Tuesday, February 16th, 2021
Millions Without Power, ‘Bachelor’ Controversy & ‘Yardi Gras’
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BLUblox.com/newsworthy and Fitbod.me/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...
Winter Storm Causes Power Outages
People from Texas to Maine are dealing with snow, ice, rain, and some of the coldest air in generations. It’s the worst in the middle of the country. In some places, temperatures are 50 degrees below average. It’s all putting a strain on the power grid. At last check, there were about four million customers without power in Texas alone. A lot of outages are continuing today. Dangerous road conditions have led to crashes in several states and thousands of flights were canceled yesterday. Now, heavy snow and freezing rain are moving into the northeast.
Read More: AP, WSJ, CBS News, Weather Channel, PowerOutage.US
Panel to Investigate Capitol Riots
Congress will move to launch a new investigation into last month’s Capitol invasion. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will work to create a bipartisan, independent commission to look into it. It would be similar to the group that studied the 9/11 terror attacks. Pelosi wants the commission to look into possible failures by law enforcement, the White House, and/or anyone else that could have led to the Capitol attack. Lawmakers from both parties have already shown support for the idea.
Read More: Politico, WaPo, Reuters, NY Times, House Speaker
Iraq Rocket Attack
American forces in northern Iraq were hit with a rocket attack. It killed one civilian contractor and it hurt a U.S. service member and five other contractors. It happened when a rocket landed near an American-led military base and other rockets landed in residential areas nearby. So far, it’s not clear who was behind this, but both American and Iraqi officials say they’re looking into it. The U.S. now has about 2,500 troops in the country with a mission to mentor Iraqi troops. A White House spokesman said President Biden has been briefed on the attack.
Read More: NY Times, WaPo, Reuters, WSJ
COVID-19 Cases Fall
The coronavirus pandemic seems to be improving in the U.S. The average daily number of new COVID-19 cases dipped below 100,000 in recent days. Until now, we had not seen daily numbers below six-figures since November 4th. Health experts say there’s evidence people are starting to do a better job with mask-wearing and social distancing. Plus, the effects of holiday gatherings are starting to wear off and in some communities, a lot of people have gotten COVID-19 already, giving them at least some protection against the virus.
Read More: AP, CNBC, CNN, Johns Hopkins
Parler is Back Online
The controversial social network Parler is relaunching. The company says the 20 million people who have existing accounts will be able to sign in and use the platform this week. Next week, new users will be able to sign up. This comes more than a month after Amazon Web Services stopped hosting the social network, saying the company allowed its posts to incite violence. However, another web-hosting firm, SkySilk, picked it up. New community guidelines were posted on Parler’s website, saying it won’t be used as a tool for crime.
Read More: The Verge, NY Times, WSJ, AP, Parler
Facebook Smartwatch Rumors
Facebook is reportedly building an Android smartwatch. Sources tell the news site The Information the watch will let users send messages. It will also have health and fitness features. For example, it will be able to connect with other fitness products like Peloton bikes. It should also let you connect with your friends or a trainer so you can track your workouts together. Facebook reportedly plans to begin selling the device next year. So far, the company hasn’t made an official announcement.
Read More: The Information, Ars Technica, Reuters
Jaguar Going Electric
Another car company is going completely electric. This time, it’s Jaguar. The luxury vehicle brand says it plans to be all-electric by 2025. The same company owns Land Rover SUVs too. It says there will be a new electric version released in 2024. Last month, GM also said all its light-duty vehicles like cars, SUVs, and vans would be electric by 2035. Industry experts say other automakers will likely follow suit.
Read More: USA Today, AP, FOX News
‘Bachelor’ Host Steps Aside
The longtime host of the hit ABC show The Bachelor is taking a break from the reality show. Chris Harrison says he’s “stepping aside” for “a period of time.” This comes after he defended one of the show’s current contestants, Rachael Kirkconnell. She attended a plantation-themed fraternity formal in 2018 and photos of it recently resurfaced. Harrison defended her, saying there should be more understanding because people may not have known a few years ago it was inappropriate. That stirred up a lot of backlash and Harrison has since apologized.
Read More: Variety, People, TMZ, Extra (full interview), Instagram/Chris Harrison
Mardi Gras Celebrations
Today is Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday. The holiday is usually celebrated with massive parades, costumes, and tons of eating and drinking. However, because of the pandemic, New Orleans shut down its bars, limited liquor sales, and banned parades and large gatherings. So people are getting creative. Thousands of people decorated their homes to look like Mardi Gras parade floats. They’re calling it “Yardi Gras.” There’s an online map available so people can drive from home to home and check out the elaborate displays.
Read More: WaPo, NBC News, CBS News, Krewe of House Floats
Trivia Tuesday
Q: In what year did New Orleans hold its first Mardi Gras parade?
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: M&M stands for what two last names?
A: Mars and Murrie
Read More: Business Insider, Dictionary.com