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--:-- Shamita Basu: Good morning. It's Wednesday, November 30th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, Republicans and Democrats shake up their House leadership, how doctors are failing patients with disabilities, and a narrow win for the U.S. over Iran in the World Cup. But first, the highest-profile January 6th defendant so far is guilty of seditious conspiracy.
--:-- Shamita Basu: A jury convicted Oath Keepers founder Stuart Rhodes. The militia leader was among the attackers who suited up in military gear and stormed the Capitol in an effort to overturn the election results and keep Trump in office. This conviction could encourage prosecutors to go after higher-profile targets.
--:-- Shamita Basu: This case was seen as a test for whether the rarely used charge of seditious conspiracy could work in January 6th prosecutions. It dates back to the Civil War and can be difficult to prove. Several other sedition trials are in the works.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe talked to CNN about the significance of the verdict. It sends a very loud and clear message to other members of militia groups, people who are harboring similar grievances and thinking about pressing them violently, particularly at our political system, our democratic process.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You cannot do that in this country without severe consequences, severe consequences along the lines of a potential 20-year jail sentence. It wasn't a clean sweep for prosecutors. One of Rhodes' associates was also convicted of seditious conspiracy, but three other defendants were cleared of that charge.
--:-- Shamita Basu: All five were found guilty of obstructing Congress. Rhodes will stay in jail while he awaits sentencing. Thank you.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Let's turn from the attack on the Capitol to the actual work that's going on under the dome, which has been a busy scene lately. The Senate passed legislation to protect same-sex marriage under federal law.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The bill took a winding road, with tweaks made to get enough Republicans on board. We mentioned several weeks ago how there's been more urgency around this bill since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Advocates worried that the court could reverse its ruling on same-sex marriage, too. The bill goes to the House, which is expected to pass it, and send it to President Biden to sign into law.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Congress is also moving quickly on legislation to block a planned strike by rail workers. Biden and Senate and House leaders in both parties are all backing the move.
--:-- Shamita Basu: They argue that a shutdown of railroad freight would be too damaging to the economy, even if some union members don't like the deal that's on the table. There's also the question of who will lead each party in the House next year.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You might expect that with Republicans winning control, they would have a smooth transition and the Democrats would be the ones with lots of messy infighting. But it's actually the opposite.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Today, House Democrats are expected to vote to give the top two leadership slots to Representatives Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Catherine Clark of Massachusetts.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Not much controversy or competition there. They're replacing the current speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and her number two, Steny Hoyer. Both are in their 80s.
--:-- Shamita Basu: NBC senior congressional reporter Scott Wong told us how it's a generational shift. Hakeem Jeffries is in his 50s, as is Catherine Clark. And so they are going to appeal to younger voters, perhaps much better than the elder members of leadership.
--:-- Scott Wong: But on the Republican side, the process has been bumpier. House leader Kevin McCarthy is struggling to get the votes he needs to be elected speaker.
--:-- Scott Wong: Republicans didn't win as many seats as they expected in the midterms, and some blame McCarthy for the poor performance. Some already didn't like him.
--:-- Scott Wong: And with the majority so thin, he can't afford to lose many votes. There are already five Republicans who have publicly stated that they can't support McCarthy under any circumstance.
--:-- Scott Wong: It's not clear who else could win as Speaker if McCarthy doesn't get the votes. There's a lot of division and anger in the party over the election results and also over Trump.
--:-- Scott Wong: A lot of McCarthy's allies say there's nobody else that can assemble this coalition of Republicans and to be able to move the party forward into this next Congress. It's very difficult to see 218 Republicans rallying around other people as well, given the very narrow majority.
--:-- Scott Wong: McCarthy says he's not backing down. But he's got until the chamber votes in January to win them over. It's been more than 30 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act became law.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But many people with disabilities say the ADA isn't protecting them from discrimination when it comes to health care. You would think that medical facilities would be one of the most accessible places for people with disabilities, and it turns out they're not.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Emma Yusinski writes about this problem for The Atlantic and the science magazine Undark. Recent survey research found that only a little over half of doctors strongly welcome patients with disabilities into their practice.
