Shumita Basu, Narrating: Hey there! It's Shumita here. We're working on something for our weekly interview show, "Apple News In Conversation," all about big life transitions. And we want to hear from you.
So, tell us about a major life transition that you went through and how it changed you. It can be deciding to move to a new place, or changing jobs, or even losing a loved one. How were you different before and after?
Just use your iPhone's voice memo app to record yourself. Tell us your name, where you're from, and the before-and-after of your big life transition. 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 Thursday, June 8th. I'm Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today." On today's show, a major new development from an investigation into Trump, what the leadership shakeup at "CNN" means for the future of journalism and politics, and why Lionel Messi, the world's biggest soccer star, is coming to play in the U.S.
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But first, tens of millions of people are waking up to another day of dangerous, unhealthy air. Smoke from raging wildfires in Canada continues to drift south, choking areas from the Northeast to the Midwest and beyond. The dangerous air has forced cancellations of schools and major sporting events.
Reporter Athena Jones put on multiple face masks to step outside and report for "CNN" on what it's like in New York.
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Athena Jones: It feels as though we're living, breathing, working in a giant cloud of smoke. Yes, you can see a few yards in front of you, but not much beyond that. Let me just show you…
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Dangerous air from wildfires is something that people on the West Coast know how to deal with. But these conditions are unusual in the rest of the country. So, if you're living somewhere where the air quality is poor right now, "National Geographic" talked to scientists about what you need to know.
First off, the question on a lot of peoples' minds, what are we breathing in right now? Wildfire smoke can carry various pollutants: carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, scary stuff that's linked to respiratory and cardiovascular sickness. There's also what's called particulate matter, stuff that's so small that it can get deep into our lungs and cause inflammation. As "Nat Geo" explains, it's bad enough when trees and brush catch fire. But as wildfires tear through homes and buildings, they're also burning up all kinds of chemicals in paints, carpets and construction materials. That makes it harder to identify all the different compounds ending up in the smoke.
So, it's important to be safe. Beyond the obvious advice to stay inside as much as possible, it helps to keep windows and doors closed. An air purifier can make a single room safer. If you have high-quality filters in your HVAC systems, and keep them clean, that can help purify the air in your home. It's also good to avoid cooking with gas, smoking and vacuuming, so you don't add to indoor pollution. And if you absolutely must go outside, wear an N95 mask. Surgical or cloth masks won't cut it.
You can get more safety tips, and rolling coverage of conditions in your area, in the Apple News app.
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Now, let's take a quick look at several big stories in the news.
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In Ukraine, there are new signs that the Ukrainian military is stepping up attacks. Reports of new strikes on Russian lines come as we're learning more about the devastating impact of the destruction of a dam in southern Ukraine this week. Hundreds of square miles of the Kherson region were swamped. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the area today. Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for the destroyed dam.
"The Wall Street Journal" and many others now report that federal prosecutors have told Donald Trump's lawyers that he is a target of an investigation into his handling of classified documents. This is the clearest indication yet that Trump could now face federal criminal charges. Trump's team again attacked this investigation. Other ongoing Trump probes involve his role in the January 6th Capitol attack and moves to overturn the election that he lost. He's also pleaded not guilty to New York felony charges of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments.
In Washington, hard-line Republicans have brought the House to a halt. Speaker Kevin McCarthy is now canceling votes planned for the rest of the week because roughly ten people in his party are making procedural moves to block bills from going forward. It's a rare example of a group of lawmakers holding their own party hostage. The Republican dissenters say McCarthy sold them out by striking a deal with President Biden on the debt limit. So now they're making things tough for him, in the hopes that'll give them leverage in talks over future legislation.
And a major figure in the religious conservative movement is dead. Pat Robertson was a televangelist who became heavily influential in the Republican Party in the '80s and '90s as a founder of the Christian Coalition. In recent years, though, he was in the news more for controversial comments, including those that demeaned other religions. He was 93 years old.
