--:-- Shamita Basu: Good morning. It's Wednesday, November 29th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today.
--:-- Shamita Basu: On today's show, remembering former First Lady Rosalind Carter's impact on mental health care, the Supreme Court case that could transform government regulation, and the growing controversy over bowling pins. But first, let's take a quick look at some other stories in the news.
--:-- Shamita Basu: There are high-level talks underway to further extend the pause in fighting in Gaza. Top intelligence officials from Israel and the U.S. have been meeting in Qatar to discuss what a deal could look like. Qatar has been in touch with Hamas throughout the process of hostage and prisoner swaps. If there's no new deal, today is set to be the last day of the six-day truce.
--:-- Shamita Basu: In climate news, a potentially game-changing flight is in the history books. For the first time, a commercial plane flew across the Atlantic without using fossil fuels. The Virgin Atlantic test flight from London to New York landed yesterday. It was powered by fuel made from recycled fats and plant sugars. The airline says this mix emits 70 percent less carbon than typical jet fuel.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Aviation experts say it's a milestone, but we're still far away from offering regular flights with sustainable fuel. And American life expectancy is rebounding from a dip during the pandemic, though it's still below pre-pandemic numbers. Early CDC data for 2022 shows a 1.1 year increase in life expectancy. That adds up to an expected lifespan of 77.5 years in the U.S.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The funeral for former First Lady Rosalind Carter is today at the same church where Jimmy Carter taught Sunday school for decades in their hometown of Plains Georgia. Yesterday the 99 former president made a rare public appearance at his wife's memorial service. He used a wheelchair and had a blanket across his lap embroidered with her portrait.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Over the years, he has said his greatest achievement in life was not winning the presidency or the Nobel Peace Prize. It was their marriage. Well, the best thing I ever did was marrying Rosalind. That's the pinnacle of my life.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Mourners are remembering the impact Rosalind Carter had. One of her signature issues was mental health. Today, the health care system has gotten better at emphasizing both mental and physical well-being. And more people realize that it's both good and important to talk openly about mental health.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But that wasn't always the case. And Rosalind Carter played a major role in changing the conversation. We must act now to ensure that another generation does not suffer needlessly. Today we have a great opportunity to change things forever for everyone with mental illness. The solutions are truly within our reach.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Over the years, she fought for better funding for mental health treatment, and she worked to make sure that people who needed help wouldn't be ashamed to ask.
--:-- Eve Byrd: I think what sets her apart is that she recognized the stigma and really more so the discriminatory behaviors that come from that stigma.
--:-- Shamita Basu: A former president of the American Psychiatric Association told NPR Carter deserves credit for increasing federal funding for research on mental illnesses. There are also stronger rules for insurance coverage of mental health care. And now anyone experiencing a mental health emergency can call 988 for free support.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Carter was vocal for the causes she cared about, but much like her husband, fairly modest when talking about herself. The memorial service included a quote from her on how she wanted to be remembered. She said simply I would like for people to think that I took advantage of my opportunities and did the best I could.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Supreme Court is hearing arguments today in a case with major implications for the way government agencies function. The case is Securities and Exchange Commission versus Jarkisi. The SEC fined investor George Darkese for misconduct, securities fraud. He sued, saying that the SEC's process against him was unconstitutional, that Congress never had the authority to empower the SEC to act independently in the first place.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And if he's successful in making this argument, the impact could be huge. NYU law professor Noah Rosenblum argues in The Atlantic that this case could change the way all independent government agencies operate. The consequences will be dramatic and will ratify almost immediately.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Agency lawyers, law professors, and politicians will have to spend a lot of time explaining why those agencies are really different from the SEC. Rosenblum says Jarcusi's argument is built on a fringe legal theory, that there are limits on the powers that Congress can give to independent agencies.
--:-- Shamita Basu: That includes agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, the Social Security Administration, the folks who inspect our borders. So it's a huge range of government activity, all of which is bound by the same kinds of rules that the Supreme Court is considering in this one question about the Securities and Exchange Commission.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Rosenblum says even though the technicalities are hard to follow for non-lawyers, this is a case all of us should watch closely. The underlying issue is not very complicated. It's just about whether the government should be allowed to operate according to the rules that it has followed for as long as anyone can remember.
--:-- Shamita Basu: We're going to close with a story about technology impact on a sport how it works and how it sounds. That is the sound bowlers aim for, a nice clean crashing of the pins. But if you're a super avid bowler, you might be able to hear something a little different there.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Those pins were attached to strings. So once they get knocked down, they don't go flying all over the place. It's like watching a puppet crumple to the floor and then spring back up when the puppeteer pulls the strings.
--:-- Shamita Basu: It's a cheaper and more efficient way to manage lanes than using old school mechanical pin setters. The LA Times looks at how this technology is very controversial for serious bowlers. They say it leads to lower scores. And to make things worse, they say you miss out on that explosive sound.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Bowling popularity in America has declined sharply since an earlier heyday in the 1960s. In order to lower costs and to keep more alleys open, the U.S. Bowling Congress, which is a real group, is supporting this shift to stringed pins.
--:-- Shamita Basu: It recently certified them for tournaments and league play. The Bowling Congress commissioned research that found no statistical difference in scores between the two different kinds of pin setters. But many bowlers are not convinced. And they're having trouble with that sound thing.
--:-- Shamita Basu: With the new pins, it's like hearing a drumroll without the crashing cymbal at the end. As for the boss of the Bowling Congress, he thinks lowering costs using technology is good for the sport. He says all bowling is good bowling.
--:-- 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, stick around. We've got a narrated article coming up next from The New Yorker. It looks at school shootings from a very unusual viewpoint, the sister of a person who attacked a school 25 years ago.
--:-- Shamita Basu: If you're listening in the Podcasts app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow. Thank you.
