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Yasmeen Khan, Narrating: Good morning. It's Thursday, March 14th. I'm Yasmeen Khan, in for Shamita Basu.
This is "Apple News Today."
Coming up, how Big Pharma is trying to block a plan
that lowers drug costs for seniors,
what it means to fast for Ramadan as Gaza goes hungry,
and how Saturn became a muse for musicians.
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But first, a quick look at a few stories in the news, starting in Missouri,
where there have been new developments in the mass shooting that happened right
after the Super Bowl parade last month,
which drew around one million people into downtown Kansas City.
One person was killed and roughly two dozen others injured.
And court documents unsealed yesterday give us a picture about the weapons
at this event.
The documents show at least 12 people carried firearms in the crowd,
and at least six people opened fire.
The guns found at the scene included two AR-15-style rifles, and at least
two of the guns were purchased illegally, according to a U.S. attorney.
Three men from Missouri have been charged with federal counts for those purchases,
and they come just a few weeks after state authorities charged two other men
with second-degree murder.
Police say the shooting was the result of a personal dispute.
In Oklahoma, a partial autopsy report for teenager, Nex Benedict, has been released.
Nex, who identified as trans and non-binary, died one day after being
injured in a fight at school, where their family says they were attacked
for their gender identity and had been bullied for months.
The state medical examiner found a lethal combination of two drugs:
A medication used to treat depression and mood disorders, and an antihistamine,
commonly used to treat allergies.
The examiner has ruled Nex’s death a suicide.
Local police are still investigating what led to the fight,
and the allegations that Nex was targeted for their gender.
The U.S. Department of Education is opening an investigation into
the school district and how it responded to allegations of harassment.
And the Oklahoma state medical examiner will release a full toxicology report
at the end of March.
And in Detroit, jury deliberations are underway in the trial of James Crumbley.
His teenage son was convicted of killing four students
in a mass shooting at Oxford High School in 2021.
Crumbley faces involuntary manslaughter charges for failing
to secure a gun at home and for ignoring troubling signs of his son's mental state.
He has pleaded not guilty.
His wife, Jennifer, who was tried separately, was convicted by a jury
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on the same charges last month, making her the first parent in U.S. history
to be convicted of manslaughter for a mass shooting carried out by their child.
Americans spend a lot of money on prescription drugs.
According to data collected by the Commonwealth Fund,
we pay anywhere from three to eight times more than people in Canada,
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Japan and other industrialized countries countries, which is why President Biden
is attempting to address the cost of medications for seniors
in the Inflation Reduction Act.
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Tony Romm: And included in that law was a program that allowed Medicare for the first time
to try to negotiate prescription drug prices on behalf of seniors.
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Khan, Narrating: That is Tony Romm, economic policy and accountability reporter
at "The Washington Post."
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Romm: And so the law set in place this very long
and complicated process by which the government would go about in
beginning those negotiations and hopefully trying to see lower prices
put into place by 2026.
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Khan, Narrating: The first ten medications up for price cuts treat a range of issues,
like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, but big pharma is fighting back.
Some of the largest pharmaceutical companies are lobbying hard
on Capitol Hill to weaken or defeat the drug pricing negotiation process,
and some are even suing in court.
In a flurry of lawsuits, drug makers argue this Medicare price negotiation program
is unconstitutional.
They've defended their pricing practices and say tighter regulation could
could negatively impact the work to develop future treatments.
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Romm: Now, the U.S. government has pushed back pretty dramatically against this,
pointing out that drug companies are some of the most profitable companies
in the world,
that they offer very generous executive compensation packages,
and at times they have pretty lucrative stock buyback programs.
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Khan, Narrating: Romm says it's possible one of these legal challenges
goes all the way to the Supreme Court.
But drug companies have not been successful so far.
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Romm: But all it takes is one circuit court
or one federal appeals court to agree with the drug industry,
and there could be a setback towards this plan.
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Khan, Narrating: In his State of the Union address, President Biden suggested that he would
pursue more cuts in the future if reelected.
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But a Republican takeover of the White House or Congress in November could deal
a blow to this program.
We are in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, when, for 30 days
many of the world's 2 billion Muslims
fast from dawn to sunset as a testament to their faith.
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It's a celebratory time, marked with group meals, gifts, charity,
and renewed spirituality.
In an essay for "The New Yorker," Palestinian-American writer Zaina Arafat
reflects on fasting for Ramadan this year,
as the World Food Program warns of mass starvation in Gaza.
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Zaina Arafat: There's a somberness to it and a recognition of the fact that we
in the diaspora have a lot of resources as well as access
to things like food that people in our home countries
and in Palestine in particular do not have.
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Khan, Narrating: Ramadan is a communal time.
People gather to pray together and to break fast together every evening.
And despite the war, Arafat says she hears from her own relatives in Gaza
that people are doing their best to continue these traditions.
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Arafat: There's so much that's out of your control when you are in Gaza right now.
And the very few things that you can control, like your decision
to observe traditions that mean something to you,
I think that for that reason, it's that much more important for people
to continue maintaining these traditions and
the collective spirit of Ramadan in the midst of this horror.
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Khan, Narrating: But Gaza is on the brink of widespread famine, with hundreds of thousands of
people at risk and very little food and aid reaching the enclave.
So for many, fasting is not an option.
Yesterday, Israel reportedly hit one of the few remaining food
distribution centers in Rafah, killing at least one UN aid worker.
And many of the mosques in Gaza have been destroyed,
so worshipers gather and pray in the rubble.
Arafat says she wanted her essay to remind people of the joy
and the beauty of what it means to be Palestinian, that Palestinians are more
than what's been depicted in this war.
Arafat: One thing that was so important to me in this piece
alongside the tragedy of what's happening is capturing the beauty
of what our traditions are as Palestinians
and the spirit behind those traditions, the spirit of generosity,
the spirit of community, the spirit of sacrifice, the spirit of appreciation.
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And I hope that it does something for the people of Gaza
who are relentlessly mis portrayed.
Khan, Narrating: Popular music has a long obsession with what's happening up in the sky.
From fly me to the moon, to walking on the sun, and across the universe.
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Various parts of our solar system have gotten the
spotlight in music over the years.
And lately, planet number six has received a lot of attention.
[MUSIC - "SATURN RETURNS INTERLUDE" BY ARIANA GRANDE]
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That's from Ariana Grande's new album on a track titled Saturn Returns Interlude.
Country music star Kacey Musgraves has a new single with lyrics about Saturn.
And SZA recently put out a song also named after the planet.
[MUSIC - "SATURN" BY SZA]
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So why all the focus on Saturn?
As "Vox" explains, it has to do with a concept from astrology called
Saturn Return.
Basically, Saturn is in a certain place in the solar system on the day you're born,
and it takes about 30 years for the planet to return to the same spot.
Now, if you buy into astrology, here's what's important.
When Saturn makes this solar revolution, it represents the cycle of major
change in a person's life.
Like in your early 30s, when you have to take on
big responsibilities and step fully into your adult self.
All of the artists we mentioned are around that age
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and going through their very first Saturn return of adulthood.
So they're processing that moment in their music.
And even if you don't buy into astrology, you can take heart in knowing
that a very cool planet inspired some pretty catchy lyrics.
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" looks at how the U.S. education system
got so political, and why some Republican politicians are getting behind
classical education, a system that prioritizes teaching methods that
have been around for thousands of years.
If you're listening in the Podcasts app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated
to find that story.
And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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