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Men behind ‘Sound of Freedom’ face misconduct allegations · Apple News Today

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  Shumita Basu, Narrating: Good morning! It's Thursday, September 21st. I'm Shumita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show: Disturbing allegations against people behind the hit film "Sound of Freedom," D.C. residents deal with a surge in crime, and how the Hollywood strikes are gutting the fall prime-time lineup.
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  But first, let's take a quick look at some major stories in the news. Rupert Murdoch is stepping down as chairman of Fox and News Corp, at age 92. His son Lachlan will lead the media businesses going forward. In defence news, General Charles Q. Brown is now confirmed as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the top uniformed post in the U.S. military. He is not controversial. Senators confirmed him by an 83 to 11 vote. But his nomination, and others, have been held up for a long time by Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville. He's been blocking the promotions of hundreds of officers to protest the Pentagon's abortion policy. It pays for travel for service members who have to go to another state to get an abortion. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer used a special maneuver to get around Tuberville's blockade.
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  Chuck Schumer: These men should have already been confirmed. They should already be serving in their new positions. The Senate should not have to go through procedural hoops just to please one brazen and misguided senator.
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  Schumer also cleared the way for the top generals of the Army and Marine Corps to be confirmed. But that still leaves hundreds of other promotions on hold because of Tuberville's actions.
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  Staying in Washington, the Biden administration is expanding the legal status of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants. They'll now be eligible to apply for work permits. It's a move that city leaders, business owners, and immigration advocates have wanted for months.
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  Also, the administration is making free COVID test kits available again, as a new wave of infections hits. Households can get four free rapid tests apiece. Starting Monday, people can place orders at COVIDtests.gov.
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  A warning that this next story includes a description of alleged sexual misconduct.
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  The low-budget movie 'Sound of Freedom' has been a surprise hit this summer, racking up hundreds of millions of dollars, drawing on strong support from conservative Christians. It's loosely based on the work of Tim Ballard, a former Homeland Security agent who went on to create an anti-child sex trafficking organization called Operation Underground Railroad, or O.U.R. The film depicts undercover sting operations led by Ballard to rescue victims of sex trafficking. Ballard has reportedly been considering a run for the U.S. Senate in Utah.
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  But according to "Vice," Ballard left the nonprofit he founded earlier this year after an investigation into reports from at least seven women of sexual misconduct. During undercover work for O.U.R., women said Ballard would ask them to pose as his wife. They say he coerced them into sharing a bed or showering together, telling them it was necessary to fool traffickers.
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  Ballard has denied the allegations. And he's not only person involved with the "Sound of Freedom" movie facing accusations of sexual misconduct.
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  An executive producer of the film, Paul Hutchinson, is accused of groping a trafficking victim who was believed to be 16 years old at the time. This reportedly happened in 2016, during an O.U.R. undercover mission in Mexico. "Vice" obtained criminal investigation files that referenced video of the incident. No charges were filed.
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  Hutchinson was posing as someone interested in underaged girls, as a way to capture human traffickers. He says he thought the person was over 18. But notes from the investigator who viewed the video seem to contradict this. Hutchinson told "Vice" that he and his colleagues had no issues with how he acted while he was undercover.
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  The "Sound of Freedom" movie made a fortune by appealing to Christian values. But these allegations raise serious questions about the morality of the people behind the film.
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  A sharp rise in violent crime in Washington, D.C. has residents, local and federal lawmakers feeling alarmed and frustrated. Compared to last year, homicides are up 29 percent. Robberies, 67 percent. And the number of minors shot this year has more than doubled from the same period in 2021.
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  Residents told the Washington Post, it's difficult to know how to navigate the city safely because so much of the recent violence has felt so random. A spectator at a neighborhood soccer match shot. A military interpreter from Afghanistan killed driving a Lyft on Capitol Hill. A construction worker killed in a robbery as he arrived to work at Howard University.
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  "Post" reporter Paul Schwartzman told us, a lot of people are on edge and changing their routines.
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  Paul Schwartzman: I talked to somebody who's not taking the bus at night. I talked to somebody else who's avoiding gas stations at night because they're afraid of getting robbed. There are people who aren't walking their dogs at night because they're afraid. There are people who are buying Ring cameras for their doors. You know, there are people who don't want their kids to go out like they were going out perhaps before. I think it adds a level of stress to people's lives.
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  To address rising crime, the D.C. mayor and police have implemented a curfew for teenagers in certain neighborhoods. One city council member has called for the National Guard to deploy.
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  But dealing with problems in D.C. gets complicated, because, unlike other cities, federal lawmakers in Congress have the power to decide what D.C. can and can't do. That involves everything from new laws to the city's budget. The president actually has final say over D.C. legislation.
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  There is a slate of public safety bills up for discussion in the D.C. city council this fall, including a proposal to teach conflict resolution in all public schools, and a plan to reimburse small businesses for security-camera systems. But Schwartzman says, there are few clear answers about what's fueling the rise in violent crime.
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  Schwartzman: I haven't heard anybody who, sort of, authoritatively knows the answer. I can tell you that the level of staffing in the police department is at a historic low. Some of that was an outgrowth of the legacy of George Floyd. The morale in the police department is apparently very low. Washington is a very prosperous city, but it's also got a lot of folks who are struggling and the pandemic made life more difficult. But honestly, you know, people are really kind of flummoxed.
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  Still, many residents told him, they're not leaving. And they're doing what they can: mentoring young people, checking in on neighbors, looking for ways to make their community safer.
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  There's new optimism that the Hollywood writers’ strike could end soon. The Writers Guild met with studios yesterday and there are more talks today. But even if there is a deal, actors are still on strike, and productions have been shut down. That means the new fall season will be extremely short on new scripted material.
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  "The Wall Street Journal" crunches the data on the new lineups to see how networks and streaming services are coping with the strikes. There's a heavy reliance on reality shows and game shows, which are not affected by the labor dispute. So, get ready for lots more "Shark Tank," "The Masked Singer," and "Celebrity Jeopardy." There are some attempts to rehab old concepts. "ABC" will premiere "The Golden Bachelor," with a 72- year-old star.
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  Foreign shows will also play a role, since they're made by teams abroad that aren't striking. "CBS" will air the first international edition of the "NCIS" franchise, which was produced in Australia. And if you're a fan of "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy," you're in luck. Animated shows are usually made with longer lead times. So "Fox" will have new episodes of those.
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  But if you're waiting around for new episodes of "Stranger Things," "White Lotus," "Euphoria," or "Yellowjackets," all of those scripted shows are still delayed for now.
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  You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the News app, don't go anywhere.
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  Today is World Alzheimer's Day, so we've got an episode of In Conversation to share with you. I spoke to cardiologist Sandeep Jauhar about the challenges of caring for his father, after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. It's a really moving conversation about caregiving for a parent and the science of the brain.
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  That's cued up to play for you next, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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