Their mission was eight days. They ended up in space for nine months.

Summary

Apple News Today: Episode Summary - "Their Mission Was Eight Days. They Ended Up in Space for Nine Months"

Release Date: March 19, 2025
Host: Shemitah Basu

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1. International Crises: Ukraine and Gaza Conflicts

Ukraine Conflict: The episode opens with an update on the ongoing war in Ukraine. Following a brief truce agreement between former President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin—where Putin agreed to halt attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure—the fragile peace quickly unraveled. Russia resumed missile and drone attacks, targeting both civilian and energy facilities.

Ukrainian officials reported that "two hospitals were hit, a violation of international law" (00:47). In retaliation, Ukraine launched long-range drones into Russia, with Russian authorities asserting that one of these drones struck an oil depot.

President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously expressed openness to a partial ceasefire and continued negotiations, emphasizing the need for a full ceasefire. However, today's events led Zelensky to declare that Moscow's support for a ceasefire is insincere. He is scheduled to discuss the situation further with Trump later in the day.

Gaza Conflict: Turning to Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the "resumption of combat in full force" (01:25), signaling the end of the fragile ceasefire with Hamas. This escalation involved the largest Israeli strikes since the January ceasefire, resulting in hundreds of Palestinian casualties within the first 24 hours, many occurring during Ramadan's pre-dawn meal.

A poignant voice note from 22-year-old Palestinian Wassam Thabet encapsulates the trauma:
"I was lying in my bed almost asleep when I started hearing the heavy continuous bombing... We are still traumatized by what we have here witnessed or experienced in the last war. I don't think we have the energy or strength for another war." (02:36)

Health workers, including those from Doctors Without Borders, reported catastrophic injuries and overwhelming patient volumes, with some doctors visibly distressed by the intensity of the situation (02:58). In response to the escalating violence, the Israeli military has ordered evacuations in eastern Gaza, hinting at potential renewed ground operations similar to those in Ukraine.

President Trump remains optimistic about swiftly ending both conflicts but has yet to secure lasting agreements acceptable to all parties involved.

2. The Unexpected Long Mission: NASA Astronauts Stranded in Space

NASA's recent mission encountered unforeseen challenges, resulting in astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore extending their stay on the International Space Station (ISS) from an planned eight days to nine months.

Originally launched aboard the Boeing Starliner in June—a first for human-crewed Boeing missions—the mission faced critical issues:

• Thruster Problems and Helium Leaks: As reported by space reporter Andrea Leinfelder (05:02), the astronauts experienced malfunctions en route to the ISS, causing significant delays and uncertainty.

• NASA's Contingency Plans: Due to these technical difficulties, NASA executed a pre-existing plan to retrieve the astronauts using SpaceX's Dragon capsules. Contrary to President Trump's claims that he directed Elon Musk to facilitate the rescue after the Starliner "abandoned" the crew, Leinfelder clarifies that these measures were "already in the works before Trump came into office" (05:17).

• Astronauts' Preparedness: Both Williams and Wilmore were prepared for extended missions. Wilmore emphasized that astronauts are trained for "unknown, unexpected contingencies" (06:15), highlighting the robustness of NASA's human spaceflight programs.

• Notable Achievements: An unexpected silver lining from the extended mission is Williams setting the record for the "total spacewalking time by a female astronaut", accumulating 62 hours and six minutes over nine spacewalks (06:27).

3. Educational Policy Changes: Florida’s Rollback of DEI Initiatives

Under Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida has spearheaded significant changes to Higher Education Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies:

• Executive Order Impact: An executive order issued in January declared DEI programs "illegal", instructing institutions to cease using DEI principles in employment and admissions (07:15).

• Legislative Actions: Florida introduced laws forbidding public colleges and universities from allocating funds to DEI initiatives and banning the teaching of critical race theory in general education courses (08:28).

• University of Florida's Transformation: As reported by Wall Street Journal's higher education reporter Doug Belkin, the University of Florida has undergone extensive changes:

  • Job Cuts: The elimination of 28 DEI-related positions.
  • Rebranding: Renaming the Center for Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement to the Office of Community and Belonging.
  • Cultural Shifts: Removal of civil rights leaders' photos and LGBTQ symbols like rainbow flags (08:50).