--:-- Shamita Basu: For the most part, it's an education issue. A lot of doctors feel they're not confident, and because of that, they're afraid to deal with patients with disabilities, and they will sometimes actively avoid it.
--:-- Shamita Basu: They'll come up with excuses and say, you need a specialist, or I'm not taking any new patients right now, and avoid dealing with patients with disabilities in that way.
--:-- Shamita Basu: One in four American adults has a disability, but many doctors aren't prepared to treat them. Part of it is an education problem, as Yusinski pointed out.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Some doctors have biases that can cause them to miss or mistreat conditions in patients with disabilities. Another part is many offices don't have the right medical equipment.
--:-- Shamita Basu: They're missing things like adjustable exam tables and scales that can accommodate people in wheelchairs. That's especially dangerous for pregnant patients who need to track their weight to watch for signs of complications.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Too often, Yusinski says, doctors think of the ADA simply as a building code, dealing with wheelchair ramps. But first and foremost, it's a civil rights law.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The person in my article I spoke to about the ADA most in depth said that if she can't see a doctor for her regular wellness check, that's a violation of her civil rights.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And it's not just about being able to get into the building. It's about being able to get the services she needs when she's in there. She needs to be weighed. She needs to be examined.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And they need to have tables that allow them to do that. They need to be able to do a full exam. When doctors and hospitals fall short, it's not easy to hold them accountable.
--:-- Shamita Basu: One of the issues with enforcing it, though, is that it's not like we have ADA police trolling around looking for violations. The only way to enforce it is when a person with a disability or the government sues.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Health and accessibility experts tell Yashinsky that improved funding for accommodations could help. And better medical education and training are key so that physicians learn about disabilities throughout their studies, not just in one-off seminars.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Patients with disabilities have the right to access quality medical care, but there's still a ways to go to get doctors to deliver.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Let's end with a little World Cup, where the U.S. men's team is still alive after a 1-0 win over Iran. That one goal came at a cost, though.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Christian Pulisic, one of the team's best players, had to be taken to the hospital after he scored for a serious abdominal injury. But in a social media message from his hospital bed, he said he will be ready for Saturday's match against the Netherlands.
--:-- Shamita Basu: As we mentioned yesterday, this game was a political minefield because of the protests in Iran and tense relations with the U.S.
--:-- Shamita Basu: This came up in the latest episode of our World Cup podcast, After the Whistle, with Brendan Hunt and Rebecca Lowe. Just want to give my respects to the Iranian team, the things that they are dealing with off the pitch and their attempts to acknowledge it during the course of this world cup.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Most notably by not singing their national anthem during the first match, which apparently then only garnered them threats from the government to make sure that they sang the anthem for the second match.
--:-- Shamita Basu: It's I think more to deal with than any of us can comprehend. And there is far less joy in knocking Iran out of this tournament than there might have been under normal circumstances. Bigger concerns in football.
--:-- Shamita Basu: So I tip my hat and I give full respect to Team Melly. I would just say in response to that, I think that when they didn't sing the national anthem against England, I think that the emotional impact that had was there for all to see during the game.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The 6-2 hammering was not really according to form. I can't imagine how they must have had to deal with that emotion while they were playing the game.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And I think that you have to look at their World Cup campaign and the efforts that they've made, those players. And you have to say that they've arguably sacrificed, actually, themselves, their team going through in the name of protest.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Because had they not done what they did against England, they probably wouldn't have been hammered 6-2. I just don't think they would have been.
--:-- Shamita Basu: So you sort of have to take your hat off to that sort of sacrifice. I agree, 100%. They also get into other big World Cup storylines.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You can listen to the latest episode on the Apple News app and the podcast app. And if you're already listening right now in the news app, we've queued it up to play automatically in just a moment.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
