Thursday, March 11th, 2021
One Year Ago Today, Building a Moon Base & ‘Staycation’ Money
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by EveryBottleBack.org & BLUblox.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...
One Year Since Pandemic Declared
Today marks exactly one year since the start of this global pandemic. It was March 11th, 2020 when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 an official pandemic. On that day, Italy closed shops and restaurants, the NBA suspended its season, and then-President Trump announced restrictions on travel from Europe. In the year since, millions of people have died around the world and economies have been turned upside down. Tonight, President Biden will deliver the first primetime address of his presidency to talk about what has happened and what comes next.
Read More: AP, WaPo, NY Times
COVID Relief Bill Passes
The latest massive COVID-19 relief package is set to become law by the end of the week. Congress gave the $1.9 trillion measure the final approval and now, it’s headed to President Biden for his signature. The measure includes $1,400 in direct payments for most Americans, it makes changes to the tax code to benefit qualifying families with children, and it extends unemployment bonuses to millions of people who are still out of work. President Biden says he’s going to sign the bill into law tomorrow.
Read More: WaPo, Axios, WSJ, Politico, President Biden
Merrick Garland Confirmed as AG
The team of people President Biden wants around him in office is starting to look a little more complete. So far, the Senate has confirmed 16 of Biden’s 23 cabinet nominees. One of the core cabinet members was approved by a pretty overwhelming vote yesterday. Merrick Garland is now officially Biden’s attorney general, putting him in charge of the justice department. 20 Republicans joined all 50 Democrats to confirm him. The new attorney general says he has plans to fight extremist violence and strongly enforce civil rights laws.
Read More: Politico, WSJ, WaPo
U.S. Sanctions Myanmar
The United States is taking more action against Myanmar. Already, the U.S. has imposed economic penalties against the military regime there. Now, it’s going a step further, issuing sanctions against the children of the military’s leader and six companies they control. It’s not only because the Myanmar military forcibly took over the government last month, but it’s also in response to how security forces have been treating protesters in the weeks since. Those forces have reportedly been attacking unarmed forces and at least 53 people have been killed.
Read More: Bloomberg, Reuters, Al Jazeera, State Dept.
10 Years Since Japan Triple Disaster
Ten years ago today, Japan was hit with a triple disaster. First, it was the strongest earthquake in Japan’s history. Then, it was a 32-foot tsunami that slammed into the country’s eastern coast. After that, the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl: three reactors at the Fukushima power plant melted down. The official death toll stands at nearly 20,000. However, the Japanese people have been working to clean up the affected towns and make them livable again. The government has spent nearly $300 billion on reconstruction.
Read More: WSJ, Reuters, AP, Al Jazeera
China, Russia to Build Moon Base
Russia and China are teaming up to build an international lunar research station. They say it could be on the surface of the moon, in the moon’s orbit, or both. It will be used to explore and observe the moon and conduct science experiments. Other countries would be able to use the research station too if they want. No word on when construction will start. This is just the latest push to explore the moon and beyond. Remember, the U.S. plans to send astronauts back to the lunar surface in 2024 and eventually hopes to build a base there.
Read More: AP, WaPo, NPR, China Space Agency
All Adults Eligible for Vaccine in Alaska
This week, Alaska became the first state to say every adult who wants one can get a COVID-19 vaccine. It’s allowing anyone 16 and older who lives or works in the state to get the shots. Eligibility continues to expand around the rest of the country too. However, most states still have certain requirements to be eligible for vaccines. For example, you may have to be a senior, essential worker, or have an underlying health condition. The Biden administration has promised to have enough shots to vaccinate everyone by the end of May.
Read More: ABC News, FOX News, CNBC
Smithsonian Getting Covid-19 Vaccine Artifacts
Artifacts from the first COVID-19 vaccinations are headed to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. They include vials, syringes, vaccine shipment materials, and more. It was a New York ICU nurse named Sandra Lindsay who got the first COVID-19 dose outside a trial in the U.S. That was back in December. Now, her scrubs, her hospital ID badge, and her vaccination card are going to the Smithsonian as well. The artifacts will be part of a larger collection that focuses on historic epidemics and pandemics.
Read More: The Verge, CNN, Smithsonian, Museum’s Digital Portal
UC Davis Offering ‘Staycation’ Money
Some college students are getting paid not to travel for spring break. The University of California, Davis says it will give 2,000 students $75 gift cards if they agree to stay on campus. Since health leaders still say people should avoid nonessential travel, the school says it wants to give students an incentive to follow that guidance and hopefully avoid a campus outbreak later. Meanwhile, Texas A&M says its spring break will just be a three-day weekend this year. Others have rescheduled the break for later in the semester.
Read More: LA Times, ABC News, KTVU, UC Davis
Amazon Withholds Books from Libraries
A new report says Amazon is the only major book publisher that won’t let you check out e-books and audiobooks for free from U.S. libraries. The Washington Post reports Amazon blocks the books they publish from reaching libraries’ digital collections. The American Library Association calls it the “worst obstacles for libraries.” One Amazon publisher told the Post they’re not clear if the current digital library lending models fairly balance the interests of authors and readers and they’re looking to invent a new approach.
Read More: WaPo, The Verge
Thing to Know Thursday: Summer Camps Reopening
At least 45 states have given summer camps the green light to reopen this year and they’re already filling up pretty quickly. That’s because a lot of camps are enrolling fewer campers than usual. After all, they want the ability to spread kids out. The second is high demand. Since children have been so cooped up this past year, parents see it as a good option to give kids a sense of normalcy. The American Camp Association said 80% of its overnight camps closed for the 2020 season. However, most of them survived thanks to federal aid.
Read More: AP, WSJ, KPRC, American Camp Association