Shumita Basu, Narrating: Hey there. It's Shumita. Before we get to the news, we wanna hear from you for an upcoming episode of our weekly interview show, "In Conversation."
We're gonna be talking about couples therapy. So, if you've ever been to a couples therapist or even just solo therapy, what's something you learned that's made you think differently about relationships?
We want to hear about it! Just use your iPhone's Voice Memo app to record yourself. Tell us your name, where you're from, and a relationship lesson you learned from therapy. And please, try to keep it to about a minute. You can send it to us at applenewstoday@apple.com and we might include your story on the show. Thanks!
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Good morning! It's Monday, April 24th. I'm Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today."
On today's show, why we're hearing so much about Ukraine launching a major new offensive, the surprising science of gray hair, and a soccer victory in Wales for Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney and a whole town.
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But first, let's take a look at some big stories developing over the weekend.
<v The Supreme Court is preserving access to the widely used abortion pill mifepristone. There was a lot of concern last week that the Court might allow a lower court ruling to stand that placed major restrictions on the drug. But justices decided to give the Biden administration what it wanted for now>keeping access steady, until a federal appeals court hears the case next month.
The fighting in Sudan is getting more intense and more deadly. Hundreds of people have died, largely civilians caught in the crossfire between rival generals fighting for control. Yesterday, the U.S. sent in special forces to pull diplomats out. "CNN" Pentagon correspondent Oren Liebermann reported on the operation.
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Oren Liebermann: Three Chinook helicopters took off from Djibouti, some 750 or 800 miles away from Khartoum, flew into the country, landed, secured the embassy and then brought out all of the embassy staff and their family members, a group of just under 100 people.
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Other governments have also evacuated their citizens. But millions of people who live there don't have helicopters on the way to fly them out, and there's growing concern for their safety as the violence spreads.
And finally, a longtime retail brand is shutting down. Bed Bath & Beyond is bankrupt. The company says it will sell off existing merchandise and go out of business. It was the place where many Americans went to furnish their homes, their apartments, their dorm rooms. But it struggled to keep up with online retail. Bed Bath & Beyond was known for stuffing mailboxes with those 20% off coupons. And if you, like my mom, have a drawer full of them somewhere, take this as a warning. They must be used by the end of the day, Tuesday. The company expects all stores to be closed for good by the end of June.
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<v We've been hearing a lot more about an expected Ukrainian counterattack. There are signs that Ukraine could be close to launching the long-discussed spring offensive to take back land from Russia. There are three reasons why the offensive could happen soon>weather, weapons and fresh troops.
The weather factor can be summed up in just one word: mud. The soggy ground has made it difficult for Ukraine to effectively move tanks, troop carriers and artillery. But with the muddy season ending, the ground will soon be passable.
Now on to weapons. While the battlefield was literally stuck, Ukraine has been receiving more vehicles and ammunition from Western allies, and more are on the way.
Last week, the U.S. announced an additional $325 million in aid to Ukraine. That includes rockets, missiles, artillery ammunition and anti-tank weapons. At a recent meeting of allies in Germany, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin talked about the importance of Western support for Kyiv.
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Lloyd Austin: Countries from around the world have condemned Russia's atrocities and aggression and stood up for an open world of rules and rights. And ladies and gentlemen, more than a year later, Ukraine is still standing strong, and our support has not wavered.
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And finally, there's fresh troops. Western allies have been training them in the tactics they'll need to be able to take on entrenched Russian forces. Waves of Ukrainian fighters have gone through special training in the U.K., Poland and Germany. Now that they're arriving back in Ukraine, there's growing expectation that the country is preparing its next big attack.
"The Wall Street Journal" looks at Russia's efforts to weaken Ukraine's air defenses ahead of the offensive. It recently launched a barrage of drones into the country. Most of them were shot down. But that uses up ammo, and there are concerns that Ukraine is running low. It has managed a strong enough defense that Russian bombers and helicopters haven't flown far past the front lines in nearly a year. But Ukraine will have to keep its air defense strong. Any major progress it hopes to make on the ground will require it to keep control of the sky.
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There are so many reasons people like to give to explain why our hair turns gray. There's stress, kids, marriage. These are usually said with a wink. But a recent study has pinpointed the scientific reasoning behind graying hair, and it could unlock new solutions to prevent it.
"NPR" explains the study. It says the root of the issue is a particular kind of stem cell: melanocytes. These are pigment-producing cells, the same things that make melanin, which is what gives color to your eyes and skin.
Now when it comes to hair, these melanocytes hang around in hair follicles where they get a signal that tells them when to release pigment, and that's where your regular hair color comes from. But what these scientists noticed is, over time, these stem cells get stuck in one place in the hair follicle, which stops the pigmentation signal. That's what causes your hair to turn gray.
So, in effect, you're not actually seeing your existing hair turn gray. You're seeing new hairs sprout that lack your hair's color. Dermatologist Dr. Jenna Lester explained it this way on "NPR."
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Dr. Jenna Lester: If you have a brown hair or a blondish hair on your head, tomorrow it's not gonna be gray. It's the new hair that's coming in that will either have pigment or not have pigment.
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Now, this is where the research could take us next: scientists could potentially move the stem cells to their proper spot and prevent graying. And this is not just about vanity. Researchers told "NPR" these findings could lead to better understanding about how stem cells work in the body and what happens when they malfunction. And that could help us advance our research into what it takes to cure cancer.
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Finally, an incredible sports comeback story for a team and a whole community. It involves an obscure soccer team in Wrexham, Wales. Both the team and the town fell on hard times. About a decade ago, the team nearly went bankrupt. They could barely pay their players. They were so bad that they were playing in a soccer league most people have never even heard of, several rungs down from the English Premier League, where teams like Arsenal and Manchester City play.
Now recently, the story took an unexpected twist. Actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought the team. And they told the story of trying to rebuild it in the documentary series "Welcome to Wrexham."
This weekend, that story had a huge moment. The team scored an important win that means it'll be promoted back into a higher soccer league. Here's what it sounded like in the stands.
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That video was taken by Paul Rudd, as local fans rushed onto the pitch to embrace the team.
Now, this is not the end of the Wrexham story. This promotion to the next league is a big deal, but the team's celebrity owners have said they're aiming much, much higher. They want to take the team three leagues higher, all the way to the English Premier League. And if Wrexham manages that, it would be a true Hollywood ending.
"ESPN" has the back story of the Welsh team and the town, going back well before the Hollywood duo showed up. You can read it in the Apple News app.
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And if you're already listening in the News app right now, stick around.
We've got a narrated article coming up from "Popular Science." It has the kind of headline that really stays with you: "the pure power of poop." It's about how scientists are trying to recycle human waste into fertilizer.
That's cued up to play for you next, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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