Latest / Apple News Today / Probing the killing of a Palestinian American journalist

Transcript

Probing the killing of a Palestinian American journalist · Apple News Today

• 0:00
  [MUSIC FADES IN]
• 0:01
  Shumita Basu, Narrating: Good morning! It’s Friday, May 12th. I’m Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today." On today’s show… Why the U.S. is closely watching Turkey’s presidential election, the search for accountability in the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, and the supply-chain magic that gets all those Mother’s Day flowers delivered.
• 0:02
  [MUSIC FADES]
• 0:03
  But first, let’s take a quick look at some big stories in the news.
• 0:04
  A debt-ceiling meeting between President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is postponed until next week. There are signs that shifting today’s meeting could mean that behind the scenes, their staffers may be closer to striking a deal. Both McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, signaled that progress is happening in closed-door talks.
• 0:05
  Still, the clock is ticking for a possible U.S. default if they can’t reach an agreement. Today at the G7 summit in Japan, Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, talked to “Bloomberg” about the importance of raising the debt ceiling.
• 0:06
  [START BLOOMBERG ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:07
  Janet Yellen: What global markets and American households and businesses need to see is that we have a Congress that’s committed to paying bills that we’ve incurred as a consequence of our legislation, that we’re not a deadbeat country.
• 0:08
  [END BLOOMBERG ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:09
  Let’s switch now to U.S. immigration policy, where strict new border regulations are now in effect. As we’ve talked about on the show this week, the pandemic-era border policy, Title 42, is over. As of today, there are new rules on asylum meant to deter attempts to cross the border illegally. The “LA Times” reports, in the hours leading up to midnight last night, migrants gathered near ports of entry at the southern border, hoping to enter the U.S.
• 0:10
  In other news, a federal judge says that a ban on selling handguns to 18-to-20-year-olds is unconstitutional. The new opinion says that since people can vote and serve in the military at 18, they’re entitled to similar Second Amendment protections as people 21 and older. It’s the latest chapter in the current fight over putting in new age restrictions for gun purchases.
• 0:11
  In New York City, there are now criminal charges in the death of an unhoused man on the subway earlier this month. Prosecutors say Daniel Penny committed second-degree manslaughter when he put Jordan Neely in a chokehold, killing him. Penny’s lawyers say he never meant to hurt Neely, and that Neely threatened Penny and other passengers.
• 0:12
  [SINISTER MUSIC]
• 0:13
  We’re two days away from an election in Turkey that’ll affect American foreign policy, the war between Russia and Ukraine, the global economy, and more. Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, faces his biggest challenge in 20 years.
• 0:14
  [MUSIC FADES]
• 0:15
  Like the U.S. and its allies, Turkey is a NATO member. But Erdogan has much tighter control over his country than typical NATO leaders. And in many ways, he’s steered the nation closer to Russia. There’s division in Turkey over whether it’s drifting too far from the U.S. and the West. That’s one opening for his main challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
• 0:16
  Also, Erdogan’s been criticized for his government’s response to the deadly earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Tens of thousands of Turks died.
• 0:17
  Onur Ant: The relief response was very late and flawed when it arrived, it really took a toll on people's perception of Erdogan and how he has run the country for the last two decades.
• 0:18
  That’s Onur Ant, the Turkey bureau chief for "Bloomberg." We asked him what this election could turn on.
• 0:19
  Ant: It is a referendum on many things that Erdogan stands for. And I think the single most important issue that people will be voting on Sunday is Turkey's economy.
• 0:20
  Turkey’s economy boomed in the early Erdogan years. And that made him popular. But over time, Ant explains, he’s consolidated power in ways that worry some Turks and international observers.
• 0:21
  Ant: Erdogan slowly and gradually turned into a strongman of some sorts. Turkey's democratic institutions and traditions took a back step, and some of the state institutions went backwards, be it economic institutions, regulatory bodies. And since 2018, all executive powers have been concentrated in Erdogan’s office.
• 0:22
  And in recent years economic growth stalled, and prices soared. In the States, the Fed worries about inflation higher than 2%. Last year in Turkey, inflation topped 80%.
• 0:23
  Ant: Consumer price increases have become even more pronounced in the last two, two and a half years after the pandemic than they were before. Everything from the cost of food to cars, houses, rents, they just quadrupled in a couple of years. And this is not a figure of speech.
• 0:24
  Very soon, those families who are struggling to pay for food, will have their say at the polls. And what they decide about Erdogan, will have impact well beyond Turkey.
