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Women suing Texas over abortion bans give dramatic testimony · Apple News Today

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  [INTRO MUSIC FADES IN]
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  Shumita Basu, Narrating: Good morning! It's Friday, July 21st. I'm Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today." On today's show…
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  Women in Texas take the state's strict abortion laws to court with emotional testimony…
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  The young student journalists holding powerful institutions accountable…
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  …and the U.S. players to watch in the Women's World Cup.
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  But first, let's take a look at some other major stories in the news.
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  For the third night in a row, Russia hit Ukrainian ports with air strikes. This comes after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal. The U.N. Security Council will meet today to discuss humanitarian consequences of Russia's withdrawal.
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  Meanwhile, U.S.-supplied cluster munitions are being used by Ukraine for the first time. The controversial weapons are banned in over 120 countries. They explode in the air and rain down smaller bombs. Human rights groups say this increases the risk of civilian casualties.
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  In climate news, scientists say we are likely living through the single hottest month on Earth, on record. The heat is already having deadly consequences. At least 18 people have died from the extreme temperatures in the Phoenix area this year, according to public health officials. In Florida this week, dozens attended a vigil for a farmworker named Efraín García who family and friends say died from heat exposure while on the job. An official cause of death has not been announced. Claudia Gonzalez, an advocate with the Farmworkers Association of Florida, told a local "NBC" station there needs to be laws around working in the heat.
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  [START NBC NEWS ARCHIVAL CLIP]
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  Claudia Gonzalez: We're just asking four basic things, water, shade, breaks and to have a buddy system in case the other companion does not feel well.
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  [END NBC NEWS ARCHIVAL CLIP]
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  Advocates are working to create a heat standard in South Florida and a public hearing has been tentatively scheduled for September.
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  A warning, this next story includes audio testimony about nonviable pregnancies.
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  In Texas this week, several women took the stand in a courtroom and shared their personal stories about how the state's abortion laws impacted them and their pregnancies. They're part of a group of 13 patients and two OB-GYNs who are suing the state, in a case brought by the Center for Reproductive Rights.
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  Texas passed one of the country's strictest abortion laws after the Supreme Court overturned abortion rights last year. Abortions are banned after six weeks, with one exception: medical emergencies where the life of the mother is at risk. But this group bringing the lawsuit is arguing, the state has not made clear what counts as a medical emergency, and they say, that's leading to awful situations for women and families.
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  In their testimonies, the women shared deeply personal and emotional stories about their complicated, nonviable pregnancies and being denied an abortion. People in the courtroom - including an attorney for the state - were in tears as they listened to hours of testimony.
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  Here is Samantha Casiano.
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  Samantha Casiano: She told me [SNIFFLES] that my daughter's been diagnosed with anencephaly, and that means that her skull and her brain is not fully developed, and that she was sorry, and I didn't have any option, so I was pregnant. [SNIFFLES] She then called in a caseworker, caseworker came in, [CRYING] and they handed me a paper that said funeral homes on top of it.
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  Ashley Brandt was pregnant with twins, but one of them was not developing. She had to travel out of state for a procedure to terminate that embryo and save her healthy twin. On the stand, through tears she described what it was like losing a child that she desperately wanted.
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  [START ARCHIVAL CLIP]
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  Ashley Brandt: [SOBBING] I would have had to give birth to an identical version of my daughter without a skull and without a brain and I would've had to hold her until she died.
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  [END ARCHIVAL CLIP]
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  As more women in Texas are forced to carry nonviable pregnancies to term under the state law, the infant mortality rate is climbing. It was 11% higher in 2022 compared to 2021, reversing a decade-long trend of decline. More than 2,000 babies died, and OB-GYNs who focus on high-risk pregnancies told "CNN" that the state's abortion laws likely contributed.
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  We always like to highlight good journalism on the show and lately there has been some impressive reporting happening by student journalists. We wanna tell you about two stories that've had impact this week.
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  Starting with the "Stanford Daily," the student-run paper at Stanford University. Rising sophomore Theo Baker and his fellow students at the paper reported last fall on flaws in research papers authored by Stanford's President, Marc Tessier-Lavigne. He's a widely cited neuroscientist, and their investigation led to the announcement of his resignation as president this week.
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  Baker told us, it was a challenge at the beginning because student newspapers don't have built-in credibility no one really returns your calls.
