Wednesday, April 14th, 2021
J&J on Hold, Afghanistan Withdrawal & Spotify’s ‘Car Thing’
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Fitbod.me/newsworthy and BetterHelp.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…
J&J Vaccines Pause
At least temporarily, Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine will no longer be given out anywhere in the U.S. Federal health officials from the CDC and FDA recommended the pause because six people reported getting a rare and severe type of blood clot. All six were adult women under 50. The symptoms started anywhere from 6-13 days after they got their shot. One of the women died. That’s six cases out of more than seven million people who have gotten the Johnson & Johnson shot so far.
Read More: NY Times, CNN, AP, CNBC, FDA
Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal
Today, President Biden is expected to announce that all American troops will leave Afghanistan by September 11th this year. That’s exactly 20 years after the terror attacks that caused the U.S. to get involved in Afghanistan, now the U.S. military’s longest war. The withdrawal is later than originally planned. Former President Trump had promised to get troops home by May 1st. However, the Biden administration says there’s still too much violence in Afghanistan now. The U.S. is still working on a peace deal with the Taliban.
Read More: WaPo, NPR, WSJ, Newsweek
MN Police Officer, Chief Resign
The police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright in Minnesota this week could be charged with a crime as soon as today. That’s what the county attorney handling the case told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. However, he wouldn’t say what the charges would be. Just yesterday, the officer turned in her resignation, saying she would leave the police department immediately. The police chief also resigned. Meanwhile, the town of Brooklyn Center, where the shooting happened, is still dealing with unrest. About 60 people were reportedly arrested last night for rioting and other crimes.
Read More: Minneapolis Star Tribune, Fox News, CNN, Axios
Chauvin Defense Calls Witnesses
Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin’s lawyers are starting to call witnesses. One of the six people who testified for the defense team yesterday was a former police trainer and use-of-force expert. He told the jury he didn’t think the kind of restraint Chauvin used qualified as the use of deadly force. He was talking about Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed. The testimony directly contradicted what we heard from other officers earlier in the trial. The Minneapolis police chief said Chauvin’s actions were not within department policy, ethics, or values.
Read More: CBS News, NBC News, NY Times, NPR
Arrests Made in Kristin Smart Case
Investigators believe they may have solved the high-profile case of a California college student who disappeared 25 years ago. One of Kristin Smart’s former classmates was arrested for murder. Smart was a 19-year-old freshman at California Polytechnic University when she disappeared after a party near the school. This was back in 1996. Authorities say another student, Paul Flores, walked her home after the party that night. Now, he’s the prime suspect and he’s being held in jail without bail. Law enforcement officers haven’t said what new evidence has come out and they haven’t released a motive.
Read More: LA Times, ABC News, CBS News
FL Wastewater Reservoir Closing
Florida is going to permanently shut down a wastewater reservoir that came close to flooding neighborhoods with millions of gallons of polluted water. Lawmakers say it could end up costing $100 million in taxpayer money. Last week, officials found a leak in the wastewater pond in Manatee County, just south of Tampa. Officials ended up dumping more than 200 million gallons of wastewater into Port Manatee which leads into Tampa Bay. Now, water samples from Port Manatee reportedly show high levels of chemicals that can be deadly for marine life.
Read More: AP, CBS News, NY Times
Popular Cat Food Recalled
Meow Mix cat food sold at Walmart stores across eight states could be contaminated with Salmonella and cat owners are encouraged to throw it out. The JM Smucker company that owns the popular brand issued a recall as a precaution. So far, the company doesn’t have any reports of pets getting sick. The recall impacts 30-pound bags of the Meow Mix Original Choice dry cat food. They have expiration dates for September 14th and 15th of 2022. The FDA says cats with salmonella infection may have symptoms like vomiting, decreased appetite, and fever.
Read More: CBS News, FDA, Impacted Walmart Stores
World’s Longest Rabbit Missing
One of the biggest rabbits on Earth is missing and his owner says she believes her prized pet was kidnapped. The rabbit, named Darius, is even larger than your average bulldog. According to his entry in the Guinness World Records, he’s four feet, three inches long and he weighs about 50 pounds. His owner believes someone broke into her backyard in England and snatched Darius from his enclosure. Local police are handling the case as an abduction and they’re urging anyone with information to come forward.
Read More: AP, NY Times, West Mercia Police, Guinness World Records
Children’s Apps Privacy Changes
Disney, Viacom, and 10 advertising tech firms have agreed to remove certain ad software from children’s apps. It’s part of a new legal settlement that involves some of the largest ad tech companies, like Twitter’s MoPub, and some of the most popular kids’ apps, like Viacom’s Llama Spit Spit. Parents sued, saying companies put tracking software in kids’ apps without parents knowing. Those kinds of trackers can be used to target kids with ads and push them to make in-app purchases. Parents argued that violates privacy laws and fair business practice laws.
Read More: NY Times, Mobile App Child Privacy Settlements
Spotify’s “Car Thing”
Spotify just released its first gadget. It’s a voice-controlled device for the car that lets you control Spotify without looking at or touching your phone screen. It’s called Car Thing. It’s like a remote control since there’s no speaker on the device itself, just a button and a knob. To hear your music or podcasts, you still need to connect the device to your phone. For now, you can’t just buy one. You sign up for the waitlist and hope Spotify reaches out. If the company does choose you, you get your Car Thing for free. You just have to pay for shipping. It’s not clear how many Spotify plans to give away. The retail price is $80.
Read More: TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Spotify
Work Wednesday: Facebook Job Ads Gender Bias
The kinds of job ads you see on Facebook could have something to do with whether you’re a man or a woman. Researchers at the University of Southern California say they found gender bias in the social media platform’s algorithm. For example, software engineer jobs were marketed more to men and retail sales associate jobs were geared more toward women. Facebook says certain job postings are presented to people who are most like existing employees at each company. However, a spokesperson says Facebook is also working to fix discrimination issues.
Read More: WSJ, Mashable, Netflix Diversity Report