Thursday, March 31st, 2022
Border Rules Lifting, Bruce Willis Diagnosis & Back to World Cup
All the news you need 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 peruse the latest happenings.
Severe Weather Damage
Today, people across the southern U.S. will be cleaning up from a severe weather outbreak. Homes and businesses were heavily damaged. Also, power lines and trees were knocked down in several states like Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. First, in Arkansas, a tornado hit just northwest of Little Rock. Then, storms moved east. Tornadoes were spotted near Monroe, Louisiana, and in Jackson, Mississippi. Some kind of severe weather caused widespread damage in Jackson, Tennessee, too. This line of storms is still pounding parts of Tennessee, Alabama, and western Georgia.
Read more: Weather Channel, AP, CNN, USA Today, NOAA
New Attacks in Ukraine
Russia has been bombing and shooting in Ukraine in the same areas it promised to scale back attacks this week. The latest intense strikes have been in the outskirts of Kyiv and another city in northern Ukraine. Officials say homes, libraries, shops, and more have been destroyed. On top of that, Ukrainian officials say Russian troops have stepped up attacks in eastern Ukraine, too. As of this morning, though, Russia doesn’t actually have any major Ukrainian city under its control. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agreed to another round of peace talks tomorrow.
Read more: Reuters, NY Times, AP, CNN, NPR
White House to Lift Title 42
The rule that kept 1.7 million migrants from entering the U.S. could end soon. We’re talking about Title 42. It’s been in place for two years because of the pandemic. It lets border officials quickly turn away most undocumented migrants without giving them a hearing to prevent Covid-19 from spreading in holding facilities. Now, several news outlets report that the rule will go away at the end of May. That’s because CDC said Covid-19 is no longer an immediate danger. Homeland Security says border crossings could climb as high as 18,000 a day, so they are preparing for a big spike.
Read more: Politico, CBS News, Axios, WSJ, DHS
Biden Calls for More Covid Relief
President Biden is calling on Congress to approve more money for Covid-19 relief. He says money for testing, vaccines, and treatments is running out, so his administration needs billions more dollars in federal funding. Biden says, without it, the U.S. would be left vulnerable to another wave of the virus. It’s not clear, though, where the money will come from. Republicans say until they know that, they can’t vote for more money.
Read more: NY Times, Fox Business, The Hill, White House
COVID.Gov Launched
On top of calls for funding, President Biden unveiled the website COVID.gov. On the front page of the site, you can enter the name of your county, and it will show you the Covid-19 risk level in your community. The site will also tell you where to get Covid-19 tests, vaccines, or treatments near you. This comes as a lot of the U.S. lifts its mandates, and shuts down mass testing and vaccination sites.
Read more: The Verge, WSJ, ABC News, CNET, White House
Academy Latest Response
The organization behind the Oscars clarified one more thing about that now-infamous slap on Sunday night. The Academy says Will Smith was asked to leave after he hit Chris Rock, but Smith refused. Now, the Academy says it’s considering how to punish him, and that could include suspending or expelling him. If he’s expelled, that would keep him from voting for future Academy Award shows, he could never be nominated for another Oscar, and he could never attend another Oscars ceremony. The Academy will make a final decision at its next board meeting in a few weeks.
Read more: CBS News, USA Today, NY Times, THR, KCM
Jada Pinkett Smith/Chris Rock Comments
Will Smith has apologized for storming the stage and hitting Chris Rock, and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, posted a graphic on social media that said, “This is a season for healing, and I’m here for it.” Chris Rock had mostly been silent about the situation. However, after a long-standing ovation at a sold-out stand-up show in Boston last night, he made a quick mention of it, simply saying he’s still processing what happened.
Read more: Variety, E! Online, AP, USA Today, Instagram
Bruce Willis Diagnosis
Bruce Willis’ family announced the “Die Hard” star is stepping away from acting as he battles aphasia. The Mayo Clinic says that condition is caused by brain damage, and it makes it hard to understand or express speech. It can happen after a stroke or a head injury, but it could also develop over time from a tumor or disease. His family members say he’s been experiencing health issues, and the aphasia is taking a toll on his cognitive abilities.
Read more: THR, People, Fox News, Mayo Clinic, Instagram
FTC Sues Intuit
The FTC is suing the maker of TurboTax, calling its ads misleading. Intuit, which owns TurboTax, offers a free version, but the FTC says it’s a “bait and switch.” The agency says most users, including people who file 1099 tax forms, are still charged when it comes time to file. The FTC’s lawsuit says TurboTax users can file their taxes for free if they have a “simple” tax return, but if people don’t have what’s considered “simple” once they enter their information, they have to upgrade to a paid version. So the agency is asking a federal court to stop Intuit’s “bogus” advertisements. Intuit says it will fight the suit.
Read more: CNBC, AP, Reuters, FTC, Intuit
Blue Origin Space Flight Today
Blue Origin’s 4th spaceflight launches today without any celebrities on board. Comedian Pete Davidson was slated to be the next famous face to ride to the edge of space, but the SNL star dropped out after a conflicting schedule. So, his seat was given to an architect of the very rocket he’ll fly on. Besides him, five paying customers will take the 10-minute joy ride.
Read more: Reuters, CNN, Space.Com, Blue Origin
US Astronaut Ends Record Spaceflight
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei made it back to Earth safely after spending a record-breaking 355 days in space. There were some fears about his return since he was sharing a spacecraft with two Russian cosmonauts amid tensions back on Earth. However, all three landed safely in Kazakhstan yesterday.
Read more: WaPo, AP, CNN, NASA
USMNT Seals World Cup Qualification
The U.S. men’s national team will be playing in the World Cup. The Americans qualified last night following a match against Costa Rica. Right away, they started celebrating, even though they lost the game two to zero. The thing is, the U.S. was already ahead of Costa Rica in the standings because of how many goals they’ve scored overall in the qualifying round. So going into the game, the U.S. just couldn’t lose by six goals or more. No U.S. men’s team has ever won a World Cup. This year’s tournament starts in November in Qatar.
Read more: CBS Sports, The Athletic, NY Times, US Soccer
Thing to Know Thursday: TikTok-Related Disorders
Since the start of the pandemic, doctors in the U.S. and U.K. have reportedly seen a dramatic spike in young girls looking for treatment for tics. Doctors learned a lot of them had watched videos from TikTok creators who claim to have Tourette syndrome. Now, doctors aren’t necessarily diagnosing more Tourettes, but they are seeing a new kind of mental illness. Some researchers call it “a pandemic within a pandemic.” They point to teens struggling with schoolwork and feelings of isolation, and they’re all coming out in these tics as expressions. Reports say meditation, counseling, and stress management can help.
Read more: WSJ, NY Post, The Verge, Harvard