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Shumita Basu, Narrating: Good morning! It’s Wednesday, August 9th. I’m Shumita Basu. This is “Apple News Today.” On today’s show… The hidden danger Russia’s invasion is creating for Ukrainian families, why this year’s college-application season is such a mess for students and schools, And reindeer, raccoons, and birds, all out of work. How the Hollywood strikes are affecting animal actors.
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But first, let’s take a brief look at some major stories in the news.
Ohio voters have strongly rejected a ballot measure that would’ve made it harder to change the state constitution. This is seen as a potential win for abortion rights. That’s because it clears an easier path for another ballot measure that voters will take up in November, one that would protect access to abortion.
In Hawaii, wildfires are forcing mass evacuations, with some people heading into the ocean to get away from heavy flames and smoke. Maui and the Big Island have both seen major damage. An emergency declaration is in effect, and the Hawaii National Guard is helping with evacuation and relief efforts.
Today the Biden administration is set to ban U.S. investments in some Chinese tech sectors. The executive order is the latest move to address bipartisan national-security concerns about China’s activities. There’s special concern about semiconductors and artificial intelligence.
And the Supreme Court is allowing the Biden administration’s restrictions on ghost guns to stand, for now. These are regulations on weapons that can be made at home using kits. Law enforcement is especially concerned about ghost guns because they’re untraceable. They lack the usual serial numbers and background checks. Gun-advocacy groups and ghost-gun companies sued. The Court’s move allows the administration’s regulations to stay in place while legal battles continue.
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Many discussions about the impact of Russia’s attack on Ukraine focus on civilian casualties, especially people killed by airstrikes in Ukrainian towns. But there’s a growing problem of a different kind in the country.
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Domestic violence is at record highs. Cases are up 51% this year. The majority of victims are women. And experts told “Reuters” reporter, Layli Foroudi, they're worried that case numbers will continue to rise as more Ukrainian soldiers return home from the front lines.
Layli Foroudi: Social workers and psychologists say that it's very linked to the increase in stress and uncertainty. So, there's more unemployment, economic difficulties. People have lost their loved ones, their homes, people have had their lives turned upside down by war, and that stress and grief can turn into aggression.
The problem is likely even bigger than the numbers reveal since domestic violence is typically under-reported, around the world. And in Ukraine, there’s a long-running problem with enforcement.
Foroudi: In Ukraine, domestic violence can be punished with a prison sentence, but that's very rare. Lawyers say that it's, more often than not, a fine, which is the equivalent of five to $10, which is not a lot. And actually, this fine, the lawyers were telling me, is often paid by the women victims themselves, depending on the economic setup of the family, which can also act as a further deterrent from reporting abuse.
The war’s also straining resources for victims and families. Ukraine’s health and criminal justice systems are under pressure. Some women’s shelters have been repurposed to house war refugees. And some state funds allocated for domestic violence have been redirected to defense spending. All of this is making it harder than ever to help victims of abuse in Ukraine, and bring their abusers to justice.
Foroudi: Domestic violence is a hidden violence of the war. It's a fallout from Russia's invasion of the country, which is touching every aspect of society's lives, and it will continue to be an issue for years to come.
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College-application season is officially underway here in the U.S. Most forms went live last week. This is a stressful time for students and schools every year, but especially this year.
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They had to make a lot of adjustments in a very short time after the Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions policies a few weeks ago. Colleges had to overhaul their processes. And students had to rethink how to fill out applications.
Chief Justice John Roberts left a narrow path, in his opinion for the Court, for students to address their racial identity in applications. They can discuss how race impacted their life if they tie that to what they could uniquely bring to the university community. And some schools have changed their essay questions to give students that chance. Sarah Lawrence College uses Roberts’s own words in its essay prompt.
But as the “Wall Street Journal” reports, all of these changes have made a daunting process even more challenging for rising high school seniors. Higher education reporter, Melissa Korn, told us about their questions and concerns.
Melissa Korn: Is it okay to mention their race? Is it okay to mention their race just as a fact? Or does it need to be in context of, you know, I gained this character trait because of the experiences I had as a… whatever their race may be. And they're not sure, you know, will this help me? Could this even hurt me? You know, there were some expressed concerns that they could be penalized for mentioning their race.
And some students of color told Korn, they don’t really want to write about race. But some new essay questions make them feel like they’re expected to.
Korn: One of the students I spoke to talked about the burden that this puts on students, and not just that they have to figure out what topic to write about, but potentially have to open themselves up to reliving certain traumas. Whether it’s experiencing a particularly racist incident, or talking about poverty, or whatever the issue may be that they're trying to bring up now because they think that's what schools want from them, that’s not easy emotionally, mentally, it takes a toll.
As for the schools reading these applications, they’re now facing a lot of legal risk.
Korn, Narrating: They don't know just how far they can push things. The Supreme Court ruling doesn't mention scholarships. It doesn't mention recruiting programs. There’s kind of a whole lot else that's done in the admissions universe that schools don't really know if that's kosher anymore. You have groups of lawyers vetting the essay prompt that a 17-year-old is going to answer. That level of scrutiny did not necessarily happen before. They don't know who's going to come after them or what kind of challenges they may see. So, they're kind of anticipating all of the worst from everybody.
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Basu: Today marks 100 days since the Hollywood writers strike started. Actors are on strike too. You’ve probably heard about productions shutting down. But maybe you haven’t heard about how this is affecting Mr. Pickles.
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Mr. Pickles is a parakeet, a working member of Hollywood’s flock of animal actors. They’re out of work too.
“The Washington Post” writes about what this strike has meant for animal actors and their human handlers. Just like actors and writers still need to pay their rent, the industry’s animal trainers still need to keep up with vet costs, ranch upkeep, and permits.
And, like human actors, animals share similar concerns about being replaced by AI and visual effects. “The Post” talked to one animal handler who manages a ranch in California, with horses, pigs, flamingos, and reindeer. She says Christmas movies don’t really use live reindeer anymore because nobody has the budget.
“The Post” also checks in on some other animals you might recognize from the big or small screens. There’s the dog who plays Charlotte’s bulldog on the “Sex and the City” reboot, who is not gearing up to shoot season three. Instead, the trainer tells "The Post," their days are filled with “sleeping, snoring and farting, basically.” A calico cat in Atlanta booked a cat-food-modeling job, which is technically not crossing the picket line. Two actor raccoons are spending their summer not working, but hanging out by a kiddie pool in LA.
As for Mr. Pickles, “The Washington Post” reports that the bird is focusing on family during the strike. And it turns out, a better name would be Ms. Pickles. She’s been laying eggs.
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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 cued up the latest episode of “After the Whistle,” with a recap of the World Cup so far. Hosts Brendan Hunt and Rebecca Lowe are joined by soccer-football power couple Kealia Watt and JJ Watt to talk about the future of soccer, women’s and men’s, in the U.S.
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Kealia Watt: I think that this has been incredible, this World Cup, the last few years, seeing the way soccer's grown, football's grown in America, seeing Messi come. It’s been a long road for soccer in America and I think that it's really just the beginning.
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That episode is playing for you next, and I’ll be back with the news tomorrow.
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