--:-- Shamita Basu: Good morning. It's Wednesday, February 5th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today.
--:-- Shamita Basu: On today's show, Elon Musk's takeover of Washington, how President Trump has rolled back rights for transgender Americans, and the NFL sends a different message ahead of the Super Bowl. But first, President Trump made extraordinary statements yesterday about the future of Gaza.
--:-- Shamita Basu: In a meeting at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said the United States will seize the territory and have long-term ownership over its future development.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, will own it, and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area, do a real job, do something different.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Trump also said Palestinians should leave Gaza and go to neighboring Jordan and Egypt. When pressed on this plan by a reporter, he said anyone could eventually return after American development in the Strip.
--:-- Shamita Basu: We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal. And I don't want to be cute. I don't want to be a wise guy. But the Riviera of the Middle East, this could be something that could be so bad. This could be so magnificent. But more importantly than that is the people that have been absolutely destroyed that live there now can live in peace in a much better situation because they're living in hell. And those people will now be able to live in peace.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The comments are stunning, coming from an American president. And while he didn't offer many tangible details, it suggests a massive reshaping of American foreign policy in the region.
--:-- Shamita Basu: For decades, it's been American policy that Palestinians have a right to live in Gaza, even as there have been vast disagreements among American politicians about what that should mean and whether it should include a two-state solution.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: Late last night, some lawmakers offered early reactions to Trump's comments. Senator Josh Hawley, who is a Republican, said that he doesn't think it's a good use of American resources or money to invest in Gaza, and would prefer that investment be spent in the United States first.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Senator John Fetterman, who is a Democrat, said he would support an American occupation of the Gaza Strip, saying that Palestinians have failed to provide security and economic development for themselves.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: After Trump's remarks, Palestine's ambassador to the U.N. rejected his suggestion. Our country and our home is the Gaza Strip. It's part of Palestine. Hamas, which controls Gaza, also rejected the idea. In a statement, they said Palestinians will not be, quote, expelled from their land.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Many of the people who live in Gaza today are descendants of Palestinians who were forced out of their homes during the 1948 war, in an event known as the Nakba or catastrophe Ever since many Palestinians have been determined to do all that they can to cede no more of their territory Jordan and Egypt have also rejected the idea of taking in Gazans.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: Netanyahu, meanwhile, praised Trump's ideas and applauded him for thinking outside the box. I think it's something that could change history, and it's worthwhile really pursuing this avenue.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Trump's plan would clear a major obstacle for Netanyahu. Many analysts believe it will be nearly impossible for Netanyahu to fully end the war in Gaza if Hamas is still in control of the Strip.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: This announcement comes at a critical time in a very fragile Middle East. Israel and Hamas are still in phase one of the ceasefire deal. Israel and Hezbollah are also in a pause of fighting in Lebanon, and there are growing concerns about Iran's nuclear capabilities.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Trump's proposal will surely rattle all sides in an already volatile situation. Since President Trump entered office, his right-hand man, tech billionaire Elon Musk, has been on a blitz to reshape the federal government.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: Isaac Arnsdorf, who covers the White House for The Washington Post: He's led efforts to shut down agencies like USAID and the Department of Education. He's offered buyouts to thousands of federal workers, which over 20,000 have accepted. And he's gained access to core infrastructure of the federal government, like... The Office of Personnel Management, which is basically HR for the federal government, and the General Services Administration, which handles all the real estate and computers and equipment, you know, the physical stuff.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Isaac Arnsdorf: That's all the guts of how the federal government runs. And so he's kind of making an end run around the officials in the various agencies and all their programs and just going directly for the mechanics that they all have to use.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: All of this is raising major questions about the scope of Musk's role in the federal government and has already prompted legal challenges. After all, Musk is the world's richest man, a private citizen who did not get elected or go through congressional hearings to get this role.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Isaac Arnsdorf: It was only in recent days that the White House said he was acting as a, quote, special government employee, a distinction that's intended for people working for the government in a short term capacity and meant to put up some guardrails about potential conflicts of interest.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: As a special government employee, Musk will be required to complete a financial disclosure, though Arnsdorf says it's not clear if that will be made public. There's a lot of concern about some of the powers that Musk is exercising now that could affect his companies that have substantial contracts with the government, such as SpaceX, or a company that relies on government investments in electric vehicle infrastructure, such as Tesla.