Tuesday, April 26th, 2022
Ukraine Endgame, ‘Remain in Mexico’ Future & Musk’s Twitter Takeover
All the news 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 read the latest happenings...
Diplomats Discuss Ukraine Visit
Top American leaders say they have a clear goal with the war overseas: to weaken Russia and strengthen Ukraine. The secretary of state and defense secretary said they want to keep Russia from trying to invade any other country in the future. Sec. Austin said Ukraine can win the war as long as it has the right equipment. That’s where the U.S. and other allies come in since they have sent billions of dollars in military aid since Russia first invaded. Ukraine’s president is asking for more, but top Russian officials are calling on the U.S. to stop.
Read More: Politico, WSJ, The Hill, WaPo, State Dept.
New Ukraine Ambassador Nominee
President Biden named his pick for ambassador to Ukraine. He nominated Bridget Brink, the current ambassador to Slovakia. She will still have to be confirmed by the Senate before representing the U.S. in Ukraine. However, both Democrats and Republicans say they don’t expect there to be any problems. Meanwhile, other diplomats are going back to Ukraine this week. Reports say that it will help American and Ukrainian officials coordinate aid and other efforts.
Read More: WaPo, CBS News, Reuters, NPR, White House
SCOTUS Hears Remain in Mexico Case
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear about what’s commonly known as the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy. It says migrants who apply for asylum need to wait in Mexico while American authorities evaluate their cases. Supporters say it has helped alleviate congestion in the southern U.S. However, the Biden administration has been trying to end it, arguing it’s not humane. The Supreme Court will decide if the White House has the power to end the policy or not. The high court is expected to issue a decision by June.
Read More: The Hill, CBS News, NPR, Roll Call, Time
Title 42 Staying in Place Temporarily
More than 20 states sued the Biden administration over its plan to end Title 42. That’s the policy that let American border officials turn away most undocumented adults without giving them a legal hearing. The plan was for that policy to end next month, even though critics say it would make the U.S.-Mexico border more overwhelmed. This week, a federal judge ruled in order of the states who sued and issued a temporary restraining order. However, it’s not clear if that will stop the Biden administration from lifting the rule next month or if it just keeps officials from winding it down before then.
Read More: CBS News, Fox News, CNN, Politico, US Courts
Trump in Contempt of Court
Former President Trump is facing new legal trouble. A judge in New York found him in contempt of court because he hasn’t turned over documents in a civil fraud investigation. Until he does, the judge says Trump will be fined $10,000 a day. Trump’s legal team is going to fight that, though. The former president’s lawyers say they’ve given the state attorney general the only records they were able to find. Now, legal experts say if they can show they did a thorough search for the documents, the judge might waive the fees.
Read More: AP, Reuters, Fox News, WSJ, NY Times
First Covid Treatment for Kids
The FDA approved the remdesivir antiviral drug for children who are one month old or older. Before now, it was only approved for people 12 and up. However, the latest trials involving young kids in the hospital showed remdesivir lowered the death risk from Covid-19, and most of the side effects were relatively mild. That said, not all young kids who test positive will be able to get the treatment. To be eligible, children will have to be hospitalized or be at high risk of getting a severe case. They also need to weigh at least seven pounds.
Read More: Axios, Forbes, CNN, FDA
Elon Musk to Buy Twitter
Twitter has officially accepted Elon Musk’s offer. That means the Tesla and SpaceX CEO can buy the social media company in a $44 billion deal. With that, Twitter will become a privately-held company. There are already questions about what Musk will do with the platform. The billionaire business owner has said he wants to transform Twitter by promoting more free speech and giving users more control over what they see, among other things. Regulators still need to sign off on the agreement, but they are expected to do so, making the deal final within the next few months.
Read More: CNBC, Fox Business, AP, Axios, Twitter, Elon Musk
First Meta Showroom
Facebook’s owner Meta is opening its first brick-and-mortar retail store. The idea is to sell people on the metaverse. That’s the virtual environment for people to work, socialize, and play. The store will have demo areas where people can try gadgets like Meta’s Oculus virtual reality headsets as well as the games and apps that run on them. Meta says the goal is to “demystify” the metaverse and give people a “glimpse into the future.” The store will open in two weeks on Meta’s campus in the California bay area.
Read More: The Verge, TechCrunch, CNBC, Reuters, Meta
FAA Investigates Pilot-Swapping Stunt
A mid-air stunt is now under federal investigation. Event organizers say two pilots were supposed to go up in separate planes, exit their cockpits, and skydive into each other’s planes. It was called “Plane Swap”. It was sponsored by Red Bull and live-streamed on Hulu. However, when it happened, one of the pilots didn’t make it into the other plane. That plane crashed in the Arizona desert. Both pilots were okay since they had parachutes, but the FAA says the crash shouldn’t have happened anyway because there should have been an extra pilot aboard each plane. So far, Red Bull, Hulu, and the pilots are not commenting.
Read More: ABC News, CNN, NY Times, NBC News
Commercial Crew Returns to Earth
The first fully private crew to visit the International Space Station is now back on solid ground. They returned to Earth on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. This trip was led by a commercial aerospace company called Axiom Space. It sent a retired NASA astronaut to the ISS with three paying customers. They were supposed to spend eight days in orbit. However, because of bad weather, the trip got extended and ended up being nearly twice that long. During that time, they did science experiments and research, floating weightlessly, and took in one-of-a-kind views of Earth.
Read More: CBS News, Space.Com, CNBC, Axiom
Jon Stewart Gets Mark Twain Prize
One of comedy’s top honors went to a man best known for political humor. Former ‘Daily Show’ host Jon Stewart won this year’s Mark Twain Prize. He is the first person to be honored since comedian Dave Chappelle in 2019. Chappelle was one of the many comedians on hand to pay tribute to Stewart at the Kennedy Center this week. Others included Steve Carrell, John Oliver, Pete Davidson, Jimmy Kimmel, and more. Stewart took the stage, too, and talked about the current state of comedy, saying it “survives every moment.” The ceremony will air on PBS stations this June.
Read More: NY Times, THR, NPR, WaPo, Kennedy Center
Trivia Tuesday
Pop star Taylor Swift grew up on what type of farm?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia
Q: Which of Shakespeare’s plays is the longest?
A: Hamlet
Read More: Play Shakespeare, Britannica, Kiddle, The Guardian