The Trump administration is resettling white South Africans in the U.S. The Washington Post’s Teo Armus has the story. With ceasefire talks set to begin, Netanyahu resolved to use “full force” in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed. Bloomberg News has more. The Wall Street Journal’s Mark Maremont explains how a nationwide rise in gun ownerships and stand-your-ground laws contributed to an increase in self-defense insurance policies. Plus, a former girlfriend of Sean Combs gave evidence at his criminal trial, the Menendez brothers were resentenced and could get parole, and why Pete Rose’s baseball Hall of Fame ban has been lifted.
Chapter 1: What are the key stories covered in today's episode?
Good morning. It's Wednesday, May 14th. I'm Shamitza Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, as ceasefire talks are set to begin, Netanyahu resolves to use full force in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed. Why more American gun owners are turning to self-defense insurance. And the Menendez brothers have been re-sentenced and they get parole.
Chapter 2: How is the Trump administration handling white South African refugees?
But first, one of President Trump's first acts in office was to suspend the humanitarian designation meant for refugees fleeing war or persecution. Earlier this week, a group of about 50 white South Africans arrived at Dulles Airport in Virginia under that exact humanitarian designation.
They're all Afrikaners, which means that they're sort of a minority white group descended from Dutch settlers in South Africa.
Teo Armas covers immigration for The Washington Post.
So broadly speaking, the Trump administration has really tried to crack down on all forms of immigration, both authorized and unauthorized. And this is the first batch of refugees to have been resettled in the United States since Trump's first day in office.
Chapter 3: Who are the Afrikaners and what is their role in South African history?
Afrikaners governed the country as an apartheid state for 40 years. As the Wall Street Journal puts it, during that period, they were the architects of a racist state, subjecting Black South Africans to segregation, having taken much of their land. But today, President Trump and Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa, say white South Africans have become the victims.
Chapter 4: What controversies surround land redistribution laws in South Africa?
What they point to is a land redistribution law that was recently passed. Today, white people in South Africa account for about 7% of the population. They own about three-quarters of individual farms and agricultural holdings. The newly passed redistribution law attempts to correct that imbalance.
Trump was really incensed by this and in February issued an executive order cutting off aid to South Africa and then setting into course the sorts of government procedures that resulted in a plane arriving at Dulles Airport in Virginia earlier this week.
Just to say, under that new law, no one has had their land taken, and any land seizures that could take place would need a judge's approval. Beyond this law, Trump and Musk also claim that there is a genocide taking place in South Africa against white people, particularly white farmers. And while there have been murders of white farmers, there are more such incidents against Black South Africans.
The South African international relations minister basically said the folks who got on the plane, they can't provide any proof of persecution because there isn't any proof of persecution. Basically flat out denying that there is any form of persecution in South Africa towards white South Africans.
The welcoming of this group is in stark contrast to Trump's attitude toward nearly every other group of migrants that's tried to come to this country seeking refugee protections.
I think experts estimate that a typical refugee has to wait something between a year and a half and two years to actually be resettled in the United States. And this process happened essentially in the course of three months.
And there's been backlash from the Episcopal Church. They typically work with the U.S. government to help resettle refugees. This week, with the arrival of this group, they announced they are ending that partnership.
The presiding bishop who oversees the Episcopal Church said he was saddened and ashamed that so many of the refugees being denied entrance to the U.S. are these folks who in Afghanistan have worked alongside the military and are now in danger.
Or other people who have been waiting in refugee camps or in these really dangerous conditions for years in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo or Myanmar.
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Chapter 5: What is the humanitarian situation in Gaza amid ongoing conflict?
Even though Trump declined to visit Israel as part of his Middle East tour this week, how he positions himself will be closely watched by its government. In a major policy shift, he says he will lift sanctions on Syria following last year's toppling of Bashar al-Assad.
Trump said he hoped its new leader would succeed, putting him at odds with Israel, which has cautioned against recognition of the new government. And at a Saudi investment conference, Trump said he was working to end the war in Gaza as quickly as possible.
The people of Gaza deserve a much better future, but that will or can not occur as long as their leaders choose to kidnap, torture, and target innocent men, women, and children for political ends.
