Friday, February 5th, 2021
Congresswoman Penalized, More Refugees Allowed & Super Bowl LV
All the news you need in around 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Noom.com/newsworthy and BlueNile.com
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...
Rep. Greene Committee Assignments
Lawmakers voted, mostly along party lines, to remove Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene from her assigned committees. All Democrats supported the move along with 11 Republicans. Rep. Green has been controversial for statements she made before she was elected in which she embraced certain conspiracy theories. Before the vote, the Georgia Republican said she regrets some of what she used to believe. For example, she said she now knows the 9/11 terror attacks “actually happened and that school shootings were “absolutely real.”
Read More: AP, WSJ, NBC News, FOX News
Biden Raises Refugee Cap
President Joe Biden says he wants the U.S. to let in 125,000 people who are fleeing violence, conflict, and oppression in their home countries. It’s a big expansion of a decades-old refugee program. Last year, the U.S. opened up just 15,000 spots. Former President Trump said he didn’t want to allow as many refugees into the U.S. because he said they weren’t vetted properly. However, Biden said the program is needed to meet an “unprecedented global need.”
Read More: The Hill, CBS News, NY Times, UN
U.S. Ends Support for Yemen War
President Biden says he no longer wants to support war efforts in Yemen. A brutal civil war has been going on there since 2015. For years, the U.S. has supported Saudi Arabia in its action against the Houthis in Yemen. In the six years since the war started, 112,000 people have died and the UN estimates about 13.5 million people don’t have enough food to eat. Biden is ending certain weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He’s also pushing for a cease-fire.
Read More: WaPo, AP, FOX News, Axios
COVID Cases Falling, Deaths Continue
In the United States, the numbers of new COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations are going down. The COVID Tracking Project says it’s seeing this downward trend in nearly every state. Still, many infectious disease experts say they’re worried about Super Bowl gatherings this weekend. The new CDC director says one of the reasons we’re seeing improvements now is because the effects of holiday gatherings have started to fade, so she doesn’t want to see the numbers swing up again after Super Bowl parties.
Read More: AP, Axios, CNN, Johns Hopkins, COVID Tracking
J&J Applies for EUA
As expected, Johnson & Johnson applied for the FDA’s emergency use authorization. With this vaccine, you need just one shot, not two, like other vaccines on the market. Plus, it can be stored in a simple refrigerator, unlike some that require special freezers and dry ice. Now, it’s up to the FDA to review all the safety data and manufacturing records. If all goes well and the FDA authorizes the vaccine, Johnson & Johnson says it will start shipping doses right away. It may be able to supply 100 million doses by June.
Read More: WSJ, Politico, NBC News, J&J
NASA’s Food-Growing Competition
NASA is trying to figure out how to better feed astronauts in space. It launched a contest asking people to submit their best ideas for space food and it’s offering $500,000 in prizes. NASA wants people to come up with ideas or new technologies that can help astronauts produce and prepare food during long missions. The food has to be safe, nutritious, and tasty. Preparing it can’t require too many resources since there’s only so much room inside spaceships. The contest is underway now. People have until May 28th to sign up.
Read More: Fox News, Food & Wine, NASA, Contest
Toxic Metal Found in Baby Food
A new congressional report says some baby food may contain high levels of toxic metals. The report looked at data from brands like Gerber, Beech-Nut, Earth’s Organic Foods, and Happy Family Organics. It found all of them were using ingredients that contain a lot of metals like arsenic, lead, and cadmium. If babies are exposed to high levels of those metals, they can affect their brain development and nervous system. Lawmakers are now calling on the FDA to have stricter oversight.
Read More: NY Times, WSJ, Axios, Report
Super Bowl Game
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are taking on the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LV this weekend. It’s the second Super Bowl in a row for the Chiefs, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes. This is the first Super Bowl the Bucs have quarterback Tom Brady. Only about 25,000 fans are allowed to show up in person. That means the stadium will be just over a third full. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. ET. You can watch the game on CBS.
Read More: NFL, CBS Sports, NBC Sports
Super Bowl Performances
During the Super Bowl halftime show, the singer The Weeknd will perform in the stands so he and his crew stay distanced from the players. Also, country star Eric Church will perform the national anthem with R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan. For the first time, a poet will perform at the big game. Amanda Gorman became a well-known name last month when she performed at President Biden’s inauguration. Now, she’ll be reciting a new poem during the Super Bowl pre-show.
Read More: NY Times, GMA, WaPo, NPR
Puppy Bowl
The Puppy Bowl is also set for Sunday. Animal Planet says 70 dogs from 22 different shelters will spend a few hours chasing toys around a miniature football field. This year, six of the pups will be special needs. The goal is to get every dog in the Puppy Bowl adopted. The Puppy Bowl has been going on for 16 years and has a 100% adoption record. This year, it’s being hosted by Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg. It will air on Animal Planet and Discovery+ at 2 p.m. ET.
Read More: USA Today, People, Animal Planet
Feel Good Friday: Teacher Uses Instagram to Give Back
A teacher is helping wipe away the medical debt of strangers. Sharon McMahon recently announced a fundraising campaign on her Instagram. It’s raising money for the nonprofit RIP Medical Debt. The organization uses donated funds to buy up medical debt at a discount. It says for every $1 donated, the organization can forgive $100 of debt. Sharon first set a goal to raise $20,000. At last check, she’s raised more than $400,000. That will go to forgive $40 million in medical debt and help thousands of families.
Read More: Sharon’s Campaign, RIP Medical Debt - Donate, Sharon’s Instagram, KQDS