--:-- Shamita Basu: Good morning. It's Tuesday, December 10th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, a major rap mogul gets named in one of Diddy's sexual assault lawsuits. Why you shouldn't get too alarmed about recent food recalls. And the numbers are in on Taylor Swift's heiress tour. They're historic. But first, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was charged with second-degree murder late last night by authorities in New York, hours after police in Pennsylvania arrested him.
--:-- [Sound of a news report playing in the background]
--:-- Shamita Basu: The charges against 26-year-old Luigi Mangione also include forgery and carrying a gun without a license. He was ordered to be held without bail and did not enter a plea on those charges. Local authorities in Pennsylvania were tipped off to Mangione's location at a McDonald's in Altoona by an employee who thought that he resembled the suspect in photos released by the NYPD.
--:-- NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenney: There's numerous linchpins in this case. And the fact that we've recovered an enormous amount of forensic evidence, an enormous amount of video and the public's help. I really couldn't put it on one thing, but if I had to, it would be the release of that photograph from the media.
--:-- Shamita Basu: According to court filings, police approached Mangione as he sat alone at the McDonald's. They asked him to remove a medical mask he was wearing and asked if he'd been to New York recently. He then became quiet and began to shake. Police say they found a gun and silencer in his backpack that matched the description of the weapon used to shoot Thompson.
--:-- NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenney: Right now, the information we're getting from Altoona is that the gun appears to be a ghost gun. It may have been made on a 3D printer. Ghost guns don't have a serial number, making them untraceable. They're not subject to background checks either. And as the trace points out, it's legal in most cases under federal law to make a gun on a 3D printer.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Police say Mangione also had a number of fake IDs on him, including one which police say matches the ID used to check into a hostel in New York, where the shooter is believed to have stayed. He also had a three-page manifesto criticizing the health insurance industry. That document is currently in the possession of the Altoona Police Department as part of their investigation, but it does seem that he has some ill will toward corporate America.
--:-- UnitedHealthcare spokesperson: In a statement, UnitedHealthcare thanked police for their work and said, quote, "Our hope is that today's apprehension brings some relief to Brian's family, friends, colleagues, and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy."
--:-- Shamita Basu: The arrest comes after days of the nation's close attention on this story. And along with that attention a lot of frustration about the healthcare industry on social media with some people sharing their stories about being denied necessary health care by their insurance providers to others outright mocking and celebrating Thompson's death even hailing the shooter as a hero. A notion Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro strongly rejected when he spoke shortly after Mangione was apprehended.
--:-- Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro: We are all less safe when ideologues engage in vigilante justice. In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me on this. He is no hero. The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald's this morning.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Let's turn now to a major development in one of the many legal cases against the rapper Diddy, whose legal name is Sean Combs. He faces federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges, plus roughly 30 civil suits. He's claimed no wrongdoing. And in one of those civil suits, rapper and mogul Jay-Z, whose legal name is Sean Carter, was newly named as a co-conspirator. He's the first celebrity to be accused of sexual assault in connection to Combs.
--:-- Claudia Rosenbaum: According to the lawsuit, the girl tried to get into the VMAs by talking to limo drivers outside the venue. Combs' driver allegedly told her she fit what Diddy was looking for, and she says he brought her to Combs' after party, where she had to sign an NDA.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Initially, the lawsuit was filed in October and only named Combs, and it referred anonymously to another male and female celebrity. But it was updated and refiled this past weekend, naming Carter, who has denied the allegations, calling them blackmail.
--:-- Jay-Z: Jay-Z mentioned in his statement that if these allegations are so heinous in nature, I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one. Whoever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away. Wouldn't you not agree?
--:-- Claudia Rosenbaum: He's denying any involvement. And since that, his attorneys filed a request in court asking that the name of this woman not be kept anonymous, that her name should be revealed so he could defend himself in court. His lawyers argue it's either that or this case should be dismissed.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Attorney Tony Busby is representing the plaintiff and more than 120 others in civil cases against Combs. Rosenbaum told us he says more big names in the music industry will surface as they move through the legal process.
