Rubin Report - Dave Rubin - Apple CEO Shakeup, Mass Shooting Update, Major Virginia Vote | 4/21/26 FIRST LOOK
Aired: 2026-04-21
Duration: 07:39


=== Virginia Map Flip Could Shift Power (03:04) ===

[00:00:04]  Good morning, everybody.
[00:00:05]  It's Tuesday, April 21st, 2026, and this is First Look.
[00:00:10]  We've got a big show for you today and some stories that could have serious national consequences.
[00:00:17]  Here's what we're tracking a high stakes vote in Virginia today that could redraw congressional maps and hand Democrats a massive 10 to 1 advantage in the state.
[00:00:28]  A major shake up at Apple.
[00:00:31]  Tim Cook stepping down after more than a decade.
[00:00:34]  As CEO.
[00:00:36]  New details in that horrific Louisiana mass shooting we told you about yesterday.
[00:00:41]  And later, a decades old serial predator finally caught thanks to DNA from a piece of chewing gum.
[00:00:50]  Let's get into it.
[00:00:51]  We start in Virginia, where voters head to the polls today in what could be one of the most consequential off year elections in the country.
[00:00:59]  At the center of this is House Joint Resolution 4, which would allow the Democrat controlled legislature to redraw the state's congressional map.
[00:01:08]  And the numbers here are stunning.
[00:01:11]  Right now, Virginia's delegation is six Democrats to five Republicans.
[00:01:16]  If this passes, that could flip to 10 Democrats and just one Republican.
[00:01:23]  Supporters say this is about fairness, a temporary measure to counter Republican gerrymandering in other states.
[00:01:30]  But opponents say this is something very different.
[00:01:33]  Governor Glenn Youngkin is warning this is a massive power grab, saying they poured $70 million into this to try to fool.
[00:01:42]  Trick and deceive Virginians.
[00:01:45]  Republicans are urging a no vote, calling the current map one of the fairest in the country.
[00:01:50]  And there's political controversy here, too.
[00:01:53]  Governor Abigail Spanberger is facing backlash after previously saying she had no plans to redraw the map, only to now support this exact proposal.
[00:02:04]  Critics are calling it a bait and switch.
[00:02:07]  Congressman Ben Klein says his largely agricultural district would be split into five separate districts, effectively diluting rural voices.
[00:02:17]  And handing power to Northern Virginia.
[00:02:19]  He described it as carving up communities into spaghetti strands.
[00:02:24]  Other lawmakers say this would allow heavily populated areas like Fairfax County to dominate representation, while rural regions lose their voice entirely.
[00:02:35]  Even a judge raised concerns about the ballot language, saying it could mislead voters into thinking a no vote is somehow unfair.
[00:02:44]  Meanwhile, national Democrats are fully behind this.
[00:02:47]  House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is pushing a yes vote, saying it's about creating a fair national map, which tells you this is about more than just Virginia.
[00:02:58]  If this passes, it could flip multiple House seats and impact control of Congress heading into 2026.
[00:03:06]  Now to a major business headline.

=== Justice Served After Decades of Waiting (04:31) ===

[00:03:08]  Apple has announced that Tim Cook will step down as CEO, ending a historic run that began back in 2011 after Steve Jobs.
[00:03:18]  Cook will remain in the role until September 1st, when John Turnis, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, will officially take over.
[00:03:28]  Cook isn't leaving entirely.
[00:03:30]  He'll transition into a new role as executive chairman, where he'll still help guide the company and engage with policymakers around the world.
[00:03:38]  And it's hard to overstate what Cook accomplished.
[00:03:41]  When he took over, Apple's market cap was around $350 billion.
[00:03:47]  Today, it's around $4 trillion.
[00:03:51]  Revenue has nearly quadrupled, and Apple now operates in over 200 countries with more than 2.5 billion active devices worldwide.
[00:04:02]  Under Cook, Apple launched entirely new product categories Apple Watch, AirPods, Vision Pro.
[00:04:09]  And he massively expanded its services business into a $100 billion powerhouse.
[00:04:15]  He also pushed privacy as a core value, expanded accessibility, and cut the company's carbon footprint by more than 60%.
[00:04:24]  Now, John Turnis steps in, a 25 year Apple veteran who's helped lead hardware development across iPhone, Mac, iPad, and more.
[00:04:34]  He's been central to major innovations, including Apple's transition to its own silicon chips.
[00:04:40]  Which has been a game changer for performance and efficiency.
[00:04:44]  So, this isn't an outsider, it's a handoff from one insider to another.
[00:04:50]  Still, anytime a company of this size changes leadership, it's a big deal.
[00:04:55]  Now, to an update on a story we brought you yesterday the devastating mass shooting in Louisiana that left eight children dead.
[00:05:02]  We're learning more about the suspect, 31 year old Shamar Elkins.
[00:05:06]  And let's be clear from the start whatever personal issues he was dealing with, this was an act of pure evil.
[00:05:14]  Elkins, an Army veteran, had been facing a divorce and called family members just hours before the attack, saying he was overwhelmed and having what he described as dark thoughts.
[00:05:25]  His stepfather tried to reassure him, but Elkins responded Some people don't come back from their demons.
[00:05:32]  And then he made a choice, a horrific one.
[00:05:35]  Authorities say he went into a Shreveport home and murdered eight children, seven of them his own, along with a cousin.
[00:05:42]  The victims ranged in age from just three to 11 years old.
[00:05:47]  He also shot his estranged wife, who remains in critical condition, along with another woman believed to be his girlfriend.
[00:05:54]  There were warning signs.
[00:05:55]  Elkins had a prior firearms conviction, including a 2019 incident where he fired a gun near a school.
[00:06:03]  He had been posting about mental struggles and relationship problems in the days leading up to the attack.
[00:06:09]  But none of that excuses what happened here.
[00:06:11]  This wasn't just a breakdown, this was a deliberate, monstrous act carried out against the most vulnerable victims imaginable.
[00:06:20]  Authorities are continuing their investigation, but the reality is already clear.
[00:06:25]  Eight innocent children are gone because of one man's actions.
[00:06:30]  And finally, a case of justice decades in the making a Washington man, 68 year old Mitchell Gaff.
[00:06:37]  Has pleaded guilty to two murders from the early 1980s.
[00:06:41]  And again, this is an evil individual who spent years preying on women and avoiding full accountability.
[00:06:48]  Investigators finally caught him using DNA from a piece of chewing gum after posing as researchers and collecting a sample that linked him to both crime scenes.
[00:06:59]  Gaff had a long history of violent behavior and admitted to multiple attacks over the years.
[00:07:05]  This wasn't a one time crime, this was a pattern.
[00:07:08]  Now, after decades, he's finally being held responsible.
[00:07:12]  He's set to be sentenced on May 13th.
[00:07:15]  And for the victims and their families, this justice has been a long time coming.
[00:07:20]  That's your first look for this Tuesday.
[00:07:23]  Big decisions in Virginia, a major shift in big tech, tragic updates out of Louisiana, and long overdue justice in Washington.
[00:07:32]  We'll keep tracking it all and bring you the latest.
[00:07:35]  I'm Dave Rubin.
[00:07:36]  Thanks for starting your day with First Look.
[00:07:38]  We'll see you next time.