Inside the environmental disaster threatening a U.S. town

Good morning! It's Wednesday, February 15th. I'm Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today." On today's show, the Michigan State mass shooting and the larger impact of gun violence in America, why Ukraine wants western fighter jets, and the mysterious shrinking American vacation.

But first, residents of East Palestine, Ohio are worried about the safety of their air, soil and drinking water. Train cars carrying hazardous chemicals derailed and caught fire in the town earlier this month. Toxic black smoke filled the skies. Thousands evacuated.

Don't tell me it's safe. Something's going on if the fish are floating in the creek.

One of the chemicals on board was vinyl chloride. Exposure can cause a number of health problems, including liver damage or cancer. Business owners and residents have filed multiple lawsuits against the rail operator Norfolk Southern. The company says it's providing funds to help the community with the cost of evacuations, cleanup and recovery. Federal transportation and environmental agencies are investigating why the derailment happened and monitoring the ongoing impact of the pollution.

I feel like there's not an immediate risk, but I definitely feel like there's a long-term risk as far as things that are seeping into the ground. We're being told that things are safe, but it's just deep down, you feel like, how can things already be back at a level where we can be back to normal?

For him, this has been an especially surreal experience. In 2021, Ratner and his family signed up as extras in a movie that was filming in Ohio. The movie's called "White Noise." And the plot? A train derailment triggers an explosion that fills the air with toxic fumes, causing an environmental disaster. Ratner told "CNN" that he tried to rewatch the movie a few days ago, but he couldn't finish it. He said, "All of a sudden, it hit too close to home."

Today, the Michigan State community is mourning the deaths of three students, killed on Monday night by a gunman who later fatally shot himself. The victims were Alex Verner, known as a dedicated student, Brian Fraser, president of his fraternity, and Arielle Anderson, whose goal was to become a pediatrician.

This isn't what we send our kids to school for. This shouldn't be happening. And I don't know what the answers are. I don't know how… I don't know what the answers are. I don't have the answers.

On TikTok, another Michigan State student named Jackie Matthews told the story of how she hid in a classroom corner during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings.

The fact that this is the second mass shooting that I have now lived through is incomprehensible. It's not okay. We can no longer allow this to happen. We can no longer be complacent.

When people talk about mass shooting victims, they're often talking about people killed and wounded. But there are other victims, people like Jackie Matthews. People who are traumatized from being so close to death, even if they escaped it. Think of all the thousands of people at Michigan State in hiding while the gunman was on the loose.

Western allies say the long-awaited Russian offensive is happening. Russian forces are making small gains against Ukraine, as Moscow has sent thousands of fresh troops into the fight. The news is raising the stakes of a meeting of NATO allies this week, which includes the U.S. Defense Secretary. One key topic is whether to provide fighter aircraft to Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been asking for this for months.

We have freedom. Give us wings to protect it.

President Biden has ruled out supplying F-16s for now. There are concerns that Russia would see this as a dangerous escalation, since the jets could be used to strike deep into Russia. But other NATO countries have said that they could be open to giving Ukraine fighter jets. We've seen this play out before, most recently with tanks. The U.S. was reluctant to provide them at first, then some NATO countries signaled support, and eventually Ukraine got a commitment from the U.S. and others.

You can't just take somebody out of a Soviet-design combat aircraft and expect them to be able to fight to the same level the next day. Even the more experienced fast jet pilot, there is a period of conversions just to get used to the aircraft, its displays, how it handles, and then you also gotta learn how to fight the aircraft.

There's also the need to train mechanics to maintain the new jets and supply the right parts. But Ukraine is optimistic and has reportedly identified 50 pilots who could start training immediately. When it comes to getting new weapons, persistence has paid off for Ukrainian commanders in the past.

Finally, let's turn to a mystery about declining vacation time in the United States. "The Washington Post" dug deep into some obscure government data, and it found that compared to 40 years ago, Americans are half as likely to be taking a week-long vacation.

You can read that story and many more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, stick around. We have a narrated article about Austin, Texas coming up next. It used to be known as a quirky, laid-back town. "The New Yorker" reports on how it's transformed, as waves of people from New York, L.A. and Silicon Valley have poured in. So, sit back, enjoy listening to that, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.