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- [00:05]
A
Good morning. It's Friday, November 21st. I'm Gideon Resnick in for Shamita Basu. This is Apple News today. On today's show, the secret to saving Las Vegas from its economic slump. The congresswoman accused of funneling Covid relief funds into a campaign. And chef Samin Nosrat gives us her tips for getting it right on Thanksgiving. But first, the Trump administration has presented Ukraine with a peace plan to end the war, one that makes big asks of its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Senior US officials met with Zelensky in person yesterday who appeared willing at least to negotiate on the framework even though it contains ideas that Ukraine has previously dismissed. Alex Ward is the Wall Street Journal's national security reporter and has been looking into the text of the plan.
- [00:56]
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So this proposal effectively calls for Ukraine to give up a lot of its territory, its ambitious to join NATO, its ability to lead its own military or have the size of the military it wants. And in exchange, Russia basically promises not to attack Ukraine or Europe again and at the same time folds back into the global community through economic ties to the US and even becoming a member of the Group of Eight once again.
- [01:25]
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Ukraine has always worried that if they agree to all of that, their hostile neighbors will simply bide their time and attack again. Ward told us the deal essentially asks Ukraine to take Russia at its word. It does promise a quote, decisive coordinated military response if Russia makes further incursions. But what that means in reality for the US is anyone's guess.
- [01:44]
B
It could be anything from a militarized response to the US Sends a very strongly worded letter, you know, condemning like that's sort of the range basically. There's just the point is there's no.
- [01:53]
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Commitment as with the Gaza deal. It's the White House special envoy, Steve Witkoff who's at the center of talks. He consulted with his Russian counterpart who told Axios that he was optimistic about the plans as it felt like the Russian position is really being heard. Ward told us that this would give the Russians a lot of what they wanted. But Ukraine's European partners, who at this point are the largest military and economic backers for Ukraine, were not consulted on the deal and they warn that any deal must have their support and that of the Ukrainians. For all the diplomatic talk right now, Ward thinks that's a distant possibility.
- [02:26]
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The general reaction I think from analysts and from Ukrainians privately and Europeans privately is that this is probably a non starter.
- [02:33]
A
Right.
- [02:33]
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There's just a lot of stuff in this document that Ukraine has already rejected. That it's mostly tilts towards the Russian side and that, you know, Ukraine is probably going to reject it.
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But as Zelenskyy considers his full response, he's battling for political survival at home as a major corruption scandal has engulfed the government. The allegation rests on claims that key officials received payments from contractors who were building fortifications against Russian attacks. The justice minister and energy minister implicated in the claims have resigned at Zelenskyy's request. That some of Zelenskyy's allies might have been getting rich off the conflict poses big reputational challenges with a war weary public. Ward told us that Zelenskyy was now faced with the pressure of a deal at one of the weakest moments of his presidency since the war began. And that, Ward says, could actually give some momentum to the deal.
- [03:22]
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I think it's fair to say that this may not have been the main calculation because the US had been working on this plan for quite some time. But now the Trump administration might be thinking, hey, you know, Russia's weakened by the sanctions that the US has imposed. Zelenskyy's weakened by his own political situation. In a weird way, this might be the perfect time to force both of them into a deal that neither of them probably want.
- [03:52]
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Now to what might save Las Vegas from its slump. The Sin City is suffering from a bad hangover after a summer season where tourism numbers were way down compared to last year, putting a strain on the state's revenues. Analyst Jeremy Aguero has studied Las Vegas economy for decades and raised the alarm in a recent interview for wbur.
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That instability, that ripple effect associated with our tourism economy is real and we are feeling it across southern Nevada today. The reality is, is that we are dependent upon this core industry and as those wages and salaries decrease, we're seeing it in other sectors.
- [04:28]
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Vegas could be falling victim to forces outside its immediate control. It's lost Canadian dollars as the country's tourists shun the US and overall consumer confidence is down. But even as people reconsider their appetite for spending on things like travel, hotels and casinos, Vegas has also gotten more expensive in recent years. So can major events help save the city? Here are the lights.
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We're underway in Las Vegas and racing.
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To turn number one.
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With George Russell holding the lead, racing.
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Fans are gearing up for this weekend's F1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas, now hosting the event for its third year. Luke Smith covers F1 for the Athletic, and he told us about the hopes that some are pinning on the competition after a sluggish year There was a.
- [05:10]
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Dip of 9,000 ticket sales between 23 and 24. But I think the hope for F1 and the hope for Vegas is that this sport can be a good shot in the arm in what has been quite a difficult year for the city and give a good boost, I think, going into the rest of Q4 and into the Thanksgiving and holiday season.
- [05:28]
A
Now, F1 is not by any stretch a cheap event to attend. When it first came to Vegas in 2023, there were lots of headlines about massive ticket prices, including grandstand passes that initially went for nearly $4,000 and luxury packages in the six figures. There's been some movement to bring down prices this year, but they remain very high for most people, easily into the hundreds of dollars. F1 has also added more perks for that cost.
- [05:52]
D
They want it to be okay. Yes, you're going to spend $500 on your ticket, but for this, you're going to get three days of access. You're going to get concerts, you're going to get drinks included and things. I think that that is very much the mentality for the Las Vegas grand prix as well.
