--:-- Shumita Basu: Good morning. It's Friday, September 5th. I'm Shumita Basu. This is Apple News Today.
--:-- Shumita Basu: On today's show, the key moments from RFK Jr.'s Senate showdown. Back from recess, Democrats in Congress look ahead to midterm strategy and the iconic movie prop that's expected to fetch up to $3 million at auction. But first, to this week's deadly military strike in the Caribbean near Venezuela, which President Trump said was aimed at drug cartels.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Navy warships killed 11 people who were on board a vessel the White House said was connected to the Tren de Aragua gang. Speaking yesterday from Ecuador, Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested they had drugs bound for the U.S. and that the administration planned to wage war on these groups.
--:-- Shumita Basu: The decision to use the military for law enforcement in international waters took many by surprise and raised questions about what exactly happened here, the legality of it, and what might come next.
--:-- Shumita Basu: It was really the first time that this has happened, where the military has gotten involved in what has traditionally been a law enforcement role and really opened up the door for what the future holds.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Idris Ali is a Pentagon correspondent at Reuters. He told us Trump administration officials have made it clear this is meant to send a message.
--:-- Idris Ali: They really have set up the stage, really, for a sustained campaign. And they've pretty much said, look, this is not a one-off strike. There are going to be more strikes against anyone who is trying to smuggle drugs into the United States.
--:-- Shumita Basu: This would be a departure from recent administrations, but it's not without precedent. The closest parallel in recent history may be international strikes against terrorist groups in the wake of 9-11.
--:-- Shumita Basu: But under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, countries agree, with limited exceptions, to not interfere with vessels that are in international waters.
--:-- Shumita Basu: The U.S. is not a signatory, but previous legal advisors for the military have said that the U.S. should be acting in a manner that is consistent with the U.N. agreement.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Current administration officials are suggesting otherwise. They have not publicly said what the legal authorities were other than to say that this was a threat to the United States.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Hence, the Trump administration had the right to take this vessel out. We have talked to legal experts who say that is not the bar.
--:-- Shumita Basu: They've questioned whether a boat full of drugs, as the administration has alleged, really presents a threat to the homeland in the way a militant would.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Most legal experts that we have spoken to say it probably doesn't because that requires an immediate and imminent threat.
--:-- Shumita Basu: The Trump administration has designated Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization, but that designation does not automatically authorize the use of military force.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Not much is known about the details of the strike itself beyond a brief video shared by President Trump, but the announcement of the strike has generated little other commentary from countries in the region.
--:-- Shumita Basu: What we've seen right now is a real sort of silence from countries to be critical of the operation or supportive, because I think there is a realization that, you know, if you get into the crosshairs of this administration when it comes to drug cartels, you could be next.
--:-- Shumita Basu: So I think they're holding their cards close to their chest. The strike also accompanies a buildup of U.S. warships in the region, which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro described as the biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Just a few weeks ago the U State Department offered a reward of up to million for information that could lead to the arrest of Maduro
--:-- Shumita Basu: Meanwhile the Defense Department is expected to go through a symbolic rebrand today that also signals a more aggressive posture.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Trump is scheduled to sign an executive order renaming it the Department of War, a title not seen in the executive branch since 1947.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Let's move on now to yesterday's Senate hearing with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., where he faced questions from lawmakers about recent firings and major policy changes.
--:-- Shumita Basu: First, Kennedy directly addressed his decision to dismiss the CDC chief, Susan Menares, less than a month after she was confirmed.
--:-- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: We need new blood at CDC. That's also why it's imperative that we remove officials with conflicts of interest and catastrophically bad judgment and political agendas.
--:-- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: We need unbiased, politics-free, transparent, evident-based science in the public interest.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Senator Elizabeth Warren and Kennedy had a heated exchange over Menards' dismissal.
--:-- Elizabeth Warren: And let me get this straight. This is the same person that less than a month earlier, you stood next to her. and described her as unimpeachable, and you had full confidence in her, and that you had full confidence in her scientific credentials.
--:-- Elizabeth Warren: And in a month, she became a liar? Yeah, you should ask her what changed.
