Wednesday, April 13th, 2022
NYC Subway Attacked, New Gas Rule & Moon Dust Auction
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Indeed.com/newsworthy and Pampers.com
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…
Putin Comments on War
Russian President Putin spoke publicly about the war in Ukraine, saying negotiations have hit a “dead end”, and the war will continue until his country is victorious. He also spoke about Russia’s mission in Ukraine as if it was a “noble” one, saying, “On the one hand, we are helping and saving people, and on the other, we are simply taking measures to ensure the security of Russia.” Thousands of people have died in the war since it started about seven weeks ago. Leaders around the world say there’s evidence thousands of civilians have been targeted, so they’re investigating potential war crimes.
Read More: Newsweek, WSJ, Reuters, WaPo
Biden Accuses Russia of Genocide
For the first time, President Biden said Russia’s actions in Ukraine amounted to “genocide.” Although, he later said it will be up to legal experts to decide if that term formally applies. Today, the president is expected to announce another $750 million worth of military equipment and other support for Ukraine. That would bring the U.S. aid to more than $2 billion since the invasion started.
Read More: Fox News, CNN, AP, Axios, Pres. Zelensky
NYC Subway Attack/Manhunt
Authorities are searching for the person who attacked passengers on a New York City subway train at the height of rush hour. Police say a gunman in a gas mask and construction vest set off smoke grenades and opened fire. 23 people were hurt, including 10 who were shot. Thankfully, everyone is expected to survive. For now, police aren’t investigating the attack as terrorism, but they haven’t officially ruled out anything. It’s still not clear what motivated the attacker. They’re looking for a person of interest, Frank James, but haven’t called him a suspect yet.
Read More: CBS News, NY Times, CNN, Fox News, AP, NYPD
NY Lt. Gen. Arrested, Resigned
New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin stepped down after being arrested yesterday. He’s facing federal charges related to a bribery scheme. The charges say while Benjamin was a state senator, he directed $50,000 in state taxpayer money to a real estate developer’s charity. In return, the developer gathered thousands of dollars in illegal donations to fund Benjamin’s political campaigns. That developer has also been arrested, and both men have pleaded not guilty. Still, Benjamin decided to step down immediately.
Read More: NY Times, WSJ, AP, WaPo, Gov. Hochul
SD AG Impeached
South Dakota’s top prosecutor was impeached. That makes Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg the first official to be impeached in South Dakota history. This goes back to 2020 when he struck and killed a pedestrian on the shoulder of a rural highway. After a criminal investigation, Ravnsborg paid a fine but didn’t get any jail time. Now, the state Senate will hold a trial to decide whether to convict him on the impeachment charges. If he’s found guilty, he will be banned from holding any other state office in the future. Ravnsborg calls it a political move since he’s already paid the price for what happened.
Read More: AP, CNN, Fox News, Reuters, Gov. Noem
Biden Ethanol Waiver
President Biden says his administration is going to allow high-ethanol gasoline to be sold in the hot summer months. Already, most gas in the U.S. contains 10% ethanol. However, under this change, gas with up to 15% ethanol will be allowed, even from June 1st to September 15th. The higher-ethanol gas is normally not allowed then because it can create more air pollution. However, administration officials say the move could save drivers about 10 cents a gallon. That said, some oil industry leaders are skeptical it will make that much of a difference.
Read More: WSJ, Politico, AP, The Verge, White House
Grocery Prices Up
The Labor Department’s latest report says food costs climbed another 1% last month. That means food prepared at home now costs 10% more than it did a year ago, and restaurant and takeout meals cost about 7% more. The grocery store trade group FMI says many shoppers are now looking for deals. Some are also changing what they’re buying, like going for frozen instead of fresh meats.
Read More: The Hill, CNBC, Financial Times, Axios, BLS
Task Force: Screen Kids 8+ for Anxiety
For the first time, an influential group of experts is recommending all children be screened for anxiety, starting at the age of 8. The draft guidelines are from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which is made up of an independent group of doctors and other experts appointed by the federal government. Its recommendations often influence health care providers and insurance companies. These draft guidelines are open for public comment and are expected to be finalized later this year.
Read More: ABC News, NY Times, WSJ, AP, US Preventive Services Task Force, CDC
RIP Gilbert Gottfried
A comedian and actor with one of the most recognizable voices in Hollywood has passed away. Gilbert Gottfried died from a form of muscular dystrophy. He was 67. He was known as the voice of the wisecracking parrot in the movie ‘Aladdin’, and his career also included lead roles in ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’, ‘Problem Child’, and more. His family put out a statement saying, “Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert's honor.”
Read More: People, Variety, NBC News, Fox News, Family Statement
Moon Dust Auction
A rare piece of space history is going up for auction. The first time humans landed on the moon in 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong collected samples of moon dust. Well, today, those samples are hitting the auction block against NASA’s wishes, which wanted to put the moon dust on public display. But, a judge eventually ruled NASA doesn’t have any legal rights to stop the sale. So, it’s happening today in New York City. The dirt is expected to go for up to $1.2 million.
Read More: NBC News, CNN, Forbes, Smithsonian, Bonhams
New App Features
Snapchat wants to have more breaking news on its platform that updates in real-time. The app is partnering with dozens of newsrooms for the new Dynamic Stories. It will automatically create and update stories from the publishers’ websites. Meanwhile, TikTok is rolling out a change for anyone to create an augmented reality camera filter to use within the app. Also, the live audio app Clubhouse is hoping to lure people back with games. The first game, Wild Cards, is meant to be a conversation starter. Finally, Spotify is highlighting some of its live audio features. Spotify Live will be a stand-alone app for all creators. Some live, real-time conversations with artists and other creators will be available in the main app, too.
Snapchat’s New Tools: Axios, The Verge, TechCrunch, Snapchat
TikTok’s Effect House: Protocol, Engadget, The Verge, TechCrunch, TikTok
Clubhouse Tests Gaming: TechCrunch, Protocol, Clubhouse
Spotify’s Live Audio: The Verge, 9to5 Mac, Spotify
Work Wednesday: Time Spent Kind-Of Working
How much of your day is spent actually doing the job you were hired to do? One survey found, for a lot of people, it’s less than half of the day. The work management platform Asana surveyed about 11,000 white-collar workers around the world. It found people spend about 58% of their day doing “work about work.” That includes talking about work, searching for information, and following up on things. Employees also say they waste about five hours a week on things like tasks that have already been done and pointless meetings. One neuroscientist suggests workers get a clear understanding of expectations to avoid burnout.
Read More: Bloomberg, CNBC, Asana