent Greg Meary explained on a recent episode of the NPR Politics podcast how perceptions of that war have changed in Washington.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
There are still a few hurdles ahead before an agreement would be finalized, but both parties describe this as a significant step forward. And in Washington, with just days to go before Trump returns to office, special counsel Jack Smith's report on Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results is now out. The Justice Department released it this morning.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
As for Gaza, as we mentioned earlier, the Biden administration and negotiators for Israel and Hamas have said they are closer to a potential ceasefire deal than ever before. But Biden's vocal and financial support of Israel received significant backlash in the U.S., especially on the left. And even if a resolution is reached, this conflict has forever changed the region.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
Tens of thousands of Palestinians dead, entire families wiped out. The U.N. estimates that clearing the debris and rubble alone will cost over $650 million and take up to 15 years to complete. Still, the Biden White House claims they are leaving the world a better place than they found it. Here's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on PBS NewsHour a few days ago.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
The question is just how much and how quickly the next team, the Trump administration, will seek to change foreign policy set during the Biden years and what that'll mean for the rest of the world. Staying in Washington, confirmation hearings begin today for Trump's cabinet picks, starting with Pete Hegseth, the military veteran and former Fox News host tapped to serve as defense secretary.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
Hegseth admitted to paying an undisclosed sum to a woman who accused him of sexual assault at a Republican conference in 2017. Former employees who worked with him at two veterans groups and at Fox News have accused him of financial mismanagement and engaging in excessive drinking and sexism, which was first reported by The New Yorker. Hegseth has denied the allegations.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
Part of the reason that he's standing on steadier ground now is that Trump's allies have rallied to his defense and even targeted Republican senators who expressed doubts about his background.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
Still, while Republicans hold a majority in the Senate, Hegseth could only afford to lose three of their votes if Democrats and independents don't back him. Goodwin explained that Hegseth might face the bumpiest path. Some of Trump's other picks are not facing such strong headwinds.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
In it, Smith says he believes prosecutors had a strong enough case to convict Trump if they hadn't been forced to drop the case when voters elected him again. Trump was charged in 2023 with four felony counts of undertaking a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He pleaded not guilty.
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Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
Other candidates in that tier of nominees that she'll be watching are Kash Patel, tapped to lead the FBI, Tulsi Gabbard, the possible next director of national intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick to lead health and human services. Overall, it's going to take several weeks for the Senate to work through all of Trump's candidates.
Apple News Today
Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
You can find all of these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Bloomberg Businessweek looks at how a lawsuit that alleges Snapchat helped dealers sell counterfeit drugs to children could change the future of the Internet.
Apple News Today
Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Why so many incarcerated people are fighting L.A.’s wildfires
The investigation included interviews with hundreds of witnesses, others summoned via grand jury and an examination of troves of data. Smith also writes that Trump consistently encouraged violence against his opponents leading up to January 6th, quoting evidence from several criminal cases of people charged with taking part in the riot who said they believed they were acting on Trump's behalf.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
That pivot has led to arrangements Brown described as ethically squishy.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, secured more than $3.5 billion worth of sovereign or royal funds from both countries, plus Saudi Arabia, for a private equity fund that he runs. The Trump Organization recently announced plans to develop a major new residential complex in Dubai.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
An Abu Dhabi investment firm announced plans last week to contribute $2 billion to the Trump family's cryptocurrency company. And Eric Trump, the president's son, recently signed a deal to develop a golf course in Doha.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
The White House has said it's ridiculous to suggest the president is doing anything for his personal benefit. And earlier this year, the Trump Organization instituted a new ethics plan where the company says it will continue to donate any profit from foreign government patronage to the U.S. government.
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Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
But government accountability groups, Democrats and others, say they're concerned about conflicts of interest and how foreign governments could potentially use business deals like these to influence U.S. policy.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
chips that are designed in the U.S. Saudi Arabia is reportedly interested, too. In fact, that's expected to be a major topic of conversation during today's investment forum.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
If a deal is reached, it would mark another departure from the Biden administration, which had rejected striking similar AI chip deals over concerns that they could help give these countries with strong ties to China an edge over the U.S. in future AI developments. particularly for military and surveillance applications.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
Now let's turn to one of the most high-profile court cases of the year as the opening statements for Sean Diddy Combs' criminal trial got underway. The music mogul, whose fortune Forbes estimates at $400 million, has pled not guilty to charges of racketeering and sex trafficking for alleged crimes that took place over a 20-year period.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
If he is proven guilty, Combs could spend the rest of his life in prison. During opening statements, the prosecution told the jury that Combs' accusations included kidnapping, arson, drug distribution, sex crimes, bribery, and obstruction.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
While the defense conceded that Combs is, quote, very flawed, they denied that any of his behavior amounted to trafficking and that the jury was not here to judge him for his sexual preferences. Key to their case will be two women. The first, Cassie Ventura, Combs' ex-girlfriend.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
Yesterday, Combs' defense team admitted that he subjected her to domestic abuse, evidenced by 2016 footage played in court, but denied that she was forced or coerced into sex with male escorts. Prosecutors claim a second woman, known only as Jane, was forced into similar acts and say they have incriminating texts and videos they will present.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
Part of what is unique here is that Combs has been charged under the RICO Act, a law that was established to target the mafia. Combs' lead attorney, Mark Agnifilo, a former federal prosecutor, was instrumental in broadening the use of the RICO Act, that's the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, so that it was applicable to street gangs.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
But now, as a defense lawyer, Agnifilo may argue that the law doesn't apply to Combs. Robin Nunn, a trial attorney and legal analyst, spoke to CBS about what makes this case different from typical RICO cases.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
He's in Saudi Arabia today and plans to visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as well. His itinerary largely focuses on potential economic deals with the U.S. He's attending an investment forum in Saudi Arabia today. Its government has promised to invest $600 billion in the U.S. over the next four years, though the kingdom's large budget deficit will make that a hard promise to deliver on.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
RICOs are complex cases, which will require prosecutors to prove that Combs ran a sort of criminal enterprise. But it also expands the statute of limitations, and therefore the scope of the case. Here's how CNN legal analyst Ellie Honig said the defense might play out.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
The trial is expected to last around eight weeks. Let's turn now to a big development in American energy infrastructure, what Vox calls the holy grail of clean energy. Because of the rise of lithium-ion batteries, our capacity to hold electricity in batteries that service our energy grids has increased five-fold in the last few years.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
And this year, new battery installations are posed to almost double compared to 2024. Vox's Umair Irfan explained for us why this is such a big deal.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
Good morning. It's Tuesday, May 13th. I'm Shmeeta Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, opening statements made as Sean Combs' trial gets underway, the clean tech that could revolutionize our energy system, and House Republicans propose paring down Medicaid. But first, President Trump is in the Middle East for his first big foreign trip of his second term.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
But battery-based energy storage is changing that, and fast. It allows electricity from solar and wind to be stored and used when needed. Or as backup power in emergencies when transmission lines are damaged. A big reason why this tech is advancing so quickly is because batteries have become a lot cheaper than they were a few decades ago. They're better at holding denser amounts of energy.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
Erfan cited a few other reasons.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
The other good news here is this type of energy storage is cleaner than traditional methods. The American power sector is the second largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. It's also getting old and in need of expensive repairs.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. House Republicans published their proposal to deliver on Trump's tax-cutting agenda with a bill that suggests substantial cuts for Medicaid.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
The UAE has pledged to spend $1.4 trillion in the U.S. over the next decade, and Qatar recently offered a gift that could be the most expensive in modern history, a $400 million luxury jet that Trump is reportedly considering to use as Air Force One, and continue using even after he leaves office by transferring the plane to his presidential library.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
Analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the plan would bring down spending by $715 billion over the next decade and, quote, reduce the number of people with health insurance by at least 8.6 million by 2034. Republicans plan to lower that number largely by tightening eligibility and work requirements. But internal divisions remain.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
Some House Republicans said this proposal didn't go far enough, while Senator Josh Hawley warned in The New York Times that big cuts would be, quote, morally wrong and politically suicidal. In other news, Trump signed an executive order demanding drug companies lower their U.S. prices within 30 days.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
According to Reuters, the U.S. pays the most for prescription medicines in the world, often nearly three times that of other developed nations. But Trump's order didn't detail how the administration would enforce these changes, which it hopes to achieve through voluntary commitments. In his first term, Trump attempted to reduce drug prices paid by Medicare, but was blocked by a federal court.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
And finally, the NBA draft lottery saw a shock first pick for the Dallas Mavericks, giving them the right to secure Duke's 6'9 forward Cooper Flagg, one of the most coveted players of the last decade. The Mavs had just a 1.8% chance of winning the draft lottery and jumped 10 spots to grab the No. 1 pick. ESPN calls it the biggest jump by any team in lottery history. The draft will be held in June.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. New York Magazine has this grabby headline about chat GPT and higher ed. Everyone is cheating their way through college. It examines the way that chat GPT is, as one tech ethicist put it, short circuiting the learning process.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Property, golf, and crypto: the Trump family strikes deals in the Middle East
But while the president looks for deals to secure for the U.S., his family has been busy deepening their personal business ties with the region. And as Wall Street Journal reporter Elliot Brown told us, doing so while Trump is in office and seeking concessions from these same countries seems to blur the line between policy and personal interest.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Hey there, it's Shamita. I've got a quick request for you. If Apple News Today is an essential part of your morning routine, follow the show in Apple Podcasts. And if you have another 30 seconds, leave us a rating and review too. It helps other people find our show and it helps us know what you like about it. Thanks. Good morning. It's Tuesday, March 11th. I'm Shamita Basu.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
The ACLU called Khalil's arrest unprecedented, illegal, and un-American, and called on the administration to immediately return him to New York to his wife, an American citizen who is eight months pregnant.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Last night, his legal team issued a statement calling it outrageous to try to revoke legal permanent resident status for someone who has, quote, never committed a crime and who has simply expressed his political opinions. Protesters gathered on Monday in New York to demand his release.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Khalil is a recent graduate of Columbia University and was a leader in organizing demonstrations against the war in Gaza on campus last spring. When ICE agents arrested him over the weekend, they told him his student visa was being revoked, which led to immediate confusion because, as I mentioned before, Khalil is not here on a student visa. He's a permanent legal resident.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Khalil's lawyer said agents arrested him anyway, saying his green card was being revoked. The Department of Homeland Security can initiate deportation proceedings for people with green cards who have been charged with criminal activity.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Halil has not been charged with any crimes or crimes specific to the largely peaceful demonstrations on Colombia's campus last spring, where students set up a tent encampment on the quad to demand that the university divest from companies profiting from Israel's ongoing war in Gaza.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Trump accused Khalil and other protesters of engaging in pro-terrorist activities and of being paid agitators, but has not provided evidence of those allegations. Last spring, Khalil was often the face of the student protest movement, sharing their goals with media and negotiating with university leaders over how to end the tent encampment on campus. Here he is speaking with reporters in April.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
And he went on to say their movement, which was organized along with Jewish students on campus, was not about targeting Jewish people or supporting Hamas.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
On and around Columbia's campus, Associate Professor Joseph Hawley told Democracy Now that Khalil's arrest and the Trump administration's threat to make more arrests has had a major chilling effect.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why Canadians are booing the U.S. national anthem, how much would you pay for a weather report, and a promising new treatment for people who lost their sense of smell to COVID. But first, President Trump is promising the arrest of a pro-Palestinian student activist and organizer at Columbia University over the weekend is the first of many to come.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Let's turn to the growing trade war between the U.S. and one of our primary trading partners, Canada. Yesterday, stocks tumbled sharply as fears over tariffs and a possible recession grew. President Trump on Sunday said he wouldn't rule out a recession as a result of his economic policies, which include aggressive tariffs on Canada.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
One analyst told The Wall Street Journal this is the first time an administration has said with a straight face that their objectives are going to cause pain. Meanwhile, Ontario's premier, Doug Ford, he's the head of government in the province, issued a new 25 percent tariff on electricity exports to the United States.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Ontario provides power to approximately 1.5 million Americans in Minnesota, New York and Michigan. This new tax joins a slew of tariffs Canada had already imposed on U.S. imports, such as orange juice, peanut butter, coffee, appliances and more. They came in response to President Trump's threats to tariff Canadian goods.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Last week, he agreed to postpone a 25 percent tariff on many Canadian products. But Ford said Monday Ontario will not reverse its electricity tax until President Trump fully rescinds his threats.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Canada's incoming prime minister has also been outspoken about Trump's tariffs. Mark Carney was overwhelmingly elected last weekend to lead the ruling Liberal Party, winning nearly 86% of the vote. In his victory speech, he said Trump is trying to weaken Canada.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Carney is new to politics, but he previously led the Bank of England and he led the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis. He will replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January after a sharp decline in his approval rating. In the run-up to Trudeau's decision, polling showed Canadians were eager for change.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
And with a general election set to take place later this year, the Conservative Party seemed poised to win. But sentiment has dramatically shifted since Trudeau's announcement and since Trump took office, in large part due to Trump's tariffs and his repeated threat to make Canada the 51st U.S. state.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Polling averages that showed the Conservative Party with a 20-point lead earlier this year have narrowed significantly.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Amanda Coletta is the Canada correspondent for The Washington Post. She says Trump's actions contributed to a huge surge in nationalism.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Polyev initially sought to make the race a referendum on Trudeau and attacks on carbon. But now, Coletta says, he too is shifting his message to focus more on Trump's tariffs. Here's Polyev speaking at a recent press conference.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Carney, who will be sworn in as prime minister in the coming days, has pledged to keep retaliatory tariffs in place on the U.S. until, quote, America shows us respect. He'll have a few months to prove himself in this role.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Canada's general election is set for October, but it could happen sooner if Carney calls a snap election or the Conservative Party forces one with a no-confidence vote later this month.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Moving on to cuts the Trump administration is making to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, the federal agency responsible for producing weather forecasts and leading research on climate change and oceans.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
The latest round of cuts resulted in 800 jobs being slashed at the agency, mostly probationary employees who'd been on the job for fewer than two years. Already, as a result of the layoffs, some weather balloon launches that were scheduled to take place in Alaska were suspended due to lack of staffing.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
And multiple outlets are reporting that NOAA managers have been directed to identify an additional 1,000 potential layoffs. Between this and the Fork in the Road buyouts that Elon Musk's Doge team offered last month, NOAA's workforce could shrink by almost 20%.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Mahmoud Khalil is a green card holder who is in the U.S. legally. He was transferred to an immigration jail in Louisiana after his arrest. A judge on Monday ordered he not be deported while his case is being heard in court. Khalil was arrested under an executive order signed by Trump in January that the administration says is meant to combat anti-Semitism.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
A plan to dismantle NOAA was laid out in Project 2025, the conservative blueprint for the second Trump administration. It suggested eliminating the agency and privatizing many of its functions.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Kalma spoke to former agency employees and others familiar with how the agency works who say privatizing weather forecasts could mean people would have to pay for access to vital information that's currently provided as a free public service.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a case challenging bans on what is known as conversion therapy for minors. The practice encourages young gay or lesbian kids to change their sexual orientation and for transgender kids to identify as the gender they were assigned at birth.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
A Christian counselor in Colorado wants a state ban overturned, saying it violates the First Amendment by censoring conversations she has with her clients. Colorado officials cite an overwhelming body of evidence showing conversion therapy is harmful to kids and increases the risk of depression and suicide. The justices will review a lower court ruling that dismissed this case in 2024.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
USA Today reports there's an increased interest in these types of bans, which are active in 20 Democratic states. The fentanyl crisis in the U.S. appears to be past its deadliest phase. That's according to new research out of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill University. that says all 50 states and Washington, D.C. have now seen some recovery from the epidemic.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Researchers say deaths linked to fentanyl and other street drugs have dropped to levels not seen since before the pandemic. Drug deaths peaked in 2023 at 114,000, but are now under 87,000, according to CDC data. Experts told NPR there's evidence the drop in fatalities is long-term and sustainable.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
And finally, today is the five-year anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic. And there's some good news for people who have suffered from what is known as long COVID. Doctors in London say a new surgery that expands nasal airways has led to recovery of taste and smell for patients.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
About six in every 100 COVID patients develops long COVID, and the loss of smell and taste is one of the more pronounced side effects. Researchers found a way to get more odorants to the roof of the nose where the sense of smell is located, and they believe that doing so kickstarts smell recovery. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. The Atlantic examines the mistakes made in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic as experts were still learning how to best address the crisis. And the magazine makes the case for why we should remember this time as a moment of strength and resilience in America, not failure.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
Trump warned he would revoke student visas and deport terrorist sympathizers. On social media yesterday, Trump called Khalil a Hamas sympathizer and warned student protesters on campuses across the country they are in danger of being arrested for what he calls anti-Semitic and anti-American activity.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
One example Trump's suit gives is a clip of Harris's answer to a question about Israel used on CBS's Face the Nation, which was different from the answer shown in a lengthier broadcast of the same interview on 60 Minutes.
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It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
In December, CBS asked the judge to dismiss the case or move it to New York, where CBS is based and where the show in question was edited. The case was filed in a Texas court that's been friendly to conservative interests. Folk Inflect told us legal scholars and media experts say Trump's argument here is weak.
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It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
CBS says during the campaign, the network also invited Trump to sit down with 60 Minutes, but after agreeing to an interview, he backed out. Further complicating matters, the outcome of this lawsuit will inherently be political. There is a pending sale of CBS News' parent company, Paramount Global, to Skydance Media.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
The Paramount-Skydance merger requires the approval of Trump-appointed Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr. The L.A. Times says parties involved in the merger want to have the $8 billion deal wrapped by spring. It's been reported by the L.A. Times that the chairwoman of Paramount has instructed her team to settle the Trump suit.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
But that arrangement doesn't sit well with journalists at CBS who are calling for Paramount to defend their editorial freedom.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
Vanity Fair reports that there are multiple other lawsuits against journalists or journalistic organizations pending. Trump has sued longtime reporter Bob Woodward and his publisher for Woodward's book about Trump. He has sued the Pulitzer Prize board for recognizing a story about Trump.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
And he's going after the Des Moines Register and its former pollster, J. Ann Selzer, for publishing a poll ahead of the election suggesting Harris had an edge in Iowa. So far, there are no indications those parties plan to settle. On a recent Sunday in January, Kania Kalindras was at church with her husband and their three children when her husband got a phone call. He didn't answer it.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
Soon after, his ICE-appointed ankle monitor went off. That worried him because he always charges it. So he stepped outside to figure out what was going on and to not disrupt the service. Little did he know, immigration agents were there waiting to arrest him and bring him to a detention center to await deportation.
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It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
Kenia told WSB-TV in Atlanta that her husband had never been in trouble with the law and that he was given the ankle monitor when he and the family sought asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border two years ago after leaving their home country of Honduras, where she says they were threatened by gangs.
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It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
She also said he was the only one in the family with a work permit, and she worries that she and her children will be threatened with deportation now, too. WSB-TV reached out to Ice to confirm why he had an ankle monitor, but Ice said they couldn't provide a specific reason and they issue monitors on a case-by-case basis. This case and the threat of others like it has houses of worship worried.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
In December, Disney, which owns ABC News, settled a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump over a false claim made on the air. It agreed to pay $15 million toward Trump's future presidential foundation. In late January, Meta settled a suit with Trump for $22 million and another $3 million in legal fees over suspending Trump's account after the January 6th attack on the Capitol.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
For centuries, churches, temples and mosques have functioned as sanctuaries, giving safe harbor to people who were enslaved, people during the Vietnam War who resisted the draft, and in modern times, people facing deportation. But in one of his first actions as president, Trump revoked a ban on immigration arrests in sensitive places, including schools, hospitals and churches.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
And the president has suggested, without evidence, that churches are harboring dangerous criminals.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
That's Andrea Castillo, a federal immigration reporter for the LA Times, who's been speaking with faith leaders in California.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
Here's how one religious leader put it to her.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
In the wake of Trump's order, places of worship have been preparing for the possibility of arrests by ICE agents by educating their congregants about their rights. In some cases, faith leaders have accompanied migrants for check-ins with immigration officers. And many, Castillo says, are prepared to do more to protect their community.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
Good morning. It's Tuesday, February 11th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, what happens when ICE shows up at church, a pretty compelling argument to quit the penny, and the DOJ moves to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. But first, President Trump is aggressively going after media companies in lawsuits and winning.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
A number of places of worship have sued the Department of Homeland Security over Trump's order, calling ICE arrests at places of worship a violation of religious liberty. And one pastor told Castillo that he would physically get between his congregants and ICE agents if it came to that.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
Aside from making a wish, playing a game of heads or tails, maybe stabilizing a wobbly table, what are pennies really good for these days? In a world where a lot of us don't use cash and definitely don't like to carry around change, does making single cents make any sense? Especially when the cost of producing those small coins is more than double their worth.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
That's the argument from President Trump, who is calling to get rid of the penny. And he is far from the first. In 2013, then-President Obama expressed an openness to dumping the penny.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
To all the penny haters, the math speaks for itself. It costs 3.69 cents to make a penny. In 2024, the Mint issued over 3 billion pennies. That means that we lost more than $85 million, making what many people think of as useless coins. And it's not like we've never banished a coin before. Back in 1857, Congress put a stop to the minting of half-cent coins.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
But America has long been resistant to the idea of saying goodbye to the penny. In 1989, Congress considered a bill to eliminate pennies in cash transactions and round to the nearest nickel — It didn't pass. Congressman Jim Colby, a Republican from Arizona, made this his mission.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
He tried and tried to kill the penny, but he said that a couple of things stood in his way, like special interest groups that support zinc mining, which, by the way, pennies are mostly made of zinc, not copper. Also, the fact that the Speaker of the House at the time was from Illinois, the home state of the president whose face is on the penny. Here is Colby on NPR in 2020.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
Now, President Trump is suing the owner of CBS News, Paramount Global, and he recently doubled down, literally doubling the damage claim from $10 billion to $20 billion.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
Since then, the main opposition has come from the advocacy group Americans for Common Sense, their pun, not mine, which argues that the government wouldn't save money if the penny were eliminated and that the U.S. Mint would have to make more nickels, which is likely true.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
If Congress does decide to get on board with Trump's suggestion and eliminate the penny, we'll almost certainly need to produce more nickels. And we lose far more money making nickels than we do making pennies. Nickels last year cost 13.8 cents each to make. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
A federal judge on Monday found the Trump administration hasn't followed his order to unfreeze federal spending and directed the White House to release billions of dollars. The Trump administration quickly appealed the ruling. This is the first time a judge is saying the White House is disobeying a court order.
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It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
The ruling comes after several top Trump administration officials have openly questioned the judiciary's authority to check the president's power. Judges have also blocked, at least temporarily, Trump's effort to end birthright citizenship, Elon Musk's access to Treasury Department records, and a mass resignation plan for federal workers.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
In what is being called the most serious threat to date of the Gaza ceasefire deal, Hamas said Monday it would delay the next scheduled release of hostages set for Saturday, accusing Israel of violating the terms of the agreement. A Hamas spokesperson said Israel was preventing some displaced Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza and have been targeting them with gunfire and shelling.
Apple News Today
It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
Hamas also says Israeli forces aren't allowing relief supplies to enter, as agreed. President Trump weighed in and issued an ultimatum to Hamas on Monday after signing unrelated executive orders in the Oval Office.
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It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
Israel's defense minister called the move by Hamas a violation of the deal and ordered the military to be prepared for any situation. And finally, the Department of Justice on Monday ordered prosecutors in Manhattan to drop federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, saying the case was impeding Adams' ability to cooperate with Trump's immigration crackdown.
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It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
Adams in recent months has appeared to be cozying up to Trump. He visited him at Mar-a-Lago and attended the inauguration. He also said he wouldn't publicly criticize him.
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It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
Adams was charged last year with soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations and accepting $100,000 in bribes in the form of luxury travel and hotel stays from wealthy Turkish officials for nearly a decade in exchange for favors. Adams has maintained that he's innocent. The charges will have to be reviewed when a new Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in New York is confirmed.
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It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
The charges would be dropped without prejudice, meaning they could be refiled at a later date. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Blood is one of the most valuable substances in the world.
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It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
NPR's media correspondent David Folkenflik told us what's happening at CBS is the latest chapter in Trump's attempt to use the power of the presidency to strong-arm the media. In this particular suit, Trump claims that CBS's 60 Minutes aired a deceptively edited interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris to boost her election chances.
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It costs 3 cents to make a penny. Trump says it’s time to stop.
And as The New Yorker explains, scientists are getting closer to figuring out how to artificially replicate it. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
Ghost guns don't have a serial number, making them untraceable. They're not subject to background checks either. And as the trace points out, it's legal in most cases under federal law to make a gun on a 3D printer.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
Police say Mangione also had a number of fake IDs on him, including one which police say matches the ID used to check into a hostel in New York, where the shooter is believed to have stayed. He also had a three-page manifesto criticizing the health insurance industry.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
In a statement, UnitedHealthcare thanked police for their work and said, quote, The arrest comes after days of the nation's close attention on this story. And along with that attention, a lot of frustration about the health care industry on social media was
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
with some people sharing their stories about being denied necessary health care by their insurance providers, to others outright mocking and celebrating Thompson's death, even hailing the shooter as a hero, a notion Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro strongly rejected when he spoke shortly after Mangione was apprehended.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
Let's turn now to a major development in one of the many legal cases against the rapper Diddy, whose legal name is Sean Combs. He faces federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges, plus roughly 30 civil suits. He's claimed no wrongdoing. And in one of those civil suits, rapper and mogul Jay-Z, whose legal name is Sean Carter, was newly named as a co-conspirator.
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He's the first celebrity to be accused of sexual assault in connection to Combs. They are accused of drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. According to the lawsuit, the girl tried to get into the VMAs by talking to limo drivers outside the venue. Combs' driver allegedly told her she, quote, fit what Diddy was looking for.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
And she says he brought her to Combs' after-party, where she had to sign an NDA. Initially, the lawsuit was filed in October and only named Combs, and it referred anonymously to another male and female celebrity. But it was updated and refiled this past weekend, naming Carter, who has denied the allegations, calling them blackmail.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
That's Claudia Rosenbaum, who's been tracking the cases against Combs for Vulture. She told us about Carter's response.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
But first, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was charged with second-degree murder late last night by authorities in New York, hours after police in Pennsylvania arrested him. The charges against 26-year-old Luigi Mangione also include forgery and carrying a gun without a license. He was ordered to be held without bail and did not enter a plea on those charges.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
His lawyers argue it's either that or this case should be dismissed. Attorney Tony Busby is representing the plaintiff and more than 120 others in civil cases against Combs. Rosenbaum told us he says more big names in the music industry will surface as they move through the legal process.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
Lately, it's felt like there's a new food recall every other week. Listeria-contaminated deli meat, onions tainted with E. coli, salmonella on cucumbers and carrots. Since November, the two federal agencies primarily in charge of food safety have cataloged more than 25 recalls. People are on edge and wondering, is this normal? Washington Post food reporter Tim Carman has been looking into it.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
Carmen and a colleague dug into the data and they found, no, not really. In fact, we're on track to have fewer recalls this year than 2023. But there are a number of reasons why it doesn't feel that way.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
Right. And this is getting kind of meta now. But part of the reason you know more about food recalls is you are listening to this new show talking about food recalls. You know, Americans once had to rely on a company press release to learn about a recall. But these days, updates come through social media, push notifications and the news.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
Another factor, public confidence in the government to manage the food supply is at an all-time low, partially driven by misinformation and influential skeptics. Chief among them, Carmen told us, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., president-elect Trump's nominee to lead health and human services, which oversees the Food and Drug Administration.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
Good morning. It's Tuesday, December 10th. I'm Shamitha Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, a major rap mogul gets named in one of Diddy's sexual assault lawsuits. Why you shouldn't get too alarmed about recent food recalls. And the numbers are in on Taylor Swift's Heiress tour. They're historic.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
But to a large degree, the threat of a mass food emergency is in our heads. That's what one psychology professor told Carmen.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
In other words, humans are pretty much wired to overestimate threats like these, even when the data tells a different story. It is, after all, what's made us very good at surviving. So next time you hear about a food recall, check the area affected, follow the advice for what to toss or avoid. And remember, catching a food safety issue means that on some level, the system is working as it should.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified today in his trial for alleged corruption, becoming the country's first sitting leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant. He's charged with taking bribes, breach of trust and corruption.
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Prosecutors say he gave regulatory and diplomatic favors to high profile businessmen in exchange for gifts and positive media coverage. Netanyahu denied wrongdoing, but also said Israel's media leans left and needs to be diversified. The Times of Israel reports while on the stand, Netanyahu received a note and had to step out of the courtroom to deal with a national security issue.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
Local authorities in Pennsylvania were tipped off to Mangione's location at a McDonald's in Altoona by an employee who thought that he resembled the suspect in photos released by the NYPD. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenney credited those photos as a critical part of capturing the suspect.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
This might be a common sight over the course of this trial, which could take months before a ruling is issued as Israel continues to wage war against Hamas and Hezbollah. Netanyahu faces potential jail time. The Supreme Court today is set to hear oral arguments concerning a foundational environmental law.
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The National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, requires government agencies to evaluate the environmental impact of its decisions. The question before the Supreme Court is whether the upstream and downstream impact should be considered, too. This includes impacts from increased fossil fuel production and consumption.
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A group of counties, along with the Biden administration, is arguing that the current federal environmental impact process takes too long and needs to be streamlined. According to Politico, it's not looking good for environmental advocates who have been on the losing side of every case before the Supreme Court involving the NEPA law since it went into effect in 1970.
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And finally, the numbers are in for Taylor Swift's Eras tour, and they are huge. Swift sold $2 billion worth of tickets over the course of the 21-month tour, which is not only a record. According to The New York Times, that's double any other concert tour in history. Swift addressed her fans at one of her last shows over the weekend.
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Rolling Stone reports over the course of the tour, Swift gave $197 million in bonuses to her performers and crew. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
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As the Nobel Prize Award ceremony gets underway, The Atavist has an engaging read on a German journalist who stood up to the Nazis and the campaign at the time to honor him with a Nobel. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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How police found the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare shooting
According to court filings, police approached Mangione as he sat alone at the McDonald's. They asked him to remove a medical mask he was wearing and asked if he'd been to New York recently. He then became quiet and began to shake. Police say they found a gun and silencer in his backpack that matched the description of the weapon used to shoot Thompson. Here's Kenny again.
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How tariffs could transform the auto industry
Gene Whalen is an economics reporter at The Wall Street Journal who recently spent time in Detroit.
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How tariffs could transform the auto industry
One reason tariffs represent such a threat to Michigan is because many auto manufacturers, through free trade deals like NAFTA, moved production to other countries or states over the last few decades, where they could produce at lower costs. That means Michigan's auto industry today increasingly depends on places like Canada, Mexico, and China—
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How tariffs could transform the auto industry
Auto parts typically cross the border multiple times as a car is assembled. Whalen told us it's a little too early to say how these tariffs could change Michigan's auto industry at large, but there are some clear impacts so far.
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How tariffs could transform the auto industry
Other local auto suppliers in the Detroit area are talking about possibly raising prices for customers. A major economic group that consults for the auto industry said tariffs could add anywhere from $2,500 to $12,000 to the overall price of many new cars. And Whalen spoke to one economist at the University of Michigan about the potential impact of the recent steel and aluminum tariffs.
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How tariffs could transform the auto industry
He told her he thinks they'll cost around 600 jobs in Michigan's auto industry by the end of 2026. And the effects of that will ripple out, affecting other kinds of businesses, too.
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How tariffs could transform the auto industry
At the automakers, workers have had mixed reactions to the tariffs. Some told Whelan they are cautiously optimistic. And Sean Fain, the leader of the United Auto Workers Union, which represents hundreds of thousands of workers in the industry, told NPR he believes the tariffs will help rebuild domestic manufacturing.
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How tariffs could transform the auto industry
But despite those misgivings about globalized free trade and a desire to return more manufacturing to the United States, some autoworkers Whelan spoke with are feeling less confident.
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How tariffs could transform the auto industry
And for a lot of people in Michigan, the risk of a recession fueled by tariffs causes extra angst. Detroit and the entire U.S. auto industry almost didn't survive the Great Recession of 2008. Rebuilding took a long time and no one wants to move backwards.
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How tariffs could transform the auto industry
Now to recent reporting from ProPublica that offers a rare window into the conditions experienced by people on deportation flights from the perspective of the cabin crew. Their stories paint a very different picture than the one offered by the Trump administration, which has characterized the deportations as an efficient military operation.
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In reality, the vast majority of these flights have used chartered planes. There are some ICE officers and hired security on board, but these planes are crewed by civilian flight attendants, most of whom didn't knowingly sign up for this work.
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But first, it was another wild day for stocks as the markets continued to react to President Trump's tariff policy. The Dow Jones fell more than 300 points, marking a third straight day of losses and its biggest one-day swing in points ever. The S&P 500 dipped about a quarter of a percent and briefly entered bear market territory. The Nasdaq, meanwhile, rose 0.1 percent.
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How tariffs could transform the auto industry
ProPublica recently spoke to seven flight attendants with Global Crossing Airlines, known as Global X. It's a startup that promised employees the chance to fly with celebrities and star athletes.
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But today it operates most of the federal government's deportation flights, including the transport of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants who were sent to a notoriously harsh prison in El Salvador last month, despite a federal court order blocking the flights and despite questionable evidence to support most of those deportations.
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ICE, Global X and the FAA did not respond to ProPublica's request for comment in the story. But the flight attendants who spoke to reporter Mackenzie Funk told him they don't feel like they can treat passengers humanely or keep them safe.
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The flight attendants told him they had strict rules to follow. No eye contact with migrants, no talking to them, no walking down the aisle without a guard to escort you, and only guards were allowed to take migrants to the bathroom or give them food and water. The thing that disturbed and worried many of the attendants was the fact that most passengers were in shackles.
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All crew members were trained on FAA safety protocol, which says a plane should be evacuated in 90 seconds in an emergency. But the flight attendants told Funk they hadn't been trained on how to evacuate passengers in chains. And some of the attendants said they were horrified by the little bit of guidance that they did get.
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In some cases, they chose to break protocol. In little ways, like returning a hello to a passenger who greeted them. And in big ways, too. On one flight, a little girl with a fever who was struggling to breathe collapsed. Her oxygen levels were dangerously low, so one of the flight attendants raced to help her.
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The plane made an emergency landing in Arizona, where paramedics took the child and her mother to the hospital, but the girl's father had to stay on the plane.
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Good morning. It's Tuesday, April 8th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, the flight attendants working ISIS deportation flights, the dark secrets of Johnson & Johnson, and a New York community rallies to bring a mother and her three children home from immigration detention.
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This flight attendant said after that incident, she decided to leave the job. She bought her own ticket home. When you think about the opioid crisis in America and the companies responsible, the first name that might come to mind is Purdue Pharma, which makes the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin. But there's another major contributor to this crisis that hasn't gotten as much attention.
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Johnson & Johnson, which is consistently seen as one of the most admired and socially responsible companies in the country, according to Fortune magazine.
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How tariffs could transform the auto industry
Also exacerbating the volatile trading session today, President Trump continued his back and forth with China, threatening to enact additional tariffs of 50 percent if Beijing doesn't remove its 34 percent tariff on U.S. goods. Beijing issued a statement saying China will, quote, fight to the end.
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That's investigative reporter Gardner Harris, who I spoke to recently on Apple News in Conversation.
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How tariffs could transform the auto industry
Harris is out with a new book today called No More Tears, The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson. He spent five years investigating the company and found two main ways it contributed to the opioid crisis. One was by selling the raw materials needed to make OxyContin.
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The other way J&J contributed to the crisis was by selling a fentanyl patch called Duragesic. It was originally designed for patients to use immediately after surgery or for palliative care. But Harris says J&J saw how Purdue was marketing OxyContin to people with modest and moderate pain. So the company pivoted and started to push this product on doctors, describing it as non-addictive.
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Johnson & Johnson's contribution to the opioid crisis is part of a larger pattern Harris found in his reporting. In total, he writes about nine Johnson & Johnson products, including a cancer drug, baby powder, even Tylenol. And he found they have led to the deaths and injuries of millions of people. The company has denied many of these allegations.
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You can hear the full episode on Apple News & Conversation. If you're listening in the News app, we'll queue it up to play for you after today's show. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. President Trump says the U.S. and Iran will hold nuclear talks in a meeting set for Saturday.
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Trump withdrew from the previous nuclear agreement with Iran in 2018 during his first term in office. He has said that Iran would be in, quote, great danger if talks are unsuccessful. The president announced the upcoming meeting with Iran while fielding questions in the Oval Office, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side. Trump also said the U.S.
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is working to negotiate a new ceasefire agreement in Gaza to release the remaining hostages held by Hamas. An update on two immigration stories that we're following. First, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily paused a lower court order instructing the Trump administration to return a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to a Salvadoran prison.
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How tariffs could transform the auto industry
As we continue to examine the fallout of the Trump administration's tariff policy, let's take a closer look at Michigan. Nearly 20% of the state economy is tied to the auto industry, which is now facing 25% tariffs on imported vehicles. And starting next month, Trump has promised 25% tariffs on imported parts as well.
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Roberts, who handles appeals from Maryland, stayed the order to give the justices more time to consider arguments. Then in an entirely separate incident in Sackets Harbor, New York, three children and their mother, who were detained by ICE on March 27th and sent to a facility in Texas, have been released, according to local officials.
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This comes after about a thousand members of their community rallied on Saturday at the vacation home of Trump's so-called border czar, Tom Homan, in Sackets Harbor. Homan said everything was, quote, by the book. The youngest child was in third grade.
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Efforts to bring the family home were led by the area's superintendent of schools, who called this a quote traumatic experience for the family as well as all students and staff. And as stocks whipped up and down yesterday, you might have noticed a moment where they started to rise suddenly.
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That was the result of a post on X that rocked the markets and sent analysts scrambling to figure out if it was real.
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Only problem was, it couldn't be verified.
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How tariffs could transform the auto industry
It all turned out to be a rumor spread by a popular financial account on social media. And once that falsehood came to light, the markets quickly went sour again. And finally, Florida is the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball National Champion. The Gators fended off Houston in a nail-biter that went right down to the wire.
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It's Florida's third national championship in school history. Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., Florida's standout All-American, gave the Gators a much-needed momentum boost down the stretch. He was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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And like I mentioned, if you're already listening in the news app right now, stick around for the rest of my conversation with investigative reporter Gardner Harris about Johnson & Johnson. If you're listening in the podcast app, search for Apple News in Conversation to find that episode. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
These cuts come as Kennedy says that tackling chronic disease is a cornerstone of his Make America Healthy Again agenda. Another long-running program HHS terminated, an advisory committee that makes recommendations on how to test newborns and children for genetic disorders. HHS says it's part of the administration's broader goal of reducing the size of the federal government, but...
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
Genetic screenings detect potentially life-threatening or life-altering conditions for roughly 14,000 babies every year. Again, Bendix told us it's hard to square this with RFK's larger goals.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
The administration also eliminated funding for a program that helps new parents learn more about sleep-related infant deaths and how to prevent them. It's been credited with saving thousands of babies' lives since 1994. And HHS has made or is considering a number of cuts that impact the LGBTQ plus population, a community that nearly 10 percent of American adults are part of.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
Hundreds of grants focused on improving health outcomes for LGBTQ people have been cut, including one that works toward preventing HIV in adolescents and young adults. The Washington Post also reports that the administration is considering eliminating the national suicide hotline for LGBTQ youth.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
According to a New York Times estimate, more than $800 million in grants for this population were canceled as of early May.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
Next week, Kennedy is expected to appear before a Senate committee to testify about his overhaul of HHS. His budget will ultimately need Congress's approval. Now to Gaza, where Israel plans to expand its military operations and seize even more territory from Palestinians.
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Jerry Shee is the Jerusalem bureau chief for The Washington Post.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
A senior Hamas official said this week, given Israel's intensified military plans, the group is no longer interested in peace talks. Since Israel broke the ceasefire in March, the IDF has declared more than 70 percent of Gaza either a military red zone or an evacuation zone. It has displaced more than 420,000 people, according to the U.N. That's roughly a fifth of Gaza's population.
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And in this plan approved by Israel's security cabinet over the weekend, thousands more Palestinians would be forcibly displaced. Israel would also take control of humanitarian aid distribution. Since March 2nd, Israel has allowed no food, medicine or other supplies to enter Gaza. It's the longest total blockade ever imposed.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
The UN says hunger is widespread and nine out of 10 Palestinians do not have access to safe drinking water.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
But first, attorneys general from 19 Democratic states plus Washington, D.C., are suing the Trump administration over efforts to overhaul the Department of Health and Human Services. So far, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has eliminated 20,000 full-time positions at HHS and has canceled funding for a number of longstanding research programs that support millions of Americans.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
Israel says the current blockade on aid is meant to force Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages. And Israel says taking full control of aid distribution is the only way it will consider lifting the blockade, according to officials who spoke with The Post. It also plans to move Gaza's entire food supply to a military-guarded area in the south under the protection of U.S.
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security contractors, forcing people in northern Gaza to travel there. But the challenges would be immense. There would be only 4 to 10 aid distribution hubs, serving a population of over 2 million people. And many people are too weak or injured to make the journey.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
Good morning. It's Tuesday, May 6th. I'm Shemita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Israel's plans to take more control of the Gaza Strip, how Trump's tariffs could impact your favorite movies, and what to know about today's real ID deadline.
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She told us Israeli officials are saying they will use facial recognition technology to screen people seeking aid to prevent members of Hamas from receiving it.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
NPR spoke to a former U.S. official who said Israel tried to implement a version of this aid plan while former President Joe Biden was in office, but his administration rejected it. The Trump administration didn't offer any immediate comment on Israel's plan on Monday, but Trump does plan to visit the region next week. Let's turn now to the latest tariff threat from the White House.
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On Sunday night, President Trump said he would impose a 100 percent tariff on movies produced outside of the United States, saying that international production amounts to a national security threat. Then, just hours later, the White House said no final decisions had been made, and Trump said that he would meet with industry officials to make sure that they liked the plan.
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That's Meg James, senior entertainment industry reporter for the Los Angeles Times.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
Often, Hollywood producers choose to make certain content in countries that have generous tax incentives.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
According to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, about 18,000 jobs have been lost in the last three years, primarily in California.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
But a major question is how this would work. Large movie productions are kind of like manufacturing a car. Components can come from all over the world. Even though a lot of American movies are written, cast, and edited largely in the United States, it's increasingly common for some work to happen abroad.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
One is the Diabetes Prevention Program, which has been tracking people with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes for three decades, and it also works to better understand associated diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia. Around 38 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, and the CDC estimates that one in five people don't know that they have it.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
For example, a major scene in the latest Marvel film, Thunderbolts, involves a leap from the world's second tallest building in Malaysia. According to The New York Times, one superhero movie like that might rely on half a dozen or more specialized firms across the world. And it's extremely unclear how tariffs would apply in these kinds of cases.
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So far, the Motion Picture Association, which represents the biggest Hollywood studios in Washington, hasn't responded to outlets for comment on the matter. But their most recent economic report showed that the film industry netted gains for every major global market.
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As the White House discusses all of this with Hollywood executives, James told us it's sure to be a subject of conversation at next week's most celebrated international film festival in Cannes. Among the films being premiered is Tom Cruise's latest Mission Impossible movie, The Final Reckoning. Scenes for that movie were filmed all over the world, including in the UK, South Africa, and Norway.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. The Pulitzer Prizes were announced yesterday. They come at a moment when press freedoms are under attack with the Trump administration banning the Associated Press from the White House press pool, threatening to cancel critical funding for public media, and with Trump filing lawsuits against several for-profit media outlets.
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Among yesterday's Pulitzer winners are The Washington Post for their coverage of the assassination attempt on Trump's life, Reuters for an expose on lax regulation that makes fentanyl so easy to get, and The Wall Street Journal for their reporting on Elon Musk's embrace of the MAGA movement.
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ProPublica also won for its work documenting deaths of pregnant women in states with restrictive abortion laws. Last fall, we spoke with one of those journalists, Cassandra Jaramillo, about her reporting on a young woman who died while experiencing a miscarriage in Texas.
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We'll link to a collection of those stories in our show notes. In other news, Newark Airport, the nation's 14th busiest airport, is seeing day after day of delays and cancellations because of air traffic control staffing issues and equipment failures.
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A union official said yesterday that a number of staffers are taking leave after a stressful incident last week in which controllers briefly lost all communication with aircraft under their control. Bloomberg says controllers were left in the dark for about 90 seconds on April 28th.
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The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged in a statement on Monday that, quote, our antiquated air traffic control system is affecting our workforce. United Airlines, which has a hub in Newark, announced last week it would start canceling 35 flights, that's about 10 percent of its flights, every day out of Newark Airport.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
NBC News health reporter Aria Bendix told us about the impact of canceling this program.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a press conference that the FAA is short about 3,000 air traffic controllers nationwide. And finally, one other travel note to leave you on. Today is the deadline to get your real ID card. That's an upgraded driver's license or a state identification card that you'll need if you want to board an airplane domestically with just your ID card.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
As of the end of last week, nearly 20% of travelers still hadn't gotten their real ID. If you're one of those people who still doesn't have it, don't panic. You can still travel using a passport, a permanent resident card, or certain Department of Homeland Security trusted traveler cards. Also, there's a lot of bad information on social media right now about this whole process.
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So here are some quick fact checks. Yes, you can still drive a car if you don't have a real ID. And no, real IDs will not replace passports for international travel. That includes cruises. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
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New York Magazine spoke with some of Democratic Senator John Fetterman's closest advisors, including his former chief of staff. And they say based on behavior they have observed, they're concerned his mental health is getting worse. And they're questioning if he is fit to serve as a U.S. senator. He has defended himself and says he's in good health.
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How RFK Jr. has overhauled U.S. health care
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Also yesterday, Democratic Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii told The Wall Street Journal that he would block all of Trump's State Department nominees, effectively preventing Trump from installing his foreign policy team. Schatz said he'll delay those nominations from getting through until the administration's attack on foreign aid agencies ends.
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So how did USAID, which funds disaster relief, medical services, access to clean water and other programs around the world, become the focus of President Trump and Elon Musk's efforts to slash federal spending? Here's what Trump told reporters on the tarmac outside of Air Force One on Sunday.
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Foreign aid makes up a very small portion of the federal budget. In the 2023 fiscal year, USAID handled more than $40 billion. That's less than 1% of the federal budget. Musk has claimed without evidence that USAID is corrupt and wasteful.
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The agency does work that many say is essential and that for a long time people of both parties have taken pride in, like treating malnourished children in Sudan, working to eliminate polio in dozens of countries, reducing HIV rates, and providing beds, food, and other critical services to refugees of Russia's war in Ukraine.
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The Washington Post calls it the world's largest provider of food assistance. Democrats say the attack on USAID is a sign of just how much power Elon Musk is wielding in Washington. And they say Trump doesn't have the authority to shut it down on his own. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy spoke about this on Monday.
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But for people who have long followed Elon Musk, this feels like a familiar pattern. CNBC's Steve Kovach points out we saw Musk take a similar approach with his social media platform.
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More than 10,000 people work for USAID in over 100 countries, and they're just the latest targets in Trump's attack against American foreign aid programs. Last week, he also paused programs that provide heat and electricity for Ukrainian refugees and disease monitoring in Africa. ProPublica calls what we are seeing, quote, "...the most consequential and far-reaching shift in U.S.
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humanitarian policy since the Marshall Plan." And ProPublica recently wrote about the impossible position the freeze on foreign assistance is putting aid workers in on the ground.
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In Sudan, staffers at U.S.-funded medical facilities had to make the choice last week between caring for severely malnourished children or following orders to immediately stop their work and possibly let up to 100 babies and toddlers die. They chose to keep working. Let's talk tariffs. President Trump's promised 10% tariffs on Chinese goods went into effect overnight.
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Beijing responded with a number of retaliatory tariffs and restrictions on American goods and companies. This comes after Trump pulled back on his tariff threats against Canada and Mexico, our two biggest trading partners. Those tariffs are on pause for 30 days while mediators negotiate what should happen next. Canada and Mexico have already agreed to some concessions regarding border security.
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Trump's fixation on tariffs as a tool for economic growth and as a way to put pressure on other countries in negotiations has roots in some very interesting history. You'll often hear Trump invoke the name of the 25th president, William McKinley. Trump has praised McKinley many times, saying the country was prosperous under him because of tariffs he imposed.
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After Elon Musk's team entered USAID's headquarters over the weekend and announced his intentions to shut down the agency, staffers were told in a late-night email not to report into work on Monday. Then yesterday, workers showed up to find the lobby entrance was blocked by yellow tape. When some Democrats tried to enter the agency's headquarters, they were initially blocked by federal officers.
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The Washington Post spoke with historians about Trump's reverence for McKinley and his tariffs, and they say Trump's retelling of that chapter of history is not a complete picture. One explained that it's not accurate to say tariffs were the main reason for McKinley's good economic fortune because the U.S. economy was growing pretty steadily before, during, and after McKinley's time in office.
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One Federal Reserve estimate put growth at around 4 percent per year for decades before and after McKinley's term. There were other things going on during McKinley's presidency that fanned an already strong economy. Banks started loaning more money. Unrestricted immigration meant that cheap labor was readily available. And technological advancements like the telephone also played a role.
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While McKinley did work to pass a new tariff law raising average taxes on manufactured goods to nearly 50 percent when he served in Congress, the Post reports that the policy was pretty unpopular. American businesses reaped huge profits, but consumers were upset about rising prices. Newspaper articles from the time blamed the tariffs for the cost of clothing and other items.
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It's one of the reasons historians say Republicans lost midterm elections later the same year and the following presidential race. One big difference between McKinley and Trump, according to a historian and McKinley expert speaking to The Post, is that Trump appears to be using tariffs as a stick to make demands or threats against other countries.
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McKinley used them more as a carrot to incentivize other countries to mutually reduce tariffs. It was a big part of McKinley's reciprocity approach to trade policy. In McKinley's second term, he gave a speech about the need for reciprocal trade agreements, saying the United States can't, quote, forever sell everything and buy little or nothing. He also said the period of exclusiveness is past.
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Good morning. It's Tuesday, February 4th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why Trump keeps referencing the original tariff man president. How worried should we be about bird flu? And a critical meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. But first, it's been a dramatic few days at USAID, the U.S. Agency for International Development.
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Have you noticed the price of eggs is up again? That is, if you can find them. My grocery store was out of stock a few days ago. We're seeing this because of bird flu. In the past several weeks, across all 50 states, more than 13 million birds have been affected by it, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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And for a poultry rancher, even one case of bird flu can have devastating consequences. Here's Jess Craig, a fellow at Vox and former infectious disease epidemiologist.
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And to contain the spread of bird flu, any birds that have been exposed must be euthanized, which has been necessary for tens of millions of birds in recent years.
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How worried should you be about bird flu?
According to Vox, a carton of eggs has nearly doubled in price from on average about $2.50 a year ago to more than $4 now. But the bird flu scare is going beyond poultry farms. It's now infected cows, which is rare, and even people. There are dozens of current cases in the United States where a human caught bird flu from interacting with an animal, according to the CDC.
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And last month, a person in Louisiana with underlying health conditions died of bird flu after being exposed to chickens and birds, the first human death attributed to bird flu in the United States. So how worried should you be about bird flu?
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How worried should you be about bird flu?
Congressman Jamie Raskin was one of them. Here's what he told NPR.
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Craig told us there are some basic things we can all do to be vigilant and protect ourselves.
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How worried should you be about bird flu?
And the good news is most of us do these things anyway. 99% of the country's milk supply comes from farms that pasteurize milk, for example. And Craig says the USDA does a pretty good job keeping tabs on poultry farms and taking quick action when there's a sign of possible bird flu. But the agency is up against some major challenges. Craig reports that a lot of farmers are skeptical of bird flu.
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They think it's a hoax. Some don't trust the government, so they might not report cases if they occur. And other farmers, she says, won't allow veterinarians on site to check for disease. Still, Craig told us she doesn't think that people should panic about this, though there are a few things that she'll be watching closely to see if the risk level changes.
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Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Trump, becoming the first foreign leader to do so since Trump returned to office. NPR reports that there's a lot at stake in this meeting.
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Most immediately, how to proceed on the second part of the ceasefire deal to end Israel's war with Hamas and release all remaining hostages. Another topic that the Trump White House wants to broach is Israel opening diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia.
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A big obstacle to all of this are Netanyahu's allies in government at home in Israel, who want to see the war against Hamas continue and are threatening to bring down his government if he doesn't go on. In Spain, a trial is underway for Luis Rubiales, the former head of Spanish soccer, who forcibly kissed a female player after the team won the 2023 Women's World Cup.
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Jenny Hermoso, the player in question, said in court on Monday that the kiss, quote, Prosecutors are seeking a one-year prison sentence for sexual assault. They're also pushing for an additional year and a half on coercion charges. They're claiming Rubiales and three former colleagues tried to pressure Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual. Rubiales denies the allegations.
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Hermoso, who has faced death threats since speaking out, has since left Spain to play in Mexico. And finally, we are days away from the Super Bowl when the Kansas City Chiefs face the Philadelphia Eagles. And if the Chiefs bring it home, this would be their third championship win in a row, commonly known as a three-peat.
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But if they want to use that specific term, they might have to pay big bucks to an NBA legend. Former player, coach, and now minority owner of the Miami Heat, Pat Riley, owns the trademark of the term three-peat and several variations of it, meaning if anyone wants to make hats, shirts, or other memorabilia, they'll have to pay up.
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USA Today reports in the 90s, when the Chicago Bulls pulled off two separate three-peats, Riley profited pretty handily off of both occasions. In 1998 alone, he received nearly $600,000 in royalty fees. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
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Ahead of the Oscars, Vogue profiled best actor nominee Adrian Brody. And he told the magazine none of his previous roles pushed him to the extremes as much as working on The Brutalist did. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Now, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he's the acting administrator of the agency, even though USAID is an independent body and has been for 60 years. And he appeared to walk back plans for a full shutdown, saying the agency's functions should be overhauled.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
The neighborhood where Trump did the best in New York City was Corona, Queens, an area emblematic of those types of voters.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
Corona is part of the district represented by Congress member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She won reelection easily, but many voters split their ticket voting for her and for Trump. So why in a neighborhood like this are we seeing this huge shift from Biden four years ago to Trump today?
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
Van Zylenwood says many business owners and residents worried about things like crime, safety and prostitution being on the rise.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
He also visited neighborhoods in the Bronx where broader social issues pushed voters toward Trump. One voter told him he was concerned his kid's school leaned too heavily into LGBTQ activism and he wanted to find an Islamic school instead. Another was upset migrants get government assistance while his immigrant parents got nothing when they came to the U.S. undocumented.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
Van Zylen Wood says it's important to pay attention to New York because it could tell a much bigger story about what's happening nationally.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
Let's turn now to the ongoing issue of school shootings and the different ways schools are trying to combat it. Recent reporting from ProPublica and WPLN News in Nashville zooms in on Tennessee, where a new school threats law is having disproportionate consequences for kids with disabilities.
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In Hamilton County, Tennessee, on just the second day of the school year, a 13-year-old boy snuck a stuffed bunny into his backpack to show his friends. This reporting calls the boy Ty, though that's not his real name. Ty has autism, and that stuffed animal is his biggest comfort. He doesn't let anyone else touch it. ProPublica's Aaliyah Swaby told us what happened next.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
Ty's mother said when she got the phone call that her son was going to be arrested, it was her worst fear come true. Her son's autism had been mistaken for a threat. ProPublica has done several stories on this new state law that went into effect in Tennessee over the summer that requires anyone who makes a threat of mass violence at school be charged with a felony.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
And while it includes an exception for people with intellectual disabilities, some say that's not enough.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
But first, a look at just how much this country has shifted to the right since Trump's first term in office. According to a recent New York Times analysis, nearly 90 percent of counties in America moved to the right in this last election. It's a remarkable shift, with all 50 states moving some degree to the right. And one place where Trump made significant gains was deep blue New York City.
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In Hamilton County alone, in the first six weeks of this school year, 18 kids were arrested for making threats of mass violence. A third of them have disabilities, more than double the proportion of students with disabilities across the district.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
Advocates told ProPublica that they had told lawmakers the bill could be particularly harmful for kids who were prone to outbursts as a result of their disability. While some lawmakers indicated that they would be open to maybe making changes in an upcoming legislative session, WPLN's Paige Flager told us many see the law working as intended.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
As for Ty, his case ended up getting dismissed in juvenile court. The school stood by their actions and said they would follow the same protocol if it happened again. So his mother ended up transferring him out of that middle school. Swaby told us he hasn't fully processed the situation.
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Has Syria's long-running civil war been reignited? That's the question international observers are asking after rebel fighters launched an unexpected attack last week, capturing Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, and surrounding territory in the west and northwest of Syria. For years, Syria's civil war has been in a stalemate. But as CNN reports, rebel groups recently saw an opening.
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Syria's main allies are Russia and Iran, and both have been preoccupied with their own conflicts — Russia in Ukraine, Iran with Israel. That left Assad's leadership in Syria more exposed than he's been in many years. But the developments of the past week have drawn both allies back in. On Monday, Russian fighter jets hit several targets in rebel-held areas.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
Good morning. It's Tuesday, December 3rd. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how a boy who brought a stuffed bunny to school ended up in handcuffs, major new developments in Syria's years-long, somewhat dormant civil war, and a few ideas on how to give back on this Giving Tuesday.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
Iran, too, reaffirmed its support for Assad this week. Assad has vowed to fight until the rebels are defeated. As for the rebel fighters, it's a coalition of groups, the biggest being Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, also known as HTS. They've long played a role in the Syrian civil war and over the past decade or so have gone through several leadership changes.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
The United States designates them as a terrorist group, but NPR explains that in recent years, HTS has publicly disavowed international terrorism. Here's how NPR international correspondent Ruth Sherlock explained it.
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But, she says, there are many who are very fearful of what this could mean, especially those from religious minorities. CNN reports that the United States is watching this conflict closely and has a vested interest in what happens there. And that's because for years, Syria has been a proxy battlefield of sorts for competing world powers.
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Now, to be clear, Kamala Harris handily won both the city and the state overall. But Trump won 30 percent of votes cast in the city. That's seven points higher than in 2020 and the biggest share of votes won by a Republican in New York since 1988. And it's worth zooming in more to understand where those gains were coming from.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
Because of its geography, Syria is a frequent pathway to get weapons and money back and forth from Iran to Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. Israel, for example, will occasionally strike targets in Syria in an attempt to target Hezbollah and other Iran-backed militants. And the U.S. has 900 troops stationed in Syria as part of its ongoing campaign to defeat ISIS.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
During his first term, Trump said he was eager to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria, and he said he wanted to take out Assad altogether. Beth Sanner, national security analyst for CNN, says that for Trump in this next term, so much has changed.
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Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app. Today is Giving Tuesday, the biggest day for charitable fundraising in the world. Last year, $3.1 billion was raised here in the United States during the 24-hour period. The unofficial holiday started 12 years ago with a social hashtag, and it quickly took off.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
Last year, Vox wrote about the origins of this day and spoke with Asha Curran, the CEO of what has now become the Giving Tuesday organization. She said the day isn't just about charitable donations. It's about giving back in any way you can, from offering to buy someone's groceries, to volunteering your time, to leaving a generous tip.
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Aside from making the world a better place, studies show that giving back boosts happiness. In legal news, the Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguments in a case involving the marketing of fruit-flavored vaping products. The Washington Post calls this a major test case after years of battles between the vaping industry and the FDA.
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The FDA has denied the application of more than a million candy and other dessert-flavored e-cigarettes and liquids over the years, citing their addictive qualities among young people. Vaping companies say the FDA unfairly changed their standards. The Post reports yesterday the justices appeared sympathetic to the federal government's position.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
President-elect Donald Trump, meanwhile, says he will protect the vaping industry. And finally, some exciting news. Every year, the Apple Podcasts team recognizes one show that demonstrates quality and innovation in podcasting. This year, we are pleased to announce their pick for show of the year is Hysterical by Dan Taberski and produced by Odyssey's Pineapple Street Studios and Wondery.
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The show explores a real incident, what's considered a modern day case of mass hysteria. A group of teenage girls who all appear to develop a mysterious illness.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
Congratulations to the whole team at Hysterical. To check out the show for yourself, we've linked to it on our show notes page. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
Fortune takes a look at the Texas town of Baystrop, home to 12,000 people and more recently, several of Elon Musk's companies. In the three years since he set up shop in the small town, his companies have become some of the largest employers there. This article digs into both the excitement and anxiety among folks in the town about what might come next.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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He brought a stuffed animal to school. Then he was handcuffed.