• Diverse Reactions Among Students and Faculty:

  • Support: Conservative students welcomed the changes, feeling previously marginalized and fearing academic repercussions for voicing their perspectives (09:20).
  • Opposition: Other students and faculty expressed concerns over a "chilling effect on free speech", fearing governmental overreach and potential social ostracization (09:37).

• Classroom Dynamics: New laws permitting students to record classes without professor consent have raised anxieties about classroom discussions being misrepresented or exploited for political agendas (10:04).

Belkin emphasizes that these policies have "had a really kind of wide ranging effect" on various aspects of campus life, from teaching methods to dormitory operations.

4. Judicial Updates: Supreme Court and Federal Rulings

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts: Chief Justice Roberts issued a rare statement criticizing President Trump and his allies for calling to impeach judges who have obstructed the administration's agenda. He asserted that the appropriate response to unfavorable rulings is to "file an appeal" (10:15).

Elon Musk and USAID Ruling: A federal judge ruled that Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency likely acted unconstitutionally in shutting down USAID. The decision favored 26 current and former employees, mandating that:

• Email Access Restoration: Current workers regain email access.
• Operational Restrictions: The Department is barred from taking further action related to USAID.

Additionally, for the first time, the ruling suggests Musk might possess sufficient independent authority to require Senate confirmation, countering the administration's claim of his advisory role. The White House dismissed the ruling as a "miscarriage of justice" (10:50).

5. NCAA Tournament Tips

As March Madness approaches, the episode offers strategic insights for filling out NCAA tournament brackets:

Men's Tournament:

• Emphasis on Upper Seeds: Senior writer Justin Williams advises focusing on 11-seeds, noting their recent success.

  "Just make sure you pick a double digit seed to make a Sweet 16 run. It happens every year" (12:14).

Women's Tournament:

• Conservative Approach: Tournament staff writer Sabrina Merchant recommends minimizing early-round upsets due to top seeds hosting games on their home courts, reducing the likelihood of surprises.

  "You could end up lucky. You can get live tournament scores super fast on the lock screen of your iPhone by downloading the Apple Sports app." (12:36).

General Advice:

• Balance Strategy with Fun: When uncertain, Basu suggests embracing randomness—choosing based on favorite colors, mascots, or cities to enhance enjoyment and potential luck (13:03).

6. Additional Stories and Closing Remarks

Gen Z and Dating: A narrated article from The Atlantic explores the trend of Gen Z withdrawing from the dating scene, raising questions about the necessity of romantic experience for personal development.

Live Updates: Listeners can access live tournament scores via the Apple Sports app and follow additional stories on the Apple News app.

Shemitah Basu concludes by promoting the next day's content and encouraging listeners to stay tuned for more updates.

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Note: Timestamps correspond to the original podcast transcript and are hyperlinked for ease of reference.

Transcript

[Shemitah Basu]

Good morning. It's Wednesday, March 19th. I'm Shemitah Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why a pair of astronauts on an eight day mission ended up in space for nine months. How Florida's rollback of DEI policies changed college campuses. And some tips for filling out your NCAA tournament brackets. But first, updates on two big international crises, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Let's start with Ukraine. Hours after a phone call between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in which Putin agreed to a halt in attacks on energy infrastructure, that agreement appeared to crumble. Russia launched fresh missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, striking both civilian and energy infrastructure. Ukrainian officials say two hospitals were hit, a violation of international law. Ukraine also launched long range drones into Russia overnight. Russian officials say one of those hit an oil depot. Before Russia's most recent attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was open to the partial ceasefire and supported continuing negotiations for a full ceasefire. Trump described his phone call with Putin as very good and productive. And a Kremlin spokesperson indicated Putin would consider a long term ceasefire if all foreign military and intelligence aid to Ukraine were halted. But today, Zelenskyy said Russia's overnight attacks show that Moscow's claimed support for a full ceasefire is not real. Zelensky is expected to speak with Trump sometime today. Let's turn to the war in Gaza now, where a wave of deadly attacks by Israeli forces in recent days shattered the country's fragile ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had, quote, resumed combat in full force and that any negotiations would continue under fire. A Hamas official said Netanyahu's decision to return to full scale war will be a death sentence for the remaining hostages. Israel's strikes this week were the largest attacks since the ceasefire started in January, killing hundreds of Palestinians in the first 24 hours. They landed across the Gaza Strip as many people were having their pre dawn meal for Ramadan. The Washington Post received voice notes from Palestinians the morning after the attacks. One of them was 22 year old Wassam Thabet.