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Isaac Arnsdorf: It very similar to what he did at Tesla and Twitter especially in the theatrics of like sleeping in the office you know, setting up a cot or a sleeping bag and making a show of setting up camp in the executive suite. Also, the offer to federal employees is basically identical to what he did to Twitter employees when he bought Twitter.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: A recent Quinnipiac poll found that 53% of those surveyed disapproved of Musk's role in the government. Trump has said that Musk won't do anything without his approval. But for Trump, Arnsdorf says, there's a benefit here. Musk offers strategic political cover for the president.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Isaac Arnsdorf: He can take credit any time that Musk achieves something he likes because Musk is doing it on his behalf. But if there ever comes a day where Musk gets over his skis or gets overzealous, Trump is in the position of hanging back to say, well, look, that's not me. that's Musk and kind of avoid taking the heat for that himself.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: Let's turn now to a group of Americans whose lives have been upended by some of President Trump's early actions in office. Transgender people make up less than one percent of the adult population, but the administration has made rolling back their rights one of its top priorities in the first 100 days.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Kate Sosson, who covers issues related to the LGBTQ plus community for The 19th: The overall goal is to make it seem like it is illegal and indefensible to be a transgender person walking around in this country.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: Kate Sosson: Transgender people are really under attack in every facet of their lives. On day one, Trump issued an executive order that the federal government would only recognized two sexes, male and female, although scientists and other experts have long said gender and sex are distinct and that gender is not binary.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Kate Sosson: Trump ordered the Education Department to block federal funding from schools that educate students about the fluidity of gender, also schools that support students who are transitioning. Trump directed his defense secretary to ban trans people from openly serving in the military.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: Kate Sosson: He also moved to ban trans women from federal women's prisons. Today, he's expected to sign an order to ban transgender women and girls from participating in women's sports in schools and colleges. He's also signed an executive order aiming to restrict doctors from giving gender-affirming care to patients under the age of 19, which studies have shown can be life-saving treatment.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Kate Sosson: If they do not provide that medical care, They're kind of going against a Hippocratic oath. And if they do provide it, they are at risk of losing their funding. So it is a really bad catch-22 for a lot of these physicians.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: There have been a number of legal challenges filed so far against these moves. Sossin says trans people are terrified and overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of actions Trump has taken so far to eliminate their rights, even if some of these attempts are ultimately overturned by the courts.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Kate Sosson: Whatever tone the president does set history will bear out that transgender people are just a part of the fabric of our lives And the deeper we engage with the legal issues or ramifications the more we risk legitimizing what is essentially a policy that aims to make it impossible for people to exist as they are which is inhumane I think there's a real question of will cisgender people stand up for transgender people when everybody is so scared.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Last night, the Senate confirmed Pam Bondi as the next attorney general. Meanwhile, two other Trump nominees, Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services, have advanced out of Senate committees and will head to a full confirmation vote.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Darren Beattie, who Trump has appointed to a top role in the State Department, has a controversial past. He is a former Trump speechwriter who was fired in 2018 after CNN reported he spoke at a conference attended by white nationalists. Then just four months ago, Beattie posted on social media that he believes, quote, competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: In his State Department role, Beattie will manage public diplomacy. In legal news, the trial for the man charged with stabbing writer Salman Rushdie began yesterday with jury selection. Hadi Mattar, who has pleaded not guilty, is accused of stabbing Rushdie 10 times at an event on stage in front of a live audience.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The attack damaged Rushdie's liver, left him blind in one eye, and caused nerve damage in his arm. Rushdie, who has written a memoir about the incident, described it to the BBC last year. I actually thought he'd punched me very hard. I didn't realize there was a knife in his hand. And then I saw the blood and I realized there was a weapon. And then he just started, I think he was just slashing wildly at everything.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: Because of Rushdie's celebrity and the notoriety of the attack, jury selection in the case could take up to two weeks. And finally, just ahead of Super Bowl Sunday, The Athletic is reporting that the NFL plans to remove the end racism message from the end zone.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The phrasing has appeared at every Super Bowl since 2021. It'll be replaced with phrases including choose love and it takes all of us. The statement from the NFL came the same day that the White House confirmed President Trump will be attending the Super Bowl.
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--:-- Shamita Basu: 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, we've got a Narrated article coming up next. Vox looks at how a shortage of affordable housing has more Americans moving in with empty nesters twice their age. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story.
--:-- Shamita Basu: I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
