Monday, April 25th, 2022
U.S. Leaders in Ukraine, Tighter Tech Rules & MLB Milestone
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by bollandbranch.com (Listen for the discount code) and Rothys.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...
US Officials Visit Kyiv
Ukrainian and American officials held their highest-level face-to-face talks since Russia first invaded Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Ukraine’s President Zelensky in Ukraine’s capital. They told Zelensky the U.S. would send another $465 million worth of military assistance. That’s on top of the $3.7 billion in aid the U.S. has already sent since Russia first invaded. Still, Ukraine says more is needed to end the war that’s already left several Ukrainian cities in ruins, thousands of people killed, and millions more uprooted.
Read More: WSJ, Axios, WaPo, AP
Russia-Ukraine Fighting Latest
Ukraine entered its third month of war with Russia, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Yesterday, the Russian military reported hitting hundreds of Ukrainian targets. However, Ukraine says it’s been pushing the Russian troops back, keeping them from advancing any further. So far, there hasn’t been independent confirmation of either country’s claims. This week, the head of the United Nations will meet with Russia’s president and Ukraine’s president to talk about peace.
Read More: Reuters, AP, NPR, NY Times, UN
Macron Wins French Presidential Election
French President Emmanuel Macron was reelected. That means he’s the first French president in two decades to win a second term. He overcame a stronger-than-expected challenge from far-right leader Marine Le Pen. A lot of eyes were on this one since Le Pen has attacked NATO, the E.U., and the U.S. She also has strong ties to Russia. Even though Macron did have a solid win, Le Pen had more votes than any far-right candidate has ever had in a presidential election. Still, she has officially conceded defeat, and President Macron has claimed victory.
Read More: WaPo, AP, WSJ, NY Times
Sen. Orrin Hatch Dies
Americans are saying goodbye to the longest-serving Republican in the U.S. Senate history. Former Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah passed away at 88 years old, but he leaves behind a long legacy. Hatch served 42 years in the Senate. In that time, he sponsored or co-sponsored nearly 800 bills. They include the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Hatch was known for working across the aisle. President Biden paid tribute to Hatch by calling him an “American original” who fought to make the country a better place.
Read More: NY Times, WSJ, WaPo, The Hill, Hatch Foundation, White House
Air Force General Convicted
It was a historic trial within the ranks of the U.S. military, and it ended with a top-ranking Air Force commander being found guilty of sexual misconduct. It’s the first-ever conviction of a general in the military branch’s history. A military judge found Maj. Gen. William Cooley was guilty of forcibly kissing a woman. After the verdict, the woman said she hopes the outcome of the trial makes it easier for the next sexual assault survivor to come forward. Maj. Gen. Cooley now faces seven years in jail. He could also lose his rank, pay, or benefits. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for today.
Read More: Fox News, CNN, Axios, NPR, AFMC
SW Wildfires Latest
The southwestern U.S. is dealing with several wildfires that have been burning out of control for days. They have spread across 235 square miles in Arizona, Nebraska, and New Mexico. People have had to evacuate from at least 4,000 homes, and hundreds of buildings have been burned to the ground. Sadly, fires have become deadly in Nebraska. A retired fire chief who was trying to help firefighters died over the weekend, and at least 15 other firefighters have gotten hurt. Other crews are still trying to put out the fires from the ground and the sky.
Read More: AP, NY Times, The Guardian, AP(2)
Airlines Subbing Buses for Planes
Airlines are facing a pilot shortage. The regional airlines are having the hardest time hiring enough people to fly their short routes, so airlines like United and American have linked up with charter bus services to take people to and from larger airports. Also, Delta no longer requires a four-year college degree for prospective pilots. SkyWest started recruiting foreign pilots from Australia, and many airlines have scaled back plans to resume their pre-pandemic flight schedules.
Read More: Business Insider, Bloomberg, Daily Mail, American, United, BLS
EU Agrees on Digital Services Act
It looks like big tech companies are going to have to get more serious about policing their platforms in Europe. The EU reached a deal on landmark legislation called the Digital Services Act (DSA). It would force Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and others to do more to combat misinformation, among other things. Platforms that don’t follow the rules could get fines of up to 6% of their revenue. For companies like Google and Facebook, that could add up to billions of dollars. The agreement still has to pass the European Council and Parliament. However, reports say that’s nearly guaranteed to happen.
Read More: Axios, NY Times, AP, CNBC, The Verge, EU
Google Banning Call-Recording Apps
Expect some changes to the two biggest app stores around the world. The Google Play Store has a new policy that will effectively ban any apps that you can use to record calls. Though, it’s not exactly clear why. Technically, Android users can still get the call-recording apps elsewhere, just not through the Google Play store. Although, many security experts say going that route could leave you open to potential security and privacy risks.
Read More: Engadget, Ars Technica, CNET, The Verge, Google
Apple Removing Outdated Apps
It looks like Apple’s App Store is removing all apps that are outdated. The Verge got hold of an email that says it will take down any app that hasn’t been updated in a “significant amount of time.” Some developers have been complaining about it since they say their apps don’t need any updates. If you have old apps on your phone that you use, don’t worry. Anything already on your devices now will stay there.
Read More: The Verge, 9to5Mac, Screen Rant
Weekend Box Office
Once again, a family movie has dominated the weekend box office. The animated comedy ‘The Bad Guys’ brought in $24 million in the U.S. and Canada on its debut weekend, way more than any other movie out there right now. The second spot at the box office also went to a cartoon, ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2.’ A media analyst at Comscore told NBC News this bodes well for more family-friendly movies coming out this summer.
Read More: THR, Deadline, Variety, NBC News
Miguel Cabrera Joins 3K Club
Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera made history over the weekend. He became only the 7th player in MLB history to have 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. The hometown crowd gave him a standing ovation as fireworks shot out of the scoreboard. All the Tigers and Cabrera’s family came out onto the field to embrace the latest member of baseball’s elite. Even players on the opposing team, the Colorado Rockies, came over to congratulate him. The Tigers went on to win the game 13-0.
Read More: ESPN, Detroit Free Press, NY Times, MLB
See his 3,000th Hit: MLB
Money Monday: Affordable Cities to Buy a Home
One new study says Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the most affordable city for housing around the world, followed by Oklahoma City and Rochester, New York. The nonprofits behind the study came up with the rankings by comparing home prices to household incomes. Realtor.com says the median listing price for a typical home in Pittsburgh is $223,000, down nearly 14% from this time last year. Also, Money Magazine says the number of new home listings has been growing in Pittsburgh, so the inventory is good. The cities ranked least affordable for housing are Hong Kong, Sidney, Australia, and Vancouver, Canada.
Read More: Bloomberg, The Street, Money, Demographia