Monday, February 15th, 2021
Trump Acquitted Again, Coast-to-Coast Storm & Presidents Day
All the news you need in about 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 to review the latest happenings...
Trump Acquitted
Former President Trump’s second impeachment trial ended with an acquittal. The final vote was 57-43. All 50 Democrats in the Senate voted to convict Trump on the charge he incited an insurrection at the Capitol. Seven Republicans joined them. However, that was ten votes shy of the two-thirds majority needed for a guilty verdict. The former president put out a statement once the trial wrapped up. He thanked his legal team, but also said, “This has been yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our country.”
Read More: Politico, ABC News, NBC News, WaPo, CNBC
Historic Winter Storm
A major winter storm is happening now and people in nearly every state are affected. It started in the pacific northwest. Seattle got more than 11 inches of snow over the weekend. From there, it moved into the midwest, plains, and the south. In parts of Texas, people are dealing with snow and freezing temperatures not seen there in more than 100 years. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power yesterday. The most outages were reported in Texas, Oregon, and Virginia. From here, the storm is expected to move into the Mississippi, Tennessee, and Ohio valleys.
Read More: Weather Channel, NY Times, ABC News, NPR, WSJ
Biden Calls for Gun Reform
It has now been three years since the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Several memorial events were held over the weekend. At the White House, President Biden used the occasion to call on Congress to strengthen gun laws. He wants to see laws to require background checks on all gun sales, ban all assault weapons, and make gun manufacturers liable for the role their products play in violence. However, many Republican lawmakers and other critics believe comprehensive gun laws violate the 2nd amendment.
Read More: CNBC, AP, Bloomberg, White House
CDC New Schools Guidance
The CDC released a new roadmap meant to help districts decide how to safely bring students back to in-person classes and keep them there. It includes some color-coded charts. They divide school reopening options into four zones: blue, yellow, orange, and red. The color depends on where the school is located and if COVID-19 outbreaks are controlled in that area or not. The CDC also says even though it’s important to get teachers vaccinated, that should be required for reopening schools.
Read More: NY Times, WaPo, NPR, CDC
Daytona 500
It was an unforgettable day of racing at this year’s Daytona 500. Driver Michael McDowell won it all, making it his first NASCAR Cup Series win. He wasn’t in the lead until the final lap, but some of NASCAR’s biggest stars got into a fiery crash on the last leg of the race. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the crash. McDowell navigated through the pileup to pull off his win. It came after an extremely long day and night. The race didn’t end until after midnight eastern time, nine hours after it started, because there was a 5.5-hour weather delay.
Read More: CBS Sports, Axios, FOX News, WaPo
More Children Gaining Weight
American children are gaining more weight than usual as the pandemic keeps them home. That’s what some pediatricians told the Wall Street Journal. They say kids are snacking more and exercising less. Nutritionists and doctors who study obesity worry it’s putting children at a greater risk of type-two diabetes, asthma, and more. One pediatrician says some elementary school-aged kids have put on 20-30 pounds in a year. Doctors suggest encouraging kids to go for a walk and swapping unhealthy snacks for healthy ones.
Read More: WSJ, NY Times
Meghan Markle Pregnant Again
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is pregnant with her second child. She and Prince Harry made the announcement on Valentine’s Day. The couple hasn’t said when the baby is due, or whether it will be born in the U.S. or Britain. Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are now living in southern California. They moved there after stepping back from their roles with the British royal family. The news also means the couple’s son, Archie, who turns two in May, is set to be a big brother.
Read More: USA Today, People, Variety
Presidents Day
Today is Presidents Day in the United States. The holiday was first established in 1885 to recognize the nation’s first president, George Washington. Over the years, it’s evolved and now it’s meant to serve as a day to celebrate all American presidents. It’s also a federal holiday, so government offices, major banks, and a lot of schools will be closed. Mail won’t be delivered either. However, most stores will be open and many will have special sales going for the holiday weekend.
Read More: History, Fox Business, Newsweek, USA Today, TSA
Money Monday: Bumble CEO Becomes Billionaire
The founder and CEO of the dating app Bumble is making history in a couple of ways. At 31 years old, Whitney Wolfe Herd became the youngest female CEO to take a company public in an IPO in the U.S. In its trading debut last week, Bumble shares soared nearly 70%. That made Wolfe Herd the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire. She founded Bumble in 2014 after splitting with another dating app she co-founded, Tinder. According to the Bloomberg billionaires index, self-made women account for less than 5% of the world’s 500 biggest fortunes.
Read More: ABC News, Reuters, CNBC, Forbes