Wednesday, March 31st, 2021
Tearful Testimony, Legal Weed & Final Four Decided
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Stamps.com (Listen for the discount code) and Noom.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 reading about the latest happenings…
Migrant Facility Crowding
For the first time, journalists were able to go inside a main migrant facility in South Texas. The AP says it was grim. The facility was designed to hold up to 250 people, but more than 4,000 are being housed there right now. More than 3,400 of them are children who traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border alone. The rest are families. Kids are supposed to stay in these facilities for three days max. Then, the protocol says they go with a relative or another vetted adult sponsor until their cases are brought up in immigration court. However, thousands of kids in that facility have been there longer than mandated since the Biden administration is dealing with a backlog.
Read More: AP, FOX News, CNN, Axios
Rep. Gaetz Under Investigation
Another powerful politician is said to be under investigation for sexual misconduct. The New York Times cited three sources who say the Justice Department is looking into Congressman Matt Gaetz and whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl. They’re also investigating whether he paid her to travel with him which could be considered sex trafficking. So far, no formal charges have been brought against Gaetz and the congressman from Florida says all allegations are not true. Instead, he says he and his family have been victims of an extortion scheme. So far, the Justice Department hasn’t publicly responded.
Read More: Politico, NY Times, AP, WSJ, Rep. Gaetz
Emotional Chauvin Trial Testimony
It’s been an emotional week so far in Minneapolis where a former police officer is on trial for the death of George Floyd. Six witnesses spoke on the stand yesterday about the day Floyd died. One of them was a Minneapolis firefighter and certified EMT. She was on a walk when she saw then-Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck. She says she begged police officers to let her help, at least to start CPR. However, she says she couldn’t do anything because officers wouldn’t let her get close. Already, the defense has argued Chauvin did what his training told him to do and he didn’t cause Floyd’s death. They point to drugs and previous health conditions.
Read More: NY Times, Axios, USA Today, FOX News, Watch Trial Live
NY to Legalize Marijuana
It looks like New York will become the 15th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. State lawmakers passed the bill last night. It now heads to the governor and he’s already said he’ll sign it into law. This will mean tens of thousands of people will have their drug records erased. The governor’s office also points to an expected $350 million in tax revenue for the state each year and as many as 60,000 new jobs created. However, critics worry legalizing week will further strain the healthcare system and send mixed messages to young people.
Read More: NPR, ABC News, NY Times, DISA, Legal Aid Society, NIDA
Men’s Final Four Decided
March Madness is down to the Final Four. This means there are only three games left before we have an NCAA college basketball champion. The teams left are Houston, Baylor, UCLA, and Gonzaga. UCLA is the biggest surprise since they came into the tournament as an 11-seeded team. They defeated a top-seeded team, Michigan, last night. Still, Gonzaga looks like the frontrunner. They’re the only theme that’s still undefeated all season. You can watch both Final Four games this Saturday and the national championship game on Monday.
Read More: CBS Sports, LA Times, ESPN
Women’s Final Four Decided
The Final Four is also set in the women’s college basketball tournament. It’s down to Stanford, South Carolina, UConn, and Arizona. Arizona is the only team that wasn’t a No. 1 seed, but it wasn’t far off as a No. 3 seed. This is the first time Arizona has made it to the Final Four. Also, this is the first time two Black women will be head coaches in the Final Four. The next games happen this Friday and their championship is set for Sunday.
Read More: ESPN, NCAA
All-Civilian Spaceflight Full
We now know all four people who will be on the first all-civilian flight to space. Billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist Jared Isaacman teamed up with SpaceX for the private trip around Earth that’s also raising millions of dollars for St. Jude Children’s research hospital. Isaacman is going on the trip with three others. St. Jude physician assistant and child cancer survivor Hayley Arceneaux was already named. The final two are Dr. Sian Proctor, a geoscientist and community college professor from Arizona, as well as Chris Sembroski, a former Air Force missileman from Washington who now works at Lockheed Martin.
Read More: NY Times, AP, Florida Today, Inspiration4
Volkswagen Jokes About Name Change
Volkswagen’s name change was just a hoax. The German automaker had formally announced this week it would be changing its name to Voltswagen to reflect its renewed focus on developing electric vehicles. However, the company spokesman now says it was an early April Fools’ joke. Now, the company could potentially face legal trouble for the joke because companies aren’t allowed to release fake information that could affect a stock price. However, experts say regulators would have to prove Volkswagen was knowingly trying to manipulate its stock to punish the company.
Read More: AP, Bloomberg, Reuters, Volkswagen
‘Game of Thrones’ Broadway Show
Game of Thrones is headed to Broadway. The stage show will reportedly be based on a prequel story set about 16 years earlier from where the Game of Thrones TV series began. It’s set to focus on an event called The Great Tourney at Harrenhal. Based on the books, fans can expect to see well-known characters like Ned Stark, Jaime Lannister, and Lord Robert Baratheon show up. Author George RR Martin is working on the script for the Broadway show now. It’s expected to debut on stages in New York, London, and Australia in 2023.
Read More: Hollywood Reporter, EW, CNBC
Work Wednesday: Workers Return, Companies Adapt
It turns out a majority of workers enjoy the flexibility of being able to work from home. However, they don’t want to do it every day. According to a new survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers, 72% of workers said they want a mix of remote and in-person working. Major corporations appear to be on board with making this type of arrangement permanent and many are working to get rid of extra office space that’s no longer deemed essential. Companies like JPMorgan Chase, Uber, and Wells Fargo are all trying to offload office space they’re not using.
Read More: NY Times, WSJ, WaPo, Axios, PWC