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Yasmeen Khan, Narrating: Good morning.
It's Friday, February 2nd.
I'm Yasmeen Khan in for Shumita Basu.
This is "Apple News Today."
Coming up, President Biden tries to win back his core voters in South Carolina,
an unusual deadline for one NBA veteran
and safety concerns one year after the toxic train derailment
in East Palestine, Ohio.
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But first, let's take a quick look at some stories in the news.
President Biden is ordering sanctions for Israeli settlers
in the West Bank who've been attacking Palestinians.
To start, four people are getting financial sanctions and visa bans.
The administration may sanction others.
Biden says that violence against West Bank Palestinians has reached,
quote, "intolerable levels."
He also said it threatens the security of the entire Middle East.
Today, Biden will meet with families of three American soldiers killed in Jordan.
They're gathering at a military base in Delaware,
where the remains of service members killed abroad are brought home.
One of those killed was Kennedy Sanders, who was posthumously promoted to sergeant.
Her father, Shawn Sanders, told "WJXT" that being in the Army Reserve
was important to her.
[START WJXT ARCHIVAL CLIP]
Shawn Sanders: She was excited.
Boot camp, she enjoyed boot camp.
All through the process, she enjoyed it.
[END WJXT ARCHIVAL CLIP]
Khan, Narrating: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the U.S. will launch a series of strikes
over several days in response to the attack in Jordan.
He didn't go into details, but the retaliation is expected
to hit Iran-backed militias in Syria and possibly Iraq.
And good news for the economy.
New numbers out this morning show the U.S. economy adding 353,000 jobs last month.
That's a good bit higher than forecasters expected.
The new data also shows that December's payroll gains
were stronger than previously reported.
Elsewhere, Tesla is recalling 2.2 million vehicles.
That's nearly every electric Tesla in the United States.
Federal regulators say the problem is the fonts on its warning lights are too small,
which can increase the risk of a crash.
Tesla had another recall only two months ago
to install new safeguards in its autopilot system.
The latest fix will happen through a free software update.
Regulators say they're also looking more closely at a steering issue reported
in a smaller number of vehicles.
And seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton is changing teams.
He's leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari, and it's a big shock
to the world of motorsports.
The British driver recently finalized a contract extension,
and he'd said he'd wanted to end his career with Mercedes.
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Hamilton will keep driving for Mercedes through the end of the year.
One year ago tomorrow, a train with hazardous materials on board derailed
in East Palestine, Ohio.
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To prevent a larger explosion, authorities decided
to do a controlled release of a toxic chemical on board.
You might remember seeing the videos of huge plumes of toxic smoke
billowing over the small town.
Abigail Bottar covered the aftermath of the derailment
for "Ideastream Public Media" in Ohio.
We asked her how people in East Palestine are feeling about their safety today.
Abigail Bottar: There are people in town who are a little hesitant about
what their health might look like in 10 years or 20 years.
And there are people who aren't worried at all.
Khan, Narrating: And the people who are worried don't like how the rail company is handling things.
Bottar: There's just a lot of hesitancy and distrust
between Norfolk Southern and some residents
where they are just not really happy with anything Norfolk has done
because they don't think that they're doing this cleanup
for the best interest of the town.
Khan, Narrating: The EPA ordered Norfolk Southern to pay for cleanup and monitoring
of East Palestine.
Things like removing contaminated soil and water, testing air quality.
Norfolk Southern says the major site remediation steps are now complete.
Bottar: The EPA has been testing the air and water essentially since
the derailment has started,
and they say that it is totally okay and safe to live in town.
But people want testing inside of their houses.
Khan, Narrating: There has been some air quality testing in residential homes in East Palestine.
But as "ProPublica" reported last year, some residents and some experts
on environmental health and toxicology do not feel the testing was sufficient.
They told "ProPublica" they were alarmed that Norfolk Southern hired the company
responsible for testing air quality in homes,
not the government or an independent watchdog.
The company, CTEH, has been repeatedly accused
of downplaying health risks in the past.
It told "ProPublica" that it stands by its testing protocol,
and the EPA and government health agencies reviewed it.
But Bottar told us some people in East Palestine still question the results
they've gotten and wonder if their homes are safe.
Some have not felt safe enough to return home full time since the accident.
Bottar told us about Zsuzsa Gyenes.
Bottar: Her son has asthma and some other medical concerns,
so when they went back to town originally,
he got these rashes that were really concerning.
