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What we know about Trump’s historic federal criminal charges · Apple News Today

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  Shumita Basu, Narrating: Good morning! It's Friday, June 9th. I'm Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today." On today's show, a surprising ruling from the Supreme Court upholding the Voting Rights Act, the movement to ban "forever chemicals," and how AI made its way to the French Open.
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  But first, Donald Trump has been indicted, now for the second time since leaving office, this time on federal criminal charges. "The Washington Post" is reporting the Justice Department filed seven counts against the former president related to the mishandling of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago.
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  Trump's lawyers have confirmed that he's being charged with "willful retention" of national defense secrets, as well as obstruction of justice and conspiracy, which carry the potential of prison time if Trump is found guilty. Trump has been ordered to appear in federal court in Florida on Tuesday.
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  On social media, Trump confirmed that he had been indicted and maintained his innocence. His lawyer, Jim Trusty, appeared on "CNN" last night to defend his client.
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  Jim Trusty: I know all attorneys go on the air and say, "My client's innocent," and then after the trial, "We're gonna win the appeal." Well, here he is innocent. I mean, everything about this case is absolutely rotten.
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  If you need a reminder on how we got to this point, "The Post" has a helpful timeline starting back in May of 2021 when the National Archives contacted Trump's team to say government documents appeared to be missing. Trump's team handed over some boxes, which led to more questions about possible mishandling of classified records. Last August, the FBI conducted a court-ordered search of Trump's home, recovering more than 100 additional sensitive documents. That brings us up to speed with Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to independently oversee this investigation, now pursuing criminal charges against Trump.
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  President Biden declined to comment on the indictment, but earlier yesterday, he was asked by a reporter about the independence of the Justice Department.
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  President Joe Biden: I have never once, not one single time, suggested to the Justice Department what they should do or not do relative to bringing a charge or not bringing a charge.
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  You'll remember, Biden also discovered he had sensitive documents from his time as vice president. There's an investigation underway for that, too. According to "NBC," it doesn't seem close to wrapping. Former Vice President Mike Pence also discovered documents. Just last week, he was cleared of wrongdoing.
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  Trump faces several other ongoing criminal investigations. Special Counsel Jack Smith is also looking into Trump's role in the January 6th Capitol attack. A district attorney in Georgia is investigating whether Trump acted illegally by trying overturn the election results in the state in 2020. We should know more about where that case is heading in September.
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  In October, a civil lawsuit that seeks to permanently bar Trump and three of his children from running companies in New York State goes to trial. And in March, Trump is scheduled to face state criminal charges in New York for allegedly falsifying business records in connection to hush money payments.
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  As for these latest federal charges, it's not clear whether a trial will happen before the 2024 election. As "The Post" explains, that timing will depend largely on the federal judge assigned in the case, though Trump's defense team will probably ask to delay the trial until after the election.
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  Let's check in on some other big stories in the news.
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  A new agreement between China and Cuba has potentially big implications for the United States. "The Wall Street Journal" and other outlets are reporting they've reached an agreement for China to build a spy facility in Cuba. It would be roughly 100 miles from Florida, putting Chinese intelligence services close enough to intercept electronic communications from U.S. military bases in Southeastern states. A spokesperson for the National Security Council told "The Journal," the U.S. is monitoring the situation. Cuba's embassy said the reports are not true. China's embassy had no comment.
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  The Supreme Court issued a ruling yesterday that upholds a major part of the Voting Rights Act. In a 5-4 decision, the majority of judges said congressional districts in Alabama recently drawn by Republicans were unconstitutional and must be redrawn. Legal challengers argued that the maps would dilute the voting power of Black Alabamans in congressional elections. The court's decision was seen as surprising by many legal watchers, given the conservative majority on the court, and could impact legal challenges in other states related to Republican-drawn maps.
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  And finally, we are continuing to watch air quality in the Northeast. Smoke from wildfires in Canada is moving down the Mid-Atlantic to Washington, D.C. and the surrounding region. The worst appears to be over for major metros in the area, and air quality conditions are expected to slowly improve over the weekend.
