--:-- Shamita Basu: Good morning. It's Thursday, November 10th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why we're getting yet another Georgia Senate runoff, Hurricane Nicole hits Florida, and how to talk to loved ones after they die. But first, let's catch up on midterm results, with the Senate still very much up for grabs.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The call in the Wisconsin Senate race for Republican incumbent Ron Johnson over Democrat Mandela Barnes means that there are three key Senate results left that'll determine control. Votes are still being tallied in Nevada and Arizona, and it may take days before they get called. It'll be even longer for Georgia, which is headed to a runoff.
--:-- Shamita Basu: We'll talk more about that in just a moment. Control of the House is not official yet. Republicans have flipped enough seats to be on track to take it back, but probably not with the large majority they hoped for. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was confident enough to announce his run for Speaker of the House.
--:-- Kevin McCarthy: The American people are ready for a majority that will offer a new direction, that will put America back on track. Republicans are ready to deliver it.
--:-- Shamita Basu: President Biden was quick to point out that Democrats did better than many expected. While we don't know all the results yet, at least I don't know them all yet, here's what we do know. While the press and the pundits are predicting a giant red wave, it didn't happen.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Beyond Washington, Democrats also made strong gains in state legislatures, an area where Republicans have had the edge in recent years. That matters because state lawmakers can shape policies that affect everything from elections to abortion rights.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Control of the Senate may come down to Georgia in a runoff again. Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock will face Republican challenger Herschel Walker next month. Warnock got his seat in a runoff in the last election cycle, when Georgia had two U.S. Senate runoffs.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Democrats won both, giving them control. So what's with all the runoffs in Georgia? The Washington Post explains how it one of only two states where general election races require the winner to get a majority. If nobody tops 50 percent, it goes to a runoff. Louisiana is the other state.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Political scientists trace Southern runoff rules back to when segregationist Democrats controlled the South. The runoff was a kind of filter to preserve their power by making it harder for challengers to break through.
--:-- Shamita Basu: In this year's election, Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver was in the mix, picking up enough votes to prevent Warnock and Walker from breaking 50 percent. He says he is not endorsing a candidate for the runoffs, that it's not his place to, quote, tell voters which of the lesser evils they want to pick, which is a very Libertarian thing to say.
--:-- Chase Oliver: I'm not endorsing a candidate for the runoff. It's not my place to tell voters which of the lesser evils they want to pick.
--:-- Shamita Basu: There's some conventional wisdom here about runoffs, that Republicans can pick up libertarian votes and turnout will be lower. Georgia Republicans have historically done better in runoffs.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But 538 looks at how the runoffs in the last election didn't follow the usual patterns. Turnout was pretty solid, and Democrats did better in both of them. 538's take is that may be because the stakes were so high then, with control of the Senate on the ballot.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Parties and donors got involved, big national figures campaigned in Georgia, and voters came out. So what happens in this runoff? May hinge on whether Senate control is still up for grabs on December 6th.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Let's take a quick stop in Florida. Not the politics there, but the weather. Hurricane Nicole hit the East Coast as a Category 1 storm early this morning. It's America's first November hurricane in nearly 40 years.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Some parts of Florida are still cleaning up after the more powerful Hurricane Ian hit a few weeks ago. Nicole is expected to weaken, but it could spin off tornadoes as it moves. We'll keep watching it, and you can too, on the Apple News app.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Supreme Court appears divided on a case involving adoption of Native American children after oral arguments yesterday. Its ruling could have much broader impact than family law, because this case raises big questions about Native American sovereignty.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The plaintiffs want the court to overturn the Indian Child Welfare Act, a federal law that aims to keep Native American kids in the care of Native families or relatives during custody, foster care, and adoption proceedings.
