Middle East problems pile up for Biden

Good morning. It's Tuesday, January 30th. I'm Yasmeen Khan, in for Shumita Basu. This is Apple News Today. Coming up, how conflict abroad could impact America's economy and politics, why tens of thousands of Black doctors disappeared from the U.S., and fans are strategizing how to get Taylor Swift from her concert in Tokyo to the Super Bowl.

First, more on the drone attack that killed three American Army reservists in Jordan. U.S. officials say air defenses failed to stop it because it was mistaken for an American drone that was returning to base at the time. The administration says it will retaliate for the strike, which it blames on a militia linked to Iran. It's not the only Iranian ally in the region Americans have been dealing with. The U.S. has also launched attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen.

Lawmakers, especially Democratic lawmakers, some of them themselves in tough races this fall, are hugely worried about the kinds of consequences that a larger conflict in the Middle East could have, both immediately militarily but also the economic fallout that would ripple through global trade and also eventually for U.S. voters.

It's hard to overstate how important the Suez Canal is. It accounts for up to 15% of global trade. And when that's choked off and ships have to reroute, shipping costs go up. And eventually, these costs can get passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices for food and other goods. This comes at a time when there are many positive signs in the economy. Inflation in the U.S. has moderated, economic growth is solid, and last month, consumer sentiment was up 13%.

These increasing attacks, it's hitting really just at the worst time for Democrats in particular, because they are trying to show progress with the economy. And these recent attacks only threaten to serve as one more disruption to global trade after supply chains have really worked themselves out a little bit in recent months since the pandemic.

The White House is concerned that the incidents could disrupt everything from energy prices to the cost of groceries.

Prices, both for the insurance and for the shipping itself, has shot up dramatically as a result of this. There is an immediate impact just to the flow of goods getting through this region. Fleets have had to essentially reroute major global shipping routes, which is hugely disruptive, both in the region and also to the United States.

And Houthi attacks could go on for a long time. Despite a series of extensive air assaults by the U.S. and allies, and a larger naval presence,

Houthis continue to target commercial ships. Now, let's take a quick look at some other stories in the news. Global aid groups are calling for the U.S. and other countries to restore funding to the U.N. agency working in Gaza.

Multiple countries cut off money after Israel accused some of the aid group's workers of taking part in the October 7th attack by Hamas. The U.N. has fired several of the accused and is investigating. Aid agencies, including Oxfam and Save the Children, say moves by the U.S., the U.K., Germany and others to halt payments are a, quote, "reckless decision to cut a lifeline." The U.N. says the agency may have to stop humanitarian operations in Gaza in a few weeks if funding isn't restored.

We need to feel sympathy, however, for a generation of clean athletes who have been repeatedly defrauded, and for Kamila Valieva, a 15-year-old pawn in an evil, dystopian system.

The Russian skaters could still get bronze medals. New numbers from the International Skating Union put the Russians just ahead of the Canadians after stripping out points earned by Valieva. That opens up a potential legal challenge by Canada, which could drag the process out even longer. Toyota is warning drivers of 50,000 cars to get immediate repairs because an airbag inflator could explode. The advisory covers some 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix models.

conspired to remove him from power and that his arrest was politically motivated. America is likely missing tens of thousands of Black doctors, maybe 35,000 of them. It's the unfortunate consequence of a little-known document

that changed the trajectory of medicine in the U.S.

The legacy of the Flexner Report is that it resulted in a tremendous loss of Black physicians. Many people don't know about the Flexner Report. It was something that I only learned about as a practicing physician, but it has had tremendously negative consequences on the health of our communities.

That's emergency physician Dr. Uché Blackstock. She recently wrote an essay in "The Washington Post." It's adapted from her new book, "Legacy, A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine." Dr. Blackstock explains that in the early 1900s, a man named Abraham Flexner visited medical schools in the US to assess the state of education. He published a report that set new standards for med schools across the country, holding up Johns Hopkins as the standard-bearer.

It's a tremendous loss in terms of just Black physicians, and it contributes to the lack of diversity we have today in Black physicians. But those are also thinking about hundreds of thousands of Black patients that could have been treated, students that could have been mentored, and areas of research that could have been invested in had those Black physicians been trained.

She says less than 6% of American physicians identify as Black, though Black people make up nearly 14% of the population. And she says with fewer Black doctors, it's not surprising that there are severe health disparities for Black Americans, everything from higher infant and maternal mortality rates to Black men having the shortest life expectancy of any demographic group.

We know that when Black patients have Black physicians, they are more likely to leave that interaction feeling full, seen, heard, and appreciated. They are also more likely to follow their doctor's recommendations. We even had studies that show that even just having one primary care physician who's Black in a county can improve life expectancies for Black people living in that county.

Finally, now that the Super Bowl matchup is set between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, the nation has turned to a more vexing question:

How will Taylor Swift make it to the big game to cheer on Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce? Here's the issue. With her international Eras tour starting up again, the NFL's most famous girlfriend will be performing in Tokyo the day before the Super Bowl, which is taking place in Las Vegas. Whether you are a Swiftie or someone who just loves gaming out travel logistics with supreme efficiency, this is the math problem for you.

Her last concert is February 10th at 6 p.m. Tokyo time.

Kyle Philippi there with a video on a travel itinerary that will get Swift to the game and guarantee the moment from many fans' wildest dreams.

Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to see that kiss at the end of the Super Bowl.

"The Athletic" took a stab at a plan too. Assuming that Swift wraps up her concert around 9.30 p.m. Tokyo time, she could land in Las Vegas at around 4 p.m. the very same day. The extreme time difference works in her favor. But one account manager of a private jet company told "The Athletic" there's a little hitch in this possible plan.

Landing slots in Las Vegas are booked up during Super Bowl weekend. But of course, if anyone can find a blank space at an airport at the last minute, it's Taylor Swift. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And we want to introduce you to the Apple News Pick for Story of the Month. Every month, our editors are selecting a News+ article that they don't want you to miss. This one is from "Rolling Stone."