--:-- Shamita Basu: Good morning. It's Monday, July 29th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, what this weekend's deadly attacks could mean for wider Middle Eastern conflict, how the driest state in America is trying to solve its water crisis, and the California high school churning out Olympians.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But first, to Iowa, where a six-week abortion ban takes effect today. It's one of the most restrictive bans in the country, with exceptions only allowed in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the mother. This makes Iowa the 18th state to ban all or most abortions since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade two years ago. Iowa had previously allowed abortions until 22 weeks of pregnancy. And just for context, most people don't even know they're pregnant in the first six weeks.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Des Moines Register recently spent time at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Ames, Iowa, as care providers got ready for the ban. It was really, on its surface, seemed like a normal business day. That's health care reporter Michaela Ram. Patients were still being seen. Clinic staff were still answering phones, getting patients settled into the procedure room.
--:-- Michaela Ram: But the mood among staff, there was really this underlying sadness and there's this really underlying anger.
--:-- Shamita Basu: One of the OBGYNs overseeing the clinic, Dr. Sarah Traxler, called the new law demoralizing and an invasion into the practice of medicine.
--:-- Dr. Sarah Traxler: My ethical code is to take care of patients and to talk through them in a shared decision-making capacity of what's best for them, what's best for their lives and their families. And then I am faced with the challenge of having to tell them that I can't do it. Not because I can't, because I don't have the expertise or the training, but because there are legislators who are telling me that I can't do this when really they don't belong in that conversation.
--:-- Shamita Basu: This clinic is one of only two in the whole state of Iowa that provide surgical abortions. And they've been preparing for weeks after the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in June that this ban could be enforced. The clinics doubled their usual number of appointments, and Planned Parenthood has been increasing patient capacity at clinics in neighboring states, like Minnesota, where there are far more abortion protections.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Still, not everyone has the options or the resources to leave Iowa to get care. And Dr. Traxler told Ram she's worried for her patients. Iowa already has huge health care deserts where OB-GYN care is not available. So I think all of this is going to be compounded and that we're probably going to see some pretty bad outcomes for patients and for their children in the future.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Republican Governor Kim Reynolds called the state Supreme Court's ruling a, quote, victory for life. But the data overwhelmingly shows Dr. Traxler has reason to be worried. According to the CDC, infant mortality rates climbed in 2022 for the first time in decades. A study done in Texas after that state passed its restrictive abortion law found that the rate of death among infants went up 13%.
--:-- Shamita Basu: This next story has graphic descriptions of a war zone. Tensions in the Middle East are escalating on multiple fronts, and, as we've too often reported, children are paying the ultimate price. On Saturday, an Israeli rocket hit a school in Gaza that was being used as a makeshift hospital, where around 4,000 displaced Palestinians were sheltering. At least 30 people were killed. Israel's military said it was targeting a Hamas command center, but reporters saw multiple children and women among the victims.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Journalists with the Associated Press saw one dead toddler. An NPR reporter was at the scene and recorded this voice memo.
--:-- NPR Reporter: Everything is in a mess. Nothing is still the same. Blood everywhere. You can find pieces of flesh on the stars and everywhere that you can see.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The reporter described handicapped residents trying to flee and children being wheeled away on donkey carts. When he got to the hospital where victims were being taken, he sent NPR videos of hallways lined with bodies. Many of them children.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Hours later, about 100 miles north, a rocket fired from Lebanon killed 12 children and teenagers on a soccer field in the Golan Heights. Most of the international community recognizes the Golan as Syrian land, but Israel annexed it nearly 50 years ago. It's home to the Druze, an ethno-religious group of Arab descent. Many of them have chosen not to take Israeli citizenship.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And in fact, according to CNN, the 12 children killed were not Israeli citizens. The Biden administration, Israel's military, and the United Nations have blamed Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, for the attack. Hezbollah has denied responsibility.
--:-- Shamita Basu: CBS spoke to one young person who knew every single victim in the attack.
--:-- Young Person: How much will you miss them? I wish we could, you know, I wish we could go back on time and this wouldn't happen.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short his trip to the United States to return home, saying that Hezbollah would, quote, pay a heavy price for the attack. Within hours, Israel hit multiple targets in Lebanon.
--:-- Shamita Basu: This comes as ceasefire talks are ongoing between Israel, Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. over the Israel-Gaza war. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told CBS's Face the Nation Israel has every right to defend itself, and he's worried about this turning into a regional war.