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  Let's turn now to our ongoing series "State of the State," where we take a closer look at how states are dealing with an issue and how it's being debated and discussed among people who live there. This week, we're looking at how state lawmakers across dozens of states, red and blue, are taking action to ban so-called "forever chemicals."
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  Kimberly Kindy: There are a number of adverse health conditions that scientists and researchers have been able to link to these chemicals, and it is wide-ranging.
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  That's Kimberly Kindy, investigative reporter with "The Washington Post."
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  Kindy: We're talking about several forms of cancer, high blood pressure, immune system problems, fertility problems, low birth rates, and there continues to be more and more studies looking at whether or not there are other health implications that people should be aware of.
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  Forever chemicals got their nickname because they don't break down in our bodies or in nature. They're water-, oil- and stain-resistant, which is why they're used in a lot of household and industrial products, things like non-stick pans, carpets and firefighting foam.
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  The EPA is proposing to ban two chemicals and restrict four others. But there are thousands of these kinds of chemicals in use and new ones being developed. And many state lawmakers say federal regulators just aren't moving fast enough to issue guidelines.
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  In recent years, both Democratic-led and Republican-led state governments have passed more than 100 laws pertaining to these chemicals. Some set deadlines that'll require all or most products in their states to be free of forever chemicals. Dozens of other bills are under consideration. Kindy says Washington state has been a leader.
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  Kindy: They were the first state to actually pass a comprehensive bill that banned the entire class of chemicals. In most situations with firefighting foam but also with food packaging. And since then, they've continued to strengthen their laws and make them more expansive.
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  The chemical industry says the surge in new legislation is an overreaction and that most of these chemicals are safe. Kindy told us there are a few reasons why this issue has drawn rare bipartisan support. One is, simply, these chemicals are in all of our lives, regardless of where you live or how you vote.
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  Kindy: Once the information about the potential health risk became well known to the public, constituents started demanding that something be done. Some of the people who were fighting the hardest to pass these bills were firefighters and farmers who are beloved by both parties. It starts to put pressure on the federal government to step up and act, too.
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  The French Open is wrapping up this weekend, but tucked in the background of the tennis tournament is a technology storyline that caught our attention: artificial intelligence being used by the athletes. And no, not for training, but for their online safety.
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  The tournament is offering an AI app to players that can block hateful comments and messages they receive on social media. It's a huge problem in the sport. Sloane Stephens, a Black player from the U.S., told reporters in a recent press conference the racist hate and harassment she gets has only gotten worse over her career.
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  Sloane Stephens: I have a lot of keywords banned on Instagram and all of these things, but that doesn't stop someone from just typing in an asterisk or typing it in a different way, which obviously software most of the time doesn't catch.
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  The app, called Bodyguard.ai, claims to be a more sophisticated filter. The co-founder told "NPR" the software is capable of detecting the context around a message, making it better at blocking hateful messages than a keyword filter might.
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  Top players like Iga Świątek are using the app and loving it. She says, she used to get discouraged by what she'd see on social media after losing a match.
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  Iga Świątek: So, it frustrated me a little bit, and I realized that there's no sense to read all that stuff. So, the app, I think it's a great idea.
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  For the latest scores, analysis and more from the French Open, check out "My Sports" in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, stick around. Our weekend interview show "In Conversation" is coming up next. This week, I talk to Sandeep Jauhar, a cardiologist on a quest to better understand his father's Alzheimer's diagnosis. In his journey to find best practices, he visited a dementia village in the Netherlands where caretakers are reimagining what assisted living can look like.
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  Sandeep Jauhar: There are caregivers who would staff the supermarket, or they would tend to the gardens, but they're always keeping an eye out for the patients. And it's sort of like [CHUCKLES] "The Truman Show," you know, where people are… they're almost like props. But they are there to serve the freedom of patients with dementia and let them have the best possible life that's left to them.
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  That episode is queued up to play for you next. Enjoy the weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
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