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Shumita Basu, Narrating: Good morning. It's Tuesday, March 28th. I'm Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today," and we start with the deadly school shooting in Nashville. Three nine-year-old children and three staffers at The Covenant School were killed before police killed the shooter. Authorities say the attacker had two assault-style rifles and a handgun and plans to strike a second location.
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Ashbey Beasley: How is this still happening? How are our children still dying, and why are we failing them?
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That's the voice of Ashbey Beasley, who took over the microphones after a news conference on live TV. She said she's from out of town, visiting family in Nashville, that she was a survivor of the July 4th mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois last year.
President Biden responded to the shooting with another call for Congress to ban assault weapons.
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President Joe Biden: It's ripping our communities apart, ripping the soul of this nation, ripping at the very soul of the nation. And we have to do more to protect our schools, so they aren't turned into prisons.
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There have been more than 100 mass shootings in America so far this year. There's a grimly familiar cycle that follows them. The grief and anger from families, the push from Democratic politicians for change, then the gridlock and lack of progress. "Vox" takes a close look at some of the legal, political and cultural reasons why deadly gun violence is so common in America, unlike any other wealthy country.
The piece looks at interpretations of the Second Amendment, high rates of gun ownership and other factors. And it zeroes in on one argument that drives the cultural reasoning in this country: that guns are important for personal self-defense.
As a political scientist explains, the self-defense narrative sets the American gun-rights movement apart from similar ones in other countries. In other nations, there's much more focus on guns for hunting and shooting sports, rather than personal protection. That's part of why we've seen mass shootings in other high-income countries have more of a galvanizing effect on getting public support for gun safety laws. But in America, far more gun owners say the reason they have weapons is for self-defense. "Vox" says that narrative has been embraced by American gun owners and many Republicans. And that culture of American gun ownership as self-defense is a reason why we keep returning to the same cycle, why stronger gun control measures don't become law here, even though a majority of Americans support more restrictions on guns.
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A move that led to months of mass protests in Israel is now on hold. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed a final vote on his legislation to overhaul the judicial system. Critics said it would threaten Israeli democracy by making judges less independent.
"Reuters" spoke to protesters in Jerusalem.
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Protester: This has to be stopped.
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It's noisy, so it's a little hard to make out. But they're saying Netanyahu's proposal has to be stopped, and he's no longer fit to lead.
"NPR" explains how Netanyahu's plan brought Israel to a crisis point. The country has no written constitution or bill of rights. So, the courts play a powerful role on controversial issues and fundamental rights and freedoms.
Netanyahu's political coalition narrowly controls Parliament. His government has said the Supreme Court is too liberal and blocks policies from ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties. Under pressure, Netanyahu's coalition has already said they're tabling the most controversial part of his judicial overhaul proposal, a move that would have given his government the power to override the Supreme Court. But protesters say even the latest version of his bill would weaken the court and take away a critical check on power. And a weaker court system could lead to restrictions on civil rights. It would also impact the legal system's ability to hold Netanyahu accountable. He's currently on trial in multiple criminal corruption cases, where he's denied wrongdoing.
The battle isn't over. Netanyahu could bring the plan up for a vote again when Parliament reconvenes at the end of April. And if it passes, the Supreme Court could try to overturn the legislation. That could take this crisis to a whole other level. Protest leaders say they'll keep taking to the streets until the legislation is dropped entirely.
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This week in Lebanon, it's surprisingly tricky to answer a pretty simple question. What time is it? And that's because there's a daylight saving time disagreement, a messy one involving politics and religion.
See, in Lebanon, roughly a third of the population is Christian and two-thirds Muslim. So, many people are observing Ramadan, which means fasting from sunrise to sunset for a month. Now, with daylight saving time, which was scheduled to happen last weekend in Lebanon, it would shift sunset time from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. And for Muslims, that would mean having to wait a whole 'nother hour before you can break your fast. As if it wasn't hard enough already!
So, at the last minute, the Lebanese prime minister announced daylight saving would be postponed until the end of April, after Ramadan. Lebanon's Christian leadership disagreed, saying the last-minute change would be chaotic and leave the country out of step with international standards.
And that's why, for the last few days at least, no one has seemed to agree on what time it is in Lebanon. Millions of people are caught between two different time zones. And sure enough, there has been some chaos. One person told "CNBC" he planned to go to the airport four hours early for his flight. The scheduling board showed two different departure times. He just didn't know which one to trust. Finally, the government changed its mind and agreed to do daylight saving sooner. Clocks in Lebanon will spring ahead by one hour tomorrow. And hopefully, the confusion will be over by the end of the week.
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You ever search job listings and see a dream gig that seems too good to be true? Well, that might be because it is. "The Wall Street Journal" has a piece warning job seekers about the frustrating problem of "ghost" job posts. These are listings for roles where companies aren't actually hiring.
And there are a few corporate tactics at play here. Posting a "ghost job" can give the illusion that a company is doing well and growing. It also might be a way to calm down current employees who are feeling overworked and wanting their company to hire more. Sometimes, hiring managers put up ghost listings to build up a stockpile of candidates, in case someone quits.
Still, that means job seekers are left with the short end of the stick here, wasting time cranking out resumes and cover letters. So, how do you spot the real thing?
"The Wall Street Journal" asked a VP at the job site Indeed for a few tips. And he says, look for listings with specific details on responsibilities. The more you see, the more likely the employer is actually hiring. And check for a timestamp. If it's months old, that could be a clue you've just seen a ghost.
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You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. There's also coverage of the NCAA basketball tournaments, including the latest wins by South Carolina and Virginia Tech. They just advanced to fill out the women's Final Four. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, stick around for a narrated article from "Women's Health." It looks at how women in college athletics are calling for more support for athletes' mental health.
That's up next, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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