Thursday, January 6th, 2022
One Year Since Riot, Plessy Pardoned & Hottest Housing Markets
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by kiwico.com (Listen for the discount code) and Masterworks.Art/newsworthy
Story Summaries
All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want to peruse the latest happenings...
One Year Since Capitol Riot
Today marks exactly one year since the U.S. Capitol building was invaded and overrun by thousands of rioters. It was supposed to be a peaceful rally, where then-President Trump and his allies spoke to supporters. Crowds from that rally forced their way past police officers and broke into the Capitol. This happened just as Congress was certifying current President Biden’s victory. A year later, the White House says the president will speak to Americans about what happened that day. He and Vice President Harris will give speeches at the Capitol this morning.
Read more: Reuters, Politico, Fox News, CBS News, White House
Federal Investigation Latest
The Justice Department is still focused on holding the Capitol rioters accountable. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland promised, “The actions we have taken thus far will not be our last.“ Garland said anyone who was involved will be brought to justice, no matter how long it takes. So far, at least 725 people have been arrested in connection to the riot. They face charges ranging from trespassing to assaulting police officers. The FBI still wants to identify and arrest hundreds more.
Read more: WaPo, AP, WSJ, DOJ
Philadelphia Apartment Fire
Philadelphia’s mayor called it “one of the most tragic days in our city’s history.” A catastrophic fire tore through a Philadelphia home, killing 12 people, including eight kids. It’s one of the nation’s deadliest residential fires in decades. Authorities have not identified the victims yet. They lived in the top unit of a three-story home, where at least four smoke detectors weren’t working. Housing officials say the building was last inspected less than a year ago, and the detectors were working then. Now, investigators are trying to figure out how the fire started.
Read more: Philadelphia Inquirer, CNN, Fox News, NY Times, Philadelphia FD
HBCUs Bomb Threats
At least eight historically black colleges and universities were targeted this week. Each one of them received bomb threats, all on the same day. The campuses were forced to lock down or evacuate. However, thankfully, no bombs were found. All of the schools have since given the all-clear, so students and staff can return today. Law enforcement is still investigating. For now, The Washington Post reports that it’s not clear if the threats were connected or racially motivated.
Read more: ABC News, WaPo, Axios, USA Today
Plessy Pardoned
It’s been more than 125 years since the historic Plessy v. Ferguson case reached the Supreme Court. Now, Louisiana's governor is hoping to undo some of the damage. In case you’re not familiar, Homer Plessy was a Black man charged with boarding a whites-only train car in Louisiana, which was against state law then. The Supreme Court ended up ruling against Plessy, and that ruling cemented America’s “separate but equal” segregation law for another half a century. This week, Governor John Bel Edwards decided to officially pardon Homer Plessy. His relatives attended a ceremony.
Read more: AP, Axios, CBS News, WSJ, History, Louisiana Governor
Next Winter Storms
More than 100 million Americans across 38 states are now under winter weather alerts. Today and tomorrow, two storm systems are expected to bring heavy snow, brutally cold temperatures, gusty winds, and icy roads. Today, the worst of it is going to be in the middle of the country. Temperatures will take a nosedive in the northern plains. Wind chills will range from -25 to -35 degrees. Another storm system is bringing freezing rain and snow to parts of Tennessee and Kentucky. By tonight, it’s expected to bring snow to the mid-Atlantic, like the Carolinas and Virginia. Then, by tomorrow morning, the winter blast is expected to hit the northeast.
Read more: CNN, USA Today, NBC News, ABC News, NWS
Chevy Silverado EV Unveiled
Automakers unveiled some new electric cars and trucks at the world’s largest tech show. At CES in Las Vegas, Chevy showcased an electric version of its full-size Silverado pickup, promising a range of more than 400 miles. It says it will be able to charge 100 miles worth in just 10 minutes. Chevy’s owner, GM, says it will build two models of the electric truck. One is a basic work truck costing $40,000. The other, the RST, is a fully-loaded, luxury model with a price tag of $105,000.
Read More: Detroit Free Press, Engadget, CNBC, Chevrolet
Sony’s Electric SUV Unveiled
The maker of the Playstation says it wants to start selling electric cars, too. Sony showed off a prototype of an impressive electric SUV this week. Sony actually first surprised the world by unveiling an electric concept car called The Vision - S in 2020, but at the time, it did not plan on actually selling the car. Now, Sony says it will launch a new company called Sony Mobility to bring them to market.
Read More: Fox News, Ars Technica, CNET, Sony
Chrysler Airflow EV Unveiled
Also at CES, Chrysler previewed its all-electric mystery vehicle called the Airflow Concept. Even the automaker is keeping the kind of car under wraps, though. The once-prominent American automaker said its first electric car will start production in 2025. By 2028, that’s all it will sell.
Read More: The Verge, WSJ, CNN, Ars Technica, Stellantis
BMW’s Color-Changing Paint
If you’re indecisive about your car color at the lot, BMW has an impressive fix for that. It showcased a car that can change exterior colors with the push of a button. The only catch is it won’t work if it's not too hot or cold outside. BMW didn’t offer a lot on how the technology works, though.
Read More: Engadget, The Verge, CNET, The Guardian, BMW
Hottest Housing Markets of 2022
If you think house prices were wild in 2021, 2022 doesn’t look much tamer. Nationally, home values are expected to surge 14%. That’s according to the real estate app, Zillow. Prices are expected to rise more in some places than others. Florida is one of the hot spots. In Zillow’s list of Hottest Housing Markets for 2022, Tampa Bay came in at the top spot, and Jacksonville ranked number two. Raleigh, North Carolina, San Antonio, Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina round out the top five. By “hot housing market,” Zillow means there will be low inventory and high competition.
Read more: Bloomberg, Tampa Bay Times, Zillow
TikTok Coming to Businesses
Soon, you could catch TikTok videos while you’re out to eat, at the gym, in a hotel, or at the office. The TikTok channel is being added to the streaming service Atmosphere, which streams for businesses. Atmosphere editors will pick out TikTok videos based on what they think works for a certain business’ customers. Then, they’ll add music and captions. For now, TikTok creators don’t get paid, but they will have to give their consent for their videos to be used this way.
Read More: TechCrunch, USA Today, BusinessWire, Atmosphere
Grammy’s Postponed & Sundance Goes Virtual
One of music’s biggest nights isn’t happening anytime soon. The Grammy Awards were set for January 31st, but now the show is postponed indefinitely because of Covid-19. There is no new date, but Variety sources say it could be April or May. Separately, the Sundance Film Festival announced it’s going virtual again this year. Organizers say they’re disappointed. But, they also said a digital festival can foster hits since last year’s event showcased big movies like “Coda” and “Summer of Soul.”
Read More: Fox News, Deadline, NPR, WSJ, Sundance, Grammy
Thing to Know Thursday: Pandemic-Era Babies Development Study
New research says babies might be falling a little behind if they were born in the early days of the pandemic. A study was published this week by the American Medical Association. For it, researchers followed 255 babies born between March to December of 2020. They found, at six months old, the babies scored slightly lower on a developmental screening test than babies born earlier. Social and motor skills tended to be lower, but their communication and problem-solving skills were a bit higher. Still, researchers say these findings don’t necessarily mean this generation is going to be impacted later in life.
Read More: NBC News, Sky News, HealthDay, JAMA