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Where Putin’s power stands after a weekend of revolt · Apple News Today

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  Gideon Resnick, Narrating: Good morning! It's Monday, June 26th. I'm Gideon Resnick in for Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today." On today's show, the big week ahead for the Supreme Court, why a federal judge struck down anti-trans legislation in Arkansas, and how one chef ended up giving marijuana to lobsters.
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  But first, we need to get up to speed on what's happening in Russia following a rebellion by Wagner Group mercenaries that challenged the authority of Putin. The situation changed rapidly over the weekend. At one point, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed control of a Russian military base in the country's south and had troops marching on Moscow. Putin promised a crackdown. And later, Prigozhin made an agreement to stop his troops and relocate to Belarus. The Kremlin said earlier, he will not face any charges, but today, state media reported that a criminal investigation into Prigozhin has not stopped.
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  It's not clear how solid this agreement is or what all the terms are, so this is still a fastmoving story. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talked about all of the developments on "CBS" yesterday.
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  Antony Blinken: I think we're in the midst of a moving picture. We haven't seen the last act.
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  Blinken also discussed what this means for Putin's leadership and his war against Ukraine.
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  Antony Blinken: Sixteen months ago, Russian forces were on the doorstep of Kyiv in Ukraine, thinking they'd take the city in a matter of days, thinking they would erase Ukraine from the map as an independent country. Now, over this weekend, they've had to defend Moscow, Russia's capital, against mercenaries of Putin's own making. Prigozhin himself in this entire incident has raised profound questions about the very premises for Russia's aggression against Ukraine in the first place, saying that Ukraine or NATO did not pose a threat to Russia, which is part of Putin's narrative. And it was a direct challenge to Putin's authority. So, this raises profound questions. It shows real cracks.
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  In one sense, turmoil in Russia could be good for Ukraine. An unstable government and distracted military could create opportunities on the battlefield. But instability carries major risks as well. Meanwhile, a key concern for Western military leaders is, who will control Russia's nuclear weapons? If someone else seizes power, they could be more extreme than Putin, possibly willing to cross the nuclear line.
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  Wagner leader Prigozhin is certainly no moderate. He has sent mercenaries around the world to fight for Russian interests, while making Prigozhin rich and powerful. Wagner troops are known for brutal tactics in Syria, the Central African Republic and now Ukraine.
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  And many Wagner fighters share a key part of Prigozhin's background: time in prison. He served ten years when he was younger, starting a hot dog stand after he got out. Prigozhin followed a well-known path to riches: making connections with the right people and getting lucrative government catering contracts. He was even nicknamed "Putin's chef." But he grew his influence with Putin by fighting for him. Sometimes figuratively, such as in 2016 when he founded a disinformation firm cited for interfering with the U.S. election, and sometimes literally, founding the Wagner Group, giving Putin a way to use force around the world without straining his regular military.
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  Prigozhin was a harsh critic of Russian military leaders and their tactics in Ukraine. But he did avoid direct criticism of Putin himself. Now, it's not clear what's next for him. As an analyst explains it to "NBC," Prigozhin has put himself into a dangerous corner by having gone too far, or maybe not far enough.
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  Now let's take a brief look at some major stories that are happening in the U.S.
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  Right now, there is a heat dome bringing scorching temperatures to states including Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Forecasters are warning people to brace for record-breaking heat, with some places as much as 15 degrees higher than average.
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  In Montana, a massive cleanup operation is underway after a train derailment and bridge collapse sent multiple train cars into the Yellowstone River on Saturday. There were no injuries initially reported, but some of the cars were carrying chemicals. There are early signs that some of the chemicals did not spill, and there may be a way to keep any materials that did relatively contained.
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  Also, this is gonna be a big week for the Supreme Court. Its session is winding down, and there are still 10 cases that are pending. They include rulings expected on critical issues like affirmative action and the fate of President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan.
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  Let's now turn to "State of the State," our series where we zoom in on a state issue and examine how it is moving through the lawmaking process.
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  Today, we're in Arkansas where a law banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth has been struck down by a federal judge. The law barred physicians from providing treatments like hormone therapy, puberty blockers and surgeries to people under 18. It became law in 2021, but a court quickly put enforcement of it on hold while legal challenges unfolded.
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  Advocates for trans rights and legal experts watched the case closely as a bellwether. They wanted to see how a wave of similar laws from other Republican legislatures might hold up to legal challenges. In this case, the judge ruled that the law violates the First Amendment rights of doctors. It also violates equal-protection rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.
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  Tess Vrbin: When a law like this is ruled unconstitutional, I think it does set a precedent. But it remains to be seen whether precedent will be followed.
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  That's Tess Vrbin. She's a reporter for the "Arkansas Advocate." She writes about the four young trans people in Arkansas and their families who brought this case, alongside doctors and the ACLU. She told us about the families' testimony on the law's impact on their lives.
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  Vrbin: Before people get gender-affirming medical care, they socially transition. And when it became law, that was very distressing. The teenagers and their families were worried that they'd have to stop getting hormones or that they wouldn't be able to start.
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  The state called four expert witnesses who supported the law. Only one had experience treating trans patients. The judge said the others were not credible.
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  Vrbin: Judge Moody wrote in his ruling that they were "unqualified." He used that word. He used the word "unreliable," said they were speaking from an ideological viewpoint.
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  Overall, the judge determined that the state failed to prove that the banned treatments didn't work and didn't offer any scientifically proven alternatives. The state plans to appeal. Earlier, a higher court upheld the judge's initial move to put the law on hold.
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  This marks a legal victory with national implications. And for the trans plaintiffs in Arkansas, it's a personal win for the life they want to live.
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  Vrbin: The parents all described just how much happier their kids were when they were called by the names that they said they wanted to be called, when they were allowed to dress the way that they felt most comfortable dressing, they were called by the pronouns that best suit them. All these parents described just the weight that had lifted off of their children.
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  We're gonna wrap up with a question you have probably never asked yourself: Should you give a lobster marijuana? Now, it's connected to a serious scientific set of research detailed in a new "National Geographic" article.
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  So, scientists have long debated whether lobsters and other popular seafoods like crabs and shrimp experience pain. Charlotte Gill, a chef in Maine where marijuana is legal, believes they do. So, a while back, she decided to "hotbox" her lobsters before boiling them, hoping that would be a more ethical and easier death for the lobsters.
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  She started testing it out with seemingly positive results for the lobsters. They appeared to be more calm. When her dad ate one, he even passed a drug test. Still, the state health department was not on board and threatened to shut Gill down if she served these lobsters to the general public. She switched to giving the lobsters valerian root before cooking. It's expensive, but she says it helps the crustaceans.
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  Since then, Gill's experiments have inspired professional scientists. One study from 2021 found lobsters moved more slowly after THC exposure, potentially a sign of calmness. Gill told "Nat Geo" she hopes more chefs might be open to trying her idea.
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  At home, she still prefers to get lobsters high before cooking them. She says it makes them taste extra sweet.
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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 right now, stick around. We've got a narrated article coming up next. The upcoming affirmative action decision in the Supreme Court that we mentioned involves preferences in university admissions. "Bloomberg Businessweek" looks at how the ruling could affect the workplace. That's queued up to play next, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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