[Wassam Thabet]

I was lying in my bed almost asleep when I started hearing the heavy continuous bombing. Everyone in Gaza already waked up freaked out checking the news channels. We are still traumatized by what we have here witnessed or experienced in the last war. I don't think we have the energy or strength for another war.

[Shemitah Basu]

The strikes also came two weeks after Israel began a blockade on aid entering Gaza. Israeli officials say the strikes exclusively targeted terror targets and weapons stockpiles and Hamas has confirmed that several of its leaders were killed in the strikes, including its de facto head of government. Health workers in Gaza have reported many women and children among the casualties, and hospitals are reportedly struggling to treat the sudden volume of patients. Medical professionals with Doctors Without Borders who were working from Nasser Hospital posted on social media yesterday that the injuries they're seeing are disastrous and that, quote, doctors in the emergency room were crying due to the intensity and difficulty of the situation. The AP reports the Israeli military has ordered people to evacuate eastern Gaza, a sign that Israel could soon launch renewed ground operations with both Gaza and Ukraine. President Trump has spoken about how he plans to swiftly end the conflicts, but so far the President and his negotiators have not been able to make lasting deals that all parties can agree to. Two NASA astronauts made their long awaited return to Earth last night after an unexpected nine month stay in space. SpaceX Freedom Splashdown Good Main release. Copy splashdown. We see main chutes cut. Nick, Alex, Butch, Sunny on behalf of SpaceX, welcome home. Last June, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore arrived at the International Space Station on a Boeing Starliner, the first time the spacecraft launched with a human crew. They were originally slated for an eight day mission to the iss, but early on they ran into problems after they launched.

[Andrea Leinfelder]

While they were traveling to the space station, they had some issues with their thrusters and there were some helium leaks.

[Shemitah Basu]

Andrea Leinfelder is a space reporter at the Houston Chronicle.

[Andrea Leinfelder]

They reached the station safely, but it was the thruster issues that really gave NASA pause.

[Shemitah Basu]

That pause led to a decision straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster. Williams and Wilmore were left behind and the starliner returned to Earth without a crew. Now President Trump has claimed credit for bringing the astronauts home, saying he directed Elon Musk to, quote, go get them on one of SpaceX's Dragon capsules after they were abandoned by President Biden. Linefelder told us this plan between SpaceX and NASA was already in the works before Trump came into office.

[Andrea Leinfelder]

A lot of people think that this is a rescue mission, that they've been rescued or saved. NASA has had a plan since last summer, so it's not a rescue or a save. And the spacecraft they flew home in had actually been at the space station since September, so they were really just waiting on the replacements to come and get them.

[Shemitah Basu]

The astronauts themselves also don't say they were abandoned or needed to be saved. Wil Moore recently said in a press conference from the ISS that astronauts are generally prepared for the possibility that they would have to stay longer.

[Doug Belkin]

That's what we do in human spaceflight. That's what your nation's human spaceflight program's all about, planning for unknown, unexpected contingencies.

[Shemitah Basu]

There's also one small upside to the length of the trip that Linefelder pointed out.

[Andrea Leinfelder]

Suni Williams now has the record for total spacewalking time by a female astronaut. She, over her nine different spacewalks, has spent 62 hours and six minutes spacewalking. And I think that's just a cool factor that gets overlooked, and she wouldn't have gotten that record had she come home after a week.

[Shemitah Basu]

Across the country, colleges and universities are scrambling to interpret and execute executive order issued by President Trump in January which declared programs focusing on DEI diversity, equity and inclusion are, quote, illegal. The order instructed schools to stop using DEI principles to shape employment practices and admissions. The president says these policies contribute to discrimination. Although DEI initiatives were initially created to help close the gap for marginalized groups that have not historically had equal opportunities for jobs or education, there's one place in the country to look to that's had an early start on adopting these kinds of changes and could be an early indication for what campuses might start to look like nationwide. That's Florida, where, under Governor Ron DeSantis, local Republicans have enacted a series of laws in recent years to dismantle DEI initiatives. One policy bans public colleges and universities from spending on DEI programs. It also bans educators from teaching critical race theory in general education courses. Doug Belkin, a higher education reporter for the Wall Street Journal, told us how college curricula have changed.

