Tuesday, February 1st, 2022
New Vaccine Option?, Wordle Sold & Lunar New Year
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by StitchFix.com/newsworthy and Rothys.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 read the latest happenings...
Novavax Applies for FDA Authorization
The U.S. could soon have a fourth Covid-19 vaccine on the market. Novavax is the latest company to apply for FDA authorization. Like the Moderna and Pfizer options, this one also comes in two shots, and they are spaced three weeks apart. This vaccine is made differently, though, so it could be helpful for people who are allergic to the materials in other vaccines. In late-stage trials, the Novavax option was about 90% effective at preventing Covid-19 cases with symptoms. The most common side effects were the ones we’ve seen before: fatigue, headache, and muscle pain.
Read more: NY Times, Politico, Reuters, Novavax
Moderna Vaccine Fully Approved
Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine just became the second to get full FDA approval here in the U.S. instead of just emergency-use authorization. Pfizer was the first to get approved last year. Both companies had to file a lot of paperwork and go through rigorous inspections to get the new designation. It means both shots will be able to stay on the market even after Covid-19 is no longer considered an emergency. Also, the companies can market the vaccines directly to healthcare providers and the general public.
Read more: Stat, WSJ, CNN, FDA
UN Security Council Meeting
Months of tensions came to a head at the U.N. Security Council. The U.S. and Russia clashed at the very public, face-to-face meeting over Ukraine. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. warned of an “urgent and dangerous” situation around Ukraine since Russia has surrounded the country with troops and heavy weapons. However, Russia’s U.N. Ambassador accused the U.S. of “whipping up tensions” in the region. The U.S. had said this was a chance for Russia to explain itself. However, Russia didn’t say much that we haven't heard before. The U.S. Secretary of State is set to talk once again with his Russian counterpart today.
Read more: ABC News, NY Times, WSJ, Reuters, Axios, White House, UN
Worst Month for Wall Street Since March 2020
The U.S. stock market saw a bit of a rebound yesterday. However, January still ended up being the worst month on Wall Street since March of 2020, when the pandemic first took hold. The S&P 500 ended the month 5.3% lower than it started. The Nasdaq was down 9%, and the Dow shed 3.3%. Analysts point to a lot of uncertainty last month. But, many Wall Street experts predict good times ahead. For example, the top stocks strategist at Goldman Sachs says he thinks the market will finish the year up 15% from where it closed on Friday.
Read more: WSJ, AP, WaPo, NY Times
Central US Winter Storm Coming
A winter storm is set to hit the middle of the country starting today. At least 90 million people across 14 states are under winter storm watches or warnings. A lot of major metro areas are in the path, too, like Detroit, Denver, and Dallas. It’s expected to start tonight from the Rockies into the Plains and parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes. Tomorrow, a wintry mix is forecasted to stick around with heavy snow in many places. Then, snow, sleet, and ice could extend as far south as Oklahoma and North Texas tomorrow night into Thursday.
Read more: Weather Channel, Accuweather, CNN, NWS
Sony Buys Bungie
Playstation maker Sony is buying the video game studio Bungie for a whopping $3.6 billion. Bungie makes the popular online game Destiny, and it’s also the original creator of Halo. In a statement, Bungie said the games will stay on all of the platforms they’re currently on. Bungie is set to stay an independent studio and publisher of its games. This is just the latest in a string of big-ticket deals in the gaming industry.
Read more: CNN, USA Today, The Verge, Games Industry, Sony
NYT Buys Wordle
The New York Times is buying Wordle, the super simple word-guessing game that went viral. The game was released this past October and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. The Times says millions of people play Wordle every day. So, the game will join the paper’s slew of other popular daily puzzles, like crosswords, spelling bee, and more. The paper also said the game will stay free for users, for now.
Read more: Bloomberg, WSJ, NY Times, Josh Wardle
Joe Rogan Responds to Spotify Controversy
Joe Rogan broke his silence after backlash from many Spotify artists and subscribers. The host of the podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience” said he wasn’t purposely trying to spread misinformation or be controversial, just that he wanted to have interesting conversations. Rogan now says he’s open to making improvements, like doing more research on certain topics and balancing controversial guests with mainstream ones, too. This comes after artists like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell pulled their music, while podcasters like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle raised concerns.
Read more: Fox Business, CNBC, CNN, Joe Rogan
Meta’s Updated 3D Avatars
You’ll soon be able to use new 3D avatars on Facebook and Instagram. You can make them look even more like you. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, launched the new and improved avatars for stickers and feed posts on both apps. Before, you may have seen avatars on Facebook, but those weren’t 3D. They weren’t on Instagram before now, either. There are more options, too, like cochlear implants or colorful hearing aids, or even a wheelchair for your avatar.
Read more: The Verge, TechCrunch, Meta
Pinterest AI Furniture Tool
Another popular social media site is expanding its augmented reality tools. Since picking furniture can sometimes be like solving a puzzle, Pinterest has a new AR tool called Try On. It lets you superimpose a virtual image of something onto a view of the real world through your phone’s camera. So, for example, it can let you see how furniture or home decor would look in your space or if those barstools might clash in your kitchen. Pinterest says the feature works with Target, Walmart, West Elm, and other stores.
Read more: WSJ, Cnet, Pinterest
Lunar New Year Begins
Today marks the Lunar New Year. It’s the most important annual holiday in China, but it's celebrated in a lot of other countries, too. Every year, the holiday is named after one of the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac. This year, it’s the Year of the Tiger, which signifies bravery and courage. Lunar New Year is a way for people to put the past behind them and look forward to a fresh new start. A lot of people are celebrating at home again with traditional red lanterns and good food.
Read more: AP, USA Today, WaPo, Chinese New Year
Trivia Tuesday
Who was the first president to officially recognize Black History Month?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia
Q: Where is the palatine uvula, usually just referred to as the uvula, located?
A: The Throat
Read more: Web MD, Capoto, NIH