Thursday, March 3rd, 2022
Targeting Russian Oligarchs, ‘Test to Treat’ & Spring Break Travel Boom
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by kiwico.com (Listen for the discount code) and Rothys.com/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 peruse the latest happenings.
Russia Advances in Ukraine
Ukraine is now entering its second week at war with Russia. Yesterday, Russia captured their first major Ukrainian city, the southern port of Kherson. As the New York Times reports, that could clear the way for Russia to seize Ukraine’s entire Black Sea coast. If that happens, Ukraine would be cut off from international shipping. Other residential areas are also still being targeted all around the country. Russian artillery and rocket fire have left many Ukrainian communities without essentials like electricity, medicine, water, and heat.
Read more: NY Times, NBC News, CBS News, Reuters, WSJ
UN Condemns Russia
The U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion. 141 countries voted for this, reflecting how Russia seems to be getting more isolated. However, there were five votes against it from the delegations of Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, and Syria. There were also 34 countries that chose not to enter an opinion either way, like China, Iraq, and India. Separately, the International Criminal Court opened an investigation into possible war crimes.
Read more: NPR, Reuters, Axios, The Guardian, United Nations
Russian Oligarch Crackdown
The U.S. is taking an extra step to make sure people with political influence over Russia face consequences for the invasion of Ukraine. The Justice Department launched a new task force to target Russian oligarchs (the rich business leaders who helped finance the war). Its assignment is to hunt down and seize their luxury real estate, private jets, yachts, and other assets that are now stashed around the world. Task Force KleptoCapture will be made up of law enforcement officers from the FBI, Marshals Service, IRS, Homeland Security, and more.
Read more: ABC News, CNBC, WSJ, Fox Business, DOJ
Jan 6th Committee Court Filing
For the first time, lawmakers investigating the Capitol riot say they have evidence showing former President Trump and his allies broke several federal laws. In a court filing, the House committee said Trump and his associates engaged in a “criminal conspiracy” to keep Congress from certifying Biden’s victory. Specifically, it says they spread wrong information about the outcome of the presidential election and tried to strong-arm then-Vice President Mike Pence to delay the proceedings. So far, Former President Trump hasn’t said anything about this court filing, and it’s unclear what will happen next.
Read more: Politico, LA Times, NY Times, WSJ, AP, US Courts
New Covid Preparedness Plan
The White House unveiled a new Covid-19 preparedness plan. One highlight is a new “test to treat” strategy. It’ll give free antiviral pills at pharmacies to people who test positive for Covid-19. The White House says it will dramatically lower the risk of people getting severely sick. However, there are some concerns from pharmacists who say they are already understaffed and busy giving vaccines, Covid-19 tests, prescriptions, and health advice. They’re worried this will stretch them even thinner. Other parts of the plan call for boosting American manufacturing of vaccines, speeding up research into a vaccine that works against all variants, and more.
Read more: Bloomberg, AP, NY Post, Axios, ABC News, White House, CDC
State AGs TikTok Investigation
A coalition of state attorneys general is investigating TikTok. The bipartisan group of AGs wants to know whether TikTok knew the app could be harmful. In the past, TikTok has been criticized for driving teenagers into rabbit holes of potentially harmful content. This probe will look into the method TikTok uses to boost engagement, among other things. In response, TikTok says it’s open to the investigation. A spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal, “We look forward to providing information on the many safety and privacy protections we have for teens.”
Read more: WSJ, The Verge, CNBC, NY Times, Axios, Mass AG
Amazon Closing Bookstores
Amazon is shutting down 68 of its physical stores, including all Amazon Books, pop-ups, and 4-star stores across the U.S. and U.K. Amazon also operates other physical stores, like Whole Foods and cashier-less convenience stores, but revenue from all brick and mortar stores only makes up about 3% of the company’s total pie, and most of that comes from Whole Foods. Amazon said it would be closing down the 68 stores to focus more on its grocery markets and a new department store concept.
Read more: Reuters, NY Times, The Verge, CNBC
Amazon Luna Launch
Amazon is now rolling out its video game streaming service to everyone in the U.S. for the first time. The service is called Luna, and it’s available on iPhones, Androids, desktop computers, and Fire TV. Plus, it includes integration with the streaming platform, Twitch. Luna consists of gaming channels people can subscribe to, like a retro channel, a kid-friendly channel, and more. Those range from $3 to $18 a month. There’s also a channel that’s free to Amazon Prime members.
Read more: The Verge, Engadget, TechCrunch, Amazon
Epic Games Buys Bandcamp
The company behind the video game Fortnite acquired an online music store and community called Bandcamp. Epic Games says this deal is another step toward becoming the best place for creators, whether they make music, games, or art, so they can keep most of their money. Bandcamp already says artists get to keep an average of 82% of every sale. Now, Bandcamp will continue to operate as-is and will use Epic’s resources to expand internationally. It says it will also expand its efforts for mobile apps, search features, merchandise, and more.
Read more: ArsTechnica, Variety, Axios, Tech Crunch, Epic Games, Bandcamp
Fitbit Recalls Smartwatches
Fitbit is warning its customers to stop wearing a certain model of its smartwatches. The company is recalling 1.7 million of the Fitbit Ionic smartwatches because there are reports of the batteries overheating and burning people. If you have one, Fitbit says you can return it for a refund, and get 40% off a new model.
Read more: CNN, ArsTechnica, Engadget, CPSC, Fitbit
Netflix Sets Robbed
Thieves robbed the production sets of two different Netflix shows within days of each other. First, on the set of ‘The Crown’, in Northern England, thieves took around $200,000 worth of props. Just a day later in Paris, the set of the Netflix show ‘Lupin’ was held up. 20 thieves reportedly broke onto the set while the crew was filming, threw fireworks, and stole $300,000 worth of equipment. Netflix says everyone is safe, and both incidents are under investigation. It’s not yet clear if they’re connected.
Read more: THR, Variety, The Verge, NY Post
Broadway Theater to Honor James Earl Jones
A legendary stage, film, and TV actor is being immortalized on the streets of Broadway. A 110-year old Broadway landmark called ‘The Cort Theatre' will be renamed ‘The James Earl Jones Theatre’. The New York Times says it marks just the second Broadway theater ever to be named after a Black artist. Jones has been in 21 Broadway shows and dozens of movies. He’s even one of the few actors who is a so-called EGOT, meaning he’s won at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award. The theater is being renovated now and is supposed to open this summer with a ceremony to honor Jones.
Read more: NY Times, Entertainment Weekly, Broadway News, Shubert
Thing to Know Thursday: Spring Break Travel Comeback
Spring Break is expected to be especially busy this year. Industry experts say travel is rebounding to levels not seen since before the pandemic. The vacation rental company Vacasa says nearly 40% of Americans are planning a spring break trip this year. That’s up from 29% last year. Plus, the home rental business Vrbo reported a nearly 50% increase in demand for vacation homes as compared to last spring. Travel website Hopper says the most booked travel destinations in the U.S. are Miami, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.
Read more: LA Times, WaPo, NY Times, Vacasa