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Shumita Basu, Narrating: Good morning! It's Tuesday, October 3rd. I'm Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today." On today's show, previewing the trial of former crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, why computer science degrees might not be worth as much in the future, and southern accents are slipping away…
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But first, let's take a brief look at some major stories in the news.
As promised, Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz is moving forward with a vote to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his leadership post. The GOP only has a thin majority in the House, so a handful of Republican votes could be enough to remove McCarthy as Speaker. A key question is, what Democrats might do. They could theoretically save McCarthy's job, but that's unlikely to happen without him making major concessions.
In New York, former president Trump was in court yesterday for the opening of the civil-fraud trial against him and his family's businesses. He didn't speak in the courtroom but appeared before cameras outside to repeat his attacks on the state's attorney general Letitia James. This is one of several trials that will unfold in the months ahead, all while Trump campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination.
And Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to charges of illegally possessing a handgun. He appeared in federal court in Delaware this morning. Prosecutors say when he filled out the gun paperwork, he falsely claimed he was not using illegal drugs.
In global news, the United Nations is sending foreign security forces to Haiti. The country has been asking for help in getting gang violence under control. The U.S. is not sending troops but is on board to provide financial and logistical support.
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Today, Sam Bankman-Fried's criminal trial gets underway in New York. The founder of the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX and the crypto trading firm Alameda Research is facing multiple counts of wire fraud and conspiracy charges. Elizabeth Lopatto from "The Verge" spoke to us about Bankman-Fried's fall and the trial.
Elizabeth Lopatto: Bankman-Fried is also accused of using billions of dollars of FTX customer deposits to help him buy more than 200 million dollars of real estate for himself, make billions of dollars of investment for his own interests, and repay Alameda's lenders, according to the indictment. On top of all of that, he used more than 100 million dollars of customer funds to make political contributions. So it's messy.
The question at the heart of this case is, did Bankman-Fried knowingly lie about consumer protection and create an intentional "backdoor" into FTX that gave his personal hedge fund access to other people's money? Prosecutors will argue he did it intentionally. Bankman-Fried has said there's no documentation to prove that. Lopatto says, she'll be watching this trial to see what kind of evidence might emerge.
Lopatto: Big cases like this often bring really embarrassing correspondence to light.
She expects to learn more about the people closest to Bankman-Fried, including his ex-girlfriend, who's pleaded guilty to her own criminal charges related to FTX.
Lopatto: A lot of personal drama here. So Caroline Ellison, who's one of his co-conspirators, is his ex-girlfriend, Gary Wang, who wrote the code backdoor that allowed Alameda to borrow this, is a friend of his from math camp, and then his parents, who are Stanford law professors, seem to have been involved advising FTX as well.
A recent lawsuit filed by FTX lawyers against Bankman-Fried's parents says they should give back the millions of dollars they received from their son. FTX has declared bankruptcy. Lopatto says this trial is bigger than just Bankman-Fried. It could be bad for the broader crypto industry.
Lopatto: There was this idea that he was the good boy of crypto, that he was going to make crypto legit. He did a lot of interviews. He did a ton of press. Now, some of the people I talk to in the crypto industry want to say things like, well, you know, this is FTX, this is not an industry-wide problem. But I think that media campaign was very successful for people who are outside of the industry, and they do associate Sam Bankman-Fried with crypto at large.
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You have probably gotten or given this advice to a young person before. Learn to code, study computer science. This was a big thing when I was in college. Over the years, I remember President Obama talking about how anyone can, and should, try to get into computer science.
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Barack Obama: This week I'm proud to join the students, teachers, businesses, and non-profit organizations taking big new steps to support computer science in America's schools. Learning these skills isn't just important for your future. It's important for our country's future.
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And while that has been true for the past two decades or so, "The Atlantic" looks at how artificial intelligence could be upending this highly lucrative, stable, in-demand profession. Generative Al programs, like ChatGPT, can write extensive code. Programmers have developed simple apps using Al. And a lot of programmers say, Al can help them do some of the more tedious coding tasks. "The Atlantic" cites one study that found developers who use Al report getting their work done 56 percent faster.
Now, this is not to suggest Al is replacing coders today or tomorrow. We're still far from that reality. But it can certainly change the job market and the education system.
Some people in the industry are worried. "The Atlantic" spoke with a former Harvard computer-science professor who predicts at least some coding jobs won't be as lucrative in the future. And there might not be as much job security.
It's also changing how professors teach. A UMass professor says, he's come around to treating Al tools like a math teacher would treat a calculator. Yes, students can use it, but you have to show your work and explain your process.
With the exponential growth of Al, it's hard to know what the future will look like, but one thing seems certain. A freshman in college studying computer science today will likely graduate into a very different tech landscape than they initially imagined.
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New research shows that southern accents are fading away in Georgia. It's an audible sign of how the state has changed, as Atlanta's growth brought waves of new people from the rest of the country.
Linguistics researchers analyzed more than 100 voice samples of people born in the state from 1887 to 2003. They found a generational shift. The classic southern accent is still strong among Baby Boomers. but it falls off, starting with Gen X. Younger Georgians are more likely to sound like people in other parts of the U.S.
"The Wall Street Journal" spoke with one family that embodies this shift. Patti Johnson is 66. Her son Josh is 42. You can hear the difference a couple decades makes.
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Patti: "She saw eight tiny icicles below our roof."
Josh: "We saw eight tiny icicles below our roof."
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This happens elsewhere in America, too. Similar studies have found other regional accents weakening over time. Georgians the "Journal" spoke to had mixed feelings about these changes. Some aren't particularly nostalgic, saying the accent can make them a target for mockery. One woman said she got voice coaching to soften her accent. She was worried it would hold her back professionally. Then there's a University of Georgia student from a rural area, with a strong drawl. He says he "felt his heart dip a little bit" when he heard about the study. But his accent isn't going anywhere. He says when he travels out-of-state, people ask him to repeat things, just to hear him talk more.
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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 with another angle on the Bankman-Fried crypto case. "The New Yorker" spent time with his parents, who are now deeply entangled in their son's legal troubles.
That's playing for you next, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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