Thursday, March 18th, 2021
Spa Shootings Outrage, Tax Deadline Delayed & March Madness Begins
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by EveryBottleBack.org & 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 peruse the latest happenings...
Atlanta-Area Spa Shootings
A white gunman was charged with killing eight people at three spas in the Atlanta area including six Asian women. This happened against a backdrop of discrimination and violence against Asian Americans that’s been going up over the last year. A 21-year-old man was arrested for this most recent mass killing. He confessed but told police the attacks were not racially-motivated. Instead, he claims he has a sex addiction, and authorities say he lashed out at businesses that temped him. They say it’s too soon to know if he’ll be charged with a hate crime.
Read More: AJC, NPR, AP, USA Today, Biden Tweet
Intelligence Report on Domestic Terrorism
There’s a new government warning about the rising threat of militias and white supremacists in the U.S. The new intelligence says extremists motivated by race, like white supremacists are most likely to kill civilians. However, militias typically target law enforcement, government personnel, and facilities. Then, there are lone offenders. The report says they’re the most likely to carry out violent attacks. This new intelligence says the threat of extremism is likely to stay high for at least the next few months.
Read More: NY Times, AP, CBS News, DNI
Biden Officials’ First China Talks
Today, the U.S. and China are holding the first high-level, face-to-face meetings since President Biden took office. American officials say they’re planning to confront their Chinese counterparts. They’ll say China needs to deal with a range of security and human rights issues before the U.S. and China can get along better. The U.S. has said China is committing genocide against Uighur Muslims. There are also issues of Hong Kong democracy, trade, cybersecurity, and climate change that will likely come up in the conversation too.
Read More: Politico, Reuters, NY Times
COVID-19 Reinfection Appears Uncommon
A new, large study out of Denmark found most people who have had COVID-19 seem to have protection for at least six months and those who do get sick again are usually 65 and older. Researchers followed about four million people for nine months last year. More than 11,000 of them ended up getting COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic in the spring. Less than 1% of those tested positive again during the second wave at the end of 2020. Most of those were senior citizens.
Read More: ABC News, CNN, NY Times, Journal Lancet
Tax Deadline Delayed
The IRS pushed the tax deadline back to May 17th, about a month later than the usual April 15th cutoff. The delay comes as the IRS is now working to send another round of relief payments to Americans while also processing tax returns and refunds. Plus, the IRS is reportedly dealing with a backlog from the 2019 tax year and the latest relief bill made a number of changes to the law that could impact some Americans’ returns. The hope is this deadline change will help the IRS and Americans get caught up.
Read More: USA Today, WSJ, WaPo, IRS
Gasoline Demand Peaked
The demand for gasoline may never recover from the pandemic. That’s what a new report from the watchdog International Energy Agency says. Gas usage has tanked in the last year, mostly because people are working from home and many cities around the world have largely shut down. However, even when things get back to normal, gas usage may still stay low. The agency says there’s a few reasons for this. There’s a growing shift to electric vehicles, manufacturers are improving fuel efficiency, and the work-from-home model is likely here to stay.
Read More: AP, WSJ, IEA
Scientists Grow Mice in Mechanical Womb
For the first time, scientists have grown embryos in a mechanical womb. Researchers took embryos from mice and placed them in an artificial uterus made of incubators, nutrients, and a ventilation system. They developed limbs, a heart, and circulatory and respiratory systems. This kind of research may give scientists new insight into how mammals develop. For example, it may help them better understand why miscarriages happen and how certain nutrients and environmental factors might affect a fetus.
Read More: NY Times, MIT Technology Review, Full Study
SMART Airless Bike Tires
A new startup company debuted a new type of tire that could have you saying goodbye to pumps and punctures. These airless bike tires use interconnected springs that don’t inflate. It’s based on NASA technology developed for rover missions to the moon and Mars. The company called SMART is part of a NASA startup program. The new type of airless bike tire is set to become available to the public early next year. Then, the company hopes to bring the same type of technology to cars and trucks.
Read More: TechCrunch, Cyclist, NASA, WeFunder
Most Popular Dog Breeds of 2020
For the 30th year in a row, Labrador Retrievers are the most popular dog breed in the U.S. This is based on data from the American Kennel Club. It tallies the numbers of purebreds registered and then it breaks them down by breed. There was also a big shakeup on the most recent list. French Bulldogs overtook German Shepherds as America’s second-most popular dog breed. Other breeds that made the top 10 list include Golden Retrievers, Bulldogs, Poodles, Beagles, and more.
Read More: AKC, NPR, AP
Thing to Know Thursday: Unique March Madness
This year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament, better known as March Madness, is going to be unlike any other. The whole tournament is happening around Indianapolis, so players don’t have to travel from city to city like they usually do. That means the whole bracket looks different this year. Normally, it’s broken up into four regions based on Geography. In the early rounds, the best teams play close to home. This year, the bracket is based on an “S curve.” It means the top-ranked teams face off against the lowest-ranked teams in the first round no matter where they’re from. The tournament starts today and lasts about two and a half weeks.
Read More: AP, FOX News, NCAA