--:-- Shamita Basu: Good morning. It's Thursday, June 26th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today.
--:-- Shamita Basu: On today's show, how businesses are being impacted by ICE workplace raids, how hot is too hot for kids to play outside, and it's the big day for Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in Venice, but not all the locals are happy.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But first, today marks one month since the U.S.-Israeli-backed private contractor, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, took over aid distribution in Gaza. And accounts from the ground continue to describe it as insufficient, chaotic, and deadly.
--:-- Nabih Bulos: Because there is so much chaos in the running and people are going off prescribed paths, what happens is that the Israeli military starts to fire at them. And when that happens, everyone hits the ground, right? And then like once the firing stops, they can run again. And the firing starts again and they hit the ground once more.
--:-- Shamita Basu: So really, every day we are hearing about dozens being killed. I mean, of course, it's a recipe for disaster. And it has been. Israel has claimed that under the previous system, aid was being stolen by Hamas, an allegation they've never provided evidence for.
--:-- Nabih Bulos: Gaza's health officials say in the month since GHF took control of aid distribution, more than 400 people have been killed and more than 3,000 wounded. The Israeli military has repeatedly responded to killings near aid hubs by saying it would look into reports of civilian casualties.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Despite the concerns, the U.S. pledged $30 million to GHF, the first known financial contribution from the U.S. government, as U.N. agencies describe the distribution sites as an abomination and a death trap.
--:-- Nabih Bulos: Aid is being delivered at only four hubs in southern Gaza, instead of across hundreds of smaller centers once used by the UN and other groups. This change means that hungry people have to walk through miles of active combat zones for a chance at food and supplies.
--:-- Shamita Basu: It should also be said that the UN was also using a registration system whereby everyone would receive a message to their phone telling them that aid was now available. Instead of having, again, to wait for this opaque system where they're told, oh, it's available now in this spot, you know, 6 a.m.
--:-- Nabih Bulos: And then they go to it and then it's been opened beforehand, so all the aid is gone, or they simply cannot get to it in time, etc., etc.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Boulos told us about 30-year-old Mohamed Al-Shakra, who was seriously injured while trying to secure a box of aid supplies to bring back for his parents, siblings, and their kids.
--:-- Nabih Bulos: So this was actually his third attempt. He went in with his father, and he was going through, and then suddenly he just starts to hear the bullets and he ends up with shrapnel in his abdomen and a shattering to his left arm.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And he basically manages to hobble some distance until he can finally find some donkey cart that will take him to a clinic. Doctors were able to save his arm.
--:-- Nabih Bulos: His father, who was with him that day and also was injured, told me they were just trying to get bread for his grandchildren. He said, "We supposed to protect them. We risking our lives just to keep them from starving."
--:-- Shamita Basu: Now to the impact of President Trump's deportation strategy. According to NBC News, which obtained internal ICE data, nearly half of the people currently in ICE custody have neither been convicted of nor charged with any crime.
--:-- Arian Campo-Flores: That's despite Trump's promises to go after the worst of the worst. And so far, ICE has arrested only 6% of the known immigrants without legal status who have committed murder.
--:-- Shamita Basu: One strategy deployed by ICE to meet its goal of deporting at least a million undocumented people this year is ramping up workplace raids across the country.
--:-- Arian Campo-Flores: Many of the people that ICE is pursuing in these big sweeps are crucial to the U.S. economy, which has created a conflict in Washington between anti-immigration advocates and business-first politicians.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Trump has a wide base, and it's not just the immigration hardliners that make that up. That's Arian Campo-Flores, a staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal.
--:-- Arian Campo-Flores: There are business interests that support him, and their priority is to continue to function and operate as businesses and make money and continue to produce products in the way they have been.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Recent raids on places like meatpacking plants, family farms and construction sites have left some of those businesses shorthanded.
--:-- Arian Campo-Flores: In the example of the agriculture sector, these farm lobbying groups made the point that if this continues, that workforce shortage could yield to higher food prices for Americans.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And if these policies were to continue in a similar fashion, you can expect to see more and more and more of that.
--:-- Arian Campo-Flores: Campo Flores told us about a meatpacking plant in Omaha, Nebraska, that was raided by ICE agents earlier this month. About 75 workers were detained.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The CEO told me he lost half of his production line from one day to the next. The following day, the remaining half that were not arrested, two-thirds of them didn't show up because they were fearful of coming back to the workplace.
--:-- Arian Campo-Flores: And so he was operating the next day at 15 percent of capacity.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Department of Homeland Security told ICE officers earlier this month to stop arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels. But only a few days later, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reversed that decision and directed ICE to resume and speed up workplace raids.
--:-- Arian Campo-Flores: The administration is defending their approach, arguing that once undocumented people are out of the country, the jobs, wages and public resources going back to American workers will strengthen the economy.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Now to the weather. It's been a week of oppressive, dangerous and often record-breaking heat for large parts of America.
--:-- Emily Walls: It's basically an upper high system that acting as a lid to hold in that hot air. So all of this hot air, it's just stuck over the eastern half of the U.S.
