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- [00:05]
Shamita Basu
Good morning. It's Tuesday, December 10th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News today. On today's show, a major rap mogul gets named in one of Diddy's sexual assault lawsuits. Why? You shouldn't get too alarmed about recent food recalls. And the numbers are in on Taylor Swift's ERAS tour, and they're historic. But first, the suspect in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was charged with second degree murder late last night by authorities in New York, hours after police in Pennsylvania arrested him. The charges against 26 year old Luigi Mangione also include forgery and carrying a gun without a license. He was ordered to be held without bail and did not enter a plea on those charges. Local authorities in Pennsylvania were tipped off to Mangione's location at a McDonald's in Altoona by an employee who thought that he resembled the suspect in photos released by the nypd. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenney credited those photos as a critical part of capturing the suspect.
- [01:18]
Joe Kenney
There's numerous linchpins in this case and the fact that we've recovered an enormous amount of forensic evidence, an enormous amount of video from the public's help. I really couldn't put it on one thing, but if I had to, it would be the release of that photograph from the media.
- [01:33]
Shamita Basu
According to court filings, police approached Mangione as he sat alone at the McDonald's. They asked him to remove a medical mask he was wearing and asked if he'd been to New York recently. He then became quiet and began to shake. Police say they found a gun and silencer in his backpack that matched the description of the weapon used to shoot Thompson. Here's Kenny again.
- [01:55]
Joe Kenney
Right now, the information we're getting from Altoona is that the gun appears to be a ghost gun, may have been made on a 3D printer.
- [02:02]
Shamita Basu
Ghost guns don't have a serial number making them untraceable. They're not subject to background checks either. And as the trace points out, it's legal in most cases under federal law to make a gun on a 3D printer. Police say Mangioni also had a number of fake IDs on him, including one which police say matches the ID used to check into a hostel in New York where the shooter is believed to have stayed. He also had a three page manifesto criticizing the health insurance industry.
- [02:32]
Joe Kenney
That document is currently in the possession of the Altoona Police Department as part of their investigation. But it does seem that he has some ill will toward corporate America.
- [02:40]
Shamita Basu
In a statement, United Healthcare thanked police for their work and said, quote, our hope is that today's apprehension brings some relief to Brian's family, friends, colleagues and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy. The arrest comes after days of the nation's close attention on this story and along with that attention, a lot of frustration about the healthcare industry on social media, with some people sharing their stories about being denied necessary health care by their insurance providers to others outright mocking and celebrating Thompson's death, even hailing the shooter as a hero, a notion Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro strongly rejected when he spoke shortly after Mangione was apprehended.
- [03:24]
Claudia Rosenbaum
We are all less safe when ideologues engage in vigilante justice in some dark corners. This killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me on this, he is no hero. The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald's this morning.
- [04:00]
Shamita Basu
Let's turn now to Amanda. Major development in one of the many legal cases against the rapper Diddy, whose legal name is Sean Combs. He faces federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges plus roughly 30 civil suits. He's claimed no wrongdoing. And in one of those civil suits, rapper and mogul Jay Z, whose legal name is Sean Carter, was newly named as a co conspirator. He's the first celebrity to be accused of sexual assault in connection to Combs. They are accused of drugging and raping a 13 year old girl after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. According to the lawsuit, the girl tried to get into the VMAs by talking to limo drivers outside the venue. Combs driver allegedly told her she, quote, fit what Diddy was looking for. And she says he brought her to Combs afterparty where she had to sign an NDA. Initially, the lawsuit was filed in October and only named Combs and it referred anonymously to another male and female celebrity. But it was updated and refiled this past weekend, naming Carter, who has denied the allegations, calling them blackmail.
- [05:08]
Claudia Rosenbaum
Jay Z mentioned in his statement that, you know, if these allegations are so heinous in nature, I employ you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one. Whoever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away. Wouldn't you not agree?
- [05:22]
Shamita Basu
That's Claudia Rosenbaum who's been tracking the cases against Combs for Vulture. She told us about Carter's response.
- [05:29]
Claudia Rosenbaum
He's denying any involvement. And since that, his attorneys filed a request in court asking that you know the name of this woman not be kept anonymous, that her name should be revealed so he could defend himself in court.
- [05:46]
Shamita Basu
His lawyers argue it's either that or this case should be dismissed. Attorney Tony Busby is representing the plaintiff and more than 120 others in civil cases against Combs, Rosenbaum told us he says more big names in the music industry will surface as they move through the legal process.
