Friday, April 1st, 2022
Historic Oil Release, Human ‘Blueprint’ Complete & April Fools’ Day
All the news you need in around 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 reading the latest happenings...
Biden Releases Oil From Reserve
The White House announced the largest-ever release of oil from its strategic reserve. An average of one million barrels of oil will be released every day for the next six months. President Biden says he’s also going to invoke the Defense Production Act to boost clean-energy technology. Plus, he asked Congress to pass a new law that would push oil companies to drill faster when they have leases on federal land. The oil and gas companies weren’t happy with the president’s announcement, though, saying Biden unfairly blamed the crisis on them. They suggest he should instead lower regulations to encourage more oil production.
Read more: Fox Business, Axios, NY Times, WSJ, CNBC, CNN, White House
Russian Movement in Ukraine
Russian troops left the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine after being exposed to radiation. That’s according to Ukraine’s state power company. It says the Russians dug trenches in the forest around the closed plant, but they panicked at the first sign of illness. So, the plant is back in Ukrainian control. However, the Russian government hasn’t said exactly why its troops left. Officials with the International Atomic Energy Agency Plan to visit the plant in the next few days. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s president says some Russian troops are leaving the north and center of his country, but they are repositioning in the southeast to prepare for more battles.
Read more: WSJ, NPR, AP, BBC, Reuters
High Schoolers’ Mental Health Declining
The CDC published a new survey warning about a rising mental health crisis among teenagers. In it, more than two in five teens reported they felt “persistently sad or hopeless.” One in five said they had thought about suicide. The CDC’s survey went out to nearly 8,000 high schoolers around the country during the first six months of last year. That’s when they were still in the middle of their first full year since Covid-19 swept the country. One official says this is evidence the pandemic was incredibly disruptive for young people.
Read more: WaPo, WSJ, AP, USA Today, CDC
1950 Census Records Release
The U.S. Census from 1950 was released early this morning, more than seven decades later. Privacy laws kept them locked away until now. Some Americans have been anxiously awaiting this report because it was America’s first Census after WWII, at the start of the baby boom. The U.S. had grown by nearly 15% in just a decade. Some industrial cities were more populated than ever, before Americans started moving to the suburbs. Researchers are now going through all the records that were just published to get a more precise look at those kinds of trends.
Read more: NY Times, WaPo, AP, WSJ, National Archives
Human Blueprint Breakthrough
In a major breakthrough, scientists finally pieced together the full genetic blueprint for human life. A massive team published the full map of the human genome, from end to end, with no gaps. Basically, it’s the set of instructions to build and sustain a human being. Researchers say it could drive a new era of medical breakthroughs. While it might be years before they see a concrete payoff, the full genome could offer insights into human development like how we evolve, how we age, and how we develop and adapt to viruses or diseases.
Read more: AP, WaPo, CNN, NBC News, Science
Grammy Awards
Music’s biggest night is this Sunday. The 2022 Grammys promise lots of star performers including Carrie Underwood, John Legend, BTS, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, and others. The show will go on without a few stars, too, like Foo Fighters, who were set to perform before the sudden death of their drummer last week. Now, there’s reportedly a tribute to Taylor Hawkins in the works instead. Plus, as we told you last month, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West was barred from performing because of “concerning online behavior.” The Grammys are this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
Read more: Variety, Rolling Stone, NY Post, USA Today, Grammy, CBS
Netflix Launching Trivia Quest
Today is launch day for an interactive daily trivia game show on Netflix. It’s called Trivia Quest, and it’s based on the popular mobile game Trivia Crack. Netflix will air an episode every day this month, and each episode will have 24 trivia questions. Players will answer questions from a variety of categories, like science, history, entertainment, sports, and art, using their TV remote, smartphone, computer, or game console.
Read more: TechCrunch, NY Times, People, Netflix
April Fools’ Day
It’s April Fools’ Day. A lot of brands jump on the joke trend, most of them offering things that, let's face it, no one wants. This year, we’ve already seen some interesting advertisements like a “sweet and sour” sundae from Mcdonald's. That’s sweet and sour sauce on top of ice cream. Then, some companies are having to convince people they aren’t making an April Fools joke. This week, Dyson unveiled noise-canceling headphones that double as air purifiers. A detachable visor blows filtered air into your nose and mouth. A lot of people online speculated it was a prank, but Dyson promises that product is real.
Read more: Smart Company, The Guardian, NY Daily News, McDonald's on Instagram, Dyson
Ramadan Begins
The Muslim celebration of Ramadan starts this weekend. Throughout April, millions of Muslims around the world will fast every day from dawn to sunset. It’s said to be a time to prioritize feeding the soul over the physical body. Along with abstaining from food, drink, and other things, it’s also meant to be a reminder to strengthen relationships with God. It ends with a big, three-day celebration called Eid Al-Fitr which means “The Festival of the Breaking of the Fast”. People gather, feast, and give gifts to mark the end of Ramadan.
Read more: Al Jazeera, Haaretz, USA Today, Vox, ING, NY Times
Feel Good Friday: Tuskegee Airmen Honored After Win Decades Later
Retired Lt. Col. James H. Harvey III is one of the few living members of the legendary “Tuskegee Airmen”. He also piloted on the team that won the military’s very first Top Gun contest. However, he says the win was “swept under the rug” because the team was Black. The Air Force Almanac listed the winners as “unknown”. Then, last year, Harvey got a call from AARP’s Wish of a Lifetime which grants lifelong wishes to older adults. Harvey’s one wish was for his fighter group to officially be recognized for winning the competition in 1949. So, a plaque was unveiled and mounted at the Nellis Air Force Base in the group’s honor.
Read More: Fox News, USA Today, Air Force Times, AARP Documentary