Tuesday, May 24th, 2022
Defending Taiwan, Most-Watched Primaries & TIME100 List
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Pampers.com 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...
The US to Defend Taiwan
President Biden is promising to protect the island of Taiwan if it comes down to it, even if it means using military force. The president was asked specifically about this on his Asia trip, and he went on to say that an invasion would lead to another similar situation to what’s happening between Russia and Ukraine. In the past, the U.S. has avoided making those kinds of guarantees since it no longer has a mutual defense treaty with Taiwan. The White House clarified that Biden’s comments don’t reflect an actual policy change for the U.S. Still, China wasn’t happy since it sees Taiwan as a province of China, gone rogue.
Read More: Reuters, NY Post, AP, CNN, WSJ
New Economic Bloc
President Biden formally launched a new trade pact with a dozen Indo-Pacific countries like Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, and more. Together, they represent about 40% of the world economy, and this deal is meant to strengthen all their economies. The idea is to let the U.S. work more closely with allies on issues like supply chains, digital trade, clean energy, anti-corruption, and more. It’s also about offering an alternative to China’s dominant leadership. However, the difference between this new deal and traditional trade pacts is this one won’t lower tariffs. Also, the details still need to be negotiated between member countries.
Read More: NY Times, AP, USA Today, CNA, White House
Zelensky at World Economic Forum
Ukraine’s president is calling for a major effort to rebuild his country. President Zelensky addressed the world’s political and business elite during a video address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. There, he invited international companies who have been shunning Russia to set up shop in Ukraine instead. Also at the forum, Zelensky called on world powers to help Ukraine get its grain out to the global market to help prevent a food crisis. He says Russia has blocked Ukrainian ports.
Read More: WaPo, NY Times, The Times, Sky News
More Weapons to Ukraine
Nearly 50 defense leaders from around the world met this week, and they agreed to send more advanced weapons into Ukraine. The U.S. defense secretary says those will include a harpoon launcher and missiles to protect the Ukrainian coast, along with more armored vehicles, attack helicopters, and more. He says the U.S. is also trying to figure out how it might need to adjust its training for Ukrainian forces. The U.S. and other countries have been training Ukrainian forces in nearby European countries.
Read More: The Hill, AP, NY Times, Military.Com
Primaries in More States
Primary elections are happening today in Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, and Minnesota. Texas is also holding run-off elections for the races that were unresolved in the state’s primaries back in March. A lot of eyes are especially on Georgia. There, Republican voters are picking who will go up against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in November. In that race, Trump has backed a former pro football player Herschel Walker. In the governor’s race, Trump is backing former Sen. David Perdue. He’s up against current Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who has the endorsement of former Vice President Pence. Whoever wins that race will take on Democrat Stacey Abrams.
Read More: AP, Reuters, USA Today, Axios
Pfizer’s Young Kids Vax Data
Pfizer released new data that shows how a three-dose regimen works on kids as young as six months and up to four years old. The data shows the shots proved to be safe and 80% effective at preventing Covid-19 cases with symptoms. The FDA says its outside experts will look at data next month from both Pfizer and Moderna about their options for the youngest kids. If all goes well, the FDA could authorize at least one vaccine option for young kids as soon as June 16th. The shots could be available that same week.
Read More: Stat, Politico, WaPo, CNN, Pfizer
Americans’ Strong Personal Finances
In the Federal Reserve’s annual survey, 78% of U.S. adults said they were doing okay or living comfortably in the final few months of 2021. The latest number is up from 75% in 2020, and it’s the highest it’s been since the survey began almost a decade ago. However, the survey results are from before the omicron wave of Covid-19 peaked in January, before inflation hit a four-decade high, and before the Federal Reserve raised interest rates.
Read More: WSJ, The Hill, Reuters, CNN, Federal Reserve
Activision Blizzard’s First Union
Workers in one division of Activision Blizzard voted to join a union. That’s one of the most popular video game-making companies in the country, behind games like “Call of Duty” and “Candy Crush”. The group of about 20 quality assurance workers at one of the company’s studios who voted on this is a small portion of the nearly 10,000 workers around the world. However, it’s another example of new groups organizing, so others in the gaming and tech industries are said to be watching closely.
Read More: NPR, WSJ, The Verge, The Guardian, GWA
Amazon to Sublet Warehouse Space
Amazon doubled the size of its operations during the pandemic, adding more warehouses and workers with the surge in online shopping. Now that demand has slowed, Amazon is left with too much unused space that it needs to pay for. Reports say Amazon is now looking to sublease at least 10 million square feet in its warehouses. A company spokesperson didn’t get into details but said subleasing is a common practice for companies since it helps pay for financial obligations with an existing building that’s no longer needed. In April, Amazon reported its slowest growth in two decades. However, it comes after two years of record profits.
Read More: Bloomberg, WSJ, AP
Final NYC Payphones Removed
New York City removed its last public payphone this week. Payphones used to be found all around the city. There were roughly 8,000 of them still in use as recently as 2015. However, the rise of cell phones has made them obsolete. So, New York City decided to replace the network of phone booths with something more modern. LinkNYC kiosks offer free, high-speed Wifi to people nearby as well as free phone calls and charging stations for mobile devices. Soon, they’ll provide 5G coverage to the city, too.
Read More: CNBC, USA Today, CBS News, WSJ, WABC
TIME100 Revealed
TIME Magazine has released its picks for the top 100 most influential people of the year. The list includes government leaders, activists, tech giants, athletes, Hollywood entertainers, and more. This year, each honoree received a special tribute from a big-name guest contributor. For example, President Biden wrote about Ukraine’s President Zelensky. The submission about Russian President Putin came from Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Former first lady Michelle Obama wrote about talk show host Oprah Winfrey, and NFL great Tom Brady wrote about tennis star Rafael Nadal, just to name a few examples. The TIME100 issue comes out on newsstands this Friday.
Read More: MarketWatch, USA Today, Rolling Stone, Time
See Full List: Time
Trivia Tuesday
In public places in Florida, what's illegal to do when wearing a swimsuit?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia
Q: What's the smallest country in the world by area?
A: Vatican City
Read More: History, Nations Online, Britannica, Kiddle