- [06:04]
Claudia Rosenbaum
If you know what he is saying is true, there could be a lot more stuff that's going to come out in the future.
- [06:22]
Shamita Basu
Lately, it's felt like there's a new food recall every other week. Listeria contaminated deli meat, onions tainted with E. Coli, salmonella on cucumbers and carrots. Since November, the two federal agencies primarily in charge of food safety have cataloged more than 25 recalls. People are on edge and wondering, is this normal? Washington Post food reporter Tim Carmen has been looking into it.
- [06:47]
Tim Carmen
Are these recalls a sign that our food system is more broken than it has been in the past?
- [06:55]
Shamita Basu
Carmen and a colleague dug into the data and they found no, not really. In fact, we're on track to have fewer recalls this year than 2023. But there are a number of reasons why it doesn't feel that way, and.
- [07:08]
Tim Carmen
One of them is that there is just more news about it. So it becomes kind of a cycle. Like the more food recalls there are, the more press that it gets, the more that the public worries, Right?
- [07:22]
Shamita Basu
And this is getting kind of meta now. But part of the reason you know more about food recalls is you are listening to this new show talking about food recalls. You know, Americans once had to rely on a company press release to learn about a recall. But these days, updates come through social media, push notifications and the news. Another factor, public confidence in the government to manage the food supply is at an all time low, partially driven by misinformation and influential skeptics. Chief among them, Carmen told us Robert F. Kennedy Jr. President elect, Trump's nominee to lead Health and Human Services, which oversees the Food and Drug Administration.
- [08:01]
Tim Carmen
People both on the left and right agree with some of his positions. You know, there are loopholes with like food additives, for example. But there is also concern that, you know, people like RFK Jr. Want to eliminate expertise within the FDA. And I haven't talked to anyone who thinks less expertise is better.
- [08:24]
Shamita Basu
But to a large degree, the threat of a mass food emergency is in our heads. That's what one psychology professor told Carmen.
- [08:33]
Tim Carmen
We tend to have this psychological association which is sort of counterintuitive that even though we don't see these problems around us immediately, we worry about them constantly.
- [08:45]
Shamita Basu
In other words, humans are pretty much wired to overestimate threats like these, even when the data tells a different story. It is, after all, what's made us very good at surviving. So next time you hear about a food recall, check the area affected, follow the advice for what to toss or avoid. And remember, catching a food safety issue means that on some level, the system is working as it should. Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is testifying this morning in three corruption cases against him. He's charged with taking bribes, breach of trust and corruption. It's the first time a sitting prime minister in Israel will take the stand as a defendant. Prosecutors say Netanyahu accepted lavish gifts like champagne and cigars in exchange for doing regulatory and diplomatic favors for high profile people like an Israeli film executive who testified against him. Netanyahu has denied wrongdoing and sought numerous times to delay the trial, citing the ongoing war in Gaza. The trial could take months before a ruling comes the Supreme Court today is set to hear oral arguments concerning a foundational environmental law. The National Environmental Policy act, or nepa, requires government agencies to evaluate the environmental impact of its decisions. The question before the Supreme Court is whether the upstream and downstream impact should be considered too. This includes impacts from increased fossil fuel production and consumption. A group of counties, along with the Biden administration, is arguing that the current federal environmental impact process takes too long and needs to be streamlined. According to Politico, it's not looking good for environmental advocates who have been on the losing side of every case before the Supreme Court involving the NEPA law since it went into effect in 1970. And finally, the numbers are in for Taylor Swift's eras tour, and they are huge. Swift sold $2 billion worth of tickets over the course of the 21 month tour, which is not only a record. According to the New York Times, that's double any other concert tour in history. Swift addressed her fans at one of her last shows over the weekend. It has been the most exciting, powerful, electrifying, intense, most challenging thing I've ever.
- [11:26]
Tim Carmen
Done in my entire life.
- [11:28]
Shamita Basu
The ERAS tour was the hottest ticket in music over the past two years, and Variety notes that the sales figure is even more impressive since it only represents the face value of tickets and not the resale market. 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, we've got a narrated article coming up next as the Nobel Prize Award ceremony gets underway, the Atavist has an engaging read on a German journalist who stood up to the Nazis and the campaign at the time to honor him with a Nobel. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.