--:-- Shamita Basu: Good morning. It's Friday, July 26th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today.
--:-- Shamita Basu: On today's show, the big stars to watch for at the Olympics, why video game actors are on strike, and a surprising outcome in a court case about boneless chicken. But first, one of the world's most wanted drug lords is now in U.S. custody. Agents arrested Ismael El Mayo Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico.
--:-- Shamita Basu: He was tricked into flying to Texas, thinking he was inspecting secret airfields. But law enforcement was ready to capture him on the tarmac. Also arrested upon landing, the son of another cartel founder, the imprisoned Joaquin El Chapo Guzman.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Zambada led a faction of the violent and powerful cartel that's seen as the top smuggler of fentanyl into the U.S. Cartels are responsible for deadly violence inside Mexico, and the fentanyl they pump into America causes more deaths when people use it here. It's the top killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 45. No other illegal drug even comes close.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And as an extensive Reuters investigation shows, it's alarmingly easy to make. It's not that much different than shopping for jeans or electronics online.
--:-- Maurice Tammen: I'm reporter Maurice Tammen, who spent the last year, along with my colleagues, investigating just how simple it is to get fentanyl's ingredients. We figured out that the only way to tell the story was to actually buy the chemicals themselves.
--:-- Maurice Tammen: For under $4,000, they bought everything they needed to make $3 million worth of fentanyl. Sellers were online, as close as a text message. You use a signal or WhatsApp or some kind of encrypted communication, and they get back to you and you start negotiating. It's that simple.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Now, to be clear, Reuters did not make fentanyl and arranged to have the supplies destroyed. But they learned a lot by going through this process. For example, they uncovered the names of Chinese sellers and figured out how they get their chemicals through American and Mexican customs, despite efforts by both governments to ramp up inspections at the border.
--:-- Maurice Tammen: They learned that stopping these chemicals from entering the U.S. isn't easy, because a lot of them are crucial to industries like pharmaceuticals. And the boxes they come in are often disguised. Reuters got packages labeled with things like hair accessories, a doorknob, an adapter. One came in cat food bags.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Biden administration is trying to work with China to crack down on these kinds of chemical suppliers, and is pushing Congress to raise reporting requirements for small packages. The Justice Department has indicted at least 12 Chinese chemical suppliers in the last year alone, but at least three of them are still in business. One even sold chemicals to Reuters.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The White House drug czar says trying to shut down suppliers is like a game of whack-a-mole. You block one seller, another quickly pops up in its place. As one customs official told us, you know you can seize your way out of the fentanyl problem. It's bigger than that.
--:-- Maurice Tammen: Tammin tells us the fact that it was so easy and cheap for him and his colleagues to get these chemicals shows just how flawed our efforts have been to tackle one of the most urgent crises this country faces.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You know, we've been fighting the war on drugs for decades, but we have never seen anything like this. Fentanyl is a scourge and it's killing people by the tens of thousands every year. It's difficult to really overstate the devastation this is causing to families and communities in America.
--:-- Shamita Basu: A warning that this next segment includes audio of the moments before a fatal shooting. The White House is condemning the killing of Sonia Massey, a Black woman who was shot in her Illinois home earlier this month by a sheriff's deputy.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Massey had called 911 to report a suspected person on her property. Vice President Kamala Harris said Massey, quote, deserved to be safe and called for accountability.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Body cam footage was released this week. You can hear two deputies on her property looking around. We checked your yard. We walked around the whole block. We didn't see anybody.
--:-- Shamita Basu: They then go inside the house. For several minutes, everything is calm. But things escalate quickly when one of the deputies tells Massey to check on a pot of boiling water on the stove.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Deputy Sean Grayson then fires several shots, killing Massey. The deputy is charged with first-degree murder and other charges and has been fired. He's pleaded not guilty.
--:-- Shamita Basu: In the video, he claims Massey came at him with the boiling water. But state investigators concluded he was not justified in using deadly force.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Massey's family attorney, Ben Crump, told CBS this should not have ended this way. He could have done so many things. He could have backed up. He could have used a taser.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Meanwhile, more concerning details have been emerging in recent days. Grayson's body camera was off until after the shooting, a violation of Illinois law.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The footage that you heard came from his partner. And there are questions around whether the sheriff's office either missed or overlooked red flags in Grayson's professional background.
--:-- Shamita Basu: St. Louis Public Radio reports he was discharged from the U.S. Army for serious misconduct. Records show that he'd worked for six different law enforcement agencies over the past four years. He's been charged twice for driving under the influence.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Sonia Massey's family sat down with CBS to talk about her life and how they're dealing with their loss. Here's her son Malachi.
--:-- Malachi Massey: She was just a ball of love, honestly. To me. She cooked me the best food. I love her food. She was just a ball of energy, like a ball of energy. She could talk to anybody, you know. She's just the most loving person ever.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Department of Justice is now also investigating.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Summer Olympics officially begin in Paris today. There are around 300 events taking place over the next two weeks. And even though some events have already begun, today is the opening ceremony.
