Why rap lyrics are evidence in the Young Thug trial

Good morning! It's Tuesday, November 28th. I'm Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today." On today's show… Aid agencies on the importance of the temporary truce in Gaza, rap lyrics as court evidence in a high-profile trial in Georgia, and some tips on contributing to charities this Giving Tuesday.

In Gaza, the two-day truce extension between Israel and Hamas is holding. More hostages and prisoners are set to be released as part of the deal. Yesterday, Hamas freed 11 more Israeli hostages. In return, 33 Palestinians were released from Israeli prisons. This has been the longest pause in fighting since the war started on October 7th. Yousef Hammash, with the Norwegian Refugee Council, told "CNN" about what a difference the pause has made.

This was the first time for seven weeks that we were able to walk safely in the streets, eat safely, be in the streets without having that feeling that you might get bombed at any second.

Aid workers are seizing this opportunity to get critical supplies to people in Gaza. Aid agencies estimate 1.7 million people have been displaced by the war. That's roughly 80 percent of Gaza's population. The temporary halt to fighting has allowed agencies to provide more water, food and medicine. Much-needed fuel and cooking gas is also making its way into Gaza. But workers say supplies delivered so far are far less than people need.

What we really need is for this flow to continue, to continue to be regular, and also to give a boost to the private sector, so in addition to humanitarian supplies, for commercial supplies to come in. Nothing is open in Gaza. Driving through the streets, all the shops are closed. All the pharmacies are closed. Apart from a few vegetable stalls here and there, there is no market. I mean, I met a man who said to me, you know, "The jacket that I'm wearing, I've been wearing for the past 45 days." Right? So, people have lost everything, and they need everything.

Aid agencies want a permanent ceasefire. But with no assurance over when Israel could restart attacks in Gaza, workers are scrambling to do all they can for civilians while the conflict is on hold.

Let's take a quick look at some other stories in the news.

Today is a memorial service for Rosalynn Carter in Atlanta. She died at the age of 96 earlier this month. Her husband of 77 years, former president Jimmy Carter, is set to attend today, along with all of the living former first ladies. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former president Bill Clinton are also expected.

Jeffrey Williams, better known as Young Thug. He's pleaded not guilty to charges that he was a leader in a criminal gang involved with murder, guns, and drugs. It's a racketeering case. In fact, prosecutors in Fulton County are using the same racketeering law in the election-interference case against former president Donald Trump. Jewel Wicker was in court yesterday, reporting for "Billboard."

They're not accusing Young Thug of pulling the trigger in these cases, but they're saying that members and affiliates committed these crimes, at his direction or in service of him.

And one thing that makes this trial so unusual is prosecutors are using Young Thug's own lyrics as evidence.

That phrase - "a hundred rounds" - comes up in several songs.

Young Thug uses the lyric "a hundred rounds in a Tahoe", and prosecutors say, well, you know, there is a killing that we're talking about in this case where a rival gang member was killed next to his Chevy Tahoe that was riddled with bullets. So they say that these lyrics are specific and show the defendants bragging about the crimes that they've committed.

Young Thug's legal team argues against citing lyrics, as you might expect. But this case also worries free speech advocates, that it might set a precedent where works of fiction can be introduced as evidence of actual crimes. Critics also say it's problematic to focus on violence in rap lyrics specifically. After all, Johnny Cash sang about shooting a man in Reno just to watch him die. But he wasn't tried for murder.

We've heard music executives kind of argue that if it were country music, if it was rock music, or some other kind of popular music that wasn't rap and that wasn't created by Black artists, that we would never see the lyrics used in court in this way.

The trial could last several months, with testimony expected from high-profile people in the music industry. If he's convicted, Young Thug could face decades in prison.

Today is Giving Tuesday, so you might be thinking about the causes you care about and want to support. But sifting through all of the options and figuring out how much to give can be a challenge.

The "NPR" podcast 'Life Kit' spoke to Kevin Scally from Charity Navigator. It's a website that evaluates charities on their effectiveness. And he offered some tips. To get started, he says, grab a pen and take a minute to just write down the issues that matter most to you.

A lot of people think in concentric circles, so they think about, you know, themselves individually, they think about their families, they think about their community and then kind of the greater global community. And so, you can think about like, "Hey, what what really helped me when I was younger?" or "Did I have a family member that was afflicted by some sort of chronic illness and what was there to support them?"

From there, you can get more granular. Do some research to find out which legitimate non-profits are making a real difference in the areas you care about. And then think about how much you can afford to give. And even if you're on a tight budget, giving money is not the only way to make a difference.

Certainly volunteering is a great way to give back. The nice thing is, is that that's also a great way to get to know an organization and how they function and what they do. And so, if you can make that a part of, you know, your routine, it's a really beautiful thing to do.

You can find more Giving Tuesday tips in the "NPR" story in the Apple News App. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, we've got a Narrated Article coming up next from "TIME." It's a look at the billionaire founder of Uniqlo, Tadashi Yanai, how he built his clothing empire, and his pitch for how to boost Japan's economy. If you're listening in the Podcasts app, follow Apple News+ Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.