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Why the U.S. child-care situation is about to get even worse · Apple News Today

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  Gideon Resnick, Narrating: Good morning! It's Friday, September 8th. I'm Gideon Resnick in for Shumita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show: Why the child-care situation in America is about to get even worse, an unusual controversy rocks India as it hosts Biden and world leaders at the G-20, and the surprisingly big business of college mascots making wedding appearances.
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  But first, let's take a quick look at some major stories that are in the news.
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  Hurricane Lee reached Category 5 strength overnight. It's currently pretty far out in the Atlantic, so it's too soon to tell whether it will hit the East Coast directly. But over the weekend, dangerous currents are expected in the U.S. and the Caribbean.
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  In legal news, the actor Danny Masterson is heading to prison for 30 years to life, for raping two women. The crimes happened in the early 2000s, when he was on "That '70s Show." Last year a jury deadlocked on the case, leading to a mistrial. But he was convicted in a new trial that happened earlier this year.
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  Moving to a misdemeanor case involving a former Trump insider, Peter Navarro was convicted of two counts of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena. The House committee investigating the attack on the Capitol subpoenaed the former trade adviser. But he didn't comply, arguing that he was protected by executive privilege. He'll be sentenced in January. Another former Trump adviser, Steve Bannon, was convicted in a similar case and sentenced to four months in prison, but is free pending an appeal.
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  And in the world of sports, American Coco Gauff is in the U.S. Open final, a first for the 19-year-old. Here's the moment last night on "ESPN" when she beat Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic.
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  A protest during the match stopped play for nearly an hour. Gauff said afterwards that she treated it like a rain delay and used that time to change and grab a snack. She faces Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus on Saturday for the title.
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  American families are facing a looming crisis. At the end of the month, the remaining pandemic money for child care that Congress set aside will expire. And according to an estimate from the Century Foundation: as many as 70,000 child care centers across the country could close.
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  To put that into perspective, that could mean roughly one in three U.S. child care centers forced to shut down. More than 3 million kids risk losing access to care.
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  While all of this is happening, the cost of child care, a thing that already stretches many family budgets to their limits, is going up. U.S. inflation may be well under control at just over 3 percent. But daycare and preschool fees, they're rising at nearly double that rate. Closures could drive those prices even higher. This is forcing families to make difficult decisions; some parents are reducing their work hours to make more time for child care. Others have had to leave the workforce altogether. And some people are even reconsidering plans to have kids.
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  The estimated economic loss from child care closures could be $10.6 billion. Economist Betsy Stevenson talked to "CBS" about the potential impact in America.
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  Betsy Stevenson: If the parents don't have any child care, and they're not willing to take those jobs, then we're going to see the labor market start to contribute to inflationary pressure and that's going to make the Fed's job higher. Could lead to higher interest rates down the pike. So I think we all need to be concerned about this story, regardless of whether you have children at home, children in child care, relatives that you care about. But realize, this affects our whole macroeconomy.
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  Our next story takes us to India, where the G20 summit starts tomorrow in New Delhi. President Biden will be there. And there's already a controversy. It's technically about a dinner invitation for the summit, but in reality it's about big, difficult questions of identity and diversity that Indians are grappling with. And it's all coming to a head at time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to showcase the country to the world.
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  "Time Magazine" explains how it started with a single word on the invite: Bharat. That's the Hindi word for India. Some people use it as the name of the country. But critics of Modi say that formally calling India "Bharat" on an invitation to world leaders is problematic. They say it's another step by his Hindu nationalist party to marginalize Indian citizens who are not Hindu. That includes the 200-million strong Muslim population, the largest religious minority.
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  Some in Modi's party say that they prefer the name "Bharat" as another way to break from the colonial past, arguing that the word "India" is associated with British rule. And they point out that part of the country's constitution calls it both Bharat and India.
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  Images of the invitation have been stirring up debate inside the country. The issue pops up from time to time, in court cases arguing that India should officially change its name to "Bharat." So far, judges have not weighed in on the controversy. But this invite wording means that the issue is now front and center as Biden and others visit India for the G20.
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  Football season is underway and college mascots are busier than ever, on and off the field. Some fans love their teams so much, they are paying hundreds of dollars an hour to have their mascots appear at weddings and other private events.
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  "The Wall Street Journal" looks at the challenges of commanding a dance floor in a giant bird, beaver, or frog costume. One guy who played the University of Miami's mascot says he sometimes did double duty, with weddings scheduled after most home football games. The Florida heat is rough in an ibis costume. He says he would guzzle water through his beak, an impressive party feat but also, really, a necessity.
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  "The Journal" reports that in some cases, a college mascot might spend 12 hours suited up. And here's the real kicker: No paycheck is guaranteed. At some schools, mascots are classified as athletes or volunteers. So, the money instead goes toward maintaining those giant, goofy suits, or funding travel to national spirit competitions.
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  And there are some pretty strict rules about staying in character. Mascots typically are not allowed to remove their gear in public, and if you've ever been sweaty at a wedding you know that can make events extra tricky. For a woman who played the falcon mascots for Bowling Green State, that meant hiding in a bathroom stall, where she could finally remove her giant bird head to properly breathe and hydrate. She says the work requires quote, "a lot of thinking on your feet." Or, in the case of playing Freddie Falcon, or Frieda Falcon your giant orange mascot sneakers.
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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 app, stick around for our weekly interview show, In Conversation.
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  Shumita talks with Jennifer Senior about reconnecting with a relative Senior's family kept hidden: her aunt, Adele. Adele was institutionalized as a baby in 1953 and spent almost her entire life separated from family.
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  As Senior looked into her aunt's life story, she also uncovered the dark history of institutionalizing people with intellectual disabilities in the U.S.
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  Jennifer Senior: Institutionalization victimized everybody. It victimized the people inside. It victimized the siblings, the families, the parents. Everybody lost.
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  Shumita's full conversation with Jennifer Senior is cued up next in the News app. Enjoy the weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.
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