She said his allergist couldn't figure out what they were from,
and so she hasn't taken him back to town since then.
Khan, Narrating: They've been staying in a hotel, getting reimbursed in part by Norfolk Southern.
Starting next week, that money will stop for her and other families
displaced by the toxic derailment.
Gyenes told Bottar she doesn't know where they'll go next,
and she wishes going home felt like a safer option.
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Tomorrow is the South Carolina Democratic primary.
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Incumbent President Biden isn't expected to face much trouble there,
but the race is still one to watch because it could tell us a lot
about what kind of support he might have in the general election.
Black voters in South Carolina gave Biden a primary victory in 2020
that revived his campaign.
So he's spent a lot of time in recent days reengaging with them.
Tolu Olorunnipa is the White House Bureau Chief for "The Washington Post."
He told us about Biden's campaign strategy.
Tolu Olorunnipa: They want to show Black voters across the country,
not only in South Carolina, that President Biden is paying attention
to their views and their thoughts.
And so a big theme was the idea that President Biden has made all these
promises to Black voters and that he's kept those promises.
Khan, Narrating: Olorunnipa talked to voters who have mixed opinions on a second term for Biden.
Olorunnipa: They give him credit for the economy in some areas and bringing back jobs.
We have historic low Black unemployment in a number of different places.
But at the same time, there are a number of other issues other than the economy
that Black voters were waiting for President Biden to deliver on,
things like criminal justice reform, voting rights,
that because of the political situation we have in Washington,
President Biden has not been able to pass those things through Congress.
And so those promises haven't been kept, and a number of Black voters,
especially young Black voters, are looking to hold Biden accountable
for that and are not enthusiastic about a second term for him.
Khan, Narrating: In 2020, Biden won 92% of Black votes nationwide.
But a recent poll from "AP" shows a sharp drop
in his approval rating among Black voters.
And in a close election, any decline in support like that could have an impact.
Olorunnipa: Upwards of 20% of Black voters are willing to look outside of the Democratic Party
and look for another option.
And even if the numbers aren't that high in November,
it would only take a pretty small defection of the Black vote
going to another party or deciding to stay home to flip some of these key states.
Khan, Narrating: As Biden put it to South Carolina voters recently,
you're the reason I am president.
Now the question is whether they'll turn out for him in November.
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Now to a story out of the NBA,
one with stakes far beyond the court, which a lot of parents can relate to.
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One veteran player, Tony Snell,
has been playing in basketball's minor league lately,
and he's desperately hoping to get called back up to the NBA
so he can get medical coverage for his sons,
who are two and three and on the autism spectrum.
Like a lot of jobs in the U.S., health insurance for NBA players
is tied to employment, and how long players are in the league matters.
Those who play for 10 years can get long-term coverage for their families.
Tony Snell has nine NBA seasons under his belt,
and if he's not invited to play with a team for the rest of the season
by the end of the day today,
his family won't have insurance through the Players Union.
He told "Yahoo Sports" his family really needs it.
Autism Spectrum Disorder is treatable, but it can be expensive.
Kids with autism may need more health services and intensive therapies.
Recently, Snell learned he is on the autism spectrum, too.
He told "The Today Show" the diagnosis put his whole life into perspective.
[START THE TODAY SHOW ARCHIVAL CLIP]
Tony Snell: I was not surprised because I always felt different.
I was just relieved, like, "Aw, this is why I am the way I am."
And it just made my whole life, everything about my life,
make so much sense.
[END THE TODAY SHOW ARCHIVAL CLIP]
Khan, Narrating: Snell told "Yahoo Sports" he's excited about potentially playing
in the NBA again, but he has a bigger purpose now, his kids.
Which is why, off the court, he spends so much of his time
working to advance autism research and better understand the challenges
around diagnosing children.
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You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
And check out our weekend interview show, "In Conversation."
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This week, you'll hear our first guest host filling in
for Shumita while she's out on maternity leave, David Greene.
He's a former co-host of "NPR's Morning Edition."
In this episode, David talks to sports journalist Kevin Blackistone
about the core contradiction in college sports.
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The universities make a fortune, but don't pay a salary to the players.
Kevin Blackistone: I think people are uncomfortable acknowledging the critique
of college sports as a plantation economy.
And the reason I bring up the plantation economy
is because the laborers in college sports who generate the bulk of the revenue
are Black males who play college football and college basketball.
Those are the two sports that are behind the billion-dollar industry
that college sports have become.
Khan, Narrating: 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 I'll be back with the news on Monday.
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