- [06:07]
A
F1 is a global sport, and in its second year in Vegas, it had an economic impact of nearly a billion dollars. But for those attending, a visit and a ticket to the event is kind of the prime example of discretionary spending, and that's the first to go when the public gets worried about affordability. The analyst Jeremy Aguero told WBUR that as people become more nervous about the economy in general, it's made Vegas look like a microcosm for. For broader U.S. sentiment.
- [06:32]
C
When consumers have that level of anxiety, they make different consumption decisions, and that's why we're not just seeing it here in Las Vegas. I think Las Vegas is certainly a harbinger or a clear example of discretionary spending, but we're seeing it across the United States. That level of uncertainty is really putting a chilling effect on consumer activity.
- [06:53]
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The latest data on US Consumer sentiment is expected later today. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. You may very well be checking the weather for your travel plans or gearing up to gather with your friends or stealing yourself to talk to that one relative who is sometimes a little bit difficult in any of these scenarios. Food is a central character. Samin Nosrat, the cook TV host and writer, has some thoughts on how these Thanksgiving meals can sometimes turn out.
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I am often sort of stunned by how, let's say, bland the food is. And even all the textures are all pretty mushy for the most part.
- [07:37]
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Nosrat, the writer of the hit book and TV show Salt Fat Acid Heat, spoke with Shamita for this week's episode of Apple News. In conversation, she talked about some of her top tips for making Thanksgiving food a little more flavorful.
- [07:48]
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For example, often I suggest people make a fried sage salsa verde. So you can just fry a few leaves of sage in olive oil and they get really crispy. And then you just make like a green salsa with parsley and shallots and vinegar and olive oil, and then crumble that sage. In.
- [08:03]
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Making such a big meal, let alone embellishing it, is no small task. Nosrat's new cookbook, Good Things, delves into how the gathering itself is most important in preparing meals. And she shares her own journey to let go of control in the kitchen.
- [08:15]
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I've always sort of historically spent every dinner party that I've ever been a host of like a Tasmanian devil sort of running around with the idea from my heart that, like, this is what's gonna make people feel cared for. But ultimately I think they're also, like, in the splash zone of my, like, anxious energy. Right.
- [08:35]
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She shares tips for how to share the load. Even for people who don't love to.
- [08:38]
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Cook, you probably shouldn't do everything yourself. And actually it brings people joy to contribute. So there are other ways to involve people. You know, sometimes, like at Thanksgiving, the problem is, where is everyone gonna sit? What are we gonna do before the meal? What are we gonna do after the meal? Who's gonna do the dishes? There are many other ways that people can contribute and help streamline things, and I think that's really important.
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And ultimately, thanks to a group of close friends she gathers with every week, Nosret says she's come to see meals as an opportunity to share the responsibility and the credit.
- [09:08]
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One of the beautiful moments is when you sit down at the table and pull your chair up and sort of are able to look at the table and see what everyone's made and brought together. And that feels so good.
- [09:20]
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One of the things to be grateful for next week. You can hear Shamita's full conversation with Samin Nosrat on this week's episode of Apple News in conversation. If you're listening to the news app, we're going to queue it up to play for you next. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. One of the engines of a UPS plane that crashed in Louisville earlier this month detached and caught fire before the wreck. That's according to an initial report from the National Transportation Safety Board, 14 people, including the three crew members on board and 11 more on the ground were killed in the crash, officials said. There were also signs of stress and fatigue cracks where the engine attached to the plane frame by frame. Images released by the NTSB show the plane mid takeoff as the left engine tilts upward, then is shown aflame before it detaches. The black box recorders were recovered and are currently being analyzed by the ntsb. The type of plane in the crash has since been grounded by the FAA for all companies who use it. Democratic Florida Congresswoman Sheila Scherfilis McCormick could face more than 50 years in prison after federal authorities charged her with funneling Covid relief funds into her 2021 campaign. The DOJ alleges that a family healthcare business, Sherphilis McCormick operated with her brother Robert, received a $5 million overpayment in pandemic relief cash, some of which was allegedly rerouted to her campaign. Sir Phyllis McCormick called the indictment baseless and a sham and said that she is innocent and finally, it could be a World cup for the underdogs next year. A number of teams qualified for the event this week who have never made it before, or at least not in some of the team members lifetimes. Ferguson's header given away, but it reached to Tierney. That's the moment that Scotland's Kieran Tierney sent his squad to its first World cup since 1998. Part of the backstory here is that FIFA's governing body expanded the World cup from 32 teams to 48, and the draw is going to be that big for the first time next year. That expanded field has offered more countries the chance to qualify. And in addition to Scotland, there are some pretty great stories to watch. Nations like Cape Verde, Uzbekistan and Haiti will be joining, and also Curacao, which will officially be the lowest populated country to ever compete in a World cup, replacing Iceland, who previously held that title. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening to the News app right now, stick around for the complete episode of Apple News In Conversation with Samin Nosrat that's queued up to play for you next. If you're listening to the podcast app, you can follow Apple News in Conversation to find that episode or come back here to the Apple News Today feed tomorrow. All new episodes of In Conversation will be available there on Saturdays as well. And just a quick note, we are off next week for Thanksgiving, so enjoy the holiday and we'll be back with the news on December 1st.