[Doug Belkin]

What the Florida law has done is say we don't want too heavy an emphasis on these issues that have put a harsh spotlight on Western civilization, on the American experiment. It's more important to try to create a sense of unity and an understanding so that we can create citizens here who are both appreciative of the country and informed on how things work.

[Shemitah Basu]

Belkin recently spent time at the University of Florida, Gainesville, and he told us these laws have transformed the campus.

[Doug Belkin]

How classes are taught, how the student newspapers and news gathering organizations are thinking and where people are meeting and how tours are given and how dormitories are operating. So it's had a really kind of wide ranging effect.

[Shemitah Basu]

The university eliminated 28 jobs related to DEI. It scrubbed all DEI language from its websites, changed the name of its center for Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement to the Office of Community and Belonging. Within that office, photos of civil rights leaders were taken down from a center for black students. Rainbow flags were removed from the LGBTQ office. Belkin says the new rules on campus have been welcomed by some students, particularly conservative ones.

[Doug Belkin]

A lot of conservative students have long felt that their perspective was not wanted, and if they were to articulate it, they would get a crappier grade by their professor. They could be ostracized by their friends or their social circle.

[Shemitah Basu]

Other students and some faculty say these laws have had a chilling effect on free speech.

[Doug Belkin]

They are unnerved by the notion that the government is reaching in and saying, you cannot say these things. You can't advocate for this position. They are really steering clear of a lot of these conversations because they don't want to get on the wrong side of a very unified state government, which has said, you know, this is not allowed.

[Shemitah Basu]

The new laws also allow students to record classes without professors consent, which some faculty and students told Belkin makes them worried their comments in the classroom could be shared on social media or used against them by someone with a political agenda. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts yesterday issued a statement, a rare rebuke of a president pushing back against Trump and his allies who have called for the impeachment of judges that have blocked the administration's agenda. Roberts wrote. The correct reaction to a ruling that a party disagrees with is to file an appeal. This comes as Trump is calling for the impeachment of the US District judge who blocked the deportation of Venezuelan migrants over the weekend that flight landed in El Salvador. Despite the judge's ruling, Trump told Fox News on Tuesday he believes the Supreme Court will ultimately rule in his favor on this issue. Sticking with courts, A federal judge ruled yesterday that Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency likely acted unconstitutionally in its shuttering of USAID. The judge, ruling in favor of 26 current and former employees, ordered email access restored to current workers and blocked the Doge Department from taking any action related to usaid, the Hill reports. It's also the first time a judge ruled that Musk himself might be exercising enough independent authority that would require him to be confirmed by the Senate, rejecting the administration's assertion that he's an advisor and not the head of an agency. A White House spokesperson called the ruling a, quote, miscarriage of justice. And finally, the shot clock is winding down to finalize your March Madness predictions. For the men's tournament, you have until around noon Eastern today to submit your brackets in most places. And for the women's tournament, you've got a little more time by 11:15 Eastern Friday morning to help you figure out your picks. We asked two pros at the Athletic for their best tips. Here's senior writer Justin Williams, who's covering.

[Justin Williams]

The men's tournament ride the 11 seeds. You know, I think historically everyone has always wanted to pick the 12 in a 512 matchup, but recently it feels like the 11 seeds have had a lot of success. But whether you're picking an 11 seed or a 13 seed or a 12 seed, just make sure you pick a double digit seed to make a Sweet 16 run. It happens every year for the women's.

[Shemitah Basu]

Tournament, staff writer Sabrina Merchant told us. You're going to basically want to do the polar opposite with your bracket for the first two rounds.

[Wassam Thabet]

There's kind of this rule of thumb on the men's side that a quarter of the games are going to end in upsets. I would not expect that to happen on the women's side. Because the top four seeds host the first two rounds on their home courts, it is much less likely to see upsets. Feel free to pick upsets via the seed lines in the second weekend and the Sweet 16 in the Elite Eight.

[Shemitah Basu]

And when in doubt, just get a little silly with it. Pick your favorite colors, your favorite mascots, your favorite cities. Just focus on having fun and you could end up lucky. You can get live tournament scores super fast on the lock screen of your iPhone by downloading the Apple Sports app. And if you're listening to today's show in the Apple News app, we've got a narrated article coming up next. What happens when young people aren't interested in dating? The Atlantic has a story on how Gen Z in particular is withdrawing from the dating scene. Begging the question, does becoming a well rounded grown up require romantic experience? 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.