Latest / Apple News Today / Why the U.S. military is facing a recruitment crisis

Transcript

Why the U.S. military is facing a recruitment crisis · Apple News Today

• 0:00
  [MUSIC FADES IN]
• 0:01
  Shumita Basu, Narrating: Good morning! It's Wednesday, July 5th, hope you had a nice holiday. I'm Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today." On today's show, the U.S. military's dangerous recruitment problem, how tennis stars Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova were strong on-court rivals but stronger off-court friends, and the flying car that's now ready for takeoff.
• 0:02
  [MUSIC FADES OUT]
• 0:03
  But first, let's take a look at some of the big stories in the news.
• 0:04
  A new federal judge's order is blocking the Biden administration from communicating with social media companies about online content. The injunction's in place while the court considers a lawsuit by Republican attorneys general. They accuse the Biden administration of pushing tech companies to suppress conservative views. The administration says that contact with social-media platforms is an important part of fighting election interference, and disinformation about the pandemic.
• 0:05
  There was deadly gun violence across the country over the long holiday weekend. At least 10 people were killed, and dozens more injured in cities including Philadelphia, Baltimore, Wichita, and Fort Worth. President Biden urged lawmakers to take action.
• 0:06
  [START REUTERS ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:07
  President Joe Biden: Congress needs to step up, pass common sense gun safety laws.
• 0:08
  [END REUTERS ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:09
  Abroad, Israel's military says its two day operation in the West Bank city of Jenin is over. It was the largest attack of its kind in many years. Israel said it was targeting militants inside a refugee camp. Palestinians say many civilians were hurt and infrastructure damaged. There are new fears of escalating violence. On Monday, a Palestinian man attacked people in Tel Aviv with a car. And Israel says militants fired rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip.
• 0:10
  And data shows that yesterday and Monday were the hottest days ever recorded on Earth. Some parts of the world had temperatures topping 120 degrees. That helped drive the average global temperature to its highest levels ever, breaking a 2016 record.
• 0:11
  [TENSE MUSIC]
• 0:12
  [MUSIC FADES OUT]
• 0:13
  Global conflicts around the world are heating up. And the U.S. military has a recruitment crisis. Veterans don't want their families to join.
• 0:14
  Ben Kesling: So, the military in many ways is a family business.
• 0:15
  "Wall Street Journal" reporter Ben Kesling covers veterans' issues. He explained to us how the majority of new recruits had parents in the military. But lately, young people are hesitant to sign up.
• 0:16
  Kesling: Military families and even veterans were not only not recommending service to young people and their families, but in some cases, they were actually discouraging young people from going into service.
• 0:17
  2022 was the toughest recruiting year for the Army since the draft ended in the 70s. The Navy and Air Force are also falling short.
• 0:18
  Kesling: That was stemming from a combination of things, both because it's the end of 20 long years of war and young people and folks who have served have seen a lot of things and have experienced combat trauma.
• 0:19
  Kesling told us about Catalina Gasper, who served in the Navy in Afghanistan. She was seriously hurt by a Taliban attack. Kesling says what happened next changed how she felt about her children joining.
• 0:20
  Kesling: Her body was broken by the military and she was sort of spat out by the system. And she didn't mind the sacrifice that she had done. But when the sacrifice was capped with the fall of Afghanistan that came in the way it came, she felt like there was a betrayal of trust for her, and she doesn't want her kids to experience that same sense of broken trust.
• 0:21
  The patriotic boost in recruiting after 9/11 is over. Many service members are fed up with low pay, problems with military housing and healthcare. There are also rising rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide.
• 0:22
  Also, the tight labor market means there are plenty of other job options for young people. Should recruiting efforts continue to fall short, the military could have to reduce its size. That could be an issue as China and Russia become more aggressive on the world stage.
• 0:23
  [PENSIVE MUSIC]
• 0:24
  [MUSIC FADES OUT]
• 0:25
  Wimbledon is now underway. And even if you're not a tennis fan, you can appreciate the story of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. They dominated the sport in the 70s and 80s, winning 18 Grand Slams each. They were often portrayed as bitter rivals. But the reality was different. They became close friends and they still are today. "The Washington Post" is telling their story. Evert says it developed because they played each other so often in tournament finals.
• 0:26
  [START THE WASHINGTON POST ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:27
  Chris Evert: One of us would be happy at the end of the match and one of us would be sad. And one of us would be comforting the other. And I think because we saw each other that way, the vulnerable part, I think that was like, you know, that's another level of friendship.
• 0:28
  [END THE WASHINGTON POST ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:29
  Their public images couldn't have been more different. Sportswriters cast Evert as an all-American girl next door, the fan favorite. They were more wary of Navratilova, who came from communist Czechoslovakia. And she didn't hide her identity as a lesbian woman, even when it cost her endorsement money. But Evert always had her back. As Navratilova put it, Evert was "gay-friendly before it was okay to be."
• 0:30
  Long after retiring from professional tennis they both faced another challenge. Just months apart, they were each diagnosed with cancer. And they kept tabs on each other as they went through extensive, often painful treatment, helping each other get through it.
• 0:31
  This is a really moving, in-depth story of sportsmanship that gave way to a deep, lifelong friendship. You need to read the whole story for yourself on the Apple News app.
• 0:32
  [UPBEAT MUSIC]
• 0:33
  [MUSIC FADES OUT]
• 0:34
  Finally a flying car is one step closer to reality. The Model A, from Alef Automotive now has FAA approval to fly for research purposes.
• 0:35
  The company says it's fully electric, it can carry up to two people and fly for 110 miles. Its on-the-ground driving ability is limited to around 25 miles per hour. But when there's a need to go faster, it's designed to take flight. It's expected to hit the market by the end of 2025, at a price tag of 300,000 dollars.
• 0:36
  The Model A has been under development since 2015. That's when a group of friends got together to form the company, after being inspired by the "Back to the Future" movies. There are other companies working on similar vehicles. But Alef says its car is different because it can work on the ground and in the air.
• 0:37
  Even though it's now approved to hit the skies, it still needs another federal approval before it can hit the roads.
• 0:38
  [MUSIC FADES IN]
• 0:39
  You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
• 0:40
  And if you're already listening in the News app right now, stick around. Yesterday was one-year after the mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. "People" magazine has the story of a 9-year-old survivor named Cooper. His mother Keely Roberts tells us about his road to recovery in her own voice.
• 0:41
  So take a listen to that and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
• 0:42
  [MUISC FADES OUT]