Tuesday, February 2nd, 2021
Dueling Relief Proposals, Silver Market Frenzy & Groundhog Day
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BlueNile.com and Noom.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...
Relief Bill Talks
President Biden met with Senate Republicans to discuss coronavirus relief legislation. Republicans have a new proposal worth about $618 billion. Biden has proposed a $1.9 trillion plan. Republicans have called that one too costly. They all want money for COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and treatments. However, Biden also wants larger relief payments, and aid for state and local governments, among other things. Republicans said the president seemed open to compromise. However, Democrats could move forward on Biden’s plan without them.
Read More: WaPo, NBC News, Axios, Reuters, GOP Proposal, White House Proposal
U.S. COVID-19 Progress
The daily rate of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations is falling in the U.S. The average number of cases is reportedly 40% lower now than it was at a peak three weeks ago. The hope is the death toll will soon fall too. Over the past week, the U.S. has been averaging about 3,000 deaths a day. There’s also a new emphasis on vaccines since new strains of the virus are becoming more common. The nation’s top disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said the vaccines should help protect people and also prevent new strains from forming.
Read More: NY Times, CNN, AP
Rep. Taylor Greene Controversy
House Democrats are moving to get one Republican congresswoman off two committees that deal with education, jobs, and the budget. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is getting attention for her controversial views. For example, she has suggested executing prominent Democrats, said she believed some school shootings were staged, and more. The top Republican in the House is meeting with her as soon as today. Democrats say if he doesn’t remove her from committees, they will work to do it with a vote.
Read More: The Hill, NY Times, ABC News
Reddit Traders Target Silver
Futures prices for silver hit their highest levels in eight years yesterday and websites selling silver coins reported unusually high demand. Some say it’s because, once again, individual investors have been coming together on forums like Reddit to sway the market. You can see posts there encouraging users to buy the metal. However, some Reddit users are skeptical. They believe big Wall Street firms may secretly be behind the “silver squeeze.”
Read More: USA Today, WSJ, BBC
Winter Storm Update
A massive winter storm brought even more snow to the East Coast than predicted. Some forecasters say up to 44 inches of snow is possible in some areas. In New York City, eight inches of snow fell in just six hours, making it the snowiest day the city has seen in five years. Also, the cities of Philadelphia and Baltimore both broke records for snowfall totals. It all led to hundreds of flight cancellations and disrupted efforts to give out COVID-19 vaccines in some areas. Winter weather warnings are still in effect from Georgia to Maine.
Read More: Accuweather, AP, CBS News, NWS
Groundhog Day
Today is Groundhog Day. As the legend goes, if a groundhog emerges from his burrow and sees his shadow, winter will persist for another six weeks. If he doesn’t see his shadow, that means spring will arrive early. That said, the groundhog isn’t the best predictor of the weather. NOAA says he’s only been right about 40% of the time. Still, it’s a fun tradition that lives on, even in the pandemic. No spectators will be there in person, but the event will be live-streamed today starting at 6:30 a.m. ET.
Read More: AP, People, Watch Livestream
Dustin Diamond Dies
The world is saying goodbye to another actor who passed away this week, Dustin Diamond. Most people remember him as his character ‘Screech’ on the 90s sitcom Saved by the Bell. Just three weeks ago, the actor was diagnosed with stage four carcinoma, a type of cancer. His publicist says he died from it yesterday. Now, Diamond’s Saved by the Bell costars are paying tribute to him. For example, Mario Lopez tweeted, “The fragility of this life is something never to be taken for granted.” Diamond was 44 years old.
Read More: USA Today, Variety, Fox News
Ticket to Space Raffle
Tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman is chartering a SpaceX rocket on a three or four-day flight to orbit. He’s hoping to launch this October, but he still has to fill the flight. There are four seats on the capsule. He’s taking one of them. Another is going to an entrepreneur in a “Shark Tank”-like contest. Isaacman also gave one of the seats to a frontline worker at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. The last seat will be raffled off to someone at random. The winner will be picked in about a month.
Read More: The Verge, NBC News, NY Times, SpaceX
Trivia Tuesday
Q: Why are there only 28 days in February?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories Quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia Tuesday Answer
Q: What exciting, personal news do I want to share with you?
A: I’m pregnant!
Read More: Baby Post on Instagram, The NewsWorthy Job Descriptions