--:-- Shamita Basu: It was established in the late 70s. It came after years of U.S. government policy that intentionally removed hundreds of thousands of Native American children from their homes, sometimes by force. They were placed in boarding schools or in families with no tribal connections.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Indian Child Welfare Act was really meant to be a remedial policy to make up for that and to make sure that Native children stayed with their families and were not forcibly separated in the future.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Cecilia Noel is following this case for The Guardian. Some of the plaintiffs are white parents who argue that the existing law discriminates against parents like them on the basis of race, by making it harder to adopt Native children.
--:-- Cecilia Noel: Some of the plaintiffs are white parents who argue that the existing law discriminates against parents like them on the basis of race, by making it harder to adopt Native children.
--:-- Shamita Basu: That they, as a white family, should be able to adopt this child, that it violates their equal protections under the Constitution.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The thing is, in some cases, the non-Native foster parents have successfully won custody of Native children, even when relatives wanted to raise the kids.
--:-- Shamita Basu: One of the arguments in favor of this law is that it isn't treating tribal citizens as a racial group, but as a political group. They are sovereign nations, and the U.S.'s relationship with those sovereign nations is based on a political agreement to respect the sovereignty of those nations and uphold treaty obligations.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Advocates for Native Americans aren't quite sure how the current court will go. People are looking at the composition of the court, the current composition, and And specifically, I think they're looking at Neil Gorsuch, who has shown himself to really consistently support tribal sovereignty.
--:-- Shamita Basu: However, they're also, I think, looking at other members of the court like Amy Coney Barrett and John Roberts, who are themselves both adoptive parents, and wondering how that personal relationship to adoption might influence their feelings about the Indian Child Welfare Act.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The fear from some Native advocates is that this lawsuit could have a domino effect. If this law falls, other laws that uphold Native sovereignty could go next.
--:-- Shamita Basu: We are going to eavesdrop for just a minute on a family conversation.
--:-- Jane Jean: Hello, this is Jane Jean, and I'm happy to tell you about my life. How are you today?
--:-- Charlotte Gee: I'm well, thanks, Mom. How are you?
--:-- Shamita Basu: This is journalist Charlotte Gee talking with her mom on a podcast.
--:-- Charlotte Gee: There so much to talk about My childhood career and my interests Which of those sounds best Your childhood.
--:-- Jane Jean: Sure. I got into trouble as a child because I was very independent and I liked to exercise my freedom.
--:-- Shamita Basu: If you've noticed that something seems a little off, you're right. She isn't talking to her actual mom. It's an artificial intelligence version created using recordings of her mom's real-life voice.
--:-- Charlotte Gee: I would say that although I got used to speaking to virtual versions of my parents, it was always strange. It's a bit eerie. And at no point did I really completely fall for the illusion.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The virtual mom that you just heard came from a company called Hereafter AI.
--:-- Charlotte Gee: G's mom and dad are alive and well, but products like this are designed so that people can virtually talk with loved ones after they die.
--:-- Shamita Basu: G understands how you might find that kind of touching or straight up creepy. Although I personally think I would use these services, I can also see that there are lots of people that still haven't quite reached the point where they would feel comfortable.
--:-- Charlotte Gee: Gee talked to a psychologist who points out how people often replay old voicemails from loved ones they've lost. So a virtual voice might offer similar comfort to someone who's grieving.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But the psychologist also says this kind of technology could have risks. It might make it harder for people to accept the reality of a loss.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Gee says there's also a danger of the products being misused and creating privacy concerns. There's definitely a sort of creepy scenario where someone, maybe a stalker, someone who's obsessed with someone, could make a kind of digital version of someone that they can speak to without their consent or even without their knowledge.
--:-- Shamita Basu: So I think a lot of people would find that creepy. And I certainly do. I think it's something we need to think about before these services become mainstream.
--:-- 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, stay right where you are. We've got a narrated article coming up next from the L.A. Times.
--:-- Shamita Basu: It's a first-person story of an identity theft nightmare. The reporter spent years battling the system to untangle her case and hold the thieves accountable.
--:-- Shamita Basu: So sit back, enjoy that, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow. Thank you.
