Friday, January 14th, 2022
Vaccine Rules Blocked, Student Loans Forgiven & Big Olympic Favor
All the news you need in around 10 min:
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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 reading the latest happenings...
SCOTUS’ Vaccine Rules Decisions
The Covid-19 vaccine mandate that was supposed to apply to big businesses won’t be enforced after all. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against it. This is the rule that said companies with 100 or more workers need to make sure their employees are either vaccinated or tested for Covid-19 weekly. The high court decided the White House doesn’t have the power to impose those rules. However, it said a mandate for healthcare workers is okay. It’s the one that says any facility taking money from the federal government must make sure all their employees are vaccinated, or they won’t get any more federal dollars.
Read more: AP, NY Times, WSJ, CNN, Supreme Court
Americans Getting More Covid Supplies
The White House is offering Americans more free supplies to fight Covid-19, like at-home testing kits. The Biden administration will buy another 500 million of them, bringing the total to 1 billion. It's not clear when they’ll be ready, though, since the Biden administration still needs to set up the website for people to order the free tests. The president says the site is on track to roll out next week. He also promised to announce plans to give Americans free, high-quality masks, like N95s.
Read more: NPR, CNBC, NY Times, AP, White House
RNC May Pull Out of Debates
The Republican National Committee says it plans on keeping GOP nominees from debating ahead of the general election. The RNC has some issues with the nonpartisan organization that has hosted presidential debates for more than three decades. For example, it's been pushing to have an RNC representative at the organization’s board meetings. It also wants to have more influence on picking moderators, but as the debate commission’s chairman told The Washington Post, the RNC “wanted to control things we aren’t prepared to let them control”. What the next election cycle will look like is still unclear.
Read more: NY Times, AP, Fox News, Politico, WaPo, RNC
Prince Andrew Loses Honors and Titles
A member of the British royal family is losing his standing with the monarchy. Queen Elizabeth took away Prince Andrew’s military titles and royal charities. The decision came after a federal judge in the U.S. said a sex abuse case against him can go forward. An American woman is accusing Prince Andrew of raping her while she was a teenager. She says it was the accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein who offered her up to Prince Andrew for sex. The prince says he has no recollection of meeting the woman and says what she’s accusing him of never happened.
Read more: BBC, Reuters, NY Times, Fox News, Royal Family
First Sedition Charges After Riot
The Justice Department handed down its most serious charges yet related to last year’s Capitol riot. It accused 11 people of seditious conspiracy, meaning they plotted and encouraged other people to revolt. Court papers say they all organized teams to use force and bring weapons to the Capitol. One of the people arrested is the leader of the far-right extremist group Oath Keepers. The other 10 are affiliated with the group in some way. Seditious conspiracy charges are rare, and if found guilty, these 11 people could face up to 20 years in prison. So far, none of them have commented.
Read more: WaPo, Politico, WSJ, NPR, DOJ
Next Big Snowstorm Coming
Tens of millions of Americans are now in the path of a major winter storm. The first area to see snow will be the upper Midwest today. Up to a foot of snow is expected to fall in the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Iowa. Then, the storm will drop into Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas. From there, the south may be in for a dangerous ice storm. The Carolinas are expected to get the worst of it. The storm’s last stops will be the mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Sunday. Some places from northern Virginia to New England might see up to 18 inches of snow.
Read More: CNN, USA Today, CBS News, Fox News, NWS
CDC Cruise Guidelines Becoming Optional
The Covid-19 guidelines for cruise ships will become optional after this weekend. The requirements have been in place since October of 2020. They include Covid-19 testing for the crew and mask-wearing indoors on the ships. Now, it’ll be up to each cruise line traveling internationally and operating in the U.S. waters. If a cruise line chooses not to join the voluntary program, they’ll be marked grey on the CDC’s color status website. That’s to show the CDC has not reviewed the health and safety protocols on board.
Read more: USA Today, CNBC, TheStreet
Mortgage Rates Highest Since March 2020
Mortgage rates surged to their highest levels in almost two years. The mortgage loan company Freddie Mac says this week’s average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage jumped to 3.45%. The last time the rates were this high was at the very beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020. The jump was reportedly driven by news that the Federal Reserve plans to raise interest rates next year. This means higher borrowing costs, record-high home prices, and low inventory are pushing some buyers out of the market.
Read More: WSJ, MarketWatch, CNN, Reuters
Navient Canceling $1.7B in Student Loans
One of the country’s largest student loan companies, Navient, will forgive $1.7 billion in private student loans. The agreement ends a years-long legal fight with 38 states and Washington, D.C. The attorneys general of those states say Navient preyed on Americans who were unlikely to be able to pay the loans back. So, nearly 66,000 borrowers whose loans were in default will get their balances cleared. As part of the settlement, Navient says it’s only settling to avoid the expense, time, and distraction of a legal fight. It did not admit guilt.
Read more: NY Times, AP, CNN, CNBC, Massachusetts.gov
Rapper Ye Incident Investigated
Los Angeles police are investigating the rapper Ye (formally known as Kanye West) for allegedly assaulting a fan. Authorities say it happened around 3 a.m. Thursday outside an LA club. As local news outlets report, Ye pushed and punched a man who was asking for his autograph. The case is being investigated as a misdemeanor battery. That crime could carry a maximum jail sentence of six months, but so far, Ye has not been arrested or charged. As of this morning, no comment from the rapper.
Read More: TMZ, Variety, KTTV, Page Six
Lionel Richie Awarded Gershwin Prize
Music legend Lionel Richie will receive this year’s prestigious Gershwin Prize for pop music. The Library of Congress honor is meant to recognize an artist’s lifetime achievement in one genre of music. Richie, an Oscar and Grammy winner, is currently reaching new generations as a judge on American Idol. He began his career with The Commodores in 1968 and followed it up with a solo career in the 1980s. He’s known for hit songs like “Endless Love” and “Dancing on the Ceiling”.
Read more: Variety, NPR, Billboard, USA Today, LOC
Feel Good Friday: US Speed Skater Gives Up Olympic Spot To Teammate
The world’s top speed skater almost missed her shot at the Beijing Winter Olympics until her teammate stepped in. The American athlete, Erin Jackson, says Brittany Bowe gave up her spot after winning the 500m qualifying race at the U.S. Olympic trials. Jackson finished 3rd, just one spot short of qualifying because she slipped during the event. Bowe said no one deserves the 500m spot more than Jackson, so she took herself out of the running, allowing Jackson to qualify. Bowe will still compete in two other Olympic events in Beijing. Jackson promised to be the loudest voice cheering her on.
Read more: Today, CBS News, AP, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Erin Jackson