--:-- Shamita Basu: Good morning. It's Monday, July 10th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today.
--:-- Shamita Basu: On today's show, the connection between climate change and meat. Doctors debunk berberine, a weight loss fad on TikTok. Plus, American soccer legend Megan Rapinoe is retiring. But first, let's quickly look at some major stories in the news.
--:-- Shamita Basu: President Biden is in Britain today. He met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of a meeting with King Charles III. He's also going to a NATO summit in Lithuania this week. Biden says NATO's support for Ukraine is strong, but there's not consensus on bringing it in as a full NATO member while the war is still going on.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Also in Europe, the Dutch government has collapsed. The coalition couldn't agree on immigration policy, so there will have to be new elections. The debate comes at a time when more and more migrants, who are escaping poverty and persecution elsewhere, are trying to get into Europe. And doing so under often dangerous conditions.
--:-- Shamita Basu: According to a migrant aid group, hundreds of people who were traveling on boats from Senegal to Spain's Canary Islands have been missing for over two weeks now. This comes just weeks after Europe saw one of its worst migrant shipwrecks in the Mediterranean when a ship sank off the coast of Greece. Spanish rescuers are searching the waters.
--:-- Shamita Basu: In Sudan, the United Nations is warning the country is on the brink of a full-scale civil war. It's been nearly three months since rival generals began fighting for power. At least 3,000 people have been killed and millions displaced.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And in the U.S, at least one person is dead in New York State swept away in dangerous flooding that affecting a large area of the Northeast. Tens of millions of people in multiple states were under flood alerts at one point. Also, there's no sign of the extreme heat letting up in various parts of the country. Multiple heat records have been broken and more could be shattered in the days ahead.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Climate change is making the ongoing extreme weather we're experiencing worse and more common. Vox argues one major factor driving climate change often doesn't get the same attention as others, meat and dairy production.
--:-- Kenny Torella: You know, we raise tens of billions of pigs, cows, chickens, and other animals for food. They emit vast amounts of waste, and that also causes emissions. And then we use a lot of fertilizer to grow the corn and soy that we feed to farmed animals.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Numbers vary, but research shows that up to 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to animal agriculture. One third of Earth's habitable land is used for animal farming. Trees are often cut down to make room for cattle grazing or land to grow corn and soy for animal feed.
--:-- Kenny Torella: That makes animal agriculture the leading cause of deforestation. Not only does clearing all of that land emit a lot of carbon into the atmosphere, but it also represents what climate scientists call a carbon opportunity cost. Because if all of that land was just kept wild, it would suck up huge amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere, acting as essentially a carbon sink.
--:-- Kenny Torella: Torella's view is that some news stories are missing the chance to explain the role that raising animals plays in climate change. One example he cites is the Colorado River water shortage. In most of the coverage about it there been simply reporting that agriculture is using up a lot of the Colorado River dwindling supply of water.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But in fact, at least 70 percent of the water used for agriculture is used to grow crops to feed to beef and dairy cows. And so I think it's important that journalists not only be skeptical, but also be specific.
--:-- Kenny Torella: He says, if you look at consuming animal products as something we can intentionally cut down on, it could make a difference for the environment.
--:-- Shamita Basu: TikTok is a black hole for advice. Some of it harmless. But when it comes to health and wellness, viral trends can fuel misinformation. Spend a little time on TikTok these days, and there's a good chance you'll bump into someone raving about berberine, making claims that it can help them lose weight.
--:-- Kenny Torella: It's a chemical found in plants, and supplement sellers are trying to market it as a natural Ozempic. But doctors and experts tell The Washington Post berberine is not a scientifically proven treatment for anything, let alone weight loss.
--:-- Shamita Basu: What little data there is on berberine is limited, low quality, and inconclusive. Supplements have very little regulation, which creates potential dangers.
--:-- Dr. Peter Cohen: If you're losing weight fast, there might be another drug in that supplement that's not listed on the label. Supplement manufacturers don't have to prove the products are safe or effective. The FDA only steps in later if safety concerns come up.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You should check with your doctor before experimenting with berberine or other supplements you might see recommended on social media. Another resource is US Pharmacopeia or USP. It does independent lab testing on the quality of ingredients in medicines and supplements.
--:-- Dr. Peter Cohen: None of the health experts interviewed by The Post were aware of any USP berberine supplements.
--:-- Shamita Basu: One of the biggest stars in American soccer is getting ready to retire. Megan Rapinoe says her fourth World Cup this year will be her last.
--:-- Megan Rapinoe: I could have just like never imagined where this beautiful game would have taken me. I feel so honored to be able to have represented this country and this federation for so many years.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Rapinoe has played for Team USA for 17 years, scoring 63 goals. She's a three-time Olympian, winning gold in 2012. Rapinoe has also been a high-profile advocate for issues including pay equity and LGBTQ plus rights.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And we'll have full coverage of everything World Cup this summer because we've got some big news. After the whistle is back, baby! That's right. The Apple News soccer podcast After the Whistle is returning for the Women's World Cup.
--:-- Shamita Basu: As you just heard, Brendan Hunt, who played Coach Beard on Ted Lasso, is back in the host seat alongside Rebecca Lowe from NBC Sports. Together, they bring the kind of contagious joy and smarts to help you follow the matches, the key players and the big moments.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The tournament starts on July 20th, and it takes place in Australia and New Zealand. The U.S. women are the defending champions. They'll be looking to see if they can win a historic third World Cup in a row.
--:-- Shamita Basu: If you're listening in the Apple News app right now, we've queued up the trailer for season two of After the Whistle to play next. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts to catch the first episode, which will be dropping in the podcast feed on July 19th.
--:-- Shamita Basu: So enjoy that listen, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
