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--:-- Shamita Basu: Welcome to Apple News Today. I'm Shamita Basu.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: And I'm Duarte Giraldino.
--:-- Shamita Basu: This is Apple News Today, the daily show you can listen to Monday through Friday in the News app. It's just 10 minutes, and we catch you up on the stories you're going to want to know about to start your day.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: If you like what you hear, go ahead and search for Apple News Today in the app and follow our channel.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Good morning. It's Wednesday, December 8th.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Each morning, hear about some of the most fascinating stories in the news and how the world's best journalists are covering them.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes took the stand again this week, and what she said could be the key to how the jury decides. She pleaded not guilty to federal fraud and conspiracy charges.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Heather Somerville is covering the story for The Wall Street Journal. So Elizabeth Holmes really opened up herself to risk when she decided to testify in her own defense because it subjected her to some pretty tough cross-examination from prosecutors.
--:-- Heather Somerville: She is kind of a pro on the witness stand. She's very poised, very composed. She is able to answer questions kind of in short, succinct answers. She says often that she doesn't remember things. She's able to deflect.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: As far as defendants in criminal fraud cases, she's a pretty good candidate to testify in her own defense. And it's not just her communication skills. Holmes is also uniquely able to back up a crucial argument that her legal team is making.
--:-- Heather Somerville: She was able to bring a defense about being the victim of abuse. This was abuse allegations targeting her former boyfriend and top deputy at Theranos, Sunny Balwani. And I'll note that Mr. Balwani has denied all of these allegations.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But in bringing this testimony, Elizabeth Holmes really has the opportunity to elicit sympathy from the jury. Her attorneys may also have the opportunity, depending on how the case goes, to instruct jurors that they can consider that Ms. Holmes had a mental defect as a result of this alleged abuse, which made it impossible for her to commit the crime of which she is accused.
--:-- Heather Somerville: Holmes managed to win over investors and the media by crafting an image. She made people believe she was a brilliant invincible entrepreneur. But on the stand as I explain, she showed a very different side. She portrayed herself as a young naive entrepreneur. She was 19 when she founded the company, and in her 20s for most of the time she was running it.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: And by saying things like she didn't check the contracts that Theranos had with pharmaceutical companies before she lifted their logos to put on Theranos documents without their permission. She portrayed it as the wrong thing to do, but an innocent mistake.
--:-- Heather Somerville: And that seems to be one way her testimony is trying to counter that intention to defraud that prosecutors have alleged. Remember, jurors have to decide whether Holmes intended to defraud investors and patients about Theranos' technology.
--:-- Shamita Basu: As the trial wraps up and heads to the jury, we'll see whether her appearance on the stand created reasonable doubt.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: All week, we've been focusing on Build Back Better, that massive spending bill Congress is debating right now. Today, the focus is on big changes to tax policy and how that could affect families and businesses.
--:-- Shamita Basu: If it becomes law, the bill would extend the enhanced child tax credit for another year. It provides up to $3,600 per child a year.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Chalkbeat looks at the impact, speaking to a parent who lost her job as a nanny during the pandemic. LaFleur Duncan says her family wouldn't have had enough food without that money.
--:-- LaFleur Duncan: Even with the money, it was hard enough.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Data cited by Chalkbeat shows that child tax credits substantially reduce poverty and hardship for families with children. And beyond covering household expenses, many families use that money to invest in their children's education for things like supplies, transport to school and tutoring.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Forbes looks at some of the bill's details, including what is not in there at the moment. Big changes to individual and capital gains tax rates did not make it in.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: What is in the bill are higher state and local tax deductions for people who live in high-tax states like California and New York. And there would be a new surtax on people with income over $10 million.
--:-- Shamita Basu: That surtax alone is projected to raise about a quarter trillion dollars in tax revenue over the next 10 years.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: How can a school assess whether a violent threat from a student is credible? That's one of many questions parents and schools are thinking about in the wake of the Michigan school shooting that killed four students.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Intercept has some reporting about a debate over how involved law enforcement should be in schools, and specifically, what role schools should play in evaluating threatening behavior.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: To understand that role, it's important for you to get a sense of how schools assess threats. The process typically involves a team of mental health professionals, school administrators, and law enforcement.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Together, they have to decide whether threats are likely to lead to serious harm.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Some parents are pushing for more. They're backing legislation that would start a school Violence Prevention Program at the National Threat Assessment Center. That's part of the Secret Service.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But some civil rights groups and disability advocates worry that a program like this might unfairly single out vulnerable kids.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: We asked Intercept reporter Rachel Cohen about this debate.
--:-- Rachel Cohen: We know from the existing research that students of color and especially students with disabilities are more likely to be assessed for threats. That is a prime objection that civil rights and disability rights groups say.
--:-- Shamita Basu: They say we shouldn't be labeling students as threats. We shouldn't be assessing for behavior that often comes from not getting the legally entitled supports that they need or deserve.
--:-- Rachel Cohen: Advocates who worry about increasing law enforcement's reach in school point to research that shows having police in schools does not prevent shootings, But it does lead to more suspensions, expulsions and arrests.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: The fear is solidifying this approach with legislation is going to lead to more kids being unfairly pulled into the criminal justice system.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Not safe for schools. Which brings us back to the question, should schools bear so much responsibility for assessing students' behavior?
--:-- Rachel Cohen: Cohen says public schools are often understaffed and under-resourced. Nationwide, there's one school psychologist for every 1,200 students.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: I think schools want to do more for safety because they want families and children and students to feel safe in their buildings. But it is hard because you don't want to put too much work on the back of teachers.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And there this fight and there this debate over like well so who else should do it. And I think that where this debate about law enforcement comes in.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Even if you're not a fan of ballet or classical music, you've probably heard this before. You know how it goes. The playful plucking of a string orchestra, and then those playful, magical bells.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Now, can you see a sugarplum fairy floating across the stage?
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: For a lot of people, the Nutcracker is the first dance performance they ever see, sometimes the only one. It's also big business. On average, the Nutcracker alone brings in about half the annual performance revenue for ballet companies.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Given all that tradition and the financial stakes, you might think companies would be hesitant to mess with the formula. But around the world, choreographers are trying to freshen up the holiday classic to reach a broader audience.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: CBS New York looks at the Brooklyn Ballet's production. The choreographers there are working in references that go beyond ballet, with nods to flamenco, belly dance, hip-hop.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The director said it's important to have a nutcracker that can appeal to girls and boys from different backgrounds.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: The BBC reports on how the Scottish ballet is experimenting. They're revisiting parts that portray Chinese and Arab characters. Modern critics have questioned whether those parts lean on stereotypes.
--:-- Shamita Basu: So the team there brought in a Chinese choreographer to create something that's new and authentic. And the Arabian costume has been changed.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Scottish Ballet's CEO says art must evolve to speak to our times.
--:-- Shamita Basu: As the director of the Brooklyn production puts it, the traditional story is wonderful. But after all these decades of nutcrackers, it's good to have a new twist on things.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And while you're in the app, keep listening to hear narrated articles from our News Plus partners.
--:-- Shamita Basu: We'll talk with you again tomorrow.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Goodbye for now.
