Why it’s been so hot in June, and when to bring the kids inside

Summary

Apple News Today: Detailed Summary of "Why it’s been so hot in June, and when to bring the kids inside"

Release Date: June 26, 2025

Host Shemitah Basu navigates listeners through a spectrum of pressing issues in this episode of Apple News Today. From humanitarian crises and immigration policies to extreme weather events and high-profile weddings, Basu delivers a comprehensive overview enriched with expert insights and firsthand accounts.

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1. Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza: Inefficient Aid Distribution

The episode opens with a somber reflection on the one-month anniversary of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) taking over aid distribution in Gaza. Basu highlights the dire situation, emphasizing that the aid provided is "insufficient, chaotic and deadly."

Nabi Boulos, the Middle East bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, provides a harrowing account of the ground reality:

“Because there is so much chaos in the running and people are going off prescribed paths, what happens is that the Israeli military starts to fire at them. And when that happens, everyone hits the ground, right? And then like once the firing stops, they can run again and then the firing starts again and they hit the ground once more. So really, every day we are hearing about dozens being killed. I mean, of course, it's a recipe for disaster, and it has been.” ([00:50])

The transition to GHF's management has not alleviated the suffering. Gaza's health officials report over 400 deaths and more than 3,000 injuries since the takeover. The US has pledged a significant $30 million to GHF, marking the first substantial financial support from the US government. However, UN agencies condemn the distribution strategy, describing the central hubs as "an abomination and a death trap." Instead of dispersed smaller centers previously managed by the UN and other organizations, aid is now funneled through four major hubs in southern Gaza. This consolidation forces aid recipients to traverse "miles of active combat zones" to access essential supplies.

Personal Tragedy Highlighted: Boulos recounts the story of Mohamed Al Shakra, a 30-year-old Palestinian who was severely injured while attempting to secure aid for his family:

“He was just trying to get bread for his grandchildren. We're supposed to protect them. We're risking lives just to keep them from starving.” ([02:44])

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2. Impact of President Trump's Deportation Strategy on Businesses

Shifting focus to domestic policy, Basu delves into the ramifications of President Trump's aggressive deportation strategy. According to NBC News, nearly half of those in ICE custody have neither been convicted nor charged, starkly contrasting Trump's promise to target "the worst of the worst."

Ariane Campo Flores, a staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal, provides deeper insight:

“Trump has a wide base, and it's not just the immigration hardliners that make that up. There are business interests that support him and their priority is to continue to function and operate as businesses and make money and continue to produce products in the way they have been.” ([04:26])

ICE's strategy involves increasing workplace raids, significantly impacting sectors critical to the US economy. Recent raids on meatpacking plants, family farms, and construction sites have led to labor shortages, disrupting operations and elevating tensions between anti-immigration advocates and business leaders.

Case Study: Meatpacking Plant Raid in Omaha, Nebraska

“The CEO told me he lost half of his production line from one day to the next. The following day, the remaining half that were not arrested. Two thirds of them didn't show up because they were fearful of coming back to the workplace. And so he was operating the next day at 15% of capacity.” ([05:24])

Despite an initial directive from the Department of Homeland Security to halt arrests at farms, restaurants, and hotels, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem swiftly reversed this decision, instructing ICE to resume and expedite workplace raids. The administration justifies this approach by asserting that removing undocumented workers will bolster the economy by reallocating jobs and resources to American citizens.

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3. Record-Breaking Heatwaves: Causes and Safety Precautions

The episode transitions to a discussion on the intense heatwave gripping large parts of America, breaking over 400 heat records in the past week alone. Meteorologist Emily Walls from Fox 32 Chicago explains the phenomenon:

“It's basically an upper level high pressure system that's acting as a lid to hold in that hot air. So all of this hot air, it's just stuck over the eastern half of the U.S.” ([06:55])

This "heat dump" has resulted in 128 million people under heat advisories across 26 states. Urban areas are particularly hard-hit due to the urban heat island effect, where concrete and asphalt retain more heat compared to vegetated areas, making cities 4 to 8 degrees warmer than their surroundings during the day.

Safety Measures Highlighted:

• For Children: Dr. Jess Weiss, a pediatrician in Washington, D.C., advises avoiding outdoor play when temperatures exceed 95°F and emphasizes the importance of hydration, protective clothing, and sunscreen ([08:18]).
• For Pets: A veterinary surgeon advises monitoring pavement temperatures by placing your palm on the ground; if it’s too hot to hold for five seconds, it’s unsafe for pets. Shade and grassy areas are recommended.
• For the Elderly and Vulnerable: Regular check-ins, utilizing community cooling centers, and adjusting exercise routines to cooler parts of the day are essential.
• For Outdoor Employers: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends enforcing a "20% rule," ensuring workers do not spend more than a fifth of their shift under intense heat ([08:37]).

