Friday, March 25th, 2022
Refugees to U.S., Brain Implant First & Uber for a Taxi
All the news you need in around 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by TommyJohn.com/newsworthy and Pampers.com
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 reading the latest happenings...
Biden’s Europe Trip Highlights
A historic gathering of leaders ended with a lot of new promises to support Ukraine and punish Russia. For starters, the U.S. and Western allies rolled out more sanctions against hundreds of government officials, Russian elites, and defense companies. The U.S. also announced billions more in Ukraine aid and said it would accept 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. Then, Biden and his counterparts announced another round of weapons shipments for Ukraine. He also called for Russia to be kicked out of the group that represents the worlds’ 20 largest economies: G20. President Biden continues his trip today in Poland.
Read more: Reuters, CNBC, NY Times, CNN, WSJ, White House
US Asylum Changes
The U.S. has a new system to handle a record number of migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border. Under the new policies, migrants who want asylum can have their claims reviewed by asylum officers instead of the immigration judges who are already overwhelmed with cases. The Biden administration says the goal is to have the entire asylum process take about six months, versus the five-year average now. For the new plan to work, the government will need to hire hundreds of new asylum officers. So it will be rolled out slowly, starting in a couple of months.
Read more: LA Times, CBS News, AP, NY Times, DHS
New Subvariant Most Common Worldwide
Europe is dealing with another surge of Covid-19 because of an even more contagious version of the omicron variant: BA.2. It’s not just common in Europe, either. The WHO says it's now the most dominant version of Covid-19 around the world. Here in the United States, the CDC says about a third of new Covid-19 cases are this new variant. However, experts say BA.2 likely won’t cause another major surge here. They credit vaccines, as well as the winter surge that gave a lot of Americans some level of immunity.
Read more: NY Times, The Hill, CNBC, WHO, CDC
Brain Implant Lets Paralyzed Man Communicate
In a world-first, a man who was completely paralyzed is able to communicate with a special kind of implant. The man is conscious, can see, hear, and smell, and has thoughts. However, for the last four years, he’s been completely locked in, meaning he can’t even move his eyes or mouth. So, researchers implanted electrodes to his brain to directly record the activity of certain brain cells. It took a lot of practice to control them, but he can now select letters one at a time to make words and sentences. Even though it’s very slow, scientists say it's a huge breakthrough, and it gives them a glimpse into his quality of life.
Read more: Science, MIT Tech Review, The Guardian, TMZ, Nature, Wyss Center
Uber NYC Taxi Deal
In a groundbreaking new deal, Uber is teaming up with its one-time arch-enemy: the taxicab. Those iconic yellow cabs all over New York City will now be listed on the Uber app. As the Wall Street Journal explains, the partnership could ease Uber’s driver shortage, while possibly helping taxis in the city get more customers. The city’s cab-hailing technology will integrate with Uber’s, so the cabs will be taking trip requests straight from the Uber app. The company says it’ll cost around the same as an Uber X, the least-expensive option. Uber says it wants to list every taxi in the world on its app by 2025.
Read more: WSJ, The Verge, AP, NY Times
Amazon Union Vote
Amazon could soon have its first-ever union in the U.S. and maybe it’s second, too. First, warehouse workers in Staten Island, New York will start voting today on joining an independent group led by current and former employees. Separately, at an Alabama warehouse, employees are wrapping up a revote. Workers voted against a union there last year, but officials ruled Amazon interfered, so they ordered a new election. Amazon is still campaigning against unions, though, saying it already has competitive pay and brand new safety training.
Read more: NY Times, NY Post, WSJ, NLRB
Starbucks Union Formed
Starbucks is adding a new union to the mix. Baristas at a Seattle location voted this week to unionize. That makes it the 7th company-owned Starbucks to vote to join a union since December, but the first one in the coffee giant’s hometown.
Read more: Seattle Times, CBS News, NY Times, NLRB, SB Workers United
Star-Studded Telethon for Ukraine
Celebrities are getting together this weekend to raise money for Ukrainians who’ve been caught in the middle of a war. Dozens of stars like Steve Martin, Billy Porter, Annette Bening, Cynthia Nixon, Martin Short, John Stamos, and Kristin Chenoweth are taking part in a 10-hour telethon. The event will also feature some Ukrainians, including actor Oleg Karpenko, who co-starred alongside Ukrainian President Zelensky in “Servant of the People.” The telethon is called “Stars in the House”, and it airs tomorrow from 12-10 PM ET. Even if you can't watch or listen, you can donate.
Read more: Deadline, Parade, AP, Sirius XM
Watch or Donate: Stars in the House
Oscar Preview
Sunday’s Academy Awards will showcase some familiar traditions, brand new changes, and a neck-and-neck best picture race. It looks like the top two contenders for the night’s top prize are Netflix’s “Power of the Dog” and Apple TV’s “CODA.” In all, there are 23 categories, but eight of them will be pre-taped. But if movies aren’t your thing, there’s more entertainment. After three years, with no host, The academy has three hosts, Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Regina Hall. There are also performances from stars like Billie Eilish, Beyoncé, and Reba McEntire. If you’re in it for the fashion, the red carpet footage kicks off at 6:30 ET.
Read more: AP, Hollywood Reporter, Variety, People, Oscars
Feel Good Friday: Teenager's Nonprofit Self-Care Kits
A California teen wants to make sure all girls have the tools to take care of themselves. Kayli Joy Cooper says during the pandemic, she started thinking about the term “self-care”. She decided it shouldn’t be a luxury, but a necessity. So, she came up with a nonprofit called Girl Well. It makes wellness kits for homeless and fostered teenage girls. It started when Kayli used her own money to buy items for girls with books, socks, and jewelry. She also tucked hand-written notes into each kit, reminding every girl how much she was valued and loved. It expanded, and now, she’s active in five states. She’s hoping to one day bring her kits to all 50 states.
Read more: GMA, Citizen Stringer, Girl Well