Why environmentalists are so worried about this lawsuit

Summary

Apple News Today: Episode Summary – "Why Environmentalists Are So Worried About This Lawsuit"

Release Date: February 28, 2025
Host: Shemitah Basu

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1. U.S.-Ukraine Mineral Deal Tensions

Shemitah Basu opens the episode by discussing the strained negotiations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and former President Donald Trump regarding a significant mineral-sharing agreement between Ukraine and the United States. This deal, proposed last fall, involves Ukraine sharing rare minerals valued in the trillions, aiming to bolster U.S. economic and potentially military interests.

Zelensky previously tied the mineral deal to U.S. support in Ukraine’s defense against Russia, a stipulation the Trump administration has been hesitant to fully endorse. Basu highlights the fundamental disagreements, noting Zelensky's rejection of the initial offer due to its demand for Ukraine to repay the U.S. with five times the amount of aid received during the war.

In a news conference, Zelensky stated at [02:00], “I'm not signing something that will have to be repaid by generations and generations of the Ukrainians.” The latest proposal removes the exorbitant revenue stipulation but still falls short of providing explicit security guarantees for Ukraine.

Ian Lovett from The Wall Street Journal provides further insight at [02:12], stating, “They really want to keep the US on the Ukrainian side, which seems much less clear since Trump took office. They want the US to be invested in Ukraine economically and ideally also militarily.”

The episode delves into the Trump administration's shifting stance, citing remarks from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at [02:25] who implied Ukraine might have to accept not reclaiming all Russian-seized lands. Further complicating matters, Trump has ambiguously characterized his peace objectives, leaving Ukraine uncertain about the future of U.S. support.

2. Legal Battle Threatens Greenpeace

Transitioning to environmental concerns, Basu addresses a high-stakes legal battle that could have profound implications for Greenpeace and the broader climate movement. Mary Steuer from the North Dakota Monitor reports at [04:39] on Energy Transfer’s $300 million lawsuit against Greenpeace. The lawsuit alleges that Greenpeace's interference in the Dakota Access Pipeline's construction was both disruptive and unlawful.

The Dakota Access Pipeline, completed in 2017 amidst significant protests spearheaded by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, became a focal point for environmental activism. The pipeline’s construction faced fierce opposition due to threats to water supplies and sacred lands, leading to confrontations that resulted in numerous injuries and hospitalizations.

Energy Transfer contends that Greenpeace actively encouraged violence and property damage during these protests. In response, Greenpeace vehemently denies these allegations, asserting adherence to nonviolent protest methods and accusing Energy Transfer of targeting them to silence environmental advocacy.

At [06:42], an associate law professor at Pace University contributes analysis, suggesting, “This case appears to be an example of a strategic lawsuit against public participation, otherwise known as SLAPP. Those are anti-free speech cases that are typically designed to cost the defendants both time and money in court.”

Given that North Dakota does not offer protections against SLAPP suits, the trial poses a significant threat not only to Greenpeace but also to free speech and protest rights across the United States. Mary Steuer emphasizes the broader implications at [07:08], noting, “A ruling against Greenpeace could set precedent that could shrink free speech rights and First Amendment rights in the United States more broadly.”

3. Oscars 2025: Controversies and Surprises

Basu shifts focus to the entertainment industry, previewing the upcoming Oscars and the controversies marking this year's awards season. Among the highlighted issues are the use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking, backlash against the lack of intimacy coordinators in the film Anora, and a scandal involving a best actress nominee's past use of blackface.

Glenn Whipp from the LA Times comments at [08:28], “It has been a strange Oscar season,” reflecting the unpredictable nature of the nominations.

A significant storyline revolves around Carla Sofia Gascone, portrayed by Emilia Perez, whose historic nomination as the first openly transgender woman at the Oscars has been overshadowed by resurfacing offensive tweets. Gascone's past Islamophobic and racist remarks led to her removal from Netflix’s awards campaign, severely impacting her film's chances.