--:-- Elizabeth Warren: And by the way, a month ago, you were voting against her because you thought she was either incompetent, ineligible, or unsuited to the task.
--:-- Elizabeth Warren: I was afraid she was going to bend the knee to you and Donald Trump. And it looks like she didn't bend the knee. So you fired her.
--:-- Elizabeth Warren: Look, you're putting America's baby's health at risk, America's seniors health at risk, all Americans health at risk. And you should resign.
--:-- Shumita Basu: After yesterday's hearing, Menardes rejected Kennedy's claim that she had lied, saying that she would be willing to testify under oath that he had pressured her to rubber stamp vaccine recommendations from his newly appointed panel of anti-vaccine allies.
--:-- Shumita Basu: As a public health issue, vaccines were the main point of contention during the hearing.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Kennedy's position as a longtime vaccine skeptic led him during the hearing to once again rail against the COVID shots, the rollout of which Trump once described as a monumental achievement.
--:-- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: We were lied to about everything. We were lied to about natural immunity. We were lied to about, you know, we were told again and again the vaccines would prevent transmission, they'd prevent infection. It wasn't true. They knew it from the start. It wasn't true.
--:-- Shumita Basu: COVID vaccines have been tested for years now in large studies and are estimated to have saved millions of lives by preventing serious disease.
--:-- Shumita Basu: And here is Kennedy sparring with New Hampshire Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan, who accused Kennedy of changing COVID vaccine eligibility behind closed doors and refusing to release the data he relied on to make that decision to the public.
--:-- Maggie Hassan: People who want to exercise their freedom of choice are being denied that. Because you are citing data that you won't produce to the public. You're just making things up. You're making things up to scare people. and it's a lie.
--:-- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: I don't think, I don't, with respect, I do not think I'm the one making you. You are lying right now, Senator.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Two Republicans also weighed in Senator Bill Cassidy said pharmacies in some states were no longer providing shots to everyone thanks to the new guidance
--:-- Bill Cassidy: And here Senator John Barrasso from Wyoming an orthopedic surgeon I support vaccines. I'm a doctor. Vaccines work.
--:-- John Barrasso: Secretary Kennedy, in your confirmation hearings, you promised to uphold the highest standards for vaccines.
--:-- John Barrasso: Since then, I've grown deeply concerned. The public has seen measles outbreaks. Leadership of the National Institute of Health questioning the use of mRNA vaccines.
--:-- John Barrasso: The recently confirmed director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fired. Americans don't know who to rely on.
--:-- Shumita Basu: For the most part, Kennedy stood his ground, raised his voice, and repeated unsubstantiated claims when challenged by senators over the roughly three-hour hearing.
--:-- Shumita Basu: And despite recent calls for him to resign by health experts, elected leaders and former HHS employees, he showed no signs of backing down.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Let's turn now to party politics and how Democrats are trying to turn around their public image.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Democrats are not in a good place right now. The Democratic brand is, as one congressman told me, pretty toxic.
--:-- Mariana Sotomayor: We've seen polls after polls show that as much as even Trump's favorabilities on a number of issues are going down, there are still a lot of voters who trust the Republican Party more on issues like the economy, immigration, crime, than they do the Democratic Party.
--:-- Mariana Sotomayor: In a recent poll by the Associated Press and NORC, Democrats were more likely to criticize or express pessimism about their party compared to Republicans describing the GOP.
--:-- Mariana Sotomayor: A Wall Street Journal poll released in late July found that the Democratic Party's reputation among voters is at its lowest point in over 30 years.
--:-- Mariana Sotomayor: And a recently released CNBC poll showed a similar trend.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Besides the pretty dismal polling, we're actually at a point where the Democratic Party has actually lost voters who identify as Democrats.
--:-- Mariana Sotomayor: They're either re-registering as independents or as Republicans.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Bringing voters back to the party and changing its reputation enough to reclaim control of Congress in next year's midterm elections is something party leaders like House Minority Speaker Hakeem Jeffries are now prioritizing.
--:-- Shumita Basu: He set up listening sessions around the country, commissioned his own polling, and this summer worked with other Democratic leaders in the House to introduce a set of principles Democrats will stand for going into next year's elections.