Simon Van Zylen Wood is a features writer for New York Magazine, and he tracked Donald Trump's rising popularity in New York City after the election. Nationally, blue-collar voters of every ethnicity drifted right. And in particular, Trump was able to pick up a significant share of voters from families earning between $30,000 and $50,000 a year. Biden won those same voters by 13 points in 2020.
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According to The Cut, the woman in the Georgia case was taken to jail and released two days later on bond. This is believed to be the first time that officials in Georgia have tried to use a fetal personhood law to bring criminal charges. Here's Gonzalez-Ramirez again.
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In a sign of how Republicans in Georgia are thinking about the future of pregnancy, the state legislature recently held a hearing on a bill that makes abortion illegal from the moment of fertilization. It would also mean women who terminate their pregnancies could be charged with homicide and it could pose a major threat to in vitro fertilization.
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And while the cut explains that timing-wise, there's no chance the bill will pass before the end of this legislative session, Georgia already has some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. Opponents warn a measure like this will certainly make the problem far worse.
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Let's turn now to Wisconsin, where a local election has turned into something of a national political temperature check. Today, voters will decide if Brad Schimel or Susan Crawford will be elected to the state's Supreme Court. Currently, the balance on that court is 4-3 in favor of liberal-leaning justices.
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So this race could tip the ideological scale, which would impact rulings on issues like abortion and congressional district maps. But there's been a curveball thrown into the contest. Elon Musk and allied groups have spent an estimated $20 million in support of Schimel, making it the most expensive judicial race in history. Over the weekend, Musk traveled to Wisconsin.
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He put on a signature Green Bay cheesehead and described the stakes of the race as he sees it.
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Others have not put it in such terms, but national liberal groups have poured millions of dollars into the race as well. Patrick Marley, a national reporter for The Washington Post, explained the role the state's Supreme Court typically plays in a tightly divided partisan state like Wisconsin, with a Democratic governor and a Republican legislature.
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There's one other issue the court could take up soon that would be very personal for Elon Musk.
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This segment contains graphic descriptions of a miscarriage. Last month, a 24-year-old woman in Tifton, Georgia, was found unconscious and bleeding. She was transported to a hospital by paramedics who determined that she had miscarried.
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Part of Musk's efforts on Sunday involved giving two voters $1 million and paying other voters smaller sums if they signed a petition and provided their contact information, similar to what he did for November's election. Wisconsin's Democratic attorney general said that Musk was violating a state anti-bribery law.
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The state Supreme Court declined to take the case days before an election that would impact its very makeup. Marley told us voters in Wisconsin are hoping tomorrow's race is a bellwether of what's to come.
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In recent weeks, there have been multiple instances of Customs and Border Protection denying people entry to the U.S. after searching their devices. That includes a French scientist who French government officials say was turned away after a search of his phone revealed messages critical of Trump's cuts to research programs, and a Lebanese physician at Brown University with a valid U.S.
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visa who agents say had content on her phone sympathetic to Hezbollah.
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Gabby Del Valle is a reporter with The Verge covering immigration politics and border surveillance technology.
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We called up Del Valle to ask what travelers should know about their rights.
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Tips to protect the data on your phone at airports
Good morning. It's Tuesday, April 1st. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why Elon Musk is stumping for a state Supreme Court candidate in Wisconsin, what travelers should know about what border officials can access on your phone, and corporate April Fool's jokes that have failed spectacularly. But first, a warning.
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But instead of having the time to grieve the loss and recover from the trauma, police charged her with concealing the death of another person and abandonment of a dead body.
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CBP device searches have been pretty rare. Less than 0.01% of arriving international travelers had their electronics searched in the 2024 fiscal year. But the recent wave of headlines suggests things are shifting.
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Tips to protect the data on your phone at airports
In the past, the Supreme Court has found that cell phone searches that take place without a warrant violate the Fourth Amendment. But border searches are exempt, and airports, regardless of where they are geographically in the country, are considered to be border zones. which means the screenshots, memes, and messages on your phone are all fair game when you enter the country.
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And that's maybe the biggest piece of advice. Some courts have ruled that police and CBP can't force you to enter your password to unlock your phone, but they can use your biometric data like touch or face ID to unlock your phone.
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Tips to protect the data on your phone at airports
Del Valle spoke to an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which defends civil liberties in the digital space, for some tips to keep in mind when you travel. One, back up your phone and then delete whatever data you think you should before you travel. Then, once you're back home, you can restore data from the backup.
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Tips to protect the data on your phone at airports
They also suggest that you encrypt your devices, use secure passwords, disable face ID, and turn your phone off while crossing a border. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq capped off the worst quarter in years on the eve of President Trump's so-called Liberation Day for the economy, where a number of tariffs on global goods are set to go into effect.
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The S&P saw a 4.6 percent decline since the start of the year, the worst performance since 2022. The New York Times notes it's also the worst quarter for the S&P at the start of a presidential term since Barack Obama took office in 2009. The Nasdaq also ended the quarter down 10.4 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 1.3 percent on the year.
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In other news, the search continues for a fourth U.S. Army soldier who went missing in Lithuania last week after a U.S. armored vehicle became submerged in a bog. The bodies of three other American soldiers have been recovered. NBC News reports the Army soldiers were conducting a training exercise. Their mission was to repair and tow an immobilized vehicle when they went missing on March 25th.
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Muddy and swampy conditions complicated recovery efforts, but a Navy dive team was finally able to attach cables to hoist the vehicle after hours of diving in complete darkness. The soldiers, who are based out of Fort Stewart in Georgia, were not immediately identified. And finally, today is April Fool's Day.
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The Indianapolis Star has a roundup of April Fool's pranks that have gone spectacularly bad and backfired on companies who thought they might get a laugh. A radio station in Bakersfield, California, told a woman she had won a Hummer SUV, but when she showed up, they gave her a toy. She sued for the value of the vehicle.
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Andrea Gonzalez-Ramirez is a senior writer with New York magazine's The Cut.
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Similarly, a Hooters in Florida told one of their waitresses she had won a Toyota for selling the most beer on April 1st. The real prize was a toy Yoda, as in the character from Star Wars.
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And notably, Elon Musk in 2018 posted on then Twitter that Tesla was bankrupt, sending stocks sliding 5% after an already rough march for the company where bad news stories, recalls, and production issues had plagued the carmaker. That tweet was later revealed to be an April Fool's prank. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. New York Magazine examines why so many heterosexual women keep going back to men, even when they're so unhappy, and what the science says about whether we could ever learn to choose our partners differently.
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If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Tips to protect the data on your phone at airports
Pregnancy loss is very common. About one in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage. Some women might miscarry and not even realize it. In this specific case, the woman is not being charged for having a miscarriage, but for not properly disposing of the fetal remains, which were found in the dumpster of her apartment complex.
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A military helicopter and plane collided near D.C. What to know.
The DC CBS affiliate spoke with a man whose wife was on the plane from Wichita. He saw on social media that something was going on at the airport. He appeared to be in shock as he spoke about what was happening.
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A military helicopter and plane collided near D.C. What to know.
Also reported to be on the plane were a group of competitive figure skaters from the United States and Russia returning from a skate camp in Kansas, along with their families and coaches. President Trump was briefed on the situation. In a statement, he thanked the first responders and said of the victims, may God bless their souls.
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A military helicopter and plane collided near D.C. What to know.
Yesterday's crash happened on the first day of work for newly confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. He spoke in his confirmation hearings about keeping America's skies safe. In particular, he said he would address the shortage of air traffic controllers.
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A military helicopter and plane collided near D.C. What to know.
For some time now, air traffic controllers have been saying that they are stretched too thin and overall understaffed. The New York Times reports this is an issue that dates back to the early 1980s and the Reagan administration. Over the last 10 years, the number of fully trained controllers has dropped 10%, while airport traffic has increased 5%.
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A military helicopter and plane collided near D.C. What to know.
This area near Reagan National is one of the country's most complex airspaces, with domestic flights, military planes and other aircraft competing for space in close proximity. The Wall Street Journal reports the FAA began a review of its air traffic control operation weeks ago.
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A military helicopter and plane collided near D.C. What to know.
That wasn't made public, but the department confirmed to the journal it was hiring an independent expert panel to review potential improvements. Still, experts say flying remains incredibly safe. It's been 15 years since the last major fatal plane crash involving a U.S. airliner. In 2009, a plane traveling from New Jersey to Buffalo, New York, crashed into a house.
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A military helicopter and plane collided near D.C. What to know.
The confirmation hearing process continues today for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He's President Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy built a sizable following over the years by questioning evidence about the safety of vaccines and spreading a number of falsehoods.
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More recently, he's talked about his goals of eliminating ultra-processed foods from schools and finding the root cause of chronic diseases, ideas that have attracted a lot of bipartisan support. Whether senators confirm his nomination will likely hinge on whether he's able to convince them that he's more interested in making changes around those ideas than he is on vaccine policy.
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Yesterday, Kennedy testified that he will not dissuade Americans from using vaccines, and he confirmed on the record that his own kids are vaccinated, though he has also said he wishes he hadn't gotten them vaccinated. During yesterday's hearing, a lot of lawmakers honed in on his record of spreading misinformation.
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Colorado Democrat Michael Bennett read some of Kennedy's past false statements aloud.
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A military helicopter and plane collided near D.C. What to know.
But first, an American Airlines plane collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River just outside Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near D.C. last night. Authorities say the plane was a small commercial airliner coming from Wichita, Kansas, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. And the military helicopter had three people on board.
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A military helicopter and plane collided near D.C. What to know.
Whitehouse and Kennedy have a history together. They're both outdoorsmen and at one point hunted, hiked and rafted together while in law school at the University of Virginia. Kennedy, in the hearing, pledged to work with the senator if confirmed, but his old classmate didn't seem to think much of that promise.
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Another critical exchange happened with Republican Senator Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, who is himself a physician. He asked Kennedy about Medicare and Medicaid, including how HHS should care for beneficiaries who are eligible for both. Kennedy proposed integrating the programs in those cases.
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And when Cassidy asked him to expand on how he would do that, Kennedy incorrectly explained how the programs work.
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A military helicopter and plane collided near D.C. What to know.
Again, that is not true. Medicaid is jointly funded by states and the federal government. And throughout this exchange with Cassidy, Kennedy struggled to be specific about his plans. As Kennedy's confirmation hearing continues today, Cassidy will be a key person to keep watching. In fact, he's leading today's hearing in the Senate Health Committee.
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Cassidy had previously said that Kennedy was wrong in his stances on vaccinations, but the senator has not indicated how he will vote on Kennedy's nomination. As we've mentioned before, RFK Jr. is one of Trump's more controversial cabinet picks. Two other nominees who are under a lot of scrutiny will face questions from senators today, too.
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That's former Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard, who is Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence, and Kash Patel, who's been selected to lead the FBI. You can find more coverage on all of those hearings today in the Apple News app. Let's turn now to the fallout from President Trump's sweeping order to suspend federal aid, both domestic and foreign.
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Good morning. It's Thursday, January 30th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, RFK Jr. faces tough questioning in the Senate, where foreign aid stands after widespread confusion from Trump's federal funding freeze, and how a benefit concert for L.A. fire survivors came together in 48 hours.
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On Wednesday, the White House rescinded its order that appeared to freeze trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans. Yesterday, we talked a bit about how domestic services like Medicaid were initially impacted. Today, we'll focus on foreign aid. Nearly all U.S.
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foreign assistance, typically only about 1 percent of the federal budget, but still hundreds of billions of dollars, was put on pause Friday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, essentially sending out an immediate stop work order and a suspension of funds.
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A search effort involving local, state and federal authorities went into action overnight. But at a press conference this morning, D.C. 's fire and EMS chief John Donnelly said dozens of bodies had been recovered and it's believed there are no survivors.
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That's Alex Ward at The Wall Street Journal. He told us it's not unusual to see a new administration come in, examine government spending, and put it through a review process.
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A military helicopter and plane collided near D.C. What to know.
The U.S. is one of the biggest contributors to global aid organizations. In 2023, it was responsible for nearly a quarter of all aid provided by wealthy nations. Secretary Rubio revised the order this week, issuing a temporary waiver for some programs the government has deemed essential to saving lives. That includes groups involved with medical services, food, and shelter.
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A group that distributes life-saving HIV drugs, for example, was allowed to continue. The exemption does not include health care programs that provide abortions or gender-affirming care, even though medical experts say that can be lifesaving in some cases.
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Some humanitarian groups interviewed by CNN say even after what was supposed to be a clarifying memo from Rubio, it's been confusing to figure out if they're impacted. Many say the Trump administration has not officially told them if their work is covered by the exemption, so many are stuck in limbo.
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The longer this uncertainty continues, the more aid organizations are at risk of being forced to close permanently.
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A military helicopter and plane collided near D.C. What to know.
Humanitarian officials have warned of catastrophic consequences if Trump's administration does not move quickly in this decision. One told CNN if the suspension in aid services continues for even just a couple more weeks, thousands of lives are at risk. Here are a few other stories we're following today. President Trump signed a lot of executive orders in his first days in office.
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But just yesterday, he signed the first piece of legislation of his second term. The Lake and Riley Act passed with bipartisan support in the House and Senate and directs Homeland Security to detain and deport people who do not have legal status that have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting.
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The law is named after a young woman in Georgia who was killed by a Venezuelan man in the country without legal status. Her killer had previously been charged with shoplifting. Republican lawmakers said had such a law been in place, Riley's murderer would have been deported sooner and her death could have been prevented.
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In other news, former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in prison for bribery, conspiracy, extortion and obstruction of justice. Menendez was found guilty of accepting bribes in the form of gold bars, Mercedes and cash in exchange for his influence on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Menendez has maintained his innocence all along.
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When he left the courthouse, he blasted prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, the same office that prosecuted and convicted President Trump on 34 felony counts. He echoed Trump in calling his own trial a political witch hunt.
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Menendez says he will appeal. And finally, the Grammy Awards are this weekend, and festivities kick off tonight with a massive benefit concert for fire relief. The show will be five hours long and feature some of the music industry's biggest names from multiple generations.
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Billie Eilish, Peso Pluma, Joni Mitchell, and Stevie Wonder are just a few names performing at two shows split between venues in Englewood. The Wall Street Journal has a story on how the mega concert came together in just 48 hours. When music mogul Irving Azoff watched fires ravage Los Angeles, he thought a concert would be the best way to raise money for relief efforts.
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One phone call led to another. And before he knew it, A-list talent and powerful executives like L.A. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer were on board, signing up to be part of the show and help pay for it. Ticketmaster even waived its normal ticket fees. The concert will be streamed live, and every dollar spent by fans goes directly to fire relief.
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Video of the incident shows two aircraft from a distance colliding and a bright fireball lighting up the sky. All flights from Reagan National Airport were grounded and the airport remained closed in the morning. The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation to analyze the wreckage and understand what caused the crash.
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You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Staying with the fires in L.A., New York Magazine examines the challenges of rebuilding and why it's so much more than just reconstructing homes.
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If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
CNN notes that the 25 percent auto tariffs stay in place, as a different law had been used in that case. Yesterday, shortly before this news broke, President Trump took issue with a reporter asking for his reaction to a phrase coined by a Financial Times writer to describe Trump's tariff threats, followed by walkbacks. Taco Trade, an acronym short for Trump Always Chickens Out.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
And he defended his tariffs, describing them as crucial to his trade talks.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
The ruling last night raises big questions as to what happens to those plans to negotiate new trade agreements and what happens to the few trade deals that were already made. Now to a series of pardons recently announced or issued by President Trump that appear to have some similar themes. There's either money, personal connections or loyalty involved.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
Yesterday, we told you about the president's plans to pardon a couple made famous by reality TV, Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were found guilty of tax evasion, fraud and conspiring to swindle community banks of more than $30 million. They have denied the charges and were sentenced to a combined 19 years in federal prison.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
Both are Trump supporters, and so is their daughter Savannah, a social media influencer who campaigned on his behalf and spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2024. After Trump announced their pardon on Tuesday, Savannah thanked him on Instagram.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
Trump also pardoned Scott Jenkins, a longstanding supporter and former Virginia sheriff who was convicted of fraud and accepting over $75,000 in bribes. In exchange for those bribes, Jenkins appointed businessmen as deputy sheriffs without training them, according to prosecutors.
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He is now one of at least four former public officials who have supported Trump, been convicted of financial improprieties, and been pardoned. Jenkins was set to report to prison on Tuesday. He's denied any wrongdoing.
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And reporting from The New York Times revealed that Trump also recently pardoned a former nursing home executive who pleaded guilty to tax crimes just a few weeks after his mother went to a fundraising dinner for the president in April that cost $1 million per person to attend.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
Paul Walzak admitted that he withheld more than $10 million from the paychecks of nurses, doctors, and others who worked at his facilities under the pretext of using it for their Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes. He instead used some of that money to buy himself a yacht. Trump's pardon spared Walzak from having to serve any of his 18-month prison sentence.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
But first, a federal trade court has struck down President Trump's sweeping tariffs, ruling that he exceeded his legal authority. In a major setback to the administration's economic agenda, the three-person panel made up of Obama, Reagan and Trump appointees unanimously declared his use of an Emergency Powers Act did not give him the power to levy tariffs unilaterally.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
Now, it's not unusual for a president to issue pardons. Almost every president has, and some of their choices were controversial, like former President Biden pardoning his son Hunter, who was convicted on federal gun charges and pled guilty to tax evasion.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
But Liz Oyer, a former pardon attorney at the Department of Justice who was fired by the administration earlier this year, told PBS she's seeing something unusual in Trump's second-term approach.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
And she says this is a departure from how Trump handled pardons in his first term, where the profile and number of people he gave clemency was broadly in line with other presidents. even if some were high-profile people he had personal connections to, like Paul Manafort and Roger Stone.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
There are two people primarily supporting Trump's pardon efforts in this term. A newly appointed pardon czar named Alice Marie Johnson. She's in charge of recommending individuals for commutations. She herself was pardoned by Trump in his first term after serving 21 years in prison for cocaine trafficking. And Ed Martin has taken on the role of a pardon attorney at the DOJ.
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He's a Trump loyalist who The Wall Street Journal reports has been working to turn his office into a pipeline for political allies to get their cases in front of the president. Yesterday, news of high profile pardons continued. This time it was Michael Grimm, the former Republican congressman who was convicted of tax fraud in 2014 and served an eight month sentence.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
Let's turn to higher education, and specifically to Harvard, which has its commencement ceremony later today.
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Crowds of students and supporters filled Harvard's Science Center Plaza on Tuesday to protest the Trump administration's attempt to ban international students. The same day, the administration announced its plans to cancel another $100 million in federal funding to the university.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
Good morning. It's Thursday, May 29th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, the running theme among the people Trump is pardoning. As Harvard students graduate, its president speaks out. And Elon Musk hands in his special government employee pass.
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Yesterday, CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour delivered an address to students at Harvard's Kennedy School of Business and urged the audience to champion public service and defend the free expression of ideas.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
Before the latest funding cut, Trump had already cut $450 million in grants, frozen $2 billion in federal funding pending a lawsuit, and threatened to scrap the university's tax-exempt status. A judge has temporarily halted the attempt to block international students from attending the institution, but current and incoming students are left feeling confused and worried about what that means.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
The case was brought forward in Oregon by a group of small businesses and a coalition of states and was heard by a relatively obscure court, taking many by surprise in its announcement. A White House spokesperson said they would appeal the decision.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
The administration wants Harvard to agree to a list of demands, including admission policy overhauls and what they describe as audits of academic programs and staff. With an endowment of $53 billion, Harvard can afford to absorb some of these blows as the price for continued independence, but it remains a difficult position for Harvard's president, Alan Garber.
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He spoke to NPR's Morning Edition, which aired on Tuesday.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
In his interview, he acknowledged some of the criticism of Harvard, pointing to a recent internal report that conceded that anti-Semitism has infiltrated parts of academic and social life. But he said the university is taking steps to encourage a more respectful exchange of ideas and that this school year is ending more peacefully than the year before.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
He also said these attacks on higher ed institutions go beyond Harvard.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Elon Musk has announced he's officially leaving the Trump administration, telling ex-followers that the Doge mission will, quote, only strengthen over time. The move is not a complete surprise. As a so-called special government employee, Musk could only work for the administration for 130 days in a calendar year.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
And the end of May marks 130 days since inauguration. That said, the announcement comes only a day after Musk criticized Republicans' upcoming tax and spending bill in an interview with CBS.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
The ruling puts at least a temporary halt to most of the recently announced tariffs, although many of the most eye-catching moves had already been paused or dramatically scaled back. It means an end to the 30% tariffs on China, the 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada, and the across-the-board 10% tariffs for all nations.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
Musk will return to his various companies, including Tesla, which he promised he would devote more time to. Yesterday, data revealed sales of the car had tumbled by nearly 50 percent in Europe. In international news, Israel says it has killed Hamas's leader, Mohamed Sinwar, in a targeted attack on a hospital.
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Sinwar was the younger brother of deceased leader and mastermind of the October 7, 2023 attack, Yahya Sinwar. Hamas has yet to confirm his death, which Netanyahu announced in parliament on Tuesday. Israel regarded Sinwar as just as hardline as his brother.
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Two weeks ago, the Israel Defense Forces carried out a massive strike on a European-run hospital a day after Hamas released Israeli-American soldier Idan Alexander. The strike killed 28 people, the Gaza health ministry said at the time. And finally, in Turkey, airlines are fighting back against impatient customers. Those flying Turkish airlines will be fined nearly 70 U.S.
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dollars if they stand up before the seatbelt sign is turned off. A Turkish aviation official issued a note declaring the behavior poses a risk to passenger and baggage safety and security, along with affecting the satisfaction and exit priority of others. So if you're someone who has long been bothered by this breach of plane etiquette but held your tongue, rejoice.
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At least on Turkish Airlines, someone else will be doing the enforcing for you. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Scientific American traveled to the Arctic to follow one startup company's efforts to geoengineer and refreeze the sea ice above the Arctic Circle.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Why a court just struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs
Trump had argued that the country was facing a national emergency due to a persistent trade deficit, which he said justified the decision to act without Congress. Ryan Goodman is the editor of Just Security, a nonpartisan website that analyzes legal cases focused on democracy. He spoke to CNN following the news.
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The administration has announced plans to eliminate thousands of jobs at the agency, close offices, and eliminate the ability for people to file claims by phone. They initially planned to require all claims be filed either in person or online, but they partially walked back that plan after media organizations started reporting on it.
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How Social Security is changing
Still, The Washington Post reports that the Social Security website has been so overloaded that it crashed at least four times this month. And staffing at the agency has already gotten so low, some offices are struggling to handle the influx of calls. Some callers report being on hold for four or five hours.
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How Social Security is changing
One reason why Musk is so focused on cuts at Social Security is because the agency accounts for about 20 percent of all federal spending. But Washington Post reporter Todd Frankel told us some of the moves the Doge team has made will actually make it more difficult to root out potential fraud.
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How Social Security is changing
Frankel says Social Security is one of the most scrutinized and audited agencies in government.
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How Social Security is changing
Social Security is also subject to frequent probes by its Office of Inspector General, which has 500 people on staff. It pays outside auditors to examine its books. Congress regularly questions agency officials. And government watchdogs have not found fraud anywhere close to the level Musk has claimed exists.
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Frankel reports that the changes to Social Security, both ones that have been considered and those that have been enacted, threaten to disrupt the agency's ability to serve the public. And Social Security is popular among Americans. In fact, an AP-NORC poll earlier this year said two-thirds of Americans think the government is spending too little on Social Security.
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President Trump is threatening and in some cases sanctioning some of the most powerful law firms in the country, firms whose lawyers have challenged him or his administration. Legal scholars are calling this an unprecedented series of actions by a U.S. administration against the legal establishment.
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In a series of recent executive orders, Trump revoked security clearances for a number of lawyers at the firm Covington & Burling, who did work for former special counsel Jack Smith. Trump also took away security clearance for the firm Perkins Coie. Two lawyers who used to work there did opposition research for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign.
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The president issued a similar order against the firm Paul Weiss, which had employed a lawyer who spent several years trying to build a criminal case against Trump in Manhattan.
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And the president has directed his attorney general, Pam Bondi, to launch a broad review of attorneys involved in litigation against the government over the last eight years so he can decide if he wants to levy more penalties on other firms. The Wall Street Journal reports that more than a dozen law firms have been identified as possible future targets.
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National legal affairs reporter Erin Mulvaney told us these moves have shocked the legal industry and are intimidating high-profile firms.
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How Social Security is changing
Trump's orders aim to strip these law firms of their business by banning lawyers from government buildings and barring companies that have federal contracts from employing these firms.
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How Social Security is changing
It's rare, but sometimes Social Security overpays someone. It can happen if there's been a miscalculation or if that person didn't update their income. In the past, the agency would withhold 10% of that person's future benefits until they paid back the overpayment. But starting today, the agency will take 100% of future benefits until the overpayment has been corrected.
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Some of the firms named in Trump's orders are losing clients who say they're afraid of being affiliated with a firm he's targeting. Some places like Perkins Coie have sued the administration. A judge issued a temporary restraining order in their case, and the Trump administration is now seeking to remove the judge from that case.
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Meanwhile, the firm Paul Weiss decided they would make concessions and agreed to provide $40 million in pro bono work on issues that Trump says support the administration's initiatives. In return, the president rescinded his executive order targeting Paul Weiss. But Mulvaney reports a number of firms are split on whether they would take a similar deal if targeted or fight back in court.
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Yet another firm was targeted on Tuesday because it had employed a lawyer who worked with special counsel Robert Mueller, who previously investigated Trump during his first administration. The Washington Post reports the effects of the crackdown are just starting to be felt. Some Biden-era officials told the Post they're having trouble finding lawyers willing to defend them.
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How Social Security is changing
And some small nonprofits poised to challenge the Trump administration say the well-resourced law firms that they might have turned to for backing are now steering clear. Yesterday, public media went to Washington to defend itself against calls to defund it. A subcommittee in the House led by Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene called on the CEOs of NPR and PBS to testify.
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How Social Security is changing
Greene claimed their programming is biased toward the political left and doesn't represent the views of the majority of Americans. The executives of PBS and NPR rejected claims of bias, saying the networks are a crucial source of accurate information for millions in the U.S., particularly in rural areas where people rely on access to emergency broadcasts.
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How Social Security is changing
Good morning. It's Thursday, March 27th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Trump targets law firms that have challenged him, how calls to defund PBS fit into this administration's escalating attacks on the press, and are robot umpires ready for the big leagues? But first, a new Social Security policy goes into effect today.
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The funding bill passed by Congress earlier this month approved funds for public broadcasting through 2027. This is, in some ways, a very old story. Congressional Republicans have tried and failed to cut funding to public broadcasters several times in recent decades.
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How Social Security is changing
That's CNN chief media correspondent Brian Stelter.
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How Social Security is changing
Stelter told us there's already a noticeable difference in how Trump is positioning himself against news and public media. In the first term, it was more about words, insulting the press, trying to discredit them.
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How Social Security is changing
Let's quickly recap some of what's happened so far. The administration is trying to shut down Voice of America, an outlet that provides news to hundreds of millions of people worldwide, including in countries where governments censor information. That move is being challenged in court.
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How Social Security is changing
The administration has banned the AP from covering White House events after it chose to continue using Gulf of Mexico as its preferred terminology instead of Trump's name, Gulf of America. In other cases, the White House has made moves to limit access. The Defense Department removed several outlets, including NPR, NBC, Politico and CNN, from their workspaces at the Pentagon.
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How Social Security is changing
A 2024 internal audit found overpayments accounted for less than 1% of all benefits paid between the 2015 and 2022 fiscal years, about $72 billion. Two-thirds of that money was eventually recovered. For context, Social Security distributes close to $1.6 trillion in benefits every year. It's also important to note Social Security is paid for by Americans through a dedicated payroll tax.
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How Social Security is changing
The White House broke from protocol and took control of the press pool, which is responsible for following the president almost everywhere he goes and distributing information to other media outlets. The White House instead filled the pool and the press briefing room with outlets that are more friendly to Trump. Stelter told us all of this appears to be a multi-pronged attack on the media.
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Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. President Trump Wednesday announced steep tariffs for the auto industry. A 25 percent tariff will be levied on all cars and some auto parts imported to the U.S. starting April 3rd. The White House says the move will spur domestic production. Carmakers, however, might feel the squeeze since they rely on a global supply chain.
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Earlier reciprocal tariffs announced by Trump on goods worldwide are also expected to go into effect on April 2nd. The latest college student to be detained by U.S. immigration authorities is 30-year-old Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University here legally on a student visa.
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How Social Security is changing
Footage of her arrest was captured by a nearby security camera, and it shows her being startled then led away by masked plainclothes officers. U.S. officials say Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, which is grounds for terminating her visa. Ostark had voiced support for Palestinians in an op-ed piece last year that criticized Tufts' response to the conflict.
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How Social Security is changing
Her lawyer called her arrest unlawful and quickly filed suit. A district judge ordered she be kept in Massachusetts for at least 48 hours. Though the New York Times reports, ICE records show a person with her name was being held in a Louisiana detention center on Wednesday. And finally, today is opening day for Major League Baseball.
Apple News Today
How Social Security is changing
One thing that's getting left behind in spring training but could still play a role in baseball's future, robot umpires. The technology allows batters to challenge balls and strikes. So far, it's had some mixed reviews among players. It's only been tested. The robots spent a few years in the minor leagues. The system isn't quite ready for the big leagues and won't be used in any games this season.
Apple News Today
How Social Security is changing
But The Athletic reports it could be a reality one day. And for all you baseball fans listening, don't forget Friday Night Baseball, a weekly doubleheader on Apple TV+. We'll be back starting tomorrow for the 2025 regular season. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
Apple News Today
How Social Security is changing
Let's stay with baseball. Caitlin Tiffany writes for The Atlantic about her love of the game, her experience at a women's fantasy camp where she got to play in a professional facility, and how the sport historically has not opened its doors to women in the same way other sports have. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story.
Apple News Today
How Social Security is changing
This is just one of many changes President Trump and Elon Musk have made to Social Security in the past few weeks. And in spite of what internal audits like the one I just mentioned have shown, Trump and Musk claim the benefits system, which serves over 70 million retired people, is plagued by waste and fraud.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
Hey there, it's Shamitha. I've got a quick request for you. If Apple News Today is an essential part of your morning routine, follow the show in Apple Podcasts. And if you have another 30 seconds, leave us a rating and review too. It helps other people find our show and it helps us know what you like about it. Thanks. Good morning. It's Thursday, February 27th. I'm Shamita Basu.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
Even with these recent incidents, the risk of a plane crash is at a 60-year low, Campbell says. And thousands of flights take off and land every day without issue.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
Another thing to keep in mind, none of these recent crashes happened for the exact same reason. There were a mix of factors involved, which experts told Campbell indicate there is no single vulnerability in the air travel system that we should be worried about.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
That said, Campbell reports that our aviation safety system is pretty frail at the moment, and there are clear areas where it can be improved. The COVID-19 pandemic caused travel to come to a standstill, which pushed a number of pilots, mechanics and flight attendants to retire early. And airlines have struggled to refill those roles. The nation's air traffic control system is under stress, too.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
And at the Federal Aviation Administration, the Trump administration recently laid off 400 employees, including mechanics, flight operations specialists, and aviation safety assistants. Trump administration officials said none were critical safety personnel. But this comes at a time when aviation experts are saying the FAA really needs more funding to shore up its staff and systems.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has asked Elon Musk and SpaceX to help evaluate and update FAA systems, and Wired reports that a number of SpaceX engineers are already working at the FAA. Campbell says some type of public-private partnership like this could be very promising.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
This is Apple News Today. On today's show, the Supreme Court weighs in on reverse discrimination, migrants detained by the Trump administration at Guantanamo share what they experienced, and one way to counteract the egg shortage. But first, there have been a bunch of worrying headlines about air travel lately.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
Aviation safety experts told Campbell, in Canada, a private nonprofit controls airspace, and it now has one of the best-run and most modern systems in the world. Let's turn now to the Supreme Court, which heard arguments yesterday in a case that could change discrimination claims in the workplace.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
It's being brought by a woman who claims that because she's straight, she experienced reverse discrimination. The plaintiff, Marlene Ames, filed a lawsuit against her employer, the Ohio Department of Youth Services, after losing two positions to people who are gay.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
In one scenario, Ames claimed she was passed over for a management role, which was given to a gay woman who Ames said was less qualified. The New York Times reports this woman did not have a college degree, as Ames did, and had not worked at the company for as long as she had.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
In the other scenario, Ames was removed from her job as an administrator and demoted, and her position was given to a younger gay man. Her employer has denied the accusations of bias in court filings. Lawrence Hurley, a senior Supreme Court reporter at NBC News, told us the court isn't being asked to weigh in on whether bias did or didn't happen.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
Ames and her attorney say they want to level the playing field in the workplace. And in oral arguments yesterday, the justices appeared to agree that Ames should be allowed to pursue her claim, which was struck down in lower courts, including the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
The court is considering this case two years after it struck down race-conscious college admissions practices and in a political environment where diversity, equity and inclusion programs are being targeted at the urging of President Trump. America First Legal, a conservative law firm founded by Trump aide Stephen Miller, asked the justices to side with Ames.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
And Hurley told us the Biden administration had also submitted a letter to the court agreeing that the higher standard for majority groups established in lower courts was unequal. So Ames has a politically diverse range of voices backing her cause.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund has said it's important to consider the history of discrimination against minority groups and that discrimination against majority groups is quite rare. But legal experts say the court might decide that eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating it equally for all groups, which would invite a wave of change to laws governing the workplace.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
Please be advised this next story mentions suicide. In the early weeks of the Trump administration, nearly 180 migrants were sent to Guantanamo, the U.S. naval base in Cuba, where some were put in a military prison intended to be used for suspected terrorists affiliated with September 11th.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
At the time, very little was known about who these people were or the crimes the Trump administration accused them of committing. The administration still has not provided that information, but they've described these migrants as, quote, And now that most people from the first wave of Guantanamo detainees have been deported, we're starting to hear their accounts of what it was like there.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
The Washington Post recently connected with three men who were held at Guantanamo. All of them crossed the U.S. border illegally, but the Post couldn't find any other criminal records on file. They shared their stories with reporter Sylvia Foster-Frau.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
They told Foster Frau during their two weeks at Guantanamo they were allowed to go outside for a total of two hours, shackled and placed in what one man described as a cage. Diovar Uskutegi said from his windowless cell inside the prison, he used a Bible to keep track of how much time had passed.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
Four commercial jets have crashed in the last 10 weeks, with close to 300 fatalities between them. There have been several private airplane crashes with fatalities in recent weeks, too.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
Uzcategui told Foster Frau the detainees were largely kept separate from each other. He overheard people threatening suicide. One man interviewed by the Post attempted it, and the other two said they considered it.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
A senior attorney at the ACLU told the Post that the conditions detainees at Guantanamo have described are, quote, more restrictive, more severe and more abusive than a typical immigration detention facility in the United States.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
The Defense Department, which manages the military prison at Guantanamo, and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to the Post's questions about the treatment of people detained there.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
When the Trump administration transferred migrants at Guantanamo to Venezuela last week, the men interviewed by The Post were reunited with their families, who have spent the last few weeks worried about their safety. Uzcategui said he's haunted by the memories of what he experienced, but he left Venezuela for a reason, to flee the government there and make ends meet for his family.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
Then this week, two planes nearly collided at Chicago Midway Airport, and a flight to South Carolina was forced to return to Atlanta when the cabin filled with smoke, forcing passengers to evacuate when the plane landed at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. Many people want to know, is it safe to fly right now? And do these recent crashes and near misses indicate it's less safe to fly than it was before?
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
And he ultimately hopes to return to the U.S. legally. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. The Supreme Court temporarily paused a lower court's order that would have required the Trump administration to release nearly $2 billion in frozen foreign aid funding by midnight last night.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
The emergency order from the high court requested by the Trump administration came just hours before the midnight deadline. Chief Justice John Roberts directed the parties in the case to file responses by noon on Friday and as the court seeks more information about the case and decides what to do next.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
Meanwhile, the Trump administration also said late Wednesday it would eliminate 90 percent of USAID's foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world, giving a sense of scope to the president's plans for reshaping U.S. foreign aid. Health officials in Texas say a child is the first confirmed death as a result of the state's measles outbreak.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
The Houston Chronicle reports the child was not vaccinated against measles. As of Tuesday, the number of measles cases was 124 across nine counties. This is Texas's largest outbreak of the disease in 30 years, and it's spread across the border to New Mexico, where nine cases have been confirmed. School-aged kids account for 101 of the 124 cases in Texas.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
The Chronicle says of those, only five had received the measles vaccine. And in an effort to lower egg prices and combat the bird flu, U.S. officials are looking to import eggs. The Department of Agriculture said they will also slow egg exports. USA Today reports Turkey, which is one of the world's largest egg exporters, will increase egg shipments to the U.S.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
from about 70 million to 420 million this year. In addition to increasing imports, the department is also upping spending on biosecurity to help egg-laying farms as well as exploring flu vaccines for chickens. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
The New Yorker examines what happens if birth rates continue to fall around the world. Zooming in on South Korea as an example, where last year strollers for dogs outsold those for babies. One village last registered a birth during the Olympics in 1988. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Yes, it’s safe to fly. So why have there been so many crashes?
So we called up aviation safety reporter Daryl Campbell with The Verge, and he acknowledged seeing so many incidents within a short amount of time is really unusual. Four commercial airline crashes in roughly two months is the largest concentration of crashes we've seen since 2019. But when you look at the bigger picture, Campbell told us the statistics tell a more comforting story.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
A number of countries tightened their travel advisories as a result, warning travelers to, quote, expect scrutiny and comply with U.S. rules or face detention. But for some tourists, the risks of traveling here just don't feel worth it.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
In a recent survey by the travel news site Skift, nearly half of the people who responded across five different countries said they're less inclined to visit the U.S. right now, and 60 percent cited fear and anger for why they've canceled travel plans. Skift's editor-in-chief, Sarah Coppett, told CNN a lot of the hesitation seems to center on Trump.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
As the CEO of one hotel giant put it to Bloomberg, there's a lot of, quote, bad buzz around the U.S. right now. International travelers spent over $250 billion in the U.S. last year, and their vacation choices can make or break entire industries. Goldman Sachs estimates that in a worst-case scenario, reduced inbound travel and boycotts on U.S.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
goods could lead to almost $90 billion in lost revenue. And a handful of states will feel it the most, like Florida, California, New York, and Nevada. Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, recently expressed her frustration about this in a hearing on Trump's tariff policy with Trade Representative Jameson Greer.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
Forecasters had initially hoped that inbound travel to the U.S. would return to pre-pandemic levels by 2026. But at this point, they say that seems unlikely. People around the world are mourning the loss of Pope Francis. Tens of thousands of mourners have gathered in Vatican City in recent days to pay their respects.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
And there was such a strong turnout that the Vatican kept the doors open through the night last night at St. Peter's Basilica. His final days were consistent with how he has spent his years in the papacy, in service, pastoring, giving blessings, and calling for peace. Francis had only recently gotten out of the hospital, where he spent 38 days battling a severe case of pneumonia.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
His doctors said they weren't sure he was going to survive. And when he was released in late March, they urged him to remain isolated in his residence for at least two months. But Joshua McElwee, the Vatican correspondent for Reuters, told the Reuters Econ World podcast that Francis was eager to return to his normal activities.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
So he chose to resume some of his duties. He greeted Catholics who gathered in St. Peter's Square on Palm Sunday. On Holy Thursday, he went to a nearby prison to meet people there and told them he was praying for them and their families. Days later, he prayed in front of the main altar at St. Peter's Basilica. And on Easter Sunday, he briefly met Vice President J.D.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
Vance, and he greeted the crowds of people who gathered in St. Peter's Square to celebrate the holiday. And through one of his archbishops, he delivered his final Easter blessing, where he repeated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza. That sermon was his final address to the public.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
Pope Francis had been outspoken in his opposition to Israel's war in Gaza and repeatedly denounced the humanitarian crisis for Palestinians in the region. In fact, The Wall Street Journal reports he maintained a near daily routine over the past 18 months of war. making regular calls to the only Catholic church in Gaza.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
That's the Holy Family Church, where roughly 450 Palestinian Christians have sought refuge. Each time he called, one of the first questions he would ask was, what did you eat today? A parishioner at the church told the Wall Street Journal that his calls always made them feel less alone.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
And Father Gabriel Romanelli told CBC News that the Pope's calls were a source of hope, particularly early in the war.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
In his final phone call to the church on Saturday, Francis told the parish he was praying for them, and he told them he needed their prayers. His funeral is on Saturday, and more than 170 heads of state or government are expected to attend, including President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and the president of Francis' native country, Argentina.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
The number of tourists arriving in March fell by nearly 12 percent compared to March of last year, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office. We're seeing fewer tourists from Canada, Mexico, Central America and Europe. This was not expected. In fact, just last month, officials were predicting an increase in international travel this year.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
He will be the first pope in over a century to be buried outside of the Vatican. He asked to be buried at the papal basilica of St. Mary Major, just a few miles away, writing in the instructions for his burial that he had always entrusted himself to the Virgin Mary. He requested a simple tomb, with a one-word inscription, Franciscus.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
And in roughly two weeks, the process for choosing a new pope, known as Conclave, will begin. Papal analysts expect that Francis' influence will be heavily felt in that process, in large part because four out of every five votes in conclave will be cast by cardinals he elevated. Tonight is the NFL Draft, the league's marquee event of the offseason.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
And if you're into it, you can, in some places, bet on who might be the number one pick and other things. The draft is a unique event to gamble on. Some bookmakers even call it a nightmare. That's because unlike winners being decided on the field, there's a chance that someone knows the outcome of the draft before it happens.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
And that brings us to our next story from The Athletic about a major scandal in the world of sports betting and what it says about this increasingly popular and lucrative industry. The Athletic looks at this sprawling federal investigation into a high-profile incident of match fixing in the NBA.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
Good morning. It's Thursday, April 24th. I'm Shemita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how Pope Francis spent his last days, a major sports betting scandal, and how the wealthiest people in the country got even richer last year. But first, more and more international tourists appear to be turning their backs on the idea of a vacation in the United States.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
Mike Vorkanoff, a national basketball business reporter for The Athletic, told us it all started when sports betting monitors noticed some unusual betting activity around Jonte Porter, a little-known center who at the time was playing for the Toronto Raptors. He worked with several co-conspirators to make sure they would bet on certain outcomes.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
Now, he couldn't fix entire games, but he could control his own stats.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
And we're not talking about small sums of money on the line here. According to government filings, one wager was more than $100,000, which would have resulted in a payout of more than $1 million. The FBI was notified, Porter was banned from the NBA, and he and three other people have pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
And since then, the scope of the federal investigation has expanded into college sports as well. Five schools are being investigated by the federal government for their possible ties to the scheme. And Vorkunov reports that at least seven schools are believed to have drawn attention from the NCAA. Now, match fixing has always been a part of sports.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
The Washington Post spoke to travel experts who pointed to a few reasons for the slump. President Trump's tariff policy has inflamed international tensions. And under his immigration policy, a number of foreign-born tourists have been detained, some even locked up for weeks. A German tourist spent more than six weeks in detention. An actor from Canada spent around two weeks in detention.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
But with sports gambling now legal in 38 states plus Washington, D.C., Vorkunov points out that various regulators, sportsbooks, and professional leagues are better equipped to catch when potential fixing is going on. And Vorkunov says the investigation into the Porter scheme has posed a really vexing question.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Ukrainian officials say an overnight Russian attack on Kyiv killed at least nine people and injured dozens, calling it the biggest attack on the Ukrainian capital this year. This comes as negotiations to end the war in Ukraine have reached a serious point of contention.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
Yesterday, President Trump expressed frustration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over his rejection of a U.S. proposed peace plan. A U.S. delegation that included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff abruptly canceled a meeting in London that was seen as a make-or-break moment in talks.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
Zelensky rejected the administration's plan that would see Washington recognize Russian sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula, a Ukrainian territory that Russia has occupied since 2014. In recent days, the U.S. has threatened to walk away from the process altogether, as Ukraine sees the currently proposed deal as too favorable to Russia.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
Staying with the Trump administration and an interesting 48 hours regarding the economy, on Monday, the CEOs of big box retailers, including Walmart and Target, privately warned the president that while prices remain steady for now, his tariff policy could eventually cause prices to go up, shelves to empty, and supply chains to be disrupted.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
That's when Trump started to turn the dial down, indicating tariffs on China would be lower than the current 145%. And acting on the advice of the Treasury and Commerce Secretaries Tuesday, Trump began backing down on his threats to fire Federal Reserve Chief Jerome Powell. Markets rallied and the dollar surged as a result of Trump's shifting messages.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
Axios notes, however, this all comes as polls show for the first time in Trump's political life, most voters disapprove of his handling of the economy. And finally, last year, the rich got richer by a whole lot. The Wall Street Journal reports $1 trillion of wealth was created in 2024 for the 19 wealthiest American households. That's more than the value of Switzerland's entire economy.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
It's the biggest one-year increase in wealth for these households. Surging stock prices in 2024, coupled with already sizable gains in 2023, supercharged wealth creation for this very small group. The Journal notes, despite those figures, it's very volatile.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
And that's because so much of this money is tied up in stocks, meaning as President Trump's trade war continues, some of this net worth can swing by billions a day. The richest people in the country now control a record share of American wealth. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Mother Jones has the story of how one of the country's biggest for-profit hospital companies, Stewart Healthcare, is bankrupt and responsible for countless mistreated patients, all because of the system's private equity owners.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
She recounted the experience for NPR.
Apple News Today
Their travel generates billions for the U.S. They’re rethinking their plans.
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
The House did pass a bill yesterday that would allow ICE to detain undocumented migrants accused of theft-related crimes. Immigrant rights groups and some Democrats say this would effectively take away the right to due process for undocumented immigrants accused of a crime. Others support the bill, with 46 Democrats joining Republicans in passing it.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
But what comes next on the agenda is an open question at the moment. Republicans in Congress want to do a whole host of things, including approving more border security funding, repealing some Biden-era clean energy grants and extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts. But Kapoor explained that for now, at least, there's no real consensus on how to proceed.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
Timing is a big part of the challenge. Republicans are keenly aware that there is a narrow window for action before the next midterm elections, when they could potentially lose both majorities. And presidents often have a brief honeymoon period when they first take office to use political capital before public approval can change.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
For now, Kapoor says that Trump is really only worried about what he wants to happen, not how it'll get done.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
Back in 2017, a week into President Trump's first term in office, he issued an executive order barring people from a number of Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. People stepping off international flights in the United States were detained and sent back home, visas were canceled, protests broke out.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
The American Civil Liberties Union filed the first lawsuit against the ban and successfully blocked it. The organization's membership numbers skyrocketed and money came pouring in. In the lead up to Trump's second term in office, Laura Casisto, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, found a very different kind of political reality.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
What's more is that the judicial landscape has changed. And Cassisto said there is an expectation that lawyers involved in drafting and defending executive orders this time around won't make as many mistakes. None of this is to say that the ACLU intends to back down. In fact, they've already filed a suit challenging Trump's executive order that seeks to end birthright citizenship.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
And, Casisto said this time around, a big focus for the ACLU has been on local efforts to provide legal protection for people who may be subject to promised immigration raids at their workplaces, for example.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
But first, President Trump has issued a flurry of executive orders in his first few days in office, touching everything from immigration to international trade to transgender rights and more. It can give the impression, as the early days of many administrations do, that a president alone can run the government by signing orders behind a desk. That, of course, isn't true.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
the public perception of the ACLU might be at stake as well. Critics say the organization has shifted from one that protected free speech and civil rights, no matter what party was affiliated with a given policy, to a more left-aligned outfit.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
New York Magazine writes about this tension as well. The magazine is out with a story about a small group of people formerly aligned with the ACLU who are critical of its current approach. They cite the 2017 Charlottesville rally as a turning point. At the time, the ACLU successfully defended white nationalists' right to hold a rally in a downtown park.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
But when the rally happened and turned violent, injuring dozens of people and killing one counter-protester, Heather Heyer, the mood inside the organization shifted. According to New York Mag, about 200 ACLU staff members signed an open letter to the organization demanding the ACLU take into account the impact of their positions on marginalized communities.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
Now to Los Angeles, where a new fire broke out yesterday. The Hughes Fire spread quickly near Castaic, just northwest of downtown, prompting new evacuation orders for tens of thousands of people in surrounding areas.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
But as firefighters continue to battle this and other wildfires still blazing, there's a growing question around how the city's main economic engine, Hollywood, should proceed with awards season. The Grammys are just over a week away. Oscar nominations drop today. Washington Post culture reporter Jada Yuan told us about how these conversations are playing out.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
Good morning. It's Thursday, January 23rd. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how the ACLU is gearing up for the next four years under Trump. The case for awards season to go on amid the L.A. fires. And drama between the players and the media at the Australian Open.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
At the same time, it's not as simple as canceling all of these ceremonies out of respect for fire victims. Awards shows are a huge source of income for many people in L.A., from production staff to event planners, caterers, drivers, stylists, and so many others who are connected to the entertainment world.
Apple News Today
Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
So Yuan says there are real concerns that canceling the awards could make the economic impact of the fires worse for people who are already suffering.
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Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
And President Trump will need Congress to move much of his agenda forward. Republicans seem ready to do that. But with a very narrow majority in the House and a growing rift between GOP leadership in both chambers, there's likely to be some internal party tension around how to achieve Trump's policy goals.
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Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
There's tourism revenue to consider too. These shows typically attract a lot of travelers who make reservations at hotels and restaurants and visit local businesses. Hotels in L.A. have been offering space to fire evacuees in recent weeks, and there are questions around the ethics of out-of-towners potentially taking away a room from someone in need. The president of the Hotel Association in L.A.
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told Page Six she believes they have enough capacity to accommodate everyone. So for now, the Grammys and the Oscars and other awards are scheduled to carry on. But viewers will notice some changes. Organizers plan to raise money for wildfire relief at the Grammys on February 2nd. And Yuan told us the Oscars, which happen in early March, may follow that model.
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A few other stories we're watching today. It's strange to see a sign that reads Welcome to Florida covered in snow, but that's exactly what some areas in the South look like right now. A major winter storm slammed parts of the Deep South and Gulf Coast, causing widespread travel disruptions, school closures and power outages. The weather is being blamed for the deaths of 10 people.
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New Orleans got eight inches of snow, not only a record for the city, but as CNN notes, that's more snow than Anchorage, Alaska has gotten this month. Winter weather is expected to continue in those areas. NBC News reports many communities on the Gulf Coast lack the right equipment, like snow plows, to deal with this type of weather, meaning disruptions are likely to go on for days.
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On the other side of the globe, where it's the dead of summer, Australia is in the midst of their tennis major, the Australian Open. And this year there's been some drama between the players and the media. It started when a television commentator made disparaging remarks about Serbian tennis fans.
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That resulted in one of the world's top players, Novak Djokovic, who is Serbian, refusing to speak with the broadcaster until they apologized. Then America's Ben Shelton called out Australian broadcasters for a number of other incidents.
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The Telegraph reports that the Australian Open is known for this type of disrespect coming from the sports journalists. The paper recalls a 2015 interview when a female player was asked by a male journalist to, quote, give us a twirl.
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And finally, after the Eton Fire destroyed the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, an institution that served its community for more than 100 years, an amazing discovery was made. A mural that had been covered up by bricks and stucco for decades was left intact despite the destruction of its surrounding structure. The mural shows men and women walking in the desert with animals.
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In the middle, a lone palm tree, a symbol of triumph in the Bible. Although the paint is faint, the LA Times has a stunning photo of the sun shining on this mural. As one member of the temple told the Times, the fire took everything, but somehow this mural stands. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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That's Sahil Kapoor, senior national political reporter at NBC News. He told us that Trump will need buy-in from Congress to make things like his orders on immigration and border security a reality, namely funding.
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Why Republicans are at odds over how to pass Trump's agenda
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got New York Magazine's reporting about the ACLU queued up to play for you next. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Update: Two Israeli Embassy staffers were killed in D.C. What to know.
The Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, told journalists the couple was about to be engaged.
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Update: Two Israeli Embassy staffers were killed in D.C. What to know.
On social media, President Trump called for an end to anti-Semitism, writing that, quote, hatred and radicalism have no place in the USA. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office released a statement saying he is outraged by the killings. D.C.
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embassies in particular have been a focal point for demonstrations against the war in Gaza, where over 53,000 Palestinians have been killed since Hamas's October 7th attack. Israel is in the midst of its latest offensive to press Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
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Netanyahu said recently he believes at least 20 hostages are still alive, and his military goal is to take full control of Gaza and force Palestinians out. Also this week, after widespread international condemnation, Netanyahu permitted a minimal amount of aid into Gaza after an 11-week blockade.
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Around 100 trucks carrying flour, baby food and nutritional supplements entered the enclave late on Wednesday. But U.N. officials say as of this morning, because of distribution issues, none of that aid has so far reached Palestinians in need.
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Last night's shooting took place at an event intended to bring Jewish and non-Jewish communities together in an attempt to build common ground and, quote, turn pain into purpose. An organizer of the event told NBC News it was painfully ironic that as they were trying to build bridges, quote, somebody came in with such hate and destruction. This is a developing story.
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You can check the Apple News app for updates throughout the day. We learned this week that the group of people eligible to get a COVID shot is set to be restricted after the Food and Drug Administration issued new guidance.
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The FDA said it would no longer approve new vaccines for healthy people under 65 years old unless pharmaceutical companies run additional trials to test their safety and benefits. Right now, anyone can get a booster.
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Under the new restrictions, boosters would be available to those who have a medical condition that elevates the risk of severe disease, such as obesity, pregnancy, or a history of smoking. The head of the FDA's vaccine program, Dr. Vinayak Prasad, stressed that higher-risk people would see no changes to accessing COVID shots.
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Last year, just 23 percent of adults had a booster shot, with many of those in the over-65s bracket, which the FDA says will remain eligible. This is a major shift in policy, but it's hard to know if it'll make a dramatic effect to infection rates overall. It's also not entirely unusual by global standards.
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Some countries in Europe restrict free boosters, or at least limit their official recommendations to those vulnerable to severe illness. But even there, it's usually possible for healthy, younger people to choose to get a shot and pay out of pocket if they want to. Usha Lee McFarlane, a national reporter with STAT, told us that's been the gist of the criticism of this move.
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But first, two staff members at the Israeli embassy were shot and killed outside an event at the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. last night. The man and woman were a young couple named Yaron Lashinsky and Sarah Milgram. In a statement to the press after the incident, D.C.
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She notes that the announcement has left some physicians confused as to who might be eligible this fall and what it means for people hoping to continue getting boosters and wondering when clinical trials will make that approval possible.
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ABC News reports that it's traditionally the CDC that sets these kinds of recommendations, while the FDA determines which vaccines to approve, making this a departure from precedent. It's another indication of the ways our public health apparatus is changing under the current administration.
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Meanwhile, NPR reports that many of the ways the CDC previously distributed health and outbreak alerts, like newsletters, have gone silent. The agency's main social media channels are now run by the Department of Health and Human Services. Cases of measles, salmonella, listeria, and hepatitis A and C have continued to rise.
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All this comes as the World Health Organization celebrated a new pandemic treaty, the first global agreement for how to respond to future pandemics. It included a series of measures aimed at improving collaboration, preparedness and research. The U.S. did not participate as President Trump has begun the process of withdrawing from the WHO.
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And Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has urged nations to reject, as he put it, the moribund WHO. The U.S. was once the WHO's biggest donor, the title that China now holds. President Biden's health is back in focus this week after we learned just a few days ago that he's been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.
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But even before this news, his health, specifically his cognitive health, was a topic of debate and speculation. A turning point in this conversation came nearly a year ago when he and now President Trump met for their first and only debate of the 2024 campaign. Many Americans tuning in were shocked by what they saw.
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Good morning. It's Thursday, May 22nd. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, the COVID vaccine will soon be available to fewer people. What Biden's closest aides knew about his declining mental acuity in office. And Trump derails his meeting with South Africa's president with false claims and a surprise screening.
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Police Chief Pamela Smith said a suspect is in custody and identified him as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago.
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At that point, the questions about Biden's ability to serve another term were impossible to ignore. But new reporting from CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson reveals that people in Biden's inner circle knew about his cognitive decline for years and that they actively concealed it from others in the administration, from elected officials and from the American people. Here's Thompson.
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Thompson and Tapper lay out their reporting in a new book called Original Sin, President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again. They're my guests this week on Apple News in Conversation. And just to say, we spoke a few days before Biden's cancer diagnosis was announced, so you won't hear us discuss that in this interview.
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They told me Biden and his closest confidants didn't seem to be concerned by his disastrous debate performance or the fallout. In fact, they kept him largely isolated from outside opinions about the state of his campaign. Here's Tapper.
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Eight days after that conversation, Biden announced he would step down. In response to the reporting in this book and elsewhere about his health, the former president has said that claims about his cognitive health declining during his presidency are wrong and that there is nothing to sustain them. To hear the rest of my conversation with Tapper and Thompson, stick around after today's show.
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That episode will play for you next. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. The House has voted to approve legislation to fund President Trump's tax and immigration agenda, sending the bill to the Senate.
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The bill would extend trillions of dollars in tax cuts from Trump's first term, along with hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending, while slashing spending on social safety net programs by more than $1 trillion over the next decade. The final vote came in the early hours of this morning, wrapping up a marathon 24-plus hour session.
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The bill is expected to undergo major revisions in the Senate. Meanwhile, yesterday in the Oval Office, President Trump hosted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, but their meeting descended into serious diplomatic discomfort as Trump raised false claims of a white genocide taking place in South Africa.
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As Ramaphosa suggested that Trump listen to the voices of his country, Trump ordered the lights dimmed and played a video mashup that included grave crossings along a road, which Trump claimed were farmers' graves. A fact check from multiple news outlets points out that the mounds were, in fact, part of a protest against the violence against farmers, not actual graves.
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Police statistics in the country show that white South Africans are not killed at a higher rate than other South Africans. Trump's false claims largely focused on land seizures. The South African government has passed a law that allows the government to take land without compensation, which is aimed at addressing historical inequalities for land ownership that resulted from apartheid.
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Before the meeting concluded, Ramaphosa alluded to the controversial Qatari jet.
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Speaking of that jet, the Defense Department has officially accepted a luxury Boeing jet from Qatar to temporarily serve as Air Force One for President Trump. It's believed to be one of the biggest foreign gifts ever given to the U.S. government, and it's raised by partisan security and ethical concerns.
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A Pentagon spokesman said that the administration was abiding by federal rules and regulations and that they would ensure proper security measures were taken. The Emoluments Clause of the Constitution forbids the president from receiving gifts from foreign kings and states without the consent of Congress.
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Milgram was an American who worked in the embassy's public diplomacy department. Lashinsky was a German-born Israeli citizen who worked in the embassy's political department. He described himself on his LinkedIn as being dedicated to, quote, expanding the circle of peace with our Arab neighbors.
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Some ethics experts have said that Congress needs to more strictly enforce this clause to prevent things like this from happening. You can find all those stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, stick around. The rest of my conversation with Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson about former President Biden's mental acuity is coming up next.
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If you're listening in the podcast app, you can find that episode by searching for Apple News in Conversation. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
Bartlett says Peter's daughter had been sick for three weeks, and she was treated by doctors about an hour away at the closest hospital that could take serious cases.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
Peter's daughter was unvaccinated against measles. And Bartlett reports Peter himself also expressed doubts about the MMR vaccine, saying he considers getting measles a normal part of life and that he heard measles strengthens your immune system, which is not true. In fact, according to studies from the Harvard T.H.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
Chan School of Public Health, measles not only weakens the immune system, it can even result in a complication called immune amnesia, where the body forgets how to protect itself against infections for several years, leaving children extremely vulnerable. Bartlett told us Peter knew why his town was in the news.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
He heard President Trump had been asked about the outbreak there, but Peter said he thought his community was being unfairly singled out.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
And yet vaccination rates are low in this community. The official numbers in Gaines County show just 82 percent of kindergartners have had the MMR vaccine, well below the 95 percent threshold required to maintain herd immunity.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
And most likely that number is inaccurate anyway, because many kids in the Mennonite community there are homeschooled or in private schools that aren't required to collect data on vaccines. Bartlett said people there are also acutely aware of how political the conversation has become.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
For Peter and his family, this girl's death is a private tragedy. But Bartlett says the fact that she died of measles in 2025 is a signal that something has gone wrong in the nation's approach to public health.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
Let's check in on a story we haven't talked about for a minute, TikTok and who's going to own it. You might recall that last year, President Biden signed legislation requiring the Chinese owner of the app, ByteDance, to sell it to a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban in the United States. Earlier this year, President Trump pushed back the deadline for that ban until April 5th.
