Thursday, May 13th, 2021
Panic-Buying at the Pump, GOP Leader Ousted & Ellen Show to End
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.com/newsworthy and Framebridge.com (Listen for the discount code)
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 peruse the latest happenings...
Colonial Pipeline Back Online
The largest fuel pipeline in the U.S. is now back up and running, but the shutdown that lasted several days has sparked a new problem. Analysts say there’s now a shortage of gasoline in the southeast caused by not only the pipeline shutdown but also people panic buying gas. As of yesterday, GasBuddy reported nearly 70% of gas stations in North Carolina were out of gas. Nearly half of the stations in Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia reported outages too. Colonial says it’s going to take a few days for the fuel supply chain to return to normal.
Read More: WaPo, USA Today, Fox Business, CNBC
Cybersecurity Executive Order
In the wake of high-profile hacks, President Biden is hoping to boost America’s cyber defenses. He signed an executive order that does three main things. It adds new software standards for government agencies, requires companies to report certain information about hacks when they happen, and creates a cybersecurity safety review board. Experts on that board will be responsible for investigating cyber incidents and publishing security recommendations.
Read More: NPR, WSJ, Reuters, ABC News, White House
Rep. Cheney Loses Leadership Role
House Republicans voted to remove Congresswoman Liz Cheney as their number three leader. It’s because she continues to criticize former President Trump. Cheney says he’s been lying about the 2020 election and wants to make sure people know it was not stolen or rigged. However, other party leaders say her back-and-forth with Trump has become a distraction. Tomorrow, Republican lawmakers will decide who will replace her. As of this morning, one of Trump’s allies, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is running unopposed.
Read More: Politico, WSJ, Fox News, NPR
Republicans Threaten Split from GOP
More than 100 Republicans are preparing to release a letter today, threatening to form a new political party if the GOP doesn’t make changes. Specifically, they’ll say it’s time to break with former President Trump and reject conspiracy theories. Most of those who have signed on are former officials, like former ambassadors, governors, cabinet secretaries, and members of Congress. It’s not clear if their threat will actually lead to a third party though. Many Republicans in Congress now say it wouldn't be a good idea and would just help Democrats win more elections.
Read More: NY Times, Reuters, USA Today
Preventing the Next Pandemic
About a year ago, the World Health Organization asked a group of experts to figure out how the pandemic happened. This week, they delivered their answer. Their report says the WHO waited too long to declare COVID-19 a public health emergency. It also says many governments ignored warnings and encouraged people to keep going to public events, despite the risks. The report says that gave the virus time to spread from China to the rest of the world, eventually killing millions of people in its path. Next, the group wants to see overhauls at the WHO and it calls for wealthy nations to make sure vaccines get to more places around the world.
Read More: WaPo, NPR, Politico, Reuters, WSJ, Full Report
CDC Recommends Pfizer Vax to Adolescents
Kids 12 and up are now able to get COVID-19 vaccines. After the CDC signed off earlier this week, a CDC advisory panel also endorsed the Pfizer shots for adolescents. With that, more states started opening up vaccination appointments to the younger age group. President Biden says his administration is now working to get doses to pediatricians and family doctors as well as school-based clinics. Already this morning, there are 15,000 pharmacies around the country ready to vaccinate everyone 12 and up. A lot of mass vaccination sites will be ready to do that too.
Read More: NBC News, NY Times, Politico, Reuters
Ramadan Ends & Eid al-Fitr Begins
1.6 billion Muslims around the world are marking an end to the holy month of Ramadan. Today marks the beginning of the three-day festival called Eid al-Fitr. The name is Arabic for “feast of breaking the fast.” During Ramadan, Muslims don’t eat or drink anything during daylight hours. It’s meant to be a time for reflection and prayer. However, when it’s over, people celebrate by feasting with friends and family. Eid al-Fitr is one of the holiest occasions on the Islamic calendar.
Read More: iNews, Newsweek, CNN, Vox
Low-Income Internet Program Starts
The government is starting to help millions of Americans pay for high-speed internet. It’s part of a federal program called the Emergency Broadband Benefit. Congress approved more than $3 billion for the program. It gives people at least $50 off their internet bill. It also includes a one-time $100 subsidy to help pay for a laptop or tablet. More than 800 broadband providers have signed on to the program. The FCC says the program is open to Americans who lost their jobs or were furloughed during the pandemic as long as they earned less than $99,000 in 2020.
Read More: NY Times, WaPo, TechCrunch
How to Sign Up: FCC Emergency Broadband
Tesla Stops Taking Bitcoin
Tesla will no longer let you pay for a car with Bitcoin. It’s a change from just two months ago when the company first announced it was accepting cryptocurrency. Now, CEO Elon Musk says he’s concerned about what Bitcoin is doing to the environment. The way digital currencies are made requires several high-powered computers and machines. That uses a lot of electricity which is often made through fossil fuels like coal. Either way, Musk says he’s just putting the Bitcoin transactions on hold for now.
Read More: The Verge, CNBC, Reuters, Business Insider, Elon Musk
Ellen Show Ending
After nearly 20 years on the air, the Ellen Degeneres Show is coming to an end. The daytime talk show host confirmed her upcoming 19th season will be her last. Fans can expect new episodes into 2022, but after that, her current contract with Warner Bros. ends. Ellen plans to talk about the decision on today’s episode with her guest Oprah Winfrey. Ellen recently said she wanted to find a new challenge, but denied that the recent controversy surrounding her show had anything to do with her decision to move on. The 19th and final season is expected to debut this fall.
Read More: Hollywood Reporter, Variety, CNN, NY Times, Fox News
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame New Inductees
Some of the most popular musicians in the world are being inducted into this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This year’s class represents the most diverse in the organization’s history. It also has more women than ever before. The performer category includes Tina Turner, Carole King, The Go-Gos, Jay-Z, the Foo Fighters, and Todd Rundgren. Musicians become eligible for the Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first single or album. This year’s induction ceremony is set for October.
Read More: Hall of Fame, CNN, USA Today, NME
Thing to Know Thursday: Chlorine Shortage
Your summer fun at the pool could be impacted by a national chlorine shortage. That’s because as people stayed home last summer, more people installed pools at their own homes. Those who already had pools started using them a lot more often, on top of the community and commercial pools. Also, the facility that produced a bulk of the country’s chlorine tablets burned down last August. The shortage is causing a surge in prices. Now, experts are asking pool owners to not stockpile tablets ahead of the summer season.
Read More: CNBC, Popular Mechanics, USA Today