Thursday, January 13th, 2022
Omicron Peak Over?, Surging Prices & Instagram Options
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by MamaZen (Listen for the discount code) and StitchFix.com/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...
Omicron Wave Slowing
For the first time since Christmas, the number of new Covid-19 cases in the U.S. went down instead of up. Most of the turnaround is happening in the Northeast, places like New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. Those big cities were early hot spots of the omicron variant last month, so a drop in new infections there could mean we’ll see a drop in other cities soon. However, experts point out that this virus has shown time and time again that it’s unpredictable.
Read more: WaPo, Bloomberg, USA Today, CNN
Covid Tests for Schools
The White House says it has a new plan to keep classrooms open. It will start sending 10 million Covid-19 tests to schools around the country every month. Then, it will be up to each state to decide which schools get priority. All the tests will be free since the federal government has already paid for them. Most American schools are open for in-person classes now.
Read more: NBC News, Reuters, WSJ, NPR, White House
China Lockdowns
About 20 million people are now confined to their homes in China. Three cities recently ordered lockdowns. The latest one did so after just two cases of the omicron variant of Covid-19 were reported and no deaths. Government officials defend those harsh measures, saying they’re the main reason China has avoided the millions of infections seen in other countries. It’s not clear how long these lockdowns will last, but the hope is they’ll be over by next month when the Winter Olympics start. The games open on February 4th in Beijing.
Read More: NY Times, AP, NY Post, WSJ
Controversial NC Deputy Shooting
Protesters in North Carolina are calling for justice after a white sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a Black man in Fayetteville. Some people suspect race might have had something to do with it. The city’s police chief has asked the FBI and Department of Justice to launch a civil rights investigation. Deputy Jeffrey Hash was off-duty when he shot Jason Walker in front of his home, then called 9-1-1. Deputy Hash told the dispatcher he was driving when Walker jumped on his truck and broke his windshield, so the deputy opened fire. However, the local police chief says that story doesn’t add up. The deputy is on paid leave while the shooting is investigated.
Read more: Fayetteville Observer, AP, USA Today, Fox News, CBS News
Fuel Spill Near NOLA
People in Louisiana are dealing with new health and safety concerns after a massive oil spill last month. Documents were just released that show more than 300,000 gallons of diesel fuel were spilled just outside of New Orleans. It came from a ruptured pipeline that was in desperate need of repairs. Most of the fuel drained into ponds, which killed thousands of fish, birds, and other animals. The spill was first discovered on December 27th, but it wasn’t reported publicly until yesterday. So far, the company in charge of the pipeline hasn’t commented.
Read more: AP, The Hill, Newsweek
CPI Inflation Report
A new federal report shows prices continued to go up in 2021, all the way until the final days of December. That includes the cost of rent, food, clothes, cars, and a lot more. Those prices are now 7% higher than this time last year. The Fed will start raising interest rates this year, though, which it thinks will help. President Biden spoke about the latest inflation report, saying he agrees price increases are too high, and they are squeezing family budgets. But, he also points out that inflation is impacting nearly every nation right now as the global economy recovers from the pandemic.
Read more: WSJ, AP, Axios, NY Times, Reuters, BLS
Army Increases Recruit Bonuses
The U.S. Army is now offering signing bonuses of up to $50,000 for some prospective soldiers. That’s up from $40,000. A spokesperson for the Army says the pandemic and the current labor market challenges have made it hard to get people into the service. So officials hope more cash will entice people to sign up. However, not everyone will get the full amount. The new package will be based on a few different things, like the recruits chosen field, how long they sign up for, and their ship out date.
Read more: Axios, AP
Ronnie Spector Dies
Tributes are pouring in for the 1960’s icon and girl group leader Ronnie Spector. The Ronettes singer died after what her family called a short battle with cancer. She was 78. The Ronettes were considered one of the premier acts of the girl group era. They even toured with The Rolling Stones. You may remember some of their big hits like “Baby, I love you” and “Walking in the Rain”. Spector went on to have a long solo career after the group broke up in 1967. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
Read more: Rolling Stone, AP, Billboard, Ronnie Spector
NFL Regular-Season Ratings Up 10%
The NFL recorded its highest regular-season ratings in six years. The 272 regular games averaged 17.1 million viewers each. That’s a 10% increase from 2020. This wasn’t a huge surprise, though. The NFL was expecting its overall TV audience to go up after last year’s season when stadiums were empty, causing a strange viewing experience. Plus, the first half of the 2020 season was played in the middle of the presidential campaign, so a lot of people were watching cable news, not football.
Read more: The Athletic, WSJ, Deadline, AP
Instagram New Feed Views
The head of Instagram says the platform is testing three new options to change the look of your feed. The “home” setting is what we’re already used to: a feed Instagram's algorithm creates based on what it thinks will interest you. The new “favorites” feed will be just what it sounds like: the content will only be from the accounts you've marked as your favorites. Finally, a “following” feed will bring back what many users have been asking for: a chronological stream of posts from everyone you follow. Some users have already seen the new options in their Instagram app.
Read more: The Verge, Later, Bustle, Adam Mosseri
Thing to Know Thursday: How to Spot Fake Covid Tests
Federal officials are warning about counterfeit Covid-19 testing kits popping up online. There are some ways to tell the difference between the real and fake ones. The Federal Trade Commission suggests you only buy tests authorized by the FDA. Their website has a list of more than 40 at-home tests that are authorized, and you can get those online or at pharmacies.
Also, the FTC says to check reviews of the seller and the kit and compare with others before you buy it. Next, the FTC reminds you to make sure the kit is not expired.
Read more: CNN, KTLA, CNBC, FTC
Report fraud here: FTC