Additionally, Grant Gilmore from CBS Philadelphia cautions against relying solely on breezes, explaining that if the air temperature surpasses body temperature (98.6°F), wind can exacerbate the feeling of heat by displacing cooler air around the body with hotter air ([09:39]).

The forecast suggests a slight respite, with temperatures expected to drop, though areas like Boston may experience mixed weather with the return of showers.

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4. NATO's Defense Spending Summit: Challenges and Commitments

In international affairs, Basu reports on the recent NATO summit where leaders unanimously agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP over the next decade. President Trump lauded this decision as a significant victory for Europe and Western civilization. Currently, the US allocates 3.4% of its GDP to defense, outpacing the NATO average of approximately 2%.

However, achieving these targets presents fiscal challenges. Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, criticized the focus on percentages, suggesting it is "misguided," which prompted Trump to threaten stricter trade negotiations if NATO allies did not comply. The financial strain on allies, many grappling with economic growth issues and substantial debt, raises concerns about their ability to meet the new defense spending obligations without making austere fiscal adjustments.

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5. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Controversial Vaccine Committee

Turning to public health, Basu discusses the inaugural meeting of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s newly formed vaccine committee. The panel has faced criticism for including members with ties to anti-vaccination groups, undermining its credibility.

Dr. Michael Ross, a Virginia physician, withdrew from the committee citing conflicts of interest, as reported by The Guardian. During the meeting, the panel outlined plans to study childhood and adolescent immunization schedules and review the use of older vaccines. Notably, a scheduled vote on the RSV vaccine was postponed. Lynn Redwood, a former leader of Kennedy's Children's Health Defense, is set to lead the next presentation, signaling the committee's continued alignment with vaccine skepticism.

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6. Lavish Wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in Venice

The episode concludes with a glimpse into the extravagant wedding of Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post, and Lauren Sanchez in Venice. The celebration is projected to exceed $20 million, with anticipated arrivals of 100 private jets, fully booked five-star hotels, and high-profile guests including figures like Oprah and Ivanka Trump.

While the city stands to gain economically from the influx of guests, the wedding has sparked significant backlash. Environmental activists and critics denounce the event as a display of superfluous wealth, clashing with the local community's sentiments. The couple has requested no gifts, epitomizing the irony of offering "nothing" to those who seemingly have everything.

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Additional Stories and Closing Remarks

Basu briefly mentions other ongoing stories available through the Apple News App, including a legal scandal involving HR software companies and upcoming narrated articles for listeners. She promises to return with more news in the following episode.

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This episode of Apple News Today paints a vivid picture of current global and domestic challenges, interwoven with personal stories and expert analyses. From the humanitarian plight in Gaza and the complexities of immigration enforcement to the tangible impacts of climate change and the interplay of international defense commitments, Basu ensures listeners are well-informed on the multifaceted issues shaping our world today.

Transcript

[Shemitah Basu]

Good morning. It's Thursday, June 26th. I'm Shemitah Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how businesses are being impacted by ICE workplace rates. How hot is too hot for kids to play outside. And it's the big day for Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in Venice. But not all the locals are happy. But first, today marks one month since the US Israeli backed private contractor Gaza Humanitarian foundation, or ghf, took over aid distribution in Gaza. And accounts from the ground continue to describe it as insufficient, chaotic and deadly.

[Nabi Boulos]

So this aid is actually placed quite a distance away from where people are allowed to gather here. And so when they are finally allowed to go towards the aid, they actually have to run the last few miles.

[Shemitah Basu]

Nabi Boulos, the Middle east bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, spoke to Palestinians for his latest reporting.

[Nabi Boulos]

Because there is so much chaos in the running and people are going off prescribed paths, what happens is that the Israeli military starts to fire at them. And when that happens, everyone hits the ground, right? And then like once the firing stops, they can run again and then the firing starts again and they hit the ground once more. So really, every day we are hearing about dozens being killed. I mean, of course, it's a recipe for disaster, and it has been.

