--:-- Shamita Basu: Good morning. It's Wednesday, February 23rd. I'm Shamita Basu. And I'm Duarte Giraldino. This is Apple News Today. Each morning, hear about some of the most fascinating stories in the news and how the world's best journalists are covering them.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Ukraine's top security official says the country is imposing a national state of emergency. The summit between President Biden and President Putin is off. The U.S. Secretary of State has also canceled a meeting with his Russian counterpart following Putin's decision to send troops into separatist regions of eastern Ukraine. This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
--:-- Shamita Basu: I'm going to begin to impose sanctions and response far beyond the steps we and our allies and partners implemented in 2014. And if Russia goes further with this invasion, we stand prepared to go further as with sanctions.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Lately, we've seen oil prices rise and markets get more volatile. You've probably heard about that. But here's something you may not know yet. A broader conflict might drive up your grocery bills.
--:-- Shamita Basu: CNBC looks at how the conflict is on a collision course with another problem we've been dealing with, the supply chain crisis. Russia and Ukraine provide around 30% of the world's wheat exports. Ukraine is often called the breadbasket of Europe.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: A full-scale invasion of Ukraine would mean a huge hit to the global supply chain, cutting off crops that make up so much of what we eat. Wheat and corn prices were already rising last year, but lately they've been soaring even faster. Corn is up nearly 15% since the start of the year.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You probably noticed how much more you're paying for food than before the pandemic. If things get worse in Ukraine, grocery prices might get even higher. And it's not just stuff we eat. Russia and Ukraine also are key sources of minerals and commodities that the world uses. Things like copper, nickel, platinum, Batteries, microchips, cars – these are all things that have gotten more expensive lately because of shortages.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: All that could get worse if war interrupts mining in those countries. So as you watch what's happening in Ukraine, remember that the stakes go way beyond the region.
--:-- Shamita Basu: So here's a perspective we haven't heard much in all the stories about teaching students about race, gender, and U.S. history. We've heard about angry parents, we've heard about 10 school board meetings. But a Washington Post piece takes us right into the classroom to hear from teachers. Many say new rules and new scrutiny have them feeling scared and nervous. They're not sure what they can say, and they're censoring themselves.
--:-- Laura Meckler: I spoke to one high school educator in New Hampshire, and she's made major changes to the way she's been teaching. She used to talk about privilege in her classroom, including white privilege, during a unit that she taught on race. But this year, she is not planning on doing that.
--:-- Shamita Basu: In one town in Oklahoma, school administrators told teachers to avoid using the term diversity in the classroom. One high school English teacher there said he was so disturbed by that, he reached out to the ACLU. He's now a plaintiff in a suit challenging the new state law.
--:-- Laura Meckler: This teacher, who is white and has been teaching for 18 years, told the Post this year he's had to edit himself in a way he never thought about before. Many say all of this is affecting what they can talk about with their students. I think teachers who have these concerns and who are making adjustments worry that students are just going to miss out on a rich conversation about what's happening in our country today, as well as sort of the less attractive elements of our history.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Last year, Nikki Vargas' grandmother told the family she had met someone new. His name was Brom. They met on Facebook. He looked like a perfectly nice guy. His profile showed they liked the same music. He even had a picture of himself shaking hands with Joe Biden. He seemed like a catch to her grandmother.
--:-- Nikki Vargas: But I was suspicious. So I did some poking around online and found out Brom was a fake. Yeah, Nikki's grandmother was wrapped up in what's called a romance scam, which are becoming increasingly common.
--:-- Shamita Basu: According to the Federal Trade Commission, they hit an all-time high last year. Victims were taken for more than a half billion dollars. Older people are often targets. But if you've seen that Netflix doc, The Tinder Swindler, it's clear younger people can fall for these scams too.
--:-- Nikki Vargas: Usually it happens like this. A person reaches out online, there's a little flirting, starts to feel like a relationship, still online, but sometimes even in person. And the next thing you know, this person is in a jam. They need a hero. They really need some cash. Oh, and they'll definitely pay you back.
--:-- Shamita Basu: According to AARP Magazine, there isn't one set of character traits that determines who falls for scams in general. It's not consistently about age or income or even education. It's about where people are in their lives. In that moment, people tend to fall for scams when they're emotionally vulnerable. And scammers look for them. They often check obituaries to find someone whose partner just died. And they search dating websites to target people who seemed lonely.
--:-- Nikki Vargas: In my case, I was able to alert my grandmother to the scam before she lost any money. And Nikki writes her grandma actually took the news pretty well. She flipped her hair and told her, Honey, I've got other boyfriends.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Okay, okay, so you are about to hear something pretty crazy. The world's number one ranked chess player, Magnus Carlsen, losing a match with a teenager. Listen to how excited the announcers get.
--:-- [Excited announcers' voices, but no specific speaker identified]
--:-- Shamita Basu: Wow, what a crazy moment, you guys. 16-year-old about to beat Magnus Carlsen. Yeah, and he's just trying to cling on. But the five-time world champ could not cling on. It's a historical moment, and it's here. Magnus Carlsen, the world champion, loses to 16-year-old Pragnananda. Look at Prague. He can almost not believe it.
--:-- Shamita Basu: That winner was Ramesh Babu Pragnananda, or as he heard the announcer say, Prague. He is 16 years old, and this week he became the youngest chess player ever to defeat Magnus Carlsen since he became world champion.
--:-- Shamita Basu: CNN has the story of this remarkable Indian player. When he was 10, he became the youngest international master. Throughout this match, CNN says Prague stayed cool and collected while Carlson made key mistakes. And when it was clear the team was going to win, this young man covered his mouth in shock.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Now, because of the time difference, the match didn't end until past 2 a.m. local time in India. So when he was asked how he was going to celebrate, Prague simply said he was pretty tired. He was looking forward to going to bed.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And when you're in the app, keep listening to hear narrated articles from our News Plus partners. We'll talk with you again tomorrow.
