Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022
Tornado Outbreak, Gas Taxes Paused & Happiest Countries
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Pampers.com and TommyJohn.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 read the latest happenings...
Southern Severe Weather
Much of the southeastern U.S. is bracing for more severe weather today. More than four million people there are facing the same system that caused dangerous storms in Texas and Oklahoma yesterday. Tornadoes and heavy winds damaged homes, downed trees, sent cars flying, and ripped the roof off a high school. At least five people were hurt in the Austin, Texas area. Today, storms are moving into Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Tomorrow looks to be the last day of this severe weather outbreak. That’s when the Carolinas, Georgia, and parts of Florida are in its path.
Read more: CNN, USA Today, NY Times, NBC News, NOAA
Russia’s Latest Attacks/Warnings
One top NATO official says the war in Ukraine is now entering a stalemate. The official explained that Ukrainian forces are keeping Russia from making progress, but Russia’s President Putin is still showing no signs of backing down. Just yesterday, Russian forces pounded Ukraine with more bullets, rockets, and bombs. One of them struck a once-busy shopping mall in the capital of Kyiv. The Ukrainian government also accuses Russia of hijacking an aid convoy near the northeastern city of Kharkiv. And it says Russian troops forced thousands of Ukrainian children into Russia.
Read more: NY Times, WaPo, WSJ, AP, NBC News, AFP, White House
Chinese Jet Crash
In China’s worst air disaster in a decade, an American-designed jet crashed during what should have been a short, domestic flight. 123 Chinese passengers and nine crew members were on board, but so far, there are no signs of survivors. The plane was a Boeing 737-800, the earlier model of the 737 Max that had problems about three years ago. This one has a strong safety record. It’s still not clear what caused the crash. Boeing and the FAA will be helping China’s investigators try to figure out what happened.
Read more: Reuters, Fox News, CNN, AP, Boeing
SEC Climate Disclosure Rules
For the first time, American companies may have to report how their work is affecting the climate. The SEC unveiled the proposal yesterday. It gives public companies 60 days’ notice, and people have a chance to weigh in. After that, the rules are expected to be made official. Then, companies will have to hand over climate-related information when they first register with the SEC and annually from then on. That information will include things like how much greenhouse gas they can release into the atmosphere and how much energy they consume. They’ll also have to let investors know if their business faces any climate-related risks.
Read more: NPR, Reuters, Axios, NY Times, WSJ, SEC
Gas Taxes on Hold
With gas prices at all-time highs, some lawmakers around the U.S. are pushing to give drivers a break from paying taxes on gas. Two states have already done it: Maryland and Georgia. In Maryland, the move means a pause for the state’s 36-cent-per-gallon tax on gas for at least the next month. In Georgia, the 29-cent-per-gallon tax will be put on hold through May. Both state governors say it’ll help provide some relief from the pain at the pump right now. Critics say it won’t make much difference and will leave local officials with less money to re-invest.
Read more: WSJ, ABC News, The Hill, NY Post, Georgia Gov., Maryland Gov.
Happiest Countries in the World
For the 5th year running, Finland was picked as the happiest country on Earth by the United Nations. The U.N. puts out its World Happiness Report every year, ranking 146 countries in their overall happiness. Northern Europe looks to be one of the happiest regions in the world, with all five Nordic countries ranking in the top eight. However, the U.S. didn’t even crack the top 10. It ranked 16th, up from 19th last year. The report looks at factors like life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, trust in government, social support, and more.
Read more: USA Today, CNBC, CNN, World Happiness Report
Biden Warns of Russian Cyberattacks
The White House put out its most urgent alert yet, warning companies to lock their digital doors to avoid a potential Russian cyberattack. Even though the White House has been warning about Russian cyberattacks for weeks, President Biden says there’s new “evolving intelligence” that shows Russia might be getting ready to attack soon. One top official said Russia could already be scanning websites and looking for vulnerabilities. Because of that, the president is urging companies to beef up their cyber defenses immediately.
Read more: Politico, CNBC, Fox News, Bloomberg, Axios, White House
Brief Apple Outage
Apple services are back up and running after a widespread outage that took out several of its services for a good chunk of time yesterday. We’re talking about Apple Music, Podcasts, iMessage, Maps, iCloud mail, and more. As Bloomberg reports, Apple’s corporate and retail systems went down, too. Apple confirmed the outage on its support system page but never said what caused it. Thankfully, services went back to normal by 4 p.m. ET.
Read more: The Verge, WSJ, CNN, Axios, Bloomberg
Disney Employees Walkout
Disney is bracing for more employee walkouts today. Some Disney employees started staging short, 15-minute walkouts last week ahead of a planned “full-day walkout” today. It’s meant to show they think Disney should have taken a stronger stance against Florida’s new law that critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. It stops teachers in Florida from talking about sexual orientation or gender identity before 4th grade, among other things. Disney’s CEO reportedly held a meeting yesterday, where he apologized for the company’s silence on the bill.
Read more: LA Times, WSJ, AP, CNN, The Guardian
'Price is Right' Tour
TV’s longest-running game show is hitting the road and going on a coast-to-coast tour in honor of its 50th anniversary. “The Price is Right” is letting Americans “come on down” in their cities, not just in Hollywood. The free tour kicks off this Friday in Los Angeles at the Santa Monica Pier. It will also stop in 49 other cities, including Denver, Dallas, New York, and New Orleans. Fans will be able to win prizes by playing games like Plinko, Spin the Wheel, and Showcase Showdown.
Read more: AP, Fox News, NPR, ViacomCBS
Trivia Tuesday
Q: Which teenage girl helped drive the English from French soil in the 15th century?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia
Q: Which U.S. state has the longest cave system in the world?
A: Kentucky
Read More: National Parks Foundation, NPS, DOI, UNESCO