[Shemitah Basu]

Israel has claimed that under the previous system, aid was being stolen by Hamas, an allegation they've never provided evidence for. Gaza's health officials say in the months since GHF took control of aid distribution, more than 400 people have been killed and more than 3,000 wounded. The Israeli military has repeatedly responded to killings near aid hubs by saying it would look into reports of civilian casualties. Despite the concerns, the US pledged $30 million to GHF, the first known financial contribution from the US government. As UN agencies describe the distribution sites as an abomination and a death trap, aid is being delivered at only four hubs in southern Gaza instead of across hundreds of smaller centers. Once used by the UN and other groups, this change means that hungry people have to walk through miles of active combat zones for a chance at food and supplies.

[Nabi Boulos]

It should also be said that the UN was also using a registration system whereby everyone would receive a message to their phone telling them that aid was now available instead of having again to wait for this opaque system where they're told, oh, it's available now in this spot, you know, 6am and then they go to it and then it's been open beforehand, so all data's gone or they simply cannot get to it in time. Etc. Etc.

[Shemitah Basu]

Boulos told us about 30 year old Mohamed Al Shakra, who was seriously injured while trying to secure a box of aid supplies to bring back for his parents, siblings and their kids.

[Nabi Boulos]

So this was actually his third attempt. He went in with his father and he was going through and then suddenly he just starts to hear the bullets and he ends up with shrapnel in his abdomen and a shattering to his left arm. And he basically manages to hobble some distance until he can finally find some donkey cart that will take him to a clinic.

[Shemitah Basu]

Doctors were able to save his arm. His father, who was with him that day and also was injured, told Boulos they were just trying to get bread for his grandchildren. He said, quote, we're supposed to protect them. We're risking lives just to keep them from starving. Now to the impact of President Trump's deportation strategy. According to NBC News, which obtained internal ICE data, nearly half of the people currently in ICE custody have neither been convicted of nor charged with any crime. That's despite Trump's promises to go after the worst of the worst. And so far, ICE has arrested only 6% of the known immigrants without legal status who have committed murder. Now, one strategy deployed by ICE to meet its goal of deporting at least a million undocumented people this year is ramping up workplace raids across the country. Many of the people that ICE is pursuing in these big sweeps are crucial to the U.S. economy, which has created a conflict in Washington between anti immigration advocates and and Business first politicians.

[Ariane Campo Flores]

Trump has a wide base, and it's not just the immigration hardliners that make that up.

[Shemitah Basu]

That's Ariane Campo Flores, a staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal.

[Ariane Campo Flores]

There are business interests that, you know, support him and their priority is to continue to function and operate as businesses and make money and continue to produce products in the way they have been.

[Shemitah Basu]

Recent raids on places like meatpacking plants, family farms and construction sites have left some of those businesses shorthanded.

[Ariane Campo Flores]

In the example of, you know, the agriculture sector. These farm lobbying groups made the point that if this continues, that workforce shortage could yield to higher food prices for Americans. And if these policies were to continue in a similar fashion, you can expect to see more and more and more of that.

[Shemitah Basu]

Campo Flores told us about a meatpacking plant in Omaha, Nebraska that was raided by ICE agents earlier this month. About 75 workers were detained.

[Ariane Campo Flores]

The CEO told me he lost half of his production line from one day to the next. The following day, the remaining half that were not arrested. Two thirds of them didn't show up because they were fearful of coming back to the workplace. And so he was operating the next day at 15% of capacity.

[Shemitah Basu]

The Department of Homeland Security told ICE officers earlier this month to stop arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels. But only a few days later, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reversed that decision and directed ICE to resume and speed up workplace raids. The administration is defending their approach, arguing that once undocumented people are out of the country, the jobs, wages and public resources going back to American workers will strengthen the economy. Now to the weather. It's been a week of appropriate, oppressive, dangerous, and often record breaking heat for large parts of America. Here's some numbers for you. Over 400 heat records for calendar days were broken in the last week and seven states tied or broke their all time heat record for June. Over 128 million people were under heat advisories yesterday, warnings that have appeared in at least 26 states in the past few days. But of course, for those who are experiencing it, you already knew this was turning out to be a sweltering end to June. That's because of something called a heat dump.

[Emily Walls]

It's basically an upper level high pressure system that's acting as a lid to hold in that hot air. So all of this hot air, it's just stuck over the eastern half of.

[Shemitah Basu]

The U.S. that's meteorologist Emily Walls speaking on Fox 32 Chicago. She explained why those living in cities are facing tougher conditions than the suburbs due to a phenomenon known as the urban heat island.

[Emily Walls]

You have a lot of concrete, you have a lot of asphalt that's going to be holding on to a lot more heat than what grass can do or other sorts of vegetation. So it's not unheard of that in a city, if your temperature is during the daytime, when the sun's out, can be about 4 to 8 degrees warmer than surrounding areas.

