Thursday, March 24th, 2022
Biden’s Wartime Trip, Trailblazer Remembered & Sweet 16
All the news you need 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 peruse the latest happenings.
Emergency NATO Summit
In one of the most high-stakes presidential trips in recent history, President Biden is on a wartime visit to Europe, where he’s meeting with key allies. They’re going to talk through new, punishing sanctions against Russia for its war on Ukraine. This comes on top of the earlier ones, which were the biggest coordinated package of sanctions ever against a major economy. Then, they’ll try to figure out how to respond if Russia were to launch a cyber, chemical, or nuclear attack. NATO will also talk about the humanitarian crisis growing in Ukraine, how to boost security in eastern NATO countries, and more.
Read more: NY Times, CNN, ABC News, WSJ, AP
Russia War Crimes
The U.S. is officially accusing Russia of committing war crimes. That means the U.S. says Russia has violated international law by targeting Ukrainian civilians on purpose, among other things. The State Department says it did a “careful review” and confirmed Russia has destroyed homes, schools, hospitals, shopping centers, and more. Russia is denying all of this. Still, the U.S. is promising to hold Russia accountable. That will be tough, though, since neither Russia nor the U.S. recognizes the authority of the International Criminal Court. That’s who usually prosecutes war crimes.
Read more: ABC News, Fox News, AP, WSJ, Reuters, State Dept.
More Questions for KBJ
Yesterday marked the last day for Senators to question Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson during her Supreme Court confirmation hearing. Once again, things got intense. For example, some Republicans scrutinized her about how she defended suspected terrorists when she was a lawyer. To that, she just said it was her job, and public defenders don’t get to choose their clients. On the other hand, a few Senate Democrats praised Jackson. She teared up when Sen. Cory Booker told her, “you are a person that is so much more than your race and gender.” Today, senators will hear from other legal experts about her qualifications.
Read more: AP, Reuters, CNN, NY Times, WSJ
Madeleine Albright Dies
Americans all around the country are saying goodbye to a trailblazer. The first woman to serve as Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, died of cancer at 84 years old. Albright was the country’s top diplomat from 1997 to 2001 during the Clinton administration. In that time, she promoted the expansion of NATO and military intervention in Kosovo. She received the prestigious Medal of Freedom in 2012. Tributes poured in after her death. President Biden ordered flags on U.S. grounds and buildings to be flown at half-staff in her honor.
Read more: NPR, WSJ, NY Times, Axios, Albright’s Family, White House
Moderna Data on Kids Vaccines
American children as young as six months old can be vaccinated against Covid-19 by summer. However, that’s only if the FDA agrees with Moderna’s latest studies. The vaccine-maker found its low-dose vaccine for kids younger than six was safe. It was also about 44% effective at keeping kids younger than two from getting sick from the omicron variant. It was 38% effective for kids 2-5 years old. The kids who got sick in the trial only had mild cases, and the side effects were mild, too. Moderna says it’s going to ask the FDA to give the vaccine the greenlight as soon as possible. So far, Moderna shots are only approved for adults.
Read more: WaPo, AP, CNBC, Axios, CNN, Moderna
Sweet 16 Starts
After a dramatic, bracket-busting weekend in the first two rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament, the men’s Sweet 16 tips off tonight. Gonzaga faces Arkansas while Michigan takes on Villanova. Also hitting the court tonight is Texas Tech and Duke while Houston plays Arizona. Then, there are two more games tomorrow. The winners of tonight and tomorrow's games move on to the Elite 8 this weekend. Coverage starts tonight at 7 ET on CBS and TBS.
Read more: ESPN, CBS Sports, WaPo, NPR, NCAA
Nestle Pulls Out of Russia
The world’s biggest food company got called out by Ukraine’s president, accused of not doing enough to push back against the war. Now, Nestle is stopping sales of more of its well-known brands in Russia like KitKat and Nesquik. The company had already stopped some exports and imports to Russia, quit advertising and investments, and insisted it wasn’t making a profit there. With its latest move, Nestle says it stands with the people of Ukraine and its nearly 6,000 employees there. It will also continue to pay its employees in Russia.
Read more: Reuters, NPR, CNN, Bloomberg, Nestle
Sacramento/Minneapolis Teacher Strikes
Sacramento is the 2nd big school district this month to face a teacher strike. Thousands of employees walked off the job yesterday, forcing the school district to cancel classes at its 76 schools. That kept 43,000 students out of the classroom. The strike follows another one in Minneapolis that’s going on its 3rd week. More than 4,500 educators and staff there are on strike while negotiations seem to be going nowhere. Both work stoppages concern pay and staffing shortages as part of the fallout from the pandemic.
Read more: AP, WSJ, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Sacramento Bee
Apple Wallet Digital ID Launch
Arizona became the first state in the U.S. to get to use Apple’s new Digital ID feature. That means iPhone users in Arizona can now add their driver’s license or ID to their Apple Wallets. Once they have the Digital ID, they can scan it at some TSA checkpoints at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. Arizona is just the first of many states to get on board with the feature. Apple says a dozen more states are in the works. The states have to issue the ID while the TSA has to accept them.
Read more: USA Today, CNBC, Tech Radar, Apple
YouTube Free TV and Movies
For the first time, YouTube will make thousands of TV episodes available for free. The video giant announced it’ll start streaming 4,000 episodes with ads. New shows ready for binging on Youtube in the U.S. include “Hell’s Kitchen”, “Scream Queens”, and “Heartland”, just to name a few. It doesn’t end there. Youtube says it’s planning to add up to 100 more free titles every week. That’s on top of the movies it already has in its portfolio.
Read more: Deadline, The Verge, TechCrunch, CNET, YouTube
Thing to Know Thursday: Planes Make it Rain
Scientists are trying to help the millions of people in states dealing with a drought, with some help called cloud seeding. It’s been happening in the U.S. and other parts of the world for a while, but it’s become more common recently, especially in Western states. Basically, it’s a type of weather modification that sends a special solution into the clouds, meant to boost their productivity, and essentially: make it rain or snow. Scientists in one study found that under the right conditions, seeding can squeeze 3-5% more rain out of clouds. Climate scientists say more experiments are needed to improve the technology.
Read more: CNN, KCRA, KCRW, The Conversation, PNAS
