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Why you’re hearing so much about gas stoves right now · Apple News Today

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  Shumita Basu, Narrating: Good morning! It's Friday, January 13th. I'm Shumita Basu, this is "Apple News Today." On today's show, investigating the Idaho murders, some encouraging environmental news, and why there have been so few Black head coaches in the NFL.
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  But first, lots of talk about gas stoves lately: Are they safe? Are they gonna be banned? Well, let's start at the end. No one is suggesting the government is gonna haul away your gas stove. What happened is, recently, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said it would consider, for the first time, regulations for gas stoves. Possibly even considering banning new gas stoves. And that set off alarm bells.
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  Rebecca Leber: This definitely blew up. And I think for the first time, a lot of people were encountering the science, that is quite strong, showing a risk to gas stoves that people weren't even aware of.
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  That's Rebecca Leber. She's a reporter with "Vox" covering climate change, and she's been writing about gas stoves for years. She told us, close to 40% of American households have a gas stove even though both public health and environmental advocates have long said they're less safe than other options like electric or induction ranges. Every time a gas stove or oven clicks on, it spews out pollutants.
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  Leber: That includes methane, a bit of formaldehyde, of course, carbon monoxide, but the one we're most concerned about is nitrogen dioxide. And that inflames the lungs, it can harm the cardiovascular system, and it's linked to asthma.
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  On top of posing a health risk, gas stoves also contribute to a warming planet. For years now, states have been considering different approaches to this issue. In some communities in California and New York, there are bans on gas stoves in new construction. In some Republican-led states, the opposite is happening.
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  Leber: They're putting bans on gas bans. And we have this very divided response to electrification that we're going to start to see play out nationally.
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  There are other options, short of banning gas stoves, that the federal government might consider. That could include tougher standards for emissions filters and venting. Leber says, warnings from the scientific community are finally being taken seriously, but we're still a long way from the end of the gas stove.
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  The suspect in the fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students appeared in court yesterday. Bryan Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial, meaning there won't be a preliminary hearing until June. If you haven't been following this case, now might be a good time to catch you up on the murders that have rocked Moscow, Idaho. The college town hadn't seen a homicide in seven years.
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  Sally Krutzig: This is a small, tight-knit community, and a crime that got national attention.
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  Sally Krutzig is covering this case for the "Idaho Statesman."
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  Krutzig: In these small, tight-knit Idaho communities, everyone knows everyone. Everyone is talking about these things. When one of their own gets hurt, you know, it's a very strong thing felt by the community.
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  The suspect was a PhD student in criminal justice at the nearby Washington State University. He recently applied for an internship at a police department near Moscow. Police are pointing to a few pieces of evidence, including his car.
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  Krutzig: Particularly what they were interested in was a white Hyundai Elantra was seen driving past that house four times shortly before the murders took place. Seems that on the fourth time he stopped, and that car that appears to stop in front of the house right before the murders was the same car that Brian Kohberger owned.
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  Investigators have records showing his phone was near the victims' home several times, including hours after the killings. There's also a DNA match from a knife sheath found at the scene. And they have an eyewitness.
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  Krutzig: One of the roommates, we found out, who survived the attack, she's still alive, she came out of her room the night of the murders and saw a man that fit Brian Kohberger's description leave the house.
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  Through one of his public defenders, Kohberger said he hopes to be exonerated, though he has not yet entered a plea.
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  Dozens of tornadoes ripped through the South yesterday. At least six people were killed in Central Alabama. Another died in severe weather in Georgia. This comes as California expects ongoing storms, bringing more flooding, mudslides, and power outages. Scientists know that climate change is making some weather disasters worse and more common. And there's ample data out there showing that things are getting more intense. Just yesterday, new research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed last year was the world's sixth-warmest year ever.
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  But this week, there was also some good environmental news that you might have missed. A UN panel says that the Earth's ozone layer is on its way to recovering. It could be back to 1980 levels by the year 2040. That means better protection from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
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  The latest research underscores what can be accomplished through international cooperation. See, in 1985, that's when scientists discovered a hole in the ozone layer. Chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, from things like refrigerants and aerosol sprays, were destroying ozone. Two years later, the international community adopted the Montreal Protocol, an agreement targeting dangerous chemicals. And now, nearly ninety-nine percent of those substances threatening the ozone layer have been phased out. It took scientific consensus, a global agreement, and decades of commitment, but the progress we've made on the ozone layer shows that human-made harms to the environment can be mitigated, and in some cases, even reversed.
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  This weekend is the start of the NFL playoffs, and it's around this time of year that we usually see a lot of coach firings. But one in particular is reigniting decades-long criticism of the league over how few Black head coaches there have been. This week, Lovie Smith was fired from the Houston Texans after only one season as head coach. Before him was David Culley, another Black coach who was also fired after a single season.
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  Michael Lee: Black coaches have been frustrated for a number of years about the lack of opportunities that they've received from the NFL, from owners, to reach the ultimate position of becoming a head coach.
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  That's "Washington Post" sports reporter Michael Lee. I spoke to him for the latest episode of "Apple News In Conversation." We talked about the months-long investigation he did with the team at the Post, poring over the data and history of Black coaches in the NFL. They found that over the past three decades, there've only been 20 Black head coaches in the NFL compared to 154 White coaches.
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  Lee: Black coaches and White coaches essentially perform at the same level, but Black coaches usually take a much longer time to get an opportunity. Usually they work nine more years than a White assistant before they get a chance to become a head coach. And then when they get that opportunity, they're on a much shorter leash, and they are getting fired at an unfair rate.
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  For this investigation, "The Post" spoke with many former Black head coaches, including Hall of Famer Tony Dungy, who led the Colts to a Super Bowl win in 2007. He told "The Post," minority coaches have never felt more frustrated and demoralized.
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  Tony Dungy: We're switching jobs a lot. Half the league turns over every three years, it seems like. And it doesn't seem to matter what criteria we're looking at. It just hasn't been reflected in the hiring process. And that's the disappointing thing, I think, to so many coaches right now. "What is the process? All this hard work that I'm putting in, I'm ready to go. Am I gonna get the opportunity?"
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  Last year, former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the league and its teams, alleging racial discrimination during his interviews. Lee says, if Flores is successful in that lawsuit, that could make a big difference in how the league decides to address this issue. The league and teams involved have called Flores's claims without merit and denied wrongdoing.
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  There's much more in that episode of "Apple News In Conversation." If you're listening in the Apple News app right now, stick around, we've queued it up to play for you next. Enjoy the weekend, I'll be back with the news on Monday.
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