--:-- Claudia Rosenbaum: If you know what he is saying is true, there could be a lot more stuff that's going to come out in the future.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Lately, it's felt like there's a new food recall every other week. Listeria contaminated deli meat, onions tainted with E. coli, salmonella on cucumbers and carrots. Since November, the two federal agencies primarily in charge of food safety have cataloged more than 25 recalls. People are on edge and wondering, is this normal?
--:-- Tim Carman: Washington Post food reporter Tim Carman has been looking into it. Are these recalls a sign that our food system is more broken than it has been in the past?
--:-- Shamita Basu: Carman and a colleague dug into the data and they found, no, not really. In fact, we're on track to have fewer recalls this year than 2023. But there are a number of reasons why it doesn't feel that way. And one of them is that there is just more news about it. So it becomes kind of a cycle. Like, the more food recalls there are, the more press that it gets, the more that the public worries.
--:-- Tim Carman: Right. And this is getting kind of meta now. But part of the reason you know more about food recalls is you are listening to this new show talking about food recalls. You know, Americans once had to rely on a company press release to learn about a recall. But these days, updates come through social media, push notifications, and the news.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Another factor, public confidence in the government to manage the food supply, is at an all-time low, partially driven by misinformation and influential skeptics. Chief among them, Carmen told us, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Trump's nominee to lead Health and Human Services, which oversees the Food and Drug Administration.
--:-- Tim Carman: People both on the left and right agree with some of his positions. You know, there are loopholes with like food additives, for example. But there is also concern that people like RFK Jr. want to eliminate expertise within the FDA. And I haven't talked to anyone who thinks less expertise is better.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But to a large degree, the threat of a mass food emergency is in our heads. That's what one psychology professor told Carmen. We tend to have this psychological association, which is sort of counterintuitive, that even though we don't see these problems around us immediately, we worry about them constantly.
--:-- Tim Carman: In other words, humans are pretty much wired to overestimate threats like these, even when the data tells a different story. It is, after all, what's made us very good at surviving.
--:-- Shamita Basu: So next time you hear about a food recall, check the area affected, follow the advice for what to toss or avoid. And remember, catching a food safety issue means that on some level, the system is working as it should.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified today in his trial for alleged corruption, becoming the country's first sitting leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant.
--:-- [Sound of a news report playing in the background]
--:-- Shamita Basu: He's charged with taking bribes, breach of trust and corruption. Prosecutors say he gave regulatory and diplomatic favors to high-profile businessmen in exchange for gifts and positive media coverage. Netanyahu denied wrongdoing, but also said Israel's media leans left and needs to be diversified.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Times of Israel reports, while on the stand, Netanyahu received a note and had to step out of the courtroom to deal with a national security issue. This might be a common sight over the course of this trial, which could take months before a ruling is issued, as Israel continues to wage war against Hamas and Hezbollah.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Netanyahu faces potential jail time. The Supreme Court today is set to hear oral arguments concerning a foundational environmental law. The National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, requires government agencies to evaluate the environmental impact of its decisions.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The question before the Supreme Court is whether the upstream and downstream impact should be considered too. This includes impacts from increased fossil fuel production and consumption. A group of counties, along with the Biden administration, is arguing that the current federal environmental impact process takes too long and needs to be streamlined.
--:-- Shamita Basu: According to Politico, it's not looking good for environmental advocates who have been on the losing side of every case before the Supreme Court involving the NEPA law since it went into effect in 1970.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And finally, the numbers are in for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, and they are huge. Swift sold $2 billion worth of tickets over the course of the 21-month tour, which is not only a record. According to the New York Times, that's double any other concert tour in history.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Swift addressed her fans at one of her last shows over the weekend. It has been the most exciting, powerful, electrifying, intense, most challenging thing I've ever done in my entire life.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Rolling Stone reports over the course of the tour, Swift gave $197 million in bonuses to her performers and crew. 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. As the Nobel Prize Award ceremony gets underway, the Atavist has an engaging read on a German journalist who stood up to the Nazis and the campaign at the time to honor him with a Nobel.
--:-- 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.
