On today’s show: A look at just how far to the right the country has shifted since Trump’s first term in office. New York magazine focuses on one surprising place: New York City. Under Tennessee’s school-threats law, kids with disabilities have been arrested for rumors and jokes. ProPublica’s Aliyya Swaby and Nashville Public Radio’s Paige Pfleger investigated the pattern. NPR explains a surprise attack in Syria by rebel groups. Plus, how to make your donations count on Giving Tuesday, the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on e-cigarettes, and Apple Podcasts announces its pick for 2024 Show of the Year. Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.
Chapter 1: What happened to the boy with the stuffed animal?
He still doesn't understand the reason why he was arrested and what happened to him. And he's really traumatized by what happened. His mom says whenever they go by the school, he asks her if he's going to get arrested again.
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.
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.
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.
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.
HTS has really tried to rebrand itself as a less hardline group, though it is still religiously conservative. And, you know, there are some many in Syria who would welcome a rebel takeover because Syria is run by a brutal dictatorship.
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.
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.
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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Chapter 2: How has the political landscape shifted in NYC?
Assad is so important. I think that Trump is going to have a real conundrum here. It's going to be hard for him to withdraw because this is at the center of stability, future stability of the Middle East. And so, you know, as usual, the Middle East will just suck you in, and it is such a complicated place.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A lot of them say that we're faking and... And that you're faking because you want attention. Seriously, why would we fake this?
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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