--:-- Gideon Resnick: Good morning. It's Thursday, January 25th. I'm Gideon Resnick in for Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: On today's show, grounded Boeing 737s are closer to flying again, but the company still has some major issues. How an Ohio law is creating problems for trans people running for office. And the NBA player coming for Wilt Chamberlain's record.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: There's good news and bad news for Boeing this morning. The FAA now has a set of inspection criteria for the grounded 737 MAX 9 planes. Once those are taken care of, the planes can fly again. Some could be back in service in a matter of days.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: But at the same time, the FAA also says that it won't allow Boeing to expand production of the airliner until it's satisfied that quality control issues in manufacturing are fixed.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The company's CEO is currently in Washington doing damage control in meetings with lawmakers. That is just the latest fallout from the big panel blowing off an Alaska Airlines flight in midair.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: That company's CEO, Ben Manacucci, told NBC about multiple problems with their Boeing fleet. We found discrepancies on many of our airplanes, meaning loose bolts. Loose bolts. It could be a missing cotter pin.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: He says he's more than frustrated. He's angry with Boeing.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And the CEO of United Airlines, Scott Kirby, shared similar feelings with CNBC. I'm disappointed, especially because Boeing, they're not only our most important partner, they're one of the most important companies in the country.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: They're important to the United States. They're a technology company, engineering company, our biggest exporter. And they are taking action.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: I just wanted to do it faster and more definitive. He says the airline was already considering plans for its future fleet that do not include the upcoming Boeing MAX 10s, in part because Boeing is already several years behind on its delivery schedule.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: I think this is the straw, the MAX 9 groundings. It probably the straw that broke the camel back for us.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And all this appears to be changing how some travelers are booking flights online. Kayak says so many people are trying to filter out 737 MAX flights that it's reworked the website to make it easier for travelers to do so.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Now let's take a quick look at some other major stories in the news.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: In Han Yunus, Gaza, the U.N. says at least 12 people are dead and dozens more injured after Israeli tanks hit a U.N. building where hundreds of civilians were taking shelter yesterday.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel says Israel must avoid hitting humanitarian targets. We deplore today's attack on the U.N.'s Han Yunus training center.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: You've heard me say it before. You've heard the secretary say it before. But civilians must be protected.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Israel denies the attack and says it's reviewing whether the building could have been fired on by Hamas.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: This comes as Israel intensified attacks on Han Yunus. The city is encircled by troops, meaning little chance to escape for civilians.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: They're finding shelter from the fighting wherever they can. The U.N. says about 18,000 people are taking refuge at one hospital alone.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Here in the U.S., Alabama is set to execute convicted murderer Kenneth Smith with nitrogen gas. This has never been tried in America.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The state says it's the most painless and humane method of execution available. But U.N. human rights experts say it could be cruel or even torture.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And there's no scientific data to prove otherwise. The U.N. is calling on Alabama to halt the execution, citing possible violations of international human rights treaties.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: In Texas, a new study says there have been more than 26,000 pregnancies from rape since the state banned abortions.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The law has no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest. That's the highest number from any state studied, among 14 with total abortion bans.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: In those states researchers estimate there have also been tens of thousands of pregnancies associated with rapes.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And in Ohio, lawmakers have banned gender care for children. The state Republican governor had vetoed the bill but the GOP has a supermajority in the legislature and voted to override him.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The law also blocks transgender girls from playing on school sports teams for girls.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Staying in Ohio, several transgender Democratic candidates say they faced roadblocks in running for office because of a state law.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Ohio requires candidates to list any legal name changes in the last five years on election documents. For a transgender person, that could include listing a dead name, what they were called before they transitioned.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Several candidates say the rarely enforced law is unclear and poorly explained.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Vanessa Joy was disqualified. She says she would have complied with the law had she known about it.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Also, she told her local ABC affiliate that the law should not force transgender people to revisit those names.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: In the trans community, our dead names are dead. There's a reason that's dead. That is a dead person.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The candidates say the requirement for listing previous names was missing from instructions on candidate forms and from a 33-page state guide for the candidates.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Arianne Childry told WOSU Public Media she thinks the policy unfairly targets trans people.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: I do believe that it is very much so connected to what we're seeing going on in our General Assembly, which frankly I see as an all-out attack on the LGBT community with a focus on the trans community.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Unlike Joy, she and another candidate appealed and were able to move ahead with their campaigns.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: They're also calling for change so that future transgender candidates are able to run without restrictions.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And they have some support from Ohio's Republican governor and secretary of state who suggested changes or at least clarifications of the law here.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Tonight the starting lineup for the NBA All Game will be announced. One player is widely expected to be in the lineup because he's doing something pretty remarkable on the court this season.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: I'm talking about last year's league MVP, Joel Embiid, from the Philadelphia 76ers. He has been scoring at a historic rate almost every night, putting up mind-boggling stats.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Like Monday, when he scored 70 points. Yes, 7-0. Here comes Embiid rolling to the cup, and there it is! There it is, 70!
--:-- Gideon Resnick: He's got the record! Embiid in the history books by himself!
--:-- Gideon Resnick: So with that, Embiid broke a team record for most points scored in a single game.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And he's now on pace to score more points than minutes he's played on the court this season.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: There's only one NBA player in history who's accomplished that feat, Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And he told reporters after Monday's game he's honored to be compared to an all-time great.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Obviously, we'll accomplish a lot of things, as far as, everything. I mean, the history of this league and basketball in general.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: So to be in the same conversation, I mean, that's, that's pretty cool.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Now, scoring 70 points is a lot, but it's not the all-time NBA record. That belongs to Chamberlain, who scored 100 points back in 1962.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: We'll see if Embiid can chase that down. But he says his money is actually on the guy who guarded him Monday night, the rookie sensation Victor Wembenyama.
--:-- 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, stick around. We've got a narrated article coming up next.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: New York Magazine goes inside the lives of a group of polyamorous people. It involves complicated emotions, some therapy, and a lot of shared Google calendars.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: If you're listening in the podcast app, you can follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
