Monday, March 22nd, 2021
AstraZeneca Study Results, Olympics Ban Foreign Fans & Happiest Country
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Rothys.com/newsworthy and Ritual.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 review the latest happenings...
AstraZeneca’s US Trial Data:
There’s new data out today about another COVID-19 vaccine, and it’s promising. The findings of a large U.S. trial show the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford is 100% effective in preventing severe illness and hospitalization and 79% effective in preventing symptomatic disease. The AstraZeneca vaccine is not yet authorized in the U.S., but these early findings from the U.S. study will be part of the data the company will give to the FDA - likely in the coming weeks.
Read more: AP, CNBC
Miami Beach State of Emergency:
The city of Miami Beach, Florida has declared a state of emergency and implemented new restrictions because of crowds looking to party. Thousands of people have been gathering in the streets there. City officials held an emergency meeting last night and decided to extend the new restrictions, including a rare 8p.m. curfew until at least April 12.
Read more: CBS News, Miami Herald, USA Today, WSJ
Nationwide Protests Supporting Asian Americans:
People gathered for rallies, protests and vigils in major cities across the U.S. over the weekend - calling for an end to violence against Asian Americans. Near the Georgia Capitol, hundreds of people gathered Saturday with signs saying things like “Stop Asian Hate,” and some are calling for the suspect in last week’s Atlanta-area spa shootings to be charged with hate crimes. At this point: police say they’re still investigating before that will be decided. Either way, some lawmakers are pushing for better tracking of hate crimes.
Read more: CNN, WSJ, NYT, NBC News, NPR, White House
Pentagon Chief’s Surprise Trip to Afghanistan:
The new U.S. Defense Secretary made a surprise trip to Afghanistan. It’s his first trip to the home of America’s longest war as Pentagon chief. He met with the Afghan president. The trip is happening as President Biden faces an upcoming deadline to decide whether or not to withdraw U.S. troops from the country by May 1st. That’s the timeline the Trump administration had agreed on early last year in a deal with the Taliban. At this point: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin won’t say whether the Taliban is keeping up its side of that deal, but some top generals are warning May 1st would be too soon to send troops home. The Biden administration has not yet made a decision.
Read more: Politico, WaPo, CNBC, NPR
Australia’s Floods & Evacuations:
It’s being called the worst flooding in half a century, and it’s happening in areas along Australia’s East Coast. Because of record rainfall there, flood warnings are in effect and natural disasters have been declared for parts of New South Wales. That’s the country’s most populous state. The flooding is forcing thousands of people to evacuate and damaging hundreds of homes. It’s the opposite concern from a year ago, when Australia was hurting from catastrophic wildfires.
Read more: AP, Reuters, Axios, BBC
Iceland Volcano Erupts:
A volcano in Iceland has erupted for the first time in 6,000 years. The volcano is in a remote valley, and the lava could be seen from the country’s capital, Reykjavik, about 20 miles away. Local officials told people to go inside and close their windows since volcanoes can spew potentially hazardous gases when they erupt. That said, the eruption was considered relatively small and is not considered a major concern for any people or buildings. Its activity has already calmed down since it started Friday.
Read more: CBS News, AP, NY Times
Tokyo Olympics Ban Foreign Fans:
Overseas fans will be not be allowed to attend this year’s Olympics Tokyo. The decision was announced over the weekend, and of course, it’s because of the pandemic. Olympic organizers said there’s still too much uncertainty with the virus, and they don’t want to wait any longer to give ticket-holders more clarity so they can adjust travel plans. Overseas fans who already bought tickets can get a refund. The games are set to begin in Tokyo this July.
Read more: NPR, Al Jazeera, Olympics
March Madness Surprises & Controversy:
March Madness is off to a bumpy start. Even with the NCAA men’s tournament happening just in the Indianapolis area to avoid the typical travel, a team has been forced to forfeit in the first week. Virginia Commonwealth University had to back out of its game against Oregon. The school and health officials said too many of its members tested positive for COVID-19 over a two-day span. As result, VCU is out, and Oregon gets to advance. Also moving on: Loyola University Chicago. The team pulled off the biggest upset of the NCAA tournament so far --
sending number one seed Illinois home. But the focus hasn’t just been on the games themselves. That’s because of controversy over disparities between the men’s and women’s competitions. For example: unequal workout facilities. Apparently tournament organizers provided the men in Indiana with a state-of-the-art facility, while women (playing the tournament in San Antonio, Texas) basically got an empty room with a rack of hand weights. Tournament organizers have since apologized and brought the women’s weight room up to par.
VCU Out: USA Today, WSJ, ESPN
Illinois Eliminated: ESPN
NCAA Women’s Weight Room Controversy: NY Times, NPR
Trump's Own Social Network?:
Former President Donald Trump could be back on social media in the coming months, but own his own platform. That’s at least what his longtime adviser Jason Miller told FOX News. Miller said it could happen in about two or three months, though he didn’t give many details. It’s not clear if Trump plans to truly create his own social network, or if he may partner with an existing company. Remember: Trump was kicked off Twitter and Facebook after the January 6 Capitol riot, and he’s still suspended from those platforms.
Read more: FOX News, USA Today, The Hill
Happiest Country in the World:
For the fourth year in a row, Finland has been ranked the happiest country in the world, according to the “World Happiness Report.” It looks at how people in nearly 150 countries rate their overall happiness. That includes things like their personal freedoms and if they feel like they can trust their government. The U.S. ranked 19th on the list.
Read more: NBC News, BBC, WHR
Money Monday - Americans Buying “Real” Clothes Again:
Today we’re talking about how Americans are at least starting to browse for, and sometimes buy, so-called “real” clothes again. We’re talking about things other than sweatpants and loungewear. Some nationwide retailers are reporting rising demand for things like jeans, trendy tops, dresses, workwear and even tuxedos. It could be an early sign of something economists have been expecting: a burst of spending once more people are vaccinated for COVID-19.
Read more: WaPo