[Shemitah Basu]

As global warming takes hold, we can expect more stifling heat outside of peak summer months. And according to the nonpartisan group Climate Nexus, these heat waves are 3 to 5 degrees warmer than they would be without climate change. So as we continue to face these weather events, we thought we would round up and share some of the advice that we're seeing on how to stay safe in the heat. First, with many kids now out of school, how hot is too hot to play outside? NPR spoke to Dr. Jess Weiss, a pediatrician in Washington, D.C. who said she would start to worry about temperatures above 95 degrees and advises constant reminders for water, hats and plenty of sunscreen kids.

[Dr. Jess Weiss]

Are more likely to play than to be disciplined enough to take breaks, so some of that is where your parenting has to come in. Keeping outdoor time outside of those really hot hours between 10am and 3pm if they're able to do more outdoor activity first thing in the morning or in the later afternoon when it's less hot, can be safer.

[Shemitah Basu]

For those with pets, the BBC has a handy guide. They spoke to a veterinary surgeon who notes that dogs rely on panting for temperature control, which is less effective than sweating. And much like excited kids, they are also not so good at regulating their energy levels, so you need to do that for them. If you're worried about pavement heat, try putting your palm to the ground. If you can hold it for five seconds, it's probably safe. Otherwise, stick to the grass and shade. Beyond that, it is a good idea in general to check on elderly friends and relatives, keep a lookout for community cooling centers and stick to exercise early in the mornings or late at night. If you are an outdoor employer, the Occupational Safety and Health administration recommends a 20% rule where you ensure that workers spend no more than a fifth of their shift working at full intensity in the heat. Now, one somewhat counterintuitive thought if you step outside and think, oh good, there's a little breeze, that may not be helpful. As CBS Philadelphia's Grant Gilmore explained to.

[Grant Gilmore]

His followers, there is actually a point where wind will not make it feel better, but actually make you feel hotter. And that point is when the air temperature reaches your body temperature 98.6 degrees or around that. If the air temperature is warmer than that, then as the wind blows in, it'll actually take away the air that's immediately surrounding the skin of your body, blow it away and replace it with even hotter air.

[Shemitah Basu]

As of this morning, things are supposed to get a little cooler, a relief for most of us under the heat dome. For Bostonians, it might be a mixed Blessing. They endear 13 straight weekends of rain before the heat wave and can expect showers again come Saturday. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. NATO leaders concluded their summit yesterday with a unanimous agreement to increase their country's defense spending to 5% of output over the next 10 years. President Trump described the decision as a big win for Europe and for western civilization. The US currently spends 3.4% of its GDP on its defense, while the rest of NATO is around 2% on average. There had been some early resistance, especially from Spain, the lowest spender of the alliance. Their prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, said the discussion over percentages was misguided, leading Trump to threaten tougher trade talks if they failed to up their spending. But a target is one thing, delivering it is another. And with many NATO allies struggling to achieve growth while at the same time struggling to unload large quantities of debt, finding the money to double or even triple their defense budget will demand difficult choices for politicians. In other news Robert F. Kennedy Jr's newly appointed vaccine committee met for the first time on Wednesday. As we mentioned on yesterday's show, it comes after he removed members of the panel and replaced them with some individuals who have ties to anti vaxx groups and vaccine skepticism. But even before the meeting took place, they were one member down. Dr. Michael Ross, a Virginia physician, withdrew over a conflict of interest review, a spokesperson told a Guardian. At the meeting itself, the panel said that it would study the schedule of childhood and adolescent immunizations and review the use of older vaccines. A scheduled vote on the RSV vaccine was postponed. They meet again today, where a presentation will be led by Lynn Redwood, a former leader of an anti vaccine group founded by Kennedy called Children's Health Defense. And finally, the lavish wedding, sparking a spirited backlash. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are tying the knot in Venice this week, with festivities expected to cost well over $20 million. The Washington Post, which Bezos owns, reported that Venice's airport is expecting the arrival of 100 private jets and air five star hotels are sold out and paparazzi are on the hunt for rumored guests ranging from Oprah to Ivanka Trump. Now, there will be some economic benefits for the city, but the wedding has prompted a lot of protest from environmental activists and those against the ostentatious display from the super wealthy. And what do you get for the couple that has everything? Well, apparently nothing. Their wedding invite says no gifts. You can find all these stories and more in the app Apple News App. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. You might not think that HR software creators live a life of high drama, but Bloomberg businessweek examined a major legal scandal in which one company accused the other of hiring a staff member as a mole. Things took a turn from there. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News plus narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the News News tomorrow.