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In recent days, Vice President Vance told NBC News that he thinks a deal could be in place by that deadline. And Vance has now taken on a direct role in that deal. Don Chmielewski is a U.S. correspondent for Reuters.
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But first, to the measles outbreak that has now infected more than 300 people across West Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Authorities in Texas are now saying the outbreak could take up to a year to contain. The outbreak is centered in Gaines County on the border of Texas and New Mexico. Texas health officials said Tuesday 279 cases have been identified since late January.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
While unusual, it's not entirely unprecedented for the White House to get involved in the dealings of publicly traded companies. Chmielewski cited some other examples.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
The White House and members of Vance's team did not respond to Reuters' request for comment, and neither did TikTok. As for Trump's role in all of this, Trump is the one who kicked off the initial bid to ban TikTok during his first term back in 2020, but he has since reversed his position.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
And more recently, he said he has a warm spot for the app because, as he put it, it helped him win more younger voters in the most recent election. He also has said that the U.S. could take a sizable stake in the company.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
There are many people reportedly in the mix to make an offer for TikTok. One group of interested investors includes Frank McCourt, a former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and Canadian investor Kevin O'Leary. Jimmy Donaldson, the social media star who goes by MrBeast, is also in talks to potentially join that group.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
Beyond that, it's hard to know what sort of deal could or will emerge. But Chmielewski says it is clear that this means a lot to the White House.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
Now to college basketball, where the NCAA tournament starts today for the men, tomorrow for the women. And in these first few days of play, there are a dizzying number of games to follow. So to help orient you before the madness begins, we asked Justin Williams, senior writer with The Athletic, to tell us about some of the big names to watch on the men's side.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
Good morning. It's Thursday, March 20th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Vice President Vance's unusual role in the TikTok talks, the big names to know in the NCAA tournament, and why a government webpage about Jackie Robinson was scrubbed and restored.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
But one big question is how Flagg will perform. He injured his ankle in the ACC tournament last week.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
When it comes to coaches, Williams says pay attention to Michigan State. They're a number two seed led by head coach Tom Izzo. No Big Ten team has won a national title in the men's tournament since Izzo and the Spartans back in 2000.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
and 36 people have been hospitalized. There has been one death in Texas, a six-year-old child, the first measles death in the country in a decade. Tom Bartlett is a freelance reporter and recently traveled to the town of Seminole in Gaines County to write about this for The Atlantic.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
As for the women's tournament, Athletic staff writer Sabrina Merchant says there are two players to keep an eye on, Juju Watkins, a sophomore at USC, and Paige Beckers, a senior at UConn.
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UConn is a No. 2 seed. USC is a No. 1 seed, though it was the last team to get that ranking, which USC head coach Lindsey Gottlieb was not happy about on Selection Sunday.
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For all the latest tournament updates, check out the March Madness hubs on Apple News, and you can get live scores super fast on the lock screen of your iPhone by downloading the Apple Sports app. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. A North Dakota jury ruled against Greenpeace in a case over its role in the 2016 and 2017 protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline.
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The company behind the pipeline, Energy Transfer, sued Greenpeace, claiming the environmental group used a, quote, misinformation campaign, which incited people to protest. The Guardian reports that the jury, half of whom have ties to the fossil fuel industry, agreed with energy transfer and ordered Greenpeace to pay more than $600 million in fines.
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Greenpeace, which has denied the claims, has said a large penalty could bankrupt the organization. It also says it will appeal the decision. In economic news, the Federal Reserve says it is holding interest rates steady as Trump's tariff policies create uncertainty around the economic outlook.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
CNBC reports despite inflation easing slightly last month, the escalating trade wars could raise prices for consumer goods. The Fed is expected to cut rates two more times this year, but the rate at which it expects the economy to grow is slightly lower than forecasted in December. Inflation for the year is also expected to end higher than previously thought.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
And the Defense Department deleted and then restored content from its website that highlights Jackie Robinson's military service. The scrubbing of the content comes after a memo from the Pentagon that calls for removing any content that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
Robinson, who is best known for breaking baseball's color barrier, was drafted into military service in 1942, but was court-martialed after he refused to sit at the back of an Army bus because of the color of his skin. He was later acquitted and eventually honorably discharged.
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After multiple news outlets highlighted the disappearance of the Robinson webpage, a DOD official told ABC News that it was mistakenly removed and has since been restored. This incident follows the removal of a slew of other content across government websites, including a page that celebrated one of the Marines who was famously pictured raising the American flag at Iwo Jima in 1945.
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You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. It started off as a specialty Korean market, but now H Mart is a beloved billion dollar empire. Bloomberg Businessweek examines how it got so popular.
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If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade
There's a big Mennonite community there. The six-year-old who died was part of that community. Bartlett asked locals in the town if they knew the family who had lost their child. And after driving around a bit, he was pointed to a nondescript building that was a Mennonite church. That's where he met a man named Peter.
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Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
In Tuesday's press conference, Trump also incorrectly claimed President Zelensky has a 4 percent domestic approval rating. According to polling from this month, Zelensky's approval rating is above 50 percent. And Zelensky, in response to Trump's comments, accused the president of parroting talking points from the Kremlin.
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During Tuesday's press conference and on social media, in response to that comment from Zelensky you just heard, Trump called Zelensky a dictator and suggested the Ukrainian president should not be in power. Elections in Ukraine were supposed to happen in 2024, but they've been suspended during wartime under martial law.
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A survey of Ukrainians conducted last year found 70 percent of people supported allowing Zelensky to remain in power until martial law is lifted. And Zelensky's administration has said it plans to hold elections immediately after the war has ended. Trump's envoy for Ukraine and Russia, retired General Keith Kellogg, arrived in Kiev on Wednesday to meet with Zelensky.
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He told reporters upon arrival that part of his mission will be to listen to what Zelensky wants from U.S.-Russia peace talks. Meanwhile, members of NATO held their second emergency meeting this week on Wednesday, this time including nations that were not at the previous meeting, to discuss how to recalibrate their relationship with the United States.
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Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
The Wall Street Journal reports that this moment feels particularly difficult for European members of NATO to navigate. NATO was created in 1949 as a way for the United States to support the rebuilding of Europe after the Second World War. At the time, the U.S. viewed an economically and militarily strong Europe as crucial to preventing communist expansion across the continent.
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Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
Now it seems the premise of that alliance is being tested, and European leaders are questioning the U.S. 's leadership in a new way. New York City Mayor Eric Adams still has a job, for now. There's been a lot of talk about whether the mayor will volunteer to step down or if he'll be forced out.
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Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
All of this after a wave of criticism following the DOJ's move to drop federal corruption charges against Adams, charges he pleaded not guilty to. Yesterday, the acting deputy attorney general, Emil Bove, appeared in court before a federal judge to justify why the DOJ was asking to drop the case. Adams was there, too.
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Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
Bove said the move to drop the charges was not based on the strength of the evidence, that the prosecution was, quote, politicized and tainted. And he said the case was distracting the mayor from doing his job, which he wrote in an earlier memo included cooperating with Trump's immigration enforcement plans. The judge did not issue an immediate ruling, leaving the charges in place for now.
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Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
The Washington Post describes it as highly unusual for a senior department official like Bove to personally argue a case in court and to do it alone without the assistance of lower-level prosecutors. But since Bove ordered the dismissal of Adams' case, eight veterans of the department resigned in protest, as did most of the senior leadership of the DOJ's Public Integrity Division.
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Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
Meanwhile, for Adams, this case and the suggested quid pro quo behind dropping it led to the resignations of four top deputies in his administration this week. There have been numerous calls for Adams to resign, which he has so far refused to do, and calls for Governor Kathy Hochul to remove him from office.
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Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
But first, almost three years to the day after Russian tanks first invaded Ukraine, President Trump shocked Ukraine and European allies by blaming Ukraine for the war, further straining relations between the U.S. and its NATO and Ukrainian allies.
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Katie Honan is a senior reporter for The City, an online news site covering New York. She told us Governor Hochul says she's considering it. The other possible way to remove him from office would involve an obscure body assembled by the city council.
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Those five people are the city council speaker, the city comptroller, one deputy mayor, the city's top lawyer and the borough president who served in their position the longest. Honan told us this is all unprecedented.
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Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
We asked Honan, why is Adams so adamant about holding onto an office amidst serious allegations of corruption, low public approval, high-profile resignations, and the prospect of being removed from office? She says the reason is a pretty simple equation.
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Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
The timing of all this matters as well. New York holds a mayoral primary in June, with the general election in November. Adams, a Democrat, has floated the idea of maybe running as a Republican. Should he survive this and run for re-election, Honan says, she wouldn't count him out just yet.
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Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
Health insurance companies process more than 5 billion claims a year. Roughly 17% of those claims are denied. That's 850 million every year. But research shows the people who do appeal, which is less than 1% of patients, largely get those claims approved.
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Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
Julie Wurnau covers health for The Wall Street Journal. And she told us why, despite this success rate, many people don't file an appeal when their claim is denied. She says some feel like there's no point. Others are daunted by the paperwork. Some are too trusting that insurance companies were right to deny their claim. And many people are simply overwhelmed by the medical issues they're facing.
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Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
Remember, Ukraine and members of the NATO alliance were already upset that Russia and the United States excluded them from peace negotiations in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. And Trump's lie about how the war started came during a press conference Tuesday evening in response to a reporter's question about how those talks went. Here's the president.
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Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
Good morning. It's Thursday, February 20th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, a couple ways New York City Mayor Eric Adams could lose his job, why it's worth your time to fight a denied health insurance claim, and in hockey, the United States and Canada, fresh off last weekend's brawl, face off again tonight.
Apple News Today
Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
She told us about one family's journey through the claims system. Emily Beck contracted COVID-19 and viral pneumonia when she was in kindergarten in 2021.
Apple News Today
Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
By this time, Emily was nine years old, and a specialist recommended an infusion therapy that, according to one study, could potentially improve her symptoms significantly. But their insurer, UnitedHealthcare, wouldn't cover it.
Apple News Today
Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
Insurance companies argue to remain solvent, they have to make calls on which types of medical care merit reimbursement and which don't. But with rare conditions, because the number of cases are so small, it can be difficult for patients to find documentation that proves a drug or treatment works.
Apple News Today
Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
Paying out of pocket for Emily's treatment would have cost her family close to $36,000, much more than they could afford. It took multiple appeals to UnitedHealthcare and a team of care providers who provided documentation to prove her treatment was necessary and urgent before the Beck family got approved.
Apple News Today
Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
Mornau put together a list of tips to make appealing a denied claim less daunting. She said, first, research what your insurance plan covers. Take notes from any calls with insurance that you have, including the name of who you spoke to. And she recommends acting quickly. Many insurance companies have deadlines for filing appeals that you'll want to be aware of.
Apple News Today
Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
We'll link to her reporting and tips in our show notes page in the Apple News app. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Hamas returned the bodies of four hostages today, including those who are believed to be the youngest and one of the oldest hostages. They include the remains of Ariel and Kafir Bibas, who were four years old and nine months old when they were taken.
Apple News Today
Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
Their mother, Shiri, and 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz. All were taken from their homes in the same kibbutz on October 7th. The Bibas family had come to symbolize the horrors suffered by those captured by Hamas after video circulated showing Shiri clinging to her children while surrounded by militants. Her husband, Yarden, was released alive earlier this month.
Apple News Today
Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
Thursday's return of remains and the freeing of six living hostages on Saturday are part of an accelerated exchange by Hamas and Israel announced earlier this week. Israel agreed to free more than 100 Palestinian prisoners and allow mobile homes and heavy trucks into Gaza to remove rubble. On to some immigration updates.
Apple News Today
Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
New data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows the Trump administration is not exclusively arresting criminals, as it promised to prioritize. Data obtained by NBC reveals the number of people detained in ICE custody without a criminal conviction or pending criminal charges represent 41 percent of the total new detainees from the first two weeks of February.
Apple News Today
Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
And yesterday, the administration halted a program that provided lawyers to nearly 26,000 children who are immigrants. Many of them don't have parents or legal guardians in the United States. Some are too young to read or speak. And finally, did you watch the hockey match between the United States and Canada on Saturday where three fights broke out during the first nine seconds?
Apple News Today
Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
Well, the teams will be back on the ice tonight for a rematch. It's the championship game of the Four Nations Faceoff tournament. The Athletic looks at the biggest surprises and best moments of the tournament so far and makes some predictions about which team has the edge to come out on top. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. The Atlantic looks at why, over the past 50 years, Americans have become less likely to move from one state to another or even one city to another, calling this the single most important social change of the past half century.
Apple News Today
Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Few people appeal rejected medical claims. It’s often worth it.
The war began in February of 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine from three sides with troops, tanks, and airstrikes targeting cities, military bases, schools, and hospitals. Tens of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes. It was the biggest attack on a European nation since World War II.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
But Feiner told us despite that, a lot of TikTok users are confused about why a law banning the app is necessary, in part because U.S. officials never publicly provided evidence to support their concerns.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
TikTok's battle to defend itself hasn't gone well so far. An appellate court earlier this month upheld the law, basically saying national security trumps all other issues. But they were thrown a lifeline yesterday by the Supreme Court, which announced it will hear arguments over the constitutionality of the law next month.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
Legal experts told NPR forcing a shutdown over unspecified threats, in their opinion, would violate the First Amendment. The Supreme Court will hear TikTok's argument on January 10th. January 19th is the deadline for TikTok to sell. And one day later, on January 20th, adding another layer of complication to this story, President-elect Donald Trump will take office.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
What'll happen to TikTok under the Trump presidency is a little unknown. Lately, he told reporters he has a, quote, warm spot for the app. He hosted the app's CEO at Mar-a-Lago this week. That's quite the turnaround from his first term, when Trump tried unsuccessfully to ban TikTok through an executive order. Feiner told us he might try to influence what happens next with the app.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
If TikTok is banned, the impact will be noticeable right away. For one, internet service providers in the U.S. will be required to block TikTok from web browsers, also app stores.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
Now to a trend in higher education. This fall, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT announced that they're offering free tuition to students from families making up to $200,000 a year. Colleges have been offering tuition breaks for low-income families for decades. But now, more and more schools are aiming at a broader group, the middle class.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
Washington Post higher ed reporter Danielle Douglas-Gabriel told us why.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
She says against the backdrop of crushing student debt and fewer high school graduates enrolling in college, these new announcements are a play for colleges to stand out.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
But first, TikTok has just one month left to respond to an ultimatum from Congress. Either sell to an approved buyer and divest from its China-based parent company ByteDance, or be banned in the U.S. For the tens of millions of American users, it could be the end of an era for the app, which has built a reputation for curating seemingly tailor-made content just for you.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
Douglas Gabriel also points out most students don't end up paying the full tuition price for college anyway. Lots of people qualify for some amount of financial aid. Now, applying for that aid can be tricky to navigate and possibly discouraging to some prospective students. That's why she says the real news here isn't the expansion of the aid bracket. It's the messaging.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
The money for financial aid typically comes from endowments and targeted fundraising. And whether it's a competitive school like MIT that wants to diversify the socioeconomic profile of its student body, or a small school that needs to stay competitive, they're all looking to get an edge.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
Douglas Gabriel told us her prediction, the free tuition trend is likely to continue, though it's a little too early to tell what that means for higher education down the road.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
When a romantic relationship ends, it can be pretty earth-shattering. For New Yorker reporter Jennifer Wilson, it was a blindside via text, followed soon after by a question from a friend who wanted to know, do you have a breakup plan? What's that, Wilson wondered. She'd just gotten back into the dating pool after her marriage ended, and she told us that question sent her down a rabbit hole.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
Good morning. It's Thursday, December 19th. I'm Shmeeta Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why some colleges are offering free tuition to a broader swath of students, Trump comes out strongly against a bipartisan bill to prevent a government shutdown at the end of the week, and the messy, lucrative business of breakups.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
For centuries, since the days of Aristotle, experts have tried to understand what exactly heartache is, how it manifests in the mind and body, and how to best help people going through it. In 1610, the recommendation from a physician in France was to give people enemas for heartbreak.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
If you're wondering what a breakup coach does or what happens on a breakup retreat, Wilson says it can vary pretty widely.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
Here's how Lauren Feiner at The Verge put it.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
The breakup mitigation industry, which is a phrase I just made up, is, as you can imagine, full of people who are just making things up. Some claim to be coaches, but really just paid for a certificate. Others come from a vaguely self-helpy background, which is why Wilson says it can be hard to know the quality of a program.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
Wilson decided to try a three-day retreat in the Berkshires, run by a psychotherapy expert. She and dozens of other women going through heartbreak meditated, did yoga, went kayaking, and did writing exercises. And she said she felt better after.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
A doctor of psychiatry at Columbia who studies these methods told her it's probably because the retreat included therapeutic elements that have been backed by science for a long time, like ritual and structure.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
One psychology expert who runs healing retreats told Wilson it's just as important not to treat a breakup as something that needs to be rushed past or quickly gotten over. After all, she said, they're a big part of how we make meaning out of our lives. Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
A guilty verdict is in in the mass rape trial that shocked France and the world. 72-year-old Dominique Pellico has been found guilty of all charges related to the sexual assault of his wife, Giselle Pellico. And so have all 50 of the other defendants, men enlisted by Dominique to rape his wife, whom he had for years been drugging to be unconscious for these incidents.
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Why more colleges are offering free tuition
Lawmakers have warned for a long time that the app poses national security risks, citing policies in China that allow the government to secretly request data from companies and citizens, which TikTok claims has never happened to them.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
CNN reports at least one man was found guilty of using Dominique's playbook against his own wife. Dominique Pelico was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Giselle Pelico left the courtroom quietly. Her bravery in choosing to be publicly named and seen in this trial galvanized campaigners against sexual violence and completely changed the conversation about rape in France.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
In the U.S., with a looming government shutdown deadline at the end of the week, President-elect Trump came out strongly against a bipartisan stopgap spending bill, effectively killing it before it could reach a vote. The Washington Post reports Trump criticized provisions negotiated by Democrats, like funds to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed in Baltimore.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
Trump also threatened the political futures of Republicans who don't support his stance on the bill, saying they will be primaried. Speaker Mike Johnson will likely need Democratic support to pass any bill. The shutdown deadline is midnight on Friday. In other congressional news, the House Ethics Committee has voted to release its report on former Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
The report is the result of a years-long investigation. The allegations against him, which Gaetz has denied, include having sex with underage girls, using illicit drugs, and taking bribes, among others. Gaetz resigned from Congress the same day Trump nominated him to be attorney general, but Gaetz later withdrew his name from consideration, saying his nomination had become a distraction.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
And finally, an update on the story about the dangers of black plastic spatulas. We talked about this on the show pretty recently. The study said items made with recycled black plastics contained toxic flame retardants linked to health risks like cancer. Now, the authors of that study have issued a correction, saying some of their numbers were off.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
USA Today reports the researchers misstated the limit set by the EPA for what's a safe level of these chemicals to consume, making it sound like the products that they tested were a lot closer to the limit than they really were. Still, even with the error, these researchers say they stand by their conclusion that you're better off getting rid of black plastics, especially in your kitchen.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
Forbes says they experienced TikTok's far-reaching ability to spy on users firsthand when the app improperly gained access to some of their journalists' IP addresses and user data. Those reporters were tracked as part of a covert surveillance campaign. ByteDance confirmed that it happened and fired the employees responsible. It was a real-life example of what lawmakers have warned against.
Apple News Today
Why more colleges are offering free tuition
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've queued up that New Yorker piece on the many ways to deal with breakups to play for you next. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
Hey there, it's Shamita. I've got a quick request for you. If Apple News Today is an essential part of your morning routine, follow the show in Apple Podcasts. And if you have another 30 seconds, leave us a rating and a review too. It helps other people find our show and it helps us know what you like about it. Thanks. Good morning. It's Thursday, January 16th. I'm Shamita Basu.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
Hamas had also agreed to return the bodies of hostages who died, and Israeli negotiators had agreed to release hundreds of Palestinians from Israeli prisons. And they were going to return to negotiations after a couple of weeks to discuss the possibility of a permanent ceasefire.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
The journal reports that the terms of this ceasefire agreement weren't substantially different from the offers put forward months ago, when more hostages were still alive and before thousands of Palestinians lost their lives. More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, roughly one out of every 50 residents of Gaza.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
Last night, before news that the deal might be jeopardized, President Biden spoke from the Oval Office, saying his team had worked hard to secure a deal and that they'd involved Trump's team to make sure all would go smoothly with Trump taking office next week. But now, as this dispute between Israel and Hamas plays out, the U.S. transition of power is far from the top concern.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
This is a fast-changing story this morning. You can follow along for the latest in the Apple News app. Let's turn to what else President Biden said in that speech last night, a farewell address in which he said goodbye to the country and to his five-decade career in public office.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
Biden touted his accomplishments from boosting manufacturing in the United States through legislation, investing in infrastructure, and guiding the country through the pandemic. And he told the American people as he leaves office he is most concerned about the consolidation of power among America's most wealthy, particularly in the tech sector. And he called for tax reforms for the ultra-wealthy.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
He also spoke about the risks of allowing artificial intelligence to continue being developed without regulatory guardrails.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
Polls show Biden is leaving at a low point when it comes to public support. A majority of people are dissatisfied with his performance. A new CNN survey found just 36% of Americans approve of the job Biden did as president. And Biden's approval numbers are especially poor on immigration and the economy. So what went wrong for Biden on domestic issues?
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Biden gives his final address from the Oval Office. What a decade of data reveals about the gun violence epidemic in America. And what to know about the FDA's new ban on red food dye. But first, to the Gaza ceasefire deal, and news this morning that it might be under threat.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
He did sign some major pieces of legislation, especially early in his presidency. But many of the benefits of those bills will take a long time for Americans to feel in their daily lives, something Biden himself acknowledged in a recent interview with USA Today. Andrea Shalal, White House correspondent for Reuters, spoke with us about that.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
On the border, meanwhile, the increase in illegal crossings overwhelmed many states and cities. The Biden administration and Congress haggled over how to respond, only for Trump to kill a deal Biden reached with Senate Republicans. Biden responded by taking executive actions to restrict asylum requests, a move Republicans said he should have done all along.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
Shalal told us Biden also is seen to have fallen short on police reform. Biden came into office shortly after George Floyd was murdered in 2020. It took two years before he signed an executive order aimed at preventing police misconduct. And then, of course, probably the most consequential bucket of issues to voters, the economy.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
Biden and his administration started out by talking about bolstering the care economy.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
But, as Shalal told us, efforts to extend the child tax credit during the pandemic or invest in universal pre-K ultimately didn't come to fruition. Prices remained stubbornly high after the pandemic, and in the absence of additional federal assistance, it was much harder for Americans to cope. And all of that translated onto the campaign trail.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
Once public concerns about Biden's age and ability to serve came to the foreground, fueled by his disastrous performance in the first debate with Trump, his age and mental fitness became an overwhelming concern for voters and was added to the list of reasons many wanted to change.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
Every year, tens of thousands of people lose their lives to gun violence in America. That's according to The Trace, which analyzed 10 years of shooting data from the Gun Violence Archive. And in that analysis, reporters uncovered some surprising trends they say challenge what people think about gun violence in the U.S., First, where gun violence occurs.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
According to the Trace's analysis, of the 20 cities and towns with the highest rates of shootings, half of them were not large cities. They were in communities of less than one million people.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
Even though the numbers tell a different story, that hasn't stopped politicians from pushing the narrative that large Democratic-run cities are overrun with gun violence. According to the Trace's analysis, many of those cities are actually getting safer.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
Shooting deaths were down more than 10 percent through the end of October 2023 nationwide, and that drop was most pronounced in large Democratic-run cities with substantial non-white populations, like San Francisco and Baltimore.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
Yesterday, Hamas leadership confirmed it had reached a deal with Israel, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed the agreement and urged the Israeli government to accept it. But The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is accusing Hamas of reneging on parts of the agreement, which Hamas denies.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
The trace analysis found another trend, an alarming frequency of shootings near schools. 188,000 shootings over the last decade occurred within 500 yards of a school. That's to say, not school shootings, but shootings within a few blocks of a school. In 2023 alone, the trace notes that 6 million kids attended a school that had at least one shooting nearby.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
The Trace also noted that road rage gun incidents over the decades surged more than 400 percent. And overall, angry drivers shot more than 3,000 people. And while many states passed laws allowing people to carry firearms in public without a permit or training, which gun rights supporters said would deter shootings, those laws did not have that effect.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
16 of the 20 states that passed these types of laws actually saw more shooting deaths. We'll include a link to their full analysis on our show notes page. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following today. As confirmation hearings for Trump's cabinet continue, Politico took a closer look at Trump's pick to lead the Department of Justice, Pam Bondi, whose hearing continues today.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
She appears to be on track for a smooth confirmation, despite concerns from Democrats about her history as a Trump loyalist. As the former attorney general of Florida, she represented Trump in his first impeachment trial. She also supported his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Pennsylvania.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
But in her confirmation hearings, Politico reports, Senate Democrats don't seem to feel that sinking her nomination is worth the political capital. They alone don't have the votes to do it, for one. And for some of them, Bondi is more palatable than Trump's original choice, Matt Gaetz. Onto an announcement from Starbucks.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
The coffee chain says if you want to use their bathrooms and hang around in their stores, you got to pay up. It's a reversal of a policy at most Starbucks locations that their bathrooms were free to the public.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
CNN describes it as a move to deter people from using Starbucks as a sort of third place aside from work and home, a hangout spot where you didn't necessarily need to spend money to be there. It's also particularly aimed at unhoused people looking for a safe place to shelter.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
And lastly, on to reporting from the Los Angeles Times on the FDA's decision to ban red dye number three and what took so long. Red dye number three has been shown to cause cancer in rats. And for humans, officials banned it in cosmetics and drugs applied to the skin in 1990.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
The Times reports the biological process that causes cancer in rats does not occur in humans, which is why it was allowed to be used as a food coloring. But the FDA says they're now going by a more strict law called the Delaney Clause, which states that no color additive can be deemed safe if they're shown to cause cancer in animals or humans.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
The Israeli cabinet has postponed their meeting to approve the deal, which was supposed to take effect on Sunday, initiating a six-week pause in fighting. Israel launched more airstrikes in the Gaza Strip overnight, where health authorities have reported at least 70 fatalities in the last 24 hours. A senior Hamas official said early today that Hamas is still committed to the agreement.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
Companies have two years to reformulate their recipes and eliminate the dye. By the way, just because something is red doesn't mean it necessarily has red 3. Swedish fish, for example, not red 3. Candy corn, surprisingly, contains red 3 dye. If you're not sure, it's best to check the ingredients. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next from The Atlantic. As Americans spend more time alone, it's changing our politics, our personalities, and our relationships. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Biden exits with low public approval. Where did he go wrong?
According to a draft of that agreement reviewed by the journal, during the first phase of the ceasefire, Israeli forces said they would withdraw from populated areas and 33 hostages were set to be released from Gaza. That included women, children, people with severe injuries. people over the age of 50, and two American hostages.
Apple News Today
Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
President Trump on Tuesday vowed to label any violence against Tesla dealerships as economic terrorism, and he told reporters any perpetrators will, quote, go through hell. Tesla's also taken some serious hits in the stock market. It's been down every week since Musk went to Washington. Since mid-December, the company has lost more than half its value. That's around $800 billion in market cap.
Apple News Today
Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
And earlier this week, Tesla's stock experienced its biggest drop in value in a single day since 2020. It rebounded Tuesday, however, after President Trump's comments in support of the company, where he turned the White House driveway into a pop-up Tesla showroom of sorts, lined up several vehicles and made a personal promise to buy one.
Apple News Today
Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
The president also called on Americans to support Tesla and Musk.
Apple News Today
Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
There are ethics rules prohibiting employees of the executive branch from promoting or endorsing products on behalf of their friends or their relatives. But The New York Times reports that those rules do not apply to the president.
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Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
And while it's perhaps not very surprising that Trump is standing by Elon Musk, one of his biggest financial supporters, his support of Tesla in this moment contradicts his administration's goals for EVs more broadly and his own stated opinions on them. Trump has had a lot of harsh things to say about electric vehicles over the years. He's criticized their cost, their mileage, their battery life.
Apple News Today
Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
He changed his tune last August when Musk endorsed his run for president, saying, quote, But since taking office, Trump has rolled back Biden-era incentives that encouraged EV sales and manufacturing. And just this week, Trump's administration halted much of the federal government's efforts to adopt EVs into its fleet of cars and trucks.
Apple News Today
Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
Elon Musk has evolved, too, in his politics and in his opinion of Donald Trump. He went from being a one-time Trump critic to now influential advisor. We asked Peterson what were some moments that helped crystallize Musk's political leanings. She said, of course, when he bought Twitter in 2022 and started sharing a lot more of his personal views.
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Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
But also even further back, the beginning of the pandemic, Peterson says, was a real turning point for him.
Apple News Today
Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
And as Musk's politics changed, so it seems has Tesla's fan base.
Apple News Today
Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
Now to Mexico, where President Claudia Sheinbaum has stood out among foreign leaders as a skillful negotiator with President Trump. On two separate occasions, she's persuaded him to delay tariffs on her country by making the case that Mexico's efforts to deter people from bringing fentanyl across the border were already having measurable impact.
Apple News Today
Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
and by telling him about a public awareness campaign launched by Mexico to discourage fentanyl use. That campaign, according to a source in Mexican government who spoke to The Washington Post, was largely designed to impress the U.S. government. Mexico doesn't have a fentanyl use epidemic. And it worked. Trump spoke glowingly about his call with Shane Baum to reporters last month.
Apple News Today
Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
But first, to Elon Musk and the growing backlash against him and his electric vehicle company, Tesla. Since President Trump took office, Musk and his Doge team have been the face of efforts to slash federal spending and cut tens of thousands of federal jobs.
Apple News Today
Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
Mary Beth Sheridan, the bureau chief for The Washington Post in Mexico, told us about the dynamic between these two leaders. It's been a surprisingly warm relationship. She told us a lot of Shane Baum's success working with Trump can be attributed to her preparation. Ahead of her meetings, she talks to a lot of advisors and runs through different scenarios.
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Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
She calls it a cool head. She was elected easily by a 30-point margin, and her current approval rating stands at a massive 85%. She came into office with the reputation of being a kind of low-key academic type. She has a Ph.D. in energy engineering. And Sheridan told us that cool-headed approach is serving her well. She's also being praised for knowing when to wait a situation out.
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Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
For example, she hasn't been quick to announce retaliatory tariffs.
Apple News Today
Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
Now, Sheinbaum has also made plenty of concessions to Trump. She sent more than 10,000 troops to the border to deter fentanyl shipments and illegal migration. She extradited 29 suspected drug traffickers to the U.S. And despite her diplomatic victories, Trump's threats to impose tariffs on Mexico haven't disappeared.
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Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
The steel and aluminum tariff enacted yesterday impact Mexico, which is one of the top exporters to the U.S., Sheridan reports that Trump has not ruled out using the U.S. military to strike fentanyl targets in Mexico. And Sheridan says Mexican officials are braced for the possibility that their currently positive relationship with Trump could become more volatile.
Apple News Today
Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
In response, Tesla has faced blowback from consumers, some of whom are not happy about the large role Trump gave Musk in the federal government and how his decisions are impacting their lives. Wall Street Journal reporter Becky Peterson covers Musk and Tesla and told us about how consumer sentiment has shifted since Trump's inauguration.
Apple News Today
Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
Good morning. It's Thursday, March 13th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how Mexico's president has skillfully negotiated with Trump, reaction from Congress members to Trump's threats to arrest more student protesters, and the White House withdraws its nominee for director of the CDC.
Apple News Today
Protests, arson, trade-ins: inside the Tesla backlash
Detained Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil will remain in a Louisiana immigration jail as his case makes its way through court, a judge ruled on Wednesday. Khalil is a green card holder living in the United States legally and permanently. But he was arrested on Saturday in New York by ICE officials, who said his green card was being revoked.
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He is not charged with a crime. Instead, he's being detained for his role in organizing protests at Columbia University against the war in Gaza last year. His detainment is a result of an executive order from President Trump who's calling pro-Palestinian demonstrations that spread across campuses nationwide anti-Semitic.
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Though there has been widespread condemnation of Khalil's arrest by human rights lawyers and First Amendment experts, the Democratic Party hasn't fully rallied around Khalil's case or President Trump's comments that there will be more arrests to come. On Tuesday, 14 House Democrats signed a letter calling on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to immediately release Khalil.
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In the letter, they call his detention a, quote, "...illegal abduction." But as I just mentioned, it was signed by only 14 Democrats. That's roughly 6% of the Democrats in the House. Khalil's own representative, Democrat Adriano Espaillat from New York, did not sign the letter. But he told The Intercept he expects the Trump administration to adhere to the rule of law.
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Meanwhile, in the Senate, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee put out a statement on social media saying, quote, this should terrify everyone. And Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, put out a video calling for Khalil's release.
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Senator Chuck Schumer, who is a staunch supporter of Israel, also put out a statement saying that although he, quote, abhors Khalil's political positions, the administration must either articulate what crime he has committed or release him. Schumer also says in that statement that Khalil may well have been in violation of various campus rules, but that that is for Columbia to decide.
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And Schumer dedicated a fair amount of his statement saying, to calling on Columbia to do more to protect Jewish students. According to the Jewish publication The Forward, in the lead-up to Halil's arrest, pro-Israel activists have been compiling a list of student protesters that they believe the Trump administration should detain and deport. Halil has long been on top of that list.
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And the Forward reports that at least one pro-Israel activist was in D.C. recently meeting with aides to members of Congress, including Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Ted Cruz, to discuss this matter. Those aides reportedly promised to, quote, escalate the issue.
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Fetterman did not immediately respond to the Forward's request for comment, but in response to the Senate Judiciary Democrats calling for Khalil to be freed, he posted, free all the hostages. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. The White House has withdrawn its nomination of Dave Weldon, a physician and former Congress member, to serve as CDC director.
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Axios reported it just hours before he was set to testify at his Senate confirmation hearing. Weldon is a known anti-vaccine advocate, and Stat News delved into congressional records from his time in Washington to examine his history of questioning vaccine safety, in particular the measles vaccine.
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The New York Times spoke to officials who said it became clear that Weldon wouldn't have the votes to get confirmed. Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, a House subcommittee hearing came to an abrupt end on Tuesday after Republican Texas Congressman Keith Self misgendered Representative Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress, calling her mister.
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He was swiftly confronted by Congressman William Keating, who insisted he correct himself.
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Some Tesla owners have been selling or trading in their vehicles because they no longer want to be affiliated with Musk and his politics. In other incidents, things have escalated.
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Self later said on X in response to the incident, quote, it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female, seeming to be referring to an executive order signed by Trump on his first day in office. McBride later wrote on X, quote, no matter how I'm treated by some colleagues, nothing diminishes my awe and gratitude at getting to represent Delaware in Congress.
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And finally, in a surprise result, Greenland's center-right opposition party won the island's general election yesterday, as talk of a takeover of the territory by Trump and the U.S. dominated the conversation. The Democratic Party, which backs a gradual move toward independence, won about 30 percent of the votes.
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One parliamentarian said while there was a lot of international attention on the election, domestic issues like health care, pensions and fishing policy also played a big role. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
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As the Trump administration cracks down on diversity and inclusion policies, The Hollywood Reporter looks at how major movie studios have backtracked. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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According to Mehta's sources who have insight into these canceled contracts, at least one program was already being used in classrooms to help students make up lost ground in math, which schools have struggled to make progress on since the pandemic. An employee of IES told Mehta they don't understand how Musk can defend the cancellations as being efficient.
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McMahon could face questions about this from senators today, along with questions about her limited background in education. She is a billionaire best known for leading WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment. But she served on Connecticut's State Board of Education for about a year before joining the first Trump administration as the head of the Small Business Administration.
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Mehta spoke with some of McMahon's former colleagues from the SBA who praised her work.
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McMahon has recently voiced support for expanding school choice at the K-12 level and providing more transparency in curricula. In higher education, she supports alternatives to college degrees like apprenticeships, which has bipartisan support.
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And according to The Washington Post, in her previous role on the Connecticut Board of Education, she supported diversity and equity initiatives, which marks a significant divergence from the president's education policy. So far, all of Trump's nominees to cabinet positions have been confirmed by the Senate, including Tulsi Gabbard to lead national intelligence. It was confirmed yesterday.
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When President Trump pulled back from his threat of 25 percent tariffs on goods from Mexico, he said Mexico must beef up security along the border to stop the flow of illegal drugs like fentanyl into the U.S. Trump even suggested the Mexican government is allied with drug cartels, a claim Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum rejected as slander.
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How an “iron river” of guns flows from the U.S. to Mexico
She also brought up an issue that often goes overlooked in the battle against drug traffickers, and it's not what flows from Mexico to the U.S., but the other way around. The Wall Street Journal reports a quarter million American guns are estimated to be smuggled into Mexico every year. It happens so reliably and so quickly, in fact, it's been dubbed the Iron River.
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How an “iron river” of guns flows from the U.S. to Mexico
Zusha Ellenson is a national reporter who covers guns and crime for the Wall Street Journal.
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How an “iron river” of guns flows from the U.S. to Mexico
Mexican officials say this is a longstanding problem. The Journal reports about 70 percent of guns traced from crime scenes in Mexico between 2014 and 2018 came from the U.S. That's led Mexico to take a new approach.
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How an “iron river” of guns flows from the U.S. to Mexico
But first, President Trump's nominee for education secretary might end up leading a department that's on the administration's cutting block. Linda McMahon's confirmation hearing is today. She'll field questions from senators in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. At the same time, Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency are working to shrink the Department of Ed.
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How an “iron river” of guns flows from the U.S. to Mexico
Ellenson says U.S. gun makers argue they're shielded from responsibility by a 2005 law that says they can't be held liable if their guns are used in a crime. And since they manufacture and sell guns legally in the U.S., they're not responsible for how cartels get them or what they do with them. Ellenson told us smuggling weapons from the U.S. into Mexico is a very easy, very straightforward crime.
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How an “iron river” of guns flows from the U.S. to Mexico
The Journal reports cars headed into Mexico are rarely screened by border officials, partly because of fears that cartels will retaliate against those officials if the flow of weapons stops. In 2022, Congress passed a law enhancing penalties for so-called straw purchasers, people who buy guns to be trafficked.
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How an “iron river” of guns flows from the U.S. to Mexico
But Ellenson reports prosecutors are reluctant to go after people in difficult financial situations who don't have criminal records. But Ellenson also says a lot can be done to prevent trafficking on both sides of the border.
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When President Trump issued an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico, which has been called that for more than 400 years, to the Gulf of America, it raised a bunch of questions. Like, is he allowed to unilaterally decide something like that? And do other governments have to follow Trump's lead? Trump has the power to order changes to geographical names as they're used on official U.S.
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maps. But he can't force other governments to adopt those changes. There's really no official, agreed-upon system used to name boundaries and geographical features on our planet. In fact, there's a long history of government disputes over how bodies of water in particular are named. NPR cites a few famous examples.
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How an “iron river” of guns flows from the U.S. to Mexico
Good morning. It's Thursday, February 13th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, as America battles the flow of fentanyl from across the border, Mexico is fighting the flow of American guns. Some maps have officially adopted the name the Gulf of America, and Trump assumes a new title as chair of the Kennedy Center.
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There's the Sea South of China, which is known to much of the world as the South China Sea. In Vietnam, it's the Eastern Sea. The Philippines has designated parts of it as the West Philippine Sea. Another example is the water that separates the Arabian Peninsula from Iran, which much of the world calls the Persian Gulf, while Arab nations in the region call it the Arabian Gulf.
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But back to the Gulf in question. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected the name change and encouraged other countries to join her.
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How an “iron river” of guns flows from the U.S. to Mexico
She said it's not up to one country to decide what to call an international body of water. And she jokingly shot back at the president that she might start calling North America Mexican America, as she stood before a map from the early 1600s that shows North America was once labeled that way. Some Mexican citizens expressed similar takes.
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How an “iron river” of guns flows from the U.S. to Mexico
Here's Trump yesterday answering a reporter who asked, how soon do you want the Department of Education to be closed?
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How an “iron river” of guns flows from the U.S. to Mexico
Reuters spoke to one man on the coast shortly after Trump made his announcement.
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How an “iron river” of guns flows from the U.S. to Mexico
The AP also went to the Gulf to speak to some locals on the U.S. side. One man said his family had a long history of being out on boats in the area, and he welcomes the change.
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How an “iron river” of guns flows from the U.S. to Mexico
Wired has been reporting on how digital maps are handling Trump's order. On Google Maps, users in the United States now see this body of water labeled as the Gulf of America. Google users in Mexico see the Gulf of Mexico. And users outside of those countries see both names listed. Apple Maps renamed it to Gulf of America for all U.S. users.
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But MapQuest and a number of map services run by other countries have not made the change. Media companies are in a similar gray area, and the Trump administration has already taken action against those unwilling to comply.
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The president barred reporters with the Associated Press from the Oval Office this week after the organization decided to officially continue using the Gulf of Mexico while also acknowledging Trump's preferred name, Gulf of America. The AP called it a plain violation of their First Amendment rights. Before we let you go, a few other stories out of Washington that we're following.
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A federal judge lifted the pause on President Trump's deferred resignation program for federal employees, and the Trump administration quickly closed the offer to any more workers who might have been considering it. The program had been halted since last Thursday after unions representing government employees sued, saying Trump didn't have the authority to offer such buyouts.
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Shutting down the department altogether would require congressional approval. It's an idea that's been floated by Republicans for decades, as long as the Department of Education has existed. Many have argued education policy should be handled entirely at the state level. But recent efforts have failed.
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Yesterday, the judge decided the unions lacked the legal standing to bring the suit. According to the White House, at the time when the program was frozen last week, 65,000 workers had accepted the deal. In other D.C. news, a top Democrat in the Senate says Kash Patel, Trump's nominee to lead the FBI, may have perjured himself during his confirmation hearing.
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Illinois Senator Dick Durbin is the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He says he's received credible evidence that Patel has been personally directing a purge of employees at the bureau before being confirmed by the Senate. In his hearing, when New Jersey Senator Cory Booker brought up the topic, here's how it went.
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CNBC notes lying to Congress under oath or not is a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison, but charges are rarely filed. In response to Durbin's accusation, a Patel spokesperson dismissed it as, quote, secondhand gossip. Durbin has asked the DOJ to investigate. The Senate votes today on whether to move Patel's nomination forward.
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And finally, the board of the Kennedy Center installed President Trump as its new chairman, carrying out a plan that Trump announced last week to take over the historic arts institution. The board also fired President Deborah Rutter and appointed Richard Grinnell, former acting director of national intelligence, as its interim president.
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Trump had a contentious relationship with the Kennedy Center, bucking the tradition of attending the institution's honors ceremony during his first term. Trump said he was remaking the center because, quote, we didn't like what they were showing and said it's, quote, not going to be woke. CNN reports Trump replaced all board members appointed by Democratic presidents with his own appointees.
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The move also prompted musician Ben Folds to step away as an artistic advisor. Television producer Shonda Rhimes and opera singer Renee Fleming also resigned their positions. The Kennedy Center is funded by a mix of government dollars, ticket sales and private donations. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. More and more people are expected to travel further into space in the coming years. The New Yorker asks, is deep space something the human body can handle? If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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In a vote last year, 60 Republicans joined every single Democrat in voting against abolishing the department. Janaki Mehta is an education reporter at NPR, and she told us millions of dollars worth of contracts for projects that were already underway have been canceled, including at the Institute of Education Sciences, or IES.
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And together, they tried to argue in court that the three other siblings, James, Elizabeth, and Prudence, would soften the Fox News ideology.
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That argument did not fly in court.
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What could happen next for Fox News and News Corp at large is still a big question mark.
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Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch have said they intend to appeal the court's decision. Let's turn out to Syria. As the Assad regime's prisons empty, there's growing hope here in the United States that Austin Tice, an American journalist and Marine veteran, will turn up. He's been missing for over a decade, since 2012, when he was in Syria on assignment covering the start of the civil war.
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Nancy Youssef, a national security reporter for The Wall Street Journal, told us his story.
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According to his family, Tice was detained at a checkpoint near Damascus. He was last seen a few weeks later in a YouTube video where he was blindfolded and surrounded by armed men wearing masks.
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Assad's regime publicly denied holding him. But over the years, President Biden and government officials have repeatedly said they have evidence Tice was imprisoned by Assad. And they believe with certainty he's alive. The State Department said this week they have no new verifiable information about Tice's status or location, but they are working to find him. His mom, Deborah, was in D.C.
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last week at the National Press Club advocating for his release.
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But first, to a bitter family feud over the future of an American media empire. Earlier this week, a court in Nevada denied a request from Rupert Murdoch, the magnate who controls Fox News and several other conservative outlets, to change his family trust and consolidate power of the company under his son Lachlan. David Folkenflik is NPR's media correspondent, and he's written a book on Murdoch.
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The administration hasn't shared many details about how it plans to locate Tice and get him out of Syria. They say they're communicating with the rebels who toppled Assad as part of their search. The State Department has offered $10 million for information on his whereabouts and to relocate anyone who finds him and helps to bring him home.
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National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told ABC they're also working with countries near Syria.
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This is a case that has frustrated U.S. intelligence officials for years, according to The New York Times. And more recently, there was a feeling among some that it had gone cold. But Yousef's sources told her the fall of Assad has unlocked new possibilities.
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Now to a story about pregnancy loss and a bill making its way through the New Jersey state legislature that could change the way families grieve. Many companies give time off to employees when there's a death in the family, but not all of them recognize miscarriage as an event that warrants time off in the same way.
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The sponsors of this bill, a Democrat and a Republican, want to make bereavement leave available to employees after a miscarriage, a stillbirth, a pregnancy terminated for medical reasons, a failed fertility treatment, or an unsuccessful adoption.
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That's Bobbi Breyer, a mental health reporter for New Jersey Spotlight News.
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Stacey Dinberg is an advocate of the bill. She has personally experienced this type of loss several times. First, an ectopic pregnancy, which is a highly dangerous situation that creates a non-viable pregnancy and can endanger the life of the mother. She lost a fallopian tube.
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Then, after a pregnancy that felt like a miracle, Stacey learned that her daughter, who was full-term at the time, had no heartbeat and would be stillborn. She testified to a Senate committee about what it was like going back to work before she felt ready.
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Good morning. It's Thursday, December 12th. I'm Shamitha Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, the effort to find an American journalist believed to be imprisoned in Syria for more than a decade. A bill to expand bereavement leave to include pregnancy loss. And FIFA makes a controversial pick to host the 2034 World Cup.
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If New Jersey lawmakers pass the bill and Governor Phil Murphy signs it into law, it would allow pregnant people and their partners in these situations to take between 7 and 21 days off of work. And New Jersey would join a handful of other states that have expanded bereavement benefits like this for employees in recent years.
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Breyer says we'll likely see more states consider similar policies in the future, especially considering infant mortality has climbed nationwide since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
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Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app. President Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people, the largest granting of clemency by any modern president in a single day. He will also pardon 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes, including possession of marijuana.
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Many of those whose sentences will be commuted were moved from prison to home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic. Some Republicans have pushed for legislation that would send those people back to prison. In a statement, Biden said the commutation recipients have successfully reintegrated into their communities and deserve a second chance.
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The Wall Street Journal notes that the previous single-day clemency record was set by President Barack Obama, who commuted 330 sentences in one day. It's likely Biden will pardon and commute more Americans in his final weeks in office.
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President-elect Trump says he'll choose Carrie Lake, the former TV news anchor who lost her race for senator in Arizona last month, to lead the federally funded international media outlet Voice of America, which provides news and information in nearly 50 languages around the world.
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Lake was one of the most prominent faces of the so-called Stop the Steal movement to overturn the 2020 election results in Trump's favor. In other Trump-related news, FBI Director Christopher Wray announced he will step down at the end of the current administration, three years before the end of his 10-year term. Wray addressed FBI employees at a packed town hall meeting yesterday.
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Wray, a Trump appointee, oversaw the investigation of around 2,000 people believed to have taken part in the January 6th attack on the Capitol and the raid of Donald Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago. Both incidents angered the president-elect, who has harshly criticized the agency and Wray himself. Trump announced earlier he would nominate Kash Patel to replace Wray.
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And finally, two big announcements in sports. First, FIFA announced Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 Men's World Cup. Critics have condemned the decision to award such a coveted event to a country that has what many human rights groups have called a deplorable record.
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And the second big announcement, six-time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Belichick is the next head football coach at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Belichick mutually parted ways with the Patriots earlier this year after 24 seasons.
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His return to coaching, this time on the college level, has raised eyebrows, with ESPN calling it, quote, one of the most stunning and compelling moves in college football history. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a Narrated article coming up next.
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He explained to us this isn't really about money, as most inheritance fights tend to be. It's about which kid Murdoch trusts to maintain the right-wing slant of his media empire after he dies. For years, he has effectively made his four oldest children vie for his affection, respect, and perhaps most importantly, the opportunity to take over his businesses.
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If you find the Murdoch family trust story interesting, or if you just really miss the show's succession, Town & Country has a good article on how the ultra-wealthy cement their legacies through the often messy world of estate planning. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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The way the trust is laid out now, power will be split evenly between them after Murdoch dies. It was an agreement that came out of a divorce settlement with Murdoch's second wife, and it's ironclad. But over the years, his eldest son, Lachlan, gained favor with the father. Folkenflik told us he may in fact be even more conservative than Murdoch.
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Part of that fortification, according to Wei, also has to do with Chinese export controls. In the same way that the U.S. has restricted China's access to high-tech, like semiconductors, China is employing a similar tactic for U.S. access for certain products.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
China is also obstructing deals that could be beneficial to the United States. For example, a recent merger between Intel and an Israeli chipmaker fell through because Chinese authorities dragged their feet on approval. And China has a rule not dissimilar to a rule the United States has that allows it to restrict U.S.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
companies from doing business there if it deems them harmful to China's national security interests.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
With neither country seeming willing to give in, Wei says the world is watching the two largest economies effectively playing a game of chicken. Whichever has less tolerance for economic pain is the one we could see bend first.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
The Department of Homeland Security and the IRS have reached an agreement to provide sensitive taxpayer information to federal immigration officials, according to recent court filings. That will allow the IRS to learn more about immigrants living in the U.S. without legal status.
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Washington Post reporter Shannon Najmabadi spoke to us about the change in policy.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
There are about 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally, and many pay their taxes, just like U.S. citizens do. In fact, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that in 2022, immigrants without legal status paid close to $100 billion in federal, state, and local taxes. DHS officials said they could use data from the IRS to locate up to 7 million people.
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The sharing of tax data for anyone, U.S. citizen or not, U.S. president or not, has long been a very sensitive issue. So much so that improperly sharing tax information is punishable by civil and criminal penalties, which is why this policy move is considered such a big deal and such a shift from our norms.
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But first, President Trump abruptly reversed course on widespread global tariffs yesterday in the face of forecasts of a potential recession, pushback from the business community, and growing discontent among some Republican members of Congress. Here's how the president put it.
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The Post reports that even though IRS attorneys advised that the deal likely violates privacy laws, the agreement was signed by Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. But one key person was largely left out of the loop.
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After news of the agreement became public, Krause informed staff she is stepping down. Tomorrow, an immigration judge in Louisiana will decide the fate of Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil, whether he can be deported or whether his case should be terminated and he should be released. Khalil's story so far offers an alarming glimpse into what could happen to others.
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As reports begin to bubble up of international students learning that their visas are being revoked by the State Department. At least eight students at Arizona State University, six at UC Berkeley, at least three students and two recent grads at Harvard.
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The Washington Post reports it's unclear how many visas in total have been revoked so far, or if all students have even been informed that they must now leave the United States. And it's contributing to an overall sense of dread among foreign-born students that any immigrant could be targeted without warning for anything from protesting the war in Gaza to something minor like a traffic violation.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio said two weeks ago that more than 300 student visas had been revoked under his direction. That same week, a video circulated on social media of the arrest of a Turkish student at Tufts University, where the woman was approached on the street by law enforcement agents who were mostly masked and led away.
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At the time, Rubio was asked about her arrest and the detention of other foreign-born students who, like her, have expressed pro-Palestinian viewpoints.
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Administrators at colleges have also raised concerns about a federal database where international students' records have been terminated. The CEO of a nonprofit that works on behalf of international and immigrant students called the changes arbitrary and unresolvable and said they're creating havoc for anyone on campus who isn't a U.S. citizen.
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Good morning. It's Thursday, April 10th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, a change to a longstanding IRS rule, why the State Department is revoking visas for hundreds of international students in the U.S., and the Masters marks a historic anniversary.
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Daniel Kanstrom, an immigration law professor at Boston College, told NPR's Fresh Air recently the targeting of these students is an escalation in Trump's deportation plan.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
Just this week, a Michigan-based attorney who is a U.S. citizen and is currently representing a student who has been charged in connection to a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Michigan was detained by federal immigration agents at the airport on his way home from a family vacation. Amir Maklid told NPR it was clear that officers were waiting for him.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
After more than 90 minutes of questioning, Mackled was eventually released. He says he was never given a reason for his detainment, but he says he believes he knows why he was stopped.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
Now Trump says he's instituting a 90-day pause for most countries while retaining a baseline tariff of 10 percent. The exception? China. Instead of pulling back, Trump doubled down, now saying China will face a 125 percent tariff, a jump up from where he was just two days ago when he promised tariffs of 104 percent. This comes after China, the world's second largest economy, didn't bend to Trump.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
Many immigration lawyers are saying they've been getting lots of frantic calls and emails from students who've been notified by the State Department and want to know what's supposed to happen next. The federal government is encouraging them to self-deport or risk getting detained. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
NPR reports that effective immediately, the government will begin screening immigrants' social media accounts for content it deems anti-Semitic and could use those posts to deny immigration benefits. This could impact people applying for a green card or student visa.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
It's not totally clear what constitutes anti-Semitic content in the government's eyes, including whether a post condemning Israel's war in Gaza that's killed more than 50,000 Palestinians could be flagged. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said the policy change will, quote, protect the homeland from extremists and terrorist aliens. Earlier this week, the U.S.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
Commerce Department abruptly cut $4 million in federal funding for climate research at Princeton University. The money paid for programs studying things like sea level rise and flooding. Administration officials said the research promotes exaggerated threats and, quote, climate anxiety among younger people.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
A meteorologist in one of those programs won a Nobel Prize in physics for work predicting the effects of global warming. The researchers at Princeton are considered by some to be among the best in the world at climate modeling. These are just some of the latest cuts to funding at prestigious universities by the administration.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
And finally, golf's first major tournament of the year, the Masters, starts today and is marking a historic anniversary. Fifty years ago this week, Lee Elder became the first Black golfer to compete in the distinguished tournament, breaking one of American sports' last color lines.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, where the tournament is played, has a long history of racial division. One of its co-founders is quoted as saying, as long as I'm alive, all the golfers will be white and all the caddies will be black.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
That changed when officials tweaked the rules and awarded a spot in the tournament to anyone who had won a PGA Tour event, which Elder did about a year prior. His inclusion sparked death threats leading up to the tournament. He had bodyguards hanging around with him that week. Elder ended up missing the cut but played the tournament five more times after that.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
It would be 22 years after Elder broke the color barrier that a Black man finally did win the Masters. In 1997, a young man named Tiger Woods. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
New York Magazine spoke with a philosopher who sought to understand why some of us seem to have great luck while others have constant streams of bad luck. Are some of us just truly unlucky? If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
Instead of calling up the White House and offering concessions, China retaliated, increasing tariffs on all U.S. imports to 84 percent.
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China hits back at U.S. tariffs
Lingling Wei is the chief China correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
And for smaller businesses, the effects of the tariffs will be harder to mitigate. CNN spoke to Stephen Borelli, the CEO of a California-based clothing store, Cuts, about his concerns.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
Meanwhile, if you zoom out and look at the larger economic picture, many of the key economic markers have largely remained steady. Yesterday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell kept interest rates unchanged, but said the path ahead was not clear.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
In other words, what he's saying is there's uncertainty, sure, but those recession indicators are not jumping out to him right now. Overall, consumer spending hasn't fallen yet. The labor market has remained strong. But some economists believe it will only be a matter of time before the tariff policy back and forth does, in fact, start to show up in data.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
The New York Times reports that for some economists, the uncertainty feels a bit like hunting for clues during the pandemic. Back then, things like a drop in restaurant reservations and screenings at TSA checkpoints were signals of potential economic damage to come.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
But one challenge the Fed now faces, as Powell said, is trying to decide whether to focus more on the risk of rising unemployment or inflation going up. If consumer confidence is low, then demand may fall. Just ask the McGriddle. And it is still possible that the current tariff outlook could change.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
In fact, this weekend, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant is scheduled to meet with Chinese officials to discuss trade. Though Trump said yesterday he does not plan to change the tariffs in advance of the meeting to secure a deal. Let's turn now to a huge problem the new pope will inherit, the Vatican's extremely messy finances.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
The combination of deficit spending and financial mismanagement has driven the Vatican into unsustainable debt. When Pope Francis was elected in 2013, he was given a mandate to fix this problem, but it only got worse. The Vatican's deficit tripled during his tenure, though to be clear, he did try to push for reforms.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
Drew Henshaw with The Wall Street Journal spoke to us from Rome.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
To understand the Vatican's finances, Hinshaw and other journal reporters met with officials from the Vatican's bank, pension fund, and regulatory institutions. They also spoke to cardinals attending this week's conclave. A Vatican spokesman didn't respond to a request for comment.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
Several interviews had to be held in secret, with their sources citing an atmosphere of suspicion and blame over the Vatican's deteriorating financial situation. The journal learned members of the clergy resisted the rules Francis tried to impose, things like obtaining multiple sign-offs for expenses.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
Some tried to hide funds, citing security concerns for missionaries in countries where proselytizing is a crime. Hinshaw says trying to balance a budget for a papal state that's existed for more than a millennium was not a priority for many of them.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
The struggle between Francis and the Vatican's bureaucracy continued to escalate. Ultimately, he decided to shift his focus to other priorities. But he kept trying to find solutions. up until pneumonia put him in the hospital for weeks this February. Three days before he was hospitalized, Francis signed a papal directive to boost donations from the Catholic faithful, hoping that that would help.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
Who will inherit the financial puzzle is still in question. Black smoke rose above the Vatican yesterday, signaling a new pope had not yet been chosen. Now to Utah, where the first domestic ban on fluoride in public drinking water went into effect yesterday. Florida will soon follow.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
Some of it's been in the form of snarky memes online in response to the seesaw tariff policy from the Trump administration. Some of it is trying to translate the general sense of economic anxiety and figure out whether it's a temporary blip or here to stay. Economists are trying to sort out what's anecdotal, vibes-based, if you will, from what's showing up in the data.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
On Tuesday, Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that will prevent local municipalities from adding fluoride to their water starting July 1st.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
Dentists and public health experts are sounding the alarm, saying that rolling back community fluoridation policies, which are widely considered one of the top public health success stories of the last century, could lead to a rise in avoidable dental health issues. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in the soil, air, and in some areas, the water.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
Too much of it can stain your teeth, but the right amount can play a vital role in preventing tooth decay. Dentists figured this out roughly 100 years ago. And starting in 1945, municipalities across the U.S. started to add very small amounts to the public drinking supply.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
Fox reports the goal was to make sure everyone got some amount of protection from tooth decay, regardless of whether they had access to dental care. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, the very first city to fluoridate its water, researchers monitored almost 30,000 school-aged children over the course of 15 years, and the rate of tooth decay dropped by more than 60%.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
Good morning. It's Thursday, May 8th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, the Vatican's messy financial picture, why more states are considering taking fluoride out of the public drinking water, and an AI-generated video allows a dead man to confront his killer. But first, in the past few weeks, there's been a lot of talk of recession indicators.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
In 2011, the city council in Calgary, Canada, voted to remove fluoride from its water. But a decade later, residents voted to bring it back. Calgary City Council member Giancarlo Carra spoke with NPR last year about this decision. He says they noticed when fluoride was removed, tooth decay was on the rise.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
Some people who have been outspoken opponents of adding fluoride to water, like Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have warned that it can be dangerous and lead to adverse health effects. And there's some truth to that if too much is consumed. Bruce Lamphere, a professor of health sciences who studies neurotoxins, told Vox about research in China.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
It compared villages with high amounts of naturally occurring fluoride in their water to villages without high levels of fluoride.