• 0:25
  [GENTLE PIANO MUSIC]
• 0:26
  One year ago this week, Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank. The Israeli military’s chief spokesperson issued its first apology for the killing in a “CNN” interview yesterday.
• 0:27
  [MUSIC FADES]
• 0:28
  The country still maintains Abu Akleh was shot accidentally. Her colleagues at "Al Jazeera" don’t accept that explanation. And many don’t think the U.S. has pushed hard enough for accountability.
• 0:29
  No one in the Israeli military has been prosecuted, and the Defense Forces have not announced disciplinary action. Because she was American, the FBI is investigating, but 14 reportedly hasn’t interviewed key witnesses.
• 0:30
  Basu: Abu Akleh's colleagues spent the last year investigating her death and pushing for accountability. Sharif Abdel Kouddous told “CNN’s” Christiane Amanpour about what they uncovered in their award-winning documentary, called “Fault Lines.”
• 0:31
  [START CNN ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:32
  Sharif Abdel Kouddous: As Shireen and her colleagues wearing their press gear were walking up the streets, we hear a burst of gunfire about six shots. That’s when the producer is shot in the shoulder. And we see the last shot of Shireen alive crouching by a tree. Eight seconds later, there’s another burst of gunfire of seven shots. And one of those is the fateful one that kills Shireen.
• 0:33
  [END CNN ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:34
  He says, the pauses in between rounds of gunfire suggest that the shooting was intentional.
• 0:35
  [START CNN ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:36
  Sharif Abdel Kouddous: Moments later, this bystander, a resident tries to help Shireen and pull her. And again, he was targeted. So, this shows that this wasn’t errant gunfire. This was deliberate targeting.
• 0:37
  [END CNN ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:38
  At "Al Jazeera’s" headquarters in the West Bank, Abu Akleh’s office is now a memorial . Her colleagues decorated it with flowers, portraits, and tributes. They gathered this week at a church in Jerusalem alongside Abu Akleh’s family to honor her memory. Her niece Lina Abu Akleh spoke to “NBC.”
• 0:39
  [START NBC ARCHVAL CLIP]
• 0:40
  Lina Abu Akleh: For us, justice is having the solider who killed her held accountable. For the entire chain of command to be held responsible for killing Shireen. This is what we want.
• 0:41
  [END NBC ARCHVAL CLIP]
• 0:42
  [WHIMSICAL MUSIC]
• 0:43
  Sunday is Mother’s Day. It’s a big day for brunches, greeting cards, remembrances, and of course, flowers. The CEO of 1-800-FLOWERS calls it the Super Bowl of their industry. It’s bigger for them than Valentines Day. That company alone will deliver around 23 million flowers for Mother’s Day.
• 0:44
  [MUSIC FADES]
• 0:45
  And getting them there requires careful coordination between delivery companies, florists, and farms around the world. A new "Wall Street Journal" video has an inside look at their massive operation. The CEO, Chris McCann, says it takes a lot of planning.
• 0:46
  [START WALL STREET JOURNAL ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:47
  Chris McCann: Preparation for a major holiday like Mother's Day really began a year ago when we would work with all of our suppliers to say, here's what we're thinking of designing. How does that match your growing cycles?
• 0:48
  [END WALL STREET JOURNAL ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:49
  From the moment a flower leaves a farm, it’s a race against time. No one wants a wilted bouquet. That’s why, at every stage of handling, refrigeration is key, from distribution centers to delivery trucks.
• 0:50
  [START WALL STREET JOURNAL ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:51
  Chris McCann: The faster you can get that cut flower down to about 33, 34 degrees and then maintain that temperature, you suspend life and you can really extend the vase life.
• 0:52
  [END WALL STREET JOURNAL ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:53
  The company says the most popular flower choice for Mother’s Day is roses. Or you can go with what I assume is the least popular choice… a Venus fly trap. My brother and I sent one to our mom a few years ago, thinking it was fun and different. I recommend it for moms with a sense of humor, and maybe a house spider problem that needs solving.
• 0:54
  [MUSIC FADES IN]
• 0:55
  You can watch the whole video for yourself on the Apple News app. And check out our weekend interview show, "In Conversation." This week I talk to historian, Matthew Connelly, about the U.S. government’s culture of secrecy. He argues that way too many documents are being labeled classified. And that’s dangerous in several ways.
• 0:56
  [START CLIP FROM IN CONVERSATION]
• 0:57
  Matthew Connelly: At the top there's the idea that we're gonna control this system, and we're only going to have the most sensitive, most important information classified at that level. But the way it actually works is that you have millions of people who are keeping secrets for their own reasons.
• 0:58
  [END CLIP FROM IN CONVERSATION]
• 0:59
  If you’re listening in the Apple News app right now, that episode is cued up to play for you next. Enjoy the weekend, Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. And I’ll be back with the news on Monday.
• 1:00
  [MUSIC FADES]