--:-- Shumita Basu: It's a typical practice ahead of midterms, though it's happening earlier than usual.
--:-- Shumita Basu: The list isn't final, but the current version includes some familiar core platforms. The economy, affordability, health care, those are issues that are not new to Democrats.
--:-- Shumita Basu: But they're trying to appeal to a lot of voters who really feel like neither political party is listening to them. And on top of that, that the government is not doing enough for their lives.
--:-- Shumita Basu: So Democrats also going to be leaning into talking about the corruption in government. That's a little bit new for them.
--:-- Shumita Basu: They're trying to regain credibility and trust among voters.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Sotomayor reports that Jeffries and other strategists believe that focusing on corruption could be an opening for Democrats, citing the way the public has responded to Republican reticence to release the Epstein files.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Jeffries is also pushing lawmakers to advocate for restoring funding to food assistance and Medicaid that were cut in the Republican tax and budget law.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Polling shows that nearly half of Americans do not support the law and two out of three Medicaid recipients believe it will hurt their families
--:-- Shumita Basu: So that where you starting to see Democrats lean onto
--:-- Shumita Basu: But there is that question of, will it be enough? We don't know that yet.
--:-- Shumita Basu: In order to win back the majority in the House, Democrats need to gain three seats.
--:-- Shumita Basu: That could be complicated by redistricting efforts in red states across the country to create more districts that are easier for Republicans to win, though some blue states are trying to mitigate that by redrawing maps in their own states.
--:-- Shumita Basu: During the midterms in Trump's first term in office, Democrats gained 41 seats in the House, which was the biggest flip since 1994.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Portugal held a day of mourning after Lisbon's historic cable car crashed into a building, killing at least 16 people, including one American citizen.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Investigators still don't know how the funicular derailed as it sped down a steep hill, out of control and at breakneck speed.
--:-- Shumita Basu: The rail car is a national monument and is one of Lisbon's most popular tourist attractions.
--:-- Shumita Basu: The prime minister described the crash as a tragic accident that transcended borders and promised a swift investigation.
--:-- Shumita Basu: President Trump's nominee to fill an open spot on the Federal Reserve Board addressed questions about how he would conduct himself in the role during a Senate hearing yesterday.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Stephen Myron, who is currently the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers at the White House, pledged to act independently as a member of the board, but he said he would plan to only take a leave of absence from his White House role if he were confirmed.
--:-- Shumita Basu: The notion that he could have one foot in the White House and one at the Fed drew concern from Democrats, particularly given Trump's efforts to gain more control of the independent board.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Somewhat related, the Department of Justice has opened a criminal probe into Lisa Cook, another member of the Fed board, who the administration has accused of committing mortgage fraud.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Cook has filed a lawsuit against the administration for attempting to remove her.
--:-- Shumita Basu: And finally, what would you pay to own maybe the most famous weapon of any villain in cinema? Darth Vader's iconic red lightsaber is up for auction in California and is expected to go for between $1 and $3 million.
--:-- Shumita Basu: It's made from a 1950s British camera flashbulb attachment, and it shows some wear and tear, which is to be expected when it's gotten some heavy use cutting off people's hands.
--:-- Shumita Basu: There are other memorabilia items for sale at the same auction, including Indiana Jones' Whip, if you would rather be one of the good guys.
--:-- Shumita Basu: You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
--:-- Shumita Basu: And if you're already listening in the News app right now, stick around for the latest episode of Apple News In Conversation.
--:-- Shumita Basu: This week, I talked to journalist Shoshana Walter about America's rehab industry and why she argues that it's failing to help people in a sustained way and in some ways even prolonging the opioid crisis.
--:-- Shumita Basu: The treatment system that we've developed as a result of the opioid epidemic is just not working the way that lawmakers intended.
--:-- Shumita Basu: And oftentimes it's fueling relapse and overdose death rates than actually helping people achieve long-term recovery.
--:-- Shumita Basu: If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News in Conversation to find that episode.
--:-- Shumita Basu: Enjoy the weekend and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