Apple News Today
People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
But what's also worth noting, we are talking about high, high levels of fluoride exposure. Here in the United States, municipalities set fluoride limits, and most follow CDC guidance, which is much lower. No more than 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water. That's around five times less than the Chinese villages from the study Lamphere cited.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
Take McDonald's, which recently saw a drop in spending in U.S. stores, as acknowledged by their chief financial officer on a recent earnings call.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
To put it another way, the National Institutes of Health says it's, quote, virtually impossible to get a toxic dose from fluoride at the recommended levels. As Utah's ban takes effect, dentists who treat children and low-income patients told the Associated Press they're bracing for an increase in tooth decay among the state's most vulnerable people.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
Still, other states are plowing ahead, with Ohio and South Carolina considering similar measures. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. In other health news, Secretary Kennedy has announced a new database that will keep track of autism patients enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid. He says it'll be used to help researchers studying the causes of the condition.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
A petition criticizing the move has drawn more than 50,000 signatures, with people saying that they felt an effective registry would be invasive and against the wishes of many families. The Autism Science Foundation raised privacy red flags. The National Institutes of Health denied that it amounted to a registry, and the health department says it would comply with all privacy laws.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
In other Trump administration news, the Wall Street Journal has some exclusive reporting on Trump's efforts to take over Greenland. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently ordered U.S. intelligence agencies to ramp up their spying to learn more about the movement in Greenland to seek independence from Denmark.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
Remember, Greenland is a self-governing territory of the Danish kingdom. According to two sources familiar with the intelligence effort, officers were told to collect information on how locals feel about the U.S. extracting resources from the island, which is rich in valuable minerals. In response, Gabbard said the journal's reporting was, quote, politicizing and leaking classified information.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
The Danish embassy in Washington declined to comment, and the prime minister of Greenland didn't immediately respond. Now to what we think is a first for U.S. courtrooms. The sister of a man who died in a road rage shooting used AI to recreate his face and voice in order to play a message at his killer's sentencing.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
NPR reports that Stacey Wales was struggling to find the words after she lost her brother, Christopher. So instead, she wrote something as though it was from her brother, and with the help of her husband, created a hyper-realistic AI video, which said this.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
And The Washington Post reports that a number of major airlines have withdrawn their financial forecasts for the year, uncertain about how things are going to shape up. Companies like Procter & Gamble, responsible for so many of our household brands, are raising some prices. Mattel, the makers of Barbie, have also said their prices will go up due to the administration's tariffs on China.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
There were no objections from the judge or defense, and it wasn't used as evidence, but NPR notes some concern from experts as to other ways AI might be used in courtrooms, and whether cases like this raise issues of consent for the deceased. And finally, a number of news outlets have been putting out explainers on the papal conclave in recent days. We covered this yesterday.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
But it seems like a lot of people, including the cardinals participating in the process, are turning to the Oscar-winning movie Conclave for a primer. A cleric told Politico some of the cardinals now locked in the Sistine Chapel saw the film in theaters and found it very helpful. For many of the cardinals voting in this conclave, it's their first time navigating the politics and protocol.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
The majority were appointed by the late Pope Francis. And the cardinals interviewed by Politico say the film is remarkably accurate. They're not the only ones who've been tuning in. After Pope Francis passed, streaming viewership of Conclave spiked 283 percent. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. The Los Angeles Times spoke with the creators of Girls Gone Bible. It's a podcast hosted by two Christian influencers who have no formal training in ministry, but their fan base is now larger than many of the nation's most popular preachers.
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People are noticing “recession signs” everywhere. What does the data say?
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
The LB&I specialists focus on auditing big businesses like major tech companies, pharmaceutical companies, and oil and gas companies.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
The businesses and individuals that fall under the purview of LB&I, according to a former IRS commissioner, often have access to the most sophisticated tax preparers and lawyers. So, he told ProPublica, they're typically, quote, pushing the envelope as much as they can on their taxes.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
In some cases, LB&I agents discover that the government actually owes the taxpayer more money than expected. But with fewer people on staff, the people ProPublica interviewed warned that these types of complicated returns will inevitably receive less attention.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
One report from 2024 from the Nonpartisan Government Accountability Office found, for every additional hour spent on audits for very wealthy taxpayers, the IRS found savings of $13,000. Now to the Supreme Court, where justices are being asked to weigh in on an important environmental question, where should dangerous nuclear waste go?
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
This is a problem the federal government has been trying to solve for decades. It spent almost 30 years trying to develop a permanent underground storage location for high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. But there was pushback from the state and local communities, funding dried up, and eventually the project fizzled out during the Obama administration.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
Dylan Badour is a reporter with Inside Climate News who told us, as a stopgap measure, thousands of tons of nuclear waste are stored on site at power plants across the country. And more recently, the debate over where to store nuclear waste turned to Texas as a possible solution.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
A company called Waste Control Specialists filed an application in 2016 to temporarily store nuclear waste in the western part of the state. But just like Yucca Mountain, it was met with resistance. First from a local oil company that owns land near where the project would be located. Then Texas officials joined them in suing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
In this case, the Supreme Court is considering two questions. First, whether Texas and the oil company are allowed to petition the court. Second, whether the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is allowed to grant licenses to temporary nuclear waste storage facilities that are not located near reactor sites.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
The court's conservative majority has generally been skeptical of federal regulation in recent years. Bedore says if the court rules in Texas's favor, it would largely maintain the status quo, with no long-term solution to nuclear waste. But a ruling in favor of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission could change how nuclear waste is stored, not only in Texas, but nationwide.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
Tax season is upon us, but roughly 7,000 employees were recently fired by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's Doge team. They've said their goal is to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in the government.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
Both Texas and the federal government want to expand nuclear power. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a former fossil fuel executive, told senators in his confirmation hearing expanding domestic energy production would be among his first priorities. And Texas is trying to position itself as a national leader in nuclear power.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
But Badur says the state has no interest in dealing with the waste, which is a problem both the state and federal government will need to address eventually.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
The court's ruling is expected by the end of June. Let's turn now to a story you might remember seeing pretty much everywhere just before the holidays. A study that examined the toxicity of black plastic in kitchen tools led to a flurry of headlines like, throw out your black plastic spatula, it's probably leaching chemicals into your cooking oil.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
In fact, we reported on this very same study for Apple News Today.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
That's Leslie Patton, a consumer reporter with Bloomberg News. And the backlash was swift. By the end of January, sales of stainless steel kitchen products climbed more than 13 percent year over year, and silicone products were up by about 70 percent. Now, there was a problem with the study. It contained a pretty significant math error.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
The IRS has been hit especially hard by these cuts, ProPublica reports, because it did a lot of hiring and training in 2024, which means a lot of people were still in their probationary period a few weeks ago when they found out they were being cut.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
But the authors say even after correcting their calculations, they stand by their initial conclusion that the levels of toxic chemicals in certain black plastic cookware are still concerning. And there's been a wave of other research in recent years about the dangers of plastic. Studies have found microplastics in our food and drinking water.
Apple News Today
The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
Good morning. It's Thursday, March 6th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, the debate over where to put the country's nuclear waste, consumers are taking the risk of plastics more seriously, and how scientists are trying to revive the woolly mammoth. But first, to the Internal Revenue Service.
Apple News Today
The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
One study from 2021 concluded that microplastics are so small that even freshly grown fruits and vegetables are not always safe. They can absorb these small plastics through their root systems. Now, a lot is unknown about the impact of all these tiny plastic particles on human health. The FDA says the presence of plastics in food alone does not indicate a risk.
Apple News Today
The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
But science journalist Matt Simon, who I spoke to for Apple News in conversation a few years ago, told me the risks are not well understood because not enough research has been done.
Apple News Today
The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
Looking at plastic kitchen tools in particular, many companies insist their products are safe. Still, some are moving away from plastic products. Leslie Patton with Bloomberg told us about the company OXO, which by one estimate sells roughly one out of every 12 kitchen utensils in the United States.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
OXO says their plastic kitchen utensils are safe as long as they're used correctly. But ultimately, what this so-called Black Spatulageddon saga reveals is that consumers are beginning to take more seriously the risks of plastics, and manufacturers are taking notice by investing in alternatives. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
Last year's hiring wave came after Congress had underfunded the agency for a good part of the last decade, which led to chronic understaffing, poor customer service, and plummeting audit rates.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
First, to a flurry of updates from the Trump administration in Washington. The Supreme Court denied the president's request to cancel $2 billion in foreign aid, siding with a lower court judge who recently ordered the administration to immediately release the money owed under existing contracts.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
In further fallout from Friday's disastrous meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump ordered the CIA to halt intelligence sharing with Ukraine. The U.S. has shared intelligence with Kyiv since the early days of the war to help Ukrainian forces target invading Russian forces more effectively. And it's not clear if the pause will be temporary or permanent.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
And less than 48 hours after imposing tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Trump agreed to make an exception for one month for automobile imports that qualify for duty-free treatment under a trade agreement negotiated during his first term. This move came after he spoke with executives from three of the largest automakers in the U.S., General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
Staying in Washington for a moment, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed that the city will remove Black Lives Matter Plaza, a two-block stretch in downtown D.C. near the White House, which got that name along with a mural after the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
This week, a Republican lawmaker introduced a bill to the House requiring Bowser to rename the area or risk losing federal funding from Congress. And when the local NBC affiliate asked her why she agreed to make the change, the mayor said it was fair to say the White House didn't like it. And finally, the woolly mammoth is making a comeback of sorts.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
Scientists are working toward that goal, but in the meantime, they've made some significant strides in genetically engineering mice that carry some of the key characteristics of the extinct woolly mammoth, like their thick, hairy coats. Picture a normal lab mouse, but poofier. Here's what one of the researchers, Beth Shapiro, told NPR.
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The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
ProPublica spoke with more than a dozen current and former IRS employees, most of whom worked for the Large Business and International Division, or LBNI, which audits some of the highest dollar amount tax returns filed in the country.
Apple News Today
The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
The company says reviving extinct species like the mammoth and the dodo could help repair ecosystems. But critics have questioned if they'll be able to thrive in today's environment and if that money is better spent trying to save species currently at risk of extinction. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. New York Magazine takes you behind the scenes of how this one-stop shop that sells everything from cashmere to caviar recruited a generation of consumers. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
The black-spatula debate changed our kitchens. Companies noticed.
Almost half of the engineer positions in LBNI, that is people who have specialized expertise and can weigh in on more complicated tax returns, appear to have been eliminated in the recent cut. And these current and former employees told reporter Andy Kroll that that could make it more difficult for the agency to audit some of the wealthiest people and businesses in the country.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
Saudi Arabia flatly rejected Trump's initial proposal, saying it would not normalize relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state. Egypt and Jordan, the countries Trump suggested should absorb displaced Gazans, also condemned Trump's remarks and said there can be no attempt to displace Palestinians from their homeland.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
Reporters on the ground in Gaza say the idea of leaving, even temporarily, has gotten mixed reactions from Palestinians. One man told NPR, because Gaza has been destroyed so thoroughly by Israeli airstrikes, he doesn't see a future there and would be open to moving to a country that embraces and protects him. But another Palestinian told reporters with Reuters he'll never leave.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
Here in the U.S., the idea of taking control of Gaza and investing American dollars in development projects to rebuild was also met with mixed reviews. Democrats, by and large, denounced it. Republicans were a bit more across the board. Senator Marsha Blackburn said the plan would create economic prosperity. Congresswoman Nancy Mace said the U.S. should, quote, turn Gaza into Mar-a-Lago.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
And House Speaker Mike Johnson reaffirmed his commitment to stand by Israel, but urged Americans to wait for more details about Trump's plan before jumping to conclusions. Other Republicans, though, were more immediately critical. Senator Rand Paul said on X, quote, I thought we voted for America first.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal's Dov Lieber, who lives in Israel, said Trump's proposals, in particular the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, are being celebrated by some Israelis.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
Trump's comments come as many Israelis have grown wary of proposed resolutions to this conflict, whether it be a two-state solution or something else.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
There are also real concerns that Trump's proposal, even a softened version of it, could jeopardize the already fragile ceasefire deal in place between Israel and Hamas and potentially the return of the remaining hostages. Trump's comments came as negotiations are underway for phase two of the ceasefire deal and days before the next planned swap of hostages for Palestinian detainees.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
Now to a major financial proposal from the president you might have missed with all the news this week. On Monday, Trump signed an executive order calling on the Treasury and Commerce Departments to look into creating a sovereign wealth fund for the United States, essentially creating an investment fund that would be owned by the government.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
And one of the first things Trump suggested he would do with this fund is put in a bid to buy TikTok. Sovereign wealth funds are typically found in oil-rich countries that run budget or trade surpluses. Those countries then direct those surplus funds toward investments with the goal of generating more money for future generations.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
But first, the White House is walking back comments made by President Trump suggesting the United States should take full control of Gaza, possibly through military force. Here's White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt on Wednesday.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
According to Axios, Norway, China, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore have the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world. Trump first floated the idea of creating one of these funds for the United States on the campaign trail.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
And he said he would use it to make major investments in our country's future.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
The Biden White House had been looking into creating such a fund, and a lot of Democrats and Republicans like the idea, too. There has been pushback, usually from more conservative economists, who say instead of putting American money into a sovereign wealth fund, why not use that money instead to lower taxes? Now for Trump to make this idea a reality, he would need congressional approval.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
Congress controls the federal government's budget, which means they would need to approve the creation of a vehicle that would circumvent some of their power. But secondly, and maybe most importantly, the United States typically does not run a surplus budget. In fact, the U.S. has only run a surplus budget five times in the past 50 years, according to data from the Treasury Department.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
So the big question is, where would the money come from?
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
That's correspondent Alexis Christophorus speaking on ABC News.
Apple News Today
One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
Which would put Trump and other politicians in a unique position of influencing whether the United States government invests in their businesses. Not to mention, creating a sovereign wealth fund would require the federal government to take on more debt, a prospect that many Americans and lawmakers may find hard to stomach.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
Still, a well-run sovereign wealth fund can make a big difference in the economic vitality of a country. In Norway, for example, ABC News reports that their sovereign oil fund is so successful that it's holding the equivalent of more than $100,000 per person. By contrast, the scale of our national debt is so large that it equates to roughly $50,000 owed by each American.
Apple News Today
One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
Good morning. It's Thursday, February 6th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, what it would mean for the United States to have a sovereign wealth fund, the Kendrick Lamar Drake beef that might be headed for the Super Bowl, and do you know what Riz is? Congrats, you're already behind on the next wave of slang.
Apple News Today
One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is just days away, and although the big game is the main event, a lot of attention will be paid to the halftime show. When Kendrick Lamar takes the stage, he's expected to perform Not Like Us, a massive hit that he released last summer that just earned him multiple Grammys. It was also one of the final salvos in a rap beef between Lamar and fellow rapper Drake.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
August Brown is a music industry reporter at the Los Angeles Times.
Apple News Today
One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
And because of that accusation, which Drake fully denies, he's sued Universal Music Group, which isn't just Kendrick Lamar's label, but Drake's own label as well. He claims that because UMG knew the accusations in the song were false, they defamed him by promoting it. UMG says they simply supported Lamar's creative expression and did nothing wrong.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
Also, it's a diss track, and legal experts say it would be hard to prove that the average person is taking it at face value. Also, it's important to note that Kendrick Lamar is not named in the suit, and that Drake has also put out diss tracks about Lamar and accused him of some pretty terrible stuff. So back to what happens on Sunday.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
If Kendrick Lamar performs Not Like Us during the biggest television event in the U.S., is that considered defamation? And if so, who gets implicated?
Apple News Today
One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
When pressed by reporters, Levitt stopped short of explaining how the president would clear Gaza without military force. In Trump's initial comments on Tuesday, when he was hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, he said he would transform Gaza into the, quote, That Palestinians should leave Gaza and neighboring Egypt and Jordan should take them in.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
The NFL's lawyers might caution against it, even if the legal risk is low. Then again, CBS, which just hosted the Grammys, played snippets of the song twice during the live broadcast, with some of the world's biggest artists bopping along to it. And maybe that's the bigger point.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
Brown says the song is such a hit, there's nothing Drake can really do at this point to put the genie back in the bottle.
Apple News Today
One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following today. In 2020, the far-right group the Proud Boys vandalized a historic Black church in Washington, D.C. Now, the church has been awarded control of the group's name. That means that proceeds from the merchandise sales and membership dues for the Proud Boys will go to the very church the group vandalized.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
This unusual order came from a D.C. Superior Court, after the Proud Boys were initially told to pay millions of dollars for vandalizing the church, but never did. The Washington Post spoke to the church's pastor, who called the decision karmic and the result of unbroken, joyful resistance.
Apple News Today
One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
In tech news, some employees at Google are expressing their dislike of a policy shift in the company's AI ethical guidelines. Google erased language in those guidelines that promised it wouldn't use its AI tech for weapons, surveillance, or technologies that are likely to cause harm.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
Business Insider reports the move prompted employees to share their dislike of the changes in internal message boards through memes, with one post asking, Are we the baddies?
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
Google has not directly addressed the change in language, but two high-level executives wrote in a blog post that because of the increasing complexity of the geopolitical landscape, it's important for companies and government to work together on matters of national security.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
And finally, if you have teens or preteens in your life, you'll have to help the rest of us understand what these words mean.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
That's a middle school teacher named Philip Lindsay on TikTok who's been chronicling some of the words that have popped up in his classroom lately. He's featured in a Wall Street Journal story about modern slang and how parents are trying to keep up with it.
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One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
A linguistics professor told the journal that it's not like there are more slang words than there used to be, but rather that social media is exposing people to more and allowing them to communicate them faster.
Apple News Today
One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
And it appears that there is a shorter lifespan for some of these words and phrases, which means that by the time you learn some, like Riz referencing charisma, they might already be on their way out among the young people in your life. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. The New Yorker takes a deep dive into the U.S. military's recruiting crisis, working against a population that's not just unenthusiastic, but incapable. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
One of rap’s biggest beefs might be coming to the Super Bowl
The White House also tried to clarify that statement, saying yesterday that any displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip would be temporary. This attempt to soften some of Trump's suggestions came after a wave of global outrage. A spokesman for U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called Trump's plan to displace Gazans, quote, "...tantamount to ethnic cleansing."
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
Trump vowed to bring the ban back on the campaign trail, and he made it clear in his address last night that this order had actually been in the works for a long time. He said he'd been planning this since the start of his term.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
The first travel ban Trump imposed in 2017 went through several iterations and court challenges before ultimately being upheld by the Supreme Court, though Trump at the time complained that the version had been, quote, watered down. That order was ultimately rescinded by President Biden when he took office.
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How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
This time around, Trump says he instructed the State Department to review the order before announcing it, unlike last time where top officials in the administration said they were largely left in the dark before Trump announced his plan. James Sample, a professor of constitutional law at Hofstra University, told ABC that he expects this order to be challenged.
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How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
The order drew immediate criticism from House Democrats, with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal saying it would only further isolate the U.S. on the world stage. The president of a nonprofit that helps to resettle Afghans in the United States told The Washington Post thousands of Afghans with pending cases will now be blocked from reaching safety.
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How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
He told the Post that he believes people should, quote, call it what it is, a second Muslim ban, dressed up in bureaucracy and rushed out in the aftermath of a tragedy to disguise its intent. The effects of this announcement are still coming to light, and we'll learn more in the coming days. According to the language of the executive order, it's set to go into effect starting Monday.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
Let's turn now to the ripple effects of the ongoing Canadian wildfires and the dangerous air quality many states are seeing. Hundreds of fires are still raging, and nearly half of those remain what's defined as out of control. That smoke has drifted into the U.S. and hit large swaths of the Midwest, creating a hazy fog and dangerous conditions for residents.
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How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
People living in parts of Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan have been badly affected. Here's how Fox 9's meteorologist Ian Leonard described conditions in Minnesota on Tuesday.
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How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
Minneapolis was flagged as very unhealthy, and on Tuesday, The Washington Post reports that it had at one point the second most unhealthy air quality of any major city in the world, behind only Kuwait City.
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How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
Conditions have now improved in some areas, but the smoke is drifting east, and vulnerable groups in five states — New York, New Jersey, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Maine — have been advised to stay indoors. Chicago skyscrapers are expected to be drowned in smoke over the weekend, with an alert now in place.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
Now, of course, there'll be a lot of variation, so you should check out conditions in your area before canceling your park run. The Air Quality Index runs from 0 to 500, and beyond 100 is where you'll get possible alerts and warnings. PBS spoke with meteorologist Matthew Capucci about the dangers and how you can lower your risk.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
And he said for the worst affected areas, some protective gear might be a good idea.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
from 12 countries targeting mostly African and Middle Eastern nations. They include Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia and Iran. And Trump issued partial restrictions on another seven countries, including Venezuela and Sierra Leone.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
As the fires continue, thousands have been evacuated in remote areas and at least two people have died. About 5.4 million acres have burned across the western and central provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The fires are expected to continue growing as the remote areas and severe winds hinder efforts by the emergency services.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
Meanwhile, people in Florida may think the smoke has reached them over the next few days, as massive dark clouds are expected to hit the state. Actually, that's a totally separate weather event. Dust coming all the way from the Sahara Desert. The height of the dust means your air quality should stay clear, but Floridians will see hazy skies and maybe even some super colorful sunrises and sunsets.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
Now to the NBA Finals, which start tonight with a matchup that casual fans might not have seen coming. There's no super famous franchise like the Celtics or the Lakers, and there are no household names on the court like LeBron James or Steph Curry. Rather, these finals will pit the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Indiana Pacers, two teams with unique brands of basketball.
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How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
Michael Pina, a senior staff writer at The Ringer, told us there is a clear favorite in this matchup.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
Not to mention, they're led by 26-year-old phenom and league MVP Shea Gilgis-Alexander. Meanwhile, the Pacers this season have enjoyed their role as the David in a number of David vs. Goliath-type matchups, surprising some people by even making it this far. They're led by guard Tyrese Halliburton, who Pina said needs to sustain the pace of the team's namesake.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
Good morning. It's Thursday, June 5th. I'm Shemita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Trump bans citizens of 12 countries from traveling to the U.S. The NBA Finals brings together two overlooked franchises, and a woman who was detained by ICE in April has been allowed to return home. Let's start with President Trump's executive order last night banning travel to the U.S.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
He announced the order in a recorded statement from the Oval Office, connecting it to the recent attack on people in Colorado who were marching to support the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
The other thing that separates these teams from some of the others in the league is that they have deep rosters.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
There's also a lot of history on the line. The Thunder have not been to the finals in 13 years, and they haven't won a championship in almost 50 years. The Pacers, meanwhile, have never won a championship and haven't been to the finals since 2000. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. First, to a series of escalating attacks on higher education by the administration.
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How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
The Department of Education is threatening Columbia University's status as an accredited school, saying the university violated civil rights law because of its handling of campus antisemitism. Now, the DOE is not directly in charge of accreditation, but it informed the commission that is responsible of these allegations.
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How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
Revoking Columbia's accreditation would mean the school loses a key credential for its ability to receive aid, as well as student grants and loans from the federal government. Columbia said it was aware of the administration's concerns and reiterated its commitment to fighting anti-Semitism on campus.
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How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
And at Harvard, President Trump signed an executive order last night seeking to block the school from continuing to host international students. Harvard says it complied with the administration's recent request to provide records related to misconduct by foreign students. The administration called the school's response insufficient.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
In Missouri, a woman detained by ICE back in April during a routine immigration check-in was released yesterday. Carol Mayorga's story made national headlines in part because her community in Kennett, Missouri, largely turned out for Trump in the 2024 election and were largely outraged to see her detained. Her neighbors described her to NPR as a hard worker, a soccer mom and a cherished friend.
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How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
And as one city council member put it to NPR while Mayorga was still in jail, they never thought she would be someone the administration targeted.
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How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
Her attorney told NPR that it was determined Mayorga is eligible for temporary relief through an immigration program known as Deferred Enforcement Departure, which applies to certain residents of Hong Kong. She fled abuse there nearly 20 years ago. Her order of deportation will ultimately remain, and her lawyer says she plans to fight it.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
And finally, the city of Cologne, Germany, had to evacuate yesterday after three unexploded bombs dating back to World War II were discovered. Finding undetonated bombs is not that uncommon, but an evacuation of this size—roughly 20,000 people— is more rare.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
Now, the good news is the bombs were diffused, but it did take a little longer than officials hoped because of one resident who initially refused to leave. But reason prevailed in the end. City officials described it as the largest evacuation since the war. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next from Bloomberg Businessweek. When YouTube debuted 20 years ago, the first video ever posted was 19 seconds long and featured one of its co-founders just hanging out at the zoo. These days, YouTube has way bigger ambitions.
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How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
It wants to be the centerpiece of your living room, competing with the biggest players in TV. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And we'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
How Trump’s travel ban expands on his first-term efforts
The man accused of injuring 12 people in that attack is an Egyptian national, which is not one of the countries restricted under this order. This travel order is similar to the one the president imposed in his first term, though with more countries involved this time.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
Hey there, it's Shamita. I've got a quick request for you. If Apple News Today is an essential part of your morning routine, follow the show in Apple Podcasts. And if you have another 30 seconds, leave us a rating and a review too. It helps other people find our show and it helps us know what you like about it. Thanks. Good morning. It's Friday, December 6th. I'm Shamita Basu.
Apple News Today
Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
Still, navigating such a slim margin will be familiar territory for House Speaker Mike Johnson.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
Johnson will be judged by how well he's able to navigate the serious ideological divides within his own party.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
Plus, as we learned from Trump's first term, the president is likely going to apply a lot of pressure on his party in Congress. The message being support this legislation or risk ending up on Trump's bad side.
Apple News Today
Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
The cryptocurrency market is notoriously volatile, but this week, Bitcoin reached a milestone never before seen in the digital currency world. For the first time, it traded above $100,000. Since Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election, Bitcoin has been on a pretty remarkable rally, surging 40% in value over the course of a month.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
Trump has made a complete 180 on crypto since his first term. Back then, he called it a disaster waiting to happen. But these days, the Trump family is selling their own cryptocurrency token and Trump is promising to support deregulation, which has investors looking forward to him being back in the White House.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
But the Bitcoin surge has sparked fear among some economists and crypto critics who believe the bubble is ultimately destined to burst.
Apple News Today
Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why Bitcoin's wild surge in price might not be good for the greater economy. Notre Dame reopens five years after a devastating fire. And Taylor Swift's record-breaking Eros tour winds down this weekend. But first, House Republicans will have their smallest majority in history when the next Congress gets sworn in in January.
Apple News Today
Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
That's Wall Street Journal reporter Alexander Osipovich, who covers the crypto market. And he told us a crash wouldn't just hurt the people who invest in digital currency. It could hurt all of us.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
Osipovich says that's why regulators are wary of allowing crypto to become part of the mainstream financial system. But that's exactly what Trump says he wants to do to make it easier to connect various financial products to cryptocurrencies.
Apple News Today
Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
Some of Osipovich's sources told him there's a lot of irony here. After all, when Bitcoin was first created almost 16 years ago, the goal was to create as much distance as possible from government influence.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
Congress is also on the verge of becoming more crypto-friendly. According to Osipovich, voters elected 298 representatives and senators who've expressed pro-crypto views compared to 134 who have not. Meanwhile, Donald Trump this week nominated Paul Atkins to run the SEC. He's a former SEC commissioner who's been critical of efforts to crack down on crypto firms.
Apple News Today
Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
This weekend, Taylor Swift will perform the final shows of the Eros Tour, which started in March of last year and has become the highest-grossing music tour ever. For fans, it is so much more than just a concert. It's three hours of Taylor Swift singing her biggest hits, deep cuts, nodding at times to her new relationship, and dropping Easter eggs all over the stage.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
Swift has called it the best experience of her life. And the massive turnout and revenue it's generated are just some of the many records Swift has set during her career so far.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
That's Rob Sheffield. He's a contributing editor at Rolling Stone. He's written lots of books about the greatest artists of all time. And his latest is about Taylor Swift.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
Sheffield has been reporting on Swift since the beginning of her career. And we should say he is a massive fan himself. He says Swift has transformed the music industry in ways that most people don't appreciate. For example, she writes or co-writes all of her songs. even two decades ago when she was first starting out as a teenager.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
That was totally unheard of at the time, when young female artists mostly performed songs written by male producers. Sheffield says she broke the mold and set the stage for what's happening today.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
And she has, of course, totally changed the game when it comes to artists owning their own master recordings. In 2019, Swift famously embarked on a journey to re-record all her music so that she would own her masters. Sheffield was at first skeptical of this move, but it's turned out to be a massive success.
Apple News Today
Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
To hear more of my conversation with Rob Sheffield, check out this week's episode of Apple News in Conversation. We talk about so much more, including what makes Swift such a gifted songwriter, so uniquely accessible to her fans, and Sheffield's favorite backstage moment with the pop star. And yes, we touch on a lot of the eras and play a lot of Taylor Swift's music along the way.
Apple News Today
Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
That's 220 Republican seats to Democrats' 215. But because President-elect Trump has tapped some House members for cabinet roles and Congressman Matt Gaetz has resigned, there will be a few vacant seats.
Apple News Today
Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
If you're listening in the News app, that episode is queued up to play for you next. Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app. It's been five years since a raging fire brought down Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. And finally, this weekend, its doors reopened to the public.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
Resurrecting the 860-year-old church and restoring its roof, murals, and iconic Gothic gargoyles was a massive undertaking, involving hundreds of highly skilled artisans, scientists, and architects. Here's French President Emmanuel Macron.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
The reopening is a bit of bright news following a week of political upheaval in France. Macron this week saw his handpicked prime minister forced to resign by French lawmakers. Macron himself has said he is not stepping down. It's a big weekend in soccer with the MLS Cup final between the New York Red Bulls and the LA Galaxy.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
Sasha Kleschen is an analyst for MLS Season Pass and a former MLS player. He says the stakes are high for both teams, but in very different ways.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
So the margin will be even smaller for some period of time, which is why Washington Post congressional reporter Mariana Sotomayor told us if the party wants to advance legislation without Democrats, there's practically no wiggle room.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
The match is being played in Los Angeles and kicks off tomorrow at 4 p.m. Eastern. And finally, sake, the traditional Japanese rice wine, is now officially on UNESCO's list of things that represent intangible cultural heritage. The drink is made in mountaintop breweries that are hundreds of years old and involves a months-long labor-intensive process.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
Similar to its World Heritage sites, UNESCO recognizes products and practices from different cultures. In addition to sake, UNESCO also chose to honor Brazilian white cheese, Palestinian olive oil soap, and cassava bread from the Caribbean. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
And like I mentioned, if you're listening in the app right now, stick around for that Apple News In Conversation episode about Taylor Swift's dominance in the music industry. That's queued up for you next. Enjoy the weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
Bitcoin has surged. Why it matters, even if you don’t have any.
At the top of Republicans' to-do list is a border security bill and an economic package to reauthorize tax cuts from Trump's first term. Lawmakers and congressional aides told Sotomayor... there's already enough disagreement on those two bills that they might wait until April when those vacant seats I mentioned get filled.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
In the years since, his wife, who is an American citizen, says Abrego Garcia attended regular check-ins with ICE, followed the rules, and is the family's main breadwinner, working five days a week as a sheet metal worker while also attending college classes. Abrego Garcia is the father of several kids, also American citizens, including his five-year-old son who has disabilities.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
Despite never having been charged with a crime, the Trump administration alleges that Abrego Garcia ran a gang. His attorney says that that label is the result of an incident in 2019 where he and three other men were detained. One of the men allegedly said that Abrego Garcia was a gang member, but didn't have proof. And Abrego Garcia maintained that he was not affiliated with a gang.
Apple News Today
How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
Here's his wife, Jennifer, speaking with CBS News.
Apple News Today
How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
Abrego Garcia's attorney is pushing for the courts to order the Trump administration to bring him back to the United States and to even withhold payments to the Salvadoran government, which is charging the United States to imprison deportees. Miroff said there is a process to deport someone with protected status, but the administration isn't following that protocol here.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
Miroff expressed concern about the kind of precedent Abrego Garcia's case could set.
Apple News Today
How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
Attorneys for other men who have been deported say their clients have also been wrongly accused of being gang members and are now languishing in one of El Salvador's harshest maximum security prisons. And yet, despite mounting reports of the questionable legality of some of these deportations, Immigration and Trump's handling of it is still his most popular policy.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
A late March CBS News YouGov poll found when asked about the administration's program to deport immigrants who are in the country illegally, 58 percent said they approve. President Trump announced a new round of tariffs at an event at the White House Rose Garden yesterday.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
A 10% tariff will be placed on all of the U.S. 's trading partners, with the exception of Canada and Mexico. Dozens of other countries will also see double-digit tariffs, with China taking a big hit, a 34% tariff on all goods. Meanwhile, in a vote late Wednesday, a handful of Republicans joined all Democrats in the Senate to pass a bill that would block some previously announced tariffs on Canada—
Apple News Today
How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
It's symbolic, but Politico notes it's a rare rebuke by some Republicans of one of Trump's signature agenda items. The Wall Street Journal recently checked in with one core constituency that has largely supported Trump in the past, but is now feeling nervous about how his tariffs might affect them, American farmers.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
An average of 78 percent of voters in rural, farm-dependent counties backed Trump in the 2024 election. But the Journal's Christina Peterson, who joined us from the Capitol, reports that some have concerns now.
Apple News Today
How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
But first, the Trump administration says they've deported a man from Maryland to El Salvador in error, but that they stand by the deportation and are powerless to bring him home. The man's name is Kilmar Abrego-Garcia. Atlantic reporter Nick Miroff was the first to report on the so-called error.
Apple News Today
How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
In a survey cited by the Journal, 54 percent of farmers said they did not support Trump's use of tariffs as a negotiating tool. According to USDA research, Trump's trade policies in the first administration led to more than $27 billion in losses. But Peterson said even before these latest tariffs were enacted, farmers were struggling.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
Other major policy decisions impacting farmers have to do with federal spending. The Agriculture Department said that it was phasing out programs used to buy local produce for food banks and schools. There's also been some money frozen from a Biden-era climate project. That's having an impact on farmers like Jim Hartman in North Carolina, who Peterson spoke to.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
The Agriculture Department cuts alone are costing just Hartman an estimated $100,000 in revenue. He told the Journal that despite being a lifelong Republican who voted for Trump in November, these policies are, quote, pushing him left.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
The administration has said that they have farmers' backs, and Trump himself has talked about the upside of tariffs allowing for more agricultural products to be made in the U.S. But Peterson said there's one big wrinkle in that plan.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
Let's turn now to the headwinds facing Planned Parenthood. Last month, the organization announced it would sell the historic building that houses its Manhattan Clinic, reducing the total number of Planned Parenthoods to just three total in the city. Meanwhile, the organization is caught in the middle of legal battles and threats to its funding from the administration and from states.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
Good morning. It's Thursday, April 3rd. I'm Shmeetha Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, some farmers start to fear the squeeze from Trump's tariffs. Planned Parenthood faces threats to its funding on multiple fronts. And why every allergy season feels worse than the last.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
Just this week, Politico reports the Trump administration announced it would withhold tens of millions of dollars from nine planned parenthood state clinics across the country. Alice Miranda-Alstein is a senior health care reporter for Politico, and she told us these are dollars that come from the Title X family planning program.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
Alstein reports these Planned Parenthood chapters received notices earlier this week saying their funding is being temporarily withheld.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
The organizations were given 10 days to show they will comply with Trump's orders. After that, the administration will let them know whether the grants are suspended or terminated altogether. Other providers that receive money through the federal family planning program received similar notices and had their funds frozen or received less than expected.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood also appeared before the Supreme Court on Wednesday. NPR described it as a case that isn't really about abortion, except that it is. The court is considering whether a state, in this case South Carolina, can remove Planned Parenthood clinics from its state Medicaid program and bar patients from suing to enforce their right to pick a medical provider.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
Alstein reports the conservative justices seem sympathetic to South Carolina's argument, and she says the result of this Supreme Court decision, along with the previously mentioned cuts, could have a big impact on the organization's future.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. The price of gold is hitting all-time highs this week as investors are growing worried about market instability and the impact Trump's tariffs may have on the economy. Gold futures are up more than 18 percent since the start of the year, with some analysts predicting the price will continue to soar over the next few months.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
The S&P 500, meanwhile, is down more than 4% over the same period. While gold frenzies in times of economic uncertainty are nothing new, a financial planner who spoke to NPR urged caution. He said, remember that gold doesn't pay interest, it doesn't pay dividends, and like anything else, what goes up can always come back down.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
In international news, people in Myanmar are continuing to dig through the rubble after a devastating earthquake left more than 3,000 people dead and destroyed thousands of buildings, homes, and other structures. The 7.7-magnitude earthquake took place along Myanmar's Segang Fault.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
an 800-mile fault line that scientists say has uncanny parallels to the San Andreas Fault in the western United States. Both fault lines measure around 750 to 800 miles and have plates passing by one another at equally fast rates. They're also both in extremely densely populated areas.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
The Washington Post spoke with geologists who say the similarities between the two should serve as a warning sign for California and the big one everyone knows will come eventually. And finally, do your allergies feel worse this year? If so, you're not alone.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
Vox reports that once again, we are facing the worst allergy season of our lives, with multiple cities reporting record high pollen count, largely driven by the effects of climate change. It's hitting the southern United States the worst. And because so many people's allergies are acting up all at the same time, Vox says allergies could cost the economy billions of dollars in lost productivity.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
According to court filings, Abrego Garcia came to the United States almost 15 years ago as a teenager after fleeing gang violence in El Salvador, the very country where he is now detained. In 2019, Garcia received protected legal status after a judge determined that he could be a target if he were deported back to El Salvador.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
Their tips to reduce your suffering, keep doors and windows closed when there's high pollen count, leave your coat and shoes outside if they're covered in pollen, and wipe down your pets before you bring them inside. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
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How an “administrative error” sent a man to a Salvadoran prison
The New Yorker investigates the popular wedding website, The Knot, and growing complaints about the, quote, fake brides problem. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
Another pollster also found Fein's lead a lot tighter than expected. Meanwhile, in Florida's other congressional race, Democrat Gay Valamont also outraised Trump's endorsed candidate, Jimmy Petronas, about 7-1. That race is to replace former Congressman Matt Gaetz. Republicans have a 218-213 edge over Democrats in the House, so every seat and every vote matters.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
NBC national political correspondent Steve Kornacki broke down the race on the network and said it's a big ask for Democrats to flip these seats, given just how Republican these districts are. But these are the exact types of elections where they have a shot.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
The president has acknowledged the importance of holding on to these and other Republican seats. It's the reason he gave reporters last week for pulling the nomination of loyalist and New York representative Elise Stefanik for U.N. ambassador.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
Most observers think these seats will likely remain with the GOP. And the campaign arm of House Republicans called talk about it, quote, noise. Democrats have said if their candidates overperform in these races, which minority leader Hakeem Jeffries said shouldn't even be on the radar, it's a sign some attitudes might be shifting.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
Trump, who won both districts by 30 points, spent part of these final days in teletown halls for both candidates, shoring up support. Let's turn now to recent actions the Trump administration has taken that are impacting science and research.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
The administration has ordered major cuts to the workforce and funding at the National Institutes of Health and huge reductions of NIH grants to universities. These are institutions that lead research on a huge array of diseases and conditions, everything from pediatric brain cancer to heart disease and asthma.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
And because of Trump's crackdown on DEI, NIH employees are being told not to approve grants that include words such as women, trans, or diversity. Shefali Luthra is a reproductive health reporter for The 19th who's been talking to researchers about the fallout.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
And Luther says if they can't get that funding back, it'll be a waste of, in some cases, years of research.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
One of the gaps in health care that these kinds of studies seek to address is our understanding of conditions that impact women. Research on women's health already lags far behind men.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
That's in part because for a long time, the FDA actively discouraged researchers from including women who could become pregnant in clinical trials, which means we have less reliable data when it comes to how a lot of medications might impact women or for women-specific conditions. Luthra told us the story of one researcher at Columbia University.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
Tomorrow we'll break down a crucial contest in Wisconsin for a state Supreme Court vacancy that's attracted the attention of Elon Musk. Today we're going to look at two House seats up for grabs in Florida that are making Republicans nervous about their slim majority.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
This researcher says she recently got a call from her advisor that her federal funding had suddenly been cut.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
Luther told us that the opposition to funding research on women is rooted in the culture wars we're seeing play out, but also in a misunderstanding of the research.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
The NIH did not respond to the 19th's request for comment. In 1975, a mother in South Korea named Choi Young-ja reported her son had gone missing. She told PBS's Frontline her son had been outside playing with neighborhood kids when he disappeared. She went to the police. She checked orphanages and adoption agencies.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
Good morning. It's Monday, March 31st. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, what happens to health research when studies that use the word women are cut? South Korea's dark history of adoptions. And in men's college basketball, it's an all number one seed final four. But first, there are a couple of important special elections this week that we're following.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
Years later, she got a phone call that would change everything she thought she knew about her son's disappearance. I got a call.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
She had submitted her son's DNA to an agency that works to reunite adoptees and birth parents. And she says there to Frontline that she got a call from someone saying they found her son. Her son, named at birth Sangyeol, was now named Frank. She was overwhelmed. She hung up and burst into tears. A few weeks later, she videoconferenced with her now-adult son for the first time.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
One of those races in Florida's 6th congressional district is to replace Mike Waltz, President Trump's national security advisor, who's been in the headlines over the Signal Group chat, where he and several other top officials discussed military strike plans in Yemen. Running to replace Waltz is Republican State Senator Randy Fine.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
She says there she was shocked. The boy she last remembered at the age of four had become an adult with gray hair. Her story is just one of many that's come to light in recent years about fraudulent Korean adoptions. Kids and infants who were stolen without the consent of their biological parents.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
For the families who adopted them, they too were lied to, told that the children were abandoned or orphaned, and that their identities and information about their birth families was lost or fabricated. Kyawin Lee, a former health ministry official who oversaw adoption policy starting in 2010, told Frontline that she questioned whether so many children were in need of adoption.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
For the South Korean government, foreign adoptions had become a way to reduce social welfare spending. Recently, Lee has played a significant role in passing adoption reform in South Korea. As these children have grown up, and with the help of DNA websites like 23andMe, some of these adoptees have come to find out their true identities. And they've pushed South Korea to reckon with this dark past.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
Last week, they got a major victory when South Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission released the preliminary results of an ongoing investigation into this matter. For the first time, they acknowledged that human rights abuses took place and that the government failed to protect the rights of adoptees. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
President Trump is threatening new sanctions on Russia if it doesn't agree to a deal to end the war in Ukraine. He told NBC News he was, quote, very angry at Russian President Vladimir Putin for his comments calling for an interim governance in Ukraine to push out Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
Putin said Zelensky lacks the authority to sign a peace deal because his term expired last year. Ukraine is under martial law, and according to its constitution, national elections can't be held while it's in effect. Zelensky has vowed to call elections as soon as the war ends.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
In Myanmar, the death toll continues to rise as the country accounts for the destruction from a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that rocked the nation on Friday. Many people are thought to still be trapped under collapsed buildings. The earthquake struck near Mandalay, which has a population of 1.5 million people. Years of civil war are complicating recovery efforts.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
A Red Cross regional spokesperson called it not just a disaster, but a complex humanitarian crisis layered over existing vulnerabilities. And finally, the men's NCAA basketball Final Four is set, and perhaps in not-so-climactic fashion, all four No. 1 seeds are headed to San Antonio to compete for the national championship. It's the first time all four No. 1s reached the Final Four since 2008.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
Last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was asked about the contest.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
The matchups will be Auburn versus Florida and Duke versus Houston. Those games tip off next Saturday. Meanwhile, the women's Final Four will be set tonight. USC takes on UConn and Texas takes on TCU. UCLA and South Carolina punch their ticket to the Final Four on Sunday. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. The Wall Street Journal has the story of Daniel Kahneman, a psychologist that some consider the world's leading thinker on decision making. Last year, at the age of 90, he decided to go to Switzerland and end his own life via assisted suicide.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
He informed his friends, but many are still struggling with his decision. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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How Trump’s DEI crackdown is impacting women in science
Fein's opponent, Democrat Josh Wheal, has out-fundraised Fein by 10 to 1. And according to CNN, those figures sent shockwaves from Florida all the way to Washington. CNN also reports senior GOP leadership intervened, calling Fein and saying he needs to step up his efforts in the race. One poll showed Fein's lead within the margin of error.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan is charged with obstructing and impeding an immigration proceeding and concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest. Dugan appeared in court on Friday and was released on bail. FBI Director Kash Patel posted an image on X of Dugan being arrested, writing, quote, No one is above the law.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
Her arrest drew immediate backlash from Democratic leaders and sparked protests in Wisconsin. Over the weekend, hundreds gathered outside different FBI offices in Milwaukee in support of Dugan and immigrants.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
Regarding the charges against Dugan, MSNBC legal analyst and former top DOJ prosecutor Andrew Weissman was on the network saying that in addition to a tough legal case for the government, what this was really about is sending a message.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
Attorney General Pam Bondi defended Dugan's arrest on Fox News, saying the DOJ is sending a, quote, very strong message to judges that they will be prosecuted if they obstruct the administration's efforts. And lastly, three children from two different families, a two-year-old, a four-year-old, and a seven-year-old, all of whom are U.S. citizens, were deported on Friday.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
The Washington Post reports the children were all deported with their mothers to Honduras. The Post also reports the four-year-old has stage four cancer and was removed without medication or the chance for their family to talk to their doctor beforehand.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
The father of the two-year-old also sought to stop the deportation in an emergency court filing on Thursday, but the removal flight had already taken off by the time the court opened the next morning. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked about these deportations directly on Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press. He refuted the notion that anything nefarious happened.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
Rubio also said in that interview, all citizens and non-citizens are entitled to due process. The Trump administration, however, has come under fire for ignoring due process rights for many people who have been deported or detained. Trump himself last week posted on social media, quote, we cannot give everyone a trial because to do so would take, without exaggeration, 200 years.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
Let's turn now to a major milestone. This week marks 100 days since President Trump took office for his second term. And all week, we'll be examining his impact so far on the nation. Today, we start with public opinion. Trump's initial job approval rating when taking office for the second time was about where it was at the start of his first term.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
And like many presidents, Trump's honeymoon period didn't last long. But his drop-off was more pronounced.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
That's Harry Anton, the chief data analyst for CNN.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
More than half of people say they disapprove of the job Trump is doing in office. That's according to The New York Times' average of the latest polls. Meanwhile, the share of people who approve of the president's performance is down into the mid-40s, a drop of about eight percentage points per The New York Times average since he took office.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
Most polls show his base still strongly behind him, but certain polls show his numbers fell disproportionately among independents, young people, and Hispanic Americans — all groups that he generally overperformed with in the 2024 election. When you look at his numbers group by group and issue by issue, he's lost meaningful support among the communities and on the issues that won him the election.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
Yesterday in Colorado, NPR reports 114 immigrants were arrested at a nightclub. Drug Enforcement Administration officials on X said those individuals were placed on buses for processing and likely eventual deportation. NPR is calling it one of the largest single-day arrests of people without legal status since Trump returned to office.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
Fewer people approve of his handling of the economy than approve of the job he's doing overall. While he's in the mid-40s overall, he's been in the low 40s or even high 30s on the economy. And people graded him even more harshly on trade and more harshly still on inflation and the cost of living. Enten says the data paints a clear picture of where Americans think Trump is going wrong.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
The public is also largely unhappy with Trump and Elon Musk's efforts to shrink the government and slash spending. A Fox News survey from March found nearly six in 10 people disapproved of how the Trump administration is identifying and reducing spending they consider wasteful. And almost two thirds said not enough thought and planning was going into cuts.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
At the other end of the spectrum, Americans have generally been more approving of Trump's handling of trans issues, particularly his effort to block trans girls and women from girls and women's sports. And recent polling from APNORC and from The Washington Post, ABC, Ipsos shows his approval rating on his handling of immigration is starting to dip.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
Good morning. It's Monday, April 28th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how Americans feel about Trump's first 100 days in office, a major election in Canada, and Wrexham, the Welsh soccer club, is just one step away from the Premier League. But first, there have been some big immigration crackdowns across the country in recent days.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
That said, Enten says the early verdict from the American people is clear.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
But just remember, it's early. We're just about 100 days into a four-year term. Now to Canada, where voters go to the polls today to elect a new government in the middle of one of the most dramatic political turnarounds in recent memory. Just three months ago, the conservative candidate, Pierre Poliev, appeared to be headed toward a landslide victory that would make him the next prime minister.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
The previous prime minister, Justin Trudeau, resigned back in January as his popularity plummeted. And around that time, Polyev had a 20-point lead, with his Canada First platform and a political style that's somewhat similar to President Trump's.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
But it was Trump's presidency, and specifically the global trade war he started, which heavily hit Canada with a 25% tariff on all imports, that turned the political climate on its head. And now this election between Polyev and the current prime minister, Mark Carney, from the Liberal Party, is much more of a toss-up.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
That's Toronto Star columnist and political journalist Althea Raj, who's been deeply embedded with both campaigns. She says Polyev still has a path to victory, but it's Carney who now has the polling edge, in large part, Raj says, due to Trump.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
And in Florida, ICE arrested close to 800 immigrants in a week-long effort. The arrests started a week ago and marked the first time federal agents worked in partnership with local law enforcement in Florida under a formal agreement to make immigration arrests. And some other major immigration stories made headlines, too.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
Carney previously led the banks of Canada and England, and he likes to say he is a pragmatist, not a politician. Raj says he has tried to present himself as the candidate of unity, whereas Polyev considers himself the change candidate. And Carney has been successful at pulling otherwise conservative-leaning voters toward the center.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
Both parties are offering tough-on-Trump policies. They've each said they want to diversify energy supplies away from the U.S., both want more money for defense, and both have promised retaliatory tariffs and support for the industries that have been hit hardest by Trump's tariffs. Trump has a clear favorite candidate, and it's not who you might expect. He has praised Carney and attacked Polyev.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
But regardless of the shadow he has cast on these campaigns so far, Raj points out many of the challenges Canada's next prime minister will inherit are longstanding issues that predate Trump's presidency.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Continuing in Canada, authorities in Vancouver say at least 11 people are dead after a man in an SUV rammed into a crowd Saturday night during the Filipino Lapu-Lapu Day Festival. Vancouver police ruled out terrorism and say the suspect, who is in custody, has a history of mental health issues.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
Vancouver's interim police chief called it the, quote, darkest day in Vancouver's history. Pope Francis was laid to rest on Saturday, but some of the focus at the Vatican centered on President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who held war talks in the halls of St. Peter's Basilica just before the funeral started.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
It was the first time the two leaders met face-to-face since a disastrous Oval Office meeting where Trump berated Zelensky in front of reporters in February. Trump and Zelensky both called the meeting productive. Afterward, Trump openly questioned whether Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to strike a peace deal with Ukraine and floated the idea of new sanctions against Russia.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
Secretary Rubio said Sunday on NBC this will be a critical week that will determine whether the U.S. remains in talks to end the war. Meanwhile, Russia carried out drone attacks and airstrikes on Ukraine just hours after Zelensky and Trump met. And finally, to European soccer. On Sunday, Liverpool captured its record-tying 20th English Premier League title.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
On Friday, the FBI arrested a judge in Milwaukee for allegedly escorting a man out of a side door when she learned ICE agents were waiting for him. The man, an immigrant who had a deportation order against him and was in court on battery charges, was later apprehended after being chased on foot.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
The season began with big doubts for the club as its longtime manager left. The team, however, was able to capture the league title convincingly with four matches left to play in the season. Meanwhile, it was also a big day for Wrexham, who are now just one step away from the Premier League as the team secured its third straight promotion on Sunday.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
The Welsh club's celebrity owners, actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, are credited with breathing new life not only into the long-ailing club, but the city of Wrexham itself. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got an episode of our weekly interview show in conversation for you.
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How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days
My guest is Brian Goldstone, who writes about a growing group of people who are often overlooked in the homeless count, people who work a full-time job but can't afford stable housing. That's queued up for you to listen to next, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
Armed officers showed up at their Texas home and brought all four of them to a detention center. Yamarte's family told the Post he and his friends were asked to sign deportation papers, and they agreed to it, thinking they were going home to their loved ones in Venezuela. But that wasn't the case.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
Yamarte's mom realized her son was in El Salvador from seeing a video shared by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele that depicted gang members being violently pulled from airplanes and brought to this infamous prison.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
Neither the White House nor the Department of Homeland Security would confirm whether Yamarte and his friends had ties to gangs.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
The administration has so far provided no evidence supporting their claim that the men on these flights had gang affiliations. And it's becoming increasingly clear some, if not many, likely were not gang members. Still, the administration has continued to defend the deportations.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
Meanwhile, the judge who ordered the administration to turn around the planes flying these men to El Salvador in order that was not followed, he said in a separate hearing on Friday that he was skeptical the Justice Department has grounds to invoke the Alien Enemies Act at all, saying the administration has stretched and distorted the intent of the statute.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
As President Trump makes moves to end the Department of Education, even though Congress is supposed to get the last word on eliminating it, let's talk about what kind of impact that might have on students, particularly in low-income districts. We've said it before, but it's worth saying again, the DOE isn't in charge of curricula. That's up to the states.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
Funding also largely comes from states, with only about 8 percent coming from the federal government. And the Trump administration has said it would maintain federal funding streams for two of the DOE's key programs, Title I, which serves low-income communities, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
But first, we're learning more about the Venezuelan migrants deported by the United States and sent to El Salvador with no due process.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
But some educators and policy experts worry that disruptions to these and other programs are inevitable if the DOE is eliminated and its functions assigned to other parts of state and federal government.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
One coming change with the potential for big impact, a data arm of the Education Department called the National Center for Education Statistics will soon see its staff reduced from more than 100 earlier this year to just three employees. This is a department that tracks the condition of education in the country, identifies gaps in achievement, and assigns grants for rural and low-income schools.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
But with a severely short staff, it's unclear how money will be allocated in the future. And that money is really important. Title I and rural schools can use it for basics like teachers' salaries, technology, and school buses. Axios reports the states that have the most to lose if the DOE is dismantled are mostly states that voted for Trump. Take, for example, Mississippi.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
In the 2021 to 2022 school year, about 23 percent of its public school funding came from federal dollars. One policy expert told Axios lower wealth states like Mississippi will struggle to make up for lost federal funding. Meanwhile, educators themselves, many who are already tired of super tight budgets in the classroom, say that they're fed up.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
CBS News has obtained an internal government list with the names of the 238 men, more than half of whom President Trump and his administration have accused of being part of the Tren de Aragua gang, a group that Trump has called a foreign terrorist group and wartime enemy. He used those terms again when he invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 against
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
Chloe Eierman is a third grade teacher in the Denver area. She spoke with NBC News at a teacher's rally against federal cuts to education last week.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
The administration, for its part, says this is all about eliminating bureaucracy and returning power to the states. Here's Education Secretary Linda McMahon speaking to Fox News after Trump signed the order.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
But even officials in some Republican states say they aren't sure Trump's order actually does that. Kevin Huffman led Tennessee's education department under a Republican governor. Here's what he told NPR.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
Aside from administering federal aid to K-12 schools, the education department is also the largest source of loans for college students. The Trump administration says loans will instead be overseen by the Small Business Administration, which McMahon headed up during Trump's first term. Let's turn now to egg prices, an American staple that's been causing a lot of pain for grocery shoppers.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
Good morning. It's Monday, March 24th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, what closing the Department of Education would mean for low-income school districts, why American chicken farms are particularly vulnerable to bird flu, and a community rallies behind a teacher who was told her classroom decor violates policy.
Apple News Today
What dismantling the Education Department means for students
It feels like people are eating gold now. Now, there is some good news on the horizon. The Department of Agriculture reported last week that Americans should soon start to see the price of eggs come down a bit. They're saying wholesale egg prices have fallen significantly and consumers should start to notice it on their grocery shelves in the next few weeks.
Apple News Today
What dismantling the Education Department means for students
Meanwhile, NPR looks at our neighbor to the north, Canada, and how they have managed to keep egg prices at bay. According to NPR, Canadian chickens haven't been affected by bird flu the way American chickens have. That's primarily because egg farms in Canada exist on a much smaller scale. The typical egg farm up north has around 25,000 egg-laying hens, while many farms in the U.S.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
have more than a million. Here's how Mike von Massau, a food economist in Ontario, put it to NPR.
Apple News Today
What dismantling the Education Department means for students
Since the 1990s, the average farm in the U.S. has quadrupled in size. That's because pressure to produce cheap goods meant that farmers had to make up the difference with volume. Dairy farmers in Canada don't have the same incentive to produce more because they're protected by a federal system that sets production quotas. It keeps prices stable. Here's Vaughn Massow again on NPR.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
a move that allowed him to give these men no chance to defend themselves in court and has set off a legal battle. And now many of their family members and friends are speaking out, saying they are not part of any gang and have committed no crimes. Washington Post immigration reporter Sylvia Foster-Frau told us about 29-year-old Mervin Yamarte, who came to the U.S.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
There are a few more factors beyond size. Barns in Canada are sealed more tightly because of the colder weather. That's also kept out the virus. There are fewer free range chickens in Canada, a group that's more likely to become infected. Also, Canada doesn't allow the import of eggs and dairy from the U.S., which is a source of contention in the ongoing trade war.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
Now, while the Department of Agriculture reports that American prices should drop soon, there's also an effort underway in Congress to get egg prices under control. A bipartisan bill was introduced in the House that proposes reining in regulation for farmers, which currently requires them to discard eggs that don't meet certain refrigeration requirements.
Apple News Today
What dismantling the Education Department means for students
Supporters of this bill say that rule has led to hundreds of millions of eggs each year being thrown away. And at a time when there's fewer to spare, every egg counts. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Canadians are headed to the polls early after newly sworn in Prime Minister Mark Carney called for snap elections to be held in April.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
Carney on Sunday asked Canadian voters to send a strong mandate to deal with an escalating trade war over tariffs with President Trump, saying Trump wants to, quote, break us. Carney and Canada's Liberal Party will face Conservatives and their leader, Pierre Pauliev, who has sought to distance himself from Trump.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
Since Trump announced steep tariffs, Canada's Liberals have done increasingly better in national polling. In other news, Pope Francis is out of the hospital. The 88-year-old pontiff thanked the crowds and gave a blessing in a brief public appearance on Sunday after his discharge from a hospital in Rome.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
The pope has been hospitalized for five weeks, first with a microbial infection, then double pneumonia. Officials say he'll continue his recovery at his residence in Vatican City. And finally, a teacher in Idaho is refusing to take down classroom signs that her district said violates policy on content neutral displays.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
The poster reads, everyone is welcome here and has hands in an array of skin tones. Sarah Anama teaches world civilizations at Lewis and Clark Middle School. Here she is talking with MSNBC.
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What dismantling the Education Department means for students
Today, local advocacy groups have encouraged people to wear Everyone is Welcome Here t-shirts to work or school. A local screen printing shop worked through the weekend to try to meet demand with thousands of shirts ordered. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
Apple News Today
What dismantling the Education Department means for students
The New Yorker examines why the MAGA movement has appealed to so many young men in recent years and what it might take for the left to reach them again. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
What dismantling the Education Department means for students
to escape Venezuela's political and economic crisis and to send money to his partner and child back home.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
Republicans have been critical, too. Here's Senator John Curtis on CBS.
Apple News Today
Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
In response to criticisms, Musk posted on X on Sunday that the email is a, quote, This email is the latest in Musk's efforts to drastically reduce government staffing levels. More than 200,000 workers across more than a dozen agencies have already had their jobs eliminated. That figure includes around 1,600 U.S.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
AID jobs cut as of yesterday, as well as 75,000 federal workers who voluntarily resigned, though it remains unclear whether they'll receive the buyouts they've been promised. Many federal employees say this firing spree has been personally devastating and doesn't seem to be in the interest of reducing fraud or waste, as Musk has claimed.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
Sydney Kerman is a soil conservationist who, until recently, worked for the USDA in Rhode Island. Kerman told a local NBC affiliate that the Trump administration's decision would have far-reaching effects for farmers.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
In some instances, the Trump administration has had to backtrack on firings. For example, Musk's team recently fired roughly 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees whose staff entrances maintain the parks and rescue hikers who are hurt or lost. Some parks and national monuments announced they would have to reduce hours due to lack of staffing. There's been widespread public outcry.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
And now, according to the AP, at least 50 jobs are being restored. And separately, in a memo put out last week, the Park Service is being authorized to hire up to 7,700 seasonal workers. That's about a 20 percent increase in seasonal positions.
Apple News Today
Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
Termination letters are also being rescinded for some workers who oversaw America's nuclear weapons, though officials said last week they were struggling to get in touch with some former employees to let them know that they are in fact needed in their jobs. As for the legality of what's happening, it's unclear how today's email deadline will play out.