--:-- Chuck Schumer: It shows you how bad Iran and its surrogates are. These were Arab kids they shot at. They sent missiles at, and they don't even care who that is. But having said that, I don't think anyone wants a wider war so I hope there are moves to de-escalate.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris reaffirmed her commitment for Israel following the attack. According to her national security advisor, Harris's support for Israel remains quote, ironclad.
--:-- Shamita Basu: That comes after she met with Netanyahu last week and urged him to accept a ceasefire deal. While many have suggested that Harris has already taken a very different tone than President Biden when it comes to the war, the presumptive Democratic nominee is walking a very difficult political tightrope, trying to win back voters who've been critical of Democrats for their support of Israel.
--:-- Shamita Basu: If the war now escalates into neighboring Lebanon, it wouldn't just lead to regional chaos, it could play a significant role in the American election, potentially further isolating Democrats who are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Now to reporting from The Washington Post about a crisis under our feet. Groundwater is vanishing across the country after decades of overuse and climate change. And today we're going to zoom in on the driest state in the country, Nevada, and the results of a new experiment there to try to save this precious resource.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Nevada's groundwater problem started decades ago, when state officials overestimated the size of their aquifers and sold farmers the rights to draw more groundwater than the state could support. To give you a sense of the scope of the problem, it's estimated that Nevada has about 2 million acre-feet of groundwater today. But it's given water users the right to pump 3.5 million.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And recently, with $25 million of federal pandemic aid in their pockets, state officials decided to make an unusual offer to farmers and ranchers in some of the most depleted areas. Would they be willing to sell some or all of their water rights? And they were blown away.
--:-- Shamita Basu: That's climate reporter Anna Phillips. By May of this year, they had received offers to sell water rights that were equivalent to about $65.5 million. That's two and a half times more funding than they actually had available that they could give out.
--:-- Anna Phillips: Phillips found it was a really difficult decision for many of the people she interviewed. One family, the Moyles, have farmed alfalfa and hay in the region for generations, so they weren't initially interested.
--:-- Anna Phillips: There is sort of a stigma associated to what are called buy and dry programs, where a farmer sells their water, stops farming, and kind of lets the land run dry, which invites erosion, dust storms, and invasive weeds.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And you can imagine for the people who live and farm around these properties, it's not a pleasant experience. In other words, no one wants to be a bad neighbor. And for most people, giving up water rights basically means quitting agriculture altogether.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Before we let you go, a roundup of some of the buzziest Olympic stories from the weekend. Let's start with some of the victories. American swimmer Caleb Dressel was part of a relay team that won America's first gold medal at this year's Games. It marked Dressel's eighth gold medal overall.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And if you're wondering, Michael Phelps holds the record with 23 golds, more than double anyone else in history. Snoop Dogg, who was doing commentary for NBC during the games, was in the stands with Dressel's wife.
--:-- Shamita Basu: In other weekend victories, the U.S. women's soccer team continued to dominate with a 4-1 win over Germany. In basketball, Kevin Durant put up 23 points, helping secure the U.S. men's team's win over Serbia.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And in gymnastics, Simone Biles suffered a calf injury while warming up for her floor exercise, but stayed in the competition with a heavily taped up ankle. She ultimately posted an impressive all-around score.
--:-- Shamita Basu: She'll compete again in the team final on Tuesday and in the individual all-around on Thursday. There's also been a few important storylines to follow when it comes to water sports.
--:-- Shamita Basu: First, you've heard all about the problems with the Seine River. It's heavily polluted and the weekend rain didn't help. Organizers had to cancel triathlon training on Sunday, but they say they're confident events this week will move ahead as planned.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Less polluted, but possibly even grosser? The Wall Street Journal confirms what every parent kind of already knows, but still fears. Yes, the Olympians pee in the pool. Their suits compress their bodies so much, swimmers say they always have to pee.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Plus, it takes a really long time to get in and out of those suits. And finally, LAist has the story of one American high school that has produced Olympians for every summer games since 1952. Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California, claims to have churned out more summer Olympians than any other school in the United States.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Their most dominant sport, water polo. They've sent 14 alumni to be part of the U.S. water polo team to the summer games, including one this year. And yes, Long Beach will host water polo when L.A. hosts the Olympics in 2028.
--:-- 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. Popular Mechanics spoke to an aviation detective of sorts who says after searching for more than three decades, he is certain he knows what happened to Amelia Earhart.
--:-- Shamita Basu: If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
