--:-- Shamita Basu: Good morning. It's Tuesday, May 16th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why Congress is having a hard time regulating artificial intelligence. The U.S. government considers taking chocolate milk out of school cafeterias. And ahead of the NBA draft lottery, a look at the 7'5 French teenager who could be the next basketball legend. But first, let's take a quick look at some big stories in the news.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: Ukraine says Russia launched one of its largest air attacks on Kyiv. It says all of the Russian missiles were shot down. The latest attacks come ahead of a long-expected counterattack by Ukraine. Over the last few days, President Volodymyr Zelensky visited key European allies who announced billions of dollars in new military aid.
--:-- Shamita Basu: In Washington today, President Biden meets with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other top lawmakers on the debt ceiling. This comes after ongoing talks between their lower-level staffers. On Sunday, Biden had a fairly positive outlook on the progress of discussions so far.
--:-- President Biden: I remain optimistic because I'm a congenital optimist, but I really think there's a desire on their part as well as ours to reach agreement. I think we'll be able to do it.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said again yesterday that unless there's a deal to raise the debt ceiling, the U.S. could default on its debt as soon as June 1st.
--:-- Shamita Basu: A special counsel says the FBI badly handled its investigation of contact between Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia. The report comes from veteran prosecutor John Durham, who was appointed by Trump's attorney general Bill Barr in 2019.
--:-- John Durham: Durham's new report says the FBI went forward without sufficient evidence and it handled the Trump probe differently than investigations involving Hillary Clinton.
--:-- Shamita Basu: In response to the report, the FBI says it has already made a lot of operational changes. The Republican chair of the House Judiciary Committee has invited Durham to testify about the report next week.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And turning to the entertainment world, the writer's strike is ongoing, but a new deal will allow the Tony Awards to proceed next month. The Writers' Union says show organizers agreed to meet their requests and change the production. Many in the Broadway community worried that canceling the Tonys would destroy an important marketing opportunity for live theater, which has struggled to recover since pandemic shutdowns ended.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Congress wants to make sure the right laws are in place to deal with artificial intelligence. Today, a Senate panel hears testimony from Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, which is the company behind ChatGPT.
--:-- Sam Altman: NPR reports on how the challenge of regulating AI is less about disagreement between the two parties and more about how many of our lawmakers don't really get tech.
--:-- Law Professor Ifoma Ajunwa: AI or automated decision-making technologies are advancing at breakneck speed. And there is this AI race. Yet the regulations are not keeping pace. Some lawmakers are racing to give themselves crash courses.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tells NPR he's met with at least 100 AI experts in recent weeks.
--:-- Chuck Schumer: Look, it's probably the most important issue facing our country, our families and humanity in the next hundred years.
--:-- Law Professor Ifoma Ajunwa: People like Ajunwa worry that lawmakers are repeating past mistakes. Critics say they waited too long and did too little to put safeguards in for social media. The way the Internet developed unfortunately is the same way that AI is developing. We're not asking should we. We're not asking what the impact on the little guy on the disadvantaged? We're just asking, is this efficacious? Is this profitable for some people?
--:-- Shamita Basu: Ajunwa argues that Congress is moving too slow, years behind the European Union in tech regulations. She says this may mean that White House executive action might be needed, since that can move faster than Congress.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The federal government is thinking about pulling chocolate milk off menus in elementary and middle schools. Parents, nutrition experts, and school officials are divided on whether this is the right move. And the debate is more nuanced than you might think.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: The Wall Street Journal takes a closer look at the arguments for and against serving flavored milk. You can probably guess what worries critics. The sugar. A recent study found flavored skim milk was the number one source of added sugar in school meals. Health experts worry this puts kids at risk of obesity. Also, they argue chocolate milk or strawberry milk can be a sort of gateway drink. It can lead to lifetime preferences for unhealthy sweet drinks.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Now, supporters of offering chocolate milk say, hey, it's still milk. When only plain milk is available, some research shows that kids drink less milk overall. And that means less calcium, less protein and nutrients.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The USDA's final decision will affect tens of millions of kids, not to mention the dairy industry, which sells $2 billion worth of milk to schools every year. New guidelines are expected early next year. Even if the government greenlights flavored milks for elementary and middle school, they'll have to comply with a new limit on added sugar.
--:-- Shamita Basu: We are in the middle of the NBA playoffs but tonight basketball fans will also be watching 14 ping pong balls ricochet around a lottery machine. The draft lottery will decide which team gets the number one pick. And this year, that means a shot at drafting a once-in-a-generation player. Victor Wembinyama is a 7'5 French player. He has elite defensive and playmaking abilities and incredible ball handling skills. And he's only 19, so he could have a long career ahead of him.
--:-- Shamita Basu: NBA scouts and executives have been watching Wembenyama for years, and he's built an impressive fan base among current NBA legends. LeBron James called him an alien as a compliment, saying he's so tall but somehow still fluid and graceful. Steph Curry says he has cheat code type vibes.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Wembenyama told ESPN he's dreamed of making it to the NBA since he was 11. They sat down to discuss the years of practice and determination that led to this moment and his upbringing, where he kind of hit the genetic lottery. His dad is a 6'6 former athlete who specializes in sprinting. His mom is a 6'3 former pro basketball player.
--:-- Victor Wembenyama: I was probably born with a will to do things differently, and I kept that willpower to not letting sometimes coaches put me in a box so I can really express myself and perform the way I want.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You can read more about him in the Apple News app, along with all the stories we talked about today. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, stick around. We've got a narrated article coming up from Sports Illustrated, but it's a long way from the basketball court. It looks at how the reality show American Ninja Warrior is drawing kids into specialized gym classes to work out like their TV ninja heroes. So sit back, enjoy listening to that, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
