--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Good morning. It's Friday, July 9th. I'm Duarte Giraldino. Shmi Dabassu is off. 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: Authorities are saying two Americans are among those arrested in Haiti following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. The police chief says more than two dozen heavily armed commandos were part of a foreign hit squad. NPR has a series of stories on the assassination and also the recent turmoil in this country, which is just off American shores.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: I spoke with Francois-Pierre Louis. He's advised past high-ranking Haitian political leaders. He's also written extensively about the Caribbean nation and is a professor at CUNY Queens College here in New York. He shared his perspective on the U.S. role in Haiti.
--:-- Francois-Pierre Louis: We have to understand in Haiti, the power broker is the United States of America. So as long as the State Department supported Moise, as long as the U.S. said everything is okay, then obviously the person can stay. And we warned the U.S. long time ago that this situation was not going to happen. It was dangerous.
--:-- Francois-Pierre Louis: Many people told the U.S. that they had to change Moise. The Trump administration decided to support Maurice no matter what. Even though they knew that he wasn't holding any elections, he ended the term of parliament, but he decided to extend his own term. And all of that was with the support of the Trump administration. And when the Biden administration came in, they continued the same policy.
--:-- Francois-Pierre Louis: So how are Haitians around the world, and Haitian Americans in particular, dealing with all this uncertainty back on the island? First, complete shock. It's one thing you know he was as bad as he was, I don't think people wanted him to be shot like this in his own house.
--:-- Francois-Pierre Louis: First, you undermine the presidency itself, the office of the presidency. And secondly, you send a message to anyone who was opposed to you that if you don't agree with me, you will be shot. So this really shocked a lot of people, people in the diaspora and also people in Haiti.
--:-- Francois-Pierre Louis: The other thing that shocked people is that there is no clear path ahead. So that means it could go either way. Total chaos or a new government that can build trust and that can ease people's worries, that can eventually go back to reset the democratic process.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Francois Pierre-Louis is a professor of political science at CUNY Queens College. Professor Pierre-Louis, thank you so much for joining us and being on Apple News today.
--:-- Francois-Pierre Louis: Thank you.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: In the U.S., more than 42,000 people died in car crashes last year. That's an 8% increase from 2019. And this is despite the fact that the global pandemic kept so many of us off the roads. 2020, it also lays claim to the largest ever single-year decrease in miles driven.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Plus, with every new model, cars are supposedly getting safer. Road & Track magazine explains how this basically all comes down to three things. Belts, booze, and speed.
--:-- Host: High-tech safety features, they really can't do much if people are refusing seatbelts, driving drunk, and speeding.
--:-- Host: And one traffic researcher sees signs the pandemic may have increased risky behavior. Traffic enforcement went down. Accidents where drivers were not wearing seatbelts went up. Also, older drivers, folks who tend to be safer, stayed home more often. So the roads had a higher concentration of people more likely to take risks.
--:-- Host: More people were driving while impaired. Federal traffic data showed last year, drug use connected with deadly crashes increased more than 25%. The presence of opioids nearly doubled.
--:-- Host: Finally, speed. Studies reveal that rates of speed in metro areas increased by 22% during the pandemic. And it's not just the pandemic. American roads are unusually deadly. Over the past decade, road fatalities rose 10%. And when you compare that to Europe, you get a very different picture.
--:-- Host: During that same period, the EU has seen a 36% drop in such deaths. Road & Track has some ideas about how the U.S. can make roads safer. Better seatbelt enforcement, lower speed limits, and tougher drinking laws. But ultimately, our laws and our cars can only do so much. Drivers are responsible.
--:-- Host: As Road & Track puts it, we're killing ourselves.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: It's Friday. Remember when the end of the week meant happy hour with your colleagues? Maybe you've already gotten back into that or you're planning to soon.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Well, Ray Smith over at the Wall Street Journal, he's a lifestyle reporter and he argues, after all this time away from boozy in-person work events, maybe we need to relearn how to have work drinks.
--:-- Ray Smith: This may sound like a bit much, but Smith talked to business school professors who strongly recommend easing our way back in. After all, so many people drank more during lockdowns but those who carry their pandemic drinking habits into a work event may wind up in embarrassing situations.
--:-- Ray Smith: A psychologist tells Adrenom the best bet is to decide in advance how many drinks you're going to have. Better yet, do this with a close friend and help each other stick to it. Stay as long as you like, if it's fun, but nudge each other to switch to soft drinks before you get too tipsy.
--:-- Ray Smith: It might not be easy. Many of us are eager to get out and socialize after so many months stuck at home, but getting twisted during office drinks is just not a good career move.
--:-- Ray Smith: One of the business school professors says, for first-time social outings with co-workers, maybe just do a team lunch. You can save the booze for another time.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: For the first time in U.S. history, an African-American won the National Spelling Bee. Her name is Zahila Avantgarde. She's 14 years old and from Louisiana.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Here she is with the winning word. Maria, M-U-R-R-A-Y-A. That is correct.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: She had such a big smile on her face when she won. And after spelling that final word, she spun around in a whirlwind of confetti. What a way to savor the win.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Maria, by the way, is a genus of tropical Asiatic and Australian trees. ESPN says Zahila's future goals include attending Harvard and becoming a NASA scientist.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. Plus, don't forget to check out our weekend interview show. In conversation, this week, Shumita sits down with Jacqueline Detweiler-George.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: They talk about the emerging science hoping to dramatically extend your life. Essentially, to find a cure for human mortality. We'll be back with the news on Monday.
