Monday, February 21st, 2022
Russia Ordered Invasion, Trump Debuts ‘Truth’ & Olympics Over
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Seed.com/newsworthy and kiwico.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 to review the latest happenings...
Russia Ordered Invasion
U.S. intelligence shows the Russian government has already given the order for its military to invade Ukraine. At this point, as many as 190,000 Russian forces are surrounding Ukraine, and the intelligence shows about 40-50% of them have moved into combat formation. Over the weekend, Russia held regular military drills around Ukraine’s border, as well as naval drills in the Black Sea, and nuclear drills close by. U.S. diplomats say Russia until Russian tanks roll across the border, Russia’s president has a chance to stop it and choose diplomacy instead of violence.
Read more: AP, Reuters, WSJ, NBC News, NY Times, White House
Canada’s Protests Finally Clear
The streets of Canada’s capital are clear for the first time in three weeks. That’s because police in riot gear took action to clear out protesters who’ve been crowding the area around Parliament Hill. It was the largest police operation in Canada’s history. Protesters have been angry over the country’s Covid-19 restrictions and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. So, they turned busy streets into parking lots, with many refusing to leave until restrictions were lifted. However, over the weekend, they had no choice. Police either drove them out or arrested them. Officers called the protesters aggressive, so they used pepper spray and batons, too.
Read more: WaPo, Fox News, Reuters, AP, WSJ, Ottawa Police
Trump Took Classified Records
Former President Trump is facing new controversy over his handling of White House records. The National Archives and Records Administration says it found classified information at Trump’s home in Florida. Archivists also say some of the records were torn up, and some are unaccounted for. This raises questions since federal law says all official records have to be turned over when a president leaves office. Now, a house panel led by Democrats is investigating, and the NARA says it’s been in communication with the Justice Department. However, Trump said nothing he did was out of the ordinary.
Read more: WSJ, AP, Reuters, Newsweek, Nat’l Archives, Trump Statement
Trump’s Truth Social App Debut
Former President Trump’s new social media app launches today. It’s called Truth Social. Reuters saw a post from the app’s chief product officer who said it would be released on Apple’s app store today. The app has been open to invited guests only since December as part of a testing phase. People who’ve gotten a look at Truth Social say it looks a lot like Twitter. Users can post their thoughts, share photos and videos, and follow other accounts. The new platform is positioning itself as a champion of free speech for people who feel their views are silenced by the most popular social media giants.
Read more: Reuters, The Verge, Fox News, Engadget
What’s Closed on Presidents Day
Today is President’s Day in the U.S. The holiday was first established in 1885 to recognize the nation’s first president, George Washington. Over the years, it’s evolved. Now, it’s meant as a day to celebrate all American presidents, past and present. It’s also a federal holiday. That means you can expect things to be closed today, like schools, banks, government offices, and the stock market. Mail won’t be delivered, either. Most stores and restaurants are open, though. Many will have special sales going on.
Read more: USA Today, USA Today (2), CNN, NY Post, Nasdaq
Massive Family Dollar Recall
More than 400 Family Dollar stores are closing, and a lot of items are recalled because the FDA found a rodent infestation at one of the company’s distribution warehouses in Arkansas. The agency did fumigation and found 1,100 dead rodents and other unsanitary conditions. The products weren’t protected from those conditions, so there’s now a big recall. It covers all kinds of things like food, medicine, pet food, and makeup that were sold in January 2021 through this month. The company is also closing 404 stores while the recall happens.
Read more: NY Times, NY Post, CBS News, BusinessWire, FDA
Check Store: FDA
Ban Lifted on Avocados From Mexico
One of America’s favorite fruits got the okay to come from Mexico again. Avocado imports were suspended more than a week ago because a U.S. plant safety inspector in Mexico was threatened. Now, the USDA is lifting the ban. Still, grocery stores could have smaller inventory and higher prices because of the disruption. The fruit has become a staple in the U.S. Per capita consumption of avocados tripled since 2001 to eight pounds a person in 2018.
Read More: CNBC, USA Today, WaPo, NPR, USDA
Steelers Hire Brian Flores
A football coach who’s suing the NFL just got another job on an NFL team. The Pittsburgh Steelers hired Brian Flores as an assistant coach. He’s the former head coach of the Miami Dolphins who filed the lawsuit against the league and three teams earlier this year. That suit says they all have racial discrimination in their hiring practices. Flores says the lawsuit will go on, even though he landed the new gig. He’s now the senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the Steelers, even though several reports say he’s overqualified for the job.
Read more: CBS Sports, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Steelers
Olympics Close
The curtain closed on the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. At yesterday’s closing events, in traditional Olympic fashion, the Olympic flag was taken down and handed over from the host city to the new welcoming city, which is the next city to host the winter games. Those are the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina. The closing ceremony also featured children dancing to “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”, followed by a parade of flags and a fireworks show.
Read more AP, WaPo, WaPo (2), USA Today, Olympics
Final Medal Events
On the last day of the Olympic competition, American cross country skier Jessie Diggins won Team USA’s final medal in the hell marathon, also known as the women’s 30-kilometer mass start final. That made her the first non-European athlete to medal in that event. She did it in ferocious winds and brutal temperatures one day after she woke up with food poisoning. That brought the U.S. to 25 medals to finish fifth overall behind Norway, Russia, Germany, and Canada.
Read more: NPR, WSJ, NBC Olympics, Olympics
Money Monday: Average 2021 Wedding Cost
The price of a wedding may get even higher this year. Wedding industry pros say they’re preparing for a banner year with more weddings than we’ve seen since 1984. With more couples planning to marry, venues are filling up, while DJs, event planners, florists, and photographers are also in high demand. Experts say that’s driving up the cost. The popular wedding website The Knot says the average wedding cost last year was about $28,000. On top of that, newlyweds spent an average of $5,000 on a honeymoon and $6,000 on an engagement ring.
Read more: Fox Business, CBS News, Brides, The Knot