--:-- Yasmin Khan: Good morning. It's Tuesday, May 14th. I'm Yasmin Khan in for Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today.
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--:-- Yasmin Khan: Coming up, doctors and nurses on the ground in Rafah take us inside the healthcare crisis. Why U.S. politicians are banning lab-grown meat. And fans are pumped for the start of WNBA season. But first, let's take a quick look at some other stories in the news.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: Today in New York, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen will be back on the stand in the criminal trial against the former president. Defense attorneys for Trump will have a chance to cross-examine him.
--:-- Danny Savalos: Yesterday, Cohen testified for nearly six hours about handling hush money payments to bury stories of alleged sexual encounters that could damage Trump's campaign. It's vital for the prosecution to show payments were related to the campaign, not merely to prevent embarrassment to Trump and his wife.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: They've been laying that foundation all the way. We've heard this from other witnesses. Was this about Melania or was it about the campaign? That's why you have witnesses testifying, including Stormy Daniels, as to the value of her story increasing as the election approached. Other witnesses who talked about the concern for the campaign and not Melania.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: Trump has pleaded not guilty and has denied the sexual encounters.
--:-- Danny Savalos: In Washington, President Biden is slapping tariffs on billions of dollars of Chinese goods. Those include electric vehicles, batteries, and solar equipment. The administration says the move will keep America's green tech companies from being damaged by underpriced exports from China.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: Today, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Ukraine. It's the first high-level visit since Congress's approval of the $61 billion aid package. The trip comes as there's global concern about Ukraine's struggles in the fight against Russia. Its forces have gained ground this year.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: And this is the sound of the end for Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge. Crews detonated explosives yesterday to blast parts of the structure off the giant container ship that destroyed the bridge in March. Six construction workers died in the collapse. The bridge could cost close to $2 billion to replace, a job expected to be finished by fall of 2028.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: In Gaza, the UN says close to half a million Palestinians have been displaced by new military operations. That includes hundreds of thousands fleeing Rafah ahead of a possible ground invasion. The humanitarian situation is dire, with little aid getting in.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: The White House is condemning an attack on a humanitarian convoy yesterday by Israeli settlers, who threw packages of rice and flour on the road and set aid trucks on fire. With aid choked off, doctors in Gaza are struggling.
--:-- Monica Johnston: NPR spoke to workers at one of the last functioning hospitals in Rafah about the extreme challenges they're facing. And a warning, this story includes graphic descriptions of an injury.
--:-- Monica Johnston: After seven months of war, doctors and nurses tell NPR this is the worst health crisis they've ever seen. We're running out of pain medicine, running out of blood pressure medicine, so we cannot keep these people alive or comfortable. It's absolutely horrifying what we're seeing here.
--:-- Amar Hanum: I estimate about two to three patients every day will die in this ICU because of lack of supplies or equipment or medical staff. Israel is not allowing some critical supplies doctors need in Gaza. Things like water disinfection materials and surgical tools which Israel says Hamas could use for military purposes.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: One humanitarian official told NPR because fuel is so scarce, water can't be pumped, lights can't stay on, and vehicles can't distribute aid. In some cases, doctors have been forced to halt treatment for one patient to divert resources to another who has a higher chance of surviving.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: Israel said it recently transferred more fuel to Gaza, but the UN says the shipment was only enough for about one day. As for the medical volunteers, they cannot leave until a border crossing is fully opened.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: Alabama is now the second state to ban the sale of lab-grown meat. Violators risk being charged with a misdemeanor and could face a three-month jail sentence. Unlike plant-based meat substitutes, lab-grown meat is made from real animal cells. It just doesn't require slaughtering livestock.
--:-- Tom Ross-Meisel: Wired magazine reports on how some lawmakers don't like it. Alabama follows in the footsteps of Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis signed a similar bill earlier this month. He and others argue that the high-tech food threatens farmers and ranchers.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: What they want to say is this is the same as raising cattle and doing it naturally. Then there's no reason that you have this industry. So it is designed to represent a threat to agriculture as we know it.
--:-- Tom Ross-Meisel: Lab-grown meat companies say their product is an ethical alternative, more humane to the animals, and also better for the environment since beef production is a major contributor to climate change.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: At this point, only two companies in the United States have approval to sell cultivated meat. None is sold in restaurants.
--:-- Tom Ross-Meisel: Bans are a bad idea. Consumers should decide. They should be able to go to a grocery store and determine what type of safe and approved meat they want. Critics say bans will also help Chinese companies get an edge in the lab meats area and that could put America behind a major global competitor.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: So if this new product is going to become big in the U.S., it's going to have to face off with the agriculture industry and its powerful political supporters.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: And finally, today marks the start of what is likely to be a transformational WNBA season. There's the star power of rookies like Angel Reese, Camilla Cardoso, and Kaitlin Clark. They captured the hearts of new and longtime fans during March Madness, driving record-breaking interest at the college level.
--:-- Kathy Engelbert: The women outscored the men in TV ratings and, in Clark's case, actual points in the record books. Clark will suit up for the Indiana Fever. The team struggled last year, playing before tiny home audiences. This year, tickets sold like crazy, with crowds expected at capacity.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbert tells NBC the league is taking full advantage of the excitement around Clark and other incoming stars. The momentum around followership, around these generational players coming into our league. So it is taking that momentum, capitalizing on marketing around it.
--:-- Kathy Engelbert: Bloomberg Businessweek looks at what the WNBA is planning behind the scenes this season and beyond. There are three parts. Bring in players who've become household names. Create must-watch rivalries. And the final ingredient? High-stakes games that'll draw big TV audiences.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: Engelbert is confident the league finally has all the elements to explode this year. So this season could be the one where all of the pros who've already poured their blood, sweat, and tears into this sport finally get their flowers.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: If you're listening in the Apple News app, stick around and hear that full story from Bloomberg Business Week as a narrated article. And if you're listening in the podcasts app, you can follow Apple News Plus narrated to find the story.
--:-- Yasmin Khan: Enjoy listening, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