The new U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has recently insisted the relationship between the two countries was ironclad. But European backlash toward Israel is growing. The French president described what Netanyahu was doing as, quote, shameful. And EU nations are formally reviewing their trade ties to the country this month, citing its ongoing blockade of aid to Gaza.
Let's turn now to a rise in an unusual type of insurance, a policy that protects you if you shoot someone in self-defense. For as little as $11 a month, you can purchase a plan that can include a range of services, from bail and criminal defense lawyers to higher-end plans with coverage for TSA violations and even crime scene cleanups.
Mark Merrimount is a senior editor with The Wall Street Journal. He described to us how these policies come into play for gun owners.
So the people who might want this are people who own a gun and are concerned that if they get in some kind of an incident and they claim self-defense, but they get prosecuted or sued over it, that the legal costs can amount into the six figures easily.
The Journal reports that about 2 million Americans have purchased these plans. In recent years, there's been a rise in gun ownership, more stand-your-ground laws, and more states allowing gun owners to carry concealed weapons without permits.
Most of the companies that offer these insurance plans provide nationwide coverage, but states like New York and Washington have taken legal action against them, in some cases arguing that it goes against laws that prohibit insuring intentional illegal acts. Marymount says that the proliferation of this insurance has led to a lot of concerns.
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Chapter 6: How is starvation affecting Gaza's population during the blockade?
But to be clear, the fine print of many of these policies is intended to keep strict standards for self-defense.
So, for example, if you're robbing a bank and a security guard seems like they're threatening you and you shoot the security guard, that is not going to be covered.
Then there are some cases, like one in Louisiana, where a woman purchased a gun and an insurance policy on the same day and almost two weeks later shot and killed her estranged husband.
She immediately called the self-defense company and said, guess what? I shot in self-defense. You need to cover me. And they did initially, but then the self-defense insurance company, which was the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, did their own investigation and said, ah, this wasn't self-defense. We're going to drop you as a client.
Chapter 7: What is Netanyahu's stance on the conflict with Hamas and ceasefire talks?
The woman sued the company, but was later found guilty of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. Her conviction is now on appeal. As more people purchase these policies, it sparks a major question.
From a societal viewpoint, the question is, is this a good thing to have for society, or is this possibly leading people to be more aggressive with their weapons?
The insurance companies themselves say they have very low case numbers. Some attribute that to success in educating and training members on when and when not to use force. And as the journal points out, low case numbers means only spending a small fraction of revenue defending clients. That makes this a particularly profitable, fast-growing industry.
Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Eric and Lyle Menendez, the two brothers who have spent 35 years behind bars after being convicted of murdering their parents, have been resentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. It's a significant reduction in sentence for one of the most closely watched court cases of the 90s.
The judge said they did not pose an unreasonable risk to the public. The brothers admitted to the 1989 killings, but have always insisted they acted in self-defense after years of abuse at the hands of their father. Family members on both sides of the deceased have been supportive of their resentencing.
In other court news, the leading witness in Sean Combs' sex trafficking trial took the stand yesterday. The music mogul's ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura accused the rapper of controlling her life and coercing her into, quote, humiliating sex acts. Ventura met Combs when he was 37 years old and she was a 19-year-old aspiring singer newly signed to his record label.
Crying as she spoke, Ventura said the singer would, quote, bash on my head, knock me over, drag me and kick me. She said she agreed to have sex with male escorts to make him happy and didn't feel she could refuse him because of the control he exerted. Combs has admitted to physically abusing Ventura, but has denied all the criminal charges against him.
And finally, Major League Baseball's commissioner Rob Manfred has paved the way for previously banned players to enter its Hall of Fame, including Pete Rose. The disgraced ballplayer who holds the record for most hits and died last September was banned from ever being considered for the Hall of Fame after he was found to have gambled on the Cincinnati Reds while he managed them.
Rose also served five months in prison for tax evasion, and in 2017, a woman accused him of statutory rape, saying they had sex when she was under 16. He always denied this, insisting she was 16 and it was consensual. Donald Trump has been among Rose's most vocal supporters and discussed him in a recent meeting with Commissioner Manfred.
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