--:-- Gideon Resnick: Good morning. It's Thursday, March 21st. I'm Gideon Resnick in for Shamit Abassu. This is Apple News Today.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Coming up on today's show, surprising revelations about the interpreter for baseball's biggest star, the Biden administration's new rules on electric vehicles, and a look at the NCAA tournaments and possible bracket busters. But first, former President Donald Trump needs a lot of money, and fast, to make a payment ordered in his civil fraud case in New York. $454 million by Monday.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Now, this is the case brought by the state attorney general, Letitia James. She accused Trump and his sons of inflating the value of their assets and those of the family business for years, and fraudulently making money from it. A judge agreed and ordered Trump to repay the state of New York. Trump is appealing the ruling, and right now he says he does not have enough cash to pay for it himself.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: So by Monday, he needs to find an insurance company that can guarantee the court that it'll pay what Trump owes if he loses the appeal. This is known as a bond, and New York law requires bond payments to be made in full. But Trump says he has not been able to find a company willing to put up the bond.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: So all of this begs the question, what happens if he doesn't meet his Monday deadline? NPR spoke with Adam Pollack, a former assistant attorney general in New York.
--:-- Adam Pollack: Under state law, James has a number of options here. One is a restraining notice. She can serve herself as an attorney, a restraining notice to Trump that says, don't use any money until you pay us. Don't spend any money.
--:-- Adam Pollack: James could also start seizing his assets. That includes real estate properties like Trump Tower. She would also have the power to take money right from Trump's bank accounts. The entire trial was effectively a roadmap to his financial assets. She can now send out a sheriff or a marshal of the city of New York to go walk into a financial institution holding what's known as an execution and empty his bank account short of $3,000, which is the statutory floor.
--:-- Adam Pollack: James has indicated that she will begin enforcing the judgment if Trump does not meet Monday's deadline. Trump, for his part, has said that he shouldn't have to pay the full amount while he appeals. He says that having to come up with so much cash at once would force him to unload real estate at fire sale prices.
--:-- Adam Pollack: He's hoping an appeals court will either pause the judgment or allow him to pay a smaller bond. Trump's finances are infamously murky. News organizations estimate he has around $300 million in liquid assets. He could make a multi-billion dollar windfall from the stock market listing of his social media platform Truth Social, though that money could be locked up for months.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And a bankruptcy filing by Trump or one of his companies could delay the bond payment, but the Washington Post reports that is not an avenue being considered at the moment. Trump recently had to set aside around $100 million to put up a bond to cover money awarded to E Jean Carroll With companies saying no to doing a much bigger bond deal Trump money troubles are coming to a head soon
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Now let's take a quick look at some other stories that are in the news. In Gaza, the fighting around Al Shifa Hospital is intensifying. Israel says it killed dozens of Hamas gunmen operating there. Hamas denies this.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: It was Gaza's largest hospital before the war, and now it's one of the last sources of health care in northern Gaza. And it's barely functioning. An international group of doctors who visited Gaza is talking about what they saw on the ground.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Cancer doctor Nick Maynard rejected Israel's claims that it's only making targeted strikes on hospitals that are being illegally used for military purposes. He said Israel's actions are systematically dismantling the Palestinian health care system.
--:-- Nick Maynard: I saw the most appalling atrocities, and I saw things that I never would have expected to have seen in any healthcare setting.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: In business news, Reddit debuts on the stock market today. It priced its IPO on the high end of recent expectations. The debut will give the company an initial valuation of around $6.4 billion.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Reddit's IPO is a bit unusual in that it reserved a lot of shares for small investors. That could make for more volatile trading going forward. In other tech-related news, the Justice Department and 16 attorneys general have sued Apple, accusing the company of violating antitrust laws.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The suit alleges that the company has prevented competitors from offering services like digital wallets plus other software and hardware features in order to retain a smartphone monopoly. Apple denies the allegations, and a spokesperson said in a statement that the company plans to defend itself against the suit, which Apple argues would hinder its development of technology in fiercely competitive markets.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And there's a multi-million dollar scandal in the world of sports. The interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Otani has been fired. He's accused of siphoning money from the player to cover gambling debts.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Ipe Mizuhara was a longtime friend of Otani, perpetually at his side during press conferences and interviews as Otani's fame grew. ESPN reports that at least $4.5 million was transferred from Otani's account to a gambling operation.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Initially, Mizuhara said Otani agreed to cover the translator's gambling debts. But Mizuhara later told ESPN that Otani did not know about transfers. Mizuhara also said he takes responsibility and is ready to face the consequences.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Yesterday, the EPA put the final touches on President Biden's most extensive climate regulation to date. I'm pleased to announce the strongest vehicle pollution technology standard ever finalized in United States history.
--:-- Michael Regan: That's EPA Administrator Michael Regan.
--:-- Michael Regan: And the new rules that he announced will require automakers to boost the sales of electric cars while slashing emissions from gas-powered vehicles. Transportation is the largest source of U greenhouse gas emissions
--:-- Michael Regan: And thanks to these new technology standards not only are we restoring America position as a global leader against the fight for climate change but we're also protecting the health of communities while doing so.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The Washington Post dove into the impact of the policy, which the EPA says will prevent as many as 2,500 premature deaths caused by air pollution annually starting in 2055.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The new rules will push automakers to dramatically boost electric vehicle sales, but not by the end of this decade, as the EPA had originally wanted. The final rule gives automakers more leeway. They are not required to make dramatic changes until after 2030.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And in another change, the final rule will consider the number of hybrid vehicles sold by an automaker along with their EV sales. These were concessions made to automakers, part suppliers, and labor unions who urged the Biden administration to give the market more time to mature.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Initially, the United Auto Workers had held back on endorsing Biden over concerns that strict EV rules would hurt union jobs. The UAW did endorse him, though, after the administration signaled it would relax the timeline.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Electric cars are getting more affordable, but there are still some concerns about the state of charging infrastructure. And although 2023 was a record year for sales, a slowdown in recent months has some automakers scaling back EV production and focusing more on hybrids.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Reuters transportation reporter David Shepardson talked on PBS about how consumer demand plays into what car makers do and the percentage of EVs that are ultimately out on the road.