At [09:09], Whipp observes, “I don't think there has been a time when something of the scale of what happened with Carlos Sofia Gascon has happened.” He explains how these revelations effectively ended the film's bid for Best Picture, despite leading the nominations with 13 nods.

The absence of a dominant blockbuster this year has also opened opportunities for indie films to vie for top honors. Whipp predicts at [10:21] that Honora will secure Best Picture and its director, Sean Baker, the Best Director award. He also forecasts Adrien Brody winning Best Actor for his role in Brutalist, over other contenders like Timothee Chalamet.

4. Tragic News and Space Ventures

In a somber note, Basu reports the tragic death of Academy Award-winning actor Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog. The circumstances remain unclear, with initial suspicions of a gas leak being dismissed as no such leaks were detected. Hackman’s illustrious career included memorable roles in films like The French Connection and The Royal Tenenbaums.

Shifting to lighter news, the podcast covers an astronomical event and a notable spaceflight. A planet parade will see all eight planets align, a phenomenon visible half an hour after sunset. Additionally, Blue Origin announced its first all-female flight crew, featuring singer Katy Perry, her fiancée Lauren Sánchez, and CBS anchor Gayle King. The mission aims to cross the Karman Line, experiencing minutes of microgravity before returning to Earth via parachute-assisted landing.

5. Upcoming Episode Preview

Basu concludes by teasing the next episode of Apple News In Conversation, which will explore the longstanding relationship between former President Donald Trump and UFC CEO Dana White. The conversation will delve into how their mutual support has influenced their respective careers, including White’s pivotal role in promoting Trump’s political endeavors.

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This episode of Apple News Today offers a comprehensive overview of pressing international agreements, significant legal challenges facing environmental organizations, the dynamic and sometimes tumultuous landscape of the entertainment industry, and notable events spanning tragedy to space exploration. Through insightful discussions and expert commentary, Shemitah Basu ensures listeners are well-informed on the multifaceted stories shaping our world.

Transcript

[Shemitah Basu]

Good morning. It's Friday, February 28th. I'm Shemitah Basu. This is Apple News today. On today's show, a lawsuit that could sink Greenpeace, this year's Oscars, wild Cards and Katy Perry is going to space. But first to Washington, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to meet with President Trump to discuss and potentially sign an agreement for Ukraine to share rare minerals with the United States, which are estimated to be worth trillions of dollars. This was an idea proposed by Zelensky last fall, though at the time, he suggested Kiev would, in return, want assurance that the US Would provide ongoing support for Ukraine in its def against Russia. Trump has criticized US Aid for Kyiv as a drain on resources. And disagreements over the terms of this mineral deal are a big reason why the relationship between the United States and Ukraine has soured in recent weeks. Zelensky rejected an earlier version of the agreement because it didn't include security guarantees for Ukraine. And the United States initially asked for the rights to up to $500 billion in revenue from mineral development, which is roughly five times more money than the US has contributed Ukraine during the war so far. Zelensky spoke at a news conference about why he rejected the initial offer. I'm not signing something that will have to be repaid by generations and generations of the Ukrainians. The new version of the deal that could be signed today does not include that revenue stipulation, and it also still does not include security guarantees for Ukraine. Trump has said that it would include a form of peacekeeping that's acceptable to everybody, but did not specify what that meant. However, the Wall Street Journal's Ian Lovett told us Ukraine ultimately agreed to this version of the deal in the hopes that it could reset their relationship with Trump.

[Ian Lovett]

They really want to keep the US on the Ukrainian side, which seems much less clear since Trump took office. They want the US to be invested in Ukraine economically and ideally also militarily.

[Shemitah Basu]

So far, the Trump administration has seemed to reverse the U.S. s position as a strong ally of Ukraine. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that Ukraine will accept that it will not get back the land that Russia has seized. That's roughly 20% of the country. Last week, Trump falsely suggested that Ukraine, not Russia, was the aggressor. And in his first Cabinet meeting this week, Trump said that Russia will have to make concessions to end the war, but did not specify what kind. Trump has maintained that his objective is to establish peace in the region, but Lovett told us it's not entirely clear what that means.

