Tuesday, May 10th, 2022
Spring Heatwave, Market Mayhem & Wordle Controversy
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Zocdoc.com/newsworthy and Indeed.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...
Putin Victory Day Speech
During a national holiday in Russia, President Putin tried to defend Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He claimed it was necessary because western nations were “preparing for the invasion of our land.” It’s not clear if he was talking about Russia or territory within Ukraine that he considers being Russian. Still, Putin’s speech was much tamer than many of Ukraine’s allies were expecting. They worried Putin would announce a broader war effort, but he didn’t do that. After he spoke, there was a parade of troops, tanks, and military hardware in Moscow.
Read More: ABC News, Fox News, WSJ, CNBC
Ukrainians Kidnapped
Russian troops are still launching attacks across Ukraine, hitting both military and civilian targets. The U.S. says that on top of that, Ukrainian civilians are being sent to Russia against their will. The Pentagon spokesperson wouldn’t comment much more about it, but Ukrainian officials have said they’re living in “filtration camps”. Russia denies that, saying about a million Ukrainians have come to Russia but that it was their choice to do so.
Read More: Reuters, Axios, Newsweek, Al Jazeera
US Lend-Lease Program Renewed
American Democrats and Republicans have been united in their support of Ukraine. Yesterday, President Biden signed a bill that lets the U.S. get weapons to the war-torn country more quickly. The bill got overwhelming, bipartisan support in Congress. Lawmakers are expected to pass more aid for Ukraine soon.
Read More: CNBC, Axios, AP, WaPo, White House
Record Heat/Wildfires
Several states have been dealing with unusually hot temperatures for this time of year on top of “extremely critical” wildfire threats. The heatwave started in Texas over the weekend. Now, extreme temperatures are moving into the lower Mississippi valley and southern plains over the next couple of days. By the end of the week, it will reach the midwest. As for the wildfire risk, it’s described as “extremely critical” in parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. That’s the highest-risk category. Forecasters blame the heat, drought, and high winds. Several fires are burning out of control, especially in New Mexico.
Read More: Axios, CNN, NY Times, NWS, NOAA
NE, WV Primaries
Nebraska and West Virginia are holding primary elections today for Congressional seats, along with other offices. In West Virginia, there’s an especially interesting race since the state lost a seat in the U.S. House because its population shrank. That’s why two current Republican congressmen are going against each other to see who gets to stay. The races in both Nebraska and West Virginia could shape the midterm elections this November since that’s when Republicans hope to win back control of the U.S. Congress, and Democrats hope to hold onto it.
Read More: AP, Reuters, NY Times, Newsweek
Gov’t Announces Low-Cost Internet
The federal government is teaming up with internet companies in the hopes of helping millions more Americans get online. The Biden administration says it reached a deal with 20 service providers like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and more. They’ve agreed to provide “high-speed” internet access for $30 a month in low-income areas. Then, the White House announced a federal subsidy that will make it less expensive or even free for those who qualify. Americans whose income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level are eligible. Others who qualify include people who use other federal programs, like Medicaid or a veterans pension.
Read More: WaPo, Fox News, NPR, AP, WSJ, White House
Apply Here: GetInternet.Gov
Stocks Tumble Again
Wall Street is still dealing with a brutal selloff. Stocks fell for the third day in a row, sliding to new lows for the year. The Dow dropped about 2%, the S&P 500 went down 3%, and the Nasdaq fell by more than 4%. Other assets like oil and bitcoin tumbled, too. Investors are reportedly worried about a lot of the same issues, like how inflation is running at its fastest pace in decades and how the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates that could slow the economy. There was also new data out of China this week that shows how trade has slowed down, and the war in Ukraine is hurting the supply chain.
Read More: WSJ, NY Times, NPR, Reuters
Baby Formula Shortage Worsens
It’s getting harder to find baby formula right now. Datasembly tracks when various retailers’ websites and apps have the message “out of stock”. Its newest data found that nationwide, 40% of the most popular baby formula brands were out of stock the last week in April. That’s up from 31% two weeks ago. Supply chain issues related to the pandemic were initially behind the shortage. Then, a recall made things worse. News of the shortage is likely also causing some panic-buying and hoarding. However, some major retailers are limiting how much people can buy at once.
Read More: Bloomberg, USA Today, WSJ, CNN, The Hill
Young Thug Arrested
A Grammy-winning rapper and songwriter has been arrested and booked in jail on gang-related charges. Jail records show the artist known as Young Thug is accused of two counts that stem from 2013 and 2018. Authorities aren’t saying much, but a local news reporter said Young Thug and rapper Gunna are among 28 defendants charged in a 56-count indictment and that Young Thug is accused of renting a car that was used in a murder.
Read More: AJC, TMZ, NY Times, Fulton County Jail, Twitter/WSBTV
Controversial Wordle Answer Changed
The puzzle game Wordle was scrambling to change its winning word yesterday. The word, fetus, seemed a little too closely tied to recent news. Remember, a draft opinion was leaked from the Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v. Wade if it’s finalized. The New York Times acquired the game a few months ago, and the Times put out a statement explaining that the answer was loaded into the game last year. It said the timing of the word was a coincidence and unintentional, that the game is meant to entertain and stay separate from the news.
Read More: NY Times, WaPo, NY Post, BBC
Instagram Testing NFTs
You might start seeing non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on Instagram. Executives say creators and collectors will be able to share NFTs on their profiles. However, for now, only a small group of people have that ability. On Instagram, the NFT details will be displayed sort of how tagged profiles and products are. If you click on that tag, you’ll see details like the creator and owner of the digital collectible. Instagram executives say this could help introduce the technology to a broader range of people. However, other social media companies, like Twitter, are already doing something similar.
Read More: TechCrunch, The Verge, 9to5Mac, CNET, Mark Zuckerberg
TikTok Mexican Pizza Musical
A country music legend is teaming up with a modern rap superstar to make a new musical about Taco Bell’s Mexican pizza. Dolly Parton and Doja Cat, two Taco Bell ad partners, are making ‘Mexican Pizza: The Musical’. It’s about how the internet lost its mind when Taco Bell took the Mexican pizza off its menu in 2020. It’s coming out later this month on TikTok, about a week after the Mexican pizza returns to Taco Bell’s menu.
Read More: LA Times, NBC News, EW, Insider, Dolly Parton, Taco Bell
Trivia Tuesday
A male donkey is a jack, but what is the female called?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia
Q: What is the most consumed manufactured drink in the world?
A: Tea
Read More: National Geographic, Tea Squared, Lipton, Peet’s, Britannica