--:-- [Upbeat music fades out, and the hosts, Duarte Giraldino and Shamita Basu, introduce the show]
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Good morning. It's Wednesday, June 23rd. I'm Duarte Giraldino. And I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Each morning, hear about some of the most fascinating stories in the news and how the world's best journalists are covering them.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Republicans blocked a sweeping bill from the Democrats designed to overhaul federal voting rules. Every GOP senator voted against starting debate on this bill, so it fell short of the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the vote. Once again, the Senate Republican minority has launched a partisan blockade of a pressing issue here in the United States Senate, an issue no less fundamental than the right to vote.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: The bill would have expanded early voting and mail-in ballots, among many other measures. Republicans argued the bill was a partisan attempt to gain an advantage. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said it took too much power from states.
--:-- Mitch McConnell: What this is really about is an effort for the federal government to take over the way we conduct elections. Ever since Trump lost the election, Republican-led efforts to change state voting laws have picked up steam.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: This year, according to The Post, 18 states passed laws that restrict access to voting. The Washington Post looks at where things could go from here.
--:-- Shamita Basu: As is often the case in this closely divided Senate, it comes down to the filibuster. It would probably have to be eliminated for Democrats to push through the voting rights bill. But some Democrats don't want to let the filibuster go.
--:-- Kirsten Sinema: In a recent Washington Post opinion piece, I defend the filibuster. I argue that the filibuster forces parties to work together and compromise. And that builds lasting results rather than laws that appear and disappear with partisan swings in Congress.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Post explains that some people in the Democratic Party want the White House to be more aggressive to get more involved in pushing for action on voting rights.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Vice President Harris presided over yesterday's failed Senate vote, and she said afterward, the fight is not over.
--:-- Kamala Harris: The fight is not over.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: The Western U.S. is going through another major heat wave and drought. It's got people on high alert for wildfires.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Last year, California saw its worst wildfire season in modern history. Thousands of homes and buildings were destroyed. Some people died. And yet developers are continuing to build homes in areas that are in danger of burning again.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: The need for fire safety is coming into conflict with a push to expand housing and economic opportunity. The Sacramento Bee looks at a project called Guanac Valley.
--:-- [Sound effects: A news clip plays in the background]
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Developers want to build this $1 billion resort and housing community in Northern California, knowing that it's one of the most fire-prone regions in the state. County officials overwhelmingly approved this project. It would bring jobs to an area starved for economic development, an area with a poverty rate well above the state average.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But now the project is in question. The Attorney General's office and an environmental group are suing local officials for approving the development in an area that's vulnerable to major fires.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Guanac Valley's developers insist they are safely building these communities. The project includes a fire station, surveillance system, and landscaping to reduce wildfire risk.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And the Sacramento Bee is reporting, despite the lawsuit and the fire last year, local officials are still enthusiastic about the project. California Governor Gavin Newsom has been mostly against telling developers they can't build in fire-prone areas.
--:-- Gavin Newsom: Last fall, I vetoed a bill that would have required new developments in wildfire zones to implement additional safety measures. I justified my decision by saying the bill was at odds with efforts to build enough homes to ease California's housing shortage.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Lawmakers are trying this again this year, pushing a similar bill.
--:-- Shamita Basu: More and more places now require proof of vaccination, whether it's to go see a concert, to get back into your office without a mask, even to keep your job.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: But the thing is, it's really easy to make a fake vaccination card in America. And that's bad news for pretty much everyone other than online scammers.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Right now, they're flooding the internet with offers to make fake vaccine cards. Bloomberg explains how this is in part because the U.S. does not have a national vaccine passport system like a lot of other countries do.
--:-- [Sound effects: A news clip plays in the background]
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Our system relies on paper cards with a CDC logo. So all people basically need is a few minutes of Googling and access to a printer. And this is dangerous because it can give people a false sense of security.
--:-- Shamita Basu: If someone attends a crowded concert that's checking vaccination status, they may not be as safe as they think they are if some people get in using fake cards.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Bloomberg talks to a restaurant owner who's worried because his wife has a health condition that makes it unsafe for her to be around unvaccinated people.
--:-- [Sound effects: A news clip plays in the background]
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: He's requiring customers to show vaccine cards to keep her and his staff safe. But he's not sure whether he'll be able to spot a fake.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And just so you know, it is illegal to falsify vaccine cards. Some people have been arrested for possessing and selling fakes. But there's still a lot of places online offering false credentials.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Demand for them is high. And after the CDC lifted mask requirements for fully vaccinated people last month, online searches for fake COVID vaccine cards soared.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Law enforcement is now trying to stay one step ahead of the scammers. A bipartisan group representing nearly all state attorneys general is taking steps to target them.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: They're asking online shopping and social media sites to watch out for fake vaccine card offers and to take them down.
--:-- Shamita Basu: There is a lot of lingering anxiety many of us are experiencing as the world opens back up.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: If you're a frontline worker or if you've been holed up inside for over a year, returning to the fast pace of everyday life might be a shock.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Maybe what you need is a new friend, someone who'll listen to your hopes and fears without judgment, but who'll also be okay if you just want to sit together in silence.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Have you considered befriending a tree?
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Wall Street Journal spoke with a few experts, and this idea, it isn't as out there as it sounds.
--:-- [Sound effects: A news clip plays in the background]
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: One expert is a psychotherapist who specializes in ecotherapy. The field incorporates nature into the healing process, and it's really easy to do.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Just pick out a tree. Doesn't have to be picturesque. Don't overthink it here. What's important is that you can get to your tree. Visit it regularly. Then sit with that tree.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Think about how all of your five senses are focusing on it. And there's some science here. If you can regularly spend time appreciating something like a tree, what you're doing is increasing your capacity to experience a sense of awe, the emotional response to something that's bigger than yourself.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And research shows that experiencing awe can reduce anxiety, stress, inflammation. It quiets that part of your brain that's constantly thinking about what you have to do next.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: One person told the journal he connected with trees this winter, watching the season fade away, the trees come back to life. It all gave him a new appreciation for the world around him, hoped that he too could emerge from a year of isolation and sadness.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And while you're there, check out some of our audio stories.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: We'll talk with you again tomorrow.
--:-- [Music fades in, and the show ends]
