Friday, April 22nd, 2022
New Refugee Program, Florida Targets Disney & Earth Day
All the news you need in around 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.com/newsworthy and TommyJohn.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 the latest happenings...
More U.S. Aid for Ukraine
President Biden promised another $1.3 billion for new weapons and economic assistance for Ukraine. That’s on top of the more than $3 billion that’s already been approved since the Russian invasion began. Ukraine’s President Zelensky thanked the U.S. during his nightly address, but he says his country will need a lot more. Zelensky told the World Bank that Ukraine will need hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild since the war has left so much of the country in ruins.
Read More: Reuters, AP, WSJ, CNBC, White House
New US Program for Ukrainian Refugees
The U.S. also has a new plan to help some of the Ukrainians who have been forced to flee their home country. President Biden announced a new refugee-sponsorship program. Ukrainians who have a sponsor in the U.S. will be quickly allowed in, and they’ll be able to stay here for up to two years. Sponsors can be family members, other individual Americans, or organizations like churches. The refugees will have to pass security vetting and have the necessary vaccines. The potential sponsors will have to clear background checks, too. Americans will be able to apply online starting Monday to become sponsors.
Read More: WaPo, CBS News, Fox News, Politico, DHS
Ex-Honduras President Extradited to the US
The former president of Honduras is facing serious criminal charges here in the U.S. Juan Orlando Hernández left office three months ago. Now, he faces drug trafficking and weapons charges. The U.S. attorney general says the former president “abused his position… to operate the country as a narco-state.” Prosecutors say Hernández was part of a corrupt and violent drug trafficking conspiracy that moved more than 550 tons of cocaine into the U.S. They accuse him of receiving millions of dollars from drug cartels, and in return, drug traffickers were able to operate freely in his country. However, the former president has repeatedly said he’s innocent.
Read More: CBS News, AP, Axios, NY Times, DOJ
PR Benefits Exclusion Upheld
The U.S. Supreme Court backed up a decision from Congress that means people living in Puerto Rico are ineligible for certain benefits. The Supplemental Security Income program is a federal program that helps low-income seniors, disabled people, and blind people. That program is available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. However, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories are not included. Critics have called that discriminatory because people who live in Puerto Rico are American citizens. However, many do not pay a federal income tax, so the high court decided in an 8-1 vote that it was okay to exclude Puerto Ricans from the program.
Read More: AP, WaPo, WSJ, NBC News, SCOTUS
Rare Hepatitis in Children
The CDC told doctors to be on the lookout for unusual cases of severe hepatitis in kids. That’s a liver inflammation that has, so far, infected 11 children and Alabama and North Carolina, even though all of them were healthy before without any underlying conditions. It’s still not clear what’s causing the issue. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, stomach issues, and yellowing of the eyes and skin.
Read More: NBC News, WaPo, WSJ, NY Times, CDC
Routine Vaccinations Decline
The CDC says American kindergarteners have fallen behind on some routine childhood vaccinations. Now, there’s a concern that life-threatening illnesses like measles could become more common. Public health experts mostly blame the pandemic since they say a lot of families decided to skip checkups when they didn’t want to expose their children to Covid-19. Others decided not to enroll their kids in kindergarten, so they didn’t get the shots required for schools. No matter the reason, the CDC is now encouraging doctors’ offices and schools to remind families when kids are due for their routine vaccinations.
Read More: NY Times, ABC News, AP, WaPo, CDC
Jobless Claims Fall to New Low
The U.S. Labor Department reported a drop in new unemployment claims last week, bringing the total down to its lowest level in more than 50 years. Also, the number of people already collecting jobless aid was down to its lowest level since 1970. So, it looks like April has been another month of strong job growth. Already, employers have been adding an average of nearly 600,000 jobs each month this year through March. A shortage of workers is reportedly keeping layoffs at record lows, and businesses need more workers to meet high consumer demand.
Read More: MarketWatch, Reuters, AP, WSJ, DOL
Disney to Lose FL Tax Benefit
Florida’s state legislature passed two bills that would punish Disney for speaking out against a highly-controversial Florida law that critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Disney promised to help fight it in court. Now, the company is facing a change in state law that would strip it of its ability to self-govern the land surrounding Disney World. That status has allowed Disney to act with the same authority as the county government when it comes to the land around its theme park. Florida’s Republican governor says a change is necessary since Disney is “trying to impose a woke ideology on our state; we view that as a significant threat.” Assuming he signs the bills into law, Disney is set to lose its special status in June of next year.
Read More: Politico, Fox News, CNN, The Washington Times, CNBC
CNN+ Shutting Down
CNN launched its new streaming service, CNN+. However, a few weeks after launch, it’s shutting it down. The new service was celebrated as a way to take the network into the digital future, but the company’s incoming president says shutting it down is the right move for CNN’s long-term success. The service reportedly had fewer than 100,000 subscribers after launch. Another potential reason for the change is that CNN has new management. CNN’s former parent company, Warner Media, merged with Discovery earlier this month. Current subscribers will now get prorated refunds. The streaming service officially stops on April 30th.
Read More: CNN, WSJ, WaPo, NY Times
Earth Day
Today is the day to honor our planet. Earth Day started more than 50 years ago, and it’s now the most widely observed secular holiday around the world. It’s meant as a day to appreciate nature and raise awareness about environmental challenges. Rallies and protests are planned in several American cities. Nonprofits are also organizing volunteer community cleanups, local fun runs, and more. Tomorrow, New York City is marking the occasion by shutting down more than 100 streets across all five boroughs. Instead of traffic, the streets will be full of music, dance, art, biking, and education.
Read More: USA Today, CNN, EarthSky, NASA, EarthDay.Org
Feel Good Friday: Neighbors Help WWII Vet Rebuild After Fire
A World War II veteran has been getting some overwhelming support. 94-year-old Paul Roberts lost everything he owned in a house fire last month except for a few pictures. So, his neighbors started a GoFundMe page for him that has since brought in nearly $170,000. Donors have been writing on the page to thank him for his service and wish him well. They’re hoping he can use the money to rebuild his home on the Jersey Shore. In the meantime, Roberts says he’s making the most out of life, and he said he learned something from his experience, that, “There’s a lot of good people in this world.”
Read More: Today, People, APP, NJ.Com, GoFundMe