--:-- Gideon Resnick: Good morning. It's Monday, February 12th. I'm Gideon Resnick in for Shamit Abassu. This is Apple News Today.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: On today's show, a look at Israel as it prepares to invade Rafa, why measles cases are rising across the world, and the new and old Super Bowl champions. But first, let's take a quick look at a few stories that are in the news.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: A tragic death is rocking the sports world. 24-year-old Kelvin Kiptom, who set the world record last year in the Chicago Marathon, died in a car accident yesterday in Kenya along with his coach. Officials in the country say the world is mourning his death.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The ministry is also mourning for the loss of an iconic athlete who has started to put Kenya once again, among others, on the world map.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: In Washington, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been hospitalized again. He was admitted for a bladder issue and transferred to a critical care unit yesterday. Austin's deputy secretary has taken over his duties, and Congress and the White House have been informed of his condition.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The defense secretary faced criticism at the end of last year for not informing the White House sooner when he was hospitalized for a bladder infection.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Staying in Washington, a massive foreign aid package got closer to clearing the Senate. The bill includes billions of dollars for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Despite opposition from hardline Republicans and former President Trump, 18 Republican senators joined Democrats to move the bill forward.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And Senate leaders are hoping to pass it tomorrow.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: In Gaza, Israel's military dramatically stepped up action in the southern city of Rafa. There were heavy airstrikes over the weekend, which Israel's military says were meant to be a distraction so they could rescue two hostages, a pair of dual citizens from Israel and Argentina.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: According to local media reports, at least 50 Palestinians were killed in the strikes. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a ground invasion of Rafah is coming soon an announcement that sparked international concern.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: More than half of Gaza population has fled to Rafah to seek refuge from the war. People there told NBC they desperately want the conflict to end.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Don't you think that we had enough? We're people just like you. I'm terrified of what's going to happen to me and my family. I don't want anything to happen to them. I've already lost my I don't want to lose anybody else.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And President Biden has privately told Netanyahu not to proceed in Rafah unless there is a plan to protect civilians.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: We stay in Gaza for our next story, which begins with an emergency phone call. That's the voice of six-year-old Hinde Rajab speaking from a car in Gaza City surrounded by active combat.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: She's asking a dispatcher with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society to please send someone to rescue her.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: That morning, two weeks ago, the IDF posted evacuation orders for people in Gaza City. And as they tried to flee, Hinde's family got trapped in their car with heavy fighting surrounding them.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: All of her relatives, six people, were killed. And Hind spent hours on the phone, alone and afraid, asking dispatchers and her mom, who was later patched in, to send help as soon as they could.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Because it was an active combat zone, the Red Crescent Society had to get Israel's permission to send a rescue crew in. Two paramedics went later that day and confirmed they reached the area where Hind was trapped. But then they lost contact as well.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: That was January 29th, and for nearly two weeks, there were no updates from Hind or the missing rescue crew.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: That's Hind's mom speaking with NBC. She told them every time she heard an ambulance coming, she hoped it might be her daughter. And every time she heard an explosion, her heart would stop.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Then over the weekend, the family announced Hind was finally found. She had never escaped the car that day. And the bodies of the missing rescue crew, along with their destroyed ambulance, were found just meters away.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The Red Crescent Society has accused the IDF of attacking the ambulance and Palestinian officials are calling for the International Criminal Court to investigate.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: When NBC asked the Israeli defense forces for comment, they said they were looking into the matter.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: More than 28,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7th, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. And the UN estimates two-thirds of the casualties are children.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Public health experts around the world are worried about a rise in measles cases. In 2022, they climbed 18% compared to the year before. That's according to the World Health Organization.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The rate of fatalities rose more than twice as fast. And the organization said in December, there's been an alarming increase in cases, specifically in Europe and parts of Asia.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: These public health experts are concerned because even though measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases, it's also one of the most preventable.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Achieving herd immunity requires a near-perfect vaccination rate, around 95%. But in 2022, just over four of five kids worldwide received a dose by their first birthday. That marks the lowest global vaccination rate in over 15 years.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The coronavirus pandemic contributed to this decline. The WHO estimates 61 million doses were missed or delayed in 2021.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And public health experts told NPR they think some people might have forgotten how dangerous measles can be, especially for kids under the age of five who can have severe and potentially deadly outcomes.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Dr. Peter Hotez, the co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, told CBS even a small drop in the global vaccination rate can lead to outbreaks.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Measles does not typically occur among highly vaccinated populations. So in that sense, low vaccination rates are the indirect cause of measles.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: My concern is that we're still going to see additional measles cases. And I worry that when you talk about up to 20, roughly 20 percent of measles cases require hospitalizations. If this continues, we're going to start seeing hospitalized kids with measles.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Low countries that have the fewest resources also tend to have the lowest vaccination rates.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The director of the WHO Vaccine and Immunization Department told NPR the measles is like an inequity virus. It finds and attacks anyone who's not protected.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: So public health officials are saying that these rising cases are a reminder of the importance of immunization across the world.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And finally, let's talk about that Super Bowl last night. We saw Usher roller skating through someone's legs at halftime, an ad where people talked like Christopher Walken to Christopher Walken, Beyonce announced new music, and the victory on the field seemed familiar.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The Kansas City Chiefs are back in a position they know all too well. Super Bowl champions once again. They beat the San Francisco 49ers in a dramatic overtime victory that cements their status as an NFL dynasty.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: They're the first repeat champion in 19 years, and this is their third Super Bowl win in the last five. A lot of it has to do with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, last night's MVP.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: He told the NFL Network in post-game interviews about the work this team has put in all season. I mean, just the attitude of the team to never give up, always believe, and to continue the fight, it's special. And I'm proud of the guys, man.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: I mean, we battled through and through, all the way through the playoffs, into the Super Bowl. And just like our whole season, it came down to the last play.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Mahomes rallied the Chiefs for a comeback in the second half after trailing the 49ers much of the way. And their win puts him in an elite club of quarterbacks.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Just a handful have won three Super Bowl titles. Even fewer have been named MVP three times. Just Tom Brady, Joe Montana, and now Patrick Mahomes.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And if you're already listening to the News app right now, do not go anywhere. We've got a Narrated article coming up next.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Chiefs tight end Travis Kelsey took a stroll down memory lane with The Wall Street Journal and talked about why this was his best year ever.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: If you're listening in the podcast app, you can follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Enjoy listening to that.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Thanks for listening to Apple News Today.