--:-- Shamita Basu: We'll see some of the greatest athletes on Earth dressed in their national colors and costumes floating down the Seine River. LeBron James and Coco Gauff will be carrying the American flag.
--:-- Shamita Basu: This year's Games are also the first post-pandemic Olympics, with fans finally back in the stands. There is no doubt that a full stadium, full arena, full of fans excited and backing athletes raises performance. It just does.
--:-- Shamita Basu: So to know that that is all going to come back, I think I'm actually getting chills when I talk about it. That's Rebecca Lowe, one of the daytime hosts of the 2024 Paris Olympics for NBC.
--:-- Rebecca Lowe: I spoke to her for this week's Apple News In Conversation. She told us some of the biggest names from Team USA that she's excited to watch. And at the top of her list is seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles.
--:-- Rebecca Lowe: She pulled out of most events in the Tokyo Olympics due to mental health challenges. Lowe said after years of Biles being her own best competition, she may have something of a genuine rival in Brazil's Rebecca Andrade.
--:-- Rebecca Lowe: I think what Simone Biles has shown is that her ability mentally now to be so strong is going to serve her so well with a rival. Because if you think she's good with nobody against her, imagine what she's going to be like when she's pushed by somebody who just might challenge her a little bit.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And I think that's going to be a fascinating contest to watch. Lowe says when it comes to track and field, the names you absolutely must know are Sha'Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles.
--:-- Rebecca Lowe: They are literally the fastest woman and man, respectively, on the planet. You might remember Sha'Carri Richardson from the last Olympics trials, where she was disqualified after testing positive for THC.
--:-- Rebecca Lowe: It was a devastating moment in her career, but now she's back. What I love about her is her phrase, I'm not back, I'm better. And I'm ready, mentally, physically, and emotionally. And I'm here to stay. I'm not back, I'm better. And that tells you everything you need to know.
--:-- Shamita Basu: She's really defied the odds to get where she is today. So I think she will be probably the standout superstar of these games.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And yesterday, the U.S. women's soccer team played in their first match. They beat Zambia 3-0. But there are still big questions about how far they'll go.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Some of their biggest stars are no longer around, most notably Alex Morgan, who was left off the team. And they were knocked out of the Women's World Cup early on in 2023.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Now there's a new coach, Emma Hayes, who Lowe said could be a game changer.
--:-- Rebecca Lowe: I just think it's a test to see whether Emma Hayes has managed in the short time she's been in the role to take this team forward. We see. I have high hopes. I think it's time to go in a new direction, new coach, new generation. It's time to go.
--:-- Shamita Basu: I don't expect them to win gold. But they might. They just might because Emma Hayes has got it.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You can hear more about the other stars to watch at the Olympics in this week's episode of Apple News in Conversation.
--:-- Shamita Basu: If you're listening in the Apple News app right now, we've queued it up to play for you after this show. Before we let you go, a few other stories that'll stick with you in the Apple News app.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Hollywood strikes are back on, but this time for video games. Hollywood video game performers voted to go on strike, citing concerns over artificial intelligence being used to replicate their performances without consent.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Now, if you aren't a big gamer, you might not realize how big of a role actors play in the making of video games. The voices or likenesses of stars like Keanu Reeves, Kit Harington, and Rami Malek all have made appearances in video games.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And gaming gigs can be a big source of income for lesser-known actors. A spokesperson for the game producer says they are offering a solid deal to actors.
--:-- Shamita Basu: In legal news that's also food news, if you're ever buying boneless chicken, expect bones. That's the ruling of the Ohio Supreme Court.
--:-- Shamita Basu: This involves a lawsuit around a man's restaurant meal back in 2016. He was eating some boneless wings when he felt something painful in his throat. Doctors later pulled out a thin bone nearly two inches long.
--:-- Shamita Basu: He sued and lost and lost again on appeal. But the Ohio Supreme Court agreed to take the case. And as high courts so often do these days, it issued a divided ruling, complete with a scorching dissent.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The court ruled 4-3 against the diner. In other words, boneless is aspirational, not a guarantee.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And finally, with the real-life Veep Kamala Harris making headlines, the HBO show of the same name is getting a big bump in viewership this week.
--:-- Shamita Basu: I'm not leaving. POTUS is leaving. He's not going to run for a second term. I'm going to run. I did not see that coming.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Streaming for season one of Veep jumped more than 350% on Monday after Biden endorsed Harris.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And Deadline Notes, Veep isn't the only piece of entertainment getting a boost from the presidential campaign. Netflix streaming of Hillbilly Elegy, based on J.D. Vance's memoir, went up more than 1,100% after Trump picked him.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And the book rose to the top of Amazon's bestseller list.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
--:-- Shamita Basu: If you're already listening in the News app right now, as I mentioned, stick around for that full Olympics episode of In Conversation with Rebecca Lowe.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And if you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News In Conversation to find that episode.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Have a good weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
