[MUSIC FADES IN]
Duarte Geraldino, Narrating: Good morning! It's Thursday, April 21st. I'm Duarte Geraldino. Shumita Basu is off. This is "Apple News Today." Each morning, hear about some of the most fascinating stories in the news, and how the world's best journalists are covering them.
[MUSIC FADES OUT]
If you wanna understand what's happening in Ukraine and where the war might go next, focus on the weapons. This is a big story this morning, especially after Russia's test of a powerful new missile, and a major shift in the type of weapons that the West is now giving to Ukraine. "The Washington Post" has reporting from inside the Pentagon, along with insight from defense analysts about what all these weapons can tell us.
There's a lot of attention this morning on Russia's test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile. NATO is calling the missile "Satan 2." It can carry nuclear payload a long way. The name and its capabilities make it sound scary, I know, but the Pentagon says it's not a significant threat to the U.S.
As one independent strategist says, Putin doesn't want a nuclear war because it would be bad for Russia. And defense analysts explain, Russia already had missiles capable of nuclear strikes on America, and vice versa. What concerns them isn't the new missile itself. What's worrisome is how Putin is increasingly using his nuclear arsenal to threaten and intimidate. For the U.S. and the West, countering someone who's willing to walk so close to the nuclear line presents a special diplomatic and strategic challenge.
The Satan 2 missile is not likely to be used in this war, but Russia is moving powerful weapons and more troops into Ukraine's east. "The Washington Post" looks at the kinds of weapons the U.S. and allies are now giving Ukraine in response to Russia's change in strategy. These arms are heavy, they're powerful. They include helicopters and upgraded long-range artillery.
One defense analyst says, the latest weapon shipments are a sign Ukraine's allies believe this war could go on for much longer. So the country's fighters are going to need more serious upgrades in firepower to stand up to Russia's better-equipped forces. Strategy experts say this shift shows a new kind of urgency. Initially, Western countries were reluctant to send weapons that Ukrainian forces weren't trained on. But now, they're sending more powerful new systems, training troops to use them and preparing for a tougher, longer fight.
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
[MUSIC FADES OUT]
The people who care for our pets, they're having trouble taking care of themselves. "NPR" reports on how, among veterinarians, there's widespread burnout. During the first year of the pandemic, tens of millions of families adopted pets. The resulting spike in demand for pet care has animal hospitals overworked and vets leaving the field.
You can hear the strain in the voices of the vets who spoke to "NPR." Razyeeh Mazaheri just graduated from vet school last spring.
[START NPR ARCHIVAL CLIP]
Razyeeh Mazaheri: I just feel like if I make a mistake, that is a problem. And if I make a mistake and kill something, like, that is my fault.
[END NPR ARCHIVAL CLIP]
There were troubling signs from this profession even before the pandemic. "CDC" data showed veterinarians were more likely to die by suicide than the average person. Women in this field were around two-and-a-half times more likely. Kathy Gervais told "NPR" how she's seen the impact first-hand.
[START NPR ARCHIVAL CLIP]
Kathy Gervais: I dare you to try to talk to a veterinarian who's been in practice more than five years who doesn't know somebody who has committed suicide. I, unfortunately, can count on more than ten fingers: classmates, colleagues, people I've dated.
[END NPR ARCHIVAL CLIP]
She started the Veterinary Mental Health Initiative to offer support groups and one-to-one help. Gervais says, people see her tired and ask her if she thinks about quitting. But she says it's her passion. She's staying to help the animals and her colleagues.
[CALM MUSIC]
So, with the real estate market as hot as it is, some homeowner associations are taking big, new steps to make it harder for investors to buy homes in their communities. "The Wall Street Journal" looks at why some of these associations are making this move and at concerns that, as a result, renters may have a harder time finding affordable housing.
[MUSIC FADES OUT]
So many single-family houses are being bought up these days by investors, who turn them into rental properties. Some homeowner associations say these landlord investors don't maintain homes well. They also say all that investor money rushing in makes it harder for families to buy homes. So, the associations are trying to rewrite the rules.
In one town in North Carolina, a homeowners association is trying to block new buyers from renting out their property for at least six months. Other groups are trying to put a cap on the number of homes that can be rented in a particular neighborhood and require that renters be pre-approved by the homeowner association.
This is a big shift in the way you might think of homeowner associations. In most of suburban America, they typically make sure the grass is cut, rules around parking are enforced. Now, these associations want to play a very active role in deciding who gets to buy which properties, whether they can be rented and who gets to live there.
The critique of this approach is that it could hurt renters and lead to discrimination. Renters tend to have lower incomes than homeowners. Restricting rental properties could drive rent prices up even further, making it harder for some families to find a place to live. This is being debated right now in state houses across the country. Legislators, they're trying to decide how much power homeowner groups should have over who gets to buy and rent homes in their neighborhood.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
[MUSIC FADES OUT]
Papers from business school professors are usually pretty dry. You know what I'm talking about. Capital efficiency, market structure, stuff like that. But "The Atlantic" has a story of one paper we found intriguing, in part because it has a retro soundtrack. Here's one key data point.
[MUSIC - "NO RAIN" BY BLIND MELON]
That's "No Rain" by Blind Melon. This video had that girl dressed up as a bumblebee, remember? The paper also focuses on another '90s song.
[MUSIC - "ANY MAN OF MINE" BY SHANIA TWAIN]
Shania Twain's song "Any Man of Mine" has practically nothing in common with "No Rain," except that both were massive hits. Afterwards though, the artists had different fortunes. Twain became one of the biggest stars of her generation. But Blind Melon never had a hit like that again.
A Stanford business school professor has a new study looking into why some bands are one-hit wonders, but other artists have long careers with multiple hits. He cites both of these songs. And a key to the different long-term results is novelty. At the time, Twain's mix of country and pop wasn't like anything else on the radio. She bet on a different sound and won big, paving the way for other crossover singers like Taylor Swift.
"No Rain," on the other hand, was a fairly straightforward alternative rock song of the time. If you're like a lot of people, you may recall the tap-dancing bee-girl in the video much more than the band itself.
[MUSIC FADES IN]
This paper also talks about the importance of what the professor calls "relatedness." Bands that have success beyond their first smash tend to focus on what got them there. Fan expectations are set by that early hit, so being true to that general sound keeps them on top.
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And while you're in the app, keep listening to hear narrated articles from our News+ partners. We'll talk with you again tomorrow.
[MUSIC FADES OUT]