Friday, May 21st, 2021
Ceasefire Deal, Jobless Claims Drop & Princess Diana Deceived
All the news you need in around 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Rothys.com/newsworthy and Ritual.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...
Israel and Hamas Ceasefire
Things are finally quieting down in Gaza. The Israeli government and the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, agreed to a ceasefire. This comes after nearly two weeks of fighting that’s left hundreds of people dead, thousands hurt, and part of the Gaza strip destroyed. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head to the region soon to meet with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Experts say there should be concerns about how durable this latest ceasefire is in the long term since the long-standing tensions still exist.
Read More: NBC News, NY Times, WSJ, AP, NPR
Biden Signs Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Bill
The hate crimes act that overwhelmingly passed in both chambers of Congress is now officially law. President Biden signed it at a White House event alongside lawmakers, advocates, and families of hate crime victims. The new law puts extra emphasis on violence against Asian-Americans since there’s been a big increase in those kinds of attacks over the last year. It directs the Justice Department to speed up the review of hate crimes related to the pandemic and makes grants available to state and local governments so they can respond to hate crimes and start prevention programs.
Read More: NPR, Reuters, ABC News, Fox News
New Jobless Claims Hit Pandemic Low
Fewer Americans applied for jobless benefits last week, and new unemployment claims have gone down in five of the last six weeks. Analysts say it’s a sign the economy is getting stronger as COVID-19 cases drop, businesses reopen, and people are starting to spend freely again. This news comes as 22 states say they’re going to cut off the federal unemployment bonus early, saying that the extra money is discouraging people from finding work.
Read More: WSJ, CNBC, AP, WaPo, Labor Dept.
NOAA Hurricane Season Prediction
Scientists think we could be in for another active Atlantic hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting anywhere between 13 and 20 named storms this year and says three to five of those could be major hurricanes. Last year, the Atlantic hurricane season was the most active it has ever been with a record 30 named storms and seven major hurricanes. Scientists say this year likely won’t be quite that bad. The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins June 1st.
Read More: WaPo, NY Times, NPR, NOAA
BBC Apologizes for Princess Diana 1995 Interview
The BBC is apologizing for a famous interview one of its reporters did with the late Princess Diana more than 25 years ago. A new investigation found the reporter, Martin Bashir, used “deceit” to convince Diana to sit down with him. Bashir created fake bank statements to make it look like people close to Diana were being paid to watch her and leak information about her. In a statement, the network said it should have done more to investigate what happened and that Bashir’s actions were inappropriate. It offered a “full and unconditional apology.”
Read More: BBC, Guardian, WaPo, Fox News
Princes Harry and William Respond to BBC Investigation
Since the BBC report came out about the Princess Diana interview, her sons Princes William and Harry have pressed for higher media standards. Prince William asked that the interview never be aired again. Prince Harry went a step further, blaming the media for Diana’s death. He’s not the only one. For years, many people have blamed the paparazzi following Diana for causing the crash that killed her.
Read More: NBC News, Variety, ABC News
Proposal for Reporting Large Crypto Transfers
The federal government says it wants to regulate cryptocurrencies like it does cash. The Treasury Department is proposing a new rule that says transfers of at least $10,000 would have to be reported to the IRS. The Treasury says it’s concerned crypto investors would be able to use digital currencies to avoid paying taxes. This new rule is being proposed as part of an $80 billion effort to update the IRS auditing abilities. Congress still has to sign off.
Read More: CNET, Bloomberg, WSJ, Reuters, Treasury Dept.
Facebook’s “Live Shopping Fridays”
Facebook is launching its new “Live Shopping Fridays” series today. Shoppers can tune in and watch live presentations about fashion and beauty products. Viewers can submit questions about the products, and get answers in real-time. People can also tap on the products shown on the live stream and buy them without leaving Facebook. The live shopping events are happening from now until mid-July.
Read More: TechCrunch, 9to5Mac, WWD, Facebook
NBA Playoffs Start Saturday
The NBA Playoffs tip off tomorrow afternoon. The action begins with four matchups on Saturday. As always, each series is the best of seven games, so it could be mid-July before the final two teams take the court for the championship series. All of the arenas are allowing at least some fans, but none are back to full capacity yet. You can also watch the first and second rounds of the playoffs on ESPN, TNT, and NBA-TV.
Read More: CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, NBA
Hocus Pocus 2
The Sanderson sisters are back for Hocus Pocus 2. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy all signed on for the much-anticipated sequel. The original Hocus Pocus came out in 1993 and has since become a cult classic. Variety reports that the sequel will follow a similar script, just a little more modern. It will be available to stream on Disney+ sometime next year.
Read More: Variety, CNN, Deadline, USA Today
Feel Good Friday: Girl Scouts Turn Bottle Caps into Park Benches
A couple of Girl Scout troops in Illinois are helping other kids make friends and helping the planet, too all with one service project. The girls spent two years collecting more than 300 pounds of plastic bottle caps. They used money raised through cookie sales to have those bottle caps turned into park benches. They’re rainbow-colored and labeled with signs that read “Buddy Bench.” The idea is if a kid is feeling shy or left out, they can sit on the bench as a signal to other kids that they’re looking for someone to play with.
Read More: Daily Herald, The Week