Tuesday, March 29th, 2022
Wealthy Tax Hikes?, Will Smith’s Apology & Rooney Rule Changes
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by bollandbranch.com (Listen for the discount code) and Rothys.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...
Biden Budget Proposal
The White House released President Biden’s 2023 budget proposal this week. He’s requesting the largest-ever level of military spending. He also wants more money for law enforcement, education, public health, housing, and more. All the while, he wants to lower the nation’s debt by more than $1 trillion over the next ten years. Much of the money would come from taxes raised on businesses and the richest Americans. Overall, Biden’s budget proposal is worth $5.8 trillion. Now, it’s up to Congress to debate the details and make the final decision.
Read more: WaPo, Politico, CNBC, Fox Business, AP, White House
Judge Rules in Favor of Jan. 6th Cmte
A federal judge said former President Trump likely committed a felony to block the 2020 election results. That ruling clears the way for related emails to be turned over to congressional investigators. Plus, as several news outlets report, the statement could put more pressure on the Justice Department to consider a more formal investigation into the former president and the people around him. In response to this latest development, a Trump spokesperson told Axios the ruling was “absurd and baseless.”
Read more: Politico, WSJ, NY Times, Reuters, Axios
Russia-Ukraine New Talks
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are getting ready for another round of peace talks. The Ukraine side is going in with some new offers. President Zelensky 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’s been requesting. Zelensky says he can also promise to keep Ukraine nuclear-free, and he’s open to compromise about the future of a region in eastern Ukraine that’s been disputed territory between the Ukrainians and the Russians. Still, western officials say it doesn’t look like Russia is willing to end this conflict peacefully.
Read more: AP, NY Times, WaPo, The Guardian
Shanghai Lockdown
China’s largest city is responding to a growing Covid-19 outbreak with another strict lockdown. This is China’s biggest city-wide lockdown since the pandemic began more than two years ago. Since it’s in China’s financial capital of Shanghai, there’s concern this could take a toll on the global supply chain. Shanghai’s port is staying open, though, and so are factories, just so long as employees never leave. Even still, lockdowns are hitting warehouses and truckers, so delays are possible. For now, the lockdown is only expected to last one more week.
Read more: WSJ, Fortune, WaPo, Reuters, BBC
Will Smith Public Apology
We have an update for you about the on-camera slap during the Oscars. Will Smith publicly apologized to Chris Rock last night. Smith called his behavior “unacceptable and inexcusable”, and while he noted that Rock’s jokes about his wife’s medical condition were “too much for me to bear”, he admitted he was out of line. Remember, Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head during the Oscar ceremony Sunday night. Will Smith responded by going up on stage, slapping the comedian, and cursing at him.
Read more: Variety, Deadline, CNBC, Instagram
Academy on Oscars Controversy
The Academy that gives out the Oscars condemned the actor’s violence and said it’s launching a formal review into Will Smith’s actions. Plus, the Academy said it’s exploring potential consequences. The New York Times cites sources who say the Academy debated pulling Smith from the theater after the slap, but time was limited, and stakeholders couldn’t decide how to handle it.
Read more: AP, NY Times, Reuters, NY Post
Oscars Audience
While the Oscars might’ve had one of the most-talked-about moments, it wasn’t the most-watched broadcast, not even close. The numbers are in, and this was the second-least-watched Oscars in history, right behind last year’s award show. We should note that these ratings don’t count anyone who streamed the show.
Read more: Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, NY Times
NFL Adjusts Rooney Rule
The NFL is trying to improve its diversity by beefing up its Rooney Rule. That’s the league’s rule that requires teams to interview a diverse range of candidates for coaching jobs and other positions. The league announced two changes to it. For starters, all 32 teams must hire a minority offensive assistant coach for the 2022 season. Also, women can now count toward filling the rule’s requirement. On top of the Rooney Rule changes, the NFL said it created a six-person advisory committee to review the league’s diversity.
Read more: ESPN, AP, CBS Sports, The Athletic, NFL
Tesla Stock Split
For the second time in two years, Tesla wants to split its stock, and shares are jumping. The electric car maker confirmed its plans on asking shareholders to approve the split. Basically, a stock split is where the company splits each existing share into new shares, making them more affordable. Tesla’s only other stock split was back in August of 2020, and it was a 5-for-1 offering. This time around, it’s not clear what type of split Tesla will ask for. After Tesla’s announcement yesterday, the stock went up.
Read more CNN, AP, MarketWatch, CNBC, Tesla
Walmart Stores End Cigarette Sales
Walmart is quietly yanking cigarettes from some of its stores. The Wall Street Journal reported the big chain will stop sales at certain stores in Arkansas, California, Florida, and New Mexico. It’s not clear how many locations are included. One company spokesperson told the Journal that Walmart just wanted to use its space more efficiently. In some stores, Walmart rolled out a design with more self-checkout registers and other grab-and-go items in front of the stores in place of tobacco products in locked cases. The company isn’t halting all of its tobacco sales nationwide, though.
Read more: WSJ, Fox Business, WaPo, CDC
Trivia Tuesday
Which country did bagels originate from?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia
Q: Which teenage girl helped drive the English from French soil in the 15th century?
A: Joan of Arc
Read More: History, Biography, Live Science