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Good morning! It's Monday, July 10th. I'm Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today." On today's show, the connection between climate change and meat, doctors debunk berberine, a weight-loss fad on TikTok. Plus, American soccer legend Megan Rapinoe is retiring.
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But first, let's quickly look at some major stories in the news. President Biden is in Britain today. He met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, ahead of a meeting with King Charles III. He's also going to a NATO summit in Lithuania this week. Biden says NATO support for Ukraine is strong, but there's not consensus on bringing it in as a full NATO member while the war's still going on.
Also in Europe, the Dutch government has collapsed. The coalition couldn't agree on immigration policy, so there will have to be new elections. The debate comes at a time when more and more migrants, who are escaping poverty and persecution elsewhere, are trying to get into Europe.
And doing so under often-dangerous conditions. According to a migrant aid group, hundreds of people who were traveling on boats from Senegal to Spain's Canary Islands have been missing for over two weeks now. This comes just weeks after Europe saw one of its worst migrant shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, when a ship sank off the coast of Greece. Spanish rescuers are searching the waters.
In Sudan, the United Nations is warning, the country is on the brink of a "full-scale civil war." It's been nearly three months since rival generals began fighting for power. At least 3,000 people have been killed and millions displaced.
And in the U.S., at least one person is dead in New York State, swept away in dangerous flooding that's affecting a large area of the Northeast. Tens of millions of people in multiple states were under flood alerts at one point. Also, there's no sign of the extreme heat letting up, in various parts of the country. Multiple heat records have been broken and more could be shattered in the days ahead.
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Climate change is making the ongoing extreme weather we're experiencing worse, and more common. "Vox" argues one major factor driving climate change often doesn't get the same attention as others, meat and dairy production.
You know, we raise tens of billions of pigs, cows, chickens, and other animals for food. They emit vast amounts of waste. And that also causes emissions. And then we use a lot of fertilizer to grow the corn and soy that we feed to farmed animals.
Kenny Torrella writes about animal welfare for "Vox." Numbers vary, but research shows that up to 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to animal agriculture. One-third of Earth's habitable land is used for animal farming. Trees are often cut down to make room for cattle grazing or land to grow corn and soy for animal feed. That makes animal agriculture the leading cause of deforestation.
Not only does clearing all of that land emit a lot of carbon into the atmosphere, but it also represents what climate scientists call a carbon opportunity cost. Because if all of that land was just kept wild, it would suck up huge amounts of carbon outta the atmosphere, acting as, essentially, a carbon sink. Torrella's view is that some news stories are missing the chance to explain the role that raising animals plays in climate change. One example he cites is the Colorado River water shortage.
In most of the coverage about it, there's been simply reporting that agriculture is using up a lot of the Colorado River's dwindling supply of water. But in fact, at least 70 percent of the water used for agriculture is used to grow crops to feed to beef and dairy cows. And so I think it's important that journalists not only be skeptical, but also be specific.
He says, if you look at consuming animal products as something we can intentionally cut down on, it could make a difference for the environment.
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TikTok is a black hole for advice. Some of it harmless. But when it comes to health and wellness, viral trends can fuel misinformation. Spend a little time on TikTok these days, and there's a good chance you'll bump into someone raving about berberine, making claims that it can help them lose weight. It's a chemical found in plants, and supplement sellers are trying to market it as a "natural Ozempic."
But doctors and experts tell "The Washington Post," berberine is not a scientifically-proven treatment for anything, let alone weight loss. What little data there is on berberine is limited, low quality, and inconclusive. Supplements have very little regulation, which creates potential dangers. "NBC" spoke to Harvard med school professor Dr. Pieter Cohen, who studies weight loss and dietary supplements.
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If you're losing weight fast, there might be another drug in that berberine supplement that's not listed on the label.
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Supplement manufacturers don't have to prove the products are safe or effective. The FDA only steps in later, if safety concerns come up.
You should check with your doctor before experimenting with berberine or other supplements you might see recommended on social media. Another resource is U.S. Pharmacopeia or USP. It does independent lab testing on the quality of ingredients in medicines and supplements. None of the health experts interviewed by "The Post" were aware of any USP-certified berberine supplements.
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One of the biggest stars in American soccer is getting ready to retire. Megan Rapinoe says her fourth World Cup this year will be her last.
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I could have just like never imagined where this beautiful game would have taken me. I feel so honored to have been able to represent this country and this federation for so many years.
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Rapinoe has played for Team USA for 17 years, scoring 63 goals. She's a three-time Olympian, winning gold in 2012. Rapinoe has also been a high-profile advocate for issues including pay equity and LGBTQ+ rights. And we'll have full coverage of everything World Cup this summer, because we've some big news.
After the Whistle is back baby! That's right. The Apple News soccer podcast "After the Whistle" is returning for the Women's World Cup. As you just heard, Brendan Hunt, who played Coach Beard on "Ted Lasso," is back in the host seat, alongside Rebecca Lowe from "NBC Sports."
Together, they bring the kind of contagious joy and smarts to help you follow the matches, the key players, and the big moments. The tournament starts on July 20th and takes place in Australia and New Zealand. The U.S. women are the defending champions. They'll be looking to see if they can win a historic third World Cup in a row.
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If you're listening on the Apple News app right now, we've queued up the trailer for season two of "After the Whistle" to play next. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts to catch the first episode, which'll be dropping in the podcast feed on July 19th. So enjoy that listen. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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