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Let's turn now to a story we mentioned on yesterday's show, "CNN" getting rid of CEO Chris Licht. He was barely a year into the job. No cable-news channel is what it used to be in today's difficult media environment. But "CNN" has had a rockier time than its competitors lately. Alex Weprin, who covers media for "The Hollywood Reporter," told us about key factors that led to Licht losing his job.
Alex Weprin: So, you had "CNN" staff kind of losing morale and losing trust in Licht. You had ratings which were declining or static. They were not going up. You had influence, which seemed to be declining. People used to talk a lot about "CNN" and the news they broke, and it felt like that hadn't been happening.
One of his most controversial decisions was doing a live town hall with former President Donald Trump. As expected, Trump lied repeatedly on air, in front of a crowd that largely cheered him on.
Previously, "CNN" was perceived as veering too far from straight news into anti-Trump advocacy. Licht's corporate bosses didn't want the network to be seen as politically biased. But many at "CNN" thought Licht overcorrected, by giving Trump a giant platform and making other personnel moves.
Licht also launched a new morning show that proved to be a disaster. And in an extensive article in "The Atlantic," he criticized past "CNN" coverage in a way that offended many of its journalists. On Monday, he apologized for being a distraction and promised to fight to win back the trust of the staff. But he never got that chance, since his firing was announced just two days later.
With the 2024 election quickly approaching, people both inside and outside of "CNN" are closely watching to see what happens next.
Weprin: The truth is that cable news is still very important for policy makers, for people who work in government. They follow it closely. They care a lot about what happens there. And so, even though the viewership may not be what it once was, the influence is still there.
An interim group of three people will lead the network during the search for a permanent CEO. Two of the executives are women. That means, at least for now, all of the major U.S. news networks are led by women.
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Even if you don't know much about soccer, you gotta know this name.
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Announcer 1: Messi. [SIGHS] Messi! Messi!
Announcer 2: What? Are you kidding me?
Announcer 1: A work of art!
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Lionel Messi, one of history's greatest soccer players, is coming to America. Fresh off winning the World Cup with Argentina, Messi says he's going to join Major League Soccer to play for Miami. The full deal is not finalized. "Apple News" sports editor Shaker Samman told us how big this news is.
Shaker Samman: Joining MLS right now is sorta like if Giannis Antetokounmpo walked away from the Milwaukee Bucks and signed a deal with like the Dutch National Basketball League, right? It's absurd. It's the best player in the world still today coming to the U.S. and saying, "Nope, I'm gonna be right here."
Shaker told us, Messi had three main options on the table for his next move after leaving his last club, Paris Saint-Germain. The first option: his longtime team, Barcelona.
Samman: Turns out they're kind of broke. He loves it there, but they don't have any money.
Second option was the Saudi league. It's dangling big paydays to lure some of the world's top players. Messi was reportedly offered as much as $400 million a year.
Samman: Saudi Arabia has a ton of money, but his rival went there.
His rival being, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo. Which brings us to door number three: the United States.
Samman: Messi's always flirted with the idea of ending his career here in the U.S., and specifically Miami, after David Beckham opened the team a few years ago. And the deal that he's reportedly struck with Major League Soccer is pretty remarkable.
Now, Miami can't pay the kind of money Saudi Arabia can. But the deal is widely reported to also include money from Apple and Adidas, connected to streaming and gear sales. Messi told Spanish news outlets that playing in the U.S. would be better for his family life than another season in the harsh European soccer spotlight.
Shaker explained what's different about Messi's move to America.
Samman: The MLS historically had this reputation of where players come to retire. This is so different. This is the guy who is unarguably the best player in the world right now, coming off of his greatest triumph in the World Cup, saying, "My next chapter will be in Miami." Nothing has ever happened like that in MLS, almost to the point that I'm worried that his teammates won't be able to keep up.
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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, stick around. We've got a narrated article coming up next. "Vogue" talks to actor Jeremy Allen White, star of "The Bear." The much anticipated second season of the super-intense Chicago restaurant series is coming later this month. So, sit back, enjoy listening to that, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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