--:-- Shamita Basu: That's meteorologist Emily Walls speaking on Fox 32 Chicago. She explained why those living in cities are facing tougher conditions than the suburbs, due to a phenomenon known as the urban heat island.
--:-- Emily Walls: You have a lot of concrete, you have a lot of asphalt, and that's going to be holding on to a lot more heat than what grass can do or other sorts of vegetation.
--:-- Shamita Basu: So it's not unheard of that in a city, if your temperature is during the daytime when the sun's out, can be about four to eight degrees warmer than surrounding areas.
--:-- Emily Walls: As global warming takes hold, we can expect more stifling heat outside of peak summer months.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And according to the nonpartisan group Climate Nexus, these heat waves are three to five degrees warmer than they would be without climate change.
--:-- Emily Walls: So as we continue to face these weather events, we thought we would round up and share some of the advice that we're seeing on how to stay safe in the heat.
--:-- Shamita Basu: First, with many kids now out of school, how hot is too hot to play outside?
--:-- Dr. Jess Weiss: I would start to worry about temperatures above 95 degrees and advise constant reminders for water, hats, and plenty of sunscreen.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Kids are more likely to play than to be disciplined enough to take breaks. So some of that is where your parenting has to come in.
--:-- Dr. Jess Weiss: Keeping outdoor time outside of those really hot hours, so between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., if they're able to do more outdoor activity first thing in the morning or in the later afternoon when it's less hot, can be safer.
--:-- Shamita Basu: For those with pets, the BBC has a handy guide. They spoke to a veterinary surgeon who notes that dogs rely on panting for temperature control, which is less effective than sweating.
--:-- Dr. Jess Weiss: And much like excited kids, they are also not so good at regulating their energy levels. So you need to do that for them.
--:-- Shamita Basu: If you're worried about pavement heat, try putting your palm to the ground. If you can hold it for five seconds, it's probably safe. Otherwise, stick to the grass and shade.
--:-- Dr. Jess Weiss: Beyond that, it is a good idea in general to check on elderly friends and relatives, keep a lookout for community cooling centers, and stick to exercise early in the mornings or late at night.
--:-- Shamita Basu: If you are an outdoor employer, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends a 20% rule where you ensure that workers spend no more than a fifth of their shift working at full intensity in the heat.
--:-- Grant Gilmore: There is actually a point where wind will not make it feel better, but actually make you feel hotter. And that point is when the air temperature reaches your body temperature, 98.6 degrees or around that.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Now, one somewhat counterintuitive thought, if you step outside and think, oh, good, there's a little breeze, that may not be helpful.
--:-- Grant Gilmore: As of this morning, things are supposed to get a little cooler, a relief for most of us under the heat dome. For Bostonians, it might be a mixed blessing. They endured 13 straight weekends of rain before the heat wave and can expect showers again come Saturday.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. NATO leaders concluded their summit yesterday with a unanimous agreement to increase their country's defense spending to 5% of output over the next 10 years.
--:-- Shamita Basu: President Trump described the decision as a big win for Europe and for Western civilization. The U.S. currently spends 3.4% of its GDP on its defense, while the rest of NATO is around 2% on average.
--:-- Shamita Basu: There had been some early resistance, especially from Spain, the lowest spender of the alliance. Their prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, said the discussion over percentages was misguided, leading Trump to threaten tougher trade talks if they failed to up their spending.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But a target is one thing, delivering it is another. And with many NATO allies struggling to achieve growth while at the same time struggling to unload large quantities of debt, finding the money to double or even triple their defense budget will demand difficult choices for politicians.
--:-- Shamita Basu: In other news, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s newly appointed vaccine committee met for the first time on Wednesday.
--:-- Shamita Basu: As we mentioned on yesterday's show, it comes after he removed members of the panel and replaced them with some individuals who have ties to anti-vax groups and vaccine skepticism.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But even before the meeting took place, they were one member down. Dr. Michael Ross, a Virginia physician, withdrew over a conflict of interest review, a spokesperson told The Guardian.
--:-- Shamita Basu: At the meeting itself, the panel said that it would study the schedule of childhood and adolescent immunizations and review the use of older vaccines.
--:-- Shamita Basu: A scheduled vote on the RSV vaccine was postponed. They meet again today, where a presentation will be led by Lynn Redwood, a former leader of an anti-vaccine group founded by Kennedy called Children's Health Defense.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And finally, the lavish wedding sparking a spirited backlash. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are tying the knot in Venice this week, with festivities expected to cost well over $20 million.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Washington Post, which Bezos owns, reported that Venice's airport is expecting the arrival of 100 private jets and air taxis, five-star hotels are sold out, and paparazzi are on the hunt for rumored guests ranging from Oprah to Ivanka Trump.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Now, there will be some economic benefits for the city, but the wedding has prompted a lot of protest from environmental activists and those against the ostentatious display from the super wealthy.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And what do you get for the couple that has everything? Well, apparently nothing. Your wedding invite says no gifts.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You might not think that HR software creators live a life of high drama, but Bloomberg Businessweek examined a major legal scandal in which one company accused the other of hiring a staff member as a mole.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Things took a turn from there. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Plus Narrated to find that story.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
