--:-- Shamita Basu: Good morning. It's Monday, December 5th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today.
--:-- Shamita Basu: On today's show, investigating a shooting attack that knocked out power for an entire county. Why Democrats think jam band icon Dave Matthews can help in the Georgia runoff. And children making millions of dollars playing with toys on YouTube. But first, there are conflicting reports and serious skepticism this morning about whether real change could be coming to Iran after weeks of protests for women's rights.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Some of the most significant demonstrations against the regime in decades. Iran's attorney general made provocative comments recently, saying that Iran's parliament and judiciary are reviewing the country's mandatory hijab law. He also said that the country's so-called morality police had been abolished.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The government hasn't confirmed or denied that the feared police force has been disbanded. And CNN points to some state media reports that are pushing back on the attorney general's claim, saying the judiciary doesn't oversee the morality police.
--:-- Shamita Basu: These contradictions have a lot of people in and out of Iran questioning whether the government is truly willing to accommodate protesters' demands for more freedom. You can hear this in what Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on CBS yesterday about the possibility that the morality police had been abolished.
--:-- Shamita Basu: That could be a positive thing, but we have to see how it actually plays out in practice and what the Iranian people think. This is about them and it's up to them.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Analysts are watching for a couple of things here. They want to see whether these comments reflect long-term, significant changes to the hijab law, or if they're just temporary measures to quiet protests. Iran's leadership doesn't always march in lockstep in the way that some might think. There are hardliners and there are reformers, all fighting for power.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Often that battle happens behind the scenes. But what we may be seeing now is some of that fight spilling out into the public. Reformers sometimes made progress in the past, only to be pulled back by the powerful clerics.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Ordinary Iranians and U.S. foreign policy officials are now trying to answer a critical question. Is something truly different this time?
--:-- Shamita Basu: People are weathering freezing temperatures with no heat in a North Carolina county after shooting attacks on two power substations knocked out electricity over the weekend.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields says whoever opened fire knew what the impact would be. I can say this, this individual that done this, it was targeted. It wasn't random.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The FBI is helping local and state authorities look into the attacks, and officials are working with the energy company to restore power. Nearly all homes and businesses in the county were affected. Some power has been restored, but as of this morning, tens of thousands were still in the dark.
--:-- Shamita Basu: It's a very dangerous situation. No power means no heating no refrigeration for medicines no way to run critical medical equipment.
--:-- Shamita Basu: There's been speculation that the attack was connected to a local drag show that drew protests. LGBTQ+ communities are on alert after a deadly shooting at a performance in Colorado last month.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Moore County Sheriff says investigators are looking into possible links but haven't made that connection yet. We don't have anything. No motivation. No group has stepped up to acknowledge or accept it. They're the ones that done it. So, yeah, I call them cowards.
--:-- Shamita Basu: With damage potentially running into millions of dollars, restoring power involves complicated repairs that could take days.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Tomorrow, Georgia voters will decide whether to send a Democrat or a Republican to the U.S. Senate in a runoff election.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Republican Herschel Walker faces Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock, who at a recent rally brought out a musical guest.
--:-- Shamita Basu: This is called something to tell my baby. If you've got your 90s goggles on this morning, you'll know that voice is Dave Matthews.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Campaigns have often leaned on musicians to help encourage people to get out the vote. New York Magazine reports on how Democratic campaigns have been tapping Dave Matthews to reel in a very niche prize. White suburban Gen Xers.
--:-- Shamita Basu: In tight races, campaigns have to use every trick they can think of, including the nostalgia factor of a jam band icon. And Matthews was quite a draw at a recent Atlanta rally, where people lined up for hours to see him on stage with Warnock.
--:-- Shamita Basu: It's not clear whether the musician can make a difference here. Matthews campaigned for three other Democratic Senate candidates recently. Two lost. One won.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Now lots of people find Dave Matthews songs pretty cringy and a Republican campaign spokesman took the opportunity to pounce asking the Atlanta Journal-Constitution before the event, haven't Georgia voters suffered enough?
--:-- Shamita Basu: Either way, they will have their say tomorrow.
--:-- Shamita Basu: If you've got young children in your life, there's a decent chance that you're familiar with the kids on this YouTube channel.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Here's a clip where they're playing with brand new, fresh out of the box Batman toys. It's the new Batcave! Whoa, this is my car!
--:-- Shamita Basu: Their siblings, named Vlad and Nikki. That video has racked up more than 7 million views. Their YouTube channel has close to 100 million subscribers.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Wall Street Journal profiles these kids and others who've made their families millions of dollars with videos like this. It's a simple formula. Give a cute kid a super popular brand name toy, film them playing with it, and watch the views come rolling in.
--:-- Shamita Basu: That can translate to big money deals with toy makers and Hollywood studios. The Journal asked Vlad and Nikki's mom why she thinks these videos have so much appeal. And she said it's because when other kids watch, they feel like her kids are their friends.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Journal says the biggest hurdle ahead for these families and young creators is time. After all, child celebrities and their audiences all eventually get older.
--:-- 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, stick around. We've got a narrated article coming up next from Time with more on the midterms.
--:-- Shamita Basu: It takes a look at how Democrats defied the odds to hold on to the Senate. So sit back, listen to that, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
