Monday, March 28th, 2022
Russia’s New Strategy?, Capitol Reopens & Oscars Outburst
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Rothys.com/newsworthy and bollandbranch.com (Listen for the discount code)
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...
Ukraine Counterattacks
Now that the war in Ukraine has entered its second month, a few things have changed. For starters, Ukrainian forces have gone on the offensive. Over the weekend, they reclaimed several villages that fell to Russia. The war is far from won, though. Ukraine’s military intelligence chief thinks Russian President Putin has realized he won’t be able to take all of Ukraine, so instead, he may be trying to split the country into two, kind of like North and South Korea. Russia hasn’t confirmed that plan, though.
Read more: NY Times, CNN, WSJ, DOD
Ukraine’s Requests
The United Nations says it can confirm more than 1,100 civilian deaths in Ukraine, but it says the actual death toll is higher. On top of that, the Ukrainian government says about $63 billion in infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed. Ukraine’s President Zelensky is asking for more tools to fight Russia. Just yesterday, he asked NATO for 1% of the alliance’s tanks and planes. The U.S. and NATO allies have already sent Ukraine huge packages of military and humanitarian aid. However, Zelensky says they need more to defeat Russia.
Read more: NPR, AP, The Hill, Politico
Ukraine Negotiations
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are holding their next face-to-face meetings today. Ukraine’s president says his country is ready to talk about adopting a “neutral” stance as part of a peace deal. That would mean Ukraine wouldn’t be able to join NATO, as it has been requesting. Western officials say, either way, it doesn’t look like Russia is willing to end this conflict peacefully.
Read more: Axios, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Fox News
US-Middle East Summit
For the first time, Israel is hosting a summit with diplomats from the U.S. and a few Arab nations. They are reportedly talking about unprecedented, formal defense partnerships, what to do about Iran, and more. Remember, the U.S. and other nations have been trying to come up with a new nuclear deal with Iran to try and stop the country from developing a nuclear weapon. Those negotiations are still not finished. However, America’s top diplomat is expected to fill everyone in about where things stand. The summit continues today.
Read more: Reuters, ABC News, WSJ, NY Times, State Dept.
US Congressman Resigns
An American congressman who’s been re-elected eight times is quitting the job before midterm elections. U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry is leaving the U.S. House. He resigned over the weekend, just a couple of days after he was convicted of a felony. A jury found him guilty of lying to the FBI about an illegal campaign donation from a foreign billionaire. Fortenberry now faces up to 15 years in prison. As for his seat in the House, voters in Fortenberry’s home state of Nebraska will have to pick his replacement in a special election soon.
Read more: WaPo, AP, WSJ, NY Times
Capitol Reopens for Tourists
Tourists are allowed back in the U.S. Capitol for the first time in two years. It was March of 2020 when the government cut off public access to what’s known as the people’s house. That was because of Covid-19 restrictions. Now, lawmakers, health officials, and Capitol police have signed off. So starting today, school groups and other tour groups are allowed inside as long as they’ve registered beforehand. Before Covid-19 swept the nation, an average of three million people would visit the U.S. Capitol building every year.
Read More: AP, NY Post, NY Times, US Capitol
Possible 2nd Booster Shots
A lot more Americans could be getting a 4th Covid-19 shot soon. Several news outlets cite sources who say the FDA is about to make a 2nd booster shot available to everyone 50 and older. They could get either the Pfizer or Moderna shots at least four months after getting their first booster dose. Earlier studies have shown that another booster gives people more protection, but some scientists say they want more data. For now, the FDA only recommends 2nd boosters for people who have compromised immune systems. However, that could reportedly change as soon as tomorrow.
Read More: MarketWatch, Business Insider, NY Times, WaPo, CNN
Oscars Incident Recap
The most-talked-about moment of this year’s Oscars had nothing to do with a movie. Actor Will Smith walked on stage mid-broadcast and smacked presenter Chris Rock, then cursed at him. It came after Rock made a “GI-Jane” joke about Will’s wife, actress, and talk show host, Jada Pinkett Smith, referring to her shaved head. Pinkett-Smith has struggled openly with a hair-loss disorder called alopecia. Reaction online was strong and mixed. Will Smith addressed the incident minutes after it happened because he won Best Actor. He apologized to the academy and his fellow nominees, but he didn’t mention Chris Rock.
Read more: People, E! News, Variety
Oscars Awards Recap
The Oscars’ top prize went to the movie “CODA” which made Apple TV+ the first-ever streaming platform to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. For his role in “CODA”, Troy Kotsur became the first deaf man to win an Academy Award for supporting actor. Also, Ariana DeBose won the first Oscar for an openly queer woman of color in her supporting role for the musical “West Side Story.” Will Smith won Best Actor for “King Richard”, and Jessica Chastain won Best Actress for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.”
Read more: USA Today, CNN, Oscars
Foo Fighters Drummer Died
The long-time drummer for the rock band Foo Fighters passed away. Taylor Hawkins, who also drummed for Alanis Morissette, died in his hotel room in Colombia, where the band was scheduled to play on Friday. A day later, Colombia’s attorney general said Hawkins had 10 different substances in his system when he died, including opioids, antidepressants, and marijuana. Authorities didn’t officially rule on his cause of death but said they’re still investigating. Foo Fighters put out a statement, saying, “His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever.”
Read more: NBC News, Rolling Stone, TMZ, Foo Fighters, Colombia AG
Microplastics Found in Human Blood
New research found plastic in humans' bloodstreams for the first time. Microplastics, microscopic pieces of plastic, come from paints or plastic products that break down, like water bottles or shopping bags. They’ve already been found in water, air, fish, and food. Now, there’s evidence plastic is being absorbed into the human bloodstream. In this new study, 17 of the 22 healthy adults involved had plastic in their blood. Now, researchers need to know what long-term impacts it could have.
Read more: Insider, USA Today, Phys, Environment International Journal, WWF
Men’s Final Four Set
North Carolina will face Duke, and Villanova will take on Kansas in this year’s Final Four. The first game is highly-anticipated since there’s a long-time rivalry between the two teams that spans nearly a century. However, they’ve never gone head to head in the NCAA tournament until now. The other game will probably attract a lot of eyes, too, since Kansas is the highest-ranked team left in the tournament, and Villanova is a No. 2 seed. The winners of the Final Four games will compete for the national title next Monday.
Read more: ESPN, DraftKings, USA Today, NCAA
Women’s Tournament
For now, the women have taken over prime time. Their Elite Eight goes through tonight, with their Final Four starting Friday. Then, the Women’s National Championship tips off Sunday.
Read more: Bleacher Report, NY Times, NCAA
Money Monday: Mortgage Rates Jumped 5%
The rate for the most common kind of mortgage surged again. As the Mortgage Daily News reports, the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage rose another 5% last week, and that was the second dramatic spike in a week. It couldn’t come at a worse time since the all-important spring housing market is getting underway. With house hunters already facing a low inventory of homes and skyrocketing home prices, the new median mortgage payment is now 20% higher than it was one year ago.
Read more: CNBC, Insider, WaPo, CBS News, Freddie Mac, Mortgage Daily News