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  Theo Baker: So, what that meant is that our investigation started with open-source work. We started with things that were already published and were able to turn to forensic image analysts who were able to show or prove that there was manipulation or photoshopping in these figures that had already been published. That meant that we were able to start the story going and then, once we had skin in the game, once we'd published a dozen articles, that's when people started responding. That's when they started trusting us with their stories, even though they had non-disclosure agreements, even though they were talking about a powerful man.
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  Basu, Narrating: The "Stanford Daily's" reporting triggered an independent review of Tessier-Lavigne's work by the university. The report found no evidence he knowingly falsified data, but it concluded he had opportunities to correct mistakes and failed to do so. Now, Tessier- Lavigne will retract three papers and issue corrections to several more. He'll continue to teach biology at the school.
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  The second story is out of Illinois. There, students at Northwestern University, reporting for the "Daily Northwestern" detailed allegations of hazing, sexual abuse, and racism within the football program that went back years. Days after one of the stories was published, the university fired longtime head coach, Pat Fitzgerald. A group of former players have now filed a lawsuit against him, the university and other officials.
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  Both of these stories are a reminder that it's not easy pulling off this kind of investigative journalism while juggling school work. And it's definitely not easy challenging the authority of the institutions you are a part of and have a stake in, as a student. Baker told us, his reporting took a lot of time. He spent more than 1,000 hours this fall interviewing experts and digging into dense neuroscience research.
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  Baker: And that's part of why we were the only publication that was dedicated enough to really get deep on these stories. And that's part of why we were the only ones to report certain things, and that's because we put in the hours. And I really think that's actually something that student journalists across the country… show that when you belong to a community, you really care about it, then you're going to push for transparency harder than anyone else.
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  Basu, Narrating: Today is a big day for American soccer. The U.S. Women take the field tonight against Vietnam, in their first game in the World Cup. And on the men's side, Lionel Messi is expected to play his first game after joining the MLS Club Inter Miami. And full disclosure, Apple is reportedly involved in this deal since they own streaming rights to Major League Soccer.
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  I recently sat down with Rebecca Lowe, one of the hosts of our World Cup podcast "After the Whistle." Ahead of tonight's match, I asked her which U.S. players we should be watching out for.
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  Rebecca Lowe: Wow, so when you deal with a team as good as America, you could basically just give the 1 to 11 and say they're all…
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  Basu: It's just everybody.
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  Lowe: You need to know them all. Yeah.
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  Basu: Yeah.
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  Lowe: Because they're all so good. I mean, my brain, straight away goes to Alex Morgan. She has been around since the 2011 World Cup. This will be her fourth World Cup. So, Alex Morgan plays what we call the number nine …
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  Basu: Yeah.
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  Lowe: … which is the out-and-out striker up top. And she is a true United States legend. She scores goals like it's the easiest thing in the world. There is a young player called Sophia Smith, who is, I think, a definite starter - another player, you must watch. She, she's crazy good. Ridiculous good. First World Cup, lots of NWSL teams want to try and trade her. She, I think, could be a breakout star in this World Cup.
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  Lowe: Further back, a young lady called Naomi Girma. She is, what we would call in England, a Rolls Royce of a footballer. Like a Lamborghini of a footballer. She is smooth, she has awareness, she's got pace, but not she knows how to bring the ball out to try and start a play. She, for me, will also be, I think, one of the performers of the tournament. So, Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith, Naomi Girma are my top three. But, really, they're all so good, I could pick any.
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  Basu, Narrating: We also got to talk a little Messi undoubtedly one of the biggest acquisitions ever for Major League Soccer.
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  Lowe: It is seismic. He's 36, which is the only downside. Goodness, how I wish he'd done this when he was 30. He was never going to, but that would have been double seismic. I saw that the sleeve sponsor, so the tiny area on the top of the bicep of the Inter Miami shirts, that little sponsorship badge has been sold for a ridiculous amount of money - never seen before in any game ever. It just shows you the power of Messi. I think it's brilliant. I think anything that draws eyeballs to soccer in America for me, personally, trying to grow the game here, is brilliant.
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  Basu, Narrating: You can follow Messi's big first day in Major League Soccer by checking out My Sports in the Apple News app. That's also where you'll find the latest on the Women's World Cup.
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  And if you're already listening in the News app right now, stick around. My full chat with Rebecca Lowe is queued up to play for you next, as part of our weekly show "Apple News In Conversation." We talk about the evolution of soccer fandom, and her love for the game.
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  That's up next. Have a great weekend. If you're observing Barbenheimer, Godspeed; and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
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