The FAA’s good news and bad news for Boeing

Good morning. It's Thursday, January 25th. I'm Gideon Resnick, in for Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today." On today's show, grounded Boeing 737s are closer to flying again, but the company still has some major issues, how an Ohio law is creating problems for trans people running for office and the NBA player coming for Wilt Chamberlain's record.

There's good news and bad news for Boeing this morning. The FAA now has a set of inspection criteria for the grounded 737 MAX 9 planes. Once those are taken care of, the planes can fly again. Some could be back in service in a matter of days. But at the same time, the FAA also says that it won't allow Boeing to expand production of the airliner until it's satisfied that quality control issues in manufacturing are fixed.

We found discrepancies on many of our airplanes.

Meaning loose bolts?

Loose bolts. It could be a missing cotter pin.

He says he's more than frustrated. He's angry with Boeing. And the CEO of United Airlines, Scott Kirby, shared similar feelings with "CNBC."

I'm disappointed, especially because Boeing,

they're not only our most important partner, they're one of the most important companies in the country. They're important to the United States. They're a technology company, engineering company, our biggest exporter. And they are taking action. I just wanted them to do it faster and more definitive.

He says the airline was already considering plans for its future fleet that do not include the upcoming Boeing Max 10s, in part because Boeing is already several years behind on its delivery schedule.

I think this is the straw, the Max 9 grounding is probably the straw

that broke the camel's back for us.

And all this appears to be changing how some travelers are booking flights online. Kayak says so many people are trying to filter out 737 Max flights, that it's reworked the website to make it easier for travelers to do so.

Now, let's take a quick look at some other major stories in the news.

In Khan Younis, Gaza, the U.N. says at least 12 people are dead and dozens more injured after Israeli tanks hit a U.N. building where hundreds of civilians were taking shelter yesterday. U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson, Vedant Patel, says Israel must avoid hitting humanitarian targets.

We deplore today's attack on the U.N.'s Khan Younis training center. You've heard me say it before, you've heard the Secretary say it before, but civilians must be protected.

Israel denies the attack, and says it's reviewing whether the building could have been fired on by Hamas. This comes as Israel intensified attacks on Khan Younis. The city is encircled by troops, meaning little chance to escape for civilians. They're finding shelter from the fighting wherever they can. The U.N. says about 18,000 people are taking refuge at one hospital alone. Here in the U.S., Alabama is set to execute convicted murderer Kenneth Smith with nitrogen gas.

The law also blocks transgender girls from playing on school sports teams for girls. Staying in Ohio, several transgender Democratic candidates say they faced roadblocks in running for office because of a state law.

Ohio requires candidates to list any legal name changes in the last five years on election documents. For a transgender person, that could include listing a deadname, what they were called before they transitioned. Several candidates say the rarely enforced law is unclear and poorly explained. Vanessa Joy was disqualified. She says she would have complied with the law had she known about it.

In the trans community, our deadnames are dead.

There's a reason it's dead. That is a dead person.

The candidates say the requirement for listing previous names was missing from instructions on candidate forms. And from a 33-page state guide for the candidates. Arienne Childrey told "WOSU Public Media," she thinks the policy unfairly targets trans people.

I do believe that it is very much so connected to what we're seeing going on in our General Assembly, which frankly I see as an all-out attack on the LGBT community with a focus on the trans community.

Unlike Joy, she and another candidate appealed and were able to move ahead with their campaigns. They're also calling for change so that future transgender candidates are able to run without restrictions. And they have some support from Ohio's Republican governor and secretary of state who suggested changes or at least clarifications of the law here.

Tonight, the starting lineup for the NBA All-Star Game will be announced.

One player is widely expected to be in the lineup because he's doing something pretty remarkable on the court this season. I'm talking about last year's league MVP, Joel Embiid from the Philadelphia 76ers. He has been scoring at a historic rate almost every night, putting up mind-boggling stats. Like Monday, when he scored 70 points. Yes. Seven. Zero.

Here comes Embiid rolling to the cup. And there it is.

There it is. 70. He’s got the record. Embiid in the history books by himself.

So with that, Embiid broke a team record for most points scored in a single game. And he's now on pace to score more points than minutes he's played on the court this season. There's only one NBA player in history who's accomplished that feat: Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain. Embiid told reporters after Monday's game, he's honored to be compared to an all-time great.

Obviously, Wilt, you know, accomplish a lot of things, you know, as far as, you know, everything. I mean, the history of this league and basketball in general. So, to be in the, you know, same conversation, I mean, that's, you know, that's pretty, it's pretty cool.

Now, scoring 70 points is a lot, but it's not the all-time NBA record. That belongs to Chamberlain, who scored 100 points back in 1962.

We'll see if Embiid can chase that down. But he says, his money is actually on the guy who guarded him Monday night, the rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama. 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. We've got a Narrated Article coming up next. "New York" magazine goes inside the lives of a group of polyamorous people. It involves complicated emotions, some therapy and a lot of shared Google Calendars.