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Good morning. It's Wednesday, September 13th. I'm Gideon Resnick in for Shumita Basu. This is “Apple News Today.” On today's show… Why the flooding in Libya has been so devastating… Pharmacies making millions of mistakes, with potentially deadly consequences… And why birthday celebrations are getting more extravagant and expensive.
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But first, let's take a quick look at some other stories in the news. House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, is telling committees to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Biden. It will focus on whether he benefited from business dealings of his son Hunter Biden. House Republicans have not produced any evidence of this. The White House calls the inquiry quote, "extreme politics at its worst." McCarthy says an impeachment inquiry could provide important new information.
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This logical next step will give our committees the full power to gather all the facts and answers for the American public.
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Doing this doesn't require a floor vote, the way an actual impeachment of a president does. There don't appear to be enough votes for that since many Republicans don't support impeaching Biden because of the lack of evidence. So, launching a probe like this is seen as a way for McCarthy to give hard-liners in his party something, without the risk of losing a floor vote.
Elsewhere, the five former Memphis police officers involved in the deadly January beating of Tyre Nichols are now indicted on federal charges, including civil-rights violations and conspiracy. The five officers have pleaded not guilty to state charges in Tennessee, including second-degree murder.
In health news, the CDC is recommending the new COVID shots for everyone six months and older. This comes as COVID hospitalizations are trending up, though well below the worst weeks of the pandemic. The new vaccines will start to be available later this week.
Abroad, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, met in Russia today. It's a rare trip out of his country for Kim. The U.S. has warned him against providing weapons to Russia. Hours before the summit, North Korea staged a familiar provocation, test-launching two short-range ballistic missiles.
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Now to Libya, where more than 5,000 people are dead, and an estimated 10,000 missing. Many may have been swept out to sea in the catastrophic flooding. “The Washington Post” reports on why the floods there have been so deadly. One area got 16 inches of rain in a day, when it usually only gets half an inch this entire month. The ground was dry and cracked after a scorching summer, so it wasn't able to absorb much of the water.
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A storm named Daniel made things worse. It turned into what's called a "medicane," a rare kind of storm in the Mediterranean that's similar to a tropical hurricane. This is the same storm system that led to deadly flooding in Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria last week.
Beyond the heavy rain, key infrastructure failed. Two dams protected the low-lying city of Derna, a port city on the Mediterranean, but both collapsed, overwhelmed by the rushing water. Roads and electrical grids had been in poor shape for a long time, neglected, or damaged by war. The flooding is making things worse, wrecking roads, and making it harder for aid to reach survivors.
The aid effort is also complicated by the conflict in Libya, where there has been fighting for more than a decade. The flooding was in the least, which is controlled by a rebel coalition that is not recognized by the international community. That is making it harder for outside aid agencies to communicate and to get access to the people who need help.
“The Post” has some powerful pictures and maps that help explain the situation in Libya. There's also extensive coverage of the aftermath of the earthquake in Morocco, including criticism of the government's response. That's all in the Apple News app.
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You grab your prescription from the pharmacy, double check the instructions and take your pills - per doctor's orders. But what happens if the pharmacist put the wrong medication in the bottle?
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In California, an investigation by the “Los Angeles Times” found that this happens an estimated five million times every year, according to the state Board of Pharmacy. Most of the mistakes happened at large chains.
CVS and Walgreens say mistakes are rare and there are systems in place to prevent them. But it's difficult to grasp the true scope of the problem because officials can only estimate how many errors actually happen. Pharmacies are not required to report these mistakes. “L.A. Times” investigative reporter, Melody Petersen, told us about the potential consequences of a mix-up.
If you take the wrong drug or you take too much of a drug, it can be serious. There's a study that showed 9,000 Americans die every year from prescription errors. Pharmacists told Petersen, in recent years, management policies have led to pharmacies that are understaffed and overworked, which can contribute to errors. They describe trying to fill hundreds of prescriptions during a shift, all while juggling other tasks.
They're operating the cash register, maybe the drive through, answering the phone from customers, calling doctors' offices when the prescription isn't clear. And then, with the pandemic the pharmacies got even busier as they started to provide COVID vaccines. So, that increased their workload even more. And so, the number one reason behind these mistakes, according to studies, is distraction.
A recent survey found 91% of pharmacists working at California chain stores said staffing was too low to provide patients with adequate care. One former chain pharmacist told Petersen about the time he accidentally handed a customer the wrong prescription. He ran out to the parking lot and caught her, fortunately, but she was angry because this was a dangerous mistake. And he says, “yes, I made that mistake, but I don't think I would have made it if I would have had someone to help me.”
Critics want more accountability. The state pharmacy board is sponsoring a bill that would require retail pharmacies to report errors to a third party outside the government. And it would give pharmacists power to increase staffing if they feel that current conditions put patients at risk. The legislation faces opposition from a lobbying group representing retail pharmacies. It says the staffing requirements are too rigid and that the pharmacy board shouldn't have access to error reports. The bill is now before the state Senate.
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An adult birthday party doesn't need to be complicated. You know, just meet for drinks, nothing too crazy, no need for gifts. Or you might be like some of my friends and try to pretend like you've never even heard the word birthday at all.
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flying to Vegas, dinners, presents, champagne, all documented on Instagram, maybe TikTok. This is a thing now, a very expensive thing. “Vox” reports on the so-called wedding-ification of birthdays, and how these increasingly pricey and extravagant events are straining budgets and friendships.
The story points to several factors. Pandemic lockdowns and missed celebrations fueled a new demand for more elaborate parties. Then there's the pressure of social media. Seeing a friend's endless blowout might inspire someone to throw their own. Plus, many Americans are delaying or forgoing marriage and having children. So going all out for a milestone birthday can take the place of a wedding or baby shower.
Attending these lavish events is not cheap either. A report from “Credit Karma” found that many people, from Gen Z to Gen X, say birthday celebrations contribute to their overspending. But those who decline invitations because of the cost say that sometimes friends misinterpret this, and it damages those friendships.
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To get some practical advice, “Vox” talked to relationship experts and people who have thrown and been invited to birthdays in the current landscape. If it's your birthday, think hard about the money and time commitment you might be asking of your friends. Consider whether you would accept the invite you're sending. And if it's your friend's birthday and the price is too high, you can be honest about that, and offer up another way to help them celebrate.
You can read more about this and all the stories that we talked about in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, stick around. We've got a narrated article coming up next from “Smithsonian Magazine” about the quest to save the world's most coveted chocolate, and also threatened forests. That's cued up for you next and Shumita will be back with the news tomorrow.
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