[Ian Lovett]

There have been a lot of questions about what Trump's goal is exactly, whether it's just to end the conflict as fast as possible, even if that means Ukraine giving up not only territory but perhaps other concessions to Russia. And Ukraine has been working with European allies to try to come up with a contingency plan basically to continue to be able to fight if the US Pulls its backing.

[Shemitah Basu]

Trump has also been meeting with European allies. Yesterday, he met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House, who urged the president to stand by Ukraine.

[Keir Starmer]

Because it can't be peace that rewards the aggressor. We agree history must be on the side of the peacemaker, not the invader.

[Shemitah Basu]

In that same speech, Starmer said the UK Is ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to support a peace deal. If the US And Ukraine sign today's mineral deal, one outstanding question will be how the US plans to extract the resources. Up to 40% of Ukraine's rare mineral deposits are in parts of the country currently under Russian occupation, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations told the Journal. That means if the US Wants to access these deposits, it'll have no choice but to get involved in defending and protecting Ukraine's physical security. Now to a trial that started this week involving Greenpeace, which environmentalists have warned could bankrupt the group and threaten the future of advocacy work.

[Mary Steuer]

One of the concerns not only voiced by Greenpeace but other climate activists is that, like a negative ruling against Greenpeace would be really serious for the fate of the climate movement going forward.

[Shemitah Basu]

That's Mary Steuer, a reporter at the North Dakota Monitor who's been following the trial. This is a civil case related to the Dakota Access pipeline that was brought by the company Energy Transfer, which sued Greenpeace for $300 million, alleging the environmental advocacy group disrupted construction of the pipeline, which was completed in 2017. That dollar amount, according to the New York Times, is more than 10 times the group's annual budget. Protests against the pipeline project started the year prior, when the Standing Rock Sioux tribe said a portion of the pipeline would endanger their water supply and sacred sites in the area. The demonstrations gained international attention, especially after clashes between police and protesters. Police used water cannons on protesters in freezing temperatures, deployed tear gas and shot them with rubber bullets. Medical professionals supporting the protesters say dozens of people were hospitalized and more than 300 people were injured. Police at the time said that protesters set fires in the area and threw rocks at officers. In their lawsuit against Greenpeace, Energy Transfer claims the group supported protesters and encouraged violence.

[Mary Steuer]

Everything from, you know, paying people, training them to cause mayhem and destruction during the protests, like property damage, trespassing and harassing workers in order to stop the pipeline.

[Shemitah Basu]

Greenpeace denies those claims and says it played a very small role in the protests, and the group says Energy Transfer is unfairly targeting them in an effort to intimidate environmental activists.

[Mary Steuer]

They also say that they've always adhered to a philosophy of nonviolence and so that they never supported or endorsed or financed any sort of destructive behavior by protesters.

[Shemitah Basu]

An associate law professor at Pace University told npr, this case appears to be an example of a strategic lawsuit against public participation, otherwise known as slap. Those are anti free speech cases that are typically designed to cost the defendants both time and money in court. More than 30 states have protections against these types of lawsuits, but the Washington Post reports that North Dakota is not one of them.

[Mary Steuer]

And that's kind of an issue that they've raised, that a ruling against Greenpeace could set precedent that could shrink free speech rights and First Amendment rights in the United States more broadly. So something that could affect any protest group, journalists, et cetera.

[Shemitah Basu]

A spokesperson for Energy Transfer told the Post they do not believe this case is about free speech, but about Greenpeace not following the law. Greenpeace tried unsuccessfully to move the case to another court because the jury pool was drawn from a community where many people work in the oil and gas industry. The Guardian reports more than half of the seated jurors have ties to the fossil fuel industry. The trial is expected to last at least five weeks. Sunday is the movie industry's biggest night, the Oscars. The ceremony caps what's been an interesting awards season. A number of controversies have dominated the conversation, including the use of AI in the brutalist backlash over the absence of intimacy coordinators on the film Anora and the past use of blackface by one of this year's best actress nominees.