--:-- David Shepardson: Auto companies like Ford have cut back production like the F-150 Lightning. We've seen other auto companies like GM delay some significant EV projects.
--:-- David Shepardson: So it is still rising. We're at about 8% we were in last year, and it's going to continue to go up, but there are concerns that that very high level of increase we've seen in the last few years is going to moderate, and the companies are not going to be able to meet these very aggressive standards.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: This change will not be the last word on the issue. Fossil fuel companies and states led by Republicans will likely challenge the new rule in court.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: March Madness is here. The first round of the men's tournament begins today. The women are going to start tomorrow.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Here to talk about the teams, the players, everything you need to know over the next few weeks is Apple News Sports editor, Shaker Saman.
--:-- Shaker Saman: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: So let's start with the women's tournament. Arguably the most popular player in the country at the moment is Kaitlin Clark. The Iowa Hawkeyes have been kind of a sensation all season. They are a number one seed that obviously is kind of meaningless in some ways once the games start. So what are you going to be looking for amongst these teams in the women's tournament?
--:-- Shaker Saman: Yeah, this is genuinely an unbelievably exciting year for women's basketball. There are set your watch, make sure you don't miss it, appointment viewing superstars. You mentioned Caitlin Clark in Iowa, the leading scorer in the history of college basketball in her prime in her last year, looking to avenge a national championship loss to LSU, you would think, okay, the stars are aligning, right? It's going to happen.
--:-- Shaker Saman: Iowa has maybe the toughest road of any contender to the national title game You look across the bracket Juju Watkins a freshman for USC who has the Trojans looking to make their first Final Four since 1986 She might be the best scorer in the country not named Kaylin Clark She dropped 51 in a game earlier this year
--:-- Shaker Saman: And then there South Carolina maybe the most balanced and best basketball team I have ever seen on the women's side. Okay, last year they didn't shoot the three ball that well. This year they are the third best three-point shooting team in the country. It's like they're the Terminator. They found a weakness, they eliminated it.
--:-- Shaker Saman: There are so many fun teams I cannot wait to watch in this tournament. There's revenge storylines. There's Terminator storylines. It kind of has it all.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: I also do want to talk about the men's tournament, specifically the UConn men's team. There's a lot of attention to see if they can repeat their win from last year, something that, as you know, rarely happens in the tournament.
--:-- Shaker Saman: It does feel like a slightly more open year than we might be used to. UConn in particular is in a really strong place, but like Iowa on the women's side has a kind of tough road. They could face Auburn in the Sweet 16, a team that many people think is as good as any number one seed in the country.
--:-- Shaker Saman: Personally, I think whoever wins that Auburn-Yukon game could be the favorite to win the national championship. On the other side of the bracket, you've got a team like Purdue, a number one seed yet again. Last year, historically suffered one of the only 16-1 upsets in March Madness history.
--:-- Shaker Saman: The year before, they lost to a number 15 seed in the Sweet 16 when they were a three seed. This is a team that, despite all of their talent and all of their expectations, have just been letting us down March after March.
--:-- Shaker Saman: But maybe this is the year they make a run. You brought up predictions. So now is the moment before we've seen a second of this tournament to talk about winners.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: I would like you, Shaker, to give me who you think is going to win the men's and women's tournament and also an upset that you're watching for in both tournaments.
--:-- Shaker Saman: Yeah. Okay. So let's start with the women's tournament. I think it's going to be South Carolina. I mean, they're undefeated, 32-0. I think they're going to win the national championship game. I think they're going to finish an undefeated perfect season.
--:-- Shaker Saman: I do think it'll be USC who gets there on the other side against them and not Caitlin Clark in Iowa and not LSU and Angel Reese.
--:-- Shaker Saman: In the men's tournament, I think this is Arizona's year. I'm not looking past their first round matchup against Long Beach State, which feels silly to say about a team that I just predicted to win the national championship, but they can do it.
--:-- Shaker Saman: There's a lot of talent there. As for upset picks on the women's side I think that Florida gulf coast has what it takes to knock off Oklahoma on the men's side new Mexico number 11 seed oh they're favored over number six clemson they're too good to be ranked this low i mean it would be exciting i need to also double check my bracket to make sure that i i had new mexico i think i did i think i was i was smart enough to do that but i'll have to check that
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Shaker Saman, Apple News Sports editor, thank you so much again. We really appreciate it.
--:-- Shaker Saman: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: You can follow all that March Madness action in the Apple News app. And if you are already listening in the news app right now, we have a narrated article coming up next from The Atlantic.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: It's about Christine Blasey Ford. She testified in 2018 at the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Blasey Ford said he sexually assaulted her in high school, which Kavanaugh denied.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: In her new memoir, she writes about her testimony and the aftermath. She and her family received death threats and were forced into hiding, and she still needs security to this day.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: If you're listening in the podcast app, you can follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find her story, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
