Show Notes
From Apple News In Conversation: Fewer people around the world are having kids — the global birth rate has been falling steadily since the 1970s — but, for many, it’s not because they don’t want to become parents. A deep sense of uncertainty about money, relationships, and the future has made starting a family feel harder than ever. Anna Louie Sussman, author of the new book Inconceivable: The Impossibility of Family in an Age of Uncertainty, joins Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to discuss what’s really standing in the way and what it would take to close that gap.
More from Apple News Today
More than $10 billion is expected to be spent on advertising in this midterm cycle. New York Times reporter Teddy Schleifer joins to explain where the money comes from, how a recent Supreme Court ruling has shifted power back toward party committees, and what voters should watch for in the final two weeks.
The Guardian’s Ashifa Kassam takes us inside Europe’s “autumn of discontent.” The Justice Department has charged 28 people in California with election crimes and is seeking to block roughly 20,000 ballots from being counted in the midterm elections despite experts saying noncitizen voting is extremely rare. NPR’s Miles Parks discusses the implications of the move. Federal judges in Washington are being asked to weigh in on details of President Trump’s attempt to make over the capital, and they’re getting increasingly frustrated. Associated Press reporter Gary Fields explains why. Plus, Trump’s $8 billion bailout for farmers, the NASCAR driver diagnosed with CTE, and how a novel piece of infrastructure is saving wildlife in the West. Today’s episode was hosted by Gideon Resnick.
President Trump says he is open to a trilateral summit with Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi to discuss Ukraine without Zelenskyy present. The Wall Street Journal’s Lingling Wei explains what the talks signal to smaller nations.
Voters in Alberta today decide if the province should pursue secession. Leyland Cecco from The Guardian breaks down the long-shot independence referendum.
From Apple News In Conversation: With the 2026 midterms just two weeks away, many Americans are paying close attention not only to races and candidates but to the election process itself. Cook Political Report editor in chief Amy Walter and veteran GOP pollster Patrick Ruffini join Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to answer questions from our listeners — including why polling has become so hard to trust, how redistricting fights are reshaping races, and what guardrails are in place after results start coming in.