Why we’re all implicated in the “shoplifting epidemic”

Hey there. It's Shumita here. I've got a quick ask. We're working on an upcoming episode of "In Conversation," and we've learned that when it comes to money management and couples, opposites really do attract. Spenders are more likely to end up with savers and vice versa. So we want to hear your opposites attract story, about how having two different approaches to money issues has played out in your relationship. Use your iPhone's voice memo app to record yourself. Just tell us your name, where you're from, and your story. And please, try to keep it to about a minute. You can send it to us at: applenewstoday@apple.com. Again, that's applenewstoday@apple.com. And we might include your story on the show. Thanks!

Why the Pentagon's sounding the alarm about a spy balloon from China over the U.S., Big changes could be coming to the Democratic Primary, and How Iran's government is using technology against protesters.

But first, whether you like it or not, you've probably benefited from the trafficking of stolen goods. Maybe you bought a cup of coffee from a cafe that uses stolen beans. If you shop online for clothes or accessories, the likelihood is even higher. Over the past few years, big stores and pharmacy chains have said shoplifting is on the rise. But a recent piece in "New York" Magazine reexamines that narrative and offers some nuanced perspectives on the people doing the shoplifting. Reporter James Walsh told us there are many reasons why stealing is becoming more organized.

One of the things I was struck by when I was interviewing shoplifters and kind of learning more about this shoplifting industry, if you want to call it an industry, is how much of it was driven by drug addiction. You know, I spoke to a handful of boosters, and I asked each one of them, do you know people who are doing it for any other reason than to feed a drug addiction? And they said no, they were all unhoused at various points, so I was really kind of shocked to see how close that relationship was between a housing crisis, a drug crisis, and this shoplifting, you know, quote unquote epidemic.

Occasionally that can, you know, lead to violence. I spoke with employees who had knives pulled on them. A lot of employees talk about the trauma of having to deal with shoplifting constantly.

Let's take a moment to catch up on three big developing stories we're watching. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is postponing his much-anticipated trip to China, "Bloomberg" reports.

This comes after the Defense Department spotted a massive spy balloon high above Montana. Officials believe it comes from China. Options to shoot it down were presented to President Biden, but he decided not to, because of the risk to civilians on the ground. China's foreign ministry claims the balloon was doing climate research and regrets that it entered U.S. airspace. Today's jobs report came in much stronger than forecasters expected, with the U.S. economy showing a net gain of more than half a million new jobs last month. This comes a couple days after the Fed hiked interest rates again. The unexpectedly strong labor data now has traders betting that the Fed will keep raising rates, maybe even more aggressively. And House Republicans voted to remove Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. They said it was over comments she made about Israel. Many Democrats viewed it as payback for kicking some Republicans off committees when the House was under Democrats' control. Omar said she'll keep doing her job.

I am here to stay and I am here to be a voice against harms around the world and advocate for a better world.

Omar was elected in 2018, along with Rashida Tlaib, becoming the first Muslim women to serve in Congress.

Moving on to some political news beyond Washington. This weekend, Iowa's coveted spot as the first in the nation caucus state to kick off the Presidential race is being reconsidered. Democratic National Committee members will vote tomorrow on whether to change up the order of voting states. This is based on a proposal from President Biden.

Here to explain more is my colleague Gideon Resnick. Hey, Gideon.

Hey, Shumita

So Biden's proposal would shuffle Iowa down the list and make South Carolina first. So remind us why the order matters in general, but also specifically for Biden.

So, the order of primaries is pretty important and kind of historically has made and broke some candidates over the years. States that go first get a lot of attention from these candidates. They'll visit many times, they'll crisscross those states. They'll pour a lot of money into them. You know, if you go to church in Des Moines, you might have a story about seeing Barack Obama a number of times. I can personally remember in this last campaign, driving up to gyms to see Elizabeth Warren or Joe Biden. And Iowa kind of counts itself as a place where often somewhat previously unknown political figures can turn themselves into contenders. Obama is one of those examples, and even before that, you know, Jimmy Carter is another.

Hmm. You know, I'm remembering this article that I read in "The Atlantic" recently. The reporter, Elaine Godfrey, is from Iowa, and she was writing about how it's such a point of pride for Iowans, you know, to be able to participate in elections in this really unique way. It's a big part of the state's identity.

Yeah, it absolutely is, but, you know, outsiders kind of view it in a somewhat different light, right? First and foremost, it is a caucus. It's not a primary. That means that it's time intensive. For years, also, people have said that Iowa is this interesting and good democratic process, but also that it's not really representative of the rest of the country. Also, I think worth saying here, you know, Biden performed poorly in Iowa, but did well enough in South Carolina that it revived his presidential campaign. So he has asked DNC leaders, as you said, to allow South Carolina to vote first as a way to bring more voters of color into the process earlier. And keep in mind this would be a pretty big shift. You know, Iowa has gone first since 1972. New Hampshire has been the first primary since, even before then. So I guess we may be preparing ourselves to say goodbye to the butter cow and to pictures of presidential candidates eating things on sticks at the caucus.

Ah, and that's a shame. But explain this for me. Can a President just decide to do this, like shift the order because it's better for them? I mean, who else needs to be on board with this and who can potentially stop this from going forward?

Yeah, I mean the DNC needs to get on board, but, you know, Biden of course can suggest it. And I think the combination of him asking this and that these conversations about changing the order had been happening before the proposal means it will probably happen. You know, there are a lot of people, specifically like Southern DNC members, who like the change. We've heard the most vocal criticism from Democrats in places like New Hampshire. And then, you know, outside of the DNC, this is gonna need buy-in from state level Republicans in places like New Hampshire and Georgia as well.

So even though the DNC is expected to vote in favor of this proposal, it doesn't mean it's actually gonna happen.

Yeah, this weekend's vote is definitely not the end of the story.

Gideon Resnick, thank you so much.

Yeah, of course. Thank you.

Despite what Iran's government wants people to think, protests against the regime are still happening around the country. And there's growing concern that the government is using facial recognition tools to identify protesters, particularly women who are violating dress codes by taking off their hijabs. A story from "WIRED" looks into this. Demonstrations began in September, after Mahsa Amini died in police custody under highly suspicious circumstances. She was accused of violating the hijab law. Just weeks before Amini's death, an Iranian official said facial-recognition technology would be used to issue fines and make arrests, including for women not wearing a hijab. "WIRED" senior writer Khari Johnson explains how the system works.

What we know is that a national identity database was created in 2015, and this includes face scans. The push to use face recognition in traffic cameras in a pilot project in Tehran was known beforehand as well. But the extent to which this technology is being used is not yet clear.

Digital human rights groups like Freedom House monitor 70 different countries around the world including Iran. One of their researchers was telling me that to their knowledge, this is one of the first instances of a government using face recognition to impose dress law on women based on religious belief.

facial recognition technology has become desirable for authoritarian regimes around the world. And Iran is a place where they have both the technical capacity and governmental will to use it.

You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're listening in the app right now, stick around to hear our interview show, "In Conversation." This week, I talk to investigative reporter Scott Higham from "The Washington Post" about the deadly fentanyl crisis. Higham explains the government failures that got us here.

They're starting to do things. Things are starting to happen. But, you know, here we are in 2023, we're six or seven years behind the ball.

That conversation is queued up to play next in the Apple News app. So check that out, have a good weekend, and I'll be back with the news on Monday.