Apple News Today
Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
The largest federal workers' union posted on social media that they do not believe Musk has the authority to carry out today's threat of firing employees who don't respond to his email. But the last time unions tried to intervene, they lost.
Apple News Today
Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
Last week, a federal judge ruled that he didn't have the authority to block the administration's downsizing attempts, saying this is an employment dispute that must follow a different legal process. Just days into his presidency, Donald Trump began sending active duty troops to the southern border to stop incoming migrants from crossing illegally.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
According to the Defense Department, roughly 3,600 service members have been deployed. So The Washington Post's Arelis Hernandez traveled to the Texas town of Del Rio to see it for herself.
Apple News Today
Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
The reason locals are asking that question is the border has been incredibly quiet lately.
Apple News Today
Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
But first, over the weekend, about 2.3 million federal employees received an email with the subject line, What did you do last week? The email instructed federal workers to list what they have accomplished at work in the past five days. Elon Musk, the head of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, said anyone who doesn't respond by the end of the day today is effectively resigning.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
Agents that patrol this part of the border say they're apprehending fewer than 50 people a day. That's a major drop from 2023, when agents were stopping closer to 5,000 people a day.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
One reason is because Mexico has been cracking down more heavily on migrant caravans trying to cross through Mexico into the U.S. The other big reason is because under President Biden, the asylum rules changed. Then when Trump took office, he declared an emergency and effectively closed off the border. What that means is that border crossings are way down.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
In fact, Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks told CBS News last week that unlawful crossings at the southern border are down 94 percent from the same period last year. Things are so quiet that many Texas migrant shelters are close to empty. In one county along the border, a local sheriff told the Post they are back to, quote, getting cats out of trees and helping little old ladies with their groceries.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
At the same time, the number of troops at the border has surged. Between America's deployment of troops and Mexico's deployment of 10,000 more, there's roughly one soldier or officer for every migrant trying to cross each month. Now locals told Hernandez they are happy to have active duty troops in town. They're good for the economy. At least two hotels are sold out.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
Some stores are offering discounts for them. But other than that, locals say there doesn't seem to be very much for them to do. U.S. Northern Command, which is in charge of the deployment, told the Post that troops are reinforcing border barriers and helping with intelligence on cartel activity. And there are limits to how they can be used.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
Hernandez also reports this quiet period for the border could change. There are some 300,000 people in Mexico waiting and watching to see if and how U.S. policy will shift in the next few months.
Apple News Today
Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
Good morning. It's Monday, February 24th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, American troops deployed to the border find a relatively quiet scene. What Germany's election means for Europe and the Western-led global order. And skier Michaela Schifrin claims a historic 100th World Cup win.
Apple News Today
Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
Now to Germany, where citizens went to the polls this weekend and voted for sweeping change as concerns over a stagnating economy, an immigration crisis and deteriorating international alliances led leaders to call for a snap election.
Apple News Today
Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
The center-right Christian Democratic Union led exit polling Sunday with a commanding 28 percent of the vote, making party leader Friedrich Merz the likely next chancellor of Germany. He declared victory on Sunday. Perhaps the more surprising result, however, is the rise of the far-right party called Alternative for Germany, or AFD.
Apple News Today
Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
The AFD, which was once considered a fringe movement, doubled its support from the last elections four years ago to about 20%. It's the party's largest election victory in its 12-year history, though it was lower than many in the party were hoping, especially after receiving endorsements from Elon Musk and Vice President J.D. Vance.
Apple News Today
Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
Here is Musk during an AFD rally he joined virtually about a month before the election.
Apple News Today
Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
Reuters reports that workers at the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Education and Commerce, as well as at the IRS and National Institutes of Health, were told not to respond, pending further guidance. ABC News reports some officials in the White House were even caught off guard.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
And here's Vice President Vance a few weeks ago speaking in Munich, chiding European leaders for excluding far-right parties from power.
Apple News Today
Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
The firewall he's referring to is an agreement between mainstream German political parties to not work with the far right for fears of allowing extreme political parties to take over, as the Nazi party did decades ago. Merz, for his part, has already said he will not work with the AFD. That means despite their electoral success, they will likely be shut out of whatever coalition government forms.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
As for the future of Germany, there is still a lot that's not known. Merz has vowed to crack down on immigration, cut taxes, and be a voice of strong leadership in Europe, particularly on the issue of Ukraine, which is about to enter its third year of war. The same night Merz's party declared victory, Russia launched the largest drone attack against Ukraine of the conflict.
Apple News Today
Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
And despite his long championing of U.S.-German ties, Merz has been critical of Trump and pledged to help Europe achieve, quote, real independence from the U.S., Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Six hostages were freed by Hamas over the weekend. But on Sunday, both sides of the ceasefire agreement accused the other of violating it.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
And Israel delayed the expected release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the prisoners won't be freed until Hamas agrees to releasing future hostages without, quote, "'humiliating ceremonies.'" Reuters reports that's in reference to recent handovers of hostages that U.N.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
officials said went against international law because they were not respectful. Hamas has made hostages appear on stages and coffins containing remains have been passed through crowds. Hamas denies humiliating hostages and says any ceasefire talks are now dependent on the release of those prisoners.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
Meanwhile, CNN reports Israel is expanding its operations in the occupied West Bank, sending tanks in for the first time in decades. In domestic news, it's been less than a month since an American Airlines plane collided with an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., killing everyone on board both aircraft. One of the victims, Kia Duggins, was a young lawyer traveling back to D.C.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
after visiting family in Wichita. Her boyfriend, Adrian Ma, is a host for NPR's Planet Money. He recently returned to the air after taking a little time off and spoke in an emotional interview about the crash, his grief, and what he wants the world to know about who his girlfriend was.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
And the move is raising more questions about the extent of Elon Musk's authority and whether firing government employees in this way is even legal. Here's Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen speaking on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
You can find Ma's full interview linked in our show notes page. And finally, American alpine skier Michaela Schifrin collected her 100th World Cup title over the weekend, topping the podium in slalom in Italy. The win came just a few months after a bad crash on the slopes left her with a puncture wound in her abdomen.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
The Athletic has a story about Schifrin's journey to becoming the winningest alpine skier ever and the team of mostly women she's assembled over the past few years to do it. From her coaches to physical therapists, The Athletic reports Schifrin was intentional about putting women at the forefront of her team and how the results speak for themselves with dominance on the mountain.
Apple News Today
Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Bloomberg Businessweek asks if Trump supporter Dr. Phil's TV network can make it in a saturated news marketplace. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story.
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Musk’s latest email to federal employees sows more confusion
And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
Francis was often referred to as the people's pope, but his openness to modifying the church's teachings made him a controversial figure to many.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
Two of the issues Francis was most outspoken about were climate change and the plight of immigrants.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
He even took on President Trump.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
In that letter, the pope specifically called out Vice President J.D. Vance, who is a Catholic, for defending Trump's deportation plans on theological grounds. Yesterday, on Easter Sunday, the two met, with Pope Francis presenting the vice president with three big chocolate Easter eggs for Vance's three kids, as well as a Vatican tie and rosaries. Vance told the pope he prays for him every day.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
The Pope was also outspoken about the war in Gaza and has called for an investigation to determine if Israel's attacks constitute genocide. And he has said he remains in near daily contact with a parish in the Gaza Strip. These positions and his general approach to the papacy earned him many admirers, McElwee told us.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
The College of Cardinals will soon convene a papal conclave to elect Francis's successor. Let's turn now to new reporting, which found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared sensitive military information using the Signal app in a second chat. Here's CNN's senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak speaking on the network last night.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
That includes flight schedules for fighter jets attacking Houthi rebels. These were the same attack plans shared over Signal with other high-level cabinet leaders and, mistakenly, journalist Jeffrey Goldberg last month. This chat, however, did not include any other cabinet officials.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
Hegseth's brother and lawyer both have jobs at the Pentagon, but it's not clear either have security clearance for this level of military information. Hegseth's wife, a former Fox News producer who's accompanied him on travels overseas, has been criticized for attending sensitive meetings with foreign leaders.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
A Defense Department spokesperson denied that Hegseth shared any classified information, and a White House press person downplayed the significance of the second group chat. The first Signal group chat we learned about was created by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
This second group chat, again reportedly created by Hegseth, was formed before his confirmation and continued after his confirmation. The New York Times reports it was created at first for routine administration and scheduling. Here's Liptack again.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
He was 88 years old. Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, had been discharged from a hospital just last month where he was diagnosed with double pneumonia. He died after the holiest weekend in the year for Catholics. Just a day earlier, Pope Francis oversaw Easter mass services and blessed thousands of worshipers in St. Peter's Square.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
The chaos he's referring to has to do with a few recent high up firings in Hegseth's office. Former top Pentagon spokesperson John Elliott wrote in an op-ed piece for Politico that the last month at the Defense Department has been a, quote, full blown meltdown, saying leaks and dysfunction have now become a major distraction for President Trump. Elliott himself resigned last week.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
And he criticized Hegseth for firing three officials for reportedly leaking sensitive information, a move that left the defense secretary's already dwindling leadership team short-staffed. Those three officials recently said they don't know what exactly they were being investigated for or if there was a real leak investigation to begin with.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
Former Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh went on MSNBC, saying the firing of those officials is unusual.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
Good morning. It's Monday, April 21st. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth sent war plans in a second signal chat, the Supreme Court issues a rare overnight ruling on deportations, and the world's oldest marathon, the Boston Marathon, is today. But first, Pope Francis has died. His death was announced early this morning by the Vatican.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
Meanwhile, in another case involving the alleged improper disclosure of sensitive government information, The Washington Post reports officials under President Trump and President Biden inadvertently shared sensitive documents, including potentially classified White House floor plans.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
The information was sent via a Google Drive link to all employees of the General Services Administration, which provides administrative and tech support for the federal government and employs more than 11,000 people. This revelation spurred a cybersecurity incident report and investigation last week and was found to have continued over at least four years, spanning administrations.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
The White House did not immediately respond to the Post's request for comment on Sunday. One security expert told The Post the breach indicates, quote, a general need to strengthen safety training measures for government workers who must live and work in a digital age.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
Now to a major and rare ruling this weekend on President Trump's deportation and imprisonment policy for people the administration claims are Venezuelan gang members.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
Early Saturday morning, the Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration cannot deport a group of migrants being held in Texas under the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th century law that Trump invoked to remove certain immigrants without due process.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
It was a 7-2 ruling, with Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissenting, and Alito saying the rushed overnight ruling was neither, quote, necessary or appropriate. It comes less than two weeks after the Supreme Court said the administration does have the authority to invoke this law to speed up deportations, at least for now.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
Francis had many firsts to his name, including being the first pope from the Americas, the first Jesuit pontiff, and the first non-European to lead the Catholic Church in close to 1,000 years. He was elected in 2013 and was seen as a fresh voice attempting to modernize the papacy.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
In this case, the Trump administration attempted to load dozens of men from an immigration detention center in Anson, Texas, onto planes, presumably to be sent to El Salvador's harshest prison. The ACLU sued, and lawyers for the migrants say they were given paperwork to sign in English indicating that they were members of the Venezuelan gang Tren del Aragua.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
Some do not speak English, and according to the federal judge who heard their case, the paperwork didn't include an option for the men to indicate they wanted to go to court and challenge their removal. That would violate the spirit of a ruling from the Supreme Court earlier this month that said immigration detainees should be given reasonable time to appeal their deportations.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
A key hurdle for the ACLU and other attorneys representing the migrants is that they're having to file requests for emergency orders in courts all over the country within different jurisdictions. And according to the ACLU, in this case, the administration moved migrants from one jurisdiction where a judge had banned deportations to a different one where it wasn't banned.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
MSNBC legal affairs correspondent Joyce Vance explained this is why the Supreme Court is being forced to take on so many last-minute requests.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
In the meantime, there may be even more rulings in different places.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
As all of this was going on, busloads of what were reported to be migrants, mostly or all from Venezuela, were seen headed toward an airport in North Texas before being abruptly turned around. In response to the Supreme Court ruling, White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt posted on X, quote, that the administration is confident it will prevail.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Google is back in court today for the final phase of a major antitrust suit. The Justice Department has been making the case for years that Google is acting like a monopoly. And if the DOJ ultimately prevails, it could force Google to break up its businesses.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
Just last week, a judge ruled Google illegally monopolized some online advertising technology markets. Google has already said it plans to appeal, saying in a statement they disagree with the judge's decision and that publishers choose Google over its rivals because it has superior ad tech tools.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
He said the Vatican needed to evolve from its strict orthodoxy on abortion, birth control, and homosexuality, and embrace being more merciful. Joshua McElwee is the Vatican correspondent for Reuters and spoke to us about Francis's legacy.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
Last week's decision marked the second time in a year a judge ruled that Google operates as an illegal monopoly. In international news, over the weekend, the Israeli military said that it had reviewed an incident last month during which Israeli forces killed 15 emergency responders in Gaza.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
Their review found several professional failures, and the military says a commander would be dismissed as a result. The incident took place on March 23rd, when 15 paramedics and other rescue workers were killed in three separate shootings in Rafah, which is in South Gaza. Their bodies were buried in a shallow grave and discovered a week later by officials from the U.N.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
and the Palestine Red Crescent. Cellphone footage recovered from the phone of one of the killed men showed he and his colleagues wearing uniforms that clearly identified them as rescue workers and their vehicles with emergency lights on. The president of the Palestine Red Crescent Society said there are a lot of contradictions in Israel's account and called the killings a war crime.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
And finally, today is the Boston Marathon, and Boston Public Radio station WGBH has the story of Bob Hall, who became the first wheelchair competitor in the race 50 years ago. Hall was told by the race's organizers that his marathon would only be recognized if he could complete it in under three hours. He beat that by two minutes.
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The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
And this was 50 years ago, so he was using a far less fast or efficient wheelchair than the ones made today. Since his race, nearly 1,900 other wheelchair athletes have competed in marathons, including five-time Boston winner and eight-time Paralympic gold medalist Tatiana McFadden. She told The Washington Post that she and so many wheelchair racers credit their success to Hall, who paved the way.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. The New Yorker investigates why dozens of people in recent years starved to death while detained in county jails across the United States. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story.
Apple News Today
The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
The state of America on Inauguration Day
I think this is a pivotal point in America and the world, as a matter of fact, because the people are actually in control now again. And this is actually amazing.
Apple News Today
Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
He also said there could be possible treatment options for someone in Biden's position, from cutting-edge immune therapy to more traditional chemotherapy. Biden's health was already a major subject in the news. New reporting suggests the former president's health was deteriorating while in office. There's no indication his diagnosis is linked to those claims.
Apple News Today
Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
His last publicly released physical was in February of 2024, where his longtime doctor declared him fit to serve. Biden has a long and personal history with cancer. His son Beau died of brain cancer, which helped spur him to make cancer research a personal priority for him in office. President Obama put him in charge of a moonshot initiative as vice president in 2016.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
And in 2022, as president, Biden announced major new funding to tackle the disease in his State of the Union address.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
Responding to Biden's health news, former President Obama said yesterday that, quote, nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe. And I'm certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace.
Apple News Today
Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
Now to Gaza and the desperate scenes unfolding as Israel launches an extensive new ground offensive while at the same time agreeing to resume the entry of some aid. That's the sound of a charity kitchen in northern Gaza as Palestinians rush to secure food before yesterday's announcement.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
On Sunday, the Israeli cabinet agreed to allow, quote, a basic amount of food for the population to ensure that a hunger crisis does not develop. Supplies are running low and starvation has gripped the population. No food and no water was allowed to enter Gaza for 78 days.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
And the UN relief chief recently surprised many with the strength of his criticism toward Israel, describing events as a 21st century atrocity.
Apple News Today
Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
Earlier today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that his decision to resume limited aid to Gaza came after pressure from allies who said they wouldn't be able to support Israel as long as there were images of hunger coming out of Gaza.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
And he said Israel's newly launched air and ground offensive aims to displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and eventually take control of all of Gaza. Over 100 people were killed in airstrikes over the weekend, according to the local health ministry, and CBS reports talks between Israel and Hamas in Doha are ongoing.
Apple News Today
Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
As the war continues, Israel's military is having a harder time finding fighters willing to participate. Attendance rates of reservists are plummeting, and more and more soldiers are simply refusing to fight. Ruth Margoliet with The New Yorker told us about one of those reservists, Iran Tamir. He initially reported to fight after the October 7th, 2023 attack by Hamas.
Apple News Today
Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
But first, to the news that former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. His office released a statement yesterday which said that this was an aggressive form of the disease, but added that it appears to be hormone sensitive, which allows for effective management and that his family is reviewing treatment options.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
In recent weeks, Israel has called up tens of thousands of reservists, including Tamir, to help expand its offensive in Gaza. But Tamir decided he wouldn't return. He published an open letter calling Israel's rhetoric around the war deceptive, specifically Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's stated goal of returning the Israeli hostages and destroying Hamas.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
Margalit spoke to other members of Israel's military, including a commander, who told her he doesn't know why he's fighting anymore.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
Now to the domestic manufacturing industry, which is facing a confusing problem.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
That's NPR's Greg Roselski with Planet Money. He set out to try to answer the question, with all the talk of boosting domestic manufacturing, why aren't Americans filling the manufacturing jobs we already have? As of March, there are nearly half a million open manufacturing jobs, according to government data, and probably more coming.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
The current and previous administrations have taken steps to boost manufacturing in the United States, whether it be Biden's Chips and Science Act and Inflation Reduction Act or Trump's tariffs. Some estimates predict that Biden's policies alone could add millions of more jobs over the next decade or so. But Rosalski told us the industry is struggling to find workers.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
Good morning. It's Monday, May 19th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Israel agrees to resume basic aid to Gaza as it presses forward with its ground offensive. Why Americans aren't taking American manufacturing jobs. And investigators are trying to understand how a big sail ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
So what's driving this? The president of the Manufacturing Institute told Rosalski she believes the industry has a major PR problem, that people today have an outdated idea of what these jobs look like.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
Offering some details on his diagnosis, his office said he was seen last week for a new finding of a prostate nodule and diagnosed with prostate cancer with metastasis to the bone. President Donald Trump said he was, quote, saddened by the news and wished him a fast and successful recovery.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
Another reason these roles have been tough to fill, many require higher levels of education. Manufacturing used to be a strong career option for people with a high school diploma, but roughly half of the open roles today require a college degree, as the technology in plants has gotten more sophisticated. And finally, there's the issue of pay.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
Manufacturers have raised pay in recent years, and offering more would likely incentivize more people to consider the jobs. But Rozalski says that raises another perplexing question for the industry.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
In other words, if American manufacturers can figure out a way to be more productive than foreign competitors by producing more in less time, they might be able to pay the higher wages needed to attract and retain American workers. But as Roselski points out, that's a pretty unlikely scenario. In recent years, U.S. manufacturing has been seeing an alarming slowdown in productivity growth.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. We are learning more about the bombing of a Palm Springs fertility clinic, which the FBI is investigating as an act of intentional terrorism. The suspect is believed to have died in the blast and was a 25-year-old 29 Palms resident.
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The FBI described him as holding nihilistic ideations, while the LA Times quotes law enforcement sources describing him as an antinatalist who believed procreation was unethical. No one else died in the blast, although it caused extensive damage. The center is Coachella Valley's first and only full-service fertility center and IVF lab.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
Kentucky is grappling with the devastating impacts of a tornado, which has left at least 19 people dead, a figure that the governor, Andy Beshear, warned may rise. Beshear has declared a state of emergency after the tornado ripped through the state, leaving tens of thousands of people without power. Over the weekend, he called for support.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
Kamala Harris, Biden's former VP, said that, quote, Joe is a fighter and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership. CNN's medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner doesn't have special insight into Biden's health, but he went on the network to offer some context on the announcement.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
The New York Times reports the National Weather Service office in eastern Kentucky was scrambling to cover the overnight forecast on Friday as the tornado moved in. A union leader representing Weather Service employees said that office no longer had a permanent overnight forecaster after staffing cuts ordered by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
And finally, two people have died and at least 22 were injured after a Mexican Navy sailing ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge. Some people are still in critical condition. The ship was on a goodwill tour and headed for Iceland. It had never intended to travel under the Brooklyn Bridge, but for reasons that are still unclear, it veered off course on Saturday night.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
Its masts collided with the bridge, though the vessel stayed upright. Videos circulating on social media show crew members hanging from the sails. The two people who died were crew members, with one being identified as a 20-year-old cadet named America Yamilet Sanchez and 23-year-old Adel Jair Maldonado Marcos. The Mexican Navy cited mechanical issues and an investigation is underway.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next from Women's Health magazine. For new moms experiencing postpartum depression, it can be hard to find relief. Usually it's treated with medication or psychotherapy or some combination of both.
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Joe Biden has prostate cancer. Here is what we know.
But these days, more moms are turning to a different option, psychedelic mushrooms. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
Reportedly, Ukraine already used U.S.-supplied long-range missiles last month. CNN reports the U.S. quietly provided them. But this announcement marks a public change in policy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who's been asking for this since practically the start of the war, addressed the news in a video message.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
According to CNN, Biden, who has been in South America for the start of the G20 summit, has been talking with world leaders about North Korea's involvement in the Ukraine war, including with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, asking Beijing to apply pressure on North Korea as its largest trading partner to remove itself from the conflict. Meanwhile, a U.S. official told NPR that the U.S.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
is specifically allowing Ukraine to use the long range weapons to target the area in and around Kursk. That's where an estimated 100,000 North Korean troops were recently deployed to support Russian forces. Here again is Colonel Leighton on CNN.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
Democrats largely celebrated this move, including Congressman Jake Auchincloss, who told MSNBC he's been pushing for it for a long time.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
Republicans, meanwhile, are likely to be more critical of Biden. Trump has signaled he is less sympathetic to Ukraine's position and that he wants the war to end. Particularly, he wants to stop the flow of U.S. military aid to Ukraine. This policy shift comes as the G20 summit officially gets underway today in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
This year, top issues include trade, climate change and poverty. But almost certainly, the war in Ukraine will eclipse at least part of the summit as the West and the world race for what comes next. Let's turn now to a promise that President-elect Trump made repeatedly during his campaign, shutting down the Department of Education.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
Education has long been the responsibility of state and local governments, which provide 90 percent of the funding for public schools. They set the rules, the policies, the curriculum. So to understand what exactly the Department of Ed does and what it would mean to get rid of it, we called up Washington Post national education reporter Laura Meckler.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
She told us the Department of Ed runs what's called the Nation's Report Card, an assessment that helps schools make sure they're staying on track and kids are learning what they should be. It collects statistics on things like crime, staffing and enrollment. It also oversees the $1.6 trillion student loan program. And it does two other pretty major things.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
But first, President Joe Biden has given Ukraine approval to use U.S.-made weapons to strike deep into Russia for the first time. That's according to at least two U.S. officials who tell Reuters that this is in direct response to North Korean ground troops joining the Russian offensive.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
Those programs come with huge budgets, $18.4 billion for the Title I program and $15.5 billion for the program for students with disabilities. And then the other thing that the Education Department does is it enforces civil rights laws. That is Title IX, anything that falls under discrimination based on things like race or sex.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
And Trump has promised to roll back legal protections for transgender students implemented by the Biden administration.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
In a survey of over 100,000 voters recently done by the AP, more than half of people and the vast majority of Trump supporters said they believe support for transgender rights has gone too far in America.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
The AP also reports crisis hotlines have been flooded by calls from trans kids in the days since the election, with kids saying they're terrified for how their lives could change when Trump takes office.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
Meckler says Republicans have argued for years that the department is unnecessary and ineffective. And the bottom line here is eliminating it is a real long shot. Trump would need the support of Congress, and it doesn't look like he'd have enough in the Senate.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
Maybe a better way to think about what Trump is proposing here is, is he suggesting eliminating a federal agency and farming out its functions to other departments? Or is he suggesting getting rid of it altogether? The fact is, Trump hasn't gone into much detail, though he has suggested he wants to cut education spending in half.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
Meanwhile, Project 2025 lays out a plan to assign the DOE's functions to other departments. Another department that is in for big changes under Trump is HHS, the Department of Health and Human Services. Last week, we talked about RFK Jr. 's record as a longtime vaccine skeptic now that he's been tapped by Trump to lead the department.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
Well, NPR recently looked at Florida to get a sense of what it could mean to have a vaccine skeptic running health policy. Florida's Surgeon General is a man named Joseph Latipo. Like RFK Jr., he has a long history of being critical of vaccines. And that position came under more scrutiny earlier this year when there was a measles outbreak in the state.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
Good morning. It's Monday, November 18th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how the Department of Education became a political lightning rod, what happened in Florida when they appointed a vaccine skeptic to run public health, and the Alaska town that won't see sunrise again for 64 days.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
And with just two months left in office, it marks a significant policy shift for President Biden, who has so far resisted giving Ukraine the green light to use these weapons out of fear that it could escalate the conflict. In the past, Russia has called this a red line. And yesterday, senior Russian lawmakers said it could lead to World War III.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
The CDC recommends in the event of a measles outbreak, parents keep unvaccinated children at home. But here's how Latipo handled the situation, as described by University of Florida pediatrics professor Jeffrey Goldhagen to NPR.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
During the pandemic in 2022, Latipo advised parents against giving their kids the COVID vaccine, a move that the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics called irresponsible. And NPR reports last year he received a letter from the CDC and the FDA warning him against spreading misinformation about vaccines.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
Lisa Nguyen, a pediatrician in Miami-Dade County, told NPR when she's treating patients, she now has to spend a lot more time trying to counter misinformation.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
Vaccination rates were already dropping in Florida before Latipo was appointed to his role. But under his leadership, they dropped even further. Today, the routine childhood vaccination rate for kindergartners in the state is at the lowest it's been in over a decade. And we're seeing similar trends on the national level.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
Gwynn told NPR she's worried we'll see that accelerate with a vaccine skeptic like RFK Jr. in charge of national health policy.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
Recently, RFK Jr. has said he will work to make sure parents have the science and information they need to make an informed decision about vaccines for their kids. Many Republican senators have already come out to say they'll support Kennedy's nomination. But should he not get confirmed? NPR says Florida Surgeon General Joseph Latipo is another name that's been floated.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app. On his way to the G20 summit, where climate change will be a top focus, President Biden became the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Amazon.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
He met with local leaders and indigenous groups working to preserve the rainforest. He also announced an additional U.S. commitment of $50 million to save the Amazon from deforestation, a goal current Brazilian President Lula da Silva has vowed to accomplish by 2030. In U.S.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
election news, there is a recount underway in Pennsylvania in the race between Senator Bob Casey, a Democrat, and Dave McCormick, his Republican challenger, who currently leads by about 20,000 votes. And there's something of an open revolt taking place against a court order.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
The weapons, known as the Army Tactical Missile System, can travel about 190 miles and would allow Ukraine to strike Russian ammunition depots, logistical centers, basically anything that would allow them to resupply their front line. Here's how retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Layton described it to CNN.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
A few weeks before the election, a judge ruled that mail-in ballots that are missing the date on the outer envelope or have the wrong date cannot be counted. But Fox News reports that local officials in at least four counties are counting them, saying that the ruling makes no sense.
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The chairman of the Bucks County Election Commission, who is a Democrat, told The New York Times that it's already known when the ballots were printed, making the outer envelope date a meaningless requirement. And he said he's prepared to be sued.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
Meanwhile, in Iowa, Ann Selzer, the revered political pollster who released a surprise poll before the election suggesting Kamala Harris had a three-point edge in that state, announced over the weekend that she is ending her polling operation.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
In a column for the Des Moines Register, she said she made the decision a year ago that this election would be her last and suggested the recent election results were humbling for her as a data scientist who believed that the data was pointing in the other direction.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
And finally, today, when the sun sets in the northernmost town in the United States, residents won't see the sunrise for another 64 days. This is what life is like for the folks in Utqiagvik, formerly Barrow, Alaska, where for two months of every year, the sun stays below the horizon, a period of time known as Polar Night. It begins with today's sunset at 127 p.m. local time.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
When the sun finally rises again on January 22nd of 2025, it'll peak out for a brief 48 minutes before setting again. The days will grow longer after that. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a Narrated article coming up next.
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Could Trump actually get rid of the Education Department?
David Brooks argues in The Atlantic that the meritocracy that exists in our country, sorting the educated from the uneducated and holding Ivy Leagues as the gold standard, is not working and that we need something new. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
The family's been informed he's being held at an ICE facility. A customs spokesperson said Schmidt was detained because of a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge from 2015, a charge that was dropped. It is possible for green card holders like Schmidt to be stripped of their legal permanent residency status, but U.S. law states they need to appear before a judge before that can happen.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
Some people being arrested aren't legal residents, they're tourists. In San Diego, two German tourists, Jessica Broesch and Lucas Siloff, were apprehended separately as they each tried to return to the U.S. from Mexico. Both had tourist visas. Siloff's fiancé, Lennon Tyler, told the San Diego NBC affiliate they traveled together often and never had issues re-entering the U.S. before.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
Nikita Loving was traveling with Jessica Broch when she was detained, and she told NBC her arrest stemmed from Broch's plans to tattoo Loving. Broch is a tattoo artist, and she'd been working on various tattoos for Loving for years. Immigration authorities said that plan qualified as work, which meant Broch's tourist visa was invalid.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
But Loving told NBC Broch was planning to tattoo her as a gift with no money involved.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
There's Rebecca Burke, a British tourist who was backpacking through the U.S. She tried to cross into Canada, the Seattle Times reports, but Canada rejected her because she planned to stay with a host family and do chores in exchange for food and lodging. Canadian authorities said she needed a work visa for that, not a tourist visa.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
But when Burke tried to go back to the U.S., her father says she was handcuffed and taken to a detention center. ICE officials say she was detained for violating terms and conditions of her admission, but they didn't immediately provide more information about what that meant. Burke's father spoke with Sky News.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
The Washington Post reports that the Trump administration's hardline stance on immigration has impacted tourism overall. The number of overseas visitors to the U.S. fell 2.4 percent in February compared to last year, according to government data.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
And the research firm Tourism Economics estimates over the course of this year, tourism will decline by 5 percent as a result of Trump's, quote, polarizing policies and rhetoric. That would have a significant economic impact, potentially billions of dollars lost at a time when the U.S. economy is already on shaky ground due to Trump's tariffs and escalating trade wars.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
Let's stick with President Trump's crackdown on immigration and look at a specific law being cited in some deportation orders that hasn't been invoked since World War II. Over the weekend, Trump deported about 238 suspected members of the Venezuelan gang known as Tren de Aragua, despite a court order blocking the flights.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
They were sent to El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele says they will be held in a terrorism confinement facility for one year. Immigration and politics reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez said on CBS News Trump's deportation directions to the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice cited the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
The Alien Enemies Act is a wartime power most famously used in the internment of Japanese Americans, as well as Germans and Italians during World War II, and it gives the president and government broad powers. It's only been used three times during the War of 1812 and both world wars. Here's Montoya Galvez again.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
The White House argues it didn't violate a court order because it's up to the president to decide who poses a significant risk to the United States and whether to expel them. The ACLU, in a challenge to Trump's actions, said the act shouldn't apply here since the U.S. is not at war with Venezuela. The timing of the flights could become a big issue.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
Since then, it's been reported that more people who, like him, were in the U.S. legally, either through green cards or valid visas, have been detained or deported in recent weeks as well. Let's start in Boston with a doctor who was returning to the U.S. from visiting family in Lebanon.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
The New York Times reports the judge's ruling was issued shortly before 7 p.m. on Saturday. The ruling even said, if necessary, planes should turn around. But it's unclear when exactly the planes landed in El Salvador. If it turns out the planes touched ground after the judge's order was filed, that could set up a constitutional showdown between the president and the judiciary.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
Now to Washington, where lawmakers in the Senate voted Friday to pass a Republican stopgap spending bill preventing a government shutdown. The bill will fund the government until September. Republicans say the bill won't affect social safety net programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
But the Congressional Budget Office has said this budget will be impossible to execute without cutting into at least one of those. The bill also targeted a bucket of spending that has long been treated as its own entity, the local budget for Washington, D.C.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
Good morning. It's Monday, March 17th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, the wartime law that Trump used to deport hundreds of Venezuelans, how Congress put D.C. 's budget in limbo, and NCAA tournament brackets are here. But first, it's been just over a week since immigration authorities arrested Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
See, even though the district has its own mayor and council who enact their budget, Congress has ultimate authority over it because it's not a state. And in this federal spending bill, the budget for D.C. was cut by $1 billion, even though Congress had already approved that money several times and local officials had already started to spend it.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
On Friday, senators unanimously passed a separate piece of legislation to allow the district's 2025 budget to stand after D.C. leaders and residents protested the decision. But with Congress now in recess for the week, the House will not vote on it until next Monday at the earliest. So the district is still in limbo for now.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
We spoke with Washington Post reporter Megan Flynn about the impact this cut could have on the city, residents, and the tens of millions of tourists who visit the nation's capital every year.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
Stopgap spending bills typically exclude money related to D.C. 's budget. But in this bill, House Republicans removed that exception.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
We're already halfway through the fiscal year, so Flynn told us city officials will most likely have to resort to immediate layoffs and furloughs of essential workers, people like teachers, firefighters, police officers, public defenders, and transit workers. The public transit system, which serves D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, could alone face a $200 million loss.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
Rasha Alouia, who lives in Rhode Island, was stopped at the airport where immigration authorities told her she would be deported. Her lawyer told the Providence Journal Alouia initially had some challenges applying for her H-1B visa, but those were resolved and she'd been cleared to return to the U.S. legally.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
Some lawmakers who want to see D.C. 's budget restored are arguing making cuts there does effectively nothing to balance the federal budget or reduce federal spending.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following, starting with tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms tearing up the country. At least 40 people are dead, hundreds injured and many without power after a streak of damaging weather events. In Kansas, at least eight people were killed after dozens of vehicles were involved in a crash caused by a dust storm.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
Mississippi's governor said at least six people were killed by tornadoes in the state. And in Missouri, at least a dozen people died as twisters spread through the state overnight on Saturday. In international news, the U.S. launched airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen over the weekend, killing 53 people, including five children. That's according to the rebels' health ministry.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
The Trump administration said the strikes were in response to Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea and also issued a warning to Iran. The Houthis have vowed to target U.S. ships in the region as long as the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox Business there would be an unrelenting missile campaign until the attacks stopped.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
And finally, March Madness begins this week as the NCAA basketball tournament gets underway. In the men's bracket, the Auburn Tigers were selected the No. 1 overall seed and are joined by Duke, Florida, and Houston as the other top seeds. The Southeastern Conference, which Auburn is a member of, is fielding a record 14 schools in the 68-team bracket. Meanwhile, on the women's side, UCLA is the No.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
1 overall seed with South Carolina, Texas, and USC taking the other three No. 1 spots. The men tip off on Thursday, the women on Friday. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
With health systems hollowed and public trust on the decline, New York Magazine explains that our ability to fight a possible bird flu pandemic if things get worse may not be enough. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
When she was detained, the journal reports that Alawiya had no access to her lawyer or phone. A federal judge issued an order to stop her deportation, but her flight back to Lebanon ended up taking off anyway. A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection said their officers adhered to protocol.
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Why immigration agents detained tourists and green-card holders
Also in Boston, the family of Fabian Schmidt, a green card holder from Luxembourg, said he was returning to the U.S. from Luxembourg. His partner was waiting to pick him up for hours, but he never came out. When his family called authorities, they learned he had been arrested by immigration officials. His mother told GBH in Boston they stripped Schmidt naked and violently interrogated him.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
This outbreak comes as the nation's leading health official, newly confirmed Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., faces ongoing scrutiny for his long history of anti-vaccine activism. He downplayed that history in his confirmation hearings and told senators he believes vaccines play a critical role in health care.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
And NPR reports that Kennedy now has influence over a key panel called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which guides U.S. policy on vaccines and recommends the vaccine schedule for kids and adults. Public health reporter Ping Wang explained for NPR how that could impact vaccinations nationwide.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
Shortly after his confirmation, Kennedy told Fox News he doesn't trust people who serve on advisory panels like this. NPR notes the people on this particular panel are typically experts with advanced medical degrees who specialize in vaccines, pediatrics and the immune system. They also hold regular public meetings to discuss what the latest science says on the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
But Kennedy has questioned the motivations people have for joining these kinds of panels.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
Former CDC director Tom Frieden has said that's not true. He said committee members are vetted for conflicts of interest and ties to vaccine manufacturers. And once they're on the panel, they're required to file annual disclosure reports.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
Wong on NPR said during the confirmation hearings, at least one senator expressed concerns that Kennedy could replace all of the panel members with vaccine skeptics like himself.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
Let's turn now to the wave of resignations that rocked the Justice Department at the end of last week. It started when prosecutors were ordered to dismiss charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, which include bribery, fraud and conspiracy to personally enrich himself by working with foreign nationals, charges that he has pleaded not guilty to.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
The person who directed prosecutors to drop the case is Emil Bove, the number two ranking official at the Justice Department. Bove said the DOJ's prosecution of Adams would interfere with Adams' upcoming mayoral campaign and impact the mayor's ability to take action on crime and illegal immigration, as the Trump administration has directed.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
So far, at least seven officials at the Justice Department chose to quit following Bove's order to drop the charges. Reuters reporter Sarah Lynch covers the DOJ, which is supposed to be an independent, apolitical arm of government. And she told us the country hasn't seen something like this in decades.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
The resignations started with Danielle Sassoon, the former U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, who was Manhattan's top federal prosecutor. She previously clerked for conservative judges, including Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. In a letter to the attorney general, Sassoon wrote she believed the law does not support dismissing the charges against Adams.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
And she felt, quote, confident that he committed the crimes. Beauvais responded by saying he would strip the case from Sassoon's office. He opened an investigation into her conduct. And Lynch said he kept pushing to get the case dropped.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
State health authorities report at least 48 confirmed cases, but say as many as 300 people might be infected. It's Texas's worst outbreak of the highly contagious disease in 30 years. The majority of confirmed cases are in Gaines County, along the New Mexico border.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
One lawyer who resigned wrote that only a, quote, fool or coward would obey Beauvais' order. But one person ultimately did, Edward Sullivan. The Washington Post spoke to sources who said, at first, all the lawyers who were asked to do this agreed to resign rather than follow the order.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
But Sullivan, who is close to retirement, offered to be the one to sign the dismissal motion to save his colleagues from being fired and give them time to find new jobs.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
Prosecutors have argued that Beauvais' reasoning for dismissing the charges against Adams so the mayor could work with the Trump administration on immigration initiatives appears to be a case of quid pro quo, which both Beauvais and Adams have denied.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
However, Trump's border czar, Tom Holman, who appeared on Fox & Friends alongside Mayor Adams just before the weekend, described what sounded like a quid pro quo type of agreement.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
Lynch told us this incident has amplified existing concerns about the DOJ's conduct as the Trump administration continues to fire and reassign career officials.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
The motion to dismiss the charges was filed on Friday and signed by Beauvais himself. A judge needs to review it before Adams' case is officially dropped. Now to a state that could feel the sweeping effects of Trump's immigration crackdown harder than most, Nebraska. Immigrants make up the backbone of Nebraska's meat processing industry.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
The state is one of the top meat producers in the country, but it has one of the worst labor shortages of any state. A study released last year by Nebraska's Economic Chamber found there are only 39 workers for every 100 open jobs. And the report concluded there's really only one way to fill all these roles.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
Good morning. It's Monday, February 17th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, protest resignations at the Department of Justice. Nebraska, a state that relies on an immigrant workforce, braces for deportations, and disaster in Kentucky after deadly floods. But first, an outbreak of measles is sweeping through parts of Texas.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
Jasmine Garst is NPR's immigration correspondent.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
At the same time, Nebraskans overwhelmingly voted for President Trump. And if his mass deportation plans impact Nebraska, it would not only affect the state's economy in a major way, but also our wider food system. Some residents told Garst they're not convinced Trump's efforts will actually impact them.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
The Texas Department of State Health Services says every infected person is either unvaccinated or their vaccination status is unknown. Most of the confirmed cases are school-aged children.
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Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
But as she traveled through Nebraska for her reporting, she noticed how fear has transformed communities already.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
Since Trump's inauguration, immigration raids have been concentrated in major cities like Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York. According to ICE, immigration officials are making anywhere from 600 to 1,100 arrests a day. The Washington Post reports the town of O'Neill, Nebraska, is still recovering from a raid during Trump's first term in 2018.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
A number of businesses closed after they couldn't find workers to replace people who were detained, and at least 100 families moved away. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're watching. The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to weigh in on his firing of Hampton Dellinger, a Biden appointee who leads the Office of Special Counsel.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
The OSC is an agency that investigates whistleblower reports filed by government workers. Dellinger turned around and sued the Trump administration, saying his termination violates a law protecting leaders of independent agencies from being fired by a president without good cause.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
As The Washington Post puts it, this is the first time Trump is appealing to the Supreme Court for help in his efforts to seize greater control of the federal government. Meanwhile, Trump posted this phrase to social media over the weekend, quote, he who saves his country does not violate any laws.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
That's Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician at Johns Hopkins, speaking to CBS.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
This comes as some of the president's allies have challenged the legitimacy of judicial checks on Trump. The original quote has been attributed to French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte, who declared himself an emperor. In New York, five people were charged with second-degree murder in the death of a transgender man authorities said suffered prolonged abuse and torture.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
One state police captain called it, quote, one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated. Authorities said 24-year-old Sam Norquist was abused between December and February, which led to his death. All five suspects are being held without bail. And heavy rain and extreme flooding led to eight deaths in Kentucky this weekend.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said most fatalities were due to people getting trapped in their water-submerged cars. Tens of thousands of people were without power. President Trump approved the state's request for a disaster declaration and authorized FEMA to coordinate relief efforts. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Time magazine spoke with researchers who are racing to understand why more young adults are getting diagnosed with cancer. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
The measles virus can live in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours. That means an unvaccinated person can catch the illness even without being in the same room as an infected person.
Apple News Today
Turmoil at the DOJ after prosecutors quit in protest
According to the Dallas Morning News, the outbreak in Gaines County is largely concentrated in the Mennonite population, a religious sect that one Texas health official described as close-knit and under-vaccinated. In the county, nearly 18 percent of all kindergartners were exempt from the measles vaccine in the 2023 to 2024 school year. That's much higher than the national average of 3.3 percent.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
One of the family members of a victim has spoken out. Sandy Fonzo told the local newspaper The Citizen's Voice about how her 17-year-old son was sentenced by one of the judges for possessing drug paraphernalia and later died by suicide after being released. She called the judge's commutation, quote, an injustice for all of us who still suffer.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
Other names on Biden's list include Rita Cronwell, the former comptroller for the city of Dixon, Illinois, who was convicted in 2012 of embezzling more than $50 million from taxpayers to buy things like jewelry and hundreds of show horses.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
That's Jason Wodillo, a former U.S. marshal who investigated Cronwell's crimes, talking to CBS News Chicago. He says he thinks Cronwell never really understood the gravity of what she did.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
Cronwell had a little under four years left on her sentence. Biden's sweeping act of clemency and pardons has been met with criticism on all sides, in particular the pardon of his own son, Hunter Biden, which came prior to his big day of commutations. Some lawmakers say presidential clemency powers need reform, including Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
Here she is speaking on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
Let's turn to a new investigation from ProPublica about a toxic chemical found in so many everyday things that regulators are struggling to come up with ways to undo the damage done. Sharon Lerner covers health and the environment, and she told us about the risks of formaldehyde.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
Formaldehyde is produced by emissions from cars, trucks, industrial facilities, but also the gas stove in your kitchen or certain types of furniture and flooring.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
According to ProPublica's analysis, formaldehyde is exposing us to cancer risk above the goal level set by the EPA. The agency, by its own admission, has underestimated the public health risks associated with formaldehyde, like asthma, respiratory illness, miscarriages, and fertility problems. But not much has been done to reduce our risk of exposure, in part because it's so widespread.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
Last week, the president announced he was commuting the sentences of 1,500 people and granting pardons to 39 more. It was the biggest single-day act of clemency for any president. And now that we're learning more about who was on the list, some of those names are raising eyebrows. Like Michael Coneham, a former judge in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
Lerner says she doesn't expect regulation to improve under the incoming Trump administration based on his last term.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
The EPA at the time had been working for decades on a report about the toxicity of formaldehyde.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
It wasn't released until this year. Lerner told us there are some steps you can take at home to reduce your exposure, the main one being ventilation. So opening windows, turning your stove vent on while cooking, or leaving new furniture outside to air out for a few weeks before bringing it in if you can. All of that helps.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
ProPublica also put together a tool where you can put in your address to see just how much formaldehyde is in your community and where it's coming from. We'll include a link to that in our show notes. A group of doctors in Boston are writing somewhat unusual prescriptions for their patients, solar power.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
Bob Biggio leads this program out of Boston Medical Center that identifies patients with chronic conditions who need help paying their utilities, and they effectively prescribe them power. It involves more than 500 solar panels spread across one of the medical center's rooftops.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
Dr. Anna Goldman is a primary care physician who co-founded the project. She told WBUR she used to hear about patients dealing with energy insecurity on top of their health issues. People who couldn't afford electricity to recharge wheelchairs or keep fridges, air conditioners, and CPAP machines running.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
Good morning. It's Monday, December 16th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, a cancer-causing chemical that's in so many everyday objects. Why doctors in Boston are prescribing solar power to patients. And drones over Jersey. What's up with all these mysterious unmanned aircraft sightings? But first, to controversial pardons and clemency granted by President Joe Biden.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
Last year, she and her colleagues wrote more than 1,600 letters to utility providers asking them to not shut off gas or electricity to these patients. They launched their $1.6 million solar panel project in October of that year, largely using tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act. About half of the energy produced goes to the medical center.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
The rest goes to roughly 80 low-income patients with complex conditions who get a utility credit of around $50 a month. Biggio told WBUR he's already planning to expand the program.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
He says that could increase the number of patients they help with utilities tenfold. There's another type of unusual prescription some patients get at this medical center. Fresh produce grown on the rooftop farm. In addition to the solar panels, the center has plants like tomatoes, bok choy, and beans.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
And their harvest goes toward feeding patients who otherwise don't have access to local organic foods. Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app. New York Governor Kathy Hochul says the federal government is deploying sophisticated drone-detecting technology to help local authorities figure out what's behind a series of reported drone sightings.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
He was convicted in 2011 of accepting $2.8 million in kickbacks in exchange for imposing harsh sentences on children to help fill the cells of private for-profit juvenile detention centers owned by a friend. More than 2,300 kids, some as young as 8 years old, were put behind bars by Conahan and another judge, Mark Chivarella. The case got widespread attention.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
The sightings continue to baffle residents and government officials. It started four weeks ago in New Jersey, but has since expanded to at least six states. Unnerved residents have reported seeing drones overhead, sometimes in clusters, but so far no one has explained what's happening.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
New Jersey Republican Congressman Chris Smith told reporters he's drafting legislation that would give local authorities more power to track and potentially down drones.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
Federal officials say there is no threat to public safety from the drones and no evidence that they have ties to foreign countries. The Wall Street Journal has exclusive reporting on the secretive Russian spy agency that carries out the Putin regime's agenda. That agenda includes arresting American citizens on Russian soil, which is what happened to journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
The entire time he was detained by Russia last year, for 16 months, he was conducting his own reporting on who ordered his arrest. Now he and his colleagues at the Journal have identified the man at the top of this agency who they say is leading the biggest campaign of internal repression within Russia since the Stalin era. And finally, it's been dubbed the sad beige lawsuit.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
Sydney Nicole Gifford, an online influencer from Minneapolis, has sued another influencer, Alyssa Scheel, for stealing her signature beige-colored aesthetic. Both influencers' homes, clothing, and entire lives, basically, are awash in neutral beige, creams, and browns. Gifford says Shiel ripped off her brand identity and is asking for up to $150,000 in damages for mental anguish and lost income.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
She also wants Shiel's content taken down, which has been described as the ultimate blow to an influencer. The suit is being described as the first of its kind, and it could have ramifications for the influencer world, which is estimated to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Vanity Fair has a great story about an amateur art sleuth who's made a name for himself by recovering lost centuries-old masterpieces. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Biden’s controversial clemency choices
It was nicknamed the Kids for Cash scandal, and Conahan's role in it was seen as one of the worst judicial scandals in Pennsylvania history. His house arrest was set to end in 2026. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says, if anything, Conahan was given too light of a sentence from the start.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
It's important to point out that the acquisitions in question were vetted and cleared by the FTC more than a decade ago. The government, however, now says Meta may not have been forthcoming during that process. As all of this is going on, Zuckerberg has sought to curry favor with President Trump. Meta settled a previous lawsuit over the banning of Trump's accounts.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
And Zuckerberg reportedly made trips to Mar-a-Lago and the White House to personally lobby Trump to direct the FTC to drop this antitrust case. Feiner says it's yet to be seen whether or not that investment will pay off for Zuckerberg and other tech CEOs who have lobbied Trump. Feiner says a recent decision against Google also matters here.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
A judge ruled that Google illegally monopolized the online search market, which could open the door for other important cases to go against big tech companies.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
If Meta loses this case, the government could force it to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp into separate companies. They currently generate billions of dollars for Meta. For consumers, Feiner told us, it could mean potentially better social media platforms in the future.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
The trial is expected to last several weeks. Big name current and former Meta executives like Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg are expected to take the stand. Let's turn now to several big changes at the Social Security Administration.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
Wired reports that the agency plans to move all public communications to Elon Musk's social media platform, X. That's raising questions and concerns, considering many U.S. residents, particularly seniors who rely on this information to better understand their benefits, do not have accounts on the X platform. The agency called this claim false on X, but Wired says they stand by their reporting.
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The legal fight that could reshape social media
Also at the Social Security Agency, The Washington Post is reporting a new Trump administration tactic targeting mostly Latino immigrants is cutting people off from benefits by purposely and falsely labeling them dead. At the request of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
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The legal fight that could reshape social media
The Social Security Administration entered the names and legally obtained social security numbers of more than 6,000 immigrants who entered the country during the Biden administration into a database that the agency uses to track and cancel benefits for dead people.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
But first, social media giant Meta, formerly known as Facebook, is in court starting today in a massive antitrust trial that could change the entire social media landscape. The Federal Trade Commission alleges the company violated antitrust laws when it acquired Instagram in 2012 and the messaging service WhatsApp in 2014.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
That effectively canceled their social security numbers, meaning they could soon no longer have the ability to work legally in the United States, open bank accounts and credit cards, secure housing and more.
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The legal fight that could reshape social media
That's Lisa Rine, a federal government reporter for The Washington Post. She spoke with us about the White House's motivations for this move.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
A White House official told The Post that the people whose social security numbers were canceled had ties to terrorist activity or had criminal records, though Ryan told us they didn't provide evidence to support those claims. They also said nearly 1,000 of these people were receiving benefits through Medicaid, 41 were collecting unemployment, and 22 had student loans.
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The legal fight that could reshape social media
Ryan told us the administration's move here is trying to push people to leave the country by cutting off their access to critical financial services.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
This represents a stunning turn in data privacy at the Social Security Administration, where under previous administrations, personal information had been closely guarded. It's just the latest example of the extraordinary measures Elon Musk and his Doge team have employed to access and share personal data that had historically been off limits to immigration authorities.
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The legal fight that could reshape social media
It comes on the heels of another unusual agreement that we talked about on this show, where the IRS recently agreed to share information with the Department of Homeland Security for undocumented immigrants. In recent weeks, President Trump has tried to exert more influence on institutes of higher education by withholding financial support schools have relied on for decades.
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The legal fight that could reshape social media
The Trump administration paused over $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University. It announced plans to pause an additional $790 million to Northwestern and more than $1 billion to Cornell. And it's threatened to cut $9 billion in contracts and grants at Harvard.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
This money helps schools do things like keep the lights on at labs, pay salaries to educators and researchers, and fund research projects. Without it, much of that work comes to a halt. At Northwestern, for example, researchers with federal grants received 100 stop-work orders in recent days, which will impact studies related to Parkinson's disease, nanotechnology, and foreign military training.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
Good morning. It's Monday, April 14th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why the Social Security Administration is declaring some people dead falsely and on purpose. Higher ed institutions are doing disaster budgeting. And those tariff exemptions for smartphones and other electronics will be short-lived.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
Over at the University of Missouri, Bloomberg reporter Elizabeth Rambert spoke to a researcher named Carrie Clark, who recently lost funding for a project that she spent a decade on that took up about a quarter of her work, developing machines to make harvesting processes for farmers in Africa more efficient. Rambert told us about her work.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
Lauren Feiner is a senior policy writer for The Verge, and she told us the government is arguing Meta with those acquisitions essentially became a monopoly.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
Clark says losing her research funding, which came from USAID, felt like losing a child. And Rembert told us the impact of these kinds of funding cuts could hit far beyond college campuses.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
And there are other ways higher ed institutions are being impacted by the administration, through efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, plans to raise endowment taxes, threats to cut funding for schools that support transgender athletes or diversity initiatives, and at schools where students and academics have been outspoken against the war in Gaza.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
Behind the scenes, colleges and universities are scrambling to figure out what they would do if a large chunk of their budget suddenly gets cut. An expert in higher ed told Rembert administrators are likely working on two versions of their budgets right now. One that assumes the status quo stays and another that's a, quote, disaster budget that accounts for losing government support.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. First, to the latest on tariffs.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
After the Trump administration said electronics like smartphones and computers would be exempt from steep tariffs on China, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick now says that move will be temporary and that President Trump in about a month or two will impose a, quote, special focus type of tariff on those items. Trump posted on social media that he is looking at the whole electronics supply chain.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
He says the administration plans to target semiconductors and pharmaceuticals next. some significant developments in Gaza over the weekend. Israel says it has completely encircled the city of Rafah on the border with Egypt and established a security zone separating it and the city of Khan Yunus.
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The legal fight that could reshape social media
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously said Israel would create the corridor to put pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages being held. The government in Rafah called the zone illegitimate and condemned the move.
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The legal fight that could reshape social media
Meanwhile, an Israeli strike destroyed part of a hospital in northern Gaza early yesterday, effectively incapacitating the last fully functioning hospital in Gaza City, as Israel's military operation continues to expand and intensify. And a man in Pennsylvania has been charged with attempted murder, terrorism, and other offenses in connection with a fire set at Governor Josh Shapiro's residence.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
Shapiro and his family were sleeping at the time. There were no injuries, but a significant amount of damage. The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting the 38-year-old man turned himself in to police and told them he did it because he hated Shapiro and had intended to harm him. The incident occurred on the first night of Passover.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
When asked if the fire is being investigated as a hate crime, state police told the Philadelphia Inquirer, quote, all avenues will be explored. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. There are just shy of 150 working payphones left in Los Angeles.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
The FTC cites a 2012 email in its argument where Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg names startups like Instagram as potentially disruptive to its business. Meta says the company always competes fairly and is facing punishment for its success in growing those apps into major players in the social media world.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
And thanks to a pair of artists, one way that you can use them is to record a farewell message to say goodbye to a loved one or thank you or just to turn a new page. It's called The Goodbye Line, and the LA Times sat down with the creators of this project to learn more about their mission to make goodbyes less lonely.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
The legal fight that could reshape social media
Feiner says the crux of the FTC's argument is that Meta monopolizes personal social networking services, a definition that will matter a lot in this case. The way the FTC views it.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
One woman in Altadena described to KCAL how she and her family escaped the fire.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
She's now struggling with how to explain to her child what's going on.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
It's been an exhausting few days for evacuees and for the firefighters trying to contain the fires and save people's homes. But even as conditions remain difficult, the community is letting those firefighters know they're appreciated. At one California In-N-Out Burger restaurant, a group of firefighters who stopped in for a meal were met with cheers and a standing ovation from people.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
If you would like to help, KQED has a list of organizations and how you can contribute. We'll link to that in our show notes page. Now to Washington, where it is President Biden's final week in office. And all week long, we'll be digging into different parts of his legacy. Today, we look at his domestic agenda. When Biden took office, it was the height of the pandemic.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
And one of his first moves was to announce the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 billion economic stimulus package.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
Biden's plan greenlit the third round of direct relief payments sent to people during COVID. The first two rounds were approved under Trump. But Biden's plan was not popular with Republicans, who felt the federal government had already spent too much money on COVID response and were concerned more government spending would contribute to inflation.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
Biden also signed into law a major bipartisan infrastructure bill. It put over a trillion dollars toward American bridges, airports, roads, highways. And he oversaw the Chips and Signs Act, which helped move more manufacturing for semiconductors to the U.S. to make American industries less reliant on China and other countries for critical computer chips.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
Arguably his greatest legislative achievement, the Inflation Reduction Act, incentivized businesses to invest around $500 billion in low-carbon energy and manufacturing, with a lot of that money going to red states. Now, as Biden gets ready to leave office, unemployment is at historic lows. The economy added more than 250,000 jobs in December, far outpacing expectations.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
Medicare recipients have seen the price of insulin fall. And while Americans felt the large impact of inflation and with it high interest rates, it's been far lower here than in many countries around the world.
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“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
That's Franklin Foer at The Atlantic, who's written extensively about Biden.
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“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
Four told us, despite all of Biden's legislative accomplishments, something didn't quite connect for many voters.
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“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
And ultimately, he says that disconnect is what made Biden unable to deliver on one of his original campaign promises.
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“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
Still, Forer says a president's legacy is hard to know when they first leave office. It takes shape over time.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff says reports of missing people are rising and that the death toll is likely to go up. Heavy winds are expected to pick back up in the first few days of this week, coupled with ongoing dry conditions. Authorities worry that could slow down containment efforts and threaten new communities.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
Let's talk about that one weird drawer that a lot of us have in our homes. The one where we throw old electronics, phones, cords, things that we know we need to throw out, but we kind of don't know how to.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
Good morning. It's Monday, January 13th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Biden's legacy on domestic policy, how to safely recycle your old electronics, and why people are tipping less in restaurants. But first, to Los Angeles, where crews continue to battle wildfires that have killed at least 24 people and burned more than 12,000 homes and structures.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
That's Vox reporter Adam Clark Estes, who covers tech and as a result has accumulated a lot of accessories over the years.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
Neither have most people. According to a 2024 report by the UN, only around 12% of small electronics get recycled worldwide. Billions of pounds just get tossed in the trash. And by one recent estimate, each person produces roughly 17 pounds of e-waste per year. That can be dangerous for a number of reasons. As Estes mentioned, there are fire risks that come with tossing out certain electronics.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
And our electronics are filled with metals that can end up in landfills with dangerous chemicals that can leach into the soil and groundwater and harm our health. As Estes started to look into how to safely get rid of the e-waste in his home, he learned recycling old electronics is complex, more than your average recycling, which is partly why so few people do it. His advice?
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
Look for businesses that are certified e-waste recyclers. A lot of big box stores are, including some recycling centers.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
A certified e-waste recycler will know how to tear down old phones, laptops, accessories, even things like light-up kids' toys, safely, to get at the reusable parts. And Estes explained it's important to find ways to reuse those materials because it helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protects vulnerable parts of the world from the impacts of climate change.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
A more complete picture of the devastation for residents of Los Angeles is also starting to emerge. More than 100,000 people are under evacuation orders, and for some, there isn't much to go back to.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app. It's a big week in Washington for President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks. Senate confirmation hearings are set to begin. CNN reports this wave of nominations is different than Trump's first term.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
Loyalty to Trump is likely to feature much more prominently than it did in 2016, when many nominees tried to distance themselves from what Trump said on the campaign trail. Notable hearings include Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee for defense secretary, who's faced a number of serious misconduct allegations and who's scheduled for Tuesday.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
And on Wednesday, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who's nominated to be secretary of state, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, the pick for homeland security secretary, will have their hearings. The Wall Street Journal reports people are tipping less in restaurants than they have in past years. Tipping peaked in 2021.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
That's when 56 percent of people said they tipped servers 20 percent or more, according to one survey. In 2024, only 38 percent of people tipped as generously. The journal says some of the reasons for the tip dip is fatigue over rising menu prices and tipping prompts at places where tips aren't normally expected.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
And finally, if you can read big, loopy, cursive writing, the National Archives needs your help. About 200 years of digitized government documents ranging from 50s census records to 19th century immigration documents are in need of transcription.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
One worker with the National Archives catalog told USA Today, reading cursive is a fading skill, and they're looking for citizen archivists who are up for the task. We'll link to that story for details on how you can volunteer to help the National Archives and all the stories we talked about today in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. The New Yorker looks into America's relationship with ultra-processed foods and why it's taken scientists so long to understand their harms. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
That's an Altadena resident named Les talking to Fox 11 Los Angeles.
Apple News Today
“Nothing there but the chimney.” L.A. evacuees return to rubble.
