Friday, February 12th, 2021
Weekend Impeachment Vote?, Bracing for a Blizzard & Valentine’s Day
All the news you need in around 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by NativeDeo.com/newsworthy and MunkPack.com (Listen for the discount code)
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...
Impeachment Prosecutors Wrap Up
Today, it’s up to former President Trump’s lawyers to defend their client in his historic impeachment trial. They say they’ll start and wrap up their arguments in one day. Already, House Democrats rested their case. On the second day of testimony, they played more graphic videos from the U.S. Capitol riot. Then, they tried to make the point that Trump not only incited the attack, but they say he also refused to use his powers as president to stop it. Then, they say he showed zero remorse when it was all over. The trial could wrap up this weekend with a vote.
Read More: Politico, AP, NY Times, WSJ
Officers Receiving Congressional Gold Medals
Congress is giving its highest honor to law enforcement officers who helped during the Capitol attack. They’ll be getting Congressional Gold Medals for their actions. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the award plans, saying Congress will give out three of them: one for the U.S. Capitol Police Department, one for Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department, and the last one for the Smithsonian to put on display.
Read More: NY Times, The Hill, FOX News, Speaker.Gov
Republicans Could Form Another Party
There could soon be another party in American politics. Former Republican Congressman Charlie Dent said he and about 120 other Republicans are in talks to form a center-right party meant for moderate Republicans. So far, the talks have included people who once held positions in the Reagan, Bush, and Trump administrations. The plan is for the party to run candidates in some races and endorse other candidates who meet their standards, no matter what party they come from.
Read More: Reuters, CNN, FOX News
Fauci Vaccine Estimates
The U.S. might have enough COVID-19 vaccines for everyone who wants one in just a couple of months. On NBC’s ‘Today’ show, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said it will probably be “open season” by April. Now, vaccines are in short supply, so states have to limit the shots to only certain groups. However, the Biden administration has recently ordered millions more shots, and vaccine makers are stepping up production, so it might be a different story this spring.
Read More: Today, LA Times, NY Times
Latest Winter Storm
Once again, millions of Americans are in the path of dangerous winter storms. First, Washington and Oregon are going to get a blizzard today. Before the weekend is out, places like Seattle are expected to get a year’s worth of snowfall. Next, the storm is expected to spread light snow across the plains and midwest. Eventually, it will make its way to the east coast. People from North Carolina to New England will see a mix of freezing rain, sleet, ice, and more snow.
Read More: CNN, Accuweather, Weather Channel, NWS
Most Distant Object in Solar System
Astronomers say they found the most distant known object in our solar system. It’s a planetoid, or minor planet, nicknamed “Farfarout.” It’s roughly 132 times further from the sun than Earth is and scientists believe it’s only about 250 miles across. Astronomers first detected it in 2018, but just confirmed their findings this week. They also nailed down Farfarout’s exact orbit. They say it takes a full millennium for the minor planet to orbit the sun just once.
Read More: CBS News, Space.com, NAU
Meghan Markle Wins Lawsuit Against Tabloid
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, scored a victory against a British tabloid. She won the lawsuit she filed over five articles published in 2019. The Mail, owned by Associated Newspapers, printed parts of a handwritten letter Markle sent to her estranged father. She sued over it and a UK judge ruled she had a “reasonable expectation” the letter would stay private, so it was “unlawful” to publish it. An Associated Newspapers spokesperson said the company was “very surprised” and “disappointed.”
Read More: NY Times, AP, WaPo
Disney+ Smashes Subscriber Goal
Disney+ now has nearly 95 million subscribers. The streaming platform launched just over a year ago. At the time, it didn’t think it would get this many subscribers until at least four years in, but it hit the milestone after 14 months. That number is more than double the number of Hulu subscribers and it’s more than five times the number for HBO Max. New movies and series could be driving the surge. For example, the Pixar movie Soul and the second season of The Mandalorian were released late last year.
Read More: The Verge, Hollywood Reporter, AP
Tennis Participation Up
A new report found more Americans are playing recreational tennis. The Physical Activity Council found participation in the sport was up 22% in the U.S. in 2020. About 21.5 million people picked up a racket and headed to a court in 2020. There were nearly 3 million new players, a 44% increase from a year earlier. Experts say it’s likely because tennis is one of those sports you can play while also keeping your distance from one another during a pandemic.
Read More: AP, USA Today, USTA
Valentine’s Day is Sunday
Sunday is Valentines Day, so it’s time to celebrate all the people you love. A new survey from the loan marketplace LendingTree shows nearly 40% of Americans plan to skip the holiday to save money. That said, the ones who do celebrate will reportedly spend more. A separate study from coupon company RetailMeNot says people plan to spend, on average, $163 on gifts for their partner. That’s nearly double what was planned last year. As you’d expect, people are spending less on evenings out, but more on things like chocolate, flowers, and other gifts.
Read More: Fox Business, CNBC, Lending Tree, RetailMeNot, NRF
Feel Good Friday: Opera Singers Helping Long-Covid Patients
Opera singers are using their skills to help recovering COVID-19 patients breathe better. London’s English National Opera rolled out a free, first-of-its-kind singing, breathing, and well-being program. It uses singing and breathing techniques to help people suffering from “Long Covid” That’s when people still have symptoms, like breathlessness, weeks or months after a bout with the virus. Already, it’s been tried with a dozen patients from their early 30s to their 70s. About a thousand people across the UK will have access to the program next.
Read More: CNN, Classic FM, ENO