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Shumita Basu, Narrating: Good morning! It's Friday, October 27th. I'm Shumita Basu. This is “Apple News Today.” On today's show…
The latest in Gaza, where hospitals and shelters are running out of fuel…
An update on the trial of former crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried…
…and the unexpected World Series matchup.
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But first, residents in Lewiston, Maine and the surrounding communities spent a second night locked down in their homes, as authorities continue to search for the suspect in Wednesday's mass shootings. Police say the person they're looking for is a 40-year-old Army reservist and a certified firearms instructor.
At least 18 people were killed and 13 injured, at two locations: a bowling alley and a bar. There was a children's bowling league playing that night. A 10-year-old named Zoey spoke with a local “ABC News” affiliate, about how she was grazed by a bullet.
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Zoey: I had never thought I'd grow up and get a bullet in my leg. Why? Why do people do this?
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In light of what's happening in Lewiston, “The Trace” - which is a nonprofit newsroom that covers gun violence - put out what it calls "A Guide to Understanding Mass Shootings in America." It puts the shootings in Lewiston into greater context, by highlighting a few key facts about mass shootings.
First, to answer the question: have shootings like these become more common? “The Trace” says, according to data from “The Violence Project,” the answer is yes. Public mass killings, as they call them - that is, shootings where four or more people were killed in public - have increased every decade since the 1960s with this decade on track to have the highest rate yet: six incidents a year.
Another point “The Trace” underscores: the majority of mass shooters obtain their guns legally. That was true in the recent shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde. We don't know all the details yet for the suspect in the Maine shootings, but we do know gun laws in Maine are looser than other states in the northeast. The state doesn't require permits to carry concealed guns, doesn't have red-flag laws to temporarily prevent someone in crisis from having access to guns, and doesn't mandate background checks for private gun sales.
And a third stat that “The Trace” highlights is that mass shootings make up a small percentage of over-all gun deaths in America. According to federal data from 2021, nearly 49,000 Americans died of gunshot wounds that year. Only about 1.4% of those deaths were from mass shootings. More than half were suicides.
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You can read more from “The Trace,” and get the latest updates on the situation in Maine, in the Apple News app.
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Now, let's check in on some other stories we're following in the news.
Israeli military officials say they carried out another ground raid, this one near Gaza City, overnight. It’s the second such attack in the territory in two days, ahead of an anticipated larger ground assault.
Meanwhile, fuel supplies in Gaza have become dangerously low. Hospitals are concerned that they will have to turn patients away or even turn off critical lifesaving machines. Shelters are having to turn off lights. So far, Israel has allowed limited aid into Gaza, but not fuel, citing concerns that it could be used by Hamas for military purposes. According to the UN, about a third of Gaza’s hospitals have already shut down due to the lack of fuel and damage from air strikes. Meanwhile, the U.S. military carried out air strikes in eastern Syria against Iranian-backed militant groups. U.S. officials say it was in retaliation for rocket and drone attacks on American troops in Iraq and Syria that injured 21 service members. Earlier this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the U.S. is not seeking any conflict with Iran and doesn't want war in the region to widen.
In legal news, FTX founder and former crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried took the stand for the first time in his federal fraud trial. He faces seven criminal counts, including wire fraud and money laundering. His appearance on the stand yesterday was a sort of mini-hearing - the jury wasn't even present for it, and he's supposed to testify in front of them today. But Elizabeth Lopatto, a reporter with “The Verge” who's been covering this trial, says it didn't bode well for the rest of the defense.
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Elizabeth Lopatto: Based on what I saw, I don't think it's a very good idea for him to testify in front of a jury at all. He was okay on the direct examination with his own lawyer. But during the cross examination, he kept dodging questions, and Judge Lewis Kaplan seemed to get pretty fed up with him answering the question he wanted to be asked, rather than the question he was being asked.
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The defense will continue its case next week.
And in Washington, politicians and staffers are remembering Bertie Bowman, the longest-serving African American congressional aide in history. He died this week at the age of 92, having worked on Capitol Hill for more than 60 years. “The Washington Post” calls his "an extraordinary, unsung life in Washington," one that started when Bowman was 13 years old, sweeping the steps of the Capitol. He forged friendships with politicians, worked his way up to clerk on a Senate committee, and served as chairman of the U.S. Senate Federal Credit Union, which named their headquarters after him in 2019. At the time, Bowman called it "an honor."
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Let’s close out today with a preview of a major showdown in sports. The World Series starts tonight, with the Arizona Diamondbacks taking on the Texas Rangers.
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Shaker Samman: I'm going to be honest. No one expected that these were going to be the two teams.
That's “Apple News” sports editor, Shaker Samman. He says, looking at the 2022 records of these teams, you wouldn't have seen this coming. But rising young talent helped the Rangers and Diamondbacks turn things around this year.
Samman: Both teams have been buoyed by breakout stars and rising young players who really have shown their worth in the majors so much faster than expected. For the Diamondbacks, it's Corbin Carroll, the frontrunner to win National League Rookie of the Year, who overnight went from like this highly touted prospect to - straight up - one of the best players in baseball. An exceptional outfielder, one of the faces of the game for years to come.
He says other young talent on the Diamondbacks to keep an eye out for are second baseman Ketel Marte and outfielder Alek Thomas.
Then there's the Rangers, the home team in Game one tonight.
Samman: They've gone out and they've spent a lot of money on big name stars like Marcus Semien, like Corey Seager. They've traded for superstars like Max Scherzer. And they've also managed to develop a lot of really great young players. Josh Jung, Ezequiel Durán, guys who are not only contributing now, but will contribute for years to come. And as a result, you have two teams that, frankly, are really good now and could be really good for the next half decade.
With no clear upper hand for either team, Shaker says this World Series is totally up for grabs. And it should be a lot of fun.
Samman: Both these teams are coming off seven game series in the NL and ALCS rounds. This is gonna be a fight and we are all lucky for it.
You can follow the latest in the World Series from My Sports the Apple News app. And if you're listening in the News app right now, stick around for the latest episode of our weekly interview show, “In Conversation.”
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This week, we dive into the true story behind the new Apple TV+ movie “Killers of the Flower Moon” about a period in the 1920s when dozens of Osage people in Oklahoma were killed for their wealth. I spoke about this dark history with Osage Nation Principal Chief, Geoffrey Standing Bear, who was a consultant on the film, and author David Grann, who wrote the non-fiction book the film is based on.
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David Grann: These crimes, what they were was inheritance schemes, and so they involved an extraordinary level of intimate betrayal. These were people who were marrying into families while systematically plotting to kill their loved ones.
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If you're listening in the Apple News app right now, that episode is queued up to play for you next. Enjoy the weekend, and we'll be back with the news on Monday.
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