A man named Dale, who's 91 years old, lost his home in the Pasadena area where he'd been living for 60 years. He spoke to KCAL News after sitting outside and watching the smoking remnants of where his house stood.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
Hey there, it's Shamita. I've got a quick request for you. If Apple News Today is an essential part of your morning routine, follow the show in Apple Podcasts. And if you have another 30 seconds, leave us a rating and a review too. It helps other people find our show and it helps us know what you like about it. Thanks. Good morning. It's Monday, May 12th. I'm Shamita Basu.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
Also important, Stewart points out, there's now an established open line of communication between Washington and Beijing.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
Like this statement from China's vice premier.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
This 90-day pause is sure to be well-received by many businesses in both the U.S. and China, but there's still a lot of uncertainty ahead. As the president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said of this development, businesses need predictability to maintain normal operations and make investment decisions.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
And the New York Times reports that it's likely that the cost of transporting goods will soar as companies race to schedule shipments during the 90-day window, just in case of whatever comes next. Let's turn now to immigration. A group of white South Africans is arriving in the United States.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
They were invited here on a U.S.-funded charter plane by President Donald Trump, who says he's offering refugee status to white people in South Africa who say they have been victims of discrimination.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
Their welcome from the Trump administration, which has expedited the refugee process for this group, is in stark contrast to the immigration policy being imposed on most other groups that once had refugee status, whether that's people fleeing famine in Sudan or economic hardship and political violence in South America.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
This is Apple News Today. On today's show, the administration's threat to suspend a core constitutional right. Why the chaos at Newark could soon spread to other airports. Plus, why Trump accepting a Qatari jet is raising ethics concerns. But first, to major breaking news on tariffs. The U.S. and China reached an agreement to temporarily lower tariffs on each other's products.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
It also comes as Trump's deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, says the administration is actively looking at suspending habeas corpus, the constitutional right for people to legally challenge their detention by the government. The Constitution dictates that this right cannot be suspended unless there is a rebellion or invasion.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
Trump has referred to recent record levels of migration as an invasion, whether those migrants qualify as refugees or not, and invoked the Alien Enemies Act to accelerate the deportations of some groups of people, which the Supreme Court has blocked for now. Miller recently took aim at judges opposing deportations while speaking to reporters.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
Although Miller framed this as a Trump decision, it would need congressional approval. The same day that Miller made those comments, a federal judge ordered the release of a Turkish student at Tufts University who had spent the last six weeks in a Louisiana ICE detention center. Rumesa Ozturk was detained back in March after her student visa was revoked.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
The only reason given was her support for pro-Palestine causes. She has now been released on bail and is challenging the decision to revoke her visa, saying she has, quote, faith in the American system of justice. Her congresswoman, Ayanna Pressley, who is a Democrat from Massachusetts, spoke out this weekend about her situation.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
We also saw tensions over migration spill over in New Jersey this weekend, where Newark Mayor Roz Baraka was arrested while protesting at a newly opened, privately run federal immigration detention center. Baraka was charged with misdemeanor trespassing and has since been released. The arrest happened while three other New Jersey congressional Democrats were on site for an unannounced inspection.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
The House representatives were not arrested, but the Department of Homeland Security claimed they were part of a group of demonstrators who tried to force their way into the facility when a bus of detainees arrived. DHS officials accuse one of them, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, of body slamming officials, a claim which she denies. Here she is on CNN.
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The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
And there have been videos going viral on social media of chaotic scenes in Worcester, Massachusetts, after crowds of people showed up to try to stop ICE from detaining people from their community.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
At least two people were arrested, including a 16-year-old girl whose mother had been detained by ICE. Hundreds of protesters gathered yesterday afternoon to oppose the arrests and ICE presence. Meanwhile, Trump is showing no signs of slowing down any of these efforts. He recently announced an order for 20,000 more deportation officers, though as yet it's unclear how that would be funded.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
That would mean more than quadrupling the number of ICE officers who focus solely on rounding up and deporting immigrants. Now let's turn to major disruptions at U.S. airports. On Friday, there was another complete radar outage at a facility in Philadelphia that lasted about 90 seconds. It comes after a similar outage the week before.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
The outages meant that for those 90 seconds, air traffic controllers at Newark Airport could not communicate with airplanes. a critical function that ensures that planes don't crash into one another. And the fallout lasts for days. Speaking to NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that these problems, caused by aging infrastructure, could soon go beyond Newark.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
There were other issues this weekend, too. Yesterday, on Mother's Day, Newark had to ground flights for about 45 minutes due to an air traffic equipment issue, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. There was also a ground stop at Atlanta's airport on Sunday due to a runway equipment issue. Duffy said that it is safe to fly, but stressed just how dated some of our technology is.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
Duffy has proposed a multibillion-dollar plan to modernize and overhaul the country's air traffic control system. He wants to upgrade radio systems, raise the mandatory retirement age for air traffic controllers, and invest in digitizing data management tools. But even if Congress approves his proposals, don't expect a quick fix.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
By Wednesday, the U.S. says it will reduce its 145 percent tariff rate on most Chinese imports to 30 percent. And China says it will reduce its 125 percent tariff rate on U.S. goods to 10 percent. Here's U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant speaking from Geneva.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
Meanwhile, he said travelers shouldn't be surprised if there are disruptions through the summer. Some passengers at Newark expressed their frustration on MSNBC.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
On Wednesday, Duffy is scheduled to meet with some of the industry's top leaders where they'll discuss a plan to possibly scale back the number of flights going in and out of Newark.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Trump is preparing to accept a luxury jet from the Qatari royal family that will be used as Air Force One. According to ABC News, it could be the most valuable gift ever given to the United States by a foreign government. A commercial Boeing 747-8 costs roughly $400 million.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
ABC News spoke with officials with knowledge of the matter who say that Trump plans to transfer ownership of the plane to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation when he leaves office. Democrats and experts in government ethics expressed outrage over the conflicts of interest it could raise as Trump represents America's interests in the region.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
A Qatari media spokesperson denied that the jet would be a gift and described it as a possible transfer of an aircraft between Qatar's Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Defense Department. Staying in the Middle East, Hamas is releasing the last living American hostage as Trump prepares to visit the region tomorrow.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
21-year-old Idan Alexander is an Israeli soldier with dual citizenship, and his release comes after days of secret talks between the U.S. and Hamas. Gazans are currently enduring an aid blockade now in its third month, which the U.N. described as a cruel collective punishment, while Israel has long claimed that aid is being hijacked by Hamas.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
And finally, Pope Leo delivered his first Sunday Mass this weekend, where he appealed for, quote, no more war to crowds in St. Peter's Square. He also called for authentic and lasting peace in Ukraine, a ceasefire in Gaza, and called on Hamas to release all remaining hostages. Meanwhile, The Verge has the story of how the pope chose his name, Leo.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
He said he took inspiration from Pope Leo XIII, who presided over the church during the rise of the Industrial Revolution, a time when society went through major upheaval. The pope said he feels the world is going through another such era with the rise of AI that will pose, quote, new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Vox has a deep dive into the growing health concerns over e-cigarettes and why it's causing a public health conundrum. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 days. What to know.
The reduced tariff rates between the world's two largest economies will last for 90 days while the two sides continue negotiations, offering a major sigh of relief to the global economy. Global trade was effectively halted because of the previous tariff rates. Here's CNN's international correspondent Mark Stewart reporting from Beijing for The Network this morning.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Musk, in his role as chair of the Department of Government Efficiency, has referred to USAID as a criminal organization and said that he was, quote, feeding USAID into the woodchipper. Last week, White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt listed some examples of expenditures by USAID that she says prove that it's full of waste and corruption.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
The Washington Post and PolitiFact have fact-checked those claims. It is true that USAID provided $1.5 million to a group in Serbia to reduce discrimination against the country's LGBTQ community, but the $70,000 for a DEI musical in Ireland is false. That grant came from the State Department, not USAID, and it went toward a music festival, not a musical, to, quote, promote the U.S.
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How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
and Irish shared values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. As for the opera in Colombia, that money also came from the State Department, not USAID. And the Fulbright program, not USAID, provided the grant that went to the comic book in Peru, which more broadly featured an LGBTQ plus character. Meanwhile, President Trump claimed USAID gave $8 million to Politico.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
This is also not true. Staffers at USAID spent $40,000 on Politico subscriptions. In surveys, Americans believe the U.S. spends roughly 25% of our budget on foreign aid. The truth is, foreign aid is less than 1% of our budget. And The Washington Post reports that American farms supply about 41% of the food aid that USAID sends around the world each year.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
In raw numbers, that totaled more than $2 billion in food bought from American farmers in 2020. So the impacts of the cuts would be felt here at home as well. Even Trump's own Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has been outspoken in the past about the need to maintain America's foreign aid and the influence that comes with doing so. Here he is speaking in February of 2013, for example.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
And here's Rubio again in August of 2019.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
So we asked the Atlantic's Russell Berman, why does the Trump administration see it as advantageous to slash USAID?
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
But first, President Trump on Sunday gave an interview with Fox News' Brett Baier and discussed Elon Musk's efforts to cut back on what they see as government waste.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
It's unclear if the courts will allow these cuts to go forward. A recent paper published by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service says USAID cannot be moved, abolished or consolidated without approval from Congress. But Trump's allies say the Constitution allows Trump to gut this agency and that it's the courts, not the president, who are overstepping by trying to stop him.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Just this weekend, Vice President J.D. Vance said on social media judges are not allowed to, quote, control the executive's legitimate power. Here's a name of a recent cabinet appointment that you should know. Russ Vogt, who was confirmed last week as the director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Vogt served in this role for two years during Trump's first term, during which time he froze military aid to Ukraine and delayed funding for Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. And while the budget office isn't as glamorous as some of the other departments we've talked a lot about, it has a tremendous amount of power.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Vogt has described OMB as, quote, a president's air traffic control system and the nerve center of the federal government. Here he is in an interview with Tucker Carlson last November.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
The other reason to know Vogt's name? He was one of the chief architects of Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's blueprint for Trump's second term.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
That's Megan Messerly, White House reporter for Politico.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Though Trump repeatedly said on the campaign trail that he had nothing to do with Project 2025.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Messerly says we're already seeing so much of it unfolding.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Good morning. It's Monday, February 10th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, a key architect of Project 2025 has a big role in Trump's cabinet. Why Super Bowl chicken wings are cheap as egg prices skyrocket. And a night the Chiefs and Drake may never recover from.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Some of the other goals laid out in Project 2025, disbanding the commerce and education departments, undoing climate protections, and redefining marriage and family according to the Bible. During the 2024 presidential campaign, these ideas polled extremely unpopular with voters. In fact, an NBC News poll from last September found that just 4% of voters viewed the plan favorably.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Last week, every Democrat in the Senate voted against votes nomination. All 53 Republicans voted to confirm, with Politico reporting that Republicans in both chambers are feeling enthusiastic about vote and his ability to enact Trump's agenda.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
The day after he was confirmed by the Senate, the Trump administration tapped vote to be acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and his first email to the staff instructed them to stop work immediately. He has since said the bureau will be closed for at least a week.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
The CFPB is a watchdog agency intended to look out for American consumers and shield them from misleading or fraudulent practices by banks, credit cards or loan agencies. Just a few weeks ago, before Trump took office, the CFPB sued Capital One, alleging the bank cheated customers out of $2 billion by underpaying the interest on savings accounts. Capital One says it disagrees with the claims.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
It's estimated that 1.47 billion chicken wings were consumed over Super Bowl weekend, according to the National Chicken Council, which led NPR to ask the very good question with bird flu going around. How come we're seeing such high prices on eggs, but not the same kind of scarcity with chicken wings?
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Well, as it turns out, it's because chickens raised for meat live on different farms than the chickens raised for laying eggs. And even though the chickens that become our wings aren't immune from bird flu, they haven't been hit as hard by the current outbreak. The farmers who raise eggs, on the other hand, are scrambling.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Here's one farmer who has a flock of 14 million egg-laying hens across three states speaking to NPR.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
So far, Trump and Musk have moved to freeze most foreign aid for 90 days and reduce USAID's workforce of 10,000-plus to around 600 people. On Friday afternoon, a district judge nominated by Trump temporarily halted those plans until a hearing later this week. But that didn't stop the Trump administration from sending crews over to the agency headquarters to remove their name from the building.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
That farmer told NPR that it can take six months to a year to recover after a flock of hens is wiped out from bird flu. So far, there are no signs of bird flu easing up. In fact, it seems to be spreading. Last week, we learned that a new strain of bird flu has infected dairy cows in Nevada. And this weekend, bird flu was detected in poultry markets in New York City.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Here's Elizabeth Walters, deputy commissioner for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, addressing the outbreak.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Bird flu is also responsible for the death of three ducks at the Queen's Zoo and as many as 12 birds at the Bronx Zoo. There's no evidence yet that there's a widespread risk to humans, but Scientific American's chief opinion editor says she's concerned about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention being muzzled.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
The Trump administration has ordered the agency not to release any communications that aren't first approved by Trump's team. Several studies about bird flu haven't been published, including one about the number of veterinarians who've contracted the virus. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're watching.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
On his way to the Super Bowl, President Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he would impose a 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports into the United States starting today, and that we should expect to see more action on tariffs later this week. Trump said the tariffs apply to all countries, including Canada and Mexico, our largest trading partners.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
So far, Trump imposed a 10% tariff on all products coming from China. He also threatened tariffs on Canada and Mexico before backing down and putting that decision on pause. At the Super Bowl, meanwhile, the Eagles dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in a lopsided victory, defeating the two-time defending champs 40-22. The Chiefs fell behind early and were never able to recover.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
It means they failed to accomplish the rare and coveted three-peat. Apple Sports editor Shakur Saman was at the game.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts led the Eagles' charge with two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. He took home Super Bowl MVP honors. The last time the Eagles won the Super Bowl was in 2018. At the time, Donald Trump was president, and the team decided not to attend a ceremony at the White House. Last night's other big winner, halftime performer Kendrick Lamar.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Lamar didn't just become the first solo rap artist in history to headline the Super Bowl. He brought his world-renowned Drake diss track, Not Like Us, to one of the world's biggest stages. That's after it already won five Grammys last Sunday, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. There were big questions about whether he and the NFL would avoid the song altogether.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Drake is suing Lamar's record label for allowing Lamar to call him a pedophile on the track, an accusation which Drake denies. But to fans' delight, Lamar performed it, leaving out that key word. And when he got to the song's most famous line, the entire stadium sang along.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
As we've mentioned on this show before, USAID provides about 40 percent of the world's humanitarian aid. While some conservatives have grown increasingly critical of sending American aid abroad, The Atlantic's Russell Berman told us people on both sides of the aisle have been surprised.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
Lamar's dancers wore the colors of the American flag, and he recruited some heavyweights in what felt like a nod to Compton, the takedown of Drake, and a scathing review of race relations in America. DJ and record producer Mustard and SZA performed. Samuel L. Jackson played the part of Uncle Sam. Serena Williams made a surprise appearance dancing on stage.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
She and Drake are rumored to have once dated, the implication being that she is now on Team Lamar, too. The 13-minute show ended with the words, Game Over, lit up. A message clearly to Drake, but it also worked in the context of the actual game, when the Chiefs were already down 24-0 by the half. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. New York Magazine has a story about yonder pouches, security devices referred to as phone prisons, meant to keep students from using their phones while at school. Turns out, though, students have already figured out how to get around them.
Apple News Today
How the Eagles, and Kendrick Lamar, won the Super Bowl
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
Here's Sky News reporter Alistair Bunkle.
Apple News Today
Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
The main rebel group that toppled al-Assad is called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. It was once an al-Qaeda affiliate, and even though it has since denounced terrorism, the U.S. still designates it as a terrorist group. For President Biden, this presents a late-in-his-presidency foreign policy challenge. He spoke on Sunday, seeming to recognize the optimism of many Syrians.
Apple News Today
Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
Biden also said it's the U.S. 's mission to prevent ISIS from taking hold of the country. And he promised U.S. troops in the country would be protected. Within 24 hours of the al-Assad regime's downfall, U.S. forces carried out dozens of airstrikes targeting ISIS camps in Syria. Meanwhile, President-elect Trump, who twice tried to end U.S.
Apple News Today
Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
troop presence in Syria during his first term, called the country, quote, a mess on Saturday and said the U.S. should not get involved in the conflict. As for the immediate future, opposition leaders have left Syrian Prime Minister Mohamed Ghazi al-Jalali in place until a new government can be formed. Ghazi al-Jalali has since called for a peaceful transition of power and free and open elections.
Apple News Today
Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
Let's turn now to a different matter of national security and a conversation in President-elect Trump's circle that's raising some eyebrows. A growing number of advisers are pushing for Trump to pardon Edward Snowden.
Apple News Today
Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
That's Washington Post reporter Michael Shearer. Snowden, as you might remember, was an intelligence contractor with the National Security Agency, the NSA. Back in 2013, he released a stack of documents, more than three miles high, according to a House report, with the goal of, in his words, exposing government abuses, including data collection on U.S. citizens.
Apple News Today
Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
He and his supporters call him a whistleblower. His critics say he put Americans at risk. He's been living in Russia for years to avoid prosecution. Trump came close to pardoning Snowden at the end of his first term, pushed then by Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.
Apple News Today
Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
Today, even more people in his circle are advocating for a pardon.
Apple News Today
Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
But first, a major turn of events in the Middle East, where rebels captured Syria's capital, Damascus, over the weekend, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee the country and bringing an abrupt end to more than a decade of civil war. al-Assad's fall was met with joyous celebrations in the streets of Syria and in countries around the world.
Apple News Today
Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
Trump himself has claimed to be a victim of government abuse, calling his various legal investigations witch hunts. National security experts say if Trump pardoned Snowden, it would be an insult to their work. Here's Sue Gordon on CBS's Face the Nation. She was principal deputy director of national intelligence in Trump's first term. She's talking about what Snowden did.
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Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
A 2016 House report concluded the Snowden leak cost the federal government billions of dollars and did, quote, tremendous damage to national security. Scheer says the damage part is disputable.
Apple News Today
Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
Snowden declined to comment for this reporting, and Trump's team did not respond to Scheer's questions about their potential plans for a pardon. Now to a new investigation from The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom that tracks gun violence in America. This is part of a series with the Philadelphia Inquirer that zooms in on Philly.
Apple News Today
Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
And they examine how centuries of discriminatory policies like segregation and redlining keep Black people in a cycle of poverty that exposes them to gun violence way more than other groups. In other words, as reporter Mensah Dean put it to us, Philadelphia's status as the poorest big city in the country is a major cause of its gun violence.
Apple News Today
Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
Gun violence in Philly disproportionately affects Black people. Since 2015, more than 80 percent of gun violence victims and 79 percent of people arrested for gun violence in the city have been Black. And this pattern continues even as gun violence rates started to drop citywide. Dean put it this way. When people can't meet basic needs, they sometimes take drastic action.
Apple News Today
Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
Good morning. It's Monday, December 9th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Donald Trump considers a controversial pardon. How discriminatory policies expose Black people to higher rates of gun violence. And the college football playoffs are set with one big surprise.
Apple News Today
Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
He told us about 90-year-old Walter Palmer, who grew up in West Philadelphia. His family of 14 shared a two-room apartment. When he was 12 years old, he was arrested for the first of many times.
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Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
Palmer says he believes the combination of poverty, crime, and despair in his racially segregated neighborhood pushed him into these circumstances. But he managed to get out and go to law school in D.C. at Howard. Dean told us Palmer later became an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches courses on institutional racism and social change.
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Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
It's a historic moment for Syrians who've lived under the oppressive hand of the al-Assad family since the early 1970s. Over the course of the 13-year-long civil war, millions of people were displaced, hundreds of thousands imprisoned, and more than half a million people killed under al-Assad's rule.
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Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
There are three parts to this series from The Trace about the roots and realities of gun violence in America. We'll include a link to this story in our show notes page. Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app. President-elect Trump gave his first televised interview on Sunday since winning the election.
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Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
In a wide-ranging sit-down on NBC's Meet the Press, Trump talked about how he'll prioritize deporting migrants with criminal records. He also discussed what he thinks should happen to some of his political opponents, in particular members of the committee that investigated the January 6th attack on the Capitol.
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Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
Everyone on the committee you think should go to jail?
Apple News Today
Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
Various news outlets are reporting the Biden administration is considering blanket pardons for people they believe could be targets for retribution under Trump. In sports news, the first-ever 12-team college football playoff is set with a big surprise on the bracket. SMU was awarded the final spot over Alabama, a perennial powerhouse.
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Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
It was quite the debate, according to the selection committee chair. Alabama was ranked higher than Arizona State, which earned a top-four seed by way of winning its conference championship. Georgia, Boise State, and Oregon, the number one overall seed, rounded out the rest of the top four. They'll get a bye in the first round, which starts on December 20th with Notre Dame versus Indiana.
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Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
And in New York, authorities continue their search for the man they believe shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week. He was captured on thousands of surveillance cameras across the city, and investigators believe he left the city by bus on Friday. Police released two additional photos of the suspect over the weekend.
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Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
There has been a strange sense of glee on the Internet around this story. Photos from a shooter lookalike contest over the weekend in New York are getting shared. A jacket similar to the one that the shooter was photographed wearing is getting lots of clicks.
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Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
New Yorker writer Gia Tolentino has a piece out about the Internet's reaction to Thompson's murder and why so many people are being so flip about it. She writes that while the details of the crime itself are remarkable, the Internet's reaction has been, quote, even wilder, even more lawless.
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Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
On Sunday, when the Assad regime fell, prison guards across the country abandoned their posts, setting free scores of people, some who had been considered missing for decades. Al-Assad and his family arrived in Moscow on Sunday, when they were given asylum by the Russian government, which had been a key supporter of the regime.
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Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
You can read Tolentino's full commentary on what this response means about our society in our show notes page, along with all the stories we talked about today in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Popular Mechanics spoke to experts who are preparing the northwestern U.S.
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Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
for a natural disaster that we rarely discuss, volcanic mud flows that could inundate communities surrounding Mount Rainier. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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Why Trump might pardon this controversial whistleblower
As we mentioned last week, when rebel forces took Syria's second-largest city, Aleppo, Russia, along with Iran, are Al-Assad's main allies, and both have been preoccupied with their own conflicts, in Ukraine and Israel, respectively, which left Al-Assad exposed. But while some are celebrating the end of the regime, many are anxious to learn what comes next.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
Besant also claimed that over 50 countries have been in contact with the United States since the announcement in order to begin trade negotiations. President Trump on social media said Americans need to, quote, hang tough and wait for the end result. He also recently said that it could take two years for American manufacturing to grow as a result of this policy.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
Sean Donnan, a senior writer for economics at Bloomberg News, told us that in the short term, a recession could cause companies to rethink their investment strategies.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
As the White House tries to kind of shock the economy into submission and reshape a global trade order, Donnan said it's going to be key to watch how other countries respond. China has already said that it will impose reciprocal tariffs of 34 percent on all imports from the U.S. beginning this week. The European Union is reportedly preparing a response as well.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
As Donnan points out in his reporting, when the U.S. imposed new tariffs in the 1930s, it sparked a broader trade war that is a historical reason for the concern here.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
There are some industries like steel and aluminum that have welcomed tariffs. They've watched their cheaper foreign competitors win business in their markets, and they're eager for change. Some Republican leaders are already expressing worries about future retaliatory tariffs the U.S. could face. And some parts of the organized labor sector that have voiced support are doing so with some caveats.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
Let's turn now to immigration, where the future is uncertain for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans living in the United States legally under TPS, short for temporary protected status. TPS is a government designated protection for people who have fled countries that U.S. officials determined are not safe to return to, like Venezuela. And it allows them to work legally in the U.S.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
without the risk of deportation. The Department of Homeland Security initially planned to end TPS for around 350,000 Venezuelans today. But a federal judge last week paused that plan, saying deporting them would cause irreparable harm to families and cost billions in economic activity. One industry that could be seriously disrupted by more deportations is caregiving.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
Foreign-born workers make up a significant portion of caregivers in the United States. More than 40% of home health aides, close to 30% of personal care workers, and just over 20% of nursing assistants. That's according to data from 2022 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
And because these jobs are so demanding and relatively low paying, NBC and KFF Health News report they often struggle to attract enough American born workers to fill roles. So KFF Health News reporter Vanessa Sanchez told us increasingly immigrants are taking them.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
But first, businesses, economists and governments across the world are still digesting and reacting to sweeping tariffs enacted by the Trump administration. The announcement last week sent markets careening with the S&P 500 hitting the lowest level in almost a year. Last week was the worst for American stocks since the beginning of the pandemic five years ago.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
Sanchez told us about one woman living through this uncertainty. Alanis Ortiz is a Venezuelan immigrant and caregiver in New Jersey with TPS.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
Josephine's family told Sanchez Ortiz plays a critical role in her well-being, and they've been trying to win a reprieve for Ortiz. They've called congressional representatives. One family member wrote a letter to President Trump asking him to reconsider revoking TPS.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
And Josephine's mom, Krista, told Sanchez if anything happens to Ortiz, their family, and especially Josephine, would be, quote, gutted beyond belief.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
As for Ortiz, the possibility of losing her job and being deported has brought a lot of anxiety.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
The judge who paused the Department of Homeland Security's plan to revoke TPS gave the government until today to file notice of an appeal. On March 23rd, a few days after Israel ended the ceasefire with Hamas and fighting resumed, a group of aid workers in ambulances approached an area in the town of Rafah, which borders Gaza, to assist people wounded by an Israeli airstrike.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
That's when Israeli soldiers opened fire. The Wall Street Journal reports after several hours, more vehicles, including a fire truck, more ambulances and a U.N. vehicle, showed up to look for their missing colleagues. And they, too, were fired upon. Now, so far, these facts of what happened that day, Israeli and Palestinian officials agree on. Israel's military says the event is under examination.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
Good morning. It's Monday, April 7th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans living in the United States legally might be sent back. The U.N. learns more about what happened to rescue workers killed by Israeli troops. And UConn wins its record 12th women's basketball national championship.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
But in the meantime, it wasn't clear what had happened to the bodies of these rescue workers. After days of searching by the U.N., a phone call came in from an Israeli military official who directed them to a mass grave. Buried under sand were 15 bodies and their crushed vehicles.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
Eight were paramedics with the Palestine Red Crescent Society, and six were from the Palestinian Civil Defense, which included firefighters and emergency responders. And one was a U.N. employee. Here's Jonathan Whittle, the head of the U.N. 's humanitarian office in Gaza and the West Bank, who took that phone call speaking at the gravesite.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
Over the weekend, thousands of protesters gathered in Washington, D.C. and in cities across all 50 states to demonstrate against President Trump and Elon Musk in what organizers dubbed hands-off protests. Demonstrators told reporters they were motivated by a diverse list of issues, from Musk's overhaul of government agencies to cuts to medical research to tariffs.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
The audio quality isn't so great, but what he said was they were here to save lives. Instead, they ended up in a mass grave. Video of the incident contradicts the IDF's initial account of what happened. Here's Sky News Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkle speaking on the network about what the video shows.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
The Israeli military has since said their first account of what happened was a mistake. It claims nine Hamas militants were killed in the incident, including one who took part in the October 7th attacks in 2023. Reuters reports the Israeli government gave no evidence of how it made those identifications. Israel is expected to share more conclusions from its report sometime this week.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with President Trump today to discuss the war as well as other topics like Iran and tariffs. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. A second child has died of measles in West Texas. The Houston Chronicle reports an eight-year-old girl died of measles pulmonary failure in Lubbock last Thursday.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
And Axios reports the death prompted a last-minute trip to Texas from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He says the most effective way to prevent measles is the MMR vaccine. The health publication Stat notes Kennedy stopped short of recommending the vaccine, which in the past he has falsely characterized as dangerous.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
500 cases of the measles have been reported across Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. The majority are in the South Plains and Panhandle region of Texas, where 481 confirmed cases have been reported since late January. A federal judge says the Trump administration must take steps to return a Maryland man who was erroneously deported to El Salvador.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
The administration last week said the judge had no power to order the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and that the judge was intruding on the president's power to direct foreign policy. The judge rejected that notion in an overnight opinion Sunday, saying Abrego Garcia was seized without lawful authority and that the U.S. government has the power to facilitate his return.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
Meanwhile, Politico reports that in addition to backlash from congressional Democrats and the courts, this case has also caused turmoil within the Justice Department.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
The career DOJ attorney who argued the case for the government was put on administrative leave after expressing exasperation about the department's unwillingness to provide more information to the court or take steps to bring Abrego Garcia back to the U.S., Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the attorney was put on leave, saying, quote, he shouldn't have taken the case.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
The administration filed an appeal on Sunday asking for an emergency stay of the judge's order. And finally, UConn is the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball National Champions. The two-seed Huskies dominated South Carolina on Sunday.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
This is a record 12th national championship for the UConn women, who were led by senior guard AZ Fudd and freshman Sarah Strong, who combined for 48 of the team's total points. Senior guard Paige Beckers, who's likely to be the first pick in the WNBA draft, scored 17. The men's championship game is tonight. Houston, who pulled off a big upset of Duke Saturday night, takes on Florida.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
And yet on Sunday, administration officials remained defiant and waved away forecasting that has shown the tariffs could tilt the U.S. economy into a recession. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant made the case on Meet the Press that there are long-term gains to be made here for the U.S. economy.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. It's been three months since devastating wildfires erupted across Los Angeles, and there's still a long road ahead to recovery. But California's insurance market isn't making things any easier.
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As Trump’s tariffs take hold, how much pain can Americans handle?
The San Francisco Chronicle examines how faulty algorithms and a broken process have left scores of homeowners underinsured and unprotected. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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The reason Americans aren’t having more babies
They run the gamut. Some involve spending. Some are more kind of cultural, kind of elevating the idea of people who have many kids as good.
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The reason Americans aren’t having more babies
One of the ideas was a national motherhood medal that would be bestowed on women who have six or more kids.
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The reason Americans aren’t having more babies
Baby bonuses are pretty common around the world. They are not on its own likely to boost birth rates that much at all, but they could be helpful to new parents in sort of a more stressful, turbulent period of their life.
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The reason Americans aren’t having more babies
They are gutting funding for Head Start, which serves nearly 800,000 low-income children in preschool. House Republicans want to cut Medicaid, which that would force millions of people off their health insurance, which would make giving birth more expensive.
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The reason Americans aren’t having more babies
And the Trump administration recently gutted at Health and Human Services, federal teams that have been studying maternal health and reproductive medicine for years.
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The reason Americans aren’t having more babies
Your secretary of state says everyone who's here, citizens and non-citizens, deserve due process.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
French President Emmanuel Macron told the newspaper Le Figaro that the peace proposal will include a one-month ceasefire by air, sea, and for energy infrastructure. But he said for now, no European troops will be deployed. And Starmer told the BBC that Trump has agreed to discuss the proposal.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
All of this comes after an explosive meeting at the Oval Office on Friday, where Trump and Vance reprimanded Zelensky, at times shouting.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
The White House asked Zelensky to leave after the meeting, and the leaders did not end up signing a mineral extraction deal. Zelensky has said, despite the blowup, he is still willing to sign that deal. But Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, who was heavily involved in negotiations, told CBS the agreement is no longer on the table.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
Some in Washington are supporting Trump and Vance in the way they handled the exchange, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was in the Oval Office during the meeting and spoke with ABC News on Sunday.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
But some other Republicans have criticized the president, like Senator Lisa Murkowski, who posted on social media, quote, And Democrats have widely denounced Trump and Vance's conduct. Speaking to CBS yesterday, Senator Mark Kelly called them bullies.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
Prior to Friday's meeting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Pentagon to pause offensive cyber operations against Russia, but didn't offer further explanation as to why. The Washington Post reports a Russian official on Sunday said the Oval Office blowup was seen as a gift to the Kremlin and that the Trump administration's foreign policy now aligns with Russia.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
Tomorrow night, President Trump is scheduled to make his first address of this administration to a joint session of Congress, where he's expected to outline some of his plans for the year ahead, which could give the American people more insight into where he sees the relationship with Ukraine going. Senator Alyssa Slotkin will deliver the Democratic Party's official response.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
She's a first-term senator from Michigan, a state that split the ticket in sending her to the Senate and Trump to the White House. Now to a recent investigation from The Washington Post on Elon Musk's business empire and the government funding that helped build it.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
The Post combed through government data to track how much state and federal government money Musk's companies received over the last two decades. Investigative reporter Desmond Butler told us what they found.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
Nearly two-thirds of that money was promised to Musk's companies over the last five years.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
But first, after a disastrous meeting on Friday between President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European allies rushed to support Ukraine. And by Sunday, the U.K. announced plans to give Ukraine access to nearly $2 billion to bolster its defenses as a first step toward a peace agreement that the U.K. plans to present, along with France, to Trump.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
That money will come from 52 contracts Musk has already signed with seven different government agencies, including NASA, the Defense Department, and the General Services Administration. All of this money propelled Musk to becoming the world's richest person. And the Post found this government funding helped Musk's companies survive their early years, particularly Tesla and SpaceX.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
With SpaceX, both NASA and the Defense Department also granted contracts that helped the company build its infrastructure. And they were aware of SpaceX's failure to meet required milestones, according to congressional investigators. These days, however, Musk has called to end some of the very benefits that helped his company's flourish.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
Musk has also called to end consumer credit for electric vehicles that experts say helped boost sales for Tesla. His Department of Government Efficiency, meanwhile, is trying to cut staffing, budgets and contracts at every single agency Musk has ongoing contracts with.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
The government has clearly benefited from these partnerships too, Butler points out. But if Musk continues to pursue large-scale cuts, that could hurt other companies trying to follow in his footsteps.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
Now to the Oscars. The biggest winner last night was Anora, a film about a sex worker who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. It was awarded five Oscars, including the marquee prize of the evening Best Picture. Director Sean Baker accepted the award.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
Good morning. It's Monday, March 3rd. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how government funding helped build Elon Musk's business empire, the big winners from Hollywood's biggest night, and the figure skating community pays tribute to victims of January's mid-air collision.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
The dramedy had only a $6 million budget. And Baker told NPR it was a major feat to get that funding because the cast was made up of mostly, in his words, quote, unknown Russians and Armenians, plus American actress Mikey Madison. When Baker was shopping the project around, potential funders asked him to find more recognizable names. But Baker told NPR he chose to stick to his guns.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
He took home the Oscar for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing, becoming the first person ever to win four Oscars in one night for a single movie. But perhaps the biggest shock of the night was Madison, who's 25 years old, winning Best Actress for her role in the film.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
Here's U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Apple News Today
How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
Madison, who is one of the youngest actresses to win the prize, beat out favorite Demi Moore, whose performance in The Substance was widely celebrated in the run-up to the Oscars. One of the other big winners was No Other Land, which took home the prize for Best Documentary.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
The film was directed by a collective of Palestinian and Israeli activists, and it documents Israel's demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank to make room for a tank training ground. While accepting the award, directors Basil Adra, a Palestinian activist, and Yuval Abraham, an Israeli journalist, directly addressed Israel's war in Gaza.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
No Other Land was the highest-grossing Oscar-nominated documentary of the year, but if our American listeners are not more familiar with it, that's because it was never distributed in the United States. The filmmakers only managed to self-distribute to just a few theaters.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
It was a darling of the international film festival circuit, but Abraham told Variety, because the film is very critical of Israeli policies, it struggled to get pickup in the U.S., where he says there is, quote, less space for this kind of criticism.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
His and Azra's speech was arguably the most political moment of the night, where the policies of the Trump administration and politics in general were largely left out of the conversation. The night's other big acting prizes went to Zoe Saldana for her performance in Amelia Perez. The Netflix film was nominated for 13 awards, the most of any other movie, but only took home two.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
Kieran Culkin won for his supporting role in A Real Pain. And Adrian Brody took home Best Actor for The Brutalist. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu halted all humanitarian aid going into Gaza on Sunday as phase one of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas came to an end.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
Starmer also offered a nearly $3 billion loan for Ukraine that would be paid back using profits from sanctioned Russian assets. And he promised Ukraine that European nations would keep aid flowing and keep economic pressure on Russia. He said a, quote, coalition of the willing would commit to defend Ukraine, though he didn't say which nations would be involved.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
Negotiations for phase two of the deal, aimed at ending the war and negotiating the release of all the remaining surviving hostages in Gaza, had just started. The White House in a statement said they support Israel's decision and said Hamas was no longer interested in a negotiated ceasefire.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
Hamas said it's ready to continue ceasefire negotiations and called Israel's blocking of aid, quote, a war crime and a blatant coup against the agreement. Meanwhile, on Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio used emergency authorities to send $4 billion in weapons to Israel.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
The New York Times reports it's the second time in a month the administration bypassed rules requiring congressional approval to send arms to Israel. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the measles outbreak in Texas is a call to action and that the MMR vaccine is crucial.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
Writing in an opinion piece for Fox News, Kennedy acknowledged that many of Texas's current cases are affecting kids who were not vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella. And he said while these vaccines are a personal choice, they can protect not only individual children from measles, but also contribute to widespread immunity.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
And just over a month after the fatal collision between an Army helicopter and American Airlines plane over the Potomac River, members of the figure skating community remembered those who were lost on that flight with a tribute show in Washington, D.C.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
Among the people who died that day were 11 young figure skaters, four coaches, and 13 of their family members who were returning from a training camp in Kansas. The tribute show featured some of the most legendary names in the sport and was co-hosted by Olympic champions Brian Boitano and Christy Yamaguchi.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
In all, more than 40 current and retired Team USA skaters participated, each starting their routine by placing a white rose on a rinkside table. The sold-out show also raised funds to support the victims' families, first responders, and U.S. figure skating.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
NBC's local station reports another big theme of the night was aviation safety reform, with a message up on the Jumbotron asking Congress to pass bipartisan safety legislation to prevent future tragedies. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
New York Magazine has a story on the mystery of a famous footless goose from the 80s. He became a celebrity of sorts when he was given new feet in the form of a pair of baby sneakers filled with rubber padding. He even appeared in People magazine and on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. But he was brutally murdered. And one reporter tries to figure out what happened.
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How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
Apple News Today
How Musk built his empire off of government contracts
He did say, however, that Ukraine's participation in peace talks would be non-negotiable.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
He added that they were still early in the investigation, interviewing key witnesses, but they would seek to deliver justice swiftly.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
The event that was targeted was a regular, peaceful gathering called Run for Their Lives, put on by an organization that hosts weekly runs and walks across the country to bring attention to the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7, 2023 attack. The group in Boulder has reportedly met up every week since Thanksgiving of 2023.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
There are 58 hostages still in Gaza, and around 20 are believed to still be alive. This attack came just 11 days after the fatal shooting of a young couple working at the Israeli embassy by a man who is also alleged to have shouted free Palestine.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis referenced the recency of that attack in a post on social media, saying it is unfathomable that the Jewish community is facing another terror attack here in Boulder on the eve of the holiday of Shavuot, no less.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
Now let's turn to southern Gaza, where there have been conflicting accounts of death and violence surrounding an incident near a U.S.-Israeli-led aid distribution site. Right now, it's not entirely clear what happened. Gazan health officials say at least 31 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in Rafah, with witnesses saying Israeli soldiers fired on people trying to collect aid.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
And the nearby Red Cross hospital reported receiving a, quote, mass casualty influx with 179 people brought in. The Israeli military at first denied opening fire, but later told NPR they did fire some warning shots toward what they called suspects about 1,000 yards from the aid site. They also released undated drone footage showing gunmen firing on Palestinians collecting aid.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
As news outlets are barred from the area, no one has been able to verify competing versions of events or verify the footage released by the IDF. The BBC spoke to a Bulgarian doctor working in Gaza who described the hospital as totally overwhelmed.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, that's the name of the new U.S. and Israel-backed aid distribution group, described reports of Israeli shootings at their site as fake and said that supplies were handed out without incident. They published footage of calm scenes as crowds attended the area. What all of this underlines is the continued tension and distrust surrounding these sites.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
As we covered last week, this is not a typical aid program run by non-governmental agencies. One senior U.N. humanitarian official described the GHF program as engineered scarcity, with only four distribution sites planned in central and southern Gaza secured by private U.S. security contractors. This comes as talks on a ceasefire appear to have stalled.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
Last week, President Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, took a proposal to Israel that would include a 60-day ceasefire and Hamas releasing 10 living and 18 deceased hostages in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners. Israel accepted the proposal, but over the weekend, Witkoff said he received Hamas's response and described it as unacceptable.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
But first to Boulder, Colorado, where a man has been arrested after setting fire to people who were participating in a march calling for the release of Israeli hostages. Six people between the ages of 67 and 88 were taken to the hospital with burn injuries, which police said ranged from minor to very serious, and at least one last night in critical condition.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
NPR's Daniel Estrin explained Hamas's objections.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
Let's turn now to the war in Ukraine, where a new round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are expected to happen today in Istanbul. On Sunday, Ukraine carried out one of its broadest and most surprising attacks of the war.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
In a mission that took over a year to coordinate, Ukraine says it smuggled over 100 small drones into Russia using freight trucks, eventually releasing them to strike at 40 warplanes. Ukraine claims to have delivered damage amounting to $7 billion.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
For its part, Russia was said to have launched nearly 500 drones toward Ukraine, the majority of which were intercepted, though Ukrainian officials report at least 12 soldiers were killed and more than 60 others were wounded. Ukraine's forces are heavily depleted at this point in the war.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
So much so that in recent months, the government launched a new recruitment program to encourage younger people between the ages of 18 and 24 to enlist, with sign-on bonuses and perks like interest-free mortgages. Up until now, Ukrainian officials hoped they could largely spare Gen Z from the front lines, but The Wall Street Journal reports they can't afford to any longer.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
So far, the number of people signing up are modest. Russia, meanwhile, has made gains in recent months. Over the last month alone, their forces took more than 100 square miles of Ukrainian territory. And those gains can largely be credited to President Vladimir Putin's efforts to retool the entire country's economy in recent years to focus on the war.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
That's Thomas Grove with The Wall Street Journal.
Apple News Today
Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
Good morning. It's Monday, June 2nd. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, conflicting reports of gunfire at a controversial Gaza aid site, how Putin built the ultimate war machine economy, and what happens when millions of bees escape in a small city.
Apple News Today
Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
Along with investing billions of dollars to boost production lines so they can run 24-7, Russia also ramped up military recruitment efforts.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
Grove told us those payouts raised the standard of living for thousands of Russian people, particularly those from poorer parts of the country. At one point, more than 1,000 recruits were signing up to fight every day. But Grove says because Russia's economy now revolves so heavily around war...
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
It could make Putin less willing to entertain peace talks over fears of jeopardizing this war-centric economy. Grove spoke with analysts who said even if Putin does agree to stop the fighting, Russia's other neighbors now fear they could become the new targets of his war machine instead.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
FBI said the man who has been identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabri Soleiman was seen using a makeshift flamethrower and throwing an incendiary device into a crowd at around midday on the Pearl Street Mall. Authorities said he yelled, free Palestine, as he attacked. In a news conference later on Sunday, FBI Special Agent Mark McCulloch said they were treating it as an act of terrorism.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Canadian wildfires have forced 25,000 residents to be evacuated from their homes as the province of Manitoba declared a state of emergency last week. Evacuations continued over the weekend, with the blazes in largely remote areas. The impact has also spread to some U.S. states.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
Haze and smoke loomed over New Jersey skies over the weekend, and air quality warnings have been issued for millions living in the Midwest. Experts say the month of June is critical for wildfire forecasting because that's when Western Canada tends to see most of its seasonal rainfall, which could determine what the rest of wildfire season looks like.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
In San Diego, an ice raid at a popular Italian restaurant prompted swift community backlash as video of the incident circulated on social media. According to NBC7 News, protesters surrounded patrol vehicles and confronted armed agents. The restaurant manager says two workers were detained. Mayor Todd Gloria, a Democrat, said these kinds of raids undermine trust.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
A special agent with the Department of Homeland Security told the local station KPBS that officials were, quote, executing a criminal search warrant. And finally, in Washington state, a truck transporting 70,000 honeybee hives crashed near the Canadian border.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
In case you're wondering what that sounds like, this is the sound of 250 million bees roaming free, captured on video by beekeepers who were called to the scene. Local experts told Fox they're hopeful they will eventually recover most of the bees. Apparently, this kind of transportation is not uncommon because leaving bees in one location for too long can deplete resources for other pollinators.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next from GQ. The magazine goes inside the making of a new movie from Apple Original Films about the high-speed world of Formula One racing.
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Marchers for Israeli hostages attacked in Colorado. Here’s what to know.
One of the biggest stars in the sport, Lewis Hamilton, is producing the movie, and some of Hollywood's biggest names are literally in the driver's seats. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
The Skating Club of Boston is one of the oldest and most prestigious clubs in the country. It's produced Olympic and world champions like Nancy Kerrigan, who won the silver medal in the 1994 Olympics. She joined Zeghaib in addressing the crash while holding back tears.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
Kerrigan also spoke about how close this community is.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
This is not the first airplane tragedy to hit the figure skating community. Many recalled an eerily similar event that took place 60 years ago on Valentine's Day that killed 73 people, including all 18 members of the U.S. figure skating team headed to the World Championships in Prague. Here's Doug Zeghaib again reflecting on the parallels between the two events.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
We're still learning more details about all of the victims of this crash, and it's too early to know what caused it. A preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration found that staffing at the air traffic control tower was, quote, not normal at the time of the crash, and that just one controller was doing work that's typically assigned to two.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
Let's turn now to the Senate confirmation hearings yesterday for three of President Trump's more controversial cabinet nominees. That's Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who's nominated to lead Health and Human Services, Tulsi Gabbard, nominee for director of national intelligence, and Kash Patel, who's been tapped to lead the FBI.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
Patel, a lawyer and former Republican staffer on the House Intelligence Committee, has been a Trump loyalist for years and has in the past courted parts of the QAnon community. As a congressional aide in 2016, he helped the GOP defend Trump during investigations into Russian election interference.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
Patel was a board member of the parent company for Trump's social media platform, Truth Social, and he has a side hustle selling pro-Trump T-shirts and children's books.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
However, during questioning by Democratic Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, Patel broke from the president slightly when Durbin asked if Trump was wrong to issue a blanket pardon for over 1,500 people charged in connection to the Capitol attack.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
That's not entirely true. Patel's personal foundation has worked to support families of January 6th rioters, including some accused of and convicted of violent felony crimes against police. In the past, Patel has described January 6th rioters as political prisoners and promoted conspiracy theories that falsely claimed undercover FBI agents instigated the riot.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
But first, the elite ice skating community is reeling after the crash between an American Airlines passenger plane and an Army Blackhawk helicopter over the Potomac River on Wednesday night. All 67 people on board these aircraft died. Fourteen of the victims were en route to Washington from a national figure skating development camp in Wichita, Kansas.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
If confirmed, Patel could serve up to 10 years in the role of FBI director. In Gabbard's hearing with the Intelligence Committee, senators from both parties pressed the former Democratic congresswoman on her qualifications. As director of national intelligence, she would oversee 18 intelligence agencies, including the NSA.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
She was asked about her previous comments expressing sympathy for Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor responsible for one of the largest intelligence leaks in U.S. history. Gabbard testified that Snowden broke the law, but she repeatedly deflected questions about whether she believes he's a traitor. Things got tense during this exchange with Colorado Democratic Senator Michael Bennett.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
And in Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 's second and final day of hearings, he faced more questions about his history of anti-vaccine activism, which included petitioning the FDA, an agency he would oversee if confirmed, to revoke the COVID-19 vaccine. Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders asked Kennedy if his position on the vaccine has changed.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
These three nominees might face skepticism from some of the same Republicans that had issues with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which could complicate their path to confirmation. One senator who didn't vote for Hegseth was Mitch McConnell, who, as a survivor of polio, may not back Kennedy's nomination.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
One of President Trump's core campaign promises was to deport millions of migrants living here without legal documentation. Hundreds have been deported already since he took office. Trump says he's focusing on people with criminal records. But Juan Ferrero, bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal in South America, told us that isn't always what's happening.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
Good morning. It's Friday, January 31st. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, inside the tense hearings for some of Trump's more tenuous cabinet nominees. Some migrants say they're being subjected to inhumane conditions while being deported. And practical tips for navigating this overwhelming moment in the news.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
In the case of a large group of Colombian migrants who were recently deported, over 100 men, more than 70 women and 16 children, the Colombian government says none of them had criminal records. Here's Ferrero.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
Many people are being transported not on commercial planes, but on military cargo jets. And that comes at a significant cost. One military deportation flight to Guatemala earlier this week was estimated to have cost at least $4,675 per migrant, according to data provided to Reuters by U.S. and Guatemalan officials. That's much higher than the cost of a commercial charter flight by ICE.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
Among them, two sisters, 14-year-old Everly and 11-year-old Lydia Livingston, and their parents from the D.C. area. Six of the victims were from the skating club of Boston. 13-year-old Gina Hahn and 16-year-old Spencer Lane were described as the future of the sport. Their mothers were also on board, as well as two coaches at the club, Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
Some deported people are sharing their stories and saying U.S. authorities mistreated them. Some say they were put in handcuffs or shackles, making it difficult and painful to move or eat. Immigration officials told the journal it's longstanding U.S. policy to handcuff deported migrants in order to prevent outbursts while in the air.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
Ferrero spoke with a 23-year-old from Colombia who was on one of these flights, who described the conditions as humiliating.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
Colombia's President Gustavo Petro has criticized the Trump administration for the treatment of Colombian migrants, as has Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Ferreira told us about a plane of Brazilian deportees that recently got stuck on the tarmac in the Amazon during sweltering heat with no air conditioning due to technical issues with the plane.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
According to local media, a number of people fainted, children were crying, and people were begging to be let off the plane before some finally used emergency exits to get out, still bound in handcuffs. Some say U.S. officials physically assaulted them. U.S. authorities have not commented on that. But it was Brazil's federal police who eventually removed their cuffs.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
Costly flights aside, holding immigrants in detention facilities before deporting them is by far the most expensive part of the deportation process, according to Axios. Earlier this week, Trump announced an order to address that by opening a detention center at Guantanamo Bay that he says will be able to house up to 30,000 people. Here are some other stories we're watching today.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
First, a little meta commentary on the news. It's been an incredible newsy few weeks. I've been seeing lots of essays and opinion pieces about how to not feel overwhelmed by it all. So here are just a few tips that my team and I have appreciated reading and are trying to remember ourselves. First, you don't have to follow every breaking story.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
The news will break whether you're there to stress about it or not. Instead, try to take in what feels important to you and don't feel pressure to read up on the rest. Another tip? Let trusted sources that show their reporting work do the heavy lifting for you. It's far more productive than doom-scrolling on your own.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
And remember, the hours immediately following a breaking story are usually filled with questions and hypotheticals. But if you wait 12, 24... even 72 hours later, you're more likely to come across measured, researched analysis. These tips are from the publication Lawfare, and we'll link to their longer list in our show notes page. Moving on to some sports news.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
The National Women's Soccer League decided yesterday to award Denver the league's 16th franchise. The new team will begin to play in 2026. And the Wall Street Journal has an interesting story about some of the negotiations that happened behind the scenes.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
WNBA star Kaitlyn Clark was part of a bid to give Cincinnati the next franchise soccer league, but her star power wasn't enough to close the deal. And the journal says what helped tip things in Denver's favor was their ability to offer the team its own stadium. And finally, only three Black women have ever taken home the top Grammy Award Album of the Year.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
But this weekend, Beyonce could become the fourth, while at the same time breaking a personal drought in the ceremony's biggest category. Beyonce is already the winningest artist in Grammy history, with 32 awards. But she's never taken home Album of the Year, despite four previous nominations. If she wins, she'll join Natalie Cole, Lauryn Hill, and Whitney Houston as the only Black women to win it.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
Her country album, Cowboy Carter, is up for the prize. The Grammy ceremony is on Sunday in Los Angeles. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And check out our weekly interview show, Apple News in Conversation. This week, I talked to tech writer Nicholas Carr about social media and the fundamental problem with platforms today.
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What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
They were married, and they won the world championship in pairs figure skating in 1994 in Paris. Doug Zegheib, the CEO and executive director of the Skating Club of Boston, addressed reporters yesterday.
Apple News Today
What we know about the figure skaters lost in the plane crash
If you're listening in the Apple News app right now, that episode is queued up to play for you next. Enjoy the weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
Right. Right. Meanwhile, we're hearing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and others try to deflect blame onto the journalist here, Goldberg, attacking his character, attacking his credentials. And then you have President Trump saying the whole thing is being overblown. But I mean, you and I and everyone can read the messages that were exchanged with our own eyes.
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
We can clearly see that there was extremely sensitive material involved behind the scenes. Are you hearing more concern from people close to the administration than they're letting on?
Apple News Today
Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
You know, when Hexeth was an on-air analyst at Fox, he was very vocal in criticizing Hillary Clinton for using a private email server while she was secretary of state.
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
And many other people in the Signal chat group, including Tulsi Gabbard, Marco Rubio and others, have been on the record saying that anyone who breaches security protocol should face harsh consequences. So will we see consequences?
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
You know, congressional Republicans have also been so far extremely loyal to Trump in these first few months of his administration. Where are they at on this?
Apple News Today
Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
Let's shift gears a little bit and move on to another big, big story from this week. More students have been detained by ICE. A young woman from Turkey who attends Tufts University and a young man at the University of Alabama. There is a video of the student from Tufts. Literally being pulled off the street. Yeah.
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
It's been another busy week in Washington as the administration deals with the fallout from mistakenly inviting Atlantic journalist and editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg into a Signal group chat in which they explicitly debated and laid out detailed plans to attack Houthi rebels in Yemen, an attack which killed dozens of people, including children.
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday said more than 300 student visas have been revoked by the department and they're looking for more. What is the administration's strategy here in targeting foreign-born people here legally? And what's the intended effect?
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
Yeah. And there's certainly there's that aspect of it cracking down on foreign born people, students, people attending these universities. There's also the lack of due process part, which I think most people would point to as the most concerning aspect of all these.
Apple News Today
Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
Good morning. It's Friday, March 28th. I'm Shemitah Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, senior administration officials have been ordered to preserve the signal group chat involving military strikes on Yemen. Trump pulls his nominee for United Nations ambassador. And major cuts are coming to the Department of Health and Human Services. Let's start with the Signal chat.
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
Well, one last thing, Dasha, before I let you go, I do want to take a moment to talk about the story that hasn't gotten quite as much attention this week, which is President Trump signed an executive order that seeks to mandate proof of citizenship for voter registration in federal elections. What should we know about this effort and its legality?
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
Yeah. You know, one thing I was trying to parse when looking at this executive order, most people register to vote with their state. And it seems like this order impacts federal forms to register to vote. I'm trying to understand how much impact would this executive order actually have if it's allowed to stand?
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
The story prompted questions in congressional hearings, denials and mixed messaging from the administration, and a bipartisan request for an inspector general to investigate the matter. On Thursday, a judge ordered administration officials to preserve the messages on that chat.
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
Dasha, thank you so much for joining us. Thanks for having me. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. President Trump on Thursday pulled the nomination of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik for ambassador to the United Nations. Stefanik was expected to have a relatively easy path to confirmation.
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
But because Republicans have such a razor thin majority in the House, Trump said on social media that he didn't want to take a chance on anyone else running for her seat. Meanwhile, two special House elections in Florida are set for Tuesday, one to replace former Congressman Matt Gaetz and another where Governor Ron DeSantis said he expects the Trump-backed candidate to, quote, underperform.
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
That's in a district that Trump won in November by 30 points. Mass job cuts are coming to the Department of Health and Human Services. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced 10,000 staffers will be laid off. Combined with previous buyouts and other departures, about one in four jobs at federal health agencies will be eliminated. The cuts will hit the FDA and the CDC hardest.
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
They're each expected to lose about 20 percent of their staff. Kennedy said this is a realignment under new priorities, that he'll be doing more with less and acknowledged it would be, quote, a painful period for HHS. Democrats came out strongly against the move, saying the cuts would decimate agencies protecting people's health and safety.
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
And finally, archaeologists say a set of footprints confirmed to be the oldest ever found in North America are even older than previously thought. Found in White Sands National Park in New Mexico, the prints are roughly 23,000 years old, 10,000 years before it was believed humans stepped foot on the continent.
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
Scientists say the footprints and other evidence give us a glimpse of our ancestors, not only hunting and surviving, but but also playing, running, a mix of age groups together. These researchers hope more discoveries will lead to the telling of a larger story of what life was like for these early humans in North America. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
This all comes as the administration continues its immigration crackdown, and the president suggests fundamentally changing the rules around voting. To help us take stock of a flurry of news stories this week, we called up Politico's White House bureau chief, Dasha Burns. Hey, Dasha, thanks for joining us. Thanks for having me. Let's begin with the fallout from this Signal chat.
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, stick around for our weekly interview show, In Conversation. I talked to Zoe Schiffer and Leah Feiger from Wired about their reporting on what they describe as Elon Musk and Doge's digital coup of the federal government.
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Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
That episode is queued up to play for you next. Enjoy the weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
Inside the fallout of a stunning national-security leak
It does seem like the administration has been scrambling in their response. Mike Waltz, the national security advisor, has taken responsibility for the mess up. Responsibility-ish, I would say. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, he did say, I built the chat. And he also said that we will look into the matter further. Right. Doesn't know how the number got into his phone or how the number got into the group chat.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
The new version of the deal that could be signed today does not include that revenue stipulation, and it also still does not include security guarantees for Ukraine. Trump has said that it would include a form of peacekeeping that's acceptable to everybody, but did not specify what that meant.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
However, The Wall Street Journal's Ian Lovett told us Ukraine ultimately agreed to this version of the deal in the hopes that it could reset the relationship with Trump.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
So far, the Trump administration has seemed to reverse the U.S. 's position as a strong ally of Ukraine. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that Ukraine will have to accept that it will not get back the land that Russia has seized. That's roughly 20 percent of the country. Last week, Trump falsely suggested that Ukraine, not Russia, was the aggressor.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
And in his first cabinet meeting this week, Trump said that Russia will have to make concessions to end the war, but did not specify what kind. Trump has maintained that his objective is to establish peace in the region, but Lovett told us it's not entirely clear what that means.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
Trump has also been meeting with European allies. Yesterday, he met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House, who urged the president to stand by Ukraine.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
In that same speech, Starmer said the UK is ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to support a peace deal. If the US and Ukraine sign today's mineral deal, one outstanding question will be how the US plans to extract the resources. Up to 40 percent of Ukraine's rare mineral deposits are in parts of the country currently under Russian occupation.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
A member of the Council on Foreign Relations told the journal that means if the U.S. wants to access these deposits, it'll have no choice but to get involved in defending and protecting Ukraine's physical security. Now to a trial that started this week involving Greenpeace, which environmentalists have warned could bankrupt the group and threaten the future of advocacy work.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
That's Mary Stoyer, a reporter at the North Dakota Monitor who's been following the trial. This is a civil case related to the Dakota Access Pipeline that was brought by the company Energy Transfer, which sued Greenpeace for $300 million, alleging the environmental advocacy group disrupted construction of the pipeline, which was completed in 2017.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
That dollar amount, according to The New York Times, is more than 10 times the group's annual budget. Protests against the pipeline project started the year prior, when the Standing Rock Sioux tribe said a portion of the pipeline would endanger their water supply and sacred sites in the area. The demonstrations gained international attention, especially after clashes between police and protesters.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
Police used water cannons on protesters in freezing temperatures, deployed tear gas, and shot them with rubber bullets. Medical professionals supporting the protesters say dozens of people were hospitalized and more than 300 people were injured. Police at the time said that protesters set fires in the area and threw rocks at officers.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
But first, to Washington, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to meet with President Trump to discuss and potentially sign an agreement for Ukraine to share rare minerals with the United States, which are estimated to be worth trillions of dollars.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
In their lawsuit against Greenpeace, Energy Transfer claims the group supported protesters and encouraged violence.
Apple News Today
Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
Greenpeace denies those claims and says it played a very small role in the protests. And the group says energy transfer is unfairly targeting them in an effort to intimidate environmental activists.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
An associate law professor at Pace University told NPR this case appears to be an example of a strategic lawsuit against public participation, otherwise known as SLAPP. Those are anti-free speech cases that are typically designed to cost the defendants both time and money in court.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
More than 30 states have protections against these types of lawsuits, but The Washington Post reports that North Dakota is not one of them.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
A spokesperson for Energy Transfer told The Post they do not believe this case is about free speech, but about Greenpeace, quote, not following the law. Greenpeace tried, unsuccessfully, to move the case to another court because the jury pool was drawn from a community where many people work in the oil and gas industry.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
The Guardian reports more than half of the seated jurors have ties to the fossil fuel industry. The trial is expected to last at least five weeks. Sunday is the movie industry's biggest night, the Oscars. The ceremony caps what's been an interesting awards season.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
This was an idea proposed by Zelensky last fall, though at the time he suggested Kyiv would, in return, want assurance that the U.S. would provide ongoing support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Trump has criticized U.S. aid for Kyiv as a drain on resources.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
A number of controversies have dominated the conversation, including the use of AI in The Brutalist, backlash over the absence of intimacy coordinators on the film Onora, and the past use of blackface by one of this year's best actress nominees.
