Monday, April 11th, 2022
New War Commander, Covid Hits DC, & Etsy Sellers ‘Strike’
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Pampers.com and Indeed.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 review the latest happenings...
Ukrainian Fighting Latest
The war in Ukraine has entered another brutal phase. The large cities of Kharkiv and Mariupol are still under near-constant attack. Plus, an airport was destroyed yesterday in central Ukraine. Also, recently, a crowded eastern Ukrainian train station was attacked as people were trying to escape the region. At least 57 people were killed, and more than 100 were hurt in the attack. Now, authorities say Russia is planning a “massive attack” in eastern Ukraine. New satellite images show an eight-mile-long Russian convoy traveling across northern Ukraine toward the east.
Read More: WaPo, AP, WSJ, NPR, NY Times, Axios, UN
New Russia Commander
The U.S. says a new Russian general has been tapped to take over the invasion of Ukraine. He’s one of Russia’s most experienced officers, and he has a record of brutality against civilians in other conflicts. To help Ukraine prepare, several foreign allies have promised to send more weapons. Today, Russian President Putin is expected to meet with his Austrian counterpart. It will be the first time since the invasion started that Putin will meet face-to-face with a European leader.
Read More: NBC News, Politico, Fox News, Reuters
Covid Surge in NYC and DC
New York City and Washington, D.C. have seen recent upticks in Covid-19 cases. Since the last week of March, the New York Times says cases have doubled in D.C. and risen about 60% in New York City. A few Broadway performances have been canceled, and New York City’s mayor canceled his appearances after testing positive. In the nation’s capital, several politicians have gotten sick with Covid-19, including Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, just to name a few. That said, hospitalizations and deaths are still becoming less common, even in the hardest-hit areas.
Read More: NY Times, The Hill, WaPo, AMNY
Steelers QB Deadly Accident
NFL stars and fans are mourning the sudden loss of a well-known football player. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins was hit and killed by a dump truck on Saturday morning while trying to walk across a Florida highway. He was 24 years old when he died. Haskins was a standout at Ohio State and was drafted by the team now known as the Washington Commanders. He most recently played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tributes have been pouring in from around the league and OSU. Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating his death.
Read More: ESPN, CNN, NFL, NBC News, Fox News, Mike Tomlin, Ben Roethlisberger
More Flights Canceled/Cut
It was another rough weekend for air travelers. JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines had to cancel hundreds of flights and delay many more. They were dealing with staffing issues and bad weather in Florida. Airlines are now hoping to avoid more issues like this by hiring more workers. Also, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines decided to cut flights starting next month and throughout the summer season, even though they’re expecting surging summer travel. The hope is the cuts will lower the risk of last-minute cancellations.
Read More: USA Today, The Hill, WSJ, CNBC, FlightAware
New Gender-Neutral Airport Security
Starting today, U.S. citizens have a new option when applying for a passport. You can now pick X as the gender marker. The White House called it a “major step” for making sure Americans who identify as nonbinary and gender-nonconforming get accurate ID documents and are represented while they travel. Along with that, TSA is soon rolling out less-invasive screening procedures. That includes replacing the current, gender-based screening system. Now, TSA can choose either a man or woman to screen a traveler. Later this year, TSA is promising more advanced technology to avoid having to do so many pat-downs.
Read More: Axios, Reuters, AP, USA Today, TSA, State Dept, White House
Etsy Sellers Week-Long Strike
Thousands of sellers on Etsy plan to go on strike this week, changing their online stores to “vacation mode” and asking shoppers to boycott the platform, too. The sellers say they’re protesting a range of new policies. They say the final straw was finding out Etsy will take a larger cut of their money with a 30% increase in transaction fees. Etsy defends the fee increase as a good thing for sellers. The company says it will invest most of the extra revenue into “marketing, seller tools, and better customer experiences.” The strike is set to last from today through next Monday.
Read More: Fortune, Slate, The Verge, Gizmodo, Coworker.org, Reddit, Etsy
Elon Musk Twitter Board Reversal
In an unexpected reversal, Elon Musk decided not to join Twitter’s board of directors after all. Twitter’s CEO shared the announcement last night. That’s less than a week after we found out Musk became the company’s largest shareholder and would join the board. However, it’s not clear why he changed his mind. So far, Musk hasn’t said anything about this since the announcement, though he tweeted out the “hand over mouth” emoji.
Read More: CNBC, Fox Business, The Verge, WaPo, Twitter, Elon Musk
Will Smith’s 10-Year Oscar Ban
Will Smith is now banned from the Oscars and all other Academy events for the next ten years. That’s his punishment for slapping Chris Rock during the Academy Awards last month. The board of governors for the Academy made the decision Friday. In a statement, the Academy called Smith’s behavior “unacceptable and harmful.” It thanked Chris Rock for “maintaining his composure” and apologized to the public for not doing more when it first happened. Smith responded, saying, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.” Even though he won’t be able to go to Academy events, Smith will still be able to be nominated and win Oscars.
Read More: Variety, Deadline, Page Six, NY Times
‘Stand Up for Ukraine’ Raised Nearly $11B
Huge stars from all over the world came together to raise money for Ukraine. The celebrities included Celine Dion, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Stevie Wonder, Green Day, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, Garth Brooks, Elton John, Oprah Winfrey, and more. They got online to encourage their fans to help fund humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. Many pointed people to the official pledge drive that was organized by Canadian and European leaders. By the end of the weekend, donors had given about $10 billion.
Read More: Forbes, WaPo, Billboard, Rolling Stone, AP, Global Citizen
Scottie Scheffler Wins Masters
A young American golfer is making a big name for himself. 25-year-old Scottie Scheffler won the top tournament in golf: the Masters. Just two months ago, he had yet to ever win on the PGA Tour. Since then, he’s become the world’s No. 1 player, collected four wins, and the signature Masters green jacket. Scheffler’s toughest competitor at the Masters was Rory McIlroy, but Scheffler ended up winning by three strokes. With that win, Scheffler took home $2.7 million. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods finished in 47th place. However, some experts say it’s a good thing he finished at all since his car accident last year.
Read More: CBS Sports, SI, WaPo, NY Times, Fox Business
Money Monday: Luxury Sales Rising
Americans seem to be embracing some big luxury purchases like jewelry these days. New data from Mastercard shows jewelry sales rose nearly 80% in March as compared to March of 2019. Jewelry was even a popular purchase during the pandemic, but 2022 is expected to see a bigger boom. Axios cites many Americans going back to the office and this year being a record-breaker for weddings. However, jewelry isn’t the only thing Americans are splurging on. Last year, many more shoppers than usual bought high-end clothing, shoes, and bags. Market reports say art buying was up, too, beyond pre-pandemic levels.
Read More: Axios, Bloomberg, Technavio