[Glenn Whipp]

It has been a strange Oscar season.

[Shemitah Basu]

Glenn Whipp covers film and television for the LA Times.

[Glenn Whipp]

We're heading into a ceremony where, because of just these wild momentum shifts that we've seen in some of the races, there's just a lot of categories sort of up for grabs.

[Shemitah Basu]

One of the most talked about storylines heading into the awards is the star of Emilia Perez, Carla Sofia Gascone, who, after old racist and Islamophobic tweets of hers resurfaced, deleted her social media accounts and was scrubbed from Netflix's awards campaign. Gascon is the first openly transgender woman ever to be nominated for an Oscar.

[Glenn Whipp]

I don't think there has been a time when something of the scale of what happened with Carlos Sofia Gascon has happened. I mean, just in the sense that this was a movie that led the field with 13 Oscar nominations and had it had a chance to win best picture. And when it was discovered that Gascon had a history of making offensive social media posts denigrating Muslims, Black Lives Matter, even the Oscars themselves, it kind of really scuttled the movie's chances to win best Picture.

[Shemitah Basu]

Aside from the controversies, the absence of a big budget frontrunner also makes this year's ceremony unique.

[Glenn Whipp]

Last year we had Barbenheimer at the Oscars and we had Oppenheimer winning best picture. Barbie was really prominent in the ceremony and this year's best picture lineup very much more on the indie side, although you still have blockbusters like Wicked and Dune Part two in there.

[Shemitah Basu]

We asked Whip who he thinks is taking home the night's biggest prizes.

[Glenn Whipp]

I'm predicting that Honora will win best picture and its director, Sean Baker will prevail as director as well. The lead actress race, I'm going with Demi Moore for the substance actor race is kind of a toss up between Timothee Chalamet in a complete unknown playing Bob Dylan and then Adrien Brody, who's this, who's starring in the Brutalist, and I'm going with Adrien Brody.

[Shemitah Basu]

The Oscars start Sunday at 7pm Eastern. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Academy Award winning actor Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were all found dead Thursday at their home in New Mexico. Authorities have opened an investigation after the bodies were found in a state of decomposition. Initially, a gas leak was suspected, but the Associated Press reports no signs of a gas or carbon monoxide leak were detected. Hackman had a decorated acting career from his Oscar winning roles in the French Connection and Unforgiven to the title character in Wes Anderson's the Royal Tenenbaums. In space news, the planets are aligning sort of in a phenomenon known as a planet parade. All seven of the other planets in our solar system will be visible in a line in the night sky. Astronomers say to look for the planets about a half hour after sunset. And hey, it's Friday, so let's do some more space news. Jeff Bezos Space company Blue Origin announced it's sending its first all female flight crew into space. That crew will include singer Katy Perry. And getting extraterrestrial with her will be Bezos fiance Lauren Sanchez and CBS anchor Gayle King. The flight will take the crew to the Karman Line, which is the boundary line between Earth's upper atmosphere and space, Reuters reports. When they reach the line, the crew will experience a few minutes of microgravity before returning to Earth in a parachute assisted landing. And last thing, here's what's coming up on this week's episode of Apple News In Conversation, a look at how Donald Trump and Dana White, the CE of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the ufc, go way, way back and how they've helped each other rise for a story in Rolling Stone. Jack Crosby tells me when Dana White was building up the UFC and struggling to find venues for it, Trump welcomed him at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. And then many years later, Trump called in a favor to White that would end up taking their friendship to the next level.

[Keir Starmer]

I'm running for president and I would be honored if you would introduce me at the Republican National Convention. And Dana White thinks it over and as he told me, look, this guy was here for me when I had nothing. I have to be there for him. And so he does it.

[Shemitah Basu]

If you're listening in the Apple News app right now, that episode is queued up to play for you next. Enjoy the weekend and I'll be back with the news on Monday.