--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Good morning. It's Wednesday, March 31st. I'm Duarte Giraldino. Shmita is out this morning. 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: We have a quick update this morning on the question of when kids can get vaccinated. Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine was safe and effective in children ages 12 to 15. The medical publication Stat explains, the next step is submitting the data to the FDA. The vaccine is currently only authorized in the U.S. for people 16 and up. The company's CEO says, it hopes it'll be possible to begin vaccinating younger children before the next school year starts.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: So one way to boost the economy is to pump cash into the system by spending a lot more money. That's the idea President Biden is selling in Pittsburgh today. This is where he's expected to reveal the first phase of his multi-trillion dollar infrastructure plan. It's what he called the Build Back Better plan on the campaign trail. Yeah, it's a tongue twister.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: But there are still questions about how the government is going to finance all this spending. And Democrats are just barely in control of Congress. There's a significant number of conservative Democrats who are just not sure about the plan's price, scope, and tax implications. The Washington Post has details.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Biden's overall plan is expected to have two parts. The first is focused on physical infrastructure, your roads and bridges, those things, but also support for housing, money for clean energy, and domestic manufacturing. This plan is also likely to include major investments in home-based care for elderly and disabled people.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Now Biden is expected to introduce the second part in a few weeks. It's going to be focused on the so-called care economy. Things like access to health and child care, extending the expanded child tax benefit and paid family and medical leave. The Post is reporting, together, these two plans could cost as much as $4 trillion.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Those costs are a hurdle. The Post says, Biden is looking to collect trillion by raising taxes on businesses and wealthy people. And for many Republicans this is already a non-starter. Mitch McConnell's position on this proposed level of spending was essentially stop, stop, stop. I don't think there's going to be any enthusiasm on our side for a tax increase.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: The takeaway here, today is going to be the day when Biden really tries to sell this plan. But in terms of hammering out an actual deal, we're looking at months of work.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: A rising star in Congress is reportedly under federal investigation for sexual misconduct. According to multiple news outlets, the Justice Department is looking into whether Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid her to travel with him.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: This investigation began during the Trump administration. Federal sex trafficking laws make it illegal to transport a minor across state lines for sex in exchange for money or something of value. Gates told Axios these allegations are false. He also confirmed he is under federal investigation, whereas he might actually be charged.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Here's where this story gets more complicated. In an interview on Fox News, Gates claimed the allegations against him were an attempt to thwart another investigation. He said a former Justice Department employee tried to extort tens of millions of dollars from his family.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: On March 16th, my father got a text message demanding a meeting wherein a person demanded $25 million in exchange for making horrible sex trafficking allegations against me go away. Our family was so troubled by that, we went to the local FBI. And the FBI and the Department of Justice were so concerned about this attempted extortion of a member of Congress that they asked my dad to wear a wire, which he did with the former Department of Justice official.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: The Justice Department declined to comment.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Now, before this latest news broke, Gates's national profile had been steadily rising among conservatives who really liked his consistent and strong defense of President Trump.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: The final four is now set. If you are a fan of underdogs, you really only got the number 11 seed UCLA to root for in the men's bracket. Across the men and women tournaments, dominant teams keep dominating, including the Stanford women. After trailing by 12 at the half, Williams puts Stanford back on top. Connecticut, South Carolina, and Arizona round out the women's final four.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Over in the men's bracket, few were surprised at this result. That'll do it. Gonzaga is going to the Final Four. They are unbeaten with history in their crosshairs. They'll take on UCLA next. The other men's teams still in the hunt are Baylor and Houston.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: But today, the action moves from the basketball court to the Supreme Court. Justices are going to be hearing arguments in a case that could strongly impact the big business of college sports.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: We may be hitting a critical point in a long-running debate over whether college athletes should be paid for what they contribute to the NCAA's multi-billion dollar business. Today's case involves a 2014 lawsuit by a former student football player. It claims the NCAA violates antitrust rules by limiting what schools can give athletes.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: But ESPN explains that to understand what's at stake now, you have to go back in time nearly 40 years. In 1984, the Supreme Court ruled schools could take control over their broadcast rights. That led to a big jump in games on TV, which made college sports even more valuable.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: And there was this one key paragraph in the opinion. That gave the NCAA pretty broad authority to preserve what Justice Stevens called the "uniqueness of college sports." The NCAA has used that paragraph as a defense whenever it's accused of antitrust violations.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Some legal scholars have questioned whether the NCAA is taking the ruling out of context or applying it too broadly. This is why there's so much interest in how the 2021 Supreme Court might see this issue differently.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: By the way, you might have seen March Madness players using or wearing the hashtag not NCAA property. What they're doing is protesting how the NCAA can profit off their names, images, and likenesses without paying them.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Today's Supreme Court case does not directly deal with this issue but what it decides here could influence how that fight plays out. A ruling could come in May or June.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Some of us who have been working from home during the pandemic aren't really eager to get back to the office because we've come to like working from our kitchen tables or bedrooms, and there's another big perk that the Wall Street Journal says so many people are going to miss.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Yes, I'm talking about that daytime nap. Have you been taking a nap during the workday? If you are, you're not alone. The journal cites the survey saying a third of employees working from home also take naps.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: And now it's okay. We know you're still getting the job done. And lots of countries around the world have naps built into their business cultures. In Spain, you get that nice little siesta after lunch, but here in the U.S., it's mostly frowned upon.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Some nappers in this story say they actually feel a little guilty taking these naps. That's why, as we get vaccinated and workplaces reopen, a lot of new napping fans are worried about losing those few moments in the afternoon when they get to close their eyes and just relax their minds.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: So maybe you can talk your boss into a little dream time. Research shows naps make us more alert and this break can make you more productive. Those are just two of the reasons this article cites that could bolster your argument for nap time at work.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Now, if you're feeling you're missing out on this napping revolution and you should try it, sleep researchers have some tips. The best nap is a short one. Don't go overboard. Aim for just 30 minutes tops.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Also, don't do it too late in the day or else you might disrupt your overnight sleep, which is vital, more critical. And finally, even if your office is now your bedroom, don't nap in your bed. Just don't do it. It's more likely you'll oversleep that way.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: The journal spoke to a criminal defense attorney who nearly slept through a virtual court date. Stick to a couch or a comfy chair and enjoy your nap.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And while you're there, check out some of our audio stories. I'll talk with you again tomorrow.