Apple News Today
Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
Good morning. It's Friday, February 28th. I'm Shmeeta Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, a lawsuit that could sink Greenpeace. This year's Oscars wildcards. And Katy Perry is going to space.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
Glenn Whipp covers film and television for the LA Times.
Apple News Today
Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
One of the most talked about storylines heading into the awards is the star of Amelia Perez, Carla Sofia Gascon, who, after old racist and Islamophobic tweets of hers resurfaced, deleted her social media accounts and was scrubbed from Netflix's awards campaign. Gascon is the first openly transgender woman ever to be nominated for an Oscar.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
Aside from the controversies, the absence of a big-budget frontrunner also makes this year's ceremony unique.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
We asked Whip who he thinks is taking home the night's biggest prizes.
Apple News Today
Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
The Oscars start Sunday at 7 p.m. Eastern. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Academy Award-winning actor Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were all found dead Thursday at their home in New Mexico. Authorities have opened an investigation after the bodies were found, quote, in a state of decomposition.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
And disagreements over the terms of this mineral deal are a big reason why the relationship between the United States and Ukraine has soured in recent weeks. Zelensky rejected an earlier version of the agreement because it didn't include security guarantees for Ukraine.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
Initially, a gas leak was suspected, but the Associated Press reports no signs of a gas or carbon monoxide leak were detected. Hackman had a decorated acting career, from his Oscar-winning roles in The French Connection and Unforgiven to the title character in Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums. In space news, the planets are aligning, sort of.
Apple News Today
Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
In a phenomenon known as a planet parade, all seven of the other planets in our solar system will be visible in a line in the night sky. Astronomers say to look for the planets about a half hour after sunset. And hey, it's Friday, so let's do some more space news. Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin announced it's sending its first all-female flight crew into space.
Apple News Today
Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
That crew will include singer Katy Perry, and getting extraterrestrial with her will be Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sanchez and CBS anchor Gayle King. The flight will take the crew to the Karman Line, which is the boundary line between Earth's upper atmosphere and space.
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Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
Reuters reports when they reach the line, the crew will experience a few minutes of microgravity before returning to Earth in a parachute-assisted landing. And last thing, here's what's coming up on this week's episode of Apple News in Conversation.
Apple News Today
Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
A look at how Donald Trump and Dana White, the CEO of the ultimate fighting championship, the UFC, go way, way back and how they've helped each other rise. For a story in Rolling Stone, Jack Crosby tells me when Dana White was building up the UFC and struggling to find venues for it, Trump welcomed him at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.
Apple News Today
Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
And then many years later, Trump called in a favor to White that would end up taking their friendship to the next level.
Apple News Today
Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
If you're listening in the Apple News app right now, that episode is queued up to play for you next. Enjoy the weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit
And the United States initially asked for the rights to up to $500 billion in revenue from mineral development, which is roughly five times more money than the U.S. has contributed to Ukraine during the war so far. Zelensky spoke at a news conference about why he rejected the initial offer.
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
Hey there, it's Shamita. I've got a quick request for you. If Apple News Today is an essential part of your morning routine, follow the show in Apple Podcasts. And if you have another 30 seconds, leave us a rating and a review too. It helps other people find our show and it helps us know what you like about it. Thanks. Good morning. It's Friday, April 25th. I'm Shamita Basu.
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
So let me ask you, as we approach the 100-day mark of Trump's second term here, what specific actions are you observing that concern you?
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
This is Apple News Today. On today's show, a stark warning about the state of democracy in the United States, a number of setbacks for President Trump in court, and why you might want to stop saying please and thank you to ChatGPT. Let's start with the warning about democratic norms in the U.S.
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
Mm-hmm. A lot of people are quick to pin this to Trump and characterize this as a Trump v. Democrats or even Trump v. Democracy issue. But to what extent is the deterioration of democratic norms in the U.S. something that can be tied directly to Trump? And to what extent is it connected to other longer standing trends that we've seen in our politics?
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
So from your experience writing about how these moments in history have played out in other countries, can this kind of backsliding be stopped? And if so, who would need to play a role in that?
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
As we approach President Trump's 100th day in office for the second time, a survey of more than 500 political scientists found the vast majority believe the United States is quickly swinging from a liberal democracy to some form of authoritarianism.
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
But, you know, Ruth, what I keep thinking about is you're right to point out that the United States is unusual in many ways when comparing to other countries. It's hard to do. But we're also unusual in that President Trump served a first term, was not voted back into office. And was reelected then to come back and serve a second term, disjointed from the first. So I don't know.
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
I take value in looking back at history, obviously, and trying to see the parallels and learn the lessons. But at the same time, there's clearly something completely different happening here, too. There's an unprecedented element.
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
In the months ahead... What are two or three things that you think the American public should be really paying close attention to as we think about the health of our democracy?
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
Ruth Bengiat, thank you so much for your time. Thank you. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. In the past 24 hours, a number of President Trump's policy initiatives were dealt setbacks by courts. First, a federal court rejected his attempt to require documented proof of citizenship from people who are registering to vote.
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
It's an assessment that depending on who you stop on the street in any town USA, someone might completely agree with and share the alarm of these academics. Or someone might disagree entirely, even say that President Trump is saving our country. I decided to call up NYU professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat.
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
In another case, federal judges temporarily blocked his administration from enforcing its demands that public schools eliminate anything related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Another federal judge ordered the administration to bring back yet another man who was wrongly deported to El Salvador.
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
And the judge in the Kilmar Abrego-Garcia case agreed to give the DOJ one more week to fulfill her order to provide information on their efforts to bring him back, but wrote, quote, their refusal to do so can only be viewed as willful and intentional noncompliance.
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
A new report says pregnant people in states that have enacted abortion bans are twice as likely to die during pregnancy or soon after giving birth. Conversely, pregnancy-related deaths dropped in states that have enacted measures to protect access to abortion.
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
The 19th reports that for years, health providers have warned that bans on abortion access pose a serious threat to the lives of pregnant patients. And even though some bans provide exceptions in cases where the person's life is at risk, they're often vague and confusing, resulting in late or no care. And finally, do you say please and thank you to your AI chatbot?
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
It turns out all those little interactions add up and end up costing a lot. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the figure is in the tens of millions of dollars. But perhaps more costly is the impact to the environment. Quartz reports extra words increase the computational load, therefore requiring more electricity and more water, which is used to keep the computer servers cool enough to function.
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
The New York Times points out from a monetary and environmental standpoint, there really is no good reason to be polite to your AI of choice. But some argue it's good that we have this impulse. Recent studies show how we treat AI translates to how we treat each other. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Bloomberg Businessweek has a profile of the man they say is the brains behind President Trump's, quote, imperial presidency, Russell Vogt, who is currently the director of the Federal Office of Management and Budget, but also a chief architect of Project 2025.
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. Enjoy the weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
An alarm bell for American democracy
She's a historian and expert on authoritarianism and the author of the New York Times bestseller, Strongmen, Mussolini to the Present, which tells the history of authoritarianism over the last 100 years. And I asked her to start, what would she say to these two groups of people, the people who deeply believe that we're already in the throes of an autocracy and the people who say the opposite?
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
The pardons are not popular with the public, according to a number of recent national polls. One conducted by Reuters and Ipsos during Trump's first two days in office found 58 percent of people surveyed disapproved of the idea of broad pardons. But Trump and his loyalists are eager to change the history books.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
In fact, Speaker Mike Johnson announced the House would form a subcommittee to investigate, quote, false narratives about January 6th. Jackman told us he's heard concerns from people that the pardons could embolden extremists to carry out other politically motivated attacks.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
Stuart Rhodes and Enrique Tarrio, the leaders of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, respectively, received some of the harshest sentences for their roles in the violence on January 6th. Now they're out of prison and they're already talking about retribution. They've spoken this week about going after witnesses, jury members, prosecutors and judges that worked on their cases.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
Here's Tarrio speaking to far-right activist and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
I recently sat down with Josh Kaplan, who covers America's militia movement for ProPublica, and he told me how militias like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers feel like the pardons give them a pass.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
Kaplan is my guest on this week's episode of Apple News in Conversation. We talk about the future of militias and one man who took it upon himself to become a mole within these groups just so he could spill their secrets. We'll queue up that episode to play next, or you can find it in the podcast's app. And now to Los Angeles, where authorities continue to battle multiple wildfires.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
Rain is expected over the weekend, which may bring some relief to a city that's seen thousands of structures destroyed and many more residents displaced. As authorities attempt to get these fires under control, there have been widespread reports of price gouging in the housing market, which is illegal in California during a state of emergency.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
And this week, California's Attorney General Rob Bonta filed charges against a real estate agent in a community near Altadena. It's the first lawsuit of its kind related to these fires. Here's Liam Dillon, a reporter who covers housing for the LA Times.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
But first, of the more than 1,500 pardons President Trump handed out earlier this week for people who rioted at the Capitol on January 6th, at least one woman has rejected the offer. Pam Hemphill told NBC that it would send the wrong message.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
The real estate agent who was charged with price gouging told Dillon it was all a misunderstanding. He says he raised the price after learning the property was in a desirable school district and eventually rented it to fire victims for what he claims is below market value. Attorney General Bonta is under a lot of pressure to go after price gougers as fires rage in the city.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
People in the community have been compiling spreadsheets documenting price changes for rentals. As of midweek, the AG's office said it sent out 500 warning letters in response to tips. Dillon told us the LA Times has seen increases ranging from 20 to as much as 60 percent.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
Big price jumps in the housing market have even caught the attention of celebrity real estate personalities.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
That's Jason Oppenheim, one of the stars of Selling Sunset, a show about luxury home sales in Los Angeles, talking to NBC News.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
Dillon, meanwhile, told us even though the AG has so far gone after just one landlord, there is a chance it'll serve as a warning.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
Now to the chaos involving what happens next to TikTok, the app used by around 170 million Americans. After hitting up against Congress's deadline to either find a new buyer or be banned in the U.S., the app went briefly dark on Saturday, only to reemerge on Sunday when Trump promised a way forward. And TikTok was pretty vocal in crediting Trump with the turnaround.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
Good morning. It's Friday, January 24th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, reports of price gouging in the midst of the wildfires in L.A. After TikTok briefly went dark, where it might go next? And the Oscar goes to AI? How to judge an actor's performance when it's been digitally enhanced.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
But numerous outlets have reported it's not clear whether he actually has the power on his own to save TikTok. The executive order only directs the attorney general to not enforce the ban passed by Congress. That's why you're not seeing TikTok return to app stores yet. But there are some viable avenues to save TikTok that have emerged.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
The most obvious and legally plausible, Congress would have to repeal the ban. Republican Senator Rand Paul and Democratic Senator Ro Khanna have introduced a bill to do exactly that. But The Verge says their efforts will surely face opposition. The ban was passed by Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
And there are members who still fear that the Chinese government may use the app to spy on Americans or disseminate disinformation. It was their primary motivation for giving TikTok this ultimatum in the first place. And that fear, you might remember, really originated with Trump in his first term. He led an effort to ban TikTok in 2020 over national security concerns.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
And his 180 on this issue has been confusing for lawmakers. Virginia Senator and Vice Chairman of the Intelligence Committee Mark Warner recently spoke about the president's change of heart.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
Another possible avenue we could go down, TikTok gets sold in the next 70-some-odd days before Trump's executive order expires. Trump has suggested that the U.S. or a U.S.-based company take ownership of 50% of the app.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
But Trump has been clear he doesn't see it that way. He's referred to January 6th as a, quote, day of love and described the rioters as patriots. Tom Jackman is a crime and justice reporter at The Washington Post. He says what we're seeing is a rewriting of history.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
Although China had previously opposed the sale of TikTok, in recent days, it seems like its foreign ministry has warmed up to the possibility of joint ownership between ByteDance and an American company. Beijing's change in tune may have to do with tariffs. Since taking office, Trump has threatened an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese products.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
And Chinese officials may be trying to bring the temperature down by cooperating on other fronts. Trump has also said he is open to Tesla CEO Elon Musk or Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison making the purchase, although neither of them have said they plan to do so. A group including billionaire entrepreneur Frank McCourt and backed by Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary has made an offer.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
Social media creator Mr. Beast is part of a group of investors that have expressed interest in buying. There's also Perplexity AI, an artificial intelligence startup that's put an offer in. But if none of these options materialize, we might have another moment in April when Trump's executive order expires and when the app could go dark again, this time possibly for good.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
A few other stories we're watching today. A lot of people on Facebook and Instagram this week were questioning why, seemingly out of the blue, they were following President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. There's an easy explanation. Those accounts, which are managed by the White House, transfer from the person who held the title before to the next person.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
This practice started during the Obama-Trump transition. But since it happens so infrequently, it's not surprising we forget about it when these transitions roll around. What's more confusing, though, and something we don't have a good answer to yet but will be following, is why some users are reporting issues with unfollowing these accounts.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
For what it's worth, a Meta spokesperson said it may take some time for follow and unfollow requests to go through as these accounts change hands. Now to the Academy Awards. Nominees have been announced. The movie Emilia Perez is leading with 13 nominations, setting a record for a non-English language film.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
Tied for second with 10 nominations each were Wicked and The Brutalist, a film about a Jewish-Hungarian architect who flees Europe after World War II. The film is getting attention for its use of artificial intelligence to enhance the Hungarian accents of stars Felicity Jones and Adrian Brody.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
This has raised new questions around how to fairly evaluate an actor's performance when they're up for an award if their performance was enhanced somehow with AI. And finally, this weekend, the Super Bowl matchup will be set. The Philadelphia Eagles play the Cinderella Washington Commanders, who were quite the underdogs heading into the season but made a historic playoff run.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
And we'll see a battle of two of the league's top quarterbacks, Josh Allen versus Patrick Mahomes, as the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs add another chapter to their historic rivalry. It'll be the fourth time over five seasons they have played in the postseason, and every time so far, the Chiefs have sent the Bills packing. We'll see what happens this time.
Apple News Today
Trump campaigned on law and order. Then came the pardons.
You can follow all of that NFL action in MySports in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the app, don't go anywhere. My full interview with Joshua Kaplan from ProPublica about America's militia movement is coming up next. Enjoy your weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
A spokesperson for the university referred to the administration's decision as unlawful and retaliatory and said it's quickly working to provide guidance to students. Here's Ryan Enos, a professor of government at Harvard and a member of a group of professors currently suing the Trump administration over funding cuts, speaking to CNN.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
A resource that, in a way, subsidizes a lot of other students' tuitions, as explained by NBC News correspondent Antonia Hilton.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
This is just the latest in a month's long back and forth between the administration and Harvard. The New York Times tallied up at least eight investigations the Trump administration has launched against Harvard across at least six agencies — Nearly $4 billion in grants and funding has been frozen, which the university has sued the administration over.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
Last month, Harvard's President Alan Garber wrote a letter to the Harvard community saying it would not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights, and saying no government should dictate what private universities can teach or who they admit. As for what comes next for international students at Harvard, Hilton said on NBC, many are now deeply worried.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
But Harvard might get some short-term relief. Just hours after Noem announced this move, a federal judge in California blocked the Trump administration from terminating the legal status of international students nationwide while another case on the issue is pending. Now to an invite-only crypto gala hosted by the president in Virginia last night.
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Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
It was an event with an exclusive and expensive door policy. There was no press, no cameras, and to get a ticket, you needed to be among the top 220 investors in the Trump family crypto coin. Declan Hardy covers capital markets for Politico and has been digging into the guest list. He notes that the collective sum to get into the event was over $100 million.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
Some attendees spoke on the record before the gala.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
Trump launched his coin in January, just before his inauguration. And when people buy Trump coins, he directly benefits.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
Some have been explicit in their desire to buy attention from the president of the United States. A trucking logistics firm purchased $2 million of Trump coin, and the chief financial officer said he was sure Trump, quote, likes to follow who's purchasing his coins.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
But first, the Trump administration says Harvard can no longer enroll international students and that existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status. The move comes as the administration has been trying to pressure Harvard, the nation's oldest and wealthiest university, to conform to its policies and political leanings.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
Houston-based Freight Technologies justified their purchase by describing it as an opportunity to, quote, champion fair and free trade across the U.S.-Mexico border, essentially saying they were hoping to have some sway on tariff policy.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
Democrats want to ban presidents from offering meme coins in the future. Representative Maxine Waters of California, who is the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, introduced a bill along those lines yesterday. Others have criticized last night's event as a pay-to-play scheme, a blurring of the lines between Trump the president and Trump the businessman.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
The difference being, he added, money from donor dinners goes toward political parties or organizations, not to a president's personal business ventures. Trump once denounced cryptocurrencies as a scam, but has become its loudest advocate, declaring his intent to be the first crypto president.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
He has supported a bill designed to regulate and boost crypto potential, which passed the Senate with some support from Democrats this week. He's hired pro-crypto regulators, and he's paused federal investigations into firms. But while guests last night won their ticket, they may have lost something, too.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
The Guardian's analysis shows that nearly half of the top 220 investors have suffered a net loss from purchasing Trump's coin since the coin's January launch. Let's turn now to the state of police reform in America. This Sunday marks five years since the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
The killing sparked a global protest movement and calls for reforms across the country. Today, we're in a very different place.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
Good morning. It's Friday, May 23rd. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how the Trump family is getting rich off of crypto, where the police reform movement is five years after the killing of George Floyd, and get ready to say goodbye to the penny.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
That's Jamiles Larte, a staff writer with The Marshall Project, a news site that supports criminal justice reform through its journalism. He's been tracking how many police reform efforts have either failed or been rolled back. For example, in Alabama, lawmakers recently passed a law known as Back the Blue. It expands legal immunity for police officers.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
In Minnesota, an organization that was created to help people pay their bail announced just a few days ago that it would be ending that mission. And in New York, the state Supreme Court voted last month to strip one local police accountability board of their power to investigate cases of misconduct.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
In a post on X, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, quote, it is a privilege, not a right for universities to enroll foreign students. And she said this was a warning to other universities, telling them to get your act together.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
These types of reforms, which lean in favor of police protections and are wary of strengthened oversight and accountability, are also happening at the federal level. The Civil Rights Division of the DOJ is closing investigations into a number of police departments.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
The Trump administration announced this week that it's ending oversight agreements for a number of city police departments, including Minneapolis and Louisville, where police fatally shot Breonna Taylor in 2020. Larte explained how these agreements, called consent decrees, have typically been used.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
In response, the state of Minnesota has said that it's still enforcing its own consent decree, and local leaders and law enforcement in Minneapolis have said that they are still committed to police reform. Beyond policy, some of the cultural conversations have shifted, too. For example, for years, a plaza in D.C.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
that leads up to the White House was renamed and marked with the words Black Lives Matter. That's now erased after threats from congressional Republicans to cut off the city's funding. There's been a political and corporate move away from DEI initiatives, and terms like woke are now most commonly used as a criticism.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. An impromptu vigil was held outside the Capitol Jewish Museum in D.C. yesterday, where two staff members of the Israeli embassy were shot and killed on Wednesday night. Hadar Suskind, the president of the New Jewish Narrative, spoke.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
Previously, DHS had threatened to revoke the university's ability to enroll these students if Harvard did not turn over records of what Noem claimed were illegal and violent activities from international students on campus. In this new letter, Noem said their international program certification could be renewed if records are sent within 72 hours.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
The victims, 30-year-old Yaron Lashinsky and 26-year-old Sarah Milgram, were a couple who were about to get engaged. Meanwhile, the suspect has been charged with murder of foreign officials, among other crimes. Federal authorities raided a Chicago home linked to the suspect and were working on Thursday to authenticate a manifesto posted online about an hour after the shootings.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
According to court documents, he flew in from Chicago for a work conference on Tuesday, declaring a firearm in his checked bag. In a press conference yesterday, interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said it was far too early to say whether they would pursue the death penalty. The Justice Department is investigating it as both an act of terrorism and a hate crime.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
In other news, there were two big court decisions yesterday relating to education. The first comes from the Supreme Court, which was deadlocked in their decision over whether to allow Oklahoma to establish the nation's first taxpayer-funded religious charter school. The 4-4 decision means the lower court's ruling, which blocked its creation, stands.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
Only eight justices weighed in after Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from that case. The other major legal decision came from a district judge on Thursday who blocked President Trump's executive order to close the Department of Education. The judge also ordered the administration to reinstate the hundreds of employees who were fired.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
The Trump administration is expected to file an appeal. And finally, if you're in need of good luck, make a wish on a penny now before it's too late. Yesterday, the Treasury Department announced it will officially phase out the coin as it placed its final order for pennies. It costs nearly four cents to make a penny, so the move is expected to save $56 million a year.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
But as CNN notes, it costs nearly 14 cents to make a nickel. And so far, at least, the Treasury has announced no plans to phase that coin out. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. The Atlantic has the story of one mom whose son was left unresponsive after a car crash.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
Doctors believed he wasn't conscious, but she held onto her belief that her son was still aware of his surroundings. Decades later, she was proven right. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. Enjoy the long weekend for Memorial Day, and we'll be back with the news on Tuesday.
Apple News Today
Explaining Trump’s latest move against Harvard
Harvard enrolled around 6,800 international students this year. That's a little over a quarter of its entire student body. And international students are a huge source of income because they tend to pay full tuition plus room and board.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
To help us take stock of this moment and where it goes from here, I called up Ankush Kadori. He's an attorney, a former federal prosecutor, and senior writer with Politico. And I started by asking him how close he thinks we are to a crisis point.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
So at this point, Trump has really towed the line. You know, the administration hasn't outrightly said we are not going to listen to the courts. They've instead argued that the courts are wrong in many of these cases. But I guess my question to you is, is it even worth distinguishing these?
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
Like, how different is it to say the courts don't have jurisdiction to weigh in on the president's decisions versus I am rejecting the courts authority? Right.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
Well, another part of the deportation story that's maybe getting a little bit less attention is how these deportations and detentions are happening largely without due process, right?
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
That was the case for the plane of Venezuelan migrants, but also in cases that we're now seeing for green card holders, for visa holders, people who are in this country legally who have been detained and in some cases deported even. Meanwhile, we're also seeing reports about Free speech really being under threat. I mean, the administration is going after Palestinian protesters.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
What happens if these kinds of fundamental rights are eroded?
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
You know, it's interesting that you brought up public opinion earlier. Public opinion is a little hard to gauge in something like this because you ask people in America, are you for democratic processes, right? Are you against the taking away of due process, for example, and that will pull unpopular.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
At least that's the warning coming from the Varieties of Democracy Project, which measures the health of democracies around the world. The head of that program warns that, quote, if it continues like this, democracy will not last another six months.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
But then again, when you have something like this, a concrete example of people being deported, how is that kind of idea pulling? Because I think these things can exist at the same time in America.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
Let's talk about recourse in Congress a bit. I mean, we talked a few weeks ago about how Trump's expansion of executive powers is really cutting into and taking away a lot of power from Congress. What does it mean if Congress continues to allow Trump to exercise this kind of power, really taking it away from them?
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
Good morning. It's Friday, March 21st. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, growing concerns that our democratic norms are eroding, what Trump's order to close the Department of Education actually means, and a big privacy breach in the JFK assassination papers. We begin with growing concerns that the checks and balances that define American democracy are breaking down.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
His warnings come as President Trump's administration is taking actions that, historically and constitutionally, have been outside of the executive branch's power, like significantly shrinking or trying to eliminate agencies established by laws passed by Congress. The legality of some of those moves are being challenged in multiple lawsuits.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
Well, actually, I was going to say, I know that you're saying this would happen, it would be like this, but in a sense, it is like this, right? We're not talking about a hypothetical here. This is what we're seeing actually play out.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
Ankur, thank you so much for speaking with me again.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following, starting with President Trump's move to close a federal agency.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
Yesterday's executive order called for moving education policy to the states, even though state governments are already primarily in charge of things like curricula. Trump's order doesn't completely eliminate the Department of Education. Since it was created by Congress, only Congress has the authority to eliminate it.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
Instead, the order directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take, quote, all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the department. And it leaves in place what the administration calls critical functions like student loan management and funding for special education. Trump's order is expected to run into legal challenges.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
But while normally the courts would adjudicate disagreements over what the Constitution allows, the Trump administration has flirted with ignoring court orders. And last weekend seemed to outright defy an order from a federal judge to turn around a plane deporting migrants.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
The response from the president of the American Federation of Teachers, a major teachers union, was, quote, see you in court.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
In other news, earlier this week, when the Trump administration released tens of thousands of unredacted files about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, it also released the social security numbers and other private sensitive information belonging to several hundred former congressional staffers and others.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
The Washington Post made this discovery while analyzing the contents of the files. Some of the people whose information was leaked include high-ranking officials in Washington, such as a former assistant secretary of state and a former U.S. ambassador.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
A former lawyer for the Trump campaign interviewed by The Post, whose private information was released in the JFK files, described the oversight as outrageous, sloppy and unprofessional. The Department of Justice and National Archives did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
According to The New York Times, the White House directed the Social Security Administration to issue new numbers to the affected people and offered them free credit monitoring. And finally, Zimbabwean swimmer Kirstie Coventry was elected the first-ever woman president of the International Olympic Committee.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
The Guardian reports the voting was expected to last a few rounds with some stiff competition, but Coventry won a majority on the first ballot, making her the 10th president in the IOC's 131-year history. Coventry is also the first African to lead the organization. And as the Guardian notes, she is now the most powerful woman in global sport.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
Coventry won seven medals in her Olympic career, including two gold medals in the 200-meter backstroke in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the News app, stick around for our interview show in conversation. This week, I spoke to Brian Kelly. You may know him as the Points Guy.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
He's made a career out of helping people travel the world more affordably, and he gave me some of his best tips.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
That episode is queued up to play for you next. Enjoy the weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
Are democratic checks and balances breaking down?
That judge gave the administration a Thursday deadline to hand over flight data and yesterday described the administration's response as, quote, At the same time, Trump and some Republicans have called for impeaching judges who slow or stop the administration's proposed policies, a threat that was met with a rare rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
One person wrote, help us, on their window using lipstick. Another held up a message that said, we are not safe in our country. Panama's government previously said these migrants had no criminal records. Reporters at The New York Times were able to contact some of them. Here's Andy's bureau chief, Julie Turkowitz, speaking with MSNBC.
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Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
Some people in this group, including eight children, were recently moved to a camp on the outskirts of the jungle in the Darien province. That's a region connecting Panama and Colombia, infamous as a dangerous crossing route for migrants traveling north to the United States. One Panamanian official insisted it's not a detention camp, but a migrant camp. Here's Turkowitz again.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
These people told The Times the camp looks like a zoo and described sweltering conditions with little food and fenced cages. Panamanian officials have disputed that account. Panama's security minister said in an interview on Wednesday that migrants were being held, quote, for their own protection. And because officials need to verify their identities.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
But lawyers told The Times it's illegal to be detained in Panama for more than 24 hours without a court order. And in Costa Rica, NBC reports that the country typically allows up to 30 days to repatriate deported migrants, although officials say that timeline could be extended.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
For the United States, sending migrants to Panama and Costa Rica effectively means these people are no longer subject to U.S. law. Analysts told The New York Times that Panama is under intense pressure by Trump, who has threatened to seize the Panama Canal. So Turkowitz explained to MSNBC this agreement could be an effort to appease him.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
Similar questions have been raised about Costa Rica's motivations for entering into this agreement. The Costa Rican president in a news conference on Wednesday spoke about his fears that the United States could impose a tax and said this is a way of helping their, quote, economically powerful brother from the north. International authorities are now responsible for transferring them.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
The United States is paying for all costs in Panama, and it's footing the bill for every flight, including those that will eventually take migrants to their home countries. It's been just about a month of Trump's second term in office.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
And so far, we've seen him make big moves, implementing deportations, as we've mentioned, freezing foreign aid, proposing an end to birthright citizenship, making sweeping cuts to federal agency workforces and spending.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
The legality of some of these actions is being brought before federal courts, and some lawmakers are fighting Trump on the issue of frozen funds that were already approved by Congress. If this seems like a big shift in the balance of our government, well, it is.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
That's Ankush Kadori, a former federal prosecutor and a senior writer at Politico magazine. He's my guest this week on Apple News in Conversation.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
But first, as the Trump administration continues to deport undocumented immigrants, some are being flown to places they never called home and getting detained upon arrival. One flight that landed in Costa Rica on Thursday carried about 135 people. Almost half were children and there were at least two pregnant women. They're mostly from countries like China, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
He told me that impoundment, which is when the president essentially overrides Congress by deciding not to spend money that's already been appropriated by the legislature, this tension in his mind is the one that's most worth paying attention to because it could radically change the relationship between the three branches.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
There's a law in place to prevent presidential impoundment. Back in the 70s, under Nixon, Congress passed an Impoundment Control Act. President Bill Clinton tried to amend it in the 90s by introducing line-item veto power, which allowed him to reject specific parts of a bill without having to veto the whole thing.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
That law had broad bipartisan support, but the Supreme Court struck it down after just two years, ruling that it was unconstitutional. However, if the issue of presidential impoundment ends up back in front of the highest court during this administration, Cardori told me Trump might find this court to be much more open to the idea.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
Kadori says changing how our government decides to spend its funds has broad implications, ones that will carry over into future administrations.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
To hear our full conversation, stick around after today's show. If you're listening in the News app, that episode of Apple News in Conversation will be queued up to play for you next. Yesterday, the Senate voted to confirm Kash Patel as FBI director.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
Good morning. It's Friday, February 21st. I'm Shamitza Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, testing the boundaries of executive power, why Trump's labor secretary nominee might not win full Republican support, and a change in the asteroid forecast means we're safe for now.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
That means up until this point, all of Trump's nominees have been confirmed, most with relative ease, despite some facing questions about their character or lack of experience, which speaks both to the numerical advantage Republicans have in the Senate and their eagerness to appease President Trump. But one nominee is getting more pushback from Republicans than others.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
Former Representative Lori Chavez de Riemer, a Republican who served for one term in the House. When Trump nominated her for labor secretary, some Democrats were pleasantly surprised because in Congress, she was a co-sponsor of a piece of legislation called the PRO Act, a sweeping labor bill that aimed to strengthen collective bargaining rights.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
She was one of just a few Republicans to back the bill. A number of unions were excited about her nomination, too, including Teamster President Sean O'Brien, because Chavez de Riemer's father was a Teamster himself. In her hearing on Wednesday, she was asked how she feels about the PRO Act now.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
She called the bill imperfect and avoided saying much else about it, like in this exchange with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
NBC reports that some of those countries, like China and Afghanistan, will not easily agree to repatriate people. So U.S. officials say Costa Rica is a bridge arrangement until international authorities can figure out how to get people back to their home countries. None of these migrants have criminal records, but they are undocumented, according to Costa Rican authorities.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
Several senators asked her about her stance on right-to-work laws, which limit union organizing. Here's her exchange with Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
The overall impression of her hearing, according to The Washington Post, was that Chavez de Riemer was distancing herself from her past support of pro-union legislation. Democrats in the Senate who initially seemed ready to support her now appear less likely to.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
And interestingly, Republicans are torn between her pro-union voting record as a one-term congresswoman and what she's now saying about letting states decide their own labor laws. Meanwhile, advocates for workers' rights have questioned how much power Chavez de Remer might have as labor secretary in an increasingly diminishing landscape of federal oversight.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
In his first few weeks in office, Trump fired two of three Democratic commissioners on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces civil rights in the workplace. He also fired the acting chair of the National Labor Relations Board, which protects employees' rights to organize and fight unfair labor practices. Chavez de Reimer's nomination will be up for a committee vote next week.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're watching. Israeli officials say a body handed over by Hamas on Thursday isn't who Hamas claimed it is. Authorities confirmed the identities of remains belonging to two children, Kafir and Ariel Bibas, but say the body reportedly belonging to their mother, Shiri, was not hers or that of any other hostage. That's according to the Associated Press.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
The Israeli military called it a violation of the utmost severity and demanded Hamas return Shiri Bebus' body. As of Thursday night, Hamas had not commented. It's unclear what this means for Saturday's scheduled release of the six remaining living hostages. New York Governor Kathy Hochul says she will not remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
Hochul said she will let New Yorkers make their choice clear at the polls and announced an inspector general to oversee the mayor. Adams is charged with a number of corruption crimes, which the Trump administration says it will drop.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
In a statement responding to Hochul's announcement, Adams said he believes there is no legal basis for the governor to place limits on his power, but he is willing to work with her. The former head of the Spanish Soccer Federation, Luis Rubiales, was convicted Thursday of sexual assault for forcibly kissing player Jenny Hermoso after the team won the Women's World Cup in 2023.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
Rubiales was fined but not sentenced to any prison time. He was also acquitted of a coercion charge for allegedly trying to get Hermoso to say the kiss was consensual. And lastly, if you've seen headlines about an asteroid potentially coming for Earth in a few years, you can rest easy.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
Meanwhile, the BBC reports that around 300 deported people, predominantly from Asian countries, are being held in Panama under a similar bridge agreement with the U.S. At first, they were locked up in a hotel for roughly a week, with no access to phones, internet, or legal counsel. Images emerged in recent days of people standing by the windows, trapped in their rooms.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
Just a few days ago, the odds of the roughly football-field-sized rock colliding with Earth were at about a 3.1% chance, but that number has since dropped to essentially zero, according to scientists at NASA's Center for Near-Earth Objects Studies.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
The Washington Post reports chances of this asteroid impacting Earth were always low, but it was important to track because its size triggered a global warning for the first time since the warning system was created in 2012. So the good news, the system works. Even better news, turns out we don't need it, at least not this time. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
Trump’s labor pick backed unions. It might cost her votes.
And if you're already listening in the news app, stick around for my full interview with Ankush Kadori about how we're watching Trump expand the reach of presidential power. If you're listening in the Apple News app right now, that episode of Apple News in Conversation is queued up to play for you next. Enjoy your weekend, and we'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
Hey there, it's Shamita here. Just want to let you know, after today's show, our team is taking a good long end of the year break. We are human, we need to recharge, and we'll be back for the first full week in January. Okay, let's do the news. Good morning. It's Friday, December 20th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
As he's promised to do with Republicans who go against him, Trump threatened Roy with a primary challenge in online posts. This was the first major test of how Congress is preparing to act under a second Trump presidency, and it revealed a willingness from some Republicans to defy the president-elect.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
It also casts a harsh spotlight on Speaker Johnson, who will need to figure out how he wants to balance Trump's demands with congressional realities. A slim Republican majority in the House means Johnson will likely need the support of Democrats to pass any bill, something Dems are not keen to do now after their initial contributions to the bill were axed.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries called the new proposal laughable.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
Jeffries expressed his frustration by calling the new plan the Musk-Johnson proposal, referring, of course, to Elon Musk, who led an intense pressure campaign on social media against the initial bill in recent days. He called the bill outrageous and encouraged his followers, over 200 million people, to call their representatives and urge them to vote against it.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
Melanie Zanona, a congressional reporter for Punchbowl News, told MSNBC you could see Musk shifting the tides on Capitol Hill in real time.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
Musk's relationship with the president-elect has received a lot of attention ever since he endorsed Trump over the summer, especially once Trump gave Musk a title and a mission to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, basically tasking him with suggesting big cuts to federal spending.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
On today's show, how some women in Afghanistan are risking their lives to protest Taliban rule, why releasing a holiday blockbuster is still tricky business, and the summer camp where wannabe Santas go to train. But first, it's been a roller coaster couple of days for lawmakers trying to avert a government shutdown before the holidays.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
Musk's potential conflicts of interest, as well as his effect on entire government agencies, have been the subject of scrutiny and speculation. He is, after all, the world's richest man, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, and he's CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and the social media site X. All the while, though, it's been hard to pinpoint Musk's exact influence in Trump era politics.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
But not this time, where Musk left a clear trail of his charge to derail this government spending bill. Congress is on a tight deadline to pass a funding bill by midnight tonight to keep the government running. When the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban almost immediately regained control of the country.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
In the years since, the Taliban has stripped the rights of women and girls, banning them from school, from going out without a chaperone, banning their voices from being heard in public.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
That's Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and activist who famously recovered from her own attack by the Taliban in her home of Pakistan back in 2012. I recently got a chance to talk with her about a new documentary she executive produced called Bread and Roses, released by Apple TV+.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
The film was made largely from footage that three women activists in Afghanistan took themselves at great personal risk as the Taliban cracked down on their protests. In the film, you see the women out on the streets chanting their motto, work, bread, freedom. You see them being threatened by talibs with guns, sprayed with tear gas, and in some cases being arrested and detained.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
Director Sahra Mani says that the three main women in her film have since escaped the country, but not all women are so lucky.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
Malala told me that it's important for them to continue to raise their voices despite the risks.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
Malala and Sahra also told me about the need for the international community to take notice of what's happening to women and girls in Afghanistan, and they hope the film underscores the urgency to act.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
To hear the rest of my interview with Malala Yousafzai and Sahra Mani, listen to this week's episode of Apple News in Conversation. If you're listening in the News app, we'll queue it up to play for you next. Christmas is just a few days away, and for a lot of families, it's a cherished tradition to take a good old trip to the movies.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
The 2024 holiday lineup includes some family-friendly films, like Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa the Lion King. Those are both out today. And there's one coming up on Christmas Day that is definitely not suitable for kids, the gothic horror film Nosferatu. It's been a pretty rough few years for Hollywood at large, between pandemic closures and labor strikes by writers and actors last year.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
But it scored a big win over the Thanksgiving holiday. Three, actually. Wicked, Moana 2, and Gladiator 2.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
Ryan Fonder covers the business of entertainment for the LA Times.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
After a bill negotiated by Republican Speaker Mike Johnson was effectively killed by President-elect Donald Trump before it even came to the floor on Wednesday, the GOP, with no apparent backup plan, scrambled yesterday to pass an extension of current funding.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
Fonder says theaters were already on a slow decline before the pandemic for a few reasons. Ticket prices are up. Consumer habits have changed, with streaming getting more popular. A lot of people just wait for a movie to show up there so they can watch from their couch. That's part of why actors and writers went on strike last year, for better streaming residuals.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
But to be clear, the theater still has diehard fans. And I don't just mean fans of the movie Die Hard — another great Christmas movie, by the way — If you tell those fans to show up in costume, to show up in groups, they'll really get into it.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
If you haven't noticed, so many of the movies I've mentioned already are sequels or franchises. Fonder says that's because studios know it works. He pointed out every year the top 10 movies are dominated by sequels, remakes, and franchise extensions. As far back as 2011, the New York Times noted, sequels and franchises were starting to take over.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
But as moviegoers, Fonder says, we lose a little something with that model.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
But even as execs want to keep going back to the same old well, it's not clear if there will be anything there.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
The new Trump-approved bill cut out a good chunk of provisions that were included in the previous version, but kept money for farmers, about $10 billion, and $100 billion in disaster aid. The bill made it to the floor, but not any farther.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app. Some significant movement this week in the case of Luigi Mangione, the man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. First, Mangione waived his right to an extradition hearing and was transported to New York City yesterday afternoon.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
Federal prosecutors also unveiled new charges against him, including stalking, murder through the use of a firearm, and an additional gun charge. That's according to NBC News. Earlier this week, Mangione was also charged with murder as an act of terrorism and 11 other charges. Amazon workers went on strike in New York City, Atlanta and California yesterday.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
The Teamsters union says it represents nearly 10,000 Amazon workers and wants Amazon to recognize the union and negotiate a contract with them. Amazon claims workers don't want a union and says the strike won't affect holiday deliveries. We have seen how Amazon deals with unions in the past.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
In 2022, an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island voted to unionize and was certified by the NLRB, but so far Amazon has refused to bargain with them. And finally, as you make those last-minute trips to the mall or big box stores and you see Santa Claus there taking photos with families, there is a chance the person in the suit went to Santa camp.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
CT Insider reports, over the summer, about 90 soon-to-be Santas gathered in the woods of New Hampshire to learn the basics like how to dress, how to create a backstory, and maybe most importantly, how to talk to children and adults with empathy. The camp is just like any other summer camp, with cabins, paddling the lake, and sitting around the campfire bonding.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
The president of the New England Santa Society says most people don't know what goes on behind the scenes of being Mr. Claus, and learning that is what the camp is all about. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're listening in the news app right now, stick around for my full conversation with Malala Yousafzai and Sahra Mani.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
That episode of Apple News in Conversation is queued up to play for you next. Like I said, this team is taking a good break to end the year. So enjoy your holidays. Happy New Year. And we'll be back with the news on Monday, January 6th.
Apple News Today
Inside the sprint to avert a government shutdown
So lawmakers went home with no deal last night. Trump was demanding spending be tied to a two-year debt limit suspension. Dozens of Republicans voted against the bill, balking at that idea without spending cuts. Texas Representative Chip Roy was one of the nay votes, and he had some strong words for his fellow Republicans.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
Hey there, it's Shamita. I've got a quick request for you. If Apple News Today is an essential part of your morning routine, follow the show in Apple Podcasts. And if you have another 30 seconds, leave us a rating and a review too. It helps other people find our show and it helps us know what you like about it. Thanks. Good morning. It's Friday, April 18th. I'm Shamita Basu.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
For more about the rise of Bukele and how he became one of Trump's most crucial and supportive foreign allies, I called up Vera Bergen-Gruen, a national security reporter at The Wall Street Journal who profiled Bukele for Time last year. I started by asking her to give me some background on Bukele and how his relationship with Trump initially started.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
I'll just say this stat from your Peace Fair is it was kind of mind boggling. You write that Bukele has incarcerated one out of every 57 people in his country.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
Well, what I thought was interesting also in your piece, you mentioned how some of his harshest critics, even some people within the Biden administration at the time, were kind of courting Bukele's favor. Help me understand why.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how the Salvadoran president found an ally in President Trump, a federal indictment in the UnitedHealthcare CEO killing, and why some people are painting potatoes for Easter.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
Very complicated. So what do you make of the way that Bukele has been handling this storyline now of Venezuelans being deported to El Salvador by the U.S., agreeing to incarcerate them in El Salvador? I mean, what is in it for Bukele? Why strike this deal with Trump?
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
Well, so the Trump administration has been claiming that there's nothing that they can do to bring back the man who was wrongfully deported, as they have acknowledged, mistakenly deported, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who ended up in this prison in El Salvador and is still there. The administration says now they cannot do anything to bring him back.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
When the Supreme Court weighed in on this earlier this week, even they said that the government's argument that the U.S. courts cannot do anything once a deportee has crossed the border is, quote, plainly wrong. And now Trump is talking about expanding this relationship, as you said, sending U.S. citizens to be incarcerated in El Salvador.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
If that were to happen, which just to be clear, is illegal, what he is talking about, what are the possible options for recourse in the U.S. courts, maybe even in international courts?
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
Mm hmm. You know, I was struck when I was rereading your time piece, which, again, you wrote last summer before Trump had been reelected. You wrote, for Bukele's admirers, El Salvador has become a showcase for how populist authoritarianism can succeed.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
And his second term will be a test of what happens to a state when its charismatic young leader has an overwhelming mandate to dismantle its democratic institutions in pursuit of security. Again, you wrote this before Trump was back in office for his second term. What do you think are the risks for other countries for the world if the U.S.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
Let's start with the big story all this week, which has been Trump's defiance of a Supreme Court order to bring back Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a father of three kids living in Maryland with no criminal record, who was wrongly deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador's harshest prison. Yesterday, Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, visited Abrego Garcia, who is his constituent.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
continues to legitimize the Bukele regime as it creeps toward authoritarianism?
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
Vera, thank you so much for your time. Thank you so much. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. The United States will soon abandon its efforts to end the war in Ukraine if no progress is made in the next few days.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
That's the latest from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who spoke to reporters early this morning before departing from Paris, where high-level talks took place yesterday with European leaders.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
That's a major reversal from what Trump told us when he was running for office, when he said he would end the war immediately.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
Rubio said the talks this week between American, European and Ukrainian officials were constructive, but that Trump is losing patience. In Gaza, Hamas says it's ready to engage in negotiations to release all remaining hostages and end the war. A senior Hamas official said in a televised speech that it will no longer agree to interim deals.
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The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
Mediators have been working to revive the ceasefire, but there's been little progress. Israel recently proposed a 45-day truce to allow for hostages to be released and to engage in talks to end the war. Hamas rejected one of the conditions, that it lay down its arms. Reuters reports Israel has vowed to continue fighting until all hostages are released and Gaza is demilitarized.
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The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
In recent weeks, Israeli troops have seized more than a third of the Gaza Strip. At Florida State University yesterday, at least two people who were not students were killed and at least six others were hospitalized after a gunman opened fire Thursday morning. Local authorities have a suspect in custody. He is the son of a sheriff's deputy.
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The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
He initially tried to visit him at the prison, but says he was denied entry. Hours later, Van Hollen was able to meet him at a nearby hotel and said he just wanted to confirm Abrego Garcia is doing OK and underscore that he deserves due process.
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The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
Authorities on the scene recovered a handgun that belonged to the suspect's mother, who served in the local county sheriff's department for 18 years. The suspect was shot and wounded by police before being taken into custody. Luigi Mangione, the man charged in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was indicted on federal murder charges Thursday.
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The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
The charge carries a maximum penalty of death if convicted. The Justice Department said it will seek the death penalty. Mangione pleaded not guilty to state charges of murder and terrorism. And finally, with the price of eggs still stubbornly high, it's a tough year to plan an Easter egg hunt on a budget.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
So people celebrating Easter this weekend are turning to some creative alternatives to keep traditions going. Painting potatoes is one suggestion. I'm not saying it's a good one, just that it's being floated. Marshmallows in particular are having a moment. The city of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is very busy churning out peeps.
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The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
Did you know that every single marshmallow peep you buy comes from this place? I didn't. ABC News has a guide to how you can dye marshmallows and other alternatives to eggs that we'll link to in our show notes. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, stick around for our weekly interview show, In Conversation.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
As Harvard's dispute with the Trump administration escalates, I spoke with Wesleyan University President Michael S. Roth, who's been a vocal opponent of recent threats to higher ed, about what the administration is trying to achieve and the implications for our country.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
If you're listening in the Apple News app right now, that episode is queued up to play for you next. Enjoy the weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
The foreign leader helping Trump defy the Supreme Court
The man behind Abrego Garcia's detention, as well as the detention of hundreds of other migrants deported by the Trump administration, is El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, who's become a key ally of Trump's and has said that he'll take no action to release Abrego Garcia.
Apple News Today
In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
The outgoing president is putting his pen to a whole slate of orders, from clemency to conservation to canceling student loans. The Washington Post reports that even as many White House staffers are packing up their offices and getting ready to leave, many are still working on last-minute executive actions. Officials say this will likely continue up until the final hours of his presidency.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
This morning, Biden announced he was commuting the sentences of almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent offenses, setting the presidential record for most individual pardons and commutations issued. Some of his other last actions as president include blocking oil drilling in more than 625 million acres of U.S.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
ocean, designating new national monuments in California, removing Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, and just last night signing a new order on cybersecurity. Ann Newberg, deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology, told NPR about the purpose of that order.
Apple News Today
In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
A few more items in the flurry of headlines you might have missed in recent weeks. The Biden administration is proposing a dramatic reduction in nicotine levels in cigarettes. The FDA will now require labels on the front of food and drink packages. And another 150,000 student loan borrowers had their debt canceled. The Post points out another story that might have gone under the radar.
Apple News Today
In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
The incoming Trump administration will find on Tuesday a new rule goes into effect, giving a 12 percent pay raise to about 14,000 blue collar employees at Army depots and Veterans Affairs facilities. It's not uncommon for presidents to leave office with a flurry of action like this.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
But the Post describes Biden's actions as, quote, unusually wide ranging and a sign that Biden sees the man who both preceded him and will succeed him, Donald Trump, as a unique threat to the Biden legacy. There is a certain advantage that an outgoing president has in moments like this, according to Andrew Rudalevich, a professor of government who studies the power of the presidency.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
He described it this way to The Post. Biden can take this last opportunity to set the status quo with all these orders. And in Washington, the status quo often wins. Trump, meanwhile, has already vowed to overturn what he can. In regards to Biden's offshore drilling order, Trump said he will reverse it immediately, adding, quote, drill, baby, drill.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
Now to Los Angeles, where it's been more than a week since devastating wildfires forced as many as 200,000 Angelenos to evacuate. Experts say the fires could be one of the most expensive disasters in U.S. history, with possibly more than $250 billion in damages and economic loss.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
And Leslie Kaufman, who covers climate for Bloomberg, told us the fires will likely accelerate California's insurance crisis.
Apple News Today
In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
To understand how we got here, Kaufman says, you have to look at a state law passed in 1988, which put limits on how much insurance companies could raise premiums for property coverage. That move, combined with the growing threat of climate change, has made offering policies in California less attractive to private insurers over the years.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
So many left, like State Farm, one of the biggest providers, which decided in March of last year to stop renewing policies and stop offering new ones. California just instituted a moratorium on insurance providers canceling policies for one year as a result of these fires.
Apple News Today
In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
But first, a quick check-in on the state of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a deal has been struck to return hostages held in Gaza and move forward with a negotiated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The deal was on shaky ground as of yesterday when Israel claimed Hamas had reneged on details of the ceasefire.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
But other big names had already stopped offering new policies in the state, which means many homeowners are stuck with difficult choices. Some had to forego new insurance because they couldn't afford it. Others opted into California's Fair Plan, which provides less extensive coverage and generally costs more than private insurance. It's exploded in size as insurance companies left the state.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
Between September of 2020 and September 2024, the number of policyholders more than doubled, from 200,000 to over 400,000. And many homes that rely on the fair plan are in some of L.A. 's hardest hit neighborhoods. So there are concerns about how claims will be handled in the wake of these fires.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
If the Fair Plan can't cover the cost of all the claims, private insurers may have to pitch in, even if they've technically dropped California customers. That's raised concerns among consumer protection experts that companies could try to pass the costs on to customers. And this is not out of the realm of possibility.
Apple News Today
In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
The president of the Fair Plan said in a hearing last fall that the program was just one disaster away from needing help covering claims. For most people who lost their homes in the L.A. fires, the ability to rebuild hinges on what insurance covers, which might not be enough.
Apple News Today
In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
Kaufman points out if someone bought a home a decade ago and it went way up in value, their policy simply might not be big enough. And the fair plan caps out at $3 million.
Apple News Today
In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
Now to sports, where the WNBA's top stars will participate in a brand new league in Miami tonight. It's called Unrivaled. It's three-on-three basketball. Six teams, 36 players, eight weeks of competition. The tempo is fast. The court is short.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
And Alexa Philippou, who covers women's basketball for ESPN, told us this league will also be an exciting new way for players to earn extra money in the offseason.
Apple News Today
In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
Good morning. It's Friday, January 17th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how the L.A. fires threaten to wipe out California's home insurance industry. The biggest stars in women's basketball are launching a new league. And a behind-the-scenes conversation with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott about Severance Season 2.
Apple News Today
In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
WNBA players get a fraction of what NBA players are paid. In 2023, the average WNBA player earned around $113,000 while the average NBA player had a base salary of $9.7 million. That's why Why so many WNBA players also play in leagues abroad, as Philippou mentioned.
Apple News Today
In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
You might remember that's what brought Brittany Griner to Russia in 2022, where she was wrongfully detained for almost a year before U.S. authorities negotiated her release. She vowed to never play overseas again for her safety. She will play in this league alongside WNBA superstars Brianna Stewart and Nafisa Collier, who co-founded Unrivaled. There are seven No.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
Hamas leadership disputed that and said they were still committed to it. Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday projected confidence that the agreement will go into effect starting as planned on Sunday.
Apple News Today
In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
1 picks from the WNBA in the mix, a league MVP, and 17 former Olympians. They hope to draw the same growing audience that tunes into the WNBA. 2024 was a blockbuster year for the WNBA. And it's poised to have an even bigger one in 2025. There will be a new expansion team in the Bay Area called the Golden State Valkyries. A number of new coaches are taking the helm of several teams.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
And perhaps most importantly, a new collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and players will be negotiated. Players have said they want the new contract to be transformational as they ride the recent wave of excitement around women's basketball. That means they'll be asking for bigger salaries and other benefits like pensions, better health care, and even better facilities.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
Philippou says all of this makes for some pretty thrilling things to watch out for.
Apple News Today
In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following today. Rudy Giuliani reached a settlement with two Georgia election workers he was convicted of defaming. The settlement will allow him to keep his homes in Manhattan and Florida.
Apple News Today
In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
Giuliani, the former mayor of New York and Donald Trump's personal lawyer, was convicted for falsely accusing two election workers of trying to steal the 2020 election for President Joe Biden.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
He was held in contempt twice in two different courts for being uncooperative in the handing over of his assets to pay for the $148 million judgment against him and for continuing to make defamatory comments about these workers. A judge said if Giuliani defames them again, it would land him in jail. A big time loss in the film world. Director David Lynch died yesterday.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
Described as a visionary director and surrealist artist, he was known for his films Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive and his groundbreaking television show Twin Peaks, which Variety says revolutionized American episodic TV.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
His longtime collaborator, the actor Kyle MacLachlan, posted a tribute to him on Instagram, calling him an enigmatic and intuitive man with a creative ocean bursting forth inside of him. He added, he was in touch with something the rest of us wish we could get to. Lynch was 78 years old. And one very last thing, let me mention what's on this week's episode of Apple News in Conversation.
Apple News Today
In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
We're talking about the highly anticipated season two of Severance, which is out today on Apple TV+, with the show's stars, director Ben Stiller and actor Adam Scott. If you haven't watched it, Severance is a dystopian take on work-life balance, where people agree to have their consciousness split so that when they're in the office, their innie self doesn't know anything about their personal life.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
And when they leave the office, their outie self doesn't know anything about their work life. Scott told me it's been awesome to see fans get into the show.
Apple News Today
In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
Both sides have so far agreed to an initial six-week ceasefire, with later phases of the deal not yet fleshed out. This story is sure to keep moving quickly today and through the weekend. You can find the latest in the Apple News app. President Biden is leaving the Oval Office the same way he entered, in a blaze of executive actions.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
Stiller told me how working on this show has been a way to explore what it really means to be human and what's left when we have our burdens and consciousness stripped away.
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In Biden's final days, a flurry of last-minute moves.
You can hear my full conversation with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott in this week's episode. If you're listening in the News app right now, that's queued up to play for you next. Enjoy the weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
New Jersey Solicitor General Jeremy Feigenbaum said the Trump administration's request to let the injunction stand in some places, but not others for now, would lead to chaos.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
This isn't the first time justices have been asked to weigh in on nationwide injunctions, and justices have expressed dismay in the past. Yesterday, Justice Clarence Thomas seemed to focus on the history of nationwide injunctions, suggesting at one point the United States had, quote, survived until the 1960s without using them.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
From the liberal wing, Justice Elena Kagan acknowledged that critics of both the Biden and Trump administrations had used friendly jurisdictions to their advantage. But she asked Sauer how else states could tackle executive orders they perceived to be blatantly unconstitutional.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
And Justice Katonji Brown Jackson questioned the fairness of the Trump administration, pushing ahead, denying citizenship documents regardless, knowing only those with the means could successfully challenge in courts.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
As for how they might weigh in on a future, more direct question of birthright citizenship, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said Trump was violating four established Supreme Court precedents. And the conservatives on the court raised issues, too. Justice Neil Gorsuch referred to a patchwork of problems with enforcing the executive order in some states and not others.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
And Justice Brett Kavanaugh had a testy exchange with Sauer on the practicalities.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
Again, we don't know. These were the last scheduled arguments of the court's term. A decision may not come until June or July, but the unusual nature of the case could mean that we would see a decision arrive sooner. Let's turn now to the huge economic package that Republicans in the House are hoping to pass to deliver on major parts of President Trump's agenda.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
And I should say first, we are in the middle of this process. Large portions of the package are still unresolved, and it'll likely go through significant changes as it winds its way through the House and eventually the Senate. But as of this week, we have a better sense of what Republicans want.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
Some of their goals have been outlined, and three committees approved critical pieces of the legislation. Richard Rubin, a U.S. tax policy reporter for The Wall Street Journal, spoke with us about what's in it so far.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
There are a few temporary tax breaks in this bill that Trump campaigned on, like extending and increasing the 2017 child tax credit by $500 through 2028, also eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay through 2028. As for how it might impact taxpayers across different income brackets, the biggest savings would go to the wealthiest.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
The Trump administration proposed raising the income tax for higher earners by 2.6 percentage points, but that doesn't appear in this bill. By one estimate, if this bill advances, the top 1% would save nearly $65,000 in taxes in 2027, and they would gain the ability to pass more wealth on to their heirs through a larger estate tax exemption.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
For middle-income taxpayers, the bill would provide an average tax reduction of $1,300, according to the House Ways and Means Committee. And for people with low incomes who aren't paying income taxes now, Rubin reports that this bill offers relatively little.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
As we mentioned yesterday, the constitutionality of Trump's order calling to end birthright citizenship is not what the court is being asked to consider. Rather, justices yesterday were asked to weigh the limits of judicial power. and whether a lower court is allowed to block an executive order like this one from being enforced nationwide.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
And according to one recent analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, the lowest income households would see an average tax increase in some years. That's in part because they would lose tax credits that help pay for health insurance.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
Overall, this bill calls for a reduction in spending of more than $900 billion, much of which would come from Medicaid and food stamps, both of which benefit low-income Americans. Rubin says it's unclear how the Medicaid cuts might be applied.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, meanwhile, estimates over 10 million people would lose health care coverage. And House Republicans still have a number of issues to iron out on state and local tax deductions, also known as SALT. Some Republicans want more Medicaid cuts and changes.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
Others have questioned parts of the bill that would cut clean energy tax credits, raising concerns about impacts to manufacturing in their districts.
Apple News Today
The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
Good morning. It's Friday, May 16th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, what's in the GOP's big tax bill, the EPA's regulatory rollback on forever chemicals in drinking water, and the world's first patient treated with personalized gene editing therapy. But first, the Supreme Court seems torn over what to do with the birthright citizenship case.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
They don't have much time. The House has a self-imposed deadline to pass the legislation before Memorial Day weekend. Republicans want to make this bill law by July 4th. In both chambers, they can afford to lose no more than three votes. So advancing this legislation with consensus will be easier said than done.
Apple News Today
The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
Earlier this week, the EPA announced a partial rollback of Biden-era drinking water standards for PFAS, also known as forever chemicals. Forever chemicals are a group of thousands of different compounds, many of which have been linked to higher risks of health conditions like cancer, infertility, and thyroid disease.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
They're found in virtually every corner of the planet, in many household items, and in the bodies of nearly every person in the United States. In its announcement, the EPA said it was keeping strict limits on two types of forever chemicals found in drinking water, PFOA and PFOS, but delayed a deadline for water utilities to meet those standards until 2031.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
It's rescinding and reconsidering the limits on four other compounds. Despite these federal actions, local bans on these chemicals remain in effect.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
The Trump administration has asked the court to scale back the nationwide injunctions against his order so they can apply to only those who are pregnant, immigrant advocacy groups, and residents of the 22 states that challenged his order in the courts. Here's Solicitor General D. John Sauer arguing on behalf of the administration.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
That's Mariah Blake. She's an investigative journalist and the author of the book They Poisoned the World, Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals. And she's my guest this week on Apple News in Conversation. Blake told me states are considering more limitations on these chemicals.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
There's also thousands of pending lawsuits against the manufacturers of these chemicals. The company 3M has announced that it's going to stop all PFAS manufacturing by the end of this year. But if you're still concerned about your exposure, Blake offers some ways to protect yourself. One of her tips? Avoid locally caught freshwater fish.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
To hear the rest of our conversation and a bunch more tips on how to protect yourself and your family from exposure, stick around after today's show. We'll have that queued up for you to listen to next. Music Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges that she interfered with an immigration arrest.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
Back in April, federal agents showed up outside her courtroom to arrest Eduardo Flores Ruiz, a Mexican immigrant who was in court that day related to state misdemeanor domestic battery charges. According to the criminal complaint, Dugan sent the ICE agents down the hall, and while they were away, she postponed the hearing and escorted Flores Ruiz and his lawyer through a jury exit.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
Dugan argues that federal officials have no power to prosecute her. President Trump's administration has given ICE agents more power to make arrests at courthouses. As of May 6th, there have been 189 courthouse arrests since Trump retook office. That's double the pace of arrests made in 2024, according to Reuters.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
Immigration advocates and some state courts have warned that this can disrupt court operations and dissuade people from accessing the legal system. Now to sports. The WNBA returns tonight with a brand new team in the mix. In fact, it's the first brand new team in nearly 20 years. The Golden State Valkyries are led by the league's first Asian-American head coach, Natalie Nakase.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
And they'll have a tough road ahead, The Athletic explains, because the WNBA isn't very generous to new teams. They get no free agency perks and very little love in the college draft where brand new players to the league are available. How the team performs this year will be closely watched because there are more new teams coming, starting with Portland and Toronto in 2026.
