[MUSIC FADES IN]
Gideon Resnick, Narrating: Good morning! It's Friday, September 1st. I'm Gideon Resnick in for Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today."
On today's show, world leaders hedge their bets and prepare for another Trump presidency, revelations about the company that makes Tasers, using them on its employees, and why this year's college football season will mark the end of an era.
[MUSIC FADES OUT]
But first, let's take a quick look at some big stories in the news, where there are a lot of major legal developments.
Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas is now disclosing a real estate deal with a billionaire GOP donor and a number of private jet trips. This follows reporting from "ProPublica" on how the justice took a series of undisclosed charter flights, luxury vacations, and gifts from various billionaires. Thomas's attorney says the lack of previous disclosure was "inadvertent." The justice says that he got advice in the past that he did not have to disclose the private-jet flights.
Two former leaders of the far-right group the Proud Boys are heading to prison for 17 and 15 years. Those two sentences are among the longest related to the attack on the Capitol on January 6th. Both of them were convicted of seditious conspiracy and a number of other charges. Former FBI special agent Clint Watts told "MSNBC" that these long sentences are sending a message to extremist groups.
[START MSNBC ARCHIVAL CLIP]
Clint Watts: The real weight of these trials and these convictions are hitting. And I think this puts a lot of downward pressure on organizations like this or groups or organizations that want to mobilize in this way moving forward, when they see what is happening to the very top leaders and the massive sentences that they're getting.
[END MSNBC ARCHIVAL CLIP]
And former president Donald Trump entered a not guilty plea in the Georgia election-interference case. His lawyers also filed a motion to sever his case from the other defendants who are requesting a speedy trial. There are 19 defendants in total, one has a trial date for October, and the DA there wants to try everyone together. Trump's legal team says a trial next month will not allow them enough time to prepare.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[MUSIC FADES OUT]
Despite that criminal case in Georgia and several others, Trump still has a large lead over his Republican rivals in presidential primary polls. And world leaders are now making preparations, just in case he gets back in the White House.
Bojan Pancevski: In Europe at least, there is a great… How shall we put it? There's a great sense of anxiety about a possible return of President Trump.
That's Bojan Pancevski, the Germany correspondent for "The Wall Street Journal." He says one thing leaders in foreign capitals are especially worried about is the prospect of a global trade war. Trump recently said he would set an automatic 10 percent tariff on all foreign imports to the U.S.
Then, there's the question of what Trump might do about the war in Ukraine. At times, he's threatened to withdraw the U.S. from NATO. Allies are worried the U.S. might cut back aid to Ukraine if Trump wins.
Pancevski: The United States is obviously the single biggest backer of Ukraine in the Western fold, so if America would falter in this, if they would pull out in any meaningful way, then that sort of leaves the Europeans in a lurch.
In Germany, Pancevski told us, officials do not want to be caught by surprise like they were in 2016, when Trump was first elected. The government struggled to gain access to the White House as Trump aimed tariffs at Germany and other European countries. So, in recent years, German officials have been paying more visits to the U.S. to maintain ties with GOP officials and Trump allies alike.
Pancevski: I think there's a great sense that perhaps President Biden will win the second term. But there is no complacency in that sense. I think everyone thinks that it should be taken seriously and that there is a pretty decent chance that Trump wins the presidency and therefore they need to be prepared.
It's not all anxiety across the world though. The "Journal" reports that some officials in countries including China and Russia see some potential opportunities in another Trump administration.
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
[MUSIC FADES OUT]
You probably know the Taser, the controversial device that police around the world use to deliver electric shocks. Axon is the company that makes Tasers, and also body cameras for law enforcement. In its marketing material, Axon says its gear helps protect the lives of police and civilians.
But an extensive "Reuters" investigation reveals that many employees say there's a dangerous culture inside the company. Dozens of current and former staffers paint a picture of a place where employees are pressured to be tased in public, and to get tattoos of the company logo. Many women say the company is unwelcoming to them and dominated by men.
One former manager says the public tasings of workers are like ancient Romans gathering in the Colosseum to watch violence. The crowd cheers as the person screams out in pain, like in this footage of an intern getting hit with a Taser.
[START ARCHIVAL CLIP]
[CROWD CHATTERING]
[TASER POPPING]
[CRIES OF PAIN]
[CROWD CHEERING]
[END ARCHIVAL CLIP]
"Reuters" obtained a waiver that employees sign, which mentions the risk of death multiple times. The company says workers can choose whether they want to be tased, just as many law enforcement officers do, to understand how the Taser works. But some employees told "Reuters" they felt pressured to say yes, and that workers who don't buy into the company culture of Tasers and tattoos miss out on opportunities. Axon denies this, and it also disputes allegations that it's a problematic workplace for women.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration tells "Reuters," there's no ongoing investigation of Axon. But a former OSHA senior advisor says that tasing staffers could be a violation of a mandate to make workplaces safe from hazards that could cause serious harm or death.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
[MUSIC FADES OUT]
Let's end on sports as we go into the weekend. In many ways, the college football season getting under way will be the last of its kind. Because there are huge changes are on the horizon after this season.
This will be the last College Football Playoff with only four teams, before it expands to 12. And this will likely be the last season for the Pac-12 conference. Teams are leaving as the Pac-12 TV deal is ending. It kinda feels like a dead shopping mall, with all but a few stores empty.
And the major conferences that are left will be bigger, with teams from a broader geographic area. And their names will hardly make any sense anymore. The Big 10 will grow to 18 teams. The Big 12 will have 16 teams.
And with so many of these teams changing conferences, big annual rivalry games will go away, like Oklahoma versus Oklahoma State. Or Washington versus Washington State. So, for a lot of college football fans, this season feels like the end of an era. Apple News sports editor Shaker Samman puts it all into perspective for us.
Shaker Samman: This is the last season, I'd say, of college football nostalgia, of that feeling that this sport isn't actually what it is. It's a behemoth. It's a money- making machine. It is business on a football field. But for a while it felt like it was something different. And this is the last time we'll be able to experience that first feeling without the second one crashing over us like a tidal wave.
[MUSIC FADES IN]
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the News app, stick around for our weekly interview show, "In Conversation."
It's the last episode of our summer series "Think Again," all about major life transitions. And this week, Shumita talks to longtime "L.A. Times" columnist Steve Lopez about a big transition. How do you know when you're ready emotionally, mentally, spiritually, to retire?
[START IN CONVERSATION CLIP]
Steve Lopez: It's like, okay, if you don't have that many years left, do you want to spend them doing the same thing that you've done? To just repeat what you've already been through? Or do you want to try some of those things that you may have had on a list of things you wanted to try out?
[END IN CONVERSATION CLIP]
Keep on listening for the rest of Shumita's conversation with Steve Lopez. Our team is off on Monday for Labor Day. So have a great holiday weekend, and we'll be back with the news on Tuesday.
[MUSIC FADES OUT]