--:-- Shamita Basu: Good morning. It's Wednesday, May 18th. I'm Shamita Basu. 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.
--:-- Shamita Basu: We've got results this morning from one of the biggest days on the primary calendar so far, with Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Idaho, Oregon, and Kentucky at the polls yesterday. But if you're looking for big, clear takeaways on what these races say about the parties, the country, and Trump's influence, Vox says good luck. The results are a mixed picture.
--:-- Shamita Basu: As for Trump, some of his candidates won, some of them lost. One big loser was North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn. That race seemed to be less about Trump and more about a series of scandals and controversial comments that turned off establishment Republicans. Cawthorn conceded losing to state Senator Chuck Edwards.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Ted Budd won the Republican Senate primary with Trump's backing. He'll face Sherry Beasley, who's hoping to be North Carolina's first black senator. North Carolina, this is our moment. State Senator Doug Mastriano will be the GOP nominee for governor in Pennsylvania. He's backed Trump's false claims of a stolen election.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Take a couple days off and then the great adventure continues until ultimate victory on November 8th when we return to Pennsylvania Keystone State around and put it back in the hands of the people. Thank you and God bless you guys.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Unsurprisingly, John Fetterman won his bid to be Pennsylvania's Democratic Senate nominee, though he didn't speak at his victory party because he was recovering from a stroke and surgery. Vox describes him as an untraditional candidate to win a swing state Senate seat. He ran on progressive points but avoided the label, and he has support cutting across rural and urban areas.
--:-- Shamita Basu: We don't yet know the results of the GOP Senate contest in Pennsylvania. TV doctor Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund CEO David McCormick are in a tight race that's too close to call as of this morning. You can find more election analysis on the Apple News app.
--:-- Shamita Basu: One week ago today Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed in the West Bank She was wearing a vest that was marked press. She was a veteran correspondent for Al Jazeera, who covered the region for decades.
--:-- Shamita Basu: In the days since her death, this has evolved beyond just the story of a respected reporter killed while doing her job. Al Jazeera has accused Israel of intentionally targeting her. Her niece, Lina Abu Akleh, spoke to CBS News. It's important to have accountability to show that Israel cannot get away with another crime.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Palestinian and Israeli authorities are conducting separate investigations. Israel has said Palestinian authorities have made it difficult to fully investigate.
--:-- Asaf Samir: She was an excellent journalist. It's a tragedy. Everyone thinks it's a tragedy. I think that we need to do everything in our power to make sure that these things don't happen again. But we can't do that alone, which is why we've been calling from our side. And we've been doing it responsibly.
--:-- Asaf Samir: We believe in taking responsibility. We said we don't know who it is. The Palestinians didn't say that. We said we don't know how she died. The Palestinians haven't said that yet. We're looking for a joint investigation with another third party, anything to make sure we understand what the truth is, to make sure this doesn't happen again.
--:-- Asaf Samir: Israel initially suggested Palestinian weapons may have killed her. But officials have since said they could not rule out that Israeli gunfire killed her while she was reporting.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The U.S. State Department has condemned Abu Akhla's killing and called for a full investigation. The Committee to Protect Journalists counts 19 journalists killed in Israeli and Palestinian territory. since 1992.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Washington Post had reporters on the ground at her funeral in Jerusalem. They describe Israeli riot police storming a group of mourners as they attempted to carry the coffin and using stun grenades and batons.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The reporter said they did not see mourners threatening police. The images from the funeral sparked further global outrage. Stelter pressed Zamir about those scenes. But what about the funeral on Friday? Israeli police beating mourners with batons. Was that a conflict zone?
--:-- Asaf Samir: In a way, yes. First of all, let me say this. The pictures are horrible. The pictures are horrible. I'm not going to defend the pictures and we are conducting an investigation. And by the way in the series of things that we do to try to manage this situation mistakes happen We not perfect Shireen Abu Akleh death is also a personal story of a life cut short too soon
--:-- Shamita Basu: If you want to know more about who she was as a journalist and as a friend, we recommend reading this piece in CNN by Dalia Hatuka. It's available on the Apple News app.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says the central bank is working hard to combat inflation. Here's what he said at The Wall Street Journal's Future of Everything Festival. We have to get inflation down to 2 percent. We've got to restore our definition of price stability, and we will do that.
--:-- Shamita Basu: There are several ways to measure inflation. The Consumer Price Index shows it's over 8 percent nationally. But in some places, it's much higher. The worst is Midland, Texas, with inflation near 10 percent.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Bloomberg sent a reporter to see what the place can tell us about the national picture. I was surprised, thought I would be in town, I could grab some tacos. I ended up paying more than $8 per taco, which to me was wild. As someone living in D.C., I would expect to see those prices maybe more so here.
--:-- Katya Dmitrieva: The kind of inflation we're seeing now is something different, with a lot of factors beyond the power of politicians or central bankers. Blunt policy tools like raising interest rates don't change some of the key factors that are driving prices, like supply chain issues, lockdowns in China and the war in Ukraine.
--:-- Katya Dmitrieva: All of those things have impact that trickle down and are felt by people all over. In Midland, Texas, they're turning to food banks because groceries are too expensive. The line was over 400 cars long, and that was the highest number of cars in line getting food than at any time since the pandemic.
--:-- Katya Dmitrieva: She spoke with one couple who was waiting in line with their gaslight on empty. They told her the only food they could afford at the grocery store was beans and eggs. She also spoke with a woman named Melinda Hernandez. She's 52 years old, and she lost her job in March. Now she's working two jobs, but making less than she did before.
--:-- Katya Dmitrieva: It's the kind of everyday decisions that people have to make as a result of inflation that you hear about every day but that are the most painful So for her she wants to have a graduation party for her 19 son and she probably can She has $4 in her bank account.
--:-- Shamita Basu: We heard a hopeful tone from Powell just a minute ago, but Dmitrieva says her trip to Texas shows the limits of what Washington can do. Everyone I spoke with made that point. You know, there's a disconnect between Midland and D.C. You have the Federal Reserve here talking about moving interest rates and you have everyday people and businesses in Midland saying, well, how's that going to help us? And it's not clear that it will.
--:-- Shamita Basu: I don't care what you say. Baseball is one of our more boring sports. It is so slow and it takes so long. But the LA Times has been following this one collegiate summer league team that's throwing out the old rulebook and putting some good, goofy fun into the game.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Here's their first base coach, Maceo Harrison. It's OK to be different, you know. We're standing out in our way, but still playing authentic, original baseball. But just given that entertainment factor to keep everybody watching the game and interested.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The team's name is the Savannah Bananas. They've drawn huge crowds on a tour of the South and Midwest. And they've come up with their own rules for faster, more fun play. No bunts, no visits to the mound. That first base coach is a trained hip-hop dancer who's got everyone on the field hitting their choreography.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Now, before you dismiss this as viral TikTok bait, the team's got a point to make about the major leagues. In the last pre-COVID season, MLB's attendance was down 14% from its peak. Games were dragging on longer, and fans were just kind of running out of steam after the fifth inning or so.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Savannah Bananas say they're on a mission to save baseball from its old ways and make the game more engaging to watch. And the Times reports they've got the MLB's attention. One league official said there's definitely something special going on in Savannah.
--:-- 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.