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
League Commissioner Kathy Engelbert says she's confident the league will have a 16th team by 2028. The Athletic took a closer look
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The winners and losers of the GOP tax bill
For more than a century, most scholars and courts have agreed that the 14th Amendment is not exclusively about slavery and that it plainly states intent that every child born within the territory of the United States is a citizen. The defendants, meanwhile, argued that restricting the scope of injunctions would go against the Constitution and previous court rulings.
Apple News Today
The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
So it sounds like you're saying message is consistent. Circumstances have changed, which has made the message more effective.
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The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
Right. Kind of let Republicans squabble it out.
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The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
Well, so let's actually stay with Bernie Sanders for a moment and talk a little bit about him. I mean, he's been holding these major rallies, pulling significant crowds. Most of his appearances have been in swing districts represented by Republicans. What is his message to voters and how is it resonating?
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The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, tell me, though, is Sanders' message resonating with people? Obviously, he's drawing huge crowds, but what does it all mean? What's the effect that he's having?
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The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
And it sounds like, as you've mentioned, Sanders is very much sticking to his long running message, but maybe it's an effective time to be hearing and receiving that message for voters. Let's turn now and talk about Gavin Newsom and what he's been up to. I mean, he just launched a new podcast.
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The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
So far, he's had on some pretty hard right leaning guests, people like Steve Bannon, former Trump adviser. He's had on Charlie Kirk. He himself, Newsom, drew some backlash for some of his comments about transgender athletes on his podcast. What is Newsom's strategy right now?
Apple News Today
The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
Let's start with a pulse check on Democratic Party leadership and opposition to President Trump seven weeks into the new administration. In the flurry of early actions by Trump, Democratic voices were largely sidelined by a barrage of daily headlines.
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The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
Interesting. Well, maybe we should talk about what might be seen as the sort of Democratic Party establishment choice to elevate in this moment. We saw Senator Alyssa Slotkin was tapped to give the party's official response after Trump's joint speech to Congress. How does she fit into all of this? Or just maybe where more broadly is the party establishment in this moment?
Apple News Today
The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
But in the past few weeks and days, we've seen a number of Democrats and at least one independent step forward and position themselves as messengers for voters who are feeling disillusioned with Trump. For more on what the opposition looks like and how it's taking shape,
Apple News Today
The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
Good morning. It's Friday, March 14th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, politicians on the left are testing out different resistance messages against Trump. Senator Chuck Schumer gets on board with Republicans' funding bill. And a giant of the fashion industry steps away.
Apple News Today
The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
Are there any other Democrats you're watching right now who seem to also be emerging as people who can rally the opposition with a particularly strong message? I'm thinking of people like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Tim Walz has been speaking out. Pete Buttigieg. Who has had something effective to share right now?
Apple News Today
The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
I called up Dave Weigel, national political reporter at Semaphore, and I asked him if it feels like the Democratic response to Trump is only starting to gel in the past few days.
Apple News Today
The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
That's Dave Weigel, national political reporter at Semaphore. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says he believes enough Democrats will back a budget resolution passed by House Republicans earlier this week, potentially averting a government shutdown.
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The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
Schumer had initially said Democrats would block the bill in a show of resistance against Trump, but changed his mind, saying he thinks the bill is a terrible option, but believes a government shutdown would give President Trump more power, which would be a, quote, far worse option. A critical procedural vote is scheduled to take place this afternoon.
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The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
An American Airlines plane caught fire while on the tarmac at Denver's airport yesterday, prompting passengers to evacuate on the plane's wing. The flight was diverted shortly after taking off from Colorado Springs on its way to Dallas after experiencing what American Airlines called an engine-related issue. It landed safely but caught fire while taxiing to the gate.
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The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
ABC News reports there were only a few minor injuries the FAA is investigating. President Trump's efforts to end birthright citizenship has reached the Supreme Court. On Thursday, the administration filed a series of emergency appeals asking the high court to limit lower court rulings that have blocked his efforts.
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The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
If the justices decline to take up the case or reject Trump's efforts, the court could still take up the central question of whether birthright citizenship is guaranteed in the Constitution. once lawsuits make their way through the appeals process. A landmark case in 1898 affirmed birthright citizenship, and CNN notes the modern court hasn't signaled a desire to revisit the issue.
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The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
And finally, it's the end of an era for one of fashion's most storied houses. Donatella Versace is stepping down as creative director of the brand after 28 years. She took over after her brother Gianni, who founded Versace, was murdered in 1997. Versace posted on social media, quote, It's been the greatest honor of my life to carry on my brother Gianni's legacy.
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The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
It's the first time a Versace will not be in charge of the label's designs in nearly 50 years. Dario Vitale, a former executive at Miu Miu, will replace her. Bloomberg reports it's a crucial time for Versace as it's being eyed for sale to rival brand Prada for $1.6 billion, a deal that could close this month. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
And check out our interview show, In Conversation. This week, we look at the U.S. military's recruitment crisis. New Yorker staff writer and Pulitzer Prize winner Dexter Filkins tells me why fewer people are joining the armed forces today and what it could mean for military preparedness in the future.
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The key Democrats forming a resistance to Trump
If you're listening in the Apple News app right now, that episode is queued up to play for you next. Enjoy the weekend and we'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
President Trump made the precarious ceasefire deal even more delicate by saying last week, while hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, that the U.S. will take over Gaza, displacing millions of Palestinians so the U.S. could build on their land. And the president recently told Fox News' Brett Baier that Gazans would not be allowed to return home.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
The reconstruction of Gaza was something Israel and Hamas agreed to discuss for phase three of the ceasefire agreement, at least before Trump weighed in. Lonsdorff told us many Palestinians are extremely upset by what Trump is suggesting.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
Hamas has said Trump's plan would, quote, put oil on the fire in the Middle East, and it's been rejected by a number of countries in the region. Netanyahu, meanwhile, has said Trump's proposal could change history and called it worth paying attention to.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
So far, nearly a month into the ceasefire agreement, 16 out of 33 hostages who were scheduled for release have been freed by Hamas, and over 600 Palestinians have been released by Israel. Let's turn now to air travel and new details about the very complicated airspace around Reagan National Airport, just outside Washington, D.C.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
Last month, an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines plane that was coming in for landing. All 67 people on both aircraft were killed. As we've mentioned before, air travel is one of the safest transportation methods. But in this region, the airspace is particularly complex given the number of civilian and military aircraft sharing space.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
And The Washington Post reports that air traffic controllers have been warning about the high number of near collisions in the area for years. The Post found over the last decade, airline pilots received over 100 warnings that they were in danger of a possible mid-air collision with a helicopter near Reagan National. The most recent came just a day before the fatal crash in January.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
Ian Duncan covers transportation for The Post.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
Some air traffic controllers suggested the need to move helicopter routes farther from airplane flight paths. The routes that were taken by the plane and helicopter in January's crash had only a 15 foot margin of distance at their closest point.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
But first, to the Middle East, where Hamas has agreed to release three Israeli hostages on Saturday as scheduled in the planned ceasefire deal. Earlier in the week, Hamas threatened to postpone their release, accusing Israel of violating terms of the agreement related to humanitarian aid and allowing displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
President Trump recently made changes at the FAA. Last month, he eliminated all members of an aviation security advisory group that examines safety issues at airlines and airports. In order to move a flight route, the FAA would need to go through an internal process and review what's possible in this airspace, which has been tightly controlled since September 11th.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
And there would also be impacts on people living in the region.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
At the end of this month, the National Transportation and Safety Board is expected to release a preliminary report on what caused last month's crash. But Duncan told us he doesn't expect all of the outstanding questions to be answered.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
The trial of Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Federation, ends today after two weeks of testimony. He's accused of sexually assaulting Spanish soccer player Jenny Hermoso by kissing her without consent after they won the World Cup in 2023. Hermoso testified about the incident in a Spanish court. She says the kiss stained one of the happiest moments of her life.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
Ruby Alice on the stand testified the kiss was spontaneous and consensual.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
He says, I asked her if I could give her a little kiss and she said yes. Hermoso refuted that account.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
Dermot Corrigan with The Athletic has been in the courtroom throughout this trial.
Apple News Today
Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
Good morning. It's Friday, February 14th, Valentine's Day. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, a complicated airspace around Reagan National Airport. The trial of Spain's former soccer chief ends. And in 50 years of Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels has never missed a show.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
The prosecution, meanwhile, also argued that Rubiales and three other employees of the football club, who were also on trial in this case, tried to coerce Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
A number of Hermoso's teammates took the stand during the trial to support her. Two of them testified that she cried on the plane ride home from the World Cup because she felt pressured to support Rubiales. Because the incident happened in Australia, this case is being heard by a special court in Spain.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
Hamas also said some Palestinians are still being targeted by gunfire. Israel denied those claims and had threatened to resume attacks on Gaza if Hamas refused to release the hostages as planned.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
There's no jury involved, but Corrigan says the case will be decided by the judge over the next few weeks. Rubiales faces at maximum a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
Key resignations at the Justice Department yesterday, including Manhattan's top federal prosecutor and five other senior officials, after they refused to follow through with an order from the department to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Manhattan U.S.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
Attorney Danielle Sassoon said she's confident Adams committed the crimes spelled out in his indictment and accused Adams' lawyers of proposing what amounted to a quid pro quo, suggesting Adams could help carry out Trump's immigration agenda if the indictment were dismissed. A lawyer for Adams called the idea of there being a quid pro quo a total lie.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
Acting Deputy Attorney General Emile Beauvais accepted Sassoon's resignation and put the team who worked on prosecuting Adams on administrative leave, saying they'll be investigated by the attorney general. The New York Times notes this spree of resignations is the most high-profile repudiation of President Trump's tightening control over the Justice Department.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
In other news, President Trump is proposing that the U.S. increase its tariffs to match the tax rates that other countries charge on American imports. Reuters reports that the move toward reciprocal tariffs could set the stage for a global trade war. The administration says this will level the playing field for American companies and kick off new trade negotiations with other countries.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
But as the AP notes, it might drive up prices and could backfire if it pushes up inflation and slows growth. And finally, this weekend, Saturday Night Live turns 50. And on Sunday, it'll broadcast a three-hour live anniversary special featuring dozens of stars and musical guests. The show has come a long way from its very first chaotic episode in 1975.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
The man behind the scenes for all 50 years is creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels, who, if you can believe it, has never missed a single Saturday night. Susan Morrison, an editor at The New Yorker, got unique access to the show for her new biography on Michaels.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
And she told me, despite having run the same production for five decades, the show is so ambitious and hard to pull off that it still comes down to the wire every week.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
One of the things that people in the current group of writers said to me is they would see him on Friday looking at the index cards on his bulletin board where he has the sketches arrayed in three acts and still seem scared. The idea that after 50 years he cares so much that he could still feel on Friday morning like, oh my God, I don't have a f***ing first act.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
Morrison is my guest on this week's episode of Apple News in Conversation, where she told me all about Michael's singular vision for a new kind of comedy show. And of course, we talked about our favorite SNL sketches. If you're listening in the Apple News app right now, that's queued up to play for you next. Enjoy the weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
Kat Lonsdorff is NPR's Middle East correspondent and spoke with us from Tel Aviv. She says although this recent dispute appears to be resolved, there are still questions about how phase two of the ceasefire deal might move forward. We know some of the big picture goals. More Israeli hostages and detained Palestinians could be released. Israeli troops could withdraw from Gaza.
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Why D.C.’s airspace is riskier than we previously thought
And the terms of a permanent ceasefire could be explored. But we don't have many specifics.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
He says insurance companies blame hospitals and drug companies when consumers are upset about high premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Meanwhile, doctors say dealing with insurance companies and trying to convince them to pay for their patients' care is getting worse. And hospitals blame drug companies for charging high prices.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
We saw an example of this blame game gone wrong recently, just in the past week, when Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield announced it would no longer pay for anesthesia if a procedure goes past a certain time limit. The public response to this was overwhelmingly negative. Typical big bad insurance company, people were saying. And Anthem ended up walking back the new policy.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
But Vox points out this is an example of wrongly placed blame. The policy was actually looking out for patients who are sometimes overbilled by anesthesiologists. Sometimes good policy loses out when you've already lost any shred of goodwill. Scott says, blame game aside, we've got to focus on results, and the numbers don't tell a good story.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
Reforming the system to deliver better care will require some accountability from every sector of the industry. Scott says voters play a role too.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
He says it's good to look at what other countries have done to design health care that works for everyone, if only to remind us that it is, in fact, possible.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
Let's turn now to one of the most controversial policies during Trump's first term in office, his decision to separate more than 5,000 children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. You might remember seeing the images of kids held behind chain-link fences, sleeping on mattresses on the floor covered by foil blankets.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
Or you might remember hearing this recording, first released by ProPublica, of children crying, calling for their parents.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
Once it went public, the policy was met with widespread condemnation, from religious figures like the pope to all of the living former first ladies and many Republican leaders. Trump recently, in his first network TV interview since his reelection, was asked by NBC's Kristen Welker about whether his plans for mass deportations in a second term would lead to families being separated again.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
But first, to the American health care system, which has left so many people feeling overwhelmed, helpless and in some cases betrayed. Over the past week, we've witnessed a tremendous public outpouring of that frustration after the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the arrest of his alleged shooter. Americans have been feeling this way for a while now.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
NBC correspondent Jacob Soboroff says it's disingenuous to suggest families won't be separated again, particularly for kids who are citizens, but their parents are not.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
Soboroff has reported extensively on Trump's family separation policy, and he recently teamed up with Academy Award-winning filmmaker Errol Morris to make a documentary called Separated, based on his reporting. He told us part of the reason we could see separations again is because Congress has not taken action on this issue.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
He also emphasized that no one involved in this policy has ever been held responsible for the harm done to children by the U.S. government.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
You can hear more from my conversation with Jacob Soboroff and Errol Morris on this week's episode of Apple News in Conversation. If you're listening in the News app, that episode is queued up to play for you next.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
Now to a major development in the world of reality television, where the National Labor Relations Board is weighing in on working conditions for the people who make these shows so popular.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
Good morning. It's Friday, December 13th. I'm Shamitha Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, what family separations could look like under a second Trump term, how treating reality TV stars as paid employees could change the industry, and an incredible breakthrough in preventing the spread of HIV.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
Earlier this week, the NLRB found the hit Netflix dating show Love is Blind violated the workers' rights of its contestants, which could mean cast members are now entitled to federal legal protections for workers. That could open the door to more efforts to unionize across the entire reality TV genre.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
Which is a big deal, because from the beginning, it's been pretty inconsistent about compensation and protections. The New York Times reports that the production companies have long defended their treatment of the cast members, arguing that every decision the contestants make is up to them. Several cast members from Love is Blind have filed lawsuits over this.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
A lawsuit from a season two contestant alleged he was paid $1,000 a week while being filmed for up to 20 hours a day, seven days a week. New Yorker writer Emily Nussbaum, who covers reality TV, says this is pretty typical industry-wide. She was our guest on Apple News and Conversation earlier this year.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
Confidence in the quality of U.S. health care is at an all-time low, according to Gallup. Public approval of doctors and hospitals has dropped over the last decade by more than 10 percent. Only 18 percent of the public views the pharmaceutical industry favorably.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
On Love is Blind, contestants live together. They go on blind speed dates, which in some cases end with an engagement and a dramatic first meeting, followed by a whirlwind of dates before couples go to the altar to decide if they'll actually get married.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
The whole season is filmed over just a few weeks, and I can personally attest that with the right attitude, you can watch a whole season in just a few days. Most reality shows have strict rules that contestants must follow. Pretty much everyone has to sign an NDA, which means they can't talk about making the show or complain about how they're represented or how production treated them.
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And they can't complain if something gets edited in that didn't really happen in real life. All of this can make it easier for potential abuse to fly under the radar, since many issues are handled in private arbitration.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
This woman, Renee Poche, was paid $8,000 for eight weeks of filming the show. She's one of the contestants who brought accusations against the production companies who make Love is Blind to the NLRB. And the board said the show issued unlawful contracts regarding its non-compete and confidentiality rules. It's asking production companies to pay former cast members for lost wages.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app. A new January 6th report from an independent watchdog at the DOJ says there is no evidence the federal government incited the attack on the U.S. Capitol. ABC News reports the findings undercut years of baseless claims by far-right figures who said the FBI played a significant role in sparking the incident.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
Vox's Dylan Scott told us so many people can relate to the dread of having to call up your health insurance to figure out whether an urgently needed procedure is covered.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
The investigation did find the FBI had confidential informants on site, but they were not instructed to join or encourage the riot. President-elect Trump has said he will pardon January 6th rioters within hours of assuming the presidency. The U.S. Postal Service's efforts to replace its aging fleet of mail trucks is way behind schedule.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
The Washington Post reports that of the 60,000 mostly electric trucks the Postal Service is slated to purchase, only 93 have been delivered. The defense contractor building the vehicles cites manufacturing problems for the delay. Billions in federal funding went into this project, and it's a cornerstone of President Biden's climate agenda.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
And finally, the journal Science has named the HIV drug lenacapivir as its breakthrough of the year. A large trial found the twice-yearly shots reduced HIV infections to zero, an incredible 100 percent efficacy, according to the journal. A second study yielded similar results. More than one million people a year are infected with HIV globally.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
And while lenacapavir is not a vaccine, scientists are hopeful the drug can drive down infection rates dramatically and bring us one step closer to ending HIV-AIDS as a global health crisis. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, stick around for the rest of my conversation about family separations with Errol Morris and Jacob Soboroff. Enjoy your weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
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U.S. health care is broken at every level. Can it be fixed?
He says part of what makes our current system such a nightmare for consumers and what makes it so hard to correct is that no single person or industry is responsible for the failures of the U.S. health care system. And everyone involved is busy pointing fingers at each other.
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What is the market mayhem all for?
Thanks. Good morning. It's Friday, April 11th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, a look back at this week in tariffs. The Supreme Court says the Trump administration must help bring back a man who was wrongly deported to El Salvador. And why some foreign musicians are thinking twice before coming to play shows in the U.S.
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What is the market mayhem all for?
Yeah. Well, that moment that you're describing on Wednesday, it sounds like that was a turning point for a lot of people watching closely this tariff policy. I mean, we heard Fox Business senior correspondent Charlie Gasparino, who's been a big supporter of President Trump's, basically say this is not sustainable.
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What is the market mayhem all for?
So was this actually a strategy of Trump's? Are we seeing something that suggests this is a strategy that unfolded in the way he had planned? Or is this really Trump conceding and walking something back because it clearly was too unpopular and unsustainable?
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What is the market mayhem all for?
So, you know, I mean, he was even admonished in that hearing. It sounds like you're sitting here in front of us. Why is there a big movement on trade policy? Absolutely.
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What is the market mayhem all for?
Mm-hmm. Let's go back to this idea of concessions for a moment, because we're hearing President Trump say this, some of his team is saying this, that they have managed to get dozens of countries to engage with them since the tariffs, new tariffs were introduced, and that they're hopeful that this will now lead to serious concessions. What concessions is he hoping to get?
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What is the market mayhem all for?
How much of the concession talk to you appears to be substantial versus PR, basically?
Apple News Today
What is the market mayhem all for?
Mm-hmm. Well, so the administration's stated goal and goal, at least, is to bring American manufacturing back to the United States. Can I ask you to just evaluate that vision for a moment? I mean, how realistic is that? What would it look like? How long might it take?
Apple News Today
What is the market mayhem all for?
Let's start with the biggest story all week, President Trump's tariff policy. Today, China announced it will raise tariffs on the United States to 125%. That comes after the Trump administration imposed tariffs of 145% on China.
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What is the market mayhem all for?
Just to bring us to an end here, to an end point of reflection, I mean, we've talked about there being these two competing narratives of what happened this week. I think we're going to be hearing about this for a long time. The Trump administration is touting this week as a victory, as this was our plan all along. Others are calling it a capitulation, a real walk back after so much backlash.
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What is the market mayhem all for?
How would you advise people who are listening to think about these dual narratives and decide which one is closest to true?
Apple News Today
What is the market mayhem all for?
The tit-for-tat retaliatory measures are just the latest in an unnerving week that started with widespread tariffs against dozens of countries, sending markets nosediving, only to be pulled back a few days later on all countries except China. To understand the impact of all of this and what comes next, I called up Sean Donnan, a senior writer for economics at Bloomberg News.
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What is the market mayhem all for?
John Donnan with Bloomberg. Thank you so much for your time.
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What is the market mayhem all for?
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. The Supreme Court ruled Thursday the Trump administration must facilitate the return of a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador back to the United States. A lower court judge ordered the administration to return Kilmar Abrego-Garcia by Monday night.
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What is the market mayhem all for?
But Chief Justice John Roberts paused that order so the court could have time to review the case. The administration accused Abrego Garcia of being a gang member, but so far has not publicly provided any evidence of that. They admitted he was erroneously deported, but said there was nothing they could do to return him. And they argued the judge who ordered his return had no power to do so.
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What is the market mayhem all for?
In addition to saying the government should help him return, the justices also ordered his case to be handled as it would have if he had not been deported. There were two aviation incidents on Thursday. First, in New York, a helicopter carrying six people went down into the Hudson River. ABC News reports all six people on board, including a pilot, two adults, and three children, were killed.
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What is the market mayhem all for?
Meanwhile, in Washington, a plane carrying a number of members of the House from New York and New Jersey was clipped by another plane while on the ground at Reagan National Airport. Both were American Airlines aircraft. Reagan Airport has been in the public eye ever since an American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter in January, killing 67 people.
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What is the market mayhem all for?
And finally, the first of two weekends of the Coachella Music Festival kicks off today. The LA Times reports recent high-profile incidents at the U.S. border where people were denied entry has some foreign artists worried about traveling to the United States, especially if they've been critical of President Trump. The U.S.
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What is the market mayhem all for?
is the biggest touring market, and festivals like Coachella attract music acts from all over the world. According to The Times, this general feeling of unease, plus recently increased visa costs and longer wait times, are making some artists call their lawyers or even think twice before coming to perform in the U.S. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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What is the market mayhem all for?
And check out our interview show In Conversation. This week, I talked to New Yorker staff writer Jonathan Blitzer about the recent deportation of more than 200 Venezuelan migrants to a maximum security prison in El Salvador. Blitzer spoke about what he sees as the near silent democratic response to the Trump administration's immigration agenda.
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What is the market mayhem all for?
And I started by asking him why the White House reversed itself in the way that it did and what, if anything, this chaotic week has actually accomplished.
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What is the market mayhem all for?
If you're listening in the Apple News app right now, that episode is queued up to play for you next. Enjoy the weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
For some, there were a few potential deal-breakers about entering the workforce. Nearly half of the students said that they won't take a job that doesn't have a competitive salary and benefits. Barber says young job seekers are leading the way on pay transparency, pushing executives to publish details like in-office expectations and salaries, a requirement in some but not all states.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
Nearly 60 percent of grads think work-from-office requirements are outdated.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
The biggest deal breaker they called out, companies that don't value work-life balance.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
Barber also spoke to some career experts for tips on what graduates should expect as they start their job hunts. One of them told her grads should prepare to be patient.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
Of the young people surveyed, nearly a quarter said they plan to pursue a career in business. 15% said they plan to pursue a career in AI. Now to the Vatican, where yesterday white smoke appeared, signaling to the world's 1.4 billion Catholics that a new spiritual leader has been chosen. Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, was emotional as he addressed a jubilant crowd from the Vatican balcony.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
He said, may peace be with you all. Leo is the first American ever selected to be pope. But in his first words to followers yesterday, the 69-year-old Chicago native spoke in Italian and Spanish, a language he picked up while spending most of his career in Peru. Joshua McElwee is Reuters Vatican correspondent, and he's had a front row seat to this process over the past few weeks.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
McAuley said it's an interesting moment to choose an American pope.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
President Trump called Pope Leo's selection a great honor for the United States. That comes a few days after he tweeted an AI-generated image of himself as pope, which evoked negative reactions from many religious leaders. And it's quite possible the American president and the new American pope won't see eye to eye on many social issues.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
Months ago, a social media account connected with then-Cardinal Prevost criticized the Trump administration and Vice President J.D. Vance, who is a Catholic, for their hardline stance on immigration. Leo is generally seen to be someone who was close to the previous pope, Francis, and has made causes of social justice, especially for refugees, a personal interest.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
People McElwee spoke to in Peru noted his down-to-earth manner and compassion for Venezuelan migrants.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
It's not clear exactly how Pope Leo might break from his predecessor on issues like sexuality. Pope Francis famously said homosexuality is a sin but not a crime, and he allowed for the blessing of gay couples. As for the new pope, we know little beyond 2012 comments he made, critical of the media's positive portrayal of, quote, practices that are contrary to the gospel.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
In fact, this year's graduating class is expected to be the largest in history and millions of young people will be entering the workforce for the first time in the next few weeks. A recent survey found many are pretty optimistic about finding a job.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
So there's still a lot of unknowns. For Chicagoans, another big unknown is Pope Leo's baseball allegiances. A rumor quickly circulated on social media that the South Chicago native was a Cubs fan. His brother was quick to clear up the confusion on local WGN-TV.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
Any day now, a spacecraft that was sent by the Soviet Union to land on Venus over 50 years ago is expected to fall down to Earth and make a crash landing somewhere. According to ABC News, soon after it initially launched, parts of the spacecraft got trapped in Earth's orbit by mistake.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
And since it was built to survive the atmosphere of Venus, which is far denser than ours, it's possible it won't fully disintegrate as it streaks down through Earth's atmosphere. Which brings us to the next point. Where could it land? And even more specifically, could it land on me or another human? One astronomer at Harvard told ABC News the risk of it striking a person is very low.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
Another expert put it this way to CNN. 70% of the Earth is water, so chances are fairly high it'll land in the ocean. The impending crash is once again raising attention to the problem of space junk in general. Most of it is stuff like satellites, which, unlike what's expected to happen with the Soviet craft, commonly burn up and vaporize as they hit Earth's atmosphere.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
Good morning. It's Friday, May 9th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, for the first time, an American pope. A Soviet-era spacecraft is expected to come crashing down to Earth. And why many non-coastal cities are sinking. But first, we are in the height of graduation season.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
In 2024, Bloomberg News reports there were about 1,000 satellite reentries, roughly three per day. And by 2035, according to an estimate from the same Harvard astrophysicist, there could be as many as up to 50 satellites reentering the atmosphere every day. And that takes a toll. Eric Rosten writes about energy and the environment for Bloomberg.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
Companies like Amazon and SpaceX have been filling up space with more and more satellites in recent years. SpaceX plays a particularly big role. When the company first started to send satellites into orbit around six years ago, there were fewer than 2,000 functional satellites total. Since then, SpaceX alone has sent more than 7,000.
Apple News Today
Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
And the company has said in the past it hopes to have six times that amount in space someday. Research into stratospheric pollution is relatively new. So far, data from the past five years shows that things like rocket fuel and particles from satellites that re-enter the atmosphere could potentially undo decades of progress repairing the ozone layer and possibly indirectly change the weather.
Apple News Today
Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
Rachel Barber is a money and economy reporter at USA Today. She told us about this survey from the job site Monster and Harris Poll. It checked in with more than 1,000 recent and soon-to-be grads.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
Scientists will get more answers soon from the European Space Agency. It plans to launch a mission in 2027 that follows a satellite's final descent into the atmosphere and measure what exactly is left in its wake. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. It was a day of hirings and firings at the White House.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
President Trump has selected Fox News host and former prosecutor Jeanine Pirro as the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, one of the most important federal prosecutor's offices in the Justice Department. It comes as Trump pulled the nomination of Ed Martin, who faced backlash from key Republican senators in his nomination process.
Apple News Today
Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
Pirro joins the ranks of other Fox News personalities who have been selected by Trump for prominent roles in his second term. Pirro, who's known the president for decades, was an outspoken voice repeating his false claims of election fraud in 2020.
Apple News Today
Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
And as for firings, Cameron Hamilton, the head of FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was fired just a day after he told members of Congress that FEMA should not be eliminated, seeming to go against the stated goals of the Trump administration.
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Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
His departure comes just three weeks before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, and as Congress considers a proposal from the Trump administration to dramatically cut FEMA's budget. In other climate-related news, new research indicates that land beneath the 28 most populous cities in the U.S. is shrinking, impacting areas with about 34 million people.
Apple News Today
Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
The phenomenon called subsistence is normally a big concern with coastal cities, but many of the cities highlighted in the research are further inland. Reasons for the sinking vary from region to region, but Houston is the city sinking the fastest, as Texas pumps a lot of groundwater, oil, and gas. And finally, this Sunday is Mother's Day. I've got really high expectations for my one-year-old.
Apple News Today
Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
He should be able to cook me breakfast by now, right? Well, there's this really sweet story out of Fort Worth, Texas, where a mother will actually share the graduation stage with her son at Texas Christian University. Brandy and Kyle Fields will both get diplomas over the weekend. Kyle reflected on the experience in a promotional video for the school.
Apple News Today
Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
Whatever you end up doing on Mother's Day, we hope it's a special day. It doesn't involve any homework. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, our latest episode of In Conversation is queued up for you next. This week, we're bringing you my interview with a recent Pulitzer Prize winner.
Apple News Today
Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
Madeline Barron, the host of the podcast In the Dark, and her team won for their massive investigation into the massacre of Iraqi civilians in Haditha in 2005.
Apple News Today
Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
If you're listening in the podcast app, you can find that episode by searching for Apple News in Conversation. Enjoy your weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
Any day now, an old Soviet spacecraft will crash-land on Earth
Their confidence in the job market has been backed up by recent economic reports. Job numbers were strong in April, beating expectations. The unemployment rate held steady, and average hourly earnings grew slightly. But the graduates surveyed were far less confident that they'll be able to find jobs at the companies they want to work for. Nearly half said they didn't think it was likely.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
Similar reversals have happened at the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Energy, and other agencies. Some of the firings are being challenged in federal courts. And Washington Post reporter Aaron Wiener told us they reveal some of the flaws in Musk's thinking, applying private sector strategies to the federal bureaucracy.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
Federal workers Weiner spoke to say the whiplash has been difficult to navigate. In some cases, they've been ordered to return to work in the office, only to find that their agencies will no longer occupy the buildings they were reporting to. Musk's team has canceled hundreds of leases.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
In one case at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Weiner reports managers were directed to flip a coin to determine who should use the limited available workspaces. Other workers said they've been instructed to kill time in hallways while they wait for desks to open up.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
After the cabinet meeting, Trump described in a social media post a more precise approach to job cuts than the administration has taken to date, writing, we say, the scalpel rather than the hatchet.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
Now to reporting from ProPublica that examines the unusual relationship between Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, one of the most powerful politicians in the country, and a conservative evangelical pastor named Steve Berger. They are housemates in Washington, D.C.
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Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
Joshua Kaplan is a reporter for ProPublica.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
Speaker Johnson has been staying in the House since earlier this year, and Kaplan told us the pastor, Berger, had been working for several years to develop a political influence campaign with the explicit goal of building relationships with lawmakers and using those connections to influence policy. Kaplan walked us through some of Berger's positions.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
Johnson, like Berger, is an evangelical conservative. And according to House ethics rules, the speaker and other lawmakers are allowed to live anywhere they want if they pay fair market rent. Otherwise, it would be considered an improper gift under ethics rules. A spokesperson for Johnson says he pays fair rent for his portion of the townhome.
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Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
And this spokesperson told ProPublica that Johnson and Berger have never discussed legislation or public policy.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
But first, since President Trump took office, he and Elon Musk have been working to dramatically reshape and shrink the federal workforce. In less than two months, they've fired over 60,000 employees across at least 17 different agencies. The speed of the firings has led to some confusion and mistakes.
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Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
Berger did not respond to ProPublica's request for comment, but he has claimed previously to have personally motivated legislation on Capitol Hill.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
ProPublica reports Berger has had close relationships with other conservative politicians. Mark Meadows, Trump's former chief of staff, has said that he and several members of Congress attend weekly Bible study with Berger.
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Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
Another person who's known to have lived in this townhome, former Congress member Dan Bishop, who is President Trump's nominee for deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget. He also did not respond to ProPublica's request for comment.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
Conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch turns 94 next week, and his family is more divided than ever. Last year, he attempted to change the family trust. It's designed so that when Rupert dies, control of his global print and broadcast empire will be shared equally between four of his children.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
Rupert wanted to take voting power away from three of his kids in favor of his eldest son, Lachlan, who currently runs Fox News. He felt he could trust Laughlin more to carry on his legacy and maintain the right-wing and, in some cases, far-right slant of his brands.
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Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
But a court official in Nevada rejected his bid to make that change, and the bitter legal battle laid bare the dysfunction within the family.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
Good morning. It's Friday, March 7th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, house speaker Mike Johnson's pastor roommate, Rupert Murdoch's youngest son addresses the family's succession drama for the first time, and how daylight saving time affects your health.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
That's McKay Coppins, a staff writer at The Atlantic, and my guest this week on Apple News in Conversation. He spoke with Murdoch's youngest son, James, extensively about his rivalry with Lachlan and the battle for control of his father's businesses.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
Politico reported yesterday that Trump convened his cabinet to make clear that they should make the final calls on hiring and firing within their departments, not Musk. But he also said if cabinet secretaries aren't willing to make cuts, Musk will do the cutting. The meeting came after a flood of concerns from lawmakers and cabinet secretaries over who has final firing power.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
The whole idea of the trust initially, James told Coppins, was to incentivize the siblings to cooperate and make them less competitive for their father's favor. But in reality, the siblings have very different viewpoints on where the businesses should go. Lachlan is reportedly even more conservative than his father.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
Meanwhile, the other siblings have indicated that they would make efforts to tone down the political rhetoric at their father's outlets.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
Coppin's reporting on James Murdoch, titled Growing Up Murdoch, was the Apple News Story of the Month for February. If you're listening in the Apple News app, we'll cue that up to play for you next. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
President Trump on Thursday postponed the implementation of tariffs on Canada and Mexico for goods that are part of a trade agreement he signed during his first term. That applies to about 50 percent of Mexican imports and 38 percent of Canadian imports. The pause is for one month. Tariffs that Trump imposed on China earlier this week remain in effect.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
This is the second time in less than two months that Trump has announced and then backtracked on tariffs on the United States' neighbors, moves that have rattled the stock market and caused concern among some economists. The exemption is in place until April 2nd. That's when Trump plans to announce another round of retaliatory tariffs on goods from a range of countries.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
In South Carolina, the first execution by firing squad in the United States in almost 15 years is scheduled to take place this evening. Brad Keith Sigmund was convicted of double murder and sentenced to death in 2002. He chose the firing squad rather than lethal injection or the electric chair, which is South Carolina's default method.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
Problems with the state's recent lethal injections made Sigmund fearful that he might experience pulmonary edema, a condition that can develop due to a drug given during a lethal injection that can create the feeling of drowning. Only three people in the past 50 or so years have been executed in this way in the United States.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
And finally, clocks change this weekend as we move forward by one hour for daylight saving on Sunday. Time magazine reports there are a number of ways losing an hour of sleep can affect your health, including throwing off your circadian rhythm and exacerbating anxiety and depression symptoms. There are some ways to deal with it.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
One doctor told Time since this is a biological change, simply giving your body time to adjust could help by exercising and adjusting your bedtime gradually over the course of several days. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app, stick around for my full interview with McKay Coppins about the Murdoch family.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
That episode of Apple News in Conversation is coming up next. Enjoy the weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
Musk was also in the room for the cabinet meeting, according to Politico's reporting, and acknowledged that the Doge team has made some missteps, something he also said to members of Congress this week. Some of those missteps have led to rehiring workers who were let go.
Apple News Today
Speaker Johnson has a roommate — and he has a big agenda
At the Department of Agriculture, for example, scientists trying to fight the spread of bird flu were laid off as part of the mass firings, and the administration struggled to rehire key employees working on the virus outbreak. The Department of Veterans Affairs fired 1,000 probationary employees one week, then sought to rehire employees who worked on the veterans' crisis line.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
For example, Trump now has a massive stake in a media company, Trump Media, which owns Truth Social.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Trump and his family also have multiple cryptocurrency ventures.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Trump has vowed to be a, quote, crypto president. And just this week, according to The New York Times, there were major staffing changes ordered at the SEC that signal a possible rollback in crypto regulations.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Just before the inauguration, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump launched their own crypto tokens, whose market valuations skyrocketed, generating potentially billions of dollars for the family and their affiliates. And even though the price of those coins has since crashed, losing money for the average unsophisticated trader, Trump is continuing to make money off of transaction fees.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Further complicating matters are the people in Trump's inner circle. To name a few, his right-hand man, Elon Musk, owns six companies and has business contracts with the federal government. The White House says Musk will be responsible for self-managing those conflicts of interest. Trump's daughter-in-law, Laura Trump, just landed a job hosting her own show for Fox News.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
And the president's nominee to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, has a side hustle selling Trump T-shirts and children's books. But that's not all.
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Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Linda McMahon, Trump's pick for education secretary, is also on that board. She and Patel were recently gifted thousands of shares of Trump media stock. at a paper value of around $800,000. Patel's role with Trump Media is particularly concerning because he has vowed in the past to go after media companies if confirmed as FBI director.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
A spokesperson for Patel did not respond to Bloomberg's request for comment. Just before Trump was sworn in for the second time, the Trump Organization said he would be putting his investments and assets in a trust managed by his children. But Massa told us Trump's critics say that's not enough.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Trump's lawyers have argued that what he's doing is not unprecedented. They point to George Washington, who ran a business while he was president, and Vice President Nelson Rockefeller in the 1970s, who kept his stake in Standard Oil during his term.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
And while all of that is true, in the last 50 years or so, nearly all presidents have taken steps to walk away from business deals that could create the perception that they are compromised.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Not only has Trump bucked this norm, but in his case, the conflicts are so vast and touch so many people in his family and his administration, ethics experts say it's going to be extremely challenging to keep up.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
But first, a look at how President Trump's potential for conflicts of interest has changed and expanded since his first term. In 2020, a New York Times investigation found over 200 companies, interest groups and governments patronized Trump businesses while reaping benefits from Trump's administration or Trump personally. The Washington Post reported one example.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
During the Biden administration, Venezuelans, along with immigrants from more than a dozen other countries, were granted temporary protections because conditions in their homelands had deteriorated so much it was deemed unsafe for them to return. Now, the Trump administration is reversing that decision.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Starting in April, more than 300,000 Venezuelans will lose their temporary protected status, or TPS. Another 250,000 or so with protections through September are waiting to see whether their status will get revoked, too. Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans live in Florida.
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Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
NPR spoke with Adelise Ferro, director of the Venezuelan American Caucus, who said this community is feeling betrayed by Trump.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Greg Allen, a Miami correspondent for NPR, told us this is a community that has largely supported Trump.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Venezuelans, in part, threw their support behind Trump because they saw him as someone who would stand up to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. But last week, Venezuelans questioned whether they had been wrong in that assumption. The Trump administration sent an official to Venezuela to meet with Maduro and successfully negotiated the release of several American hostages.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
While a lot of people saw that as an early diplomatic win for Trump and for Americans, some Venezuelans took away a different message.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
The Trump administration has defended their decision to revoke TPS status for this group. Here's Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on NBC's Meet the Press last weekend.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Good morning. It's Friday, February 7th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why Venezuelans once loyal to Trump are feeling betrayed, the Big Easy gets ready for the weekend's big game, and how police are trying to crack the case of 100,000 stolen eggs.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
But Farrow, the director of the Venezuelan American Caucus, told NPR that's just not true, that by and large, most Venezuelans in this country are law-abiding and hardworking. Now, she says, the community is scrambling and fearful of what comes next.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
And some Republican lawmakers in Florida are urging Trump to move carefully, reminding the administration that this is a community that's been key to their recent election victories. Super Bowl weekend is upon us. On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles take on the two-time defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, in New Orleans.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Apple News' Shakur Saman has been in the Big Easy all week, talking with players ahead of the big game. And he asked a few of them, Kingsley Suamataia with the Chiefs, and Eagles players Tristan McCollum and Elias Ricks, to recall some of their favorite Super Bowl moments over the years.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
T-Mobile spent $195,000 at Trump's D.C. hotel while seeking federal approval of a merger with Sprint. The merger was ultimately approved, and the Justice Department and FCC declined to comment on it to the Post.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Now, these players will get to have their own potential wow moments this weekend in what is expected to be a pretty close matchup. Both sides feature quarterbacks in their prime with plenty of offensive and defensive power behind them. Saman caught up with the Athletics' Nate Taylor to talk about the outlook of the game for both teams.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
For the Chiefs, who are going for the three-peat, it's a classic combo mixed with a little defense.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
For the Eagles, Taylor says, it's a straightforward play. Give the ball to star running back Saquon Barkley.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
This year will be a record-tying 11th time the Super Bowl is being hosted in New Orleans. And the traveling-from-out-of-town fans are clearly having a blast. Here are a few talking to the local NBC affiliate.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
The Super Bowl kicks off at 6.30 p.m. Eastern Time this Sunday, and we'll be covering all the action in the Apple News app. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Yesterday was supposed to be the deadline for federal employees to decide whether or not to accept Elon Musk's buyout.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Critics argue that Trump's refusal to disentangle himself from his businesses while president not only creates ethical murkiness, but in cases involving foreign governments as clients, violates the emoluments clause of the Constitution, which prohibits government officials from accepting money from foreign entities. Now, in his second term, Trump's money-making ventures have only expanded.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
But a federal judge in Massachusetts paused the offer at the request of unions representing more than 800,000 federal workers. A hearing is set for Monday afternoon for both sides to argue their case. But that hasn't stopped the Trump administration from moving full steam ahead with their plans.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Sources told The Washington Post that officials in the administration believe agencies can continue to process resignations. According to The Post, 50,000 people had accepted the deferred resignation as of Thursday afternoon. Separately, Reuters reports that the Trump administration plans to keep fewer than 300 of the more than 10,000 employees at USAID.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Now, you're used to hearing about the cost of eggs on the news or bird flu affecting poultry farms. But here's one you didn't see coming. Authorities in Pennsylvania are investigating the theft of 100,000 eggs just north of the Maryland-Pennsylvania border. The eggs were stolen from a trailer that belonged to a company called Pete and Jerry's Organics on Saturday night.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Pennsylvania State Police say a theft of this caliber involving food is very rare. Egg prices have skyrocketed recently due to the bird flu outbreak. Prices are expected to go up another 20 percent this year, according to the Agriculture Department. The eggs that were stolen were worth an estimated $40,000.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
And finally, let's pivot to talk about an entirely different kind of egg, the human egg, and its role in fertility treatment. That's the topic of this week's episode of Apple News in Conversation. I speak with reporters from Bloomberg Businessweek about their deep dive into the global market for human eggs, one of the most precious resources on Earth.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
Reporters Natalie Obiko Pearson and Susan Burfield tell me the stories of some of the women they met while reporting this piece, including an IVF patient in Greece whose eggs were sold without her consent, a child in India who was coerced to pose as an adult to sell her eggs, and young women from Taiwan who were making a living off selling their eggs to the highest bidder.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
If you're listening in the Apple News app right now, that episode is queued up to play for you next. If you're listening in the podcast app, just search Apple News in Conversation to find it. And as always, you can find all the stories we talked about today in the Apple News app. Enjoy your weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
Trump returned to the White House twice as rich. It’s raising concerns.
In fact, Bloomberg reports that Trump returned to the White House more than twice as rich as he was before. Bloomberg reporter Annie Massa told us that ethics experts are even more concerned this time around.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
Hey there, it's Shamita. I've got a quick request for you. If Apple News Today is an essential part of your morning routine, follow the show in Apple Podcasts. And if you have another 30 seconds, leave us a rating and a review too. It helps other people find our show and it helps us know what you like about it. Thanks. Good morning. It's Friday, April 4th. I'm Shamita Basu.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
Global reaction to the tariffs has been mixed. China quickly retaliated, hitting all U.S. imports with a 34 percent tariff. But The Wall Street Journal reports that other countries for the moment aren't jumping to retaliatory measures. The prime minister of Australia, for example, said his country wouldn't join a, quote, race to the bottom by retaliating.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
Likewise, Japan and India, which both face tariffs upwards of 20 percent, have so far indicated no plans to invoke their own tariffs back at us. Today, American leaders and economists are watching for two key moments, a jobs report out this morning and later a speech on the economic outlook by Fed Chair Jerome Powell, particularly after the worst day for the markets in five years.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
On Fox News earlier this week, Vice President J.D. Vance was asked how Americans who are sitting at home worried about their bank accounts should prepare.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
He went on to blame Joe Biden for our economic woes.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
Meanwhile, there are broad consequences for some of the world's smallest and poorest nations. Reuters reports on the impact to Lesotho, a small African nation that Trump ridiculed as a country nobody has ever heard of last month in his joint address to Congress. The administration placed a whopping 50% reciprocal tariff on the country, the highest on the list.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
Exports to the U.S., primarily diamonds and textiles, make up more than 10% of Lesotho's GDP — An economist told Reuters that the tariffs will effectively kill the textile industry in the country. Due to the formula the administration used to calculate percentages, some of the poorest nations are facing the highest tariffs.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
Reuters also explains how some largely uninhabited territories and islands are facing tariffs, with some joking about penguins having to pay the cost. Now, if you are feeling nervous about the possibility of a recession, you're not alone. But it's not too soon or too late to start preparing your finances so you're in the best possible position.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
USA Today's personal finance reporter recommends you first focus on paying off any credit card debt or high interest debt as soon as possible. As needed, try transferring that debt to another loan that has a lower interest rate. And if you're debt free, try to make sure you have enough money in savings to cover at least three months of living expenses.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
One way to grow that reserve of money more quickly, USA Today says, try putting it in a high yield savings account. Let's spend the rest of today's show talking about some other news out of Washington. It's been a pretty remarkable week for lawmakers on Capitol Hill, from two women representatives who effectively shut down the House to a marathon speech on the Senate floor.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
This is Apple News Today. We begin with the immediate fallout from Trump's sweeping tariffs enacted on Wednesday. Markets slid with U.S. stocks seeing their steepest decline in market value since March of 2020. JPMorgan economists said yesterday they believe there's a 60 percent chance of a global recession.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
To help us take a step back and take stock, I called up Alana Shore, senior Washington editor at Semaphore. And I started by asking her about a push led by Representative Brittany Patterson, a Democrat from Colorado, and Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
Both are moms, and both came together to demand a change in the rules to allow new parents to vote by proxy in Congress, something President Trump came out in support of yesterday.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
Incredible. And we should say that this whole saga effectively meant that the House was out of business for two days this week. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Capitol, there was another moment that's gotten a lot of attention. Democratic Senator Cory Booker broke the record for the longest speech ever given on the Senate floor. It clocked in at 25 hours and five minutes.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
President Trump defended the tariffs while standing outside Air Force One yesterday, saying they put America in the driver's seat.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
Here's just a little bit of it where he spoke about being inspired by the late Representative John Lewis.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
So, Alana, what's been the reaction among Democrats to Booker's marathon speech? Democrats are thrilled.
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Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
And not to mention, I mean, the way that he did it, he literally did not step away. Right. He didn't sit the entire time. He could not use the bathroom during that entire time. And just to say he wasn't, you know, up there reading Green Eggs and Ham, as we have seen some representatives do. Right. Yeah. He spoke on the issues pretty consistently for that whole 25 hour period.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
Does it represent a change for how Democrats might be thinking about confronting this administration?
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
Okay. Alana, we can't end without quickly touching on this week's special elections, where Republicans appear to underperform. As the week closes out, how are you reflecting on what these races might tell us about what's to come?
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
But lots of economists, from more liberal ones to more conservative ones, are waving red flags, saying the math just doesn't add up. Here's some reaction from CNBC's Jim Cramer on CNN yesterday.
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Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
Hmm. So by that, do you mean different voters, like a different makeup of voters? Yes. I mean, certainly fewer. Fewer, yes. But by proportion, it means the makeup is just different.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
Alana Shore with Semaphore. Thank you so much for joining me. Thanks for having me. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Less rain and more drought have made it harder for coffee producers to contend with the never-ending demand for beans.
Apple News Today
Markets plummet, a House revolt, and other big Washington news
Smithsonian Magazine spoke to a botanist who is scouring remote corners of the earth in search of new alternatives. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. Enjoy the weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
Republicans in the House, meanwhile, have blocked an attempt to launch a congressional probe into the matter. An internal investigation in the executive branch is ongoing. Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer told reporters he thinks Trump is focusing on the wrong person, saying they should be firing Hegseth.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
That's because reporters at The New York Times learned on the very same day Waltz created the signal chat with Goldberg, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth created a second chat. He invited his wife, brother and lawyer, and he reportedly shared the Yemen attack plans in detail. Hegseth has since attacked the media, blamed disgruntled former employees and described The Times reporting as a hit piece.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
To be confirmed as U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Waltz would need to go through the Senate confirmation process. Republicans have the majority, but Democrats will likely press him hard on the Signal incident. While Trump looks for his replacement as national security advisor, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will fill in the role temporarily.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
Holding both positions means Rubio will run both the National Security Council, which coordinates foreign policy, and the State Department, which manages U.S. diplomacy. The last person to hold both of these powerful positions together was Henry Kissinger. Let's turn now to the other side of the aisle, the state of the Democratic Party, 100 plus days into the Trump administration.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
Across multiple polls, the Democratic Party as a whole has lower approval ratings than President Trump, with a recent CNN poll showing Democrats with a favorability score of just 29 percent, the lowest for the party since 1992.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
Voters say they're frustrated by the lack of action they see in Congress and moments when Democrats have voted to support Trump's agenda, like when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer voted to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. At the same time, many Democrats, from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Illinois Governor J.B.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
Pritzker, have been trying to speak directly to voters and galvanize the opposition. To take stock of the Democratic Party's current strategy, I called up Perry Bacon, a columnist at The Washington Post.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
You wrote a column recently for The Washington Post arguing that Democrats should really be focusing on speaking to and winning over moderates. What do you see them doing that is effective in that regard?
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
He removed one of his top advisers, Mike Waltz, the now former national security adviser, and says he plans to nominate Waltz to be U.S. ambassador to the U.N. instead. Remember, Waltz added a journalist to a signal chat in March where high-level officials, including the vice president, discussed military strikes in Yemen.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
Yeah, yeah. I was going to ask you, and you're kind of laying this out already, but like, what is the I'm working in 2025 strategy for Democrats?
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
Good morning. It's Friday, May 2nd. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how Democrats are speaking to voters 100 days into Trump's presidency. A rare show of congressional unity and names to know on World Press Freedom Day. But first, to Washington, where President Trump made his first big staffing shakeup of his second term.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
Barry, thank you so much for your time.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
It can seem in this highly partisan moment that our lawmakers in Congress can't agree on anything. But there was a rare moment of unity earlier this week when Congress passed the Take It Down Act, a law designed to stop the online spread of nonconsensual sexual imagery known commonly as revenge porn, including deepfakes.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
The bill was championed by First Lady Melania Trump, and it passed in a remarkable show of bipartisan support. 409 votes in favor, just two opposed. President Trump is expected to sign it into law. The Take It Down Act makes the sharing and posting of these types of images a federal crime and carries punishments including fines and possible prison time.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
For victims targeted by deepfake porn creators online, it's being hailed as a big step in the right direction.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
Signal is not an approved, secure platform for sharing classified government information. And Waltz took responsibility for adding Jeffrey Goldberg, the top editor of The Atlantic, who published a story revealing what happened. But Waltz confused many, including Fox News' Laura Engram, with his explanation of how it happened.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
That's Olivia Carville, an investigative reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek. I spoke with her and her colleague, Margie Murphy, a cybersecurity reporter, on this week's Apple News In Conversation. They've been reporting on the effects of AI and deepfakes. Carville said despite strong support for the bill, some think it doesn't go far enough.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
Carville and Murphy have a new podcast series called Levittown, where they tell the story of how one small town was upended by a deepfake scandal. During their reporting, they saw in real time just how the advancement of these tools has allowed entire communities to be targeted by creators of deepfakes, and they met remarkable victims who fought back.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
If you're listening in the Apple News app, we'll queue up that conversation to play for you next. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. A federal judge ruled Thursday that President Trump cannot use the Alien Enemies Act to carry out mass deportations.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
The 18th century wartime provision allows presidents to quickly deport people from countries that are carrying out an armed, organized invasion of the United States. Trump used the act to justify sending hundreds of Venezuelan men to a high-security prison in El Salvador, two of which judges have since ruled were wrongly deported.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
His administration claims the men belong to gangs, including the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua. However, a CBS investigation found 75 percent had no criminal records. The judge said the gang's activities in the U.S. do not meet the definition of the Alien Enemies Act, so it cannot be used to detain or remove people from the country.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
This decision is the latest rebuke to Trump's aggressive deportations, which have involved little or no due process. Staying with immigration, a 44-year-old Haitian woman died in a Florida detention center last week, and lawmakers are demanding answers from ICE about how this happened. Here's Representative Sheila Sherphilis McCormick, a Florida Democrat, speaking from the House floor.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
Ice says her cause of death is under investigation, and the agency has denied failing to provide emergency care. And finally, tomorrow is World Press Freedom Day. Global media outlets have come together to publish a list of the 10 most urgent cases of journalists who've been imprisoned by governments across the world.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
Time magazine has the full list, which includes Jimmy Lai, a journalist being held in solitary confinement in a maximum security prison in Hong Kong. He's been there since December of 2020, when the Chinese government cracked down on pro-democracy advocacy and journalism. You can find that story and all the stories we cover today in the Apple News app.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
And if you're already listening in the news app right now, stick around. My full interview about deepfake AI pornography with Olivia Carville and Margie Murphy from Bloomberg is coming up next. If you're listening in the podcast app, just search for Apple News in Conversation to find it. And we'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
How Democrats are trying to win back voters
Trump's decision to reassign Waltz and fire his deputy, Alex Wong, comes after he has defended both Waltz and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was also in the chat. Trump told NBC News he would not fire people over, quote, witch hunts. On other occasions, he's blamed the technology.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
Hey there, it's Shamita here. I've got a quick request for you. If Apple News Today is an essential part of your morning routine, follow the show in Apple Podcasts. And if you have another 30 seconds, leave us a rating and a review too. It helps other people find our show and it helps us know what you like about it. Thanks. Good morning. It's Friday, November 1st. I'm Shamita Basu.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
That's Cassandra Jaramillo, who reported this story for ProPublica.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
Three days later, Joseli died of an infection.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
ProPublica had more than a dozen doctors review her medical records, and they all say Joseli's death could have been prevented. Experts Jaramillo spoke with say the hospital should have opted to speed up the delivery or perform an abortion to prevent complications. Now Joseli's husband is a single father raising their four-year-old on his own.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
And it wasn't until ProPublica reported this story that the husband fully understood what had happened to his wife.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
As I mentioned, the law that was in place when all of this happened was from 2021, before Roe v. Wade was overturned. After that Supreme Court ruling, Texas went even further, banning abortions entirely and making it a crime for a doctor to perform an abortion, except in some rare instances.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
No doctor has been prosecuted for violating the state ban, but doctors and hospitals say they're often unsure how to navigate this. Senator Ted Cruz, who's in a competitive race this Tuesday, was asked about Joe Selle's case this week by a reporter with KXAN following the publication of ProPublica's story.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
According to studies done in the aftermath of the 2021 law, Texas's abortion ban has been linked to a rise in both maternal and infant deaths. In these last few days of voting, former President Trump and Vice President Harris are making their final pitches to the American people. But no matter who wins, our next president will have the difficult task of trying to unify a divided nation.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how America's divisions will remain and transform after Election Day. Election officials in Arizona are preparing for national attention and legal battles. And why daylight saving time comes after Halloween. But first, one of the biggest issues this election is reproductive rights and abortion access.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
That's Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times. He and Susan Glasser, a staff writer at The New Yorker, sat down with me for Apple News in conversation. And they say they see no candidate, whether it's Harris or Trump or anyone else in American politics, who can bring the country together in this moment.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
And as so many of us have personally experienced, this type of fear of the other side is literally tearing us, our families, and our communities apart.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
When I asked Susan and Peter where they think this is all heading, they said there's no real bounce back from this.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
You can hear much more of my conversation with Peter and Susan in our latest episode of Apple News in Conversation. We talk about the stakes for all of us in this election and the inevitable transformation ahead. If you're listening in the Apple News app right now, stick around after today's show. That episode is queued up to play for you next.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
Let's turn now to Arizona, one of the battleground states that'll likely decide the election, as it did in 2020. Then, President Joe Biden narrowly won the state, and former President Trump and his allies tried to delay the counting of votes and even the certification of results. It turned Arizona into an epicenter for misinformation about the election.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
As election denialism persists today, officials in the state have worked hard to prepare for this election in new ways. Sasha Hupka reports on election administration for the Arizona Republic, and she told us about the kinds of things election workers are doing to keep things running smoothly for voters.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
Part of that beefed up security includes new election buildings with cameras and bulletproof glass. Taxpayer money has gone toward hiring temporary staff to help process ballots smoothly. Now, there's another wrinkle this year. The ballot in certain Arizona counties has attracted a lot of attention and in some cases concern.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
Like in Maricopa County, where roughly two-thirds of all Arizona voters live, their ballot is two pages long, with the presidential race, judge seats, and over a dozen ballot measures involved. Election officials have encouraged voters planning to cast their ballot in person to arrive at the polls well-researched and ready to vote.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
And on election night itself, Arizona officials are telling locals and people across the county watching the results to remember it usually takes the state a long time to count their votes. Hupka said the expectation is that Maricopa County could take 10 to 13 days. We'll see initial results on election night from early and in-person voters.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
Part of the holdup is that all the early ballots that get dropped off at voting sites need to get processed and go through signature verification, which can take some time. The more last-minute ballots they get, the longer it'll take. Election officials told Hupka by providing additional transparency and staffing up, overall they're feeling confident in their preparations.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
And increasingly, we are hearing more stories about the dangers women face when they don't get the care they need in time. Over the past few months, ProPublica has been telling some of these stories. This week, we learned about a woman in Texas, Joseli Bornica. She was pregnant with her second child in 2021.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app. Atlanta rapper Young Thug accepted a plea deal yesterday and was sentenced to time served and 15 years probation in what's been the longest running criminal trial in the state of Georgia.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
The rapper, whose legal name is Jeffrey Williams, was first charged in 2022, along with dozens of others. He was accused of leading a street gang responsible for murder and violent crime, which he denied. The case drew criticism for its use of rap lyrics to prove the existence of the gang and its activities.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
He ultimately pleaded guilty to some gun and drug-related charges, but no contest to charges of conspiracy and participating in a gang. Over the weekend, get ready to change your clocks. Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, which means clocks fall back and we gain an hour of sleep. And as USA Today points out, Halloween actually helped inspire the timing of when we move our clocks back.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
About 20 years ago, daylight saving time ended on the last Sunday in October. But lawmakers thought with Halloween, it might be helpful to stretch daylight saving time to the first weekend of November. That way, it could be a little bit brighter out for a little bit longer for trick-or-treating. Halloween is still the most dangerous night of the year for child pedestrians, studies show.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
But advocates say having an extra hour of daylight is safer. And finally, this Sunday, the New York City Marathon is back, which I suppose if you're going to run a marathon, it might make a difference to have an extra hour of sleep. Well, something else that's definitely propelling some racers to record times are so-called super shoes.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
Carbon-plated running shoes like Nike's Vaporfly have gotten increasingly popular. And they've led to increasingly faster marathon times in recent years. The Athletic crunched the numbers and found 14 of the top times for men and the top five times for women have all come since 2016. The Vaporfly came on the scene in 2017. Now, these types of shoes are not a silver bullet.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
They alone can't turn any old person into a world-class athlete. But that won't stop a lot of people from trying this weekend in New York. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're listening in the app right now, stick around for the rest of my conversation with Susan Glasser and Peter Baker.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
That episode of Apple News in Conversation is queued up to play for you next. Enjoy your weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
Apple News Today
She needed care. A Texas abortion ban cost her her life.
This was before Roe v. Wade was overturned, but that year Texas banned abortions after six weeks. Joseli began to miscarry at 17 weeks, but